JPS6211243A - Prober device having temperature control means - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To elevate the temperature of a wafer to a fixed value rapidly with high precision by mounting an air-feeding hose and an air discharging hose and feeding and circulating a gas at a fixed temperature into a closed chamber in which the wafer is placed. CONSTITUTION:A tempered glass board 13 is releasably supported horizontally to the upper section of a table 1' driven in the X, Y, Z and theta directions while a hood 14 is fitted around the table 1', the upper end of the hood is brought into contact with the glass board 13 in a sliding manner, thus forming a closed space 15 to the upper section of the table 1'. The glass board 13 is the size capable of covering the range of the movement area of the table 1' when the table 1' is shifted in a horizontal surface. A probe card 11' is mounted onto the glass board 13. An air feeding hose 19 and an air discharging hose 20 are set up while penetrating these glass board 13 and card 11', and temperature- controlled air is fed and circulated into the space 15. Accordingly, the temperature of a wafer 3 is elevated quickly to a fixed value when the novel wafer 3 is placed on the table 1'.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a prober device that tests electrical performance by bringing a probe into contact with a semiconductor circuit provided on a wafer surface to conduct electricity, and particularly under predetermined test conditions such as temperature and temperature. This invention relates to a prober device that has been improved so that it can perform inspections.

[Background of the invention]

When manufacturing an IC, a large number of semiconductor circuits (usually several tens to several hundred) are arranged and configured on the surface of a semiconductor wafer.
This is cut, leads are connected to each cut piece, and molded to obtain a completed IC.

The finished product is automatically inspected by an IC tester while being transported by an IC handler.

However, when a defective product occurs in a semiconductor circuit, it is more economical to discover and eliminate it as early as possible in the process because subsequent processing costs can be reduced.

From this point of view, a prober device is used to inspect the electrical characteristics of an IC at the wafer stage during the IC manufacturing process.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing an example of a known prober device.

A vacuum suction bed 2 is provided on the top surface of the table 1, and the wafer 3 is
is checked.

The above table 1 is arranged along two horizontal orthogonal axes X and Y (Y
The shaft is perpendicular to the plane of the paper), is precisely driven up and down along the vertical axis Z, and is precisely rotated in the θ direction around the Z axis.

That is, 4 is a bearing that rotatably supports the table 1, and 5 is a motor for driving in the θ direction. A deceleration optical gear 6a is fixed to the motor 5, and a deceleration receiving gear 6b is attached to the table 1.

7 is a guide shaft that supports the table 1 and guides it in the Y-axis direction, 8 is a Y-axis direction drive motor, and 8a is a Y-axis direction feed screw.

9 is an X-axis direction guide shaft.

Above the wafer 3 on the table 1, the probe needles 10. 10 will be installed. The probe needle IO is attached to the probe card 11.

The probe card 11 is a wiring board for inspection.

In order to inspect the semiconductor circuit on the wafer 3 using the above-mentioned conventional apparatus (Fig. 2), the table 1 is moved by the above-mentioned XYZθ driving means, and the tip of the probe needle 10 is brought into contact with the semiconductor circuit (the upper surface of the wafer 3). , conduction is performed.

When inspecting the semiconductor circuit described above, the inspection condition temperature is set according to the specifications of the product. The inspection condition temperature may be as low as -50°C, for example, or as high as 120°C, for example.

In the conventional technology, when performing probe inspection at low or high temperatures as described above, an air nozzle 12 is provided to blow hot or cold air toward the vicinity of the tip of the probe needle 10, and the wafer 3 is heated by the heat or cold air. Then, the probe is tested after being cooled down to a predetermined temperature.

However, as described above, it takes a long time to bring the wafer 3 to a predetermined temperature by blowing hot air or cold air, which reduces inspection efficiency.

Moreover, the temperature accuracy is poor and the test reliability is low.6 [Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to provide a prober device equipped with temperature control means that can bring a wafer to a predetermined temperature.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the device of the present invention provides precise precision in the horizontal plane along two horizontal orthogonal axes x and y, in the vertical direction along the vertical axis 2, and in the θ direction around the Z axis. driven x
In a prober device that chucks a wafer on a YZθ table and brings a probe into contact with the wafer to inspect the electrical performance of a semiconductor circuit configured on the wafer,
Above the table surface on which the wafer to be inspected is placed,
A plate member having a size that can cover the movement range of the table in a horizontal plane is supported horizontally, and a cylindrical hood is elastically supported near the periphery of the table, so that the upper end of the hood is attached to the plate member. to form a sealed chamber surrounding the wafer placed on the table, the probe is supported by passing through the plate member, and an air supply hose and an exhaust hose are passed through the plate member. Stick to it,
It is characterized in that it is configured to supply and circulate gas at a predetermined temperature into the sealed chamber.

Example of invention C] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The device of this embodiment is an improved version of the conventional prober device described above by applying the present invention. z,
The table 1' driven in the θ direction is a member corresponding to the table 1 in the conventional example. Further, members having the same drawing reference numbers as in FIG. 2 are the same or similar structural members as in the conventional example.

A tempered glass plate 13 is supported horizontally above the table 1', and a hood 14 is provided around the table 1', the upper end of which is brought into contact with the tempered glass plate 13.
A closed space 15 is formed above the space.

The size of the above tempered glass plate 13 is that the table 1' is x
, has a size that can cover the area of movement when moving in a horizontal plane along the Y axis.

The hood 14 has a cylindrical shape and is urged upward by a spring 16. The hood 14 in this example is made of Teflon (
(trade name) to reduce frictional resistance against the tempered glass plate 13 and to have excellent heat resistance and cold resistance.

A circumferential lip 17 is provided on the outside of the hood 14 to make the hood 14 completely airtight, and a hose 18 is fixedly inserted through the lip 17 so that dry air can be introduced.

A probe card 11' is mounted on the tempered glass plate 13. This probe card 11' is provided with a viewing window 11a fitted with glass so that the tip of the probe needle 1O can be seen.

The air supply hose 19 and the exhaust hose 20 are attached to the tempered glass plate 13 and the probe card 11' by passing through the tempered glass plate 13 and the probe card 11'. The structure is configured such that air) can be fed and circulated into the closed space 15.

In order to use the apparatus of this embodiment constructed as described above, air at a predetermined temperature is introduced through the air supply hose 19 and then discharged from the exhaust hose 20 to be circulated.

When circulated for a while, the members surrounding the closed space 15 (vacuum adsorption bed 2, tempered glass plate 13, hood 14)
becomes approximately the predetermined temperature. Therefore, when the table 1 is lowered and a new wafer 3 is placed, the temperature quickly reaches the predetermined temperature.

Furthermore, when focusing on the wafer 3, the atmosphere surrounding the wafer 3 and the surrounding members are all at a predetermined temperature, so the wafer 3 is stabilized at a predetermined temperature and is accurately maintained at a predetermined temperature. Ru.

If the closed space is kept at a low temperature below room temperature, there is a risk that frost will form at the contact area between the lip 17 and the tempered glass plate 13 and prevent sliding, so in such a case, dry air is supplied from the hose 18. and defrost.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the temperature control device of the present invention,
The wafer to be inspected can be quickly brought to a predetermined temperature, so inspection can be carried out with high efficiency, and the wafer can be accurately and precisely maintained at a predetermined temperature, which is an excellent practical effect. play.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically depicting an embodiment of a prober device equipped with temperature control means of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a temperature control device according to the prior art. 1.1'...Table driven in x, y, z, θ directions, 2...Vacuum suction bed, 3...Wafer as inspection object, 10...Probe needle, 11.11 '...
Probe card, lla... Peep window, 12... Air nozzle, 13... Tempered glass plate, 14... Hood, 15... Closed space, 16... Spring, 17...
...Lip, 19...Air supply hose, 20...Exhaust hose.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The wafer is chucked onto an XYZθ table that is precisely driven in the horizontal plane along two horizontal orthogonal axes X and Y, in the vertical direction along the vertical axis Z, and in the θ direction around the Z axis. In a prober device that tests the electrical performance of a semiconductor circuit configured on a wafer by bringing a probe into contact with the wafer, a horizontal movement range of the table is placed above the table surface on which the wafer is placed. horizontally supporting a plate member of a size that can cover the table, a cylindrical hood being elastically supported near the periphery of the table, and the upper end of the hood slidingly touching the plate member. A sealed chamber surrounding the wafer placed thereon is formed, a probe is supported by passing through the plate-like member, and an air supply hose and an exhaust hose are passed through and fixed to the plate-like member to form a sealed chamber. A prober device equipped with temperature control means, characterized in that it is configured to supply and circulate gas at a predetermined temperature into a chamber.