JPS63278239A - Driving apparatus for testing head of wafer prober - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form a driving apparatus at a low cost and obtain a stable hydraulic operation by a method wherein pneumatic cylinders and hydraulic cylinders are provided in a prober in which a testing head is supported by a shaft so as to be rotated and the former are used for driving and the latter are used for speed control and the testing head is rotated forward or backward at a constant speed by the operation of the cylinders. CONSTITUTION:If two pneumatic cylinders 9 and two hydraulic cylinders 10 are operated for driving and for speed control respectively, piston rods 9a and 10a of the respective cylinders 9 and 10 are extended and the testing head 4 is rotated toward a prober main part 1 to measure a wafer placed on a chuck. In such case, even if the load of the testing head 4 is suddenly changed from positive to negative by driving the respective pneumatic cylinders 9, the sudden fall or the sudden operation of the testing head 4 is suppressed by the operation of the speed control hydraulic cylinders 10. On the other hand, when the respective piston rods 9a and 10a are contracted to remove the testing head 4 from the prober main part 1, the smooth constant speed rotation of the testing head 4 can be assured by the speed control operation of the hydraulic cylinders 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention is directed to, for example, a fully automatic wafer prober equipped with a high-frequency test head, which allows the test head to move at a constant speed even when load fluctuations occur. The present invention relates to a driving device for a test head for a wafer prober.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, this type of drive device is not specifically shown, but
A rotating shaft is provided at the end of the prober body of the wafer prober,
The two arms of the test head are rotatably supported on the rotating shaft, and a cylinder mechanism is connected to each arm, so that the heavy test head is moved around the rotating shaft by the operation of the cylinder mechanism. It is configured to rotate in forward and reverse directions.

Conventionally, either an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder is used as the cylinder mechanism, and even if multiple cylinders are used together depending on the weight of the test head, all cylinders of the same type are used. Generally, they are used together, and if an air cylinder is used, it may be provided with a regulating orifice.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in the past, when using hydraulic cylinders, equipment such as large-scale hydraulic pumps and tanks was required, which not only took up space but also increased costs. In addition, since they use hydraulic pressure as a driving source, they have the problem of not being able to meet the demands for dust-free production as much as air cylinders.

On the other hand, when using an air cylinder, since air is used as the driving source, it has the advantage of being able to fully meet the requirements for dust-free operation, but on the other hand, it is particularly difficult to rotate heavy objects such as test heads for wafer probers. When the load changes suddenly from positive to negative, the supply of driving air cannot reliably follow the change, so there is a high risk that the test head, which is a heavy object, will fall rapidly. there were.

Alternatively, a regulating orifice may be used in the driving air cylinder, but even in this case, it has been impossible to obtain stable operation due to expansion or contraction of the air due to load fluctuations.

The present invention was developed to solve the conventional problems as described above, and does not require large-scale hydraulic pumps, tanks, or other equipment, making the device itself inexpensive, and at the same time ensuring stable hydraulic operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a driving device for a test head for a wafer prober that also obtains the following characteristics.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes an air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder installed side by side in a prober body which rotatably supports a test head, and drives the air cylinder. In addition, the hydraulic cylinder was used for speed control, and the test head was rotated at a constant speed in forward and reverse directions by the operation of both cylinders.

(Function) Therefore, in the present invention, an air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder are arranged side by side on the prober body which rotatably supports the test head, and the air cylinder is used for driving.
By operating both cylinders using the hydraulic cylinder for speed control, the wafer prober test head can be rotated reliably and stably.

In particular, even if the load on the test head suddenly changes from positive to negative, since the hydraulic cylinder is used for speed regulation, stable operation can be achieved without expansion or contraction unlike air.

Furthermore, since the air cylinder is used for driving, it is advantageous in terms of space compared to the conventional example in which a hydraulic cylinder is used for driving.

Although the hydraulic cylinder is used for speed control, the present invention uses an air cylinder for driving, so compared to the case where a hydraulic cylinder is used for driving,
This also satisfies the requirement for dust-free production.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example in which the apparatus of the present invention is applied to a rotation mechanism of a test head of a wafer prober will be described in detail based on the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the test head driving device according to this embodiment also includes a rotating shaft 3 provided at the end of a prober body 1 of a fully automatic wafer prober via a bearing 2. Two arms 5, 5 of a high-frequency test head 4 are rotatably supported at both ends of the test head 4, and the test head 4 is rotated in forward and reverse directions about the rotation axis 3 by the operation of a cylinder mechanism. Although it is premised on a rotating configuration, its characteristics reside in the following configuration.

That is, in this embodiment, as shown in the figure, connecting shafts 6 projecting outward are provided on both arm portions 5 of the test head 4, respectively, and connecting shafts 6 are provided on both sides of the end portion of the prober body 1, respectively. A pair of fixed shafts 7 and 8 to which a cylinder, which will be described later, is mounted are provided at different positions.

The lower end of an air cylinder 9 is pivotally attached to one of the fixed shafts 7 of each pair of fixed shafts, and the piston rod 9a of each air cylinder 9 is attached to the two arm portions 5. The lower end of a hydraulic cylinder 10 is rotatably attached to the other fixed shaft 8, and
Similarly, a configuration is adopted in which the piston rods 10a of each hydraulic cylinder 10 are rotatably attached to the connecting shaft 6, respectively.

Therefore, in this embodiment, especially as shown in FIG.
On both sides of the end of the prober body 1, one driving air cylinder 9 and one regulating hydraulic cylinder 10 are arranged side by side in a paired relationship.

Next, the basic circuit in this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 1. The test head 4, which is a heavy object, is rotationally driven by an air cylinder 9 for driving and a hydraulic cylinder 10 for regulating speed. The former air cylinder 9 is connected with an air source 12 and a valve 13, and the latter hydraulic cylinder 10 is connected with an air source 12 and a valve 13.
A speed regulating orifice 11 is connected, and the speed regulating orifice 11 employs a configuration using a hydraulic cylinder 10.

Therefore, using the drive device with such a configuration, the test head 4
When rotating in the forward and reverse directions, the two air cylinders 9 in a pair are used for driving, and the two hydraulic cylinders 10 are used for speed control. - The 10 piston rods 9a and 10a are extended to rotate the test head 4 toward the prober main body 1, and the wafer placed on the chuck (not shown) can be measured. In this case, even if the load on the test head 4 suddenly changes from positive to negative due to the drive of each air cylinder 9, the action of the regulating hydraulic cylinder 10 will prevent the test head 4 from falling rapidly or suddenly operating. Since it is effectively suppressed, smooth rotation of the test head 4 at a constant speed is always guaranteed.

Conversely, when the piston rods 9a and 10a are retracted to separate the test head 4 from the prober body 1, the speed regulating action of the hydraulic cylinder 10 similarly ensures smooth uniform rotation of the test head 4. It happens.

In the embodiment, the air cylinder 9 is arranged on the inside and the hydraulic cylinder 10 is arranged on the outside on both sides of the prober main body 1, but on the contrary, the hydraulic cylinder 10 is arranged on the inside and the air cylinder 9 is arranged on the outside. Needless to say, similar effects can be obtained.

Furthermore, the number of each cylinder 9 and 10 is 2 as in the above embodiment.
Of course, the number is not limited to 2 pairs, and the same number of cylinders may be used, for example 4 to 4, but it is also possible to use a configuration in which 4 air cylinders 9 are used and 2 hydraulic cylinders 10 are used. It is optional depending on the

It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to equipment other than wafer probers, such as semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention has an air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder installed side by side in the prober body which rotatably supports the test head, and uses the air cylinder for driving and the hydraulic cylinder. It is used for speed control and is configured to rotate the test head in the forward and reverse directions at a constant speed by the operation of both cylinders, so it requires a large amount of hydraulic pressure compared to conventional devices that use hydraulic cylinders as the drive source. It does not require equipment such as pumps or tanks, and can be manufactured at low cost. Even if the load on the test head suddenly changes from positive to negative, the action of the regulating hydraulic cylinder prevents the test head from falling rapidly. Since sudden movements are effectively suppressed, it is possible to always rotate the test head smoothly at a constant speed.

Therefore, the present invention can provide a driving device for a test head for a wafer prober that solves the conventional problems by using an air cylinder for driving and a hydraulic cylinder for regulating speed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a driving device for a test head for a wafer prober according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view schematically showing a driving device for a test head for a wafer prober, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial view of the same. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Prober body, 3... Rotating shaft, 4... Test head, 5... Arm part, 9... Air cylinder, 10... Hydraulic cylinder. Patent applicant Tokyo Electron Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] An air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder are installed side by side on the prober body which rotatably supports the test head.The air cylinder is used for driving, and the hydraulic cylinder is used for speed control. A drive device for a test head for a wafer prober, characterized in that the test head is configured to rotate at a constant speed in forward and reverse directions.