KR101541538B1 - Unit for transferring a wafer and probe station including the same - Google Patents

Unit for transferring a wafer and probe station including the same Download PDF

Info

Publication number
KR101541538B1
KR101541538B1 KR1020080129885A KR20080129885A KR101541538B1 KR 101541538 B1 KR101541538 B1 KR 101541538B1 KR 1020080129885 A KR1020080129885 A KR 1020080129885A KR 20080129885 A KR20080129885 A KR 20080129885A KR 101541538 B1 KR101541538 B1 KR 101541538B1
Authority
KR
South Korea
Prior art keywords
wafer
unit
plate
transfer arm
transfer
Prior art date
Application number
KR1020080129885A
Other languages
Korean (ko)
Other versions
KR20100071243A (en
Inventor
진전호
최기욱
정진영
황인욱
김우열
황찬욱
Original Assignee
세메스 주식회사
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by 세메스 주식회사 filed Critical 세메스 주식회사
Priority to KR1020080129885A priority Critical patent/KR101541538B1/en
Priority to TW098116142A priority patent/TWI460115B/en
Priority to PCT/KR2009/002676 priority patent/WO2010071278A1/en
Publication of KR20100071243A publication Critical patent/KR20100071243A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of KR101541538B1 publication Critical patent/KR101541538B1/en

Links

Images

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
    • H01L21/67742—Mechanical parts of transfer devices

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)
  • Testing Or Measuring Of Semiconductors Or The Like (AREA)

Abstract

The wafer transfer unit includes a rotatable rotation plate, a transfer arm disposed on the rotation plate, for transporting the wafer, a drive unit for linearly moving the transfer arm, and a rotation plate and a transfer arm. The first opening is formed. Therefore, the particles remaining on the wafer can be efficiently removed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a wafer transfer unit and a probe station including the same,

The present invention relates to a wafer transfer unit and a probe station including the wafer transfer unit, and more particularly to a wafer transfer unit for transferring a wafer introduced into a cassette to a chuck and a probe station including the wafer transfer unit will be.

Generally, a probe station includes a loader section for carrying and pre-aligning a wafer and a prober section for inspecting electrical characteristics of a plurality of chips formed on the wafer received from the loader section.

The loader picks a wafer from a cassette for storing the wafers in a stacked state and conveys the wafers to the prober portion.

The envelope portion includes a chuck and an aligner. The chuck moves the wafer toward the probe card while rotating in the X, Y, Z directions. In addition, the aligner aligns the wafer and the probe card mounted on the chuck.

On the other hand, a very high degree of cleanliness is required inside the prober portion and the loader portion. Therefore, the probe station requires a unit capable of efficiently removing particles inside the prober unit and the loader unit. In particular, when the probe station inspects a plurality of chips formed on a wafer for manufacturing a CIS (CMOS IMAGE SENSOR), a more strict cleanliness is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wafer transfer unit capable of efficiently removing particles remaining on a wafer.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a probe station capable of efficiently removing particles remaining therein.

In order to accomplish the above-mentioned object of the present invention, the wafer transfer unit according to the present invention comprises a rotatable rotation plate, a transfer arm disposed on the rotation plate, for carrying the wafer, a drive unit for linearly moving the transfer arm, And a cover covering the plate and the carrier arm and having a first opening formed therein so that air supplied to the upper portion can flow toward the wafer.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the driving unit includes a motor disposed below the rotating plate, a driving pulley and a driven pulley rotating according to the rotation of the motor, and a transfer pulley connected to the carrying arm at a lower portion of the rotating plate, And a drive belt for linearly moving the arm.

The wafer transfer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a detection plate disposed between the rotation plate and the cover and having a mapping sensor for sensing the presence of the wafer in a cassette for loading the wafer . The sensing plate may have a second opening adjacent to the first opening so that the air can flow toward the wafer. In addition, the wafer transfer unit may further include an ionizer disposed at the extreme end of the sensing plate toward the wafer, for removing static electricity between the wafer and the particles.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a probe station including a stage unit having an inspection space for inspecting semiconductor chips formed on a wafer, a loading unit for supplying the wafer to the stage unit, And a first air discharging unit for discharging downward the second air mixed with the particles in the loading unit, wherein the loading unit includes a first air discharging unit for discharging the first air, The unit includes a rotatable rotation plate, a transfer arm disposed on the rotation plate, for transferring the wafer, a driving unit for linearly moving the transfer arm, and a transfer unit that covers the rotation plate and the transfer arm, And a cover having a first opening formed therein so as to flow downward.

According to such a wafer transfer unit, when particles are removed using air flowing downward from the upper portion, an opening is formed in the cover to smooth air flow and a driving unit for driving the transfer arm is disposed at a position lower than the transfer arm Thereby reducing the influence of the wafer on the particles generated when the driving unit is driven. In addition, by using the ionizer, the static electricity between the wafer and the particles remaining on the wafer is reduced, and the particles can be easily removed by the air.

A wafer transfer unit and a probe station including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the structures are enlarged to illustrate the present invention, and are actually shown in a smaller scale than the actual dimensions in order to understand the schematic structure.

Also, the terms first and second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

On the other hand, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a wafer transfer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view for explaining the carrying arm shown in Fig. 1. Fig. FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the lid shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

1 to 3, a wafer transfer unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a rotation plate 110, a transfer arm 120, a first driving unit 130, and a lid unit 150 do.

The rotation plate 110 is rotatable. For example, as the rotary plate 110 rotates, the wafer transfer unit 100 can transfer the wafer between the cassette on which the wafer is loaded and the wafer supporting the wafer. The rotation plate 110 may have a third opening 115 for smoothly flowing air from the upper part to the lower part. The rotation plate 110 may be formed with a guide groove (not shown) for allowing the transfer arm 120 to move forward and backward.

The transfer arm 120 is disposed on the upper portion of the rotary plate 110. The transfer arm 120 picks up the wafer at the position where it is pulled into the cassette and moves it to the target position desired. An example of the target position is the position of the chuck.

 The transfer arm 120 includes a first arm 121 and a second arm 122 arranged vertically and a connecting portion 123 for connecting the first and second arms 121 and 122 to the first driving portion 130 ). The first and second arms 121 and 122 can respectively transport wafers when loading wafers from the cassette or unloading wafers with the cassettes. The connection part 123 can move along the guide groove formed in the rotary plate 110.

The first driving unit 130 is disposed below the rotating plate 110. The first driving unit 130 drives the transfer arm 120 to move the transfer arm 120 forward or backward.

The first driving part 130 includes a motor 131 disposed under the rotating plate 110, a driving pulley 133 rotating according to the rotation of the motor 131, And a drive belt 137 connected to the transfer arm 120 to linearly move the transfer arm 120. [ Since the first driving unit 130 is disposed below the rotating plate 110 and the carrying arm 120 is disposed on the upper portion of the rotating plate 110, It is possible to prevent the particles, which may be generated by the driving of the first driving part 130, from contaminating the wafer placed on the transfer arm 120. [

The wafer transfer unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a sensing plate 160, a mapping sensor 165, and an ionizer 170.

The sensing plate 160 is disposed between the rotating plate 110 and the lid 150. For example, the sensing plate 160 may be disposed parallel to the rotating plate 110. A connecting member 161 for interconnecting the sensing plate 160 and the rotating plate 110 may be disposed.

The mapping sensor 165 is disposed on the sensing plate 160. The mapping sensor 165 may be moved back and forth on the sensing plate 160. The mapping sensor 165 advances from the detection plate 160 to determine the presence or absence of a wafer housed in the cassette. A second driving unit (not shown) for driving the mapping sensor 165 may be disposed on the sensing plate 160. The second driving unit may include, for example, an LM guide (not shown) and a cylinder (not shown).

An ionizer 170 is disposed below the sensing plate 160 to face the wafer. The ionizer 170 may be disposed along the outermost arc of the sensing plate 160. The ionizer 170 removes the electrostatic charge between the wafer and the particles remaining on the wafer, thereby weakening the bonding force between the wafer and the particles remaining on the wafer. As a result, when air is supplied from the upper portion of the wafer transfer unit 100 to the lower portion, the particles remaining on the wafer can be easily removed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sensing plate 160 includes a second opening 163 to allow air to flow from the top to the bottom of the wafer transfer unit 100 at a position corresponding to the first opening 155, Can be formed.

The wafer transfer unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a third drive unit 140 for rotating the rotation plate 110. [ The third driving unit 140 may include a rotating motor 141 and a rotating shaft 143 for connecting the rotating motor 141 and the rotating plate 110 to each other. The third driving unit 140 includes a rotation shaft (not shown) extending to a lower portion of the rotation plate 110, a rotation motor (not shown), and a belt (not shown) interconnecting the rotation shaft and the rotation motor can do.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a probe station according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a perspective view for explaining the loading unit shown in FIG.

4 and 5, a probe station 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a stage unit 210, a loading unit 220, a first air supply unit 230, and a first air discharge unit 240). The probe station 200 electrically contacts a plurality of chips formed on the wafer with a tester (not shown) through a probe card (not shown) to inspect the electrical characteristics of a plurality of chips formed on the wafer, So that a plurality of chips can be inspected.

The stage unit 210 provides an inspection space 215 for inspecting the semiconductor chips formed on the wafer.

The stage unit 210 includes a chuck 211 for holding a wafer, a stage disposed at a lower portion of the chuck 211 and configured to move the chuck 211, And a second cover 215 covering the sides of the stage and facilitating the flow of air provided at one side.

The chuck 211 is disposed inside the inspection space 215. The chuck 211 is capable of sucking the wafer using a vacuum. The chuck 211 may include lift pins (not shown) formed to pass through the inside of the chuck 211 to allow the wafer to be loaded thereon from a transfer arm (not shown) for carrying the wafer. Meanwhile, a vacuum line (not shown) and a vacuum hole (not shown) communicating with the vacuum line may be formed in the chuck 211 so that the wafer can be adsorbed using a vacuum.

The stage 213 is disposed below the chuck 211. The stage 213 can move the chuck 211. For example, the stage 213 can move the chuck 211 in X, Y, and Z directions. In addition, as the stage 213 rotates, the chuck 211 can be rotated. Therefore, a plurality of driving sources (not shown) may be connected to the stage 213 for driving the stage 213. Examples of the driving sources include a cylinder, a linear motor, and a ball screw.

The second cover 215 covers the side surface of the stage 213. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the particles, which may occur due to the driving of the stage 213, from flowing into the inspection space 215. In addition, the second cover 215 may be formed in a streamline shape on the side surface of the stage 213. In this case, the resistance of the air introduced into the inspection space 215 decreases, so that the flow of the air can be smooth.

The loading unit 220 is disposed adjacent to the stage unit 210. For example, the loading unit 220 and the stage unit 210 can be fastened in a docking fashion. The loading unit 220 loads the wafer from the stage unit 210.

The loading unit 220 includes a loader port 221 for loading a cassette C in which a plurality of wafers are sequentially stacked and a transfer arm for transferring wafers from the loader port 221 to the stage unit 210 And a control unit 223 including wiring and circuit elements for controlling the transfer unit 222 and the transfer unit 222 and other components. The loader port 221, the transfer unit 222, and the control unit 223 may be arranged in a line.

1 and 2, the loading unit 220 includes a rotating plate 110, a carrier arm 120, a first driving unit 130, and a cover unit 150. The rotation plate 110, the transfer arm 120, the first driving unit 130, and the lid unit 150 are substantially the same as the wafer transfer unit 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, It will be omitted.

A second shutter 229 may be formed between the loader port 221 and the transfer unit 222 to isolate the loader port 221 from the transfer unit 222. The second shutter 229 can be moved up and down or left and right. For example, when the second shutter 229 is opened, the transfer arm can load or unload the wafer between the cassette C and the transfer part 222 that are seated in the loader port 221. [ Further, when the transfer arm stops transferring the wafer, the second shutter 229 is closed. Therefore, the particles remaining in the cassette C can be prevented from being drawn into the transporting part 222. [

The loading unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a third cover 226 covering the control unit 223 (for example, the wiring and circuit elements). The third cover 226 guides the air flowing toward the lower portion of the upper portion toward the control portion 223 toward the transfer portion 222. Accordingly, the air can flow toward the chuck 211 disposed inside the transfer unit 222. As a result, air supplied into the loading unit 220 is supplied toward the wafer placed on the chuck 211, so that particles remaining on the wafer can be effectively removed.

The loading unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a buffer unit 127 disposed under the control unit 223 and a fourth cover 228 for isolating the buffer unit 227 and the transfer unit 222 from each other. As shown in FIG.

The buffer portion 227 may include, for example, a first table (not shown) for supporting a polishing probe wafer for polishing the tips of the probe card. The buffer unit 227 may also include a second table (not shown) for supporting the inspected wafer.

The fourth cover 228 is disposed between the buffer portion 227 and the transfer portion 222. The fourth cover 228 isolates the buffer portion 227 and the transfer portion 222 from each other. Accordingly, the particles remaining in the buffer portion 227 are prevented from flowing into the transfer portion 222. In addition, the fourth cover 228 suppresses the inflow of air introduced downward into the buffer portion 127, thereby efficiently discharging the air.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the loading unit 220 may further include a pre-aligner 225 for performing pre-alignment of the wafer.

The pre-alignment portion 225 may be disposed under the loader port 221, for example. The pre-alignment section 225 may include a sub-chuck (not shown) for performing pre-alignment and an information reader (not shown) for reading wafer identification information. Examples of the information reader include an engineering character reader (OCR) or a bar code reader.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical and exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

According to such a wafer transfer unit, when particles are removed using air flowing downward from the upper portion, an opening is formed in the cover to smooth air flow and a driving unit for driving the transfer arm is disposed at a position lower than the transfer arm Thereby reducing the influence of the wafer on the particles generated when the driving unit is driven. In addition, by using the ionizer, the static electricity between the wafer and the particles remaining on the wafer is reduced, and the particles can be easily removed by the air. The present invention may be applied to a prober station for inspecting semiconductor wafers.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a wafer transfer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view for explaining the carrying arm shown in Fig. 1. Fig.

3 is a perspective view for explaining the cover shown in Fig.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a probe station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view for explaining the loading unit shown in FIG.

Claims (6)

A rotatable rotary plate; A transfer arm which is disposed on the rotating plate and transfers the wafer; A driving unit for linearly moving the transfer arm; And And a cover which covers the rotation plate and the transfer arm and has a first opening so that air supplied to the upper portion can flow toward the wafer Further comprising a sensing plate disposed between the rotating plate and the cover, the sensing plate having a mapping sensor for sensing the presence or absence of the wafer in a cassette for loading the wafer . The driving apparatus according to claim 1, A motor disposed below the rotating plate; A drive pulley and a driven pulley that rotate according to the rotation of the motor; And And a drive belt connected to the transfer arm at a lower portion of the rotation plate and linearly moving the transfer arm. delete The wafer transfer unit of claim 1, wherein the detection plate is formed with a second opening adjacent to the first opening so that the air can flow toward the wafer. The wafer transfer unit according to claim 1, further comprising an ionizer disposed at an end of the detection plate toward the wafer and for removing static electricity between the wafer and the particles. delete
KR1020080129885A 2008-12-19 2008-12-19 Unit for transferring a wafer and probe station including the same KR101541538B1 (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
KR1020080129885A KR101541538B1 (en) 2008-12-19 2008-12-19 Unit for transferring a wafer and probe station including the same
TW098116142A TWI460115B (en) 2008-12-19 2009-05-15 Wafer transfer unit and probe station including the same
PCT/KR2009/002676 WO2010071278A1 (en) 2008-12-19 2009-05-21 Wafer transfer unit and probe station including the same

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
KR1020080129885A KR101541538B1 (en) 2008-12-19 2008-12-19 Unit for transferring a wafer and probe station including the same

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
KR20100071243A KR20100071243A (en) 2010-06-29
KR101541538B1 true KR101541538B1 (en) 2015-08-04

Family

ID=42268927

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
KR1020080129885A KR101541538B1 (en) 2008-12-19 2008-12-19 Unit for transferring a wafer and probe station including the same

Country Status (3)

Country Link
KR (1) KR101541538B1 (en)
TW (1) TWI460115B (en)
WO (1) WO2010071278A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR101503143B1 (en) * 2013-01-31 2015-03-18 세메스 주식회사 Apparatus for transferring a probe card and method of transferring a probe card

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2002231781A (en) 2001-01-31 2002-08-16 Tokyo Electron Ltd Substrate processor and method for transfer substrate therein
JP2006123135A (en) * 2004-11-01 2006-05-18 Daihen Corp Linear motion mechanism and carrier robot using the mechanism

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR940005476B1 (en) * 1989-05-18 1994-06-20 대우전자 주식회사 Production method for filter net of electronic pump
JP2975792B2 (en) * 1992-12-28 1999-11-10 株式会社日立製作所 Transfer robot with cover
JPH0997825A (en) * 1995-07-26 1997-04-08 Fujitsu Ltd Substrate transfer system, substrate processing system, method for transferring substrate and fabrication of semiconductor device
US6364762B1 (en) * 1999-09-30 2002-04-02 Lam Research Corporation Wafer atmospheric transport module having a controlled mini-environment
US6690993B2 (en) * 2000-10-12 2004-02-10 R. Foulke Development Company, Llc Reticle storage system
JP3950299B2 (en) * 2001-01-15 2007-07-25 東京エレクトロン株式会社 Substrate processing apparatus and method
KR100483428B1 (en) * 2003-01-24 2005-04-14 삼성전자주식회사 Apparatus for processing a substrate
WO2008078939A1 (en) * 2006-12-27 2008-07-03 Secron Co., Ltd. Probe station, and testing method of wafer using the same

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2002231781A (en) 2001-01-31 2002-08-16 Tokyo Electron Ltd Substrate processor and method for transfer substrate therein
JP2006123135A (en) * 2004-11-01 2006-05-18 Daihen Corp Linear motion mechanism and carrier robot using the mechanism

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2010071278A1 (en) 2010-06-24
TW201024194A (en) 2010-07-01
KR20100071243A (en) 2010-06-29
TWI460115B (en) 2014-11-11

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US8310261B2 (en) Probing apparatus and probing method
TWI386664B (en) Test apparatus
JP5911820B2 (en) Substrate manufacturing apparatus and substrate manufacturing method
US7471077B2 (en) Conveyor device, electronic device handling apparatus and conveying method in electronic device handling apparatus
JP7390934B2 (en) Inspection equipment
US7887280B2 (en) Processing apparatus
KR100252571B1 (en) Control system for use with semiconductor device transporting and handling apparatus
JP2023143951A (en) Prober
CN116105611A (en) Wafer inspection apparatus and method, conveyance apparatus, and non-transitory recording medium
KR101147787B1 (en) Probe apparatus and substrate transfer method
KR101015602B1 (en) Probe station
KR101541538B1 (en) Unit for transferring a wafer and probe station including the same
JP3983907B2 (en) Component adsorbing device, component conveying device and component testing device
KR102035413B1 (en) Apparatus for handling semiconductor devices
CN111989579A (en) Component handler
JPH05136219A (en) Probe device
JP5137965B2 (en) Conveying device and electronic component handling device
JP4910033B2 (en) Probe device
WO2003065442A1 (en) Arrangement structure of inspection devices
KR20150140889A (en) Apparatus for Transferring Tray and Test Handler for Electronic Component
JP7285435B2 (en) Prober and pre-alignment method
JP2019004168A (en) Prober and wafer peeling method
JP4913201B2 (en) Substrate transfer method
JP2011108832A (en) Probe apparatus
KR20100045613A (en) Sorting apparatus for semiconductor device

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
N231 Notification of change of applicant
A201 Request for examination
E902 Notification of reason for refusal
E701 Decision to grant or registration of patent right
GRNT Written decision to grant
FPAY Annual fee payment

Payment date: 20180703

Year of fee payment: 4

FPAY Annual fee payment

Payment date: 20190702

Year of fee payment: 5