KR20170097993A

KR20170097993A - Semiconductor wafer prober

Info

Publication number: KR20170097993A
Application number: KR1020160019794A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 모승기
Original assignee: 디알 주식회사
Priority date: 2016-02-19
Filing date: 2016-02-19
Publication date: 2017-08-29
Also published as: KR101784187B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer prober, comprising: a casing which fixates a base frame to support the rise and fall of an elevation frame; the base frame fixated on a bottom side of the casing; an elevation unit which elevates the elevation frame, a tilting frame, a support frame, a rotary frame, and a wafer chuck; the elevation frame elevatably installed on an internal bottom side of the casing; the tilting frame installed on a top end of the elevation frame to tilt the support frame, the rotary frame, and the wafer chuck; the support frame fixated on a top end of the tilting frame to support the rotary frame; the rotary frame rotatably installed on a top end of the support frame to rotate the wafer chuck to the sides; the wafer chuck fixated on a top side of the rotary frame; and a rotary unit placed on one side of the elevation frame to rotate the rotary frame and the wafer chuck. Accordingly, the present invention is able to access an inspection probe to a wafer in a more stable manner and to greatly improve wafer inspection efficiency.

Description

[0001] SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER PROBER [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer prober, and more particularly, to a semiconductor wafer prober in which a wafer mounted on a wafer chuck can be stably contacted with a probe of a tester device to increase the inspection efficiency.

Semiconductor wafer prober related to the present invention serves to check whether chips are defective after the wafer is made.

Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a semiconductor manufacturing process, and Fig. 2 is a structural diagram of a general semiconductor wafer prober.

As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor wafer inspection process (water test) is a process of connecting the front-end and the back-end in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

In general, a semiconductor wafer prober used in a semiconductor wafer inspecting process includes a probe card as a terminal device for transmitting a signal to a tester as an electrical testing device and a probe card as a wafer loaded on the wafer cassette, So as to determine whether the chip is defective or not.

A test signal for identifying the presence or absence of defects in the semiconductor wafer prober is transmitted to an electric probe (probe tip) via a pogo pin (electrical connection pin) connected to the tester head. At this time, The wafer camera checks the position of the pad in the wafer to be contacted and confirms the contact position, thereby probing the tip of the probe and the test pad.

When the inspection of the semiconductor wafer prober is completed, the transfer device is driven to test the next chip. When the inspection of all the chips in the wafer is completed, the wafer is returned to the original cassette again.

Subsequently, the transfer device is driven to test the next wafer, and the process is repeated until all the wafers in the final cassette have been inspected.

For reference, a semiconductor wafer prober is not used as a stand alone device but is used in conjunction with a tester and a probe card which are different devices.

The data generated by the semiconductor wafer prober is transferred to the laser repair machine to repair the problem cell or feed back to the previous process to find out the problem of the production line and to improve it.

In addition, the data is used as data to prevent the repackaged chips from being packaged by sending repairable cell data to the repair process.

The process of inspecting wafers through the general semiconductor wafer equipment of FIG. 2 will be described in more detail as follows.

First, put the target wafer to be tested on the right loader on the chuck.

In order to check the operation of the electric circuit formed on the wafer, it is necessary to contact the test contact of the electric circuit with the probe of the probe card which is separated and fixed to the top end.

In order to exactly match the probes present in such a fixed space, the transporters (Y and X axes) in the horizontal direction (horizontal and vertical directions) are required and the vertical directional feeder (Z axis) is further needed.

When the Z-axis is provided, since the feed is added in the vertical direction in addition to the feed in the horizontal direction, it is a condition for precisely performing surface contact with a desired position or coordinates.

In order to make point contact between the probes of the probe card and the test electrical contacts of the wafer under such surface contact conditions, a concentric circular axis (aka T axis, theta axis) in which the wafer chuck on which the wafer lies can rotate 360 degrees The probes of the probe card and the electrical circuit of the wafer can exactly match (touch) the contact points needed for mutual measurements

That is, a closed circuit necessary for electrical testing can be formed.

The contact process between the probe of the probe card and the wafer placed on the chuck in the semiconductor wafer prober of FIG. 2 is as follows.

The operation of the semiconductor wafer prober has a prerequisite that the electrical probe on the end of the tester and the wafer are in good contact with each other to be electrically closed circuit.

If an open-circuit occurs due to an incomplete mutual contact, there is a problem that an external application test can not be performed because a current can not flow.

Therefore, it is very important to configure the tester's electrical probe to be a ferrite circuit by making contact with the wafer well.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the result of alignment after the rotation of theta axis.

In FIG. 3, the electric test apparatus (tester and probe) is fixed at one position so that points c and d, which indicate the tip of the probe, are always in an unchanged position and the uppermost chuck ) On the wafer.

Once the wafer is placed on the chuck, the X-Stage (also known as the X-axis) and the Y-Stage (the Y-axis) move the wafer chucks horizontally and vertically.

Next, the Z-stage (aka Z axis) transfers the wafer chuck vertically, and the points a and b, which are the objects to be contacted with the wafer, are transferred to the contact points c and d respectively.

However, since the point a and point b of the wafer can not be exactly matched to points c and d, the wafer chuck is mounted on the bearing and rotated at right angles by a T-stage (aka T axis) After rotating, the points "a" and "b" of the wafer are brought into contact with the point "c" and the point "d" exactly, so that an electrical closed circuit is formed.

After the test circuit is formed and the current for the test flows (after the test is completed), the Z-axis transfer device moves the chuck downward to cancel the contact, thereby making the electric circuit open- Is ready to be repeated in the same manner.

This process is repeated for as many as several tens to several tens of thousands of chips in a single wafer.

However, at this time, there are some cases in which the point a and the point b which are the object of contact of the wafer at the end of the probe are not in contact with each other and some of them are not in contact with each other, that is, .

Fig. 4 is a view showing the contact failure caused by the incline occurrence.

This problem is a common problem in semiconductor wafer prober, mainly due to the clearance of a setter bearing.

Generally, since the wafer chuck has to rotate in the left and right direction, it is inevitably mounted on a rotary bearing (called a theta bearing) which is a T axis.

However, since this T-axis shear bearing necessarily has a mechanical bearing tolerance, it is inevitably tilted to either side, and the tilting of the T-axis shear bearing causes the contact failure to occur.

That is, when point a of the wafer contacts point c, the point b of the wafer and point d, the tip of the probe, do not contact each other.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a Z-axis rotation structure of a conventional theta bearing type, and FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing clearance and rigidity of a Z-axis rotation structure of the same theta bearing type.

The Z-axis rotation structure of the conventional theta bearing type is structured such that the chuck is rotatable in the left-right direction by mounting a setter bearing between the guide upper plate and the chuck, as shown in Fig.

In the Z-axis rotation structure of the conventional theta bearing type, the theta bearing is composed of the outer ring b, the inner ring a and the rotary ball c, the inner ring a is fixed to the guide upper plate, The wafer chuck is raised and rotated.

The Z-axis rotation structure of the conventional theta bearing type has a structure in which when the eccentric load acts in the B direction as shown in FIG. 6, more specifically, when the test probe is positioned near B and the wafer chuck receives eccentricity, lt; / RTI >

This slope is inclined by the maximum bearing clearance, and the contact failure with the probe located at the upper position by the height of the tan θ of the slope occurs.

7 is a view showing a test probe contact by overdrive.

On the other hand, one of the main causes of failure of the test probe to make a closed circuit due to poor contact and to be an open circuit is to repeatedly accumulate the mechanical repetition of driving and to repeat the thermal expansion and contraction so that any one of the lengths c and d Because it is longer.

This problem is a common problem in semiconductor wafer prober, and it also determines the grade of the semiconductor wafer prober.

In general, there are two approaches to solve this problem.

One of them is forcing the Z-axis to move further away (the probe which is already in contact will be slightly bent) by a distance that is not contacted as shown in FIG. 7 because one of the test probes does not contact and a contact failure has occurred to be.

This is the most commonly used method, "Overdrive".

However, if you overdrive frequently, you will not be able to overdrive. If you overdrive frequently, the probe sticks to the top of the probe.

Therefore, it is necessary to use a method that does not give overdrive if possible, but the concept of tilting is introduced here.

8 is a view showing a test probe contact by tilting.

Tilting means that one side of the tilting is not tilted by a distance that does not cause the tilting contact but is tilted so that only the tilted part of the tilted wiper is tilted.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a tilting process. The overall process of the tilting mechanism will now be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in [A] of FIG. 9, the upper end of the vertical transfer device (Z axis) of the prober is constituted by a wafer chuck, and a wafer to be tested is placed thereon.

On the other hand, a probe-card is placed spatially above and parallel to the wafer (a // b), and a signal is detected on the inspection probe at the moment of mutual contact and a signal is transmitted to the inspection equipment.

At this time, the prober Z-axis performs an over-drive transfer in which the wafer is further pushed up in the vertical direction so that a plurality of inspection probes can reliably contact the wafer. This compensates that the end alignment point (a) of the prober card is not constant.

That is, there is an advantage that the contact can be ensured even if the height of each of the inspection probes is not uniform.

However, this overdrive method is disadvantageous in that it can be applied only when the number of uneven electric probes of the end alignment point is only a few.

9 (A), there is no problem when the end alignment point (a) of the prober card and the wafer plane contact alignment point (b) are parallel, but when the probe is repeatedly expanded and contracted during the temperature test, When the structure supporting the inspection probes is deformed, that is, when the end alignment point (a) of the prober card and the wafer plane die alignment point (b) are not parallel as in the case of FIG. 9 [B] θº) The contact is uneven or unstable, affecting the electrical test.

Therefore, if there is no problem in correcting the slope of the probe, that is, the slope of the probe, there is no problem. However, in reality, once the probe can not be returned to the original position, another method is devised. The wafer chuck is tilted downward.

In the case of FIG. 9 [C], when the target object (wafer chuck) on the lower side opposite to the inclination of the inspection probe having a deformation is deliberately inclined in the same direction by the modified inclination, the inspection probe and the wafer contact point become parallel in a resultant manner This is the principle that the contact becomes uniform.

At this time, the function of tilting at an arbitrary angle is called a tilting function, and the tilting function can be implemented by using a piezo actuator.

Also, as in the case of overdrive, a sensor is attached and controlled to quantify the degree of tilting.

If there is a method of extracting the deformation amount of a physically inevitably deformed inspection probe and then keeping the lower wafer chuck parallel to the inspection probe by arbitrary control in order to cancel the deformation amount, even if the physical inspection probe is inclined 9 [D] and FIG. 9 [A] have the same performance because they functionally offset the wafer scale in the same direction so as to functionally offset the wafer scale.

10 is a schematic view showing a Z-axis structure of a conventional overdrive method.

10 (a) shows a state in which a tester and a probe are fixed on an upper side and a wafer chuck is waiting for a test on the lower side, and the electric probe and the electric circuit on the wafer are not in contact with each other, It is an open-circuit state.

10 (b) shows a state in which the tester and the probe are fixed to the upper side as before the operation, but the wafer chuck is transferred to the upper side and the wafer is in contact with the tip of the tester, and a closed circuit -Circuit state.

10 (a) is a configuration diagram of a conventional Z-axis constituting a wafer prober, and a wedge method is used as a transfer method.

10 (a) and 10 (b), when the motor is driven, the lower wedge, which is directly connected to the motor shaft, moves horizontally, and the lower edge is fastened with a constant inclination The upper wedge is caused to move vertically, and by this principle, the wafer chuck is transported up and down by a required distance.

At this time, the conveyance guide (LM guide) serves to guide the linear movement accurately without any clearance in the vertical direction.

If a wedge means is used for surface contact between the electric probe and the wafer, it is realized as a T-axis through a sheeter bearing that can be rotated in the radial direction for ultimate point contact.

In the case of FIG. 10 (b), the wafer chuck is transferred to the upper part and contacted with the electric probe of the tester in the state of (a), and there are two cases.

In this case, as the wafer chuck is moved upward, the point c and the point d are simultaneously contacted with points a and b. The contact resistance The transfer of the wafer chuck is immediately interrupted if an adequate contact pressure is applied. That is, the feed is stopped immediately without overdrive.

In this case, as the wafer chuck is transported upward, a point a and a point b, or a point c and a point d, which are not in contact with the wafer c contact and the d contact, The wafer chuck is conveyed to the vertical upper side continuously until one of the wafer chucks is contacted and the other is not contacted.

In this case, the electric probe first contacted is bent or deformed by overdrive, and the deformed electric probe is restored by self-elasticity. However, as the time passes, the elastic modulus decreases and eventually becomes unusable .

Actually, the tip end of the tester can not be perfectly aligned with the end points a and b, so it is called the overdrive method because the overdrive transfer is always performed when operating the wafer chuck, although the degree is different.

As noted above, the endpoint alignment of the electrical probe often does not coincide horizontally for a variety of reasons.

Therefore, the conventional method uses an overdrive method in which the wafer chuck is continuously moved upward until the one side of the last probe comes into contact, irrespective of the probe of the one contacting the first.

As a result, as the time elapses, the elasticity of the electric probe loses its elasticity, which eventually leads to the malfunction and disablement of the electric probe.

In terms of cost and importance, testers and electric probes are so high that they can not be compared with wafer chucks. Therefore, means and functions for protecting them have to be mounted on wafer chucks.

The proposed method is the tilting method.

11 is a schematic view showing a Z-axis structure of a conventional plate tilting method.

As shown in FIG. 11, a conventional tilting method uses a tilting method of an upper tester and an electric probe while leaving the wafer chuck intact.

The concept of tilting the top plate to improve the contact between the wafer and the electric probe is the same, but the characteristic is that the electric probe (tester) is tilted in reverse without tilting the wafer chuck.

However, in the case of the tilting method of the top plate, since the total weight including the tester and the electric probe is very large to several tons, it is not easy to tilt the structure having a large load in micron units.

Also, since the top plate tilting method is pivoting on one side in principle and tilting is carried out with the remaining three axes, there is a high probability that the tilting is reversed to one side rather than tilting, so that the trouble becomes frequent.

12 is a schematic view showing a Z-axis structure of a conventional outer tilting system.

12 (a) shows the Z-axis structure before the tilting function is applied, which is an overdrive system without a tilting function.

In Fig. 12 (b), the tilting function is applied to the outside of the Z axis (outside).

12A, the transfer guide upper plate and the sheeter bearing are separated from each other in the Z-axis of the overdrive system, and a new upper and lower reinforcing plate is inserted.

Then, an amplification module for providing a tilting function is attached to the outside of the inserted reinforcing plate by bolting a link-ball necessary for the tilting function.

The amplification module consists of a piezo device (PZT Device) and a mechanical amplification device.

Since piezo elements have very small actual strokes, a mechanical amplification device is required to achieve a large stroke.

The reason for installing the amplification module on the outside is that the wedge module composed of the wedge and wedge is located in the middle of the Z axis, so it is omitted from the outside because there is no space to place it.

Since the link ball can move freely in all directions, when the desired part is raised or lowered with the amplification module mounted on the outer part, the wafer chuck at the uppermost position is tilted to the desired part.

The problem of the outer tilting method is as follows.

First, since there is a wedge module in the middle of the Z axis and the amplification module is taken out to the outside, the width x length of the Z axis becomes larger by the size of the amplification module.

In addition, the height h is increased because the reinforcing plate is inserted, the space between the plates is inserted, and then the link ball is mounted.

Width x height x height, that is, the size of the whole product becomes big, and it has a big effect on the reliability of the product which is formed in the unit of micron.

Since the distance d from the center link ball of the product to the amplification module is large, amplification of the amplification module should be large.

Since the piezoelectric element provides a constant stroke, it is usually necessary to design the amplification module to have a large amplification factor in a mechanical amplification device, which is very difficult in a limited space.

In addition, when the state of the wafer chuck is examined, as the height h becomes high, the center of gravity becomes high, the chuck becomes unstable, and the state of being mounted on the link ball and the amplification module becomes more unstable.

This is the same as saying that tuning is difficult, which causes another problem.

Because the distance d between the link ball and the amplification module is long, if the inserted reinforcing plate is not very rigid, the reinforcing plate warps.

Therefore, since the reinforcing plate is thick and has a large size, there is a disadvantage that the processing precision, weight and manufacturing cost are increased.

Another problem is the control difficulty in implementing the original tilting function.

13 is a diagram showing a control principle of the conventional external tilting system.

Fig. 13 (a) shows a state before power is turned on.

Since the piezo elements PZT-a and PZT-b do not stretch unless power is applied (indicated by 0/2), Point-a and Point-b are separated from each other without touching the chuck and the chuck is fixed only by the link ball .

FIG. 13 (b) shows the state after the power is turned on.

Since Piezoelectric elements PZT-a and PZT-b are instantaneously stretched by a designed length when turned on (indicated by 1/2), Point-a and Point-b are held in contact with the chuck and point.

As a result, the chuck is fixed by a link ball, and two contact points, Point-a and Point-b, are supported on both sides.

13 (c) shows a state after the tilting attempt.

In other words, FIG. 13 (b) shows a state in which the tilting is performed in one direction in the chuck horizontal state. In this case, the control means controls the PZT-a in its original position in the chuck horizontal state of FIG. If PZT-b on the opposite side is controlled to be a pull stroke (indicated by 2/2), the chuck is tilted by the user's desired angle.

The conventional external tilting method is disadvantageous in that the wafer chuck is not fixed as shown in the state before the power is turned on in Fig. 13 (a).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 13 (b) after the power is turned on, the contact area between the guide plate and the chuck to be fixed is too weak to have mechanical instability.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 13 (c) after the tilting attempt, in order to tilting, one half is restored to the original length (1/2) And the other has a drawback of applying a completely stretched method (indicated by 2/2).

In other words, there is a disadvantage that the stroke is reduced to half, and when the piezo elements PZT-a and PZT-b are not physically stretched to exactly the same length as shown in FIG. 13 (b) - b has a disadvantage of floating in the air without touching the chuck.

In principle, this phenomenon can occur frequently because it is physically impossible to precisely match the extension lengths of the piezo elements PZT-a and PZT-b.

Another problem is the difficulty of the amplification module.

In order to install the amplification module on the outside, the amplification must be designed to be very large. Therefore, in order to withstand large strokes and large loads, PZT has to be designed and manufactured with a long and large diameter PZT.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0779029 (registered on Nov. 19, 2007) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0108291 (published on October 05, 2011) Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1228099 (registered on Jan. 24, 2013)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor wafer prober capable of increasing the inspection efficiency of a semiconductor wafer by contacting a wafer mounted on a wafer chuck more stably with a probe of the tester equipment It is in that.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a semiconductor wafer prober comprising: a casing for fixing a base frame and supporting a lifting and lowering of a lifting frame; A base frame fixedly installed on a lower portion of the casing; A lifting frame and a tilting frame, a supporting frame, a rotating frame, a lifting unit for lifting and lowering the wafer chuck; The lifting frame includes a lifting frame that is installed on a lower portion of the casing so as to be able to move up and down; A tilting frame installed at an upper end of the lifting frame for tilting the supporting frame, the rotating frame, and the wafer chuck; A supporting frame fixed to the top of the tilting frame to support the rotating frame; A rotatable frame rotatably installed at an upper end of the support frame to rotate the wafer chuck in the lateral direction; A wafer chuck fixedly mounted on an upper portion of the rotary frame to support a wafer to be inspected; And a rotating unit provided at one side of the lifting frame to rotate the rotating frame and the wafer chuck.

A semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention includes: a lifting motor having a lifting unit fixedly installed on one side of a base frame; A rotating screw shaft installed at the center of the base frame and having an upper end portion passing through the lifting frame and the tilting frame and connected to the receiving frame; And a lifting bush fixed to the center of the inside of the lifting frame and connected to the rotating screw shaft.

A semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention includes: a drive pulley in which a lift unit is installed on a rotating shaft of a lift motor; A driven pulley provided at a lower end of the rotating screw shaft; And a drive belt installed between the drive pulley and the driven pulley.

The semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention is characterized in that a support bearing for supporting the rotation of the rotary frame is installed on the inner upper end of the support frame.

The semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention is characterized in that the outer ring of the support bearing is fixed to the support frame, and the inner ring of the support bearing is connected to the rotary frame via the plurality of connection axes.

The semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention is characterized in that the lower end face of the rotating frame is in surface contact with the upper end face of the receiving frame.

The semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention is characterized in that the rotary unit is provided on one side of the lifting frame; A rotary motor fixedly mounted on a support; A moving block installed to be movable in the forward and backward direction on the rotating shaft of the rotating motor; A connection block provided on an upper portion of the movable block; And a pair of contact rollers provided at an upper end of the connection block.

A semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention is characterized in that a connecting rod is provided on one side of a rotating frame and a connecting rod of a rotating frame is inserted between a pair of contact rollers of the rotating unit.

The semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention is characterized by including a tilting frame, a tilting frame, a rotating frame, and a plurality of tilting units for tilting the wafer chuck in each direction.

The semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention is characterized in that the tilting unit is disposed concentrically with the center of rotation of the wafer chuck, and three tilting units are installed at intervals of 120 degrees.

The semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention is characterized in that the tilting unit is installed in the upper portion of the lifting frame and the volume of the piezoelectric device is expanded according to the applied voltage; And a waste-joint member provided at an upper end of the piezoelectric element, the upper end of the waste-joint member being in contact with the lower end surface of the tilting frame.

According to the semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention, since the rotating frame that rotates the wafer chuck in the left-right direction is in surface contact with the receiving frame, even if the eccentric load of the inspection probe is applied, the wafer chuck does not tilt in the load direction The wafer can be more stably inspected.

According to the semiconductor wafer prober according to the present invention, the tilting frame, the support frame, the rotary frame, and the wafer chuck can be tilted in various directions through a plurality of tilting units built in the support frame within a certain range, It is possible to stably contact the inspection probe with the wafer without using the driver, thereby greatly improving the inspection efficiency of the wafer.

1 is a conceptual view of a semiconductor manufacturing process,
2 is a structural view of a general semiconductor wafer prober,
FIG. 3 is a view showing the result of alignment after the rotation of theta-
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the contact failure caused by the occurrence of inclination, Fig.
5 is a schematic view of a Z-axis rotation structure of a conventional theta bearing type,
6 is a schematic view showing the clearance and rigidity of the Z-axis rotation structure of the same theta bearing type
7 is a diagram showing a test probe contact by overdrive,
8 is a view showing a test probe contact by tilting,
9 is a diagram showing a tilting process,
10 is a schematic view showing a Z-axis structure of a conventional overdrive system,
11 is a schematic view showing a Z-axis structure of a conventional plate tilting system,
12 is a schematic view showing a Z-axis structure of a conventional outer tilting system,
13 is a diagram showing a control principle of the conventional external tilting system,
14 is a schematic perspective view of a semiconductor wafer prober according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a substantial part of the semiconductor wafer prober according to the presently preferred embodiment,
16 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the semiconductor wafer prober according to the presently preferred embodiment,
17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tilting unit portion of the semiconductor wafer prober according to the preferred embodiment,
18 shows a design principle and a manufacturing method of a waste-joint member.

Hereinafter, a semiconductor wafer prober according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following, the terms "upward", "downward", "forward" and "rearward" and other directional terms are defined with reference to the states shown in the drawings.

FIG. 14 is a main part perspective view of a semiconductor wafer prober according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 15 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a semiconductor wafer prober according to the present preferred embodiment.

The semiconductor wafer prober 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a casing 110, a base frame 120, a lift unit 130, a lift frame 140, a tilting frame 150, a support frame 160, A rotating frame 170, a wafer chuck 180, and a rotating unit 190. [

The casing 110 fixes the base frame 120 and supports the lifting and lowering of the lifting frame 140.

The base frame 120 is fixed to the lower portion of the casing 110.

The elevating unit 130 is for elevating the elevating frame 140 and the tilting frame 150, the receiving frame 160, the rotating frame 170, and the wafer chuck 180.

The lifting unit 130 includes a lifting motor 131 fixed to an upper portion of one side of the base frame 120; A rotating screw shaft 132 installed at the center of the base frame 120 and having an upper end connected to the lifting frame 140 and the supporting frame 160 through the tilting frame 150; And a lifting bush 133 fixed to the center of the inside of the lifting frame 140 and connected to the rotating screw shaft 132.

Further, the lifting unit 130 includes a driving pulley 134 installed on the rotating shaft of the lifting motor 131;

A driven pulley 135 installed at a lower end of the rotating screw shaft 132; And a drive belt 136 installed between the drive pulley 134 and the driven pulley 135.

The lifting frame 140 is installed in the lower portion of the casing 110 so as to be able to move up and down.

As described above, the lifting frame 140 is provided with a lifting bushing 133 connected to the rotating screw shaft 132 of the lifting unit 130.

When the rotating screw shaft 132 is rotated in one direction by the operation of the elevating motor 131, the elevating frame 140 and the tilting frame 150, the receiving frame 160, the rotating frame 170, the wafer chuck 180, The lift frame 140, the tilting frame 150, the support frame 160, the rotary frame 170, and the wafer chuck 180 descend when the rotary screw shaft 132 rotates in the other direction .

The tilting frame 150 is for tilting the supporting frame 160, the rotating frame 170 and the wafer chuck 180 and is installed at the upper end of the lifting frame 140.

The support frame 160 is fixed to the upper end of the tilting frame 150 to stably support the rotation frame 170.

A support bearing 161 for supporting the rotation of the rotary frame 170 is installed at the inner upper end of the support frame 160 and the outer ring of the support bearing 161 is fixed to the support frame 160.

The rotary frame 170 is rotatably installed at the upper end of the support frame 160 to allow the wafer chuck 180 to rotate in the left-right direction.

The lower end surface of the rotary frame 170 is in surface contact with the upper end surface of the support frame 160 and is connected to the inner ring of the support bearing 161 through the plurality of connection shafts 171.

The wafer chuck 180 supports the wafer to be inspected and is fixed to the upper portion of the rotary frame 170.

The rotary unit 190 is for rotating the rotary frame 180 and the wafer chuck 180 and is provided on one side of the lift frame 140.

The rotating unit 190 includes a support 191 mounted on one side of the lifting frame 140; A rotary motor 192 fixedly mounted on a support 191; A moving block 193 installed to be movable in the forward and backward direction on the rotary shaft of the rotary motor 192; A connection block 194 provided on top of the moving block 193; And a pair of contact rollers 195 provided at the upper end of the connection block 194.

A connecting rod 172 protruding from one side of the rotating frame 170 is inserted between the pair of contact rollers 195 of the rotating unit 190.

14, when the rotary motor 192 rotates in one direction and the moving block 193 and the connecting block 194 are moved backward, the front contact roller 195 pushes the connecting rod 172 backward, And the wafer chuck 180 rotate counterclockwise.

14, when the rotary motor 192 rotates in the other direction and the moving block 193 and the connecting block 194 advance, the rear contact roller 195 pushes the connecting rod 172 forward, The wafer chuck 170 and the wafer chuck 180 rotate clockwise.

FIG. 16 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a semiconductor wafer prober according to the preferred embodiment, and FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of a tilting unit portion of a semiconductor wafer prober according to the preferred embodiment.

The semiconductor wafer prober 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the lifting frame 140 and includes a tilting frame 150, a supporting frame 160, a rotating frame 170, and a wafer chuck 180 And a plurality of tilting units 210 that can be tilted in all directions.

The tilting units 210 are disposed concentrically with the center of rotation of the wafer chuck 180, and three tilting units 210 are installed at intervals of 120 degrees.

The tilting unit 210 includes a piezo-electric element 211 installed in the upper portion of the lifting frame 140 and expanding in volume according to an applied voltage. Joint member 212 which is provided at the upper end of the piezoelectric element 211 and whose upper end surface is in contact with the lower end surface of the tilting frame 150.

The semiconductor wafer prober 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the lower end surface of the rotary frame 170 is in surface contact with the upper end surface of the support frame 160 so that the eccentric load The rotary frame 170 and the wafer chuck 180 are not inclined in the load direction, so that the wafer can be more stably inspected.

The semiconductor wafer prober 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the support frame 160 and the rotary frame 170 are brought into direct surface contact with each other so that the wafer chuck 180 and the support frame 160 slide The rotational force is obtained.

Since the T-axis of such a disk type has no clearance tolerance of a conventional T-axis bearing, there is no inclination to one side during eccentric load, and excellent rigidity and good flatness are satisfied at the same time.

Meanwhile, in the semiconductor wafer prober 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inclination of the weave chuck 180 can be adjusted to the respective orientations through the plurality of tilting units 210 installed on the lifting frame 140 , So that the wafer can be efficiently brought into contact with the inspection probe.

In the semiconductor wafer prober 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the piezo element 211 of one of the tilting units 210 among the plurality of tilting units 210 provided on the lifting frame 140 is raised The corresponding portion of the tilting frame 150 is raised through the waist-joint member 212 and the corresponding portion of the support frame 160, the rotary frame 170, and the wafer chuck 180 on the edge tilting frame 150 So that the inclination of the wafer chuck 180 is adjusted.

The method of manufacturing the waste-joint member 212 provided on the piezo element 211 in the tilting unit 210 of the semiconductor wafer prober 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide the ultra-precise transfer means, Respectively.

The material used for the waist-joint member is preferably a material having rigidity and elasticity, such as steel or plastic, and can be fabricated using wire cutting.

18 is a view showing a design principle and a manufacturing method of a waste-joint member.

In the case of the manufacturing process, as shown in FIG. 18, the center points a and b are determined as the horizontal and vertical dimensions, d is calculated as the depth, and the wire is machined along the cutting line by the height h.

The operation principle and the design procedure of the waste-joint member will be described as follows.

First, the angle? To be tilted is first determined from the user requirement.

Next, b is determined according to the load to be tilted. The larger b is, the tilting can be performed with a large load.

Next, the elasticity of the pivoting center point is inversely proportional to the elasticity. The larger a is, the greater the elasticity and the greater the clearance at the center point.

Next, d is determined considering the straightness of tilting. The larger the d, the better the linearity.

Next, the wire-kitting height h must be greater than the tilting angle θ and less than the Critical-point of elasticity.

The advantages obtained by mounting the waist-joint member are as follows.

First, the structure is simplified, which not only reduces the manufacturing cost but also greatly simplifies the process.

In addition, there is no pivot slip existing in the link ball structure, and there is no pivot error and no slip error, thereby improving the accuracy remarkably.

Further, since the tilting frame 150 is directly fastened to the waste-joint member 212, the rigidity is very excellent.

In addition, the control mechanism is very easy and the results are intuitive.

Since the semiconductor wafer prober 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is installed inside the wafer chuck 180 inside the wafer chuck 180 in the tilting unit 210, It is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost because the cross-sectional area can be reduced, and the reliability can be greatly improved since the amplifying device can be used alone without being attached.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

100: semiconductor wafer prober
110: casing
120: base frame
130: Lift unit
140: lift frame
150: tilting frame
160: Support frame
170: Rotating frame
180: wafer chuck
190: rotating unit
210: tilting unit

Claims

A casing 110 for fixing the base frame 120 and supporting the lifting and lowering of the lifting frame 140;
A base frame 120 fixedly installed on a lower portion of the casing 110;
A lifting and lowering unit 130 for lifting and lowering the lifting frame 140 and the tilting frame 150, the supporting frame 160, the rotating frame 170, and the wafer chuck 180;
The lifting and lowering frame 140 includes a lifting frame 140 installed to be lowered in the lower portion of the casing 110;
A tilting frame 150 installed at the upper end of the lifting frame 140 for tilting the supporting frame 160, the rotating frame 170, and the wafer chuck 180;
A supporting frame 160 fixed to the upper end of the tilting frame 150 to support the rotating frame 170;
A rotation frame 170 rotatably installed at an upper end of the support frame 160 to rotate the wafer chuck 180 in the left-right direction;
A wafer chuck 180 fixedly mounted on the rotary frame 170 to support a wafer to be inspected;
And a rotating unit (190) provided at one side of the lifting frame (140) for rotating the rotating frame (180) and the wafer chuck (180).

The method according to claim 1,
The lifting unit 130,
A lifting motor 131 fixedly installed on one side of the base frame 120;
A rotating screw shaft 132 installed at the center of the base frame 120 and having an upper end connected to the lifting frame 140 and the supporting frame 160 through the tilting frame 150;
And a lift bushing (133) fixed to the center of the lift frame (140) and connected to the rotation screw shaft (132).

3. The method of claim 2,
The lifting unit 130 includes a driving pulley 134 installed on the rotating shaft of the lifting motor 131;
A driven pulley 135 installed at a lower end of the rotating screw shaft 132; And
And a drive belt (136) installed between the drive pulley (134) and the driven pulley (135).

The method according to claim 1,
Characterized in that a support bearing (161) for supporting the rotation of the rotary frame (170) is installed on the inner upper end of the support frame (160).

5. The method of claim 4,
The outer ring of the support bearing 161 is fixed to the support frame 160,
Wherein an inner ring of the support bearing (161) is connected to the rotary frame (170) through a plurality of connecting shafts (171).

The method according to claim 1,
And the lower end face of the rotary frame (170) is in surface contact with the upper end face of the support frame (160).

The method according to claim 1,
In the rotating unit 190,
A support 191 installed on one side of the lifting frame 140;
A rotary motor 192 fixedly mounted on a support 191;
A moving block 193 installed to be movable in the forward and backward direction on the rotary shaft of the rotary motor 192;
A connection block 194 provided on top of the moving block 193;
And a pair of contact rollers (195) provided at an upper end of the connection block (194).

8. The method of claim 7,
A connecting rod 172 is provided on one side of the rotating frame 170 and a connecting rod 172 of the rotating frame 170 is inserted between a pair of contact rollers 195 of the rotating unit 190 Wherein said semiconductor wafer prober is a semiconductor wafer.

The method according to claim 1,
And a plurality of tilting units 210 installed on the lifting frame 140 for tilting the tilting frame 150, the supporting frame 160, the rotating frame 170, and the wafer chuck 180 in each direction Wherein said semiconductor wafer prober is a semiconductor wafer.

10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the tilting unit (210) is disposed concentrically with the center of rotation of the wafer chuck (180), and three tilting units (210) are installed at intervals of 120 degrees.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10,
The tilting unit 210,
A piezoelectric element 211 installed on the upper part of the interior of the lifting frame 140 and expanding in volume according to the applied voltage;
And a waste-joint member (212) provided at an upper end of the piezoelectric element (211) and having an upper end surface in contact with a lower end surface of the tilting frame (150).