Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
  • G01R31/28—Testing of electronic circuits, e.g. by signal tracer
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
  • G01R31/28—Testing of electronic circuits, e.g. by signal tracer
  • G01R31/2851—Testing of integrated circuits [IC]
  • G01R31/2886—Features relating to contacting the IC under test, e.g. probe heads; chucks
  • G01R31/2891—Features relating to contacting the IC under test, e.g. probe heads; chucks related to sensing or controlling of force, position, temperature
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10P—GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10P74/00—Testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment of wafers, substrates or devices
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
  • G01R31/28—Testing of electronic circuits, e.g. by signal tracer
  • G01R31/2851—Testing of integrated circuits [IC]
  • G01R31/2855—Environmental, reliability or burn-in testing
  • G01R31/286—External aspects, e.g. related to chambers, contacting devices or handlers
  • G01R31/2868—Complete testing stations; systems; procedures; software aspects

Definitions

• Wafer inspection apparatus and wafer inspection method, and computer program
• the present invention relates to an inspection apparatus and an inspection method for measuring electrical characteristics of a large number of IC chips formed on a semiconductor wafer, and a computer program.
• An inspection device for measuring electrical characteristics of a large number of IC chips (hereinafter referred to as devices) formed on a semiconductor wafer includes, for example, a loader portion and a prober portion. .
• the loader unit carries the wafer.
• the prober unit measures the electrical characteristics of each device on the wafer delivered from the loader unit.
• the loader unit has a cassette mounting unit.
• tweezers and a sub-chuck are provided.
• the cassette placement unit places wafers in cassette units.
• the tweezers transport the wafer to the loader unit.
• the sub-chuck aligns the wafer with the orientation of the orientation flat (orientation 'flat) as a reference during the process of holding and transporting the wafer with tweezers.
• a main chuck stage
• an alignment mechanism and a probe card are arranged in the prober section.
• the main chuck receives the pre-aligned wafer from the tweezers and places it. This main chuck is movable in the X, ⁇ , ⁇ and ⁇ directions.
• the alignment mechanism accurately aligns the wafer on the main chuck.
• the probe card has a probe needle that is in electrical contact with the electrode pad of the wafer after alignment.
• the tester of the wafer inspection apparatus is provided with a test head.
• This test head is electrically connected to the probe card mounted on the prober head plate.
• the test head mediates transmission / reception of signals between the tester and the probe card.
• the electrical inspection of the device formed in the wafer is performed by sending and receiving signals between the probe card and the tester.
• Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-176893 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) detects at least one of the temperature of the probe card and the pressure at which the probe card contacts the connecting member, and based on the obtained value! A method for correcting the position of the heating stage is disclosed.
• Patent Document 1 it is necessary to detect a temperature or a pressure by arranging a temperature sensor or a pressure sensor around the probe card or its periphery. This complicates the structure around the probe card, increases the cost of the wafer inspection device, and increases the maintenance effort.
• Patent Document 2 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-299360 discloses heating Z cooling in which a wafer, a wafer, and a probe pin module are heated and cooled by respective temperature control systems. The technique which provided the means is disclosed. This technology detects the difference in thermal expansion between the wafer and wafer pin module using a differential transformer, etc., and heat Z cooling on the wafer probe pin module side to eliminate this difference. This is a technology that equalizes the amount of thermal expansion through negative feedback control.
• Patent Document 2 requires an independent heating z cooling means for the probe card in addition to the wafer heating Z cooling means.
• the wafer inspection apparatus becomes complicated, the cost of the wafer inspection apparatus increases, and there is a drawback in that it requires much labor for maintenance.
• the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and includes wafer inspection. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wafer inspection apparatus capable of maintaining normal contact between a probe and an object to be inspected without requiring a pressure sensor or an independent heating / cooling means when performing the inspection at high or low temperatures.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a wafer inspection apparatus capable of shortening the preheating time of the probe and preventing damage to the probe and the wafer. Means for solving the problem
• the wafer inspection apparatus is provided with a heater or a cooler inside, and a stage for placing the semiconductor wafer on the upper surface and heating or cooling the semiconductor wafer to a predetermined temperature
• a drive mechanism that drives the stage in the vertical direction; and a probe card that is installed above the stage and has a probe needle that is in contact with a bonding pad formed on the semiconductor wafer and transmits a signal.
• a position control device that controls the drive mechanism so that the bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer is brought into contact with the probe needle of the probe card; and an elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with the bonding pad.
• Timing control means wherein the position control device detects the predetermined temperature and the probe needle measured by the time measuring means. Based on the elapsed time after contact with the bonding pad, the position correction value is adjusted so that the bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer contacts the probe needle of the probe card with a predetermined strain amount, and the stage The position of the is controlled.
• an elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with a bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer placed on the stage and heated or cooled to a predetermined temperature, and expansion and contraction of the probe needle is brought into contact with a bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer placed on the stage and heated or cooled to a predetermined temperature, and expansion and contraction of the probe needle.
• the position of the stage is controlled by adding a position correction value so as to make contact with the amount.
• the probe change storage means is connected to the bonding pad with the pro- gram.
• Each elapsed time obtained by dividing the elapsed time after contact with the needle by a predetermined interval is stored, and the amount of expansion / contraction of the probe needle corresponding to each elapsed time is stored, and the length of the interval is The amount of expansion / contraction of the probe needle at each of the intervals based on the result of measuring in advance the relationship between the elapsed time after contacting the probe needle with the bonding pad and the amount of expansion / contraction of the probe needle Each of these may be determined to be equal to or higher than the resolution of the control of the drive mechanism by the position control device.
• the elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with the bonding pad is a finite time, and the length of the interval at the initial stage of the finite time is equal to the limited time. It may be shorter than the length of the interval at the end.
• the length of the interval may be gradually increased from the beginning to the end of the finite time.
• the position control device sets the relationship between the elapsed time stored in the probe change storage means and the expansion and contraction of the probe needle to the ambient temperature of the probe needle and the semiconductor wafer.
• the correction is based on the above.
• a temperature storage means for storing a temperature when the semiconductor wafer is inspected, and after the completion of one inspection and separating the probe needle from the bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer, After the separation time measuring means for measuring the elapsed time until the end, the temperature at the previous inspection stored in the temperature storage means, and the previous inspection measured by the time measurement means after separation, and the probe needle Expansion / contraction amount estimating means for estimating an amount of expansion / contraction of the probe needle based on an elapsed time from the separation from the bonding pod of the semiconductor wafer to a current time, and the position control device includes: The amount of expansion / contraction of the probe needle estimated by the expansion / contraction amount estimating means, the predetermined temperature, and the probe needle measured by the time measuring means are applied to the bonding pad. Based on the elapsed time after touching, the position of the stage is added by adding a position correction value so that the bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer contacts the probe needle of the probe card with a pre
• a probe needle for transmitting a signal is brought into contact with a bonding pad on a semiconductor wafer placed on a stage.
• a wafer inspection method for measuring an electrical characteristic of an element formed on the semiconductor wafer wherein the semiconductor wafer is heated or cooled to a predetermined temperature, a heating or cooling step, and the heating or cooling to the predetermined temperature.
• the time measuring step of measuring an elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with the bonding pad on the semiconductor wafer the predetermined temperature, and the elapsed time measured in the time measuring step.
• a stage position correction step of adding a position correction value to control the position of the stage so that the bonding pad contacts the probe needle with a predetermined strain amount.
• each elapsed time obtained by dividing the elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with the bonding pad by a predetermined interval is measured, and at each elapsed time, The amount of expansion / contraction of the corresponding probe needle is measured, and the length of the interval is measured in advance by measuring the relationship between the elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with the bonding pad and the amount of expansion / contraction of the probe needle.
• the amount of expansion / contraction of the probe needle in each of the intervals may be determined so as to be equal to or higher than the resolution of control of the drive mechanism by the position control device.
• the elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with the bonding pad is a finite time, and the length of the interval at the initial stage of the finite time is equal to the limited time. It may be shorter than the length of the interval at the end.
• the length of the interval may be gradually increased from the beginning to the end of the finite time.
• the relationship between the elapsed time stored in the probe change storage means and the expansion and contraction of the probe needle is determined based on the circumference of the probe needle and the semiconductor wafer. It further includes a correction step of correcting based on the temperature.
• a temperature storage step for storing a temperature when inspecting the semiconductor wafer, and a force after separating the probe needle from the bonding pad force of the semiconductor wafer after completing one inspection
• the separation time-measurement step for measuring the elapsed time
• the temperature at the previous inspection stored in the temperature storage step the previous inspection measured in the time-measurement step after separation
• the probe needle An expansion amount estimation step for estimating the amount of expansion and contraction of the probe needle based on the elapsed time from the separation of the bonding pad force of the semiconductor wafer to the present time; and the stage position correction step, The amount of expansion / contraction of the probe needle estimated in the expansion / contraction amount estimation step, a predetermined temperature for heating or cooling the semiconductor wafer, and the process measured in the timing step.
• the position correction value is added so that the bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer contacts the probe needle of the probe card with a predetermined amount of strain based on the elapsed time after the contact of the contact needle with the bonding pad
• a computer program includes a computer provided with a heater or a cooler therein, and a semiconductor wafer placed on the upper surface to heat or heat the semiconductor wafer to a predetermined temperature.
• a position control device that controls the drive mechanism so that the bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer is brought into contact with the probe needle of the probe card; and a time measurement that measures an elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with the bonding pad.
• a computer program for controlling a wafer inspection apparatus comprising: means for causing the timing means to execute a timing process for measuring an elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with the bonding pad; The position control device measures the predetermined temperature and the time measurement process. Further, based on the elapsed time after the probe needle is brought into contact with the bonding pad, a position correction value is added so that the bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer contacts the probe needle of the probe card with a predetermined distortion amount. Then, a stage position correction process for controlling the position of the stage is executed.
• the wafer inspection apparatus does not require a sensor such as temperature or pressure, and has the same hardware (HZW) configuration as that of the prior art without the cost of additional HZW. Can maintain normal contact.
• HZW hardware
• the preheating time can be reduced to a fraction of a few tenths compared to the method of preheating the probe without contacting the heat source.
• FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a wafer inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a position control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the elapsed time and the displacement of the probe needle tip position according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a stage control operation for preheating in the wafer inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 5 In Embodiment 2 of the present invention, the first wafer inspection is completed and the preheat for the second inspection is performed including the elapsed time after the probe needle is separated from the wafer. It is a figure showing the example of the relationship between elapsed time and the displacement of a probe needle tip position.
• FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a stage control operation for preheating in the wafer inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment.
• the wafer inspection apparatus includes a loader unit 3, a prober unit 4, a position control device 2, a display device 6, and a tester 5.
• the loader unit 3 transports the wafer W stored in the force set C.
• the prober unit 4 measures the electrical characteristics of the wafer W transferred from the loader unit 3.
• the position control device 2 drives and controls the loader unit 3 and the prober unit 4.
• the display device 6 also serves as an operation panel for operating the position control device 2.
• the tester 5 is provided with a test head 7. This test The head 7 is electrically connected to the probe card 9 mounted on the head plate 8 of the prober section 4 during inspection, and can be retracted from the prober section 4 during maintenance.
• the loader unit 3 is provided with a sub-chuck (not shown) for pre-aligning the wafer W with the orientation flat as a reference. By this sub-chuck, the wafer W is pre-aligned while the wafer W is transferred from the loader unit 3 to the prober unit 4.
• the prober unit 4 includes a main chuck 10 and a drive mechanism 11.
• the main chuck 10 is a stage on which the wafer W is mounted by vacuum suction.
• the drive mechanism 11 moves the main chuck 10 in two orthogonal directions X and Y in the horizontal plane, in the height direction ⁇ , and in the ⁇ direction which is rotation in the horizontal plane.
• the prober unit 4 also includes an alignment mechanism 12, which aligns the probe needle 9 ⁇ of the probe card 9 with the wafer W on the main chuck 10.
• the drive mechanism 11 and the alignment mechanism 12 align the electrode pads of each device on the wafer W on the main chuck 10 and the plurality of probe needles 9 ⁇ of the probe card 9, and both of them are brought into electrical contact.
• the wafer inspection device 1 is provided with a heating Z cooling device 13 for heating or cooling the main chuck 10.
• the main chuck 10 is provided with a cooling device 13 and a Peltier element (not shown).
• a cooling device 13 When performing the low temperature test, the flat chuck top of the main chuck 10 is cooled by the Peltier element, and the back side of the main chuck 10 is cooled by the cooling device 13.
• the chuck top When a high temperature test is performed, the chuck top is heated by passing a current through the Peltier element in the direction opposite to that during cooling.
• the position control device 2 includes a control unit 21, a main storage unit 22, an external storage unit 23, an input unit 24, a display unit 25, a transmission / reception unit 26, an output unit 27, and a timing unit 28. Composed.
• the main storage unit 22, the external storage unit 23, the input unit 24, the display unit 25, the transmission / reception unit 26, the output unit 27, and the timing unit 28 are connected to the control unit 21 via the internal bus 20.
• the control unit 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, monitors the state of the position control device 2 according to a program stored in the external storage unit 23, and responds to the input of the input unit 24. Execute the process, and control the information input to the display unit 25 and the drive unit as a result of the process. Display your status.
• CPU Central Processing Unit
• the main storage unit 22 is composed of a RAM (Random-Access Memory) or the like, and is used as a work area of the control unit 21.
• the external storage unit 23 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, a hard disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a DVD-RAM (Digital Versatile Disc Random-Access Memory), and a DVD—RW (Digital Versatile Disc Rewritable). It is configured.
• the external storage unit 23 stores in advance a program for causing the control unit 21 to perform the above processing. Further, the external storage unit 23 supplies the above-described program and other data used by the program to the control unit 21 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 21, and stores the data supplied from the control unit 21.
• the external storage unit 23 stores, for example, a relationship between an elapsed time measured in advance and a probe needle tip end position displacement, which will be described later.
• the input unit 24 includes a keyboard or key switch, a pointing device such as a mouse, and an interface device that connects the keyboard and pointing device to the internal bus 20. Parameters and the like for controlling the drive mechanism 11 are input via the input unit 24 and supplied to the control unit 21.
• the display unit 25 is configured with a force such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).
• the display unit 25 displays the input parameters for controlling the drive mechanism 11 and the control status of the drive mechanism 11, for example, the current position coordinates of the stage.
• the transmission / reception unit 26 includes a serial interface or a LAN (Local Area Network) interface connected to a modem or a network termination device.
• the control unit 21 transmits necessary information to the tester 5 shown in FIG. 1 via the transmission / reception unit 26, and receives the result information from the tester 5. For example, the fact that the inspection can be started is transmitted to the tester 5, and the end of the inspection is received from the tester 5.
• the output unit 27 is also configured with a serial interface or a parallel interface. In some cases, it includes a printer and a printer interface. The output unit 27 outputs a control instruction value to the drive mechanism 11 in accordance with a command from the control unit 21. When the drive mechanism 11 performs feedback control, the output unit 27 also has a main Feedback information such as the position and speed of the motor 10 is input from the drive mechanism 11.
• the timer unit 28 includes a crystal oscillator, for example, and includes a counter that counts clock pulses oscillated by the crystal oscillator.
• the timer unit 28 is a timer of an arbitrary time that operates according to a command from the control unit 21. Further, the current time is supplied to the control unit 21.
• the control unit 21 sets a value in the counter of the time measuring unit 28.
• the clock unit 28 subtracts 1 from the counter every time a clock pulse occurs, and generates an interrupt signal to the control unit 21 when the counter value reaches 0. Thereby, the control part 21 can measure fixed time.
• the control unit 21 can know the elapsed time from the reference time, that is, the current time by reading the clock pulse count from the reference time recorded in the time measuring unit 28.
• FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the elapsed time after the probe needle 9A is brought into contact with the bonding pad of the wafer W and the tip position of the probe needle 9A, for example, when the wafer W is held at a high temperature. It is a represented graph.
• (A) of FIG. 3 represents the displacement of the tip position of the probe needle 9A that is theoretically estimated from the thermal conductivity and the thermal expansion coefficient of the probe card 9 and the probe needle 9A.
• (B) of FIG. 3 shows an example of the result of actually measuring the tip position of the probe needle 9A by bringing the probe needle 9A into contact with the wafer W actually held at a certain temperature in the wafer inspection apparatus 1. It is a graph. In order to actually measure the displacement of the tip position of the probe needle 9A, the probe needle 9A is brought into contact with the probe needle 9A, and the tip position of the probe needle 9A is measured with a camera or the like slightly apart at regular intervals.
• the probe mechanism 9 is controlled by controlling the height of the drive mechanism 11 using the relationship between the analytically obtained elapsed time and the tip position of the probe needle 9A as shown in FIG.
• the needle 9A can be brought into contact with the wafer W with a substantially constant pressure. More precisely, for example, it is preferable to control the height of the main chuck 10 (stage) based on actual measurement data as shown in FIG.
• the relationship between the elapsed time and the probe needle tip position as shown in FIG. 3 shows that the probe needle 9A comes into contact with the wafer and the force probe needle 9A tip position is stabilized at regular intervals.
• This is stored in the external storage unit 23 as a column of values of the position (distance from the reference point) of the probe needle 9A. Since the amount of expansion and contraction of the probe needle 9A is large at the initial stage when the probe needle 9A is brought into contact with the wafer W, the initial time interval may be shortened and the time interval may be gradually increased. In this case, the relationship between the elapsed time and the probe needle tip position displacement is stored as data having a pair of time interval and position.
• the tip position of the probe needle 9A shown in Fig. 3 is such that the probe needle 9A contacts the bonding pad of the wafer W at a constant pressure.
• the drive mechanism 11 is overdriven so as to give a certain strain to the probe needle 9A.
• the amount of overdrive is 10 ⁇ m.
• FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a control operation of the main chuck 10 (stage) for preheating the probe needle 9A and the probe card 9 in the wafer inspection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.
• the wafer W is held at the inspection temperature, the drive mechanism 11 and alignment mechanism 12 are controlled, and the probe needle 9A is brought into contact with the bonding pad of the wafer W, so that the preheating operation is started.
• the control unit 21 sets a predetermined value in the counter of the time measuring unit 28 and waits until a predetermined time elapses (step Al).
• This fixed time is a time interval between adjacent numerical values in the row of position values of the probe needle 9A in the relationship between the elapsed time and the probe needle tip position.
• the fixed time is determined in such a range that the extension of the probe needle 9A exceeds the control resolution of the drive mechanism 11 and the probe needle 9A or the wafer is not damaged.
• the fixed time is 10 seconds.
• the time interval may be gradually shortened in the initial stage. In that case, the control unit 21 reads the value of the next time interval from the external storage unit 23 and sets it in the counter of the time measuring unit 28.
• the time interval is determined by, for example, t (l), t (2), ..., t (n) (where n is a positive value).
• the control unit 21 calculates the following value (correction) from the relationship between the elapsed time stored in the external storage unit 23 and the probe needle tip position (for example, the relationship represented by (b) in FIG. 3).
• (Predicted value) is read (step A2). If there is a corrected predicted value (step A3; Yes), a value for correcting the height of the main chuck 10 (stage) is calculated (step A4). Since the read correction prediction value is the distance from the reference point, convert it to the height of the main chuck 10 and add the overdrive amount to the control amount of the drive mechanism 11.
• the control unit 21 commands the control amount to the drive mechanism 11 to correct the height of the main chuck 10 (stage) (step A5). Then, return to Step A1 to wait until a certain time has elapsed.
• step A1 to step A5 are repeated until there is no corrected predicted value for the relationship between the elapsed time and the probe needle tip position.
• the absence of the corrected predicted value means that the tip position of the probe needle 9A is sufficiently stable. Therefore, when the corrected predicted value disappears (step A3; No), the control unit 21 notifies the tester 5 through the transmission / reception unit 26 that preheating has been completed, and starts wafer inspection (step A6).
• the probe needle 9A and the probe card 9 can be preheated without damaging the probe needle 9A and the wafer W while the probe needle 9A is in contact with the bonding pad of the wafer W.
• the preheating time can be reduced to a fraction of a tens of minutes compared to the method of preheating the probe needle 9A and the probe card 9 without contacting the wafer W!
• the force described for heating the wafer W can be shortened in the same manner when the wafer W is cooled, and the cooling time of the probe needle 9A and the probe card 9 can be shortened.
• the displacement of the tip position of the probe needle 9A is represented by a curve that is upside down from the example shown in FIG. Even when the wafer W is cooled, it is preferable to actually measure the displacement of the tip of the probe needle 9A in advance and store the relationship between the elapsed time and the probe needle tip position in the external storage unit 23.
• the present invention is not limited to such a form.
• external It is also possible to make the memory interval at the fixed time in the memory unit 23 finely tuned so that the control unit 21 waits at step A1 in FIG. 4 for a longer time than that.
• the external storage unit 23 stores the value of the tip position of the probe needle 9A corresponding to a relatively large number of time intervals, and the control unit 21 stores these values in step A1 in FIG. It becomes a form which selects an appropriate value from the inside.
• the waiting time in step A1 in FIG. 4 can be determined more flexibly. More specifically, for example, the length of the standby time may be changed in accordance with the change in temperature rise rate or temperature fall rate. In this case, when there is a larger temperature change, it is possible to perform more appropriate control by rounding up the standby time.
• the number of tip positions of the probe 9A to be stored in the external storage unit 23 can be suppressed to a necessary minimum, so that the capacity of the external storage unit 23 is unavoidable. There is no need to make it larger.
• Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG.
• the temperature of the previous wafer inspection and the force after the previous inspection is completed are used.
• Figured. As a result, the effect of accurate and short-time preheating can be enjoyed over a plurality of inspections.
• the configurations of wafer inspection apparatus 1 and position control apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.
• FIG. 5 shows the elapsed time and the process time when preheating for the second inspection is performed, including the elapsed time after the first wafer inspection is completed and the probe needle 9A is separated from the wafer W. It is a figure which shows the example of the displacement of a probe needle tip position.
• the elapsed time indicated by the symbol E indicates the time when the first inspection is completed and the probe needle 9A is separated from the wafer W.
• the elapsed time indicated by the symbol S indicates that the probe needle 9A is again brought into contact with the UE and W after being separated from each other. For example, the inspection of the first wafer W is completed, and the inspection is performed after replacing the next wafer W.
• the origin of the graph (when the probe needle 9A is first brought into contact with Ueno and W) Up to the time point indicated by symbol E is the same as FIG. 3 (b). However, the tip position of the probe needle 9A is stable and the force test is performed, and the time required for the probe needle 9A is reduced.
• the probe needle 9A is separated from the wafer W at the time point indicated by the symbol E, the probe needle 9A and the probe card 9 are naturally cooled, so that the probe needle tip position returns to the original position. If the probe needle 9A is brought into contact with the wafer W before it is sufficiently cooled to the initial temperature, the preheat time is shortened. This is because the probe needle 9A has a residual heat.
• Such a state is represented by a curve on the right side of the figure from the time point indicated by the symbol S.
• the displacement of the probe needle tip position in the second pre-heat is such that the intermediate force of the displacement curve of the probe needle tip position in the first pre-heat starts.
• Actual measurement may be performed with respect to various wafer inspection temperatures.
• the tip position of the probe needle 9A at the stage of the actual inspection can be estimated based on the result of this measurement. This estimation is performed by comparing the temperature of the previous wafer inspection and the elapsed time from the end of the previous inspection to the probe needle 9A being separated from the wafer and the force until the present time with the result of the above measurement. Can do.
• the result of the actual measurement that is, the relationship of the displacement of the probe needle tip position with respect to the passage of time when the probe needle 9A and the probe card 9 naturally radiate heat is stored in the external storage unit 23. Keep it. Then, from the temperature of the previous wafer inspection and the force after the previous inspection is finished and the probe needle 9A is separated from the wafer, the current preheat is the probe needle tip position in the previous preheat. Estimate which point force on the curve of the displacement starts. Based on this, the height of the main chuck 10 is controlled. As a result, the contact between the probe needle 9A and the wafer W is properly maintained, and the preheating time can be shortened.
• FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a control operation of the main chuck 10 (stage) for preheating the probe needle 9A and the probe card 9 in the wafer inspection apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment.
• the following processes have been completed. Snow (I) last inspection, (ii) temperature maintenance in this inspection, and (iii) contact of probe needle 9A to the bonding pad of wafer W. After completing each of these processes, the preheating operation is started.
• the control unit 21 reads the temperature of the previous examination stored in the external storage unit 23 (step Bl). Next, the current test temperature input from the tester 5 or the input unit 24 is input (step B2). Then, the control unit 21 reads the time when the probe 9A has been separated from Ueno and W after finishing the previous test from the external storage unit 23, reads the current test start time from the time measuring unit 28, and the differential force between the two probes The needle 9A is separated from Ueno, W, and the force is also measured for the elapsed time up to the present time (step B3).
• the control unit 21 estimates the displacement of the current probe needle tip position from the temperature of the previous test and the elapsed time after the end of the previous test (step B4).
• the control unit 21 determines the probe needle for the elapsed time in the current preheating from the relationship between the probe needle tip position with respect to the elapsed time after contact at the current inspection temperature and the estimated displacement of the current probe needle tip position. Calculate the tip position displacement relationship (step B5).
• step B 10 for correcting the height of the stage from the step B 6 waiting for the elapse of a predetermined time is the same as the steps A 1 to A 5 in the first embodiment.
• step B8 When the predicted correction value of the relationship of the probe needle tip position displacement with respect to the elapsed time in this preheating is lost (step B8; No), the control unit 21 notifies the end of the preheating via the transmission / reception unit 26. Tester 5 is notified, wafer inspection is started (step B11), and the end of inspection is awaited (step B12).
• the absence of the corrected predicted value means that the tip position of the probe needle 9A is sufficiently stable, as in the first embodiment.
• the control unit 21 Upon receipt of the test end notification from the tester 5 via the transmission / reception unit 26, the control unit 21 lowers the stage and prepares for the next operation, and prepares the current test temperature and test end time (probe needle 9A). The time separated from the wafer W) is written in the external storage unit 23 (step B13). The current test temperature and test end time written to the external storage unit 23 are the values for the next test. Read in step Bl and step B3 of reheat control.
• FIG. 5 illustrates the case where the temperature of the previous inspection and the temperature of the current inspection are the same, but the temperature of the previous inspection and the temperature of the current inspection are different. However, it is possible to control the stage height in the same manner as described above, to keep the contact between the probe needle 9A and the wafer W properly, and to shorten the preheating time.
• the case where the temperature of the previous inspection is different from the temperature of the current inspection is, for example, when the previous time is low and this time is high, or when the previous time is high and this time is low, or there are two levels: low or high. There may be cases.
• the relationship of the displacement of the probe needle tip position with respect to the elapsed time after contact as shown in Fig. 3 should be appropriately corrected and applied. Can do.
• the fact that the ambient temperature of the wafer inspection apparatus differs corresponds to moving the starting point of the displacement curve of the probe needle tip position back and forth.
• the difference in the inspection temperature corresponds to moving the displacement curve of the probe needle tip position up and down and moving the starting point back and forth to match the temperature difference.
• the position control device 2 of the wafer inspection device 1 can be realized by using a normal computer system without using a dedicated system.
• a computer program for executing the above operation is stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium (flexible disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), and the computer program is distributed to the computer.
• the position control device 2 that executes the above-described processing may be configured by installation.
• the wafer inspection apparatus 1 of the present invention may be configured by storing the computer program in a storage device included in a server device on a communication network such as the Internet and downloading the normal computer system.

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• Testing Or Measuring Of Semiconductors Or The Like (AREA)

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• 2005
  • 2005-09-22 JP JP2005275150A patent/JP2007088203A/ja active Pending
• 2006
  • 2006-09-21 KR KR1020077015845A patent/KR101169830B1/ko active Active
  • 2006-09-21 WO PCT/JP2006/318718 patent/WO2007034863A1/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2006-09-21 US US12/065,621 patent/US7777510B2/en active Active
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