Tokyo Electron Limited

Akihiro Terada

Satoshi Saitoh

A probe apparatus for inspecting electrical characteristics of a microelectronic element formed on a substrate and having a plurality of pads including a probe card having a plurality of probe needles, an image pick-up device for picking up images of the pads and the probe needles, a registration device which previously stores pad position information indicating pad positions of at least specified of the pads and needle position information indicating needle positions of at least specified of the plurality of probe needles, the needle positions being obtained by an actual measurement based on the images picked up by the image pick-up device, and a control processor for executing a task for detecting imaginary needle marks formed on the pads by imaginarily bringing the specified probe needles and the pads corresponding thereto into contact with each other, by overlapping the first position information and the pad position information of the microelectronic element, a task for detecting positional deviation information indicating a positional deviation between the needle marks and the pads, and a task for correcting a positional deviation between the pads and the probe needles in accordance with the positional deviation information.

Probe apparatus for inspecting electrical characteristics of a

A probe system has a wafer storing section for storing a semiconductor wafer as an object to be measured, a plurality of probe units for electrically measuring the wafer, a marking unit for marking a defective portion of the wafer, a repair unit for repairing the defective portion of the wafer, a baking unit for baking and drying the marked wafer, an inspection unit for detecting and examining the marked portion of the wafer marked by the marking unit, a looped convey path for conveying the wafer along the storing section and the respective units, and a convey mechanism for conveying the wafer along the convey path. Wafer transfer between the wafer storing section and the convey mechanism is performed by a first transfer mechanism, and wafer transfer between the respective units and the convey mechanism is performed by second transfer mechanisms. The probe system also controls the respective units and wafer conveyance. A surrounding member for surrounding the wafer when the wafer is to be conveyed is provided along the convey path, and the interior of the surrounding member is held in an atmosphere of the clean air or a nitrogen gas having a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure.

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Tokyo, Japan

Akihiro Terada