Other

Cascade Microtech, Inc.

Suss Microtec Test Systems Gmbh

Formfactor Beaverton, Inc.

Frank Fehrmann

Stojan Kanev

Claus Dietrich

Botho Hirschfeld

Jörg Kiesewetter

Sebastian Giessmann

Volker Hansel

Chien-Hung Chen

Stefan Kreissig

Axel Schmidt

Jorg Kiesewetter

Stefan Schneidewind

Ulf Hackius

Jens Fiedler

Steffen Laube

Hans-Jürgen Fleischer

A semiconductor inspecting method for ensuring a scrubbing length on a pad includes following steps. First off, a first position of a probe needle from above is defined. In addition, a wafer comprising at least a pad is placed on a wafer chuck of a semiconductor inspecting system. Thereafter, a relative vertical movement between the probe needle and the pad is made by adopting a driving system of the semiconductor inspecting system to generate a scrubbing length on the pad. Next, whether the scrubbing length is equal to or larger than a preset value or not is recognized by adopting the vision system and the relative vertical movement is stopped by adopting the driving system.

Semiconductor inspecting method for ensuring scrubbing length on pad

The semiconductor inspecting method includes following steps. First, a first position of a probe needle from above is defined by adopting a vision system of a semiconductor inspecting system. Then, a first relative vertical movement between the probe needle and the pad is made by adopting a driving system of the semiconductor inspecting system. Thereafter, a minimum change in position of the probe needle corresponding to the first position is recognized by adopting the vision system of the semiconductor inspecting system. Next, the first relative vertical movement is stopped by adopting the driving system of the semiconductor inspecting system.

Semiconductor inspecting method

Systems and methods for providing wafer access in a wafer processing system are disclosed herein. The methods may include docking a first wafer cassette on the wafer processing system and removing a selected wafer from the first wafer cassette with the wafer processing system. The methods further may include performing a process operation on the selected wafer with the wafer processing system and undocking the first wafer cassette from the wafer processing system while performing the process operation. The methods also may include docking a second wafer cassette (which may be the same as or different from the first wafer cassette) on the wafer processing system, inventorying the second wafer cassette with the wafer processing system, and/or subsequently placing the selected wafer in the second wafer cassette. The systems may include wafer processing systems that include a controller that is programmed to perform at least a portion of the methods.

Systems and methods for providing wafer access in a wafer processing system

The invention generally relates to a method and device for contacting contact areas () with probe tips () in a tester. The contact areas (), which are arranged on a substrate (), and the probe tips () are positioned relative to each other and then brought in contact with each other by an advancing motion. In order to detect a secure contact for each of the probe tips (), the contacting between the probe tips () and the contact areas () is observed from at least two observation directions (), which include an observation angle &#x3b1; in a range of 0 to 180&#xb0;.

Method and device for contacting a row of contact areas with probe tips

The invention relates to a method for testing several electronic components () of a repetitive pattern under defined thermal conditions in a prober, which comprises a chuck () for holding the components () and special holding devices () for holding individual probes (). For testing, the components () are adjusted to a defined temperature, the probes () and a first electronic component () are positioned relative to each other by means of at least one positioning device, contact pads () of the electronic component () are subsequently contacted by the probes () so that the component () can be tested and then the positioning and the contacting can be repeated for testing another component () of the repetitive pattern. In order to shorten the test time for measurements at changing temperatures while ensuring reliable contacting of the components by using individual probes, a component () is positioned and contacted by a first positioning step which jointly affects all probes () first being carried out in an intermediate position, in the result of which the component () lies at a defined distance under the probe tips (), the position of each individual probe tip () being subsequently corrected by means of separate manipulators to the position of the corresponding contact pad () to be contacted with the particular probe tip () so that each probe tip () lies above a contact pad (), and the probe tips () further subsequently being brought into contact with the contact pads () of the component () by means of an advancing movement.

Method for testing electronic components of a repetitive pattern under defined thermal conditions

A method is disclosed for measurement of wafers and other semiconductor components in a probe station, which serves for examination and testing of electronic components. The device under test is held by a chuck and at least one electric probe by a probe support and the device under test and the probe are selectively positioned relative to each other by a positioning device with electric drives and the device under test is contacted. The drive of the positioning device remains in a state of readiness until establishment of contact and is switched off after establishment of contact and before measurement of the device under test.

Method for measurement of a device under test

A method of contacting a contact area with the tip of a contact needle (contact tip) in a prober and the arrangement of such a prober, is based on the object of ensuring reliable contacting and direct observation of the establishment of the contact between the contact tip and the contact area when contacting contact pads of small dimensions. The prober substantially includes a base frame with a movement device including a clamping fixture for receiving a semiconductor wafer and also contact needles, which are arranged opposite the free surface of the semiconductor wafer. The contacting of the contact tips initially requires a horizontal positioning of the semiconductor wafer, so that the contact area and the contact tip are one above the other and at a distance from each other, and subsequently moving vertically in the direction of the contact tip, until a contact of the contact tips with the contact area is established. The object is achieved by the vertical movement of the semiconductor wafer until the end position is reached being directly observed in a horizontal direction of observation and, for this purpose, an observation device is arranged in such a way that the observation axis runs in the spacing above the free wafer surface.

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Priestewitz OT Basslitz, Germany

Frank Fehrmann