Tokyo Electron Limited

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.

Tdk Corporation

Nabtesco Corporation

Tokyo Electron Limi Ted

Hiroshi Yamada

Tomoya Endo

Jun Fujihara

Masaru Suzuki

Hiroshi Shimoyama

Tetsuji Watanabe

Takeshi Kawaji

Shuji Akiyama

Hisao Morooka

Takanori Hyakudomi

Shinji Kojima

Toshihiro Yudate

Nobuhiro Kameda

Takaaki Hoshino

Takeshi Saigusa

Yasuyuki Arai

Kazuo Nishi

Katsuki Kurihara

Jun Mochizuki

Tadashi Obikane

Kunihiro Furuya

Yutaka Akaike

Kentaro Konishi

Kazuya Yano

Kazumi Yamagata

Yasuhito Yamamoto

Hiroaki Hayashi

Tetsuya Kagami

Yoshihito Yamasaki

Kenichi Narikawa

Shin Uchida

Hiroki Obi

Xingjun Jiang

Hiroki Shikagawa

Shinya Koizumi

Tsuyoshi Aruga

Katsuaki Sugiyama

Yukinori Murata

Rika Ozawa

Takamitsu Miura

Mitsutaka Matsuse

Hirofumi Katagiri

A wafer inspection deviceis provided with a chuck topon which a wafer W having semiconductor devices formed thereon is placed, a probe cardhaving multiple contact probesprotruding toward the wafer W, a pogo framefor holding the probe card, a cylindrical internal bellowsconfigured to suspend from the pogo frameto surround the contact probes, and a cylindrical external bellowsconfigured to suspend from the pogo frameto surround the internal bellows. When the chuck topapproaches the probe cardand the contact probesare brought into contact with the devices, the internal bellowsand the external bellowscome in contact with the chuck top, a sealing space P is formed between the internal bellowsand the external bellows, and the sealing space P is compressed.

Substrate inspection device and substrate inspection method

A testing system includes: an inspection module including a plurality of levels of inspection chambers in each of which a tester part having a tester configured to perform an electrical inspection of an inspection object and a probe card is accommodated; an aligner module configured to align the inspection object with the tester part; an alignment area in which the aligner module is accommodated; and a loader part configured to load the inspection object into the alignment area and unload the inspection object out of the aligner module, wherein the inspection module is located adjacent to the alignment area.

Testing system

There is provided a testing wafer that simulates heat generation of an inspection target substrate. The testing wafer includes a heater pattern, a plurality of temperature sensors, and first and second electrode pads. The heater pattern is configured to heat the testing wafer having the same shape as a shape of the inspection target substrate. The temperature sensors are configured to respectively measure temperatures of multiple locations on the testing wafer. The first electrode pads are connected to the heater pattern and the second electrode pads are connected to the temperature sensors. The first and second electrode pads are installed to be in contact with probes of a probe card.

Testing wafer and testing method

Provided is a substrate inspection method capable of accurately performing inspection. A wafer inspection device includes a chuck top on which a wafer having a semiconductor device formed thereon is mounted and a probe card disposed above the chuck top so as to face the chuck top. The probe card includes a plurality of contact probes protruding toward the wafer. When bringing the chuck top close to the probe card, a tubular expandable/contractible bellows extending downward from the probe card side so as to surround the contact probes is attracted to the chuck top via a lip seal before the contact probes come into contact with the semiconductor device.

Substrate inspection method and substrate inspection device

A substrate inspection device includes: a holding member configured to hold a probe card; a plate-shaped chuck facing the probe card and configured to place a substrate thereon; and an inspection chamber in which the holding member and the chuck are disposed. The substrate is brought into contact with the probe card by moving the chuck closer to the holding member. A sealed space is formed between the holding member and the chuck. A contact state between the probe card and the substrate are maintained by decompressing the sealed space. A gas introduction path is provided separately from the inspection chamber and configured to introduce a gas in a partitioned space into the sealed space, and the partitioned space is filled with a dry gas.

Substrate inspection device

The present disclosure provides a wafer inspection device that can perform accurate inspection. The wafer inspection device includes a probe card having a plurality of contact probes formed to protrude toward a wafer W, a chuck top on which the wafer W is mounted and configured to move toward the probe card, and an aligner configured to adjust inclination of the chuck top relative to the probe card.

Wafer inspection device and wafer inspection method

Provided is a wafer inspection method wherein a chuck top can be properly received. When an aligner receives a chuck top after a wafer W has been inspected, the distance between the chuck top and a chuck base is adjusted by adjusting the inclination of the chuck base such that the chuck top height, which is the distance between the chuck top and the chuck base after the chuck top is held, is a height in which any of 0 to 200 &#x3bc;m is added to the chuck top height before the chuck top is held.

Wafer inspection method and wafer inspection device

A device of contacting a substrate with a probe card includes a mounting tablethat transfers a wafer W together with a wafer plateto a position facing the probe card; a lifting devicethat contacts multiple electrodes of semiconductor devices formed on the wafer W with multiple probes of the probe cardby moving the wafer plateand the wafer W toward the probe cardand then further moves the wafer W toward the probe card; a depressurization paththat decompresses a space S between the probe cardand the wafer plateand maintains a contact state between the electrodes of the semiconductor devices and probesof the probe card; and the lifting devicethat separates a chuck memberon the mounting tablefrom the wafer plate

Device of contacting substrate with probe card and substrate inspection apparatus having same

A method of contacting a substrate with a probe card in a substrate inspection apparatus can inspect electrical characteristics of semiconductor devices on the substrate. A wafer W is transferred to a position facing a probe cardwhile being mounted on a chuck memberwith a wafer platetherebetween, and electrodes of semiconductor devices on the wafer W are contacted with probes of the probe cardby moving the wafer W and the wafer platetoward the probe cardthrough an elevating device. Then, the wafer W is overdriven toward the probe cardand a contact state between the electrodes of the semiconductor devices and the probes of the probe cardis maintained by decompressing a space S between the probe cardand the wafer plate. Then, the chuck memberis separated from the wafer plate

Method of contacting substrate with probe card

In a method for determining a set value of a pressure for inspection in a wafer inspection apparatus, a surrounding space sealable between a chuck top and a probe card by a vacuum mechanism is evacuated and a highest negative pressure in the surrounding space is measured as a reference pressure when the chuck top has floated by the evacuation. Then as a reference height position, a height position of the chuck top corresponding to the reference pressure is obtained. Further, a pressure in the surrounding space is decreased to a level lower than the reference pressure, the pressure in the surrounding space, when the chuck top reaches a target height position obtained by adding a preset overdrive amount for a press-contact state between the probe card and the wafer to the reference height position, is measured and the measured pressure is set as the set value of the pressure.

Method for determining set value of pressure for inspection in wafer inspection apparatus

A wafer inspection interfaceincludes a probe cardincluding probesprovided on a surface facing a wafer W; a pogo framethat supports a surface of the probe cardopposite to the surface on which the probesare provided; a table-shaped chuck memberfacing the probe cardwith the wafer W therebetween; a cylindrical bellows, configured to seal a space between the chuck memberand the pogo frame, having one end fastened to the pogo frameand a lower flangeat the other end to be contacted with the chuck member; a length adjusting device that adjusts a length of the bellows; a guide memberthat guides a movement of the bellows; and a decompression paththat decompresses the space between the chuck memberand the pogo frame

Wafer inspection interface and wafer inspection apparatus

Disclosed is a method for mounting a wafer on a probe card. In the wafer mounting method, an extendable tubular member is placed to surround the probe card, the wafer is placed on a chuck top, the chuck top is supported by a movable stage, and the stage is moved toward the probe card together with the wafer and the chuck top to bring the chuck top into contact with the tubular member. After the chuck top is in contact with the tubular member, the stage is moved toward the probe card together with the wafer and the chuck top to bring the wafer into contact with the probe card and maintain a positional relationship of the stage, the wafer, and the chuck top. After the wafer is in contact with the probe card, a space surrounded by the chuck top, the tubular member, and the probe card is evacuated.

Wafer mounting method and wafer inspection device

A wafer inspection apparatus includes a probe card, a chuck top, and a vacuum mechanism for evacuating a surrounding space surrounded by the chuck top and the probe card to a set pressure. The vacuum mechanism includes an electropneumatic regulator having a proportional control valve, a pressure sensor, and a valve control unit to control the proportional control valve such that a pressure measured by the pressure sensor becomes close to or equal to a set pressure; and a gas channel network switched between first mode in which a second port of the proportional control valve is connected to the surrounding space via the pressure sensor and second mode in which the second port of the proportional control valve is connected to the surrounding space and the pressure sensor is connected to the surrounding space in parallel with the proportional control valve.

Wafer inspection apparatus

A probe card attaching method makes it easy to attach/detach a probe card to/from a transfer stage. In a wafer inspection apparatus, a reference position is determined by moving a transfer stageto align a stage-side camerawith a tester-side camerain a tester, a first distance from the reference position to a center of a pogo framein the testeris determined by checking a pin markin the testerwith the stage-side camera, a second distance from the reference position to a center of a probe cardis determined by checking a target markin the probe cardwith the tester-side camera. Then, the transfer stageis moved to allow the probe cardto face the pogo framebased on the reference position, the first distance, and the second distance.

Probe card attaching method

A wafer inspection apparatus includes a first and second wafer transfer mechanisms, an alignment chamber, a second wafer transfer mechanism and a plurality of inspection chambers. The first wafer transfer mechanism is installed at a first transfer area to transfer wafers individually from a housing. The alignment chamber has an alignment mechanism configured to align the wafer at an inspection position for an electrical characteristics inspection. The second wafer transfer mechanism is configured to transfer the wafer through a wafer retaining support in a second transfer area formed along the first transfer area and an alignment area. The plurality of inspection chambers is arranged at an inspection area formed along the second transfer area and is configured to inspect electrical characteristics of the wafer transferred by the second wafer transfer mechanism through the wafer retaining support.

Method for pre-heating probe card

Growing community of inventors

Nirasaki, Japan

Hiroshi Yamada