Cascade Microtech, Inc.

Suss Microtec Test Systems Gmbh

Joerg Kiesewetter

Stefan Kreissig

Stojan Kanev

Michael Teich

Karsten Stoll

Axel Schmidt

Axel Becker

Botho Hirschfeld

Dietmar Runge

Ulf Hackius

Uwe Beier

Juliane Busch

Steffen Grauer

Matthias Rottka

Ralph Juettner

Hans-Juergen Fleischer

In a method and a device for testing a test substrate under defined thermal conditions, a substrate that is to be tested is held by a temperature-controllable chuck and is set to a defined temperature; the test substrate is positioned relative to test probes by at least one positioning device; and the test probes make contact with the test substrate for testing purposes. At least one component of the positioning device that is present in the vicinity of the temperature-controlled test substrate is set to a temperature that is independent of the temperature of the test substrate by a temperature-controlling device, and this temperature is held constant.

Method for testing a test substrate under defined thermal conditions and thermally conditionable prober

A probe holder has a manipulator, a probe arm arranged on the manipulator, and a probe needle that is at least indirectly connected to the probe arm. To increase the number of contacts of a substrate to be tested and to make it possible to test a plurality of contacts in etched trenches of semiconductor elements in a group of wafers, the probe arm is connected to a needle support on which the probe needle and at least one second probe needle are arranged.

Probe holder

A focused multi-planar image acquisition in real time even while a test object is moving, is achieved with a system and a method for a focused multi-planar image acquisition in a prober. When a surface of a test object is positioned laterally in relation to tips of separated probe needles, a microscope is focused on the surface of the test object at a first time and on a plane of the probe needles at a second time. The objective lens is provided with a microscope objective lens focusing system, which can focus the objective lens, independently of a vertical adjustment drive of the microscope, on the surface of the test object in a first focal plane and in a second focal plane, which is on a level with the probe needle tips.

Arrangement and method for focusing a multiplane image acquisition on a prober

A device for testing thin elements, such as wafers or individual substrates, while at the same time offering a facility for inspecting the reverse side of the thin elements is provided in which any deflection of the substrate as a consequence of high contact power of the probe card is avoided and which is also suitable for substrate diameters of 200 mm and above. The device includes a stable plate with a central opening positioned on the basic construction, a frame which can be moved and/or turned on the plate in an x/y direction and, if required, in a theta direction, a highly-rigid substrate support which can be mounted in the frame, and substrates which can be mounted on the substrate support, wherein the mounting is effected through a vacuum, using mechanical elements (clamping ring, clamping foil or other suitable clamping elements), gel pack pads, or adhesive etc.

Device for testing thin elements

A wafer probe station is provided with a wafer chuck, a wafer fastened on the chuck by vacuum suction, and a probe needle arrangement above the wafer to test the wafer at high frequencies by contacting selected pads on the wafer and alternately pads on a calibration substrate also fastened on the wafer chuck. A procedure for reproduction of a calibration position of an aligned and afterwards displaced calibration substrate uses first and second measurement systems to calculate a new offset position of the calibration substrate after a second wafer is loaded on the wafer chuck. In a last step, the wafer chuck is driven by a 4axis manipulator stage to the new calibration position from the recent position.

Procedure for reproduction of a calibration position of an aligned and afterwards displaced calibration substrate in a probe station

A probe station allows for effective EMI shielding of the passage of the probe through the wall of the housing of such probe station. The probe is freely movable in the X, Y and Z directions. The probe station comprises a housing having at least one aperture through which a probe can extend, a chuck for supporting a test device, the chuck being arranged inside the housing, at least one probe support for supporting a probe, the probe support being arranged relative to the housing such that a first portion of the probe extends into the housing through one of said apertures, at least one positioning mechanism enabling at least one of said probe and said chuck to move relative to the other, and is characterized in that at least one electrically conductive, elastic bellows is attached to the edge of an aperture which provides a variable passage for the probe.

Probe station comprising a bellows with EMI shielding capabilities

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Thiendorf OT Sacka, Germany

Joerg Kiesewetter