Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Limi Ted

Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Limited

Masaru Suzuki

Kazuya Yano

Yasuhito Yamamoto

Hiroshi Yamada

Hiroshi Shimoyama

Tadashi Obikane

Hiroshi Amemiya

Koji Kawaguchi

Shuji Akiyama

Shinji Iino

Junichi Hagihara

Yutaka Akaike

Haruhiko Yoshioka

Wataru Karasawa

Kazunari Ishii

Kazumi Yamagata

Fumito Kagami

Tetsuji Watanabe

Keiichi Yokota

Yuji Asakawa

Shigeoki Mori

Shinji Kojima

Takeshi Kawaji

Hitoshi Fujihara

Eiichi Matsuzawa

Kazuhiro Ozawa

Kazuhiro Takabe

Shigeki Nakamura

A probe apparatus includes a plurality of prober chamber arranged in a straight line; and a loader chamber having a substrate transfer mechanism that takes out a test target substrate from a container provided in an upper area of the prober chamber, lowers the test target substrate to a height corresponding to a loading/unloading port of the prober chamber, moves in front of a row of the prober chambers in parallel to the row of the prober chambers and transfers the test target substrate into the prober chamber. A reading mechanism for reading information recorded on the test target substrate held on the substrate transfer mechanism is installed at a horizontal moving mechanism that moves the substrate transfer mechanism in front of the row of the prober chambers in parallel to the row of the prober chambers.

Probe apparatus and substrate transfer method

An inspection apparatus includes a mounting table movable in X and Y directions and an alignment mechanism which performs an alignment of a target object placed on the mounting table. Further, the alignment mechanism includes an image pickup device which is movable in either one of the X and Y directions and is capable of being stopped at a desired position and a controller for performing a preliminary alignment of the target object by moving the image pickup device and the mounting table in respectively movable directions.

Inspection apparatus having alignment mechanism

A mounting device includes a vertically movable mounting table for mounting thereon a target object and a rotational driving mechanism for rotating the mounting table within a predetermined angle. The mounting table is vertically raised and rotated by the rotational driving mechanism. The rotational driving mechanism includes a driving shaft extending in a tangential direction of the mounting table and a moving body moving in the tangential direction via the driving shaft. A first cam follower is attached in perpendicular to the moving body and a second cam follower is extending horizontally from an outer circumferential surface of the mounting table so as to be in contact with the first cam follower. Also, a resilient member connecting the mounting table and the moving body brings the first cam follower and the second cam follower into elastic contact with each other.

Mounting device

A method is for calculating a height of a chuck top. A height of the top surface of the chuck top which corresponds to an arbitrary position specified on the XY coordinate plane by a computer is calculated in each of the four quadrants based on a coordinate transformation formulas. The method includes setting, by using the computer, a conical model in which two adjacent points other than the center point of the chuck top which correspond to the specified coordinates in a predetermined quadrant of the XY coordinate plane are obtained on a circumference having the center point of the chuck top as the origin and specifying an arbitrary point in the predetermined quadrant by using the computer and calculating a height of the arbitrary point of the chuck top based on the conical model, the coordinate transformation formulas and the specified coordinates.

Method for calculating height of chuck top and program storage medium for storing same method

A mounting device provided on a horizontally movable stage mechanism, includes a mounting table for mounting thereon a target object, a cylindrical elevation body, having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the mounting table, for supporting the mounting table, a plurality of elevation guide rails provided on an outer peripheral surface of the elevation body so as to be spaced from each other at substantially regular intervals in a circumferential direction, and a plurality of support members each having a vertical plate to which engaging bodies engaged with the elevation guide rails are fixed. Further, a plurality of reinforcing parts are vertically provided on the outer peripheral surface of the elevation body so as to be spaced from each other at substantially regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

A probe apparatus includes a first stage, a second stage, a third stage and an image pickup. A Z position measuring unit measures a Z direction position of the mounting table and has a Z scale extending in the Z direction and a reading unit for reading the Z scale. A computation unit obtains a calculated contact position between the probes and the electrode pads of the substrate to be inspected based on images picked up by the image pickup with respect to a coordinate position on coordinates of a driving system which includes a Z direction position and X and Y direction positions measured by a measuring unit for measuring X and Y direction positions of the mounting table. A correcting unit corrects the Z direction position of the contact position based on the change amount thereof for a next contact operation.

Probe apparatus and method for measuring electrical characteristics of chips

A probe apparatus is capable of being scaled-down and reducing a manufacturing cost thereof in a probe apparatus having a plurality of probe apparatus main bodies. A loader unit for transferring a wafer between carriers accommodating therein wafers and the probe apparatus main bodies includes: an upper camera for imaging the arrangement of chips to be inspected of the wafer; a lower camera for imaging probe needles; an X-Y-&#x398; stage for moving the position of the wafer W in a horizontal direction and a second loader mechanism for moving the wafer in a vertical direction. Accordingly, a fine alignment of the wafer is performed by the loader unit to adjust the position of the wafer.

Probe apparatus, probing method, and storage medium

An probe tip position detecting method detects tip positions of a plurality of probes by using a tip position detecting device including a sensor unit for detecting tips of the probes and a movable contact body belonging to the sensor unit, the method used in inspecting electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected by bringing the object supported on a movable mounting table into electrical contact with the probes. The method includes a first step for moving the tip position detecting device by using the mounting table to thereby bring the contact the object into contact with the tips of the probes; a second step for further moving the mounting table to thereby move the contact body toward the sensor unit without causing elastic deformation to the probes; and a third step of determining a movement starting position of the contact body as the tip positions of the probes.

Method for detecting tip position of probe, alignment method, apparatus for detecting tip position of probe and probe apparatus

An alignment method is used in implementation of electric characteristic inspection of an object to be inspected via electric contact between the object disposed on a movable mounting table and probes. The alignment method includes detecting tip positions of the probes by using the tip position detecting device, detecting the tip positions of the probes, previously detected by the tip position detecting device, by using the second imaging unit, transferring needle marks of the probes onto a soft member provided at the tip position detecting device by allowing the probes to come into contact with the soft member, detecting the needle marks of the probes formed on the soft member by using the first imaging unit, and detecting inspection electrodes of the object corresponding to the probes by using the first imaging unit.

Alignment method, tip position detecting device and probe apparatus

A probe apparatus for sequentially testing electrical characteristics of chips includes an imaging unit for capturing images of the electrode pads of the inspection substrate, and a unit for calculating contact positions at which the probes are expected to contact with the electrode pads. The probe apparatus further includes a storage unit for storing correction data in which reference points on a reference substrate are associated with correction amounts corresponding to differences between actual and calculated contact positions of the reference points, and a unit for obtaining actual contact positions for the electrode pads by measuring relative positions of the electrode pads with respect to the reference points and correcting the calculated contact positions of the electrode pads based on the relative positions and the correction data.

Probe apparatus and method for measuring electrical characteristics of chips and storage medium therefor

A prove apparatus includes a first and a second loading port for mounting therein two carriers facing each other, a wafer transfer mechanism having a rotation center between the loading ports, and a first and a second inspection unit being symmetrical to each other and disposed in accordance with the arrangement of the loading ports. In this configuration, wafers are directly transferred between the carrier and a wafer chuck of the inspection unit by the wafer transfer mechanism. The wafer transfer mechanism has three arms for unloading two wafers from the carrier. The prove apparatus has a compact size and achieves a high throughput.

Each inspection units of a probe apparatus is provided with an imaging unit to take an image of a wafer

There is provided a method for unloading an object vacuum-chucked on a mounting table having one or more gas flow paths opened at one or more locations on the mounting table, including the steps of (a) turning off a vacuum-chucking of the object vacuum-chucked via the gas flow paths; (b) lifting the object from the mounting table by using an object lifting unit; and (C) supplying a gas between the mounting table and the object during the step (b) via at least one of the gas flow paths. Further, there is also provided a program storage medium storing therein a computer executable program for executing the unloading method.

Unloading method of object, program storage medium, and mounting mechanism

A probe card transporting apparatus includes a truck and transporting mechanism. The truck can move on a floor surface freely. The transporting mechanism is arranged above the truck to be able to separate from and come into contact with it. The transporting mechanism transports a probe card between the truck and a prober. The transporting mechanism has a base and arm mechanism. The arm mechanism moves forward/backward on the base. An aligning mechanism and fixing mechanism are provided on the base. The aligning mechanism serves for alignment with the prober. The fixing mechanism serves for fixing to the prober.

Transporting mechanism, movable probe card transporting apparatus using transporting mechanism, and prober

A probe card conveyorcomprises a probe card conveyor, a bodyprovided with the probe card conveyor, and coupling mechanismsprovided in a plurality of positions on that side of the bodywhich is opposed to the probe deviceand coupled individually to four coupled fittingsof the probe device. Further, the probe card conveyorcomprises a probe card mounting mechanismfor transferring a probe cardin the Y-direction and a lift mechanismfor raising and lowering the probe card mounting mechanism

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Nirasaki, Japan

Masaru Suzuki