Tokyo Electron Limited

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Masataka Hatta

Masahiko Sugiyama

Eiji Miyata

Masahiko Kohno

Kenji Yamaguchi

Yasuo Sakamoto

Eiichi Shinohara

Kazunari Ishii

Takashi Inoue

Toshio Miyazawa

Masahiko Akiyama

Kazuhiko Mihara

Yoshinao Kono

Toshikazu Ariyama

Kazuki Hosaka

A device test method performed in a substrate test apparatus which includes a mounting table for mounting thereon a substrate on which a device having an electrode is formed, the mounting table being movable by a X-direction motor and a Y-direction motor, and a probe card arranged to face the mounting table. A measuring electrode is arranged to correspond to the electrode of the device, the probe card has a probe that is engageable with the measuring electrode, and the X-direction motor or Y-direction motor generates torque to keep the mounting table from moving when measuring an electrical characteristic of the device. In the device test method, after the probe is engaged with the measuring electrode, when measuring an electrical characteristic of the device, the maximum value of the torque generated by the X-direction motor or Y-direction motor is limited to a predetermined value or less.

Device test method

A probe device, for performing an electrical test of a semiconductor device formed on a semiconductor wafer, includes a mounting table on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted, a driving mechanism configured to bring a probe into contact with an electrode of the semiconductor device mounted on the mounting table, and a temperature control mechanism configured to control a temperature of the mounting table. The mounting table includes a disk-shaped first electrode, a disk-shaped second electrode, and a disk-shaped insulating plate interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode, the second electrode and the insulating plate are fixed to each other at a fixing part provided at their respective centers, and are locked to be movable in a diametric direction at a locking part provided at an outer side of the fixing part in the diametric direction.

Probe device

A probe apparatus can suppress a spark from occurring near a wafer surface simply and efficiently when inspecting electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device at wafer level. A spark preventing devicemounted in the probe apparatus includes a surrounding memberwhich surrounds probe needlesG andS between a probe cardand a mounting table; and a gas supply deviceconfigured to supply a gas to a vicinity of the probe needlesG andS through an inside or a vicinity of the surrounding memberto form an atmosphere of a preset pressure higher than an atmospheric pressure in the vicinity of the probe needlesG andS when inspecting the electrical characteristics of each chip on a semiconductor wafer W. A contact platealso serves as the surrounding member

Probe apparatus

A cooling device operating method and corresponding cooling device used in an inspection apparatus. The method controls a cooling device which in turn cools a wafer chuck on which a semiconductor wafer is loaded. The temperature of the wafer chuck is controllable using the cooling device and a heating device. Low temperature and high temperature inspections of the wafer are performed under control of the controller. The cooling device is continuously run via the controller for the low temperature inspection, but it is stopped at least one time at the start of the high temperature inspection via the controller.

Cooling device operating method and inspection apparatus

A temperature control apparatus that controls a temperature of a target object by a heat exchange between a temperature control liquid and the target object. The apparatus includes a pressurizing unit that pressurizes the temperature control liquid to increase a boiling point thereof; a heating unit that increases a temperature of the temperature control liquid to become higher than or equal to a boiling point of the temperature control liquid observed at a normal pressure; and a heat exchanging unit that exchanges heat between the target object and the temperature control liquid whose temperature has been increased to become higher than or equal to the boiling point of the temperature control liquid observed at the normal pressure.

Temperature control method, temperature control apparatus and high/low temperature processing system

A water removal apparatus removes water contained in a coolant circulating between a target object and a cooling system through a circulation line. The water removal apparatus includes a bypass line through which a part of the coolant separated from the circulation line flows; a heat exchanger, provided in the bypass line, for heating the coolant flowing along the bypass line by using a waste heat of the cooling system; and a water adsorption material, provided at a downstream side of the heat exchanger, for adsorbing the water contained in the coolant. Further, an inspection apparatus, for performing an inspection for a semiconductor wafer mounted on the target object while controlling a temperature of the semiconductor wafer on the target object, includes the water removal apparatus.

Water removal apparatus and inspection apparatus including same

A pulsation reducing apparatus is used for an apparatus having a pump for circulating a liquid in a circulating line and a tank for storing the liquid circulating via the pump. The pulsation reducing apparatus includes a supplement tank for reserving the liquid such that a liquid surface height of the supplement tank is higher than that of the tank. The tank is connected to the supplement tank and the empty space portion of the tank is connected to the supplement tank via a gas exhaust line. When the empty space portion of the tank communicates with that of the supplement tank via the gas exhaust line due to a reduction of the liquid in the tank, the gas in the tank is exhausted to the empty space portion of the supplement tank via the gas exhaust line and the liquid in the supplement tank is supplemented into the tank.

Pulsation reducing apparatus and inspection apparatus

A cooling/heating apparatus for circulating the cooled or heated transfer medium to a load to thereby cool or heat the load includes a heat transfer medium circulation path and a Stirling heat engine. The Stirling heat engine includes a first and a second cylinder chamber; a first and a second piston for expanding or compressing an operation gas in the first and the second cylinder chamber; and a driving mechanism for driving the first and the second piston. When the driving mechanism is driven in a forward direction, the operation gas is expanded in the first cylinder chamber and its temperature decreases, thus cooling the heat transfer medium, whereas, when the driving mechanism is driven in a backward direction, the operation gas is compressed in the first cylinder chamber and its temperature increases, thus heating the heat transfer medium.

Cooling/heating apparatus and mounting apparatus

A Stirling refrigeration system () comprises two Stirling refrigeration units () incorporating respective working gas end (WGE) heat exchangers () and radiators (). Cooling water circulates through a first radiator (), a first WGE heat exchanger (), a second radiator (), a second WGE heat exchanger (), and a cooling-water pump () in sequence. To facilitate deaeration of the cooling-water circuit at time of feeding cooling water, An air release duct () is provided at the maximal point of the cooling-water circuit. An air release valve () is formed in the open end of the air release duct () so that the air remaining in the cooling-water circuit can be easily released. The Stirling refrigeration system is compact in dimensions.

Stirling refrigeration system

According to the present invention, a main chuck, on which a wafer having a number of devices is held, is driven under the control of a computer, and the devices on the wafer are brought into electric contact with the probes arranged on the upper side of the main chuck. On the basis of outputs from the probes, a tester sequentially measures the electric characteristics of the devices. When a heat-generating type device is measured, the inspecting method and apparatus of the present invention execute the following steps step of predicting the temperature of the device under measurement on the basis of the amount of heat generated from the device under measurement, step of predicting the temperatures of the devices that surround the device under measurement, step of selecting next-measurement devices (which are suitable for next measurement in light of their temperatures) from among the devices the temperatures of which are predicted in step, and calculating the position coordinates of the next-measurement devices, and a step of repeating the steps with respect to each of the devices, adding the distance between the device under measurement and the next-measurement device to the already-calculated distance, and selecting the shortest measurement route along which all devices are measured.

Inspecting method and apparatus for semiconductor integrated circuit

A temperature control apparatus for a sample susceptor is described, the temperature control apparatus is easy to maintain, which can set a temperature in a wide range from a low temperature to a high temperature, which is compact and which does not require a special processing for disposing of a cooling medium. A temperature control apparatus for a sample susceptor has a cooling unit for cooling a sample susceptor on which a wafer W is mounted, an electric heater for heating the sample susceptor, a temperature detecting unit for detecting the temperature of the sample susceptor, and a temperature adjusting unit for controlling the cooling unit and the heating unit based on a detection signal of the temperature detecting unit. The cooling unit has an electro-pneumatic regulator for generating a high-pressure gas of a predetermined pressure from a received gas and supplying the generated high-pressure gas by an electric control, and a vortex tube for generating a low-temperature gas based on a vortex flow generated by receiving a high-pressure gas in the tangent direction within the tube and for supplying this low-temperature gas, so that the low-temperature gas is supplied from the vortex tube to a gas flow path formed within the sample susceptor.

Temperature control apparatus for sample susceptor

An electric probing-test machine comprises a probe card having a plurality of probes contacted with chips of a semiconductor wafer and serving to apply test signal to a tester which judges whether circuits on the chips of the wafer are correct or deficient, a main chuck for holding the wafer at a test temperature, a system for cooling the main chuck, and a controller for controlling the cooling system. The main chuck includes a chuck top contacted directly with the wafer, a jacket arranged to conduct heat exchange relative to the chuck top, and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the chuck top. The cooling system has a pump for supplying a coolant from a reservoir to the jacket. Responsive to temperature information detected by the temperature sensor, the amount of the coolant supplied from the reservoir to the jacket is controlled by the controller to thereby control the temperature of the chuck top.

Growing community of inventors

Nirasaki, Japan

Masataka Hatta