Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Limited

Munetoshi Nagasaka

Eiichi Shinohara

Ikuo Ogasawara

Yoshiyasu Kato

Kazuya Yano

Chiaki Mochizuki

Masahiko Sugiyama

Yutaka Akaike

Haruhiko Yoshioka

Kazumi Yamagata

Isamu Inomata

Ken Taoka

Eiji Hayashi

Yoshisuke Kitamura

Osamu Kamata

A probe device includes an electrode plate arranged above a mounting table for mounting thereon a semiconductor wafer and electrically connected to a tester, a contact probe arranged at a side of the mounting table and electrically connected to a mounting table electrode of the mounting table. The contact probe includes a contact portion, having a top surface formed uneven, to be in contact with the electrode plate, and a cable connection portion formed as one unit with the contact portion. The contact portion and the cable connection portion are vertically movable by a biasing member provided below the cable connection portion. When the probes are made contact with electrodes of a semiconductor device of the semiconductor wafer by moving up the mounting table, the contact portion and the electrode plate are made contact with each other and the backside electrode and the tester are electrically connected to each other.

Probe device

A probe device includes an electrode plate arranged above a mounting table for mounting thereon a semiconductor wafer and electrically connected to a tester, a connection conductor arranged at a side of the mounting table and electrically connected to a mounting table electrode formed on a mounting surface of the mounting table, and a cleaning mechanism including a polishing unit for polishing a contact portion of the connection conductor, a brush cleaning unit for performing a brush-cleaning of the contact portion, and a contact resistance measuring unit for measuring a contact resistance of the contact portion. The mounting table electrode is in contact with a backside electrode of a semiconductor device of the semiconductor wafer. When the connection conductor is connected to the electrode plate, a backside electrode formed on a backside of the semiconductor device and the tester are electrically connected to each other.

Probe device having cleaning mechanism for cleaning connection conductor

A probe apparatus includes a card clamp unit detachably supporting a probe card; and a wafer mounting table adsorbing the semiconductor wafer and bringing electrodes on the semiconductor wafer into contact with the probes. In order to mount the semiconductor wafer including an annular portion protruding from a rear surface of an outer peripheral portion and a thin portion having a thickness smaller than the annular portion, the wafer mounting table includes a planar portion on which the thin portion is mounted; and a step-shaped portion which is formed at an edge of the planar portion and mounts the annular portion thereon. Multiple circular vacuum chuck grooves are concentrically formed in the planar portion, and at least some of the vacuum chuck grooves are connected to multiple vacuum paths through which vacuum evacuation is performed at multiple positions separated from each other by 90&#xb0; or more along a circumferential direction.

Probe apparatus and wafer mounting table for probe apparatus

A probe apparatus of inspecting electrical characteristics of a power device having electrodes on both sides of a substrate at wafer level can reduce and uniformize a contact resistance between the electrode on a rear surface of the substrate and a mounting surface conductor of a chuck top. In the probe apparatus, an attracting device supports a semiconductor wafer W on the chuck topand has many vertical fine holes in a pattern (diameter &#x3c6; and pitch p) that satisfies the condition of &#x3c6;&#x3c;p&#x2266;2&#x3c6;. For example, the diameter &#x3c6; is about 0.25 mm, and the pitch p is about 0.5 mm.

Probe apparatus

A substrate attracting device includes an attracting body for attracting and holding a substrate to transfer the substrate. The attracting body includes a first attracting unit for attracting and holding a top surface of the substrate according to Bernoulli principle and a second attracting unit for vacuum-attracting and holding a bottom surface of the substrate.

Substrate attracting device and substrate transfer apparatus

A mounting apparatus includes a surface plate; a temperature control unit integrated with the surface plate; and a bottom plate integrated with the temperature control unit via a heat insulation ring, wherein a temperature of a target object held on the surface plate is capable of being controlled and the surface plate is formed of ceramic. The surface plate and the temperature control unit are coupled to each other by a first coupling member at each portion thereof except for each peripheral portion thereof such that the peripheral portion of the surface plate being not coupled thereto. The peripheral portion of the temperature control unit is coupled to the heat insulation ring by a second coupling member.

Ceramic mounting for wafer apparatus with thermal expansion feature

Semiconductor wafer inspection apparatus

Wafer attracting plate

A probe card transfer assist apparatus for assisting an operation of transferring a probe card used in an electrical inspection apparatus includes a holder for holding the probe card; a support for supporting the holder in a freely-rotate manner about a point; and an elevation unit for moving the support up and down. Further, an inspection equipment includes an electrical inspection apparatus; and a probe card transfer assist apparatus for assisting an operation of transferring a probe card used in the electrical inspection apparatus, the assist apparatus including a holder for holding the probe card; a support for supporting the holder in a freely-rotating manner about a point; and an elevation unit for moving the support up and down.

Probe card transfer assist apparatus, and inspection equipment and method using same

A probe card transfer assist apparatus for assisting an operation of transferring a probe card employed in an electrical inspection apparatus includes a holding unit for holding a pair of grips of the probe card wherein the grips are supported by being placed onto or suspended by the holding unit; a supporting unit for movably supporting the holding unit; and an elevation mechanism for moving the supporting unit up and down. Further, an inspecting equipment is provided with the probe card transfer assist apparatus having a holding unit for holding a pair of grips of the probe card wherein the grips are supported by being placed onto or suspended by the holding unit; a supporting unit for movably supporting the holding unit; and an elevation mechanism for moving the supporting unit up and down.

Probe card transfer assist apparatus and inspection equipment using same

Wafer holding member

Wafer prober

A probe test apparatus comprising a test section for testing a wafer, a cassette having an opening at one side through which the wafer is taken into and out of the cassette, grooves formed in inner faces of both sides of the cassette to hold wafers therein, and a convex member projected downward from the underside of the cassette, a stage on which the cassette is mounted keeping the wafers therein substantially horizontal, and holder members projected upward from the top of the cassette-mounted stage and having a recess into which the convex member of the cassette falls, wherein when the convex member is not fitted into the recess but contacted with the holder members, the wafers in the cassette are tilted and when it is fitted into the recess, they can be kept substantially horizontal in the cassette to thereby position the cassette relative to the test section.

Growing community of inventors

Nirasaki, Japan

Munetoshi Nagasaka