Suss Microtec Test Systems Gmbh

Cascade Microtech, Inc.

Other

Hsbc Bank Usa, National Association

Cascade Microtech Dresden Gmbh

Stojan Kanev

Axel Schmidt

Stefan Kreissig

Karsten Stoll

Michael Teich

Hans-Jurgen Fleischer

Claus Dietrich

Botho Hirschfeld

Frank Fehrmann

Jörg Kiesewetter

Andrej Rumiantsev

Steffen Schott

Jorg Kiesewetter

Joerg Kiesewetter

Axel Becker

Ulf Hackius

Andreas Kittlaus

Stefan Schneidewind

Dietmar Runge

Sebastian Giessmann

Jens Fiedler

Steffen Scott

Stefan Kressig

Steffen Laube

Hans-Jürgen Fleischer

A method and an apparatus for verifying or testing test substrates, i.e. wafers and other electronic semiconductor components, in a prober under defined thermal conditions. Such a verifying apparatus, known to the person skilled in the art as a prober, has a housing having at least two housing sections, in one housing section of which, designated hereinafter as test chamber, the test substrate to be verified is held by a chuck and is set to a defined temperature, and in the other housing section of which, designated hereinafter as probe chamber, probes are held. For verification purposes, the test substrate and the probes are positioned relative to one another by means of at least one positioning device and the probes subsequently make contact with the test substrate.

Method for verifying a test substrate in a prober under defined thermal conditions

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

Systems and methods for providing wafer access in a wafer processing system are disclosed herein. The methods may include docking a first wafer cassette on the wafer processing system and removing a selected wafer from the first wafer cassette with the wafer processing system. The methods further may include performing a process operation on the selected wafer with the wafer processing system and undocking the first wafer cassette from the wafer processing system while performing the process operation. The methods also may include docking a second wafer cassette (which may be the same as or different from the first wafer cassette) on the wafer processing system, inventorying the second wafer cassette with the wafer processing system, and/or subsequently placing the selected wafer in the second wafer cassette. The systems may include wafer processing systems that include a controller that is programmed to perform at least a portion of the methods.

Systems and methods for providing wafer access in a wafer processing system

The invention relates to a prober for checking and testing electronic semiconductor components and methods of using the same. The prober comprises at least two checking units, each of which is equipped with a chuck, probes, and a positioning unit, and each of which is assigned to a machine control system and a process control system. The prober further comprises a loading unit for automatically loading both testing units and an additional loader for manually loading at least one of the testing units, a user interface, and a module control system for controlling the process control systems and/or the machine control systems and the loading unit. The user interface can optionally be connected to at least one of the process control systems or the module control system by means of a switching device of the prober.

Modular prober and method for operating same

The invention generally relates to a method and device for contacting contact areas () with probe tips () in a tester. The contact areas (), which are arranged on a substrate (), and the probe tips () are positioned relative to each other and then brought in contact with each other by an advancing motion. In order to detect a secure contact for each of the probe tips (), the contacting between the probe tips () and the contact areas () is observed from at least two observation directions (), which include an observation angle &#x3b1; in a range of 0 to 180&#xb0;.

Method and device for contacting a row of contact areas with probe tips

A method is disclosed for the measurement of a power device in a prober, which serves the examination and testing of such components. In the process, a power device is held by a chuck, and at least one electric probe is held by a probe holder, and optionally, the power device or the probe is positioned each relative to the other using a positioning device with an electrical drive, and contacts the power device. At the same time, an electrical connection remains between the probe to a signal unit with which a power signal is sent out or received, is blocked and only unblocked when it is determined that the contact between probeand contact area is established.

Method for measurement of a power device

A chuck for supporting and retaining a test substrate includes a device for supporting and retaining a calibration substrate. The chuck comprises a first support surface for supporting a test substrate and a second support surface, which is laterally offset to the first support surface, for supporting a calibration substrate. The calibration substrate has planar calibration standards for calibration of a measuring unit of a prober, and dielectric material or air situated below the calibration substrate at least in the area of the calibration standard. In order to be able to take the actual thermal conditions on the test substrate and in particular also on known and unknown calibration standards and thus the thermal influence on the electrical behavior of the calibration standard used into consideration, the second support surface is equipped for temperature control of the calibration substrate.

Chuck for supporting and retaining a test substrate and a calibration substrate

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

The invention relates to a method for testing several electronic components () of a repetitive pattern under defined thermal conditions in a prober, which comprises a chuck () for holding the components () and special holding devices () for holding individual probes (). For testing, the components () are adjusted to a defined temperature, the probes () and a first electronic component () are positioned relative to each other by means of at least one positioning device, contact pads () of the electronic component () are subsequently contacted by the probes () so that the component () can be tested and then the positioning and the contacting can be repeated for testing another component () of the repetitive pattern. In order to shorten the test time for measurements at changing temperatures while ensuring reliable contacting of the components by using individual probes, a component () is positioned and contacted by a first positioning step which jointly affects all probes () first being carried out in an intermediate position, in the result of which the component () lies at a defined distance under the probe tips (), the position of each individual probe tip () being subsequently corrected by means of separate manipulators to the position of the corresponding contact pad () to be contacted with the particular probe tip () so that each probe tip () lies above a contact pad (), and the probe tips () further subsequently being brought into contact with the contact pads () of the component () by means of an advancing movement.

Method for testing electronic components of a repetitive pattern under defined thermal conditions

An arrangement is provided for testing DUTs with a chuck that has a support surface for supporting of a DUT as well as for supplying the support surface with a defined potential, or for connecting the DUT. The arrangement further includes a positioning device for positioning the chuck as well as an electromagnetic shielding housing enclosing at least the chuck. Inside the housing and adjacent to the chuck, a signal preamplifier is arranged whose signal port facing the chuck is electrically connected with the support surface, wherein the signal preamplifier is moveable together with the chuck by the positioning device in a way that it holds its position constant relative to the chuck during positioning. The signal preamplifier is connected to a measurement unit outside of the housing via a measurement cable.

Probe station for on-wafer-measurement under EMI-shielding

A probe station for testing semiconductor substrates, i.e., wafers and other electronic semiconductor elements, suitable for carrying out low-current and low-voltage measurement, comprises a shielding with which the electromagnetic influence (EMI) of the measurement of the semiconductor substrate can be minimized, and also comprises devices for the preparation of test signals. In addition, the housing of the probe station can offer a different possibility for the accessibility of individual components or component groups of the probe station.

Probe station for testing semiconductor substrates and comprising EMI shielding

A chuck with triaxial construction comprises a receiving surface for a test substrate and arranged below the receiving surface: an electrically conductive first surface element, an electrically conductive second surface element electrically insulated therefrom, and an electrically conductive third surface element electrically insulated therefrom, and, between the first and the second surface element, a first insulation element and, between the second and the third surface element, a second insulation element. A chuck for very low current measurements which can be used to prevent the occurrence of leakage currents and a triboelectric charge and which is configured favourably in terms of production, is achieved because at least one of the electrically conductive surface elements is mechanically connected to at least one insulation element and has an elasticity that compensates for an expansion difference resulting from differences in different coefficients of expansion between a respective surface element and an adjoining insulation element.

Chuck with triaxial construction

A chuck for supporting and retaining a test substrate includes a device for supporting and retaining a calibration substrate. The chuck comprises a first support surface for supporting a test substrate and a second support surface, which is laterally offset to the first support surface, for supporting a calibration substrate The calibration substrate has planar calibration standards for calibration of a measuring unit of a prober, and dielectric material or air situated below the calibration substrate at least in the area of the calibration standard. In order to be able to take the actual thermal conditions on the test substrate and in particular also on known and unknown calibration standards and thus the thermal influence on the electrical behavior of the calibration standard used into consideration, the second support surface is equipped for temperature control of the calibration substrate.

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Thiendorf OT Sacka, Germany

Stojan Kanev