Inspection method and apparatus for semiconductor integrated circuit,

Abstract

This vacuum contactor has a contactor body having on its lower surface a plurality of projecting terminals that can come into contact with electrodes of at least one chip formed on a wafer (W), and a dished space member through which the contactor body extends to be integrally supported. The dished space member forms a closed space including the projecting portions of the contactor body. An O-ring which comes into contact with the wafer (W) to form a closed space is arranged on the lower surface of the peripheral wall of the dished space member. The dished space member is connected to an exhaust path and an exhaust pipe. During inspection, the gas in the closed space is exhausted by the exhaust pipe to set the closed space at a low atmospheric pressure. A force that chucks the wafer (W) toward the closed space is applied to the wafer (W) by a suction force generated by the low atmospheric pressure. By this suction force, the respective electrodes of the wafer and the respective projecting terminals are brought into electrical contact with each other, thereby inspecting the chip.