Wafer inspecting apparatus, wafer inspecting method and computer program

Abstract

There is provided a wafer inspecting apparatus which reduces a preheating time of a probe, and prevents the probe and a wafer from being damaged. The apparatus has a stage () which allows a semiconductor wafer (W) to be mounted on a top face thereof and heats or cools it, a drive mechanism () which drives the stage up and down, a probe card () disposed upward the stage, and having a probe needle (A) that contacts a bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer to transmit a signal, a position control device () which controls the drive mechanism in such a way that the bonding pad of the semiconductor wafer contacts the probe needle of the probe card, and clock means () for measuring an elapsed time after the probe needle is caused to contact the bonding pad, and the position control device controls the position of the drive mechanism by adding a position correction value in such a way that the bonding pad contacts the probe needle with a predetermined distortion amount based on a predetermined temperature at which the semiconductor wafer is inspected, and the elapsed time after the probe needle is caused to contact the bonding pad.