Semiconductor measuring device, semiconductor measuring system, and semiconductor measuring method

Abstract

The present invention provides a semiconductor measuring device, a semiconductor measuring system, and a semiconductor measuring method, which can easily measure the electrical characteristics of a measuring target block corresponding to a functional element on a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor inspection device includes: a probe pair; a probe control unit, which makes at least one active pair selected according to the configuration of a microphone element in the probe pair contact the microphone element by moving the probe card relative to the semiconductor substrate; a measuring unit, which makes the potential of the inertial pair other than the active pair float, and uses the active pair to measure the electrostatic capacitance of the microphone element as a measuring characteristic; a storage unit, which stores a correction value corresponding to a combination pattern of the active pair and the inert pair; and a correction unit, which corrects the electrostatic capacitance based on the correction value corresponding to the combination pattern during measurement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor measuring device, a semiconductor measuring system, and a semiconductor measuring method for measuring electrical characteristics of a semiconductor substrate. Background Art

[0002] In the past, there is a known microphone formed on a silicon wafer by micromachining (Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS)) (for example, see Patent Document 1). The microphone described in Patent Document 1 includes a diaphragm electrode and a fixed sensing electrode that function like a capacitor. The diaphragm electrode vibrates in response to sound waves, and the distance between the diaphragm electrode and the fixed sensing electrode changes, and the electrostatic capacitance changes in response to the sound waves.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-254517 (particularly paragraph 0002) Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] As described above, it is known to form a functional element such as a microphone on a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer. There is a demand to measure the electrical characteristics of a measurement target area corresponding to the functional element on the semiconductor substrate without cutting the functional element from the semiconductor substrate.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor measuring device, a semiconductor measuring system, and a semiconductor measuring method, which can easily measure the electrical characteristics of a measuring target block corresponding to a functional element on a semiconductor substrate.

[0009] Technical means of solving problems

[0010] A semiconductor measuring device according to an example of the present invention measures electrical characteristics of each measurement target block in a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of measurement target blocks, the semiconductor measuring device comprising: a set number of paired probes of two or more; a probe control unit for moving the set number of probe pairs relative to the semiconductor substrate as a whole so that at least one pair of probes selected according to the configuration of each measurement target block contacts the measurement target block; a measuring unit for setting the at least one pair of probes as an active pair, setting probe pairs other than the active pair of the set number of probe pairs as an inert pair, floating the potential of the probe pairs serving as the inert pair, and measuring the electrical characteristics of each measurement target block as a measurement characteristic using the probe pairs serving as the active pair; a storage unit for pre-storing correction values ​​corresponding to a combination pattern of the active pair and the inert pair of the set number of probe pairs corresponding to the set number of probe pairs; and a correction unit for correcting the measurement characteristic based on the correction value stored in the storage unit corresponding to the combination pattern when the measurement characteristic is measured.

[0011] In addition, a semiconductor measurement method according to an example of the present invention measures electrical characteristics of each measurement target block in a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of measurement target blocks, the semiconductor measurement method comprising: a probe control step, in which at least one pair of probes selected according to the configuration of each measurement target block is brought into contact with each measurement target block by moving two or more set number of pairs of probes relative to the semiconductor substrate as a whole; a measurement step, in which the at least one pair of probes is respectively set as an active pair, and probe pairs other than the active pair in the set number of probe pairs are set as inert pairs, the potential of the probe pairs serving as the inert pairs is floated, and the electrical characteristics of each measurement target block are measured as measurement characteristics using the probe pairs serving as the active pairs; and a correction step, in which the measurement characteristics are corrected based on a correction value corresponding to a combination pattern of the active pairs and the inert pairs when the measurement characteristics are measured, the correction value corresponding to the combination pattern in the set number of probe pairs and pre-stored corresponding to the set number of probe pairs, respectively.

[0012] A semiconductor measurement system of one example of the present invention includes: the semiconductor measurement device described above; a reference characteristic measurement unit, which measures the electrical characteristics of each measurement object block as a reference characteristic by bringing only a pair of probes into contact with each measurement object block in turn; and a correction value calculation unit, which calculates the correction value based on the difference between the reference characteristic and the measurement characteristic measured by the same each measurement object block.

[0013] Effects of the Invention

[0014] The semiconductor measuring device, semiconductor measuring system, and semiconductor measuring method having such a structure can easily measure the electrical characteristics of a measurement target block corresponding to a functional element on a semiconductor substrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a semiconductor inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A top view of a semiconductor substrate W is shown.

[0017] Figure 3 Yes Figure 2 The microphone element M shown is an explanatory diagram for conceptually explaining the microphone element M.

[0018] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the combination pattern of active pairs and inert pairs.

[0019] Figure 5 1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the contact positions of the probe pairs PP0 to PP7 that come into contact with the unit measurement region B. FIG.

[0020] Figure 6 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of pattern numbers added to each combination pattern.

[0021] Figure 7 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a combination pattern of the unit measurement areas B stored in the storage unit 67 .

[0022] Figure 8 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the reference characteristic measuring section 65 and the correction value calculating section 66 .

[0023] Fig. 9 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 when the correction value K is generated.

[0024] Fig.10 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the electrostatic capacitance Cm measured by the measuring unit 62 .

[0025] Fig.11 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the difference D calculated by the correction value calculation unit 66 .

[0026] Fig.12 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the correction value K calculated by the correction value calculation unit 66 .

[0027] Fig.13 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 during inspection.

[0028] Fig.14 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the electrostatic capacitance Cc corrected by the correction unit 63 .

[0029] Explanation of symbols

[0030] 1: Semiconductor inspection equipment (semiconductor measurement equipment, semiconductor measurement system)

[0031] 2.2a: Probe card

[0032] 3: Switching circuit

[0033] 4: Measurement circuit

[0034] 5: AC power supply

[0035] 6: Control Department

[0036] 7: Workbench

[0037] 61: Probe control unit

[0038] 62: Measurement Department

[0039] 63: Correction Department

[0040] 64: Inspection Department

[0041] 65: Reference characteristics measurement department

[0042] 66: Correction value calculation unit

[0043] 67: Storage

[0044] A0~A7、An:Ammeter

[0045] B: Unit measurement area

[0046] C: Electrostatic capacitance (electrical characteristics)

[0047] Cc: Electrostatic capacitance (correction characteristics)

[0048] Cm: Electrostatic capacitance (measurement characteristics)

[0049] Cr: Electrostatic capacitance (baseline characteristics)

[0050] Cref: reference value

[0051] D: Differential

[0052] E1, E2: Electrodes

[0053] I0~I7, In: current value

[0054] K: Correction value

[0055] M: Microphone element (measurement target block)

[0056] P, P01~P72: Probe

[0057] PP, PP0~PP7: Probe pair

[0058] SW01~SW72:Switch

[0059] V: Voltage

[0060] W, Wr: semiconductor substrate

[0061] f: frequency DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In each of the drawings, structures with the same reference numerals represent the same structures, and description thereof will be omitted. Figure 1 The semiconductor inspection device 1 shown corresponds to an example of the semiconductor measuring device and the semiconductor measuring system of the present invention.

[0063] Figure 1 The semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 shown generally includes a probe card 2 , a switching circuit 3 , a measurement circuit 4 , an AC power supply 5 , a stage 7 , and a control unit 6 .

[0064] The probe card 2 includes a set number of probe pairs, for example, eight probe pairs PP0 to PP7. Figure 1 In the example shown, the setting number is eight. In addition, the setting number can be two or more and is not limited to eight. The probe pair PPn (n is 0, 1, 2, ..., 7, and the same applies below) includes a probe Pn1 and a probe Pn2. The probe card 2 can be attached and detached to the semiconductor inspection device 1 body.

[0065] Hereinafter, the probe pairs PP0 to PP7 are collectively referred to as probe pairs PP, and the probes Pn1 and Pn2 are collectively referred to as probes P. As the probes P, various forms of probes such as cantilever, pin, bump, or pad can be used.

[0066] A semiconductor substrate W to be inspected is placed on the workbench 7. The workbench 7 can be moved by a moving mechanism (not shown). Thus, the probe P can be brought into contact with any portion of the semiconductor substrate W on the workbench 7. In addition, the moving mechanism can be any mechanism that can move the probe pair PP relative to the semiconductor substrate W, and the probe card 2 can also be moved. By moving the probe card 2 or the workbench 7, a plurality of probe pairs PP can be moved relative to the semiconductor substrate W as a whole.

[0067] The switching circuit 3 includes a switch SWn1 and a switch SWn2. The switches SWn1 and SWn2 are turned on and off according to a control signal from the control unit 6. The measuring circuit 4 includes an ammeter An. The ammeter An outputs the measured current value In of the AC current to the control unit 6. The AC power supply 5 outputs an AC voltage of a preset frequency f and a voltage V.

[0068] The probe Pn1 is connected to the positive electrode of the ammeter An via the switch SWn1. The negative electrode of the ammeter An is connected to the circuit ground. The probe Pn2 is connected to the positive electrode of the AC power source 5 via the switch SWn2. The negative electrode of the AC power source 5 is connected to the circuit ground.

[0069] The control unit 6 is configured using a so-called microcomputer. The control unit 6 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) that performs predetermined arithmetic processing, a random access memory (RAM) that temporarily stores data, a non-volatile storage unit 67 such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD) that stores predetermined programs or data, and their peripheral circuits.

[0070] The control unit 6 functions as a probe control unit 61 , a measuring unit 62 , a correcting unit 63 , an inspecting unit 64 , a reference characteristic measuring unit 65 , and a correction value calculating unit 66 , for example, by executing the above-described program.

[0071] Figure 2 The semiconductor substrate W shown in the figure has a plurality of microphone elements M and a test element group (TEG) 8 for testing formed on the upper surface of a so-called semiconductor wafer by MEMS (micro-electromechanical system). The microphone element M is an example of a measurement target block. In addition, the measurement target block is not limited to a material formed by MEMS, and may not be a microphone element.

[0072] Figure 3 The microphone element M shown includes, for example, a diaphragm electrode that vibrates in response to sound waves and a fixed sensing electrode disposed opposite to the diaphragm electrode. In a silent state, an electrostatic capacitance C is generated between the diaphragm electrode and the fixed sensing electrode. The microphone element M includes an electrode E1 connected to the diaphragm electrode and an electrode E2 connected to the fixed sensing electrode.

[0073] Therefore, by measuring the electrostatic capacitance between the electrodes E1 and E2, the electrostatic capacitance C can be measured. When the electrostatic capacitance C is outside the normal range, it is considered that the microphone element M is defective. Therefore, the semiconductor inspection device 1 brings the probes Pn1 and Pn2 into contact with the electrodes E1 and E2, and uses the probes Pn1 and Pn2 to measure the electrostatic capacitance between the electrodes E1 and E2, that is, the electrostatic capacitance C.

[0074] The electrostatic capacitance C is an example of an electrical characteristic. In addition, the electrical characteristic is not limited to the electrostatic capacitance. The electrical characteristic may also be an inductance, an impedance, a resistance value, etc.

[0075] Hereinafter, the case where the probes Pn1 and Pn2 are brought into contact with the electrodes E1 and E2 of the microphone element M will be simply described as “the probe pair PPn is brought into contact with the microphone element M”.

[0076] The probe control unit 61 controls a moving mechanism (not shown) to move the probe card 2 relatively to the semiconductor substrate W as a whole, thereby causing at least one pair of probe pairs PP0 to PP7 selected according to the configuration of the microphone element M to contact the microphone element M. Hereinafter, the probe pair PP in contact with the microphone element M is referred to as an active pair, and the probe pair PP not in contact with the microphone element M is referred to as an inert pair.

[0077] The measuring unit 62 floats the potential of the probe pair PP as an inert pair, and uses the probe pair PP as an active pair to measure the electrostatic capacitance C of the microphone element M. The measuring unit 62 can float the potential of the probe pair PPn as an inert pair by turning off the switches SWn1 and SWn2, and can perform measurement using the probe pair PPn as an active pair by turning on the switches SWn1 and SWn2.

[0078] When the switches SWn1 and SWn2 are turned on, the measuring unit 62 can calculate the capacitance C using the following equation (1) based on the current value In measured by the ammeter An.

[0079] Electrostatic capacitance C = In / (V×2πf) ···(1)

[0080] Since the probe card 2 includes eight probe pairs PP, the probe pairs PP can be brought into contact with eight microphone elements M at a time, and the electrostatic capacitances C of the eight microphone elements M can be measured at the same time.

[0081] exist Figure 4In FIG. 1 , the range of eight microphone elements M that can contact eight probe pairs PP at a time is represented as a unit measurement area B. The position of each unit measurement area B is represented by X coordinates 0 to 2 and Y coordinates 0 to 19 in the XY rectangular coordinate system. The unit measurement area B with coordinates (X, Y) is represented as unit measurement area B (X, Y).

[0082] like Figure 5 As shown, probe pair PP0 to probe pair PP7 contact each unit measurement area B in order from right to left.

[0083] exist Figure 4 In the unit measurement area B (1, 0) shown, since all probe pairs PP0 to PP7 are in contact with the microphone element M, in the unit measurement area B (1, 0), all probe pairs PP0 to PP7 become active pairs. Let the numbers 0 to 7 of the probe pairs PP correspond to the bits of a binary number, and if "0" represents an active pair, then the combination pattern of active pairs and inert pairs in the unit measurement area B (1, 0) (hereinafter referred to as a combination pattern) can be represented by a binary number as "00000000".

[0084] On the other hand, the unit measurement area B (0, 0) includes a portion where the probe pair PP contacts the microphone element M, a portion where the probe pair PP contacts an area on the semiconductor substrate W where the microphone element M is not formed, and an area where the probe pair PP is located outside the semiconductor substrate W. Figure 4 In FIG. 1 , the portion where the probe pair PP contacts the region on the semiconductor substrate W where the microphone element M is not formed, and the region where the probe pair PP is located outside the semiconductor substrate W are indicated by hatching with oblique lines.

[0085] In the area indicated by the hatched area, the probe pair PP is not in contact with the microphone element M, so the probe pair PP corresponding to the hatched area becomes an inert pair. If "1" represents an inert pair, the combination pattern in the unit measurement area B (0, 0) can be represented by a binary number as "11111100".

[0086] In the unit measurement area B (1, 1), the TEG 8 represented by the black rectangle is located at the position of the probe pair PP3. That is, at the position of the probe pair PP3 represented by the black rectangle, since the probe pair PP is not in contact with the microphone element M, the probe pair PP corresponding to the area represented by the black rectangle becomes an inert pair. Therefore, the combination pattern in the unit measurement area B (1, 1) can be represented by a binary number as "00001000".

[0087] exist Figure 6 In the example shown, when the combination pattern is marked by a binary number, the value obtained by expressing the binary number by a decimal number is directly used as the pattern number. Figure 6 As shown, each combination pattern is stored in advance in the storage unit 67 in correspondence with the pattern number.

[0088] In addition, the storage unit 67 stores in advance Figure 4 The combination mode of each unit measurement area B is shown. Figure 7 As shown, the combination patterns corresponding to the unit measurement area B (0, 0) to the unit measurement area B (2, 19) are stored in the storage unit 67. The combination patterns may be stored by pattern numbers.

[0089] like Figure 7 As shown, storing the combination pattern of each unit measurement area B obtained according to the arrangement of the microphone elements M in the storage unit 67 is equivalent to selecting an active pair corresponding to each unit measurement area B from the probe pairs PP0 to PP7 according to the arrangement of the microphone elements M.

[0090] The measuring unit 62 turns off the switches SWn1 and SWn2 corresponding to the inert pair to float the potential of the inert pair, turns on the switches SWn1 and SWn2 corresponding to the active pair, and measures the electrostatic capacitance C of each microphone element M as a measurement characteristic using the active pair, based on the combination pattern of each unit measurement area B pre-stored in the storage unit 67. Hereinafter, the electrostatic capacitance C measured as the measurement characteristic by the measuring unit 62 using the probe card 2 is referred to as electrostatic capacitance Cm.

[0091] In the storage unit 67, correction values ​​K corresponding to the combination patterns of the unit measurement regions B are stored in advance in correspondence with the probe pairs PP0 to PP7, respectively. Specifically, the correction value K calculated by the correction value calculation unit 66 may be stored in the storage unit 67 before use by the correction unit, or the correction value K obtained separately from the outside may be stored in the storage unit 67 in advance.

[0092] The correction unit 63 corrects each capacitance Cm measured by the measurement unit 62 based on the correction value K stored in the storage unit 67 in correspondence with the combination pattern when each capacitance Cm was measured.

[0093] The inspection unit 64 compares each electrostatic capacitance Cm corrected by the correction unit 63 with a preset reference value Cref to determine whether each microphone element M is acceptable. Hereinafter, the electrostatic capacitance Cm corrected by the correction unit 63 is referred to as electrostatic capacitance Cc (correction characteristic).

[0094] When generating the correction value K, if Figure 8As shown, after the probe card 2 of the semiconductor inspection device 1 is replaced with the probe card 2a, the reference characteristic measuring unit 65 and the correction value calculating unit 66 are operated. The probe card 2a includes only one probe pair PP, for example, only the probe pair PP0. In addition, when calculating the correction value K, it is preferable to use a semiconductor substrate Wr in which the yield rate of the microphone element M included in a semiconductor substrate W is previously determined to be high.

[0095] The reference characteristic measuring unit 65 uses the probe card 2a to sequentially bring only the probe pair PP0 into contact with each microphone element M, thereby measuring the electrostatic capacitance C of each microphone element M as a reference characteristic. Hereinafter, the electrostatic capacitance C measured as the reference characteristic by the reference characteristic measuring unit 65 using the probe card 2a is denoted as electrostatic capacitance Cr.

[0096] Correction value calculation unit 66 calculates correction value K for the same microphone element M based on difference D between capacitance C (reference characteristic) measured by reference characteristic measurement unit 65 and capacitance C (measurement characteristic) measured by measurement unit 62 , and stores it in storage unit 67 .

[0097] Next, the operation of the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. Fig. 9 The operation of the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 when generating the correction value K will be described. First, for example, Figure 8 As shown, the user mounts the probe card 2 a on the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 .

[0098] With the probe card 2 a mounted on the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 , the reference characteristic measurement unit 65 measures the capacitance Cr of each microphone element M (step S1 ).

[0099] Next, for example, the user replaces the probe card 2a with the probe card 2 to form Figure 1 The state of the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 is shown (step S2).

[0100] Next, the measuring unit 62 measures the electrostatic capacitance Cm (measurement characteristics) of each microphone element M in accordance with the combination pattern for each measurement value group corresponding to the probe pair PP0 to the probe pair PP7 using the probe card 2 (step S3). During the measurement, the measuring unit 62 floats the potential of the probe pair PP as an inert pair and measures the electrostatic capacitance Cm using the probe pair PP as an active pair.

[0101] exist Fig.10 In the example shown, the electrostatic capacitance Cm of each microphone element M is indicated by the coordinates of the unit measurement area B and the number of the probe pair PP. The electrostatic capacitance Cm corresponding to the probe pair PP0 to the probe pair PP7 in each unit measurement area B corresponds to a measurement value group. Fig.10 In the example shown, a combination pattern indicated by a pattern number corresponds to a measured value group of the electrostatic capacitance Cm.

[0102] Next, the correction value calculation unit 66 calculates the difference D using the following formula (2) for each of the measurement value groups corresponding to the unit measurement areas B and corresponding to the probe pairs PP0 to PP7 (step S4 ).

[0103] Difference D = Cm - Cr (2)

[0104] Therefore, if Fig.11 As shown in FIG. 1 , the difference D corresponding to the probe pair PP0 to the probe pair PP7 in the measurement value group, that is, the difference D corresponding to each microphone element M is calculated.

[0105] Next, the correction value calculation unit 66 calculates the correction value K by averaging the differences D between the combination patterns corresponding to the same probe pair PP for each combination pattern of the measurement value group corresponding to each unit measurement area B (step S5 ).

[0106] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, the combination pattern "11001000" and the pattern number 200 are the unit measurement area B (0, 7) and the unit measurement area B (0, 10). Fig.11 If the difference D between the unit measurement area B(0, 7) and the unit measurement area B(0, 10) shown is averaged, the correction value K of the probe pair PP0 is 4, the correction value K of the probe pair PP1 is 4, the correction value K of the probe pair PP2 is 5, the correction value K of the probe pair PP4 is 8, and the correction value K of the probe pair PP5 is 9.

[0107] Therefore, in Fig.12 , the correction value K of probe pair PP0 corresponding to pattern number 200 is 4, the correction value K of probe pair PP1 is 4, the correction value K of probe pair PP2 is 5, the correction value K of probe pair PP4 is 8, and the correction value K of probe pair PP5 is 9. The correction values ​​K corresponding to other combination patterns are calculated in the same manner.

[0108] If some microphone elements M included in the semiconductor substrate Wr used in calculating the correction value K are defective, different measurement results may be obtained even with the same combination pattern, and the difference D may become an abnormal value. However, the correction value calculation unit 66 can reduce the influence of such abnormal values ​​by setting the average value of the difference D as the correction value K.

[0109] Furthermore, in step S5, the differences D exceeding the abnormal value determination value preset for determining an abnormal value may be excluded and averaged. In this way, the accuracy of the correction value K can be further improved.

[0110] Next, the correction value calculation unit 66 calculates the correction value K corresponding to each of the probe pairs PP0 to PP7 for each combination pattern, for example Fig.12 The correction value K shown is stored in the storage unit 67 (step S6).

[0111] According to the semiconductor inspection device 1 equipped with the probe card 2, a plurality of electrostatic capacitances C can be measured at once using a plurality of probe pairs PP0 to PP7, thereby easily increasing the measurement speed. Figure 4 As shown, a probe pair PP is generated which is not in contact with the microphone element M but in contact with the TEG 8 or is located in a region where the microphone element M is not formed.

[0112] In this way, if the AC power supply 5 or the circuit ground is connected to the probe pair PP that is not in contact with the microphone element M, an unexpected current sneak occurs, and for example, the TEG 8 or the measurement circuit 4 may be degraded. Therefore, the measurement unit 62 opens the switch SWn1 and the switch SWn2 corresponding to the inertial pair that is not in contact with the microphone element M to float the potential of the inertial pair. In this way, the concern about the occurrence of an unexpected current sneak can be reduced.

[0113] On the other hand, the probe pairs PP0 to PP7 and the wiring from the probe pairs PP0 to PP7 to the switching circuit 3 are arranged substantially adjacent to each other and are capacitively coupled to each other. The inventors of the present invention have found that if the switches SWn1 and SWn2 corresponding to the inertial pair are turned off to float the potential of the inertial pair, the stray capacitance of the probe pair PP as the inertial pair increases, which affects the surrounding probe pairs PP that are capacitively coupled to the inertial pair.

[0114] Furthermore, the inventors of the present invention have found that errors occur in the measurement values ​​measured by the probe card 2 depending on the combination pattern of the active pair and the inert pair.

[0115] According to steps S1 to S5, switches SWn1 and SWn2 corresponding to the inert pair can be disconnected to float the potential of the inert pair, and switches SWn1 and SWn2 corresponding to the active pair can be connected to calculate a correction value K, which is a value that can correct the error caused by measuring the electrostatic capacitance C of each microphone element M using the active pair.

[0116] In addition, the semiconductor inspection device 1 is not limited to the example that includes the reference characteristic measuring unit 65 and the correction value calculating unit 66. For example, the semiconductor inspection device 1 may not include the reference characteristic measuring unit 65, and step S1 may be performed using a device that includes the probe card 2a and the reference characteristic measuring unit 65, which is different from the semiconductor inspection device 1, and the semiconductor inspection device 1 that does not include the reference characteristic measuring unit 65 performs steps S3 to S6 based on the obtained electrostatic capacitance Cr.

[0117] Alternatively, the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 may not include the reference characteristic measuring unit 65 and the correction value calculating unit 66, and the correction value calculating unit 66 may be constituted by another information processing device such as a personal computer. Furthermore, step S1 may be performed using a device including the probe card 2a and the reference characteristic measuring unit 65, which is different from the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1, step S2 may be performed using the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 that does not include the reference characteristic measuring unit 65 and the correction value calculating unit 66, and steps S4 and S5 may be performed using the correction value calculating unit 66 of the information processing device. As described above, the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 may be configured as a semiconductor measurement system in which a plurality of devices are combined.

[0118] In addition, in the combination pattern "00000000" in which all probe pairs PP are active pairs, no probe pairs PP with floating potential are generated. Therefore, there is no influence of stray capacitance caused by floating probe pairs PP. Therefore, steps S1, S3, S4, and S5 may not be performed for the combination pattern in which all probe pairs PP are active pairs, and in step S6, the correction value K corresponding to probe pairs PP0 to PP7 is fixedly set to 0. In this way, the calculation process of the correction value K can be simplified.

[0119] Next, the operation of the semiconductor inspection apparatus 1 when inspecting the semiconductor substrate W as an inspection target will be described.

[0120] Reference Fig.13 First, a semiconductor substrate W to be inspected is placed on the workbench 7. In this state, the measuring unit 62 uses the probe card 2 to measure the electrostatic capacitance Cm of each microphone element M in accordance with the combination pattern for each measurement value group corresponding to the probe pair PP0 to the probe pair PP7 (step S11). Similar to step S2, the measuring unit 62 floats the potential of the probe pair PP as an inert pair, and measures the electrostatic capacitance Cm using the probe pair PP as an active pair.

[0121] Thus, for example, Fig.10 Likewise, the electrostatic capacitance Cm of each microphone element M is measured in accordance with the combination pattern.

[0122] Next, the correction unit 63 corrects the electrostatic capacitance Cm of each microphone element M based on the correction value K according to the corresponding combination pattern, and sets it as the electrostatic capacitance Cc (correction characteristic) (step S12).

[0123] In step S11, for example, Fig.10 When correcting the capacitance Cm of the unit measurement area B (0, 0), the correction unit 63 obtains the correction value K corresponding to the pattern number 252 of the unit measurement area B (0, 0). Fig.12 In the example of FIG. 25 , the correction value K corresponding to the pattern number 252 is 4 for the probe pair PP0 and 7 for the probe pair PP1. The correction unit 63 is adjusted from the correction value K corresponding to the pattern number 252 to the probe pair PP0. Fig.10 The capacitance Cm of the probe pair PP0 and the probe pair PP1 in the unit measurement area B (0, 0) shown in FIG. 1 is reduced by 4 and 7, respectively. Fig.14 The capacitances Cc of the probe pair PP0 and the probe pair PP1 in the unit measurement area B (0, 0) shown are 101 and 101.

[0124] For other unit measurement areas B, the same correction as that of the unit measurement area B (0, 0) is repeated, such as Fig.14 As shown, the corrected electrostatic capacitance Cc of each microphone element M can also be obtained.

[0125] As described above, the inventors of the present invention have found that errors occur in the measured values ​​measured by the probe card 2 according to the combination pattern of the active pair and the inert pair. Therefore, according to step S11 and step S12, the electrostatic capacitance Cm measured by the probe card 2 can be corrected based on the correction value K pre-stored in the storage unit 67 according to the combination pattern. As a result, the concern of the potential generation of unexpected current can be reduced by floating the inert pair, and the electrostatic capacitance C of the plurality of microphone elements M can be measured at once using the plurality of probe pairs PP0 to PP7. As a result, it is easy to measure the electrostatic capacitance C of the plurality of microphone elements M at once, and as a result, it is easy to measure the electrical characteristics of the measurement target block corresponding to the functional element such as the microphone element M on the semiconductor substrate W.

[0126] Next, the inspection unit 64 determines whether each microphone element M is qualified by comparing the electrostatic capacitance Cc of each microphone element M with the reference value Cref (step S13). Specifically, for example, the electrostatic capacitance Cc of each microphone element M is compared with the reference value Cref. If the difference between the electrostatic capacitance Cc and the reference value Cref is within a preset error range, the microphone element M can be determined to be qualified. If the difference between the electrostatic capacitance Cc and the reference value Cref is outside the error range, the microphone element M can be determined to be defective. In this way, the functional element such as the microphone element M formed on the semiconductor substrate W can be inspected.

[0127] In addition, in the case of the combination pattern "00000000" in which all probe pairs PP are active pairs, as described above, there is no influence of stray capacitance caused by floating probe pairs PP. Therefore, the correction in step S12 may not be performed for the combination pattern in which all probe pairs PP are active pairs, and the electrostatic capacitance Cm measured in step S11 may be directly used as the electrostatic capacitance Cc. In this way, the correction process can be simplified.

[0128] In addition, the semiconductor inspection device 1 may be a semiconductor measuring device that does not include the inspection unit 64 and does not execute step S13.

[0129] That is, a semiconductor measuring device according to an example of the present invention measures electrical characteristics of each measurement target block in a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of measurement target blocks, and the semiconductor measuring device includes: a set number of paired probes of two or more; a probe control unit that moves the set number of probe pairs relative to the semiconductor substrate as a whole so that at least one pair of probe pairs selected according to the configuration of the measurement target block contacts the measurement target block; a measuring unit that sets the at least one pair of probes as an active pair, sets probe pairs other than the active pair in the set number of probe pairs as an inert pair, floats the potential of the probe pairs serving as the inert pair, and measures the electrical characteristics of the measurement target block as a measurement characteristic using the probe pairs serving as the active pair; a storage unit that stores correction values ​​corresponding to a combination pattern of the active pair and the inert pair in the set number of probe pairs in advance corresponding to the set number of probe pairs; and a correction unit that corrects the measurement characteristic based on the correction value stored in the storage unit corresponding to the combination pattern when the measurement characteristic is measured.

[0130] In addition, a semiconductor measurement method according to an example of the present invention measures electrical characteristics of each measurement target block in a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of measurement target blocks, the semiconductor measurement method comprising: a probe control step, in which at least one pair of probes selected according to the configuration of the measurement target block is brought into contact with the measurement target block by moving two or more set number of pairs of probes relatively to the semiconductor substrate as a whole; a measurement step, in which the at least one pair of probes is respectively set as an active pair, and probe pairs other than the active pair in the set number of probe pairs are set as inert pairs, the potential of the probe pairs serving as the inert pairs is floated, and the electrical characteristics of the measurement target block are measured as measurement characteristics using the probe pairs serving as the active pairs; and a correction step, in which the measurement characteristics are corrected based on a correction value corresponding to a combination pattern of the active pairs and the inert pairs when the measurement characteristics are measured, the correction value corresponding to the combination pattern in the set number of probe pairs and pre-stored corresponding to the set number of probe pairs, respectively.

[0131] According to these structures, since a set number of probe pairs is included, more than two, the electrical characteristics of the measurement object block corresponding to the set number can be measured at one time by moving a plurality of probe pairs relatively to each other as a whole, thereby making it easy to increase the measurement speed. However, if the set number of probe pairs are relatively moved as a whole and contact the semiconductor substrate, probe pairs that are not in contact with the measurement object block are sometimes produced. In this way, if the action of measuring electrical characteristics is performed using probe pairs that are not in contact with the measurement object block, unexpected current sneaking occurs, which may have an adverse effect on the semiconductor substrate or the measurement circuit. Therefore, the measurement unit can reduce concerns about adverse effects by floating the potential of the inert pair that is not in contact with the measurement object block and using the active pair for measurement. On the other hand, each probe pair and the wiring connected to each probe pair sometimes generate capacitive coupling with each other.

[0132] The inventors of the present invention have found that if the potential of the probe pair corresponding to the inert pair is floated, the stray capacitance of the probe pair as the inert pair increases, which affects the probe pair of the active pair that is capacitively coupled with the inert pair. In addition, the inventors of the present invention have found that errors occur in the measured values ​​measured by the probe pair according to the combination pattern as a combination of the active pair and the inert pair. According to these structures, since the measurement characteristics measured by the active pair are corrected based on the correction value corresponding to the combination pattern of the active pair and the inert pair when the measurement characteristics are measured, the inert pair can be floated to reduce the concern of the potential generation of unexpected current, and the electrical characteristics of multiple measurement target blocks can be measured at the same time using multiple probe pairs. As a result, it is easy to measure the electrical characteristics of multiple measurement target blocks at one time, and as a result, it is easy to measure the electrical characteristics of the measurement target blocks corresponding to the functional elements on the semiconductor substrate.

[0133] Alternatively, the electrical characteristic may be electrostatic capacitance.

[0134] According to the above configuration, the capacitance of the measurement target block can be measured.

[0135] Furthermore, it is preferable that the correction unit does not correct the measurement characteristics when all of the probe pairs having the set number of the combination patterns are the active pairs.

[0136] When all the set number of probe pairs are active pairs, there are no floating probe pairs, so there is no adverse effect of floating pair measurement. Therefore, according to the above configuration, when all the set number of probe pairs are active pairs, the process can be simplified by not performing correction of measurement characteristics.

[0137] In addition, a semiconductor measurement system of an example of the present invention includes: the semiconductor measurement device described above; a reference characteristic measurement unit, which measures the electrical characteristics of each measurement object block as a reference characteristic by only bringing a pair of probes into contact with each measurement object block in turn; and a correction value calculation unit, which calculates the correction value based on the difference between the reference characteristic and the measurement characteristic measured by the same measurement object block.

[0138] According to the above configuration, a correction value corresponding to the combination pattern of the active pair and the inert pair can be calculated.

[0139] In addition, it is preferred that the correction value calculation unit uses the set number of measurement characteristics measured once by the set number of probe pairs as a measurement value group, and for a plurality of the measurement value groups, calculates the difference between the baseline characteristic and the measurement characteristic corresponding to the set number of probe pairs respectively, and for each of the combination patterns of the measurement value groups, averages the differences between the combination patterns corresponding to the same probe pair to calculate the correction value, and the storage unit stores the correction value calculated by the correction value calculation unit.

[0140] When several measurement target blocks included in the semiconductor substrate used in calculating the correction value are defective, different measurement results may be obtained even with the same combination pattern, and the difference may become an abnormal value. According to the above configuration, the influence of such abnormal values ​​can be reduced by using the average value of the difference as the correction value.

[0141] In addition, preferably, when the combination pattern is such that all of the set number of probe pairs are the active pairs, the correction value calculation unit does not calculate the correction value, and the storage unit stores 0 as the correction value for each of the set number of probe pairs corresponding to the combination pattern in which all of the set number of probe pairs are the active pairs.

[0142] When all the probe pairs of the set number are active pairs, there are no floating probe pairs, so there is no adverse effect on the floating pair measurement. Therefore, according to the above structure, when all the probe pairs of the set number are active pairs, the correction value is not calculated, and the storage unit stores 0 as the correction value of each of the probe pairs of the set number corresponding to the combination pattern in which all the probe pairs of the set number are active pairs. As a result, the process of calculating the correction value can be simplified.

Claims

1. A semiconductor measuring device for measuring electrical characteristics of each measurement target area in a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of measurement target areas, characterized in that: The semiconductor measuring device comprises: A set number of paired probes of two or more; a probe control unit that moves the set number of probe pairs relatively to the semiconductor substrate in an integrated manner so that at least one pair of the set number of probe pairs selected according to the arrangement of the respective measurement target blocks contacts the respective measurement target blocks; a measuring unit that sets the at least one pair of probes as active pairs, sets probe pairs other than the active pairs among the set number of probe pairs as inert pairs, floats the potential of the probe pairs that are the inert pairs, and measures the electrical characteristics of each measurement target block as a measurement characteristic using the probe pairs that are the active pairs; a storage unit that stores in advance correction values ​​corresponding to the combination patterns of the active pairs and the inert pairs in the set number of probe pairs, respectively corresponding to the set number of probe pairs; and The correction unit corrects the measurement characteristic based on the correction value stored in the storage unit in correspondence with the combination pattern when the measurement characteristic is measured.

2. The semiconductor measuring device according to claim 1, wherein: The electrical characteristic is electrostatic capacitance.

3. The semiconductor measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: When all of the set number of probe pairs in the combination pattern are the active pairs, the correction unit does not correct the measurement characteristics.

4. A semiconductor measurement system, characterized in that: include: The semiconductor measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3; a reference characteristic measuring section for measuring the electrical characteristics of each measurement target block as a reference characteristic by bringing only a pair of probes into contact with each measurement target block in sequence; as well as The correction value calculation unit calculates the correction value based on a difference between the reference characteristic and the measurement characteristic measured by the same measurement target blocks.

5. The semiconductor measurement system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The correction value calculation unit uses the set number of measurement characteristics measured at one time by the set number of probe pairs as a measurement value group, and for a plurality of the measurement value groups, calculates the difference between the reference characteristic and the measurement characteristic corresponding to the set number of probe pairs, and for each of the combination patterns of the measurement value groups, averages the differences between the combination patterns corresponding to the same probe pair to calculate the correction value. The storage unit stores the correction value calculated by the correction value calculation unit.

6. The semiconductor measurement system according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: When all of the set number of probe pairs in the combination pattern are the active pairs, the correction value calculation unit does not calculate the correction value. The storage unit stores 0 as the correction value of each of the set number of probe pairs corresponding to the combination pattern in which all of the set number of probe pairs are the active pairs.

7. A semiconductor measurement method for measuring electrical characteristics of each measurement target area in a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of measurement target areas, characterized in that: The semiconductor measurement method comprises: a probe control step of moving two or more set number of pairs of probes relatively to the semiconductor substrate in an integrated manner so that at least one pair of the set number of probe pairs selected according to the arrangement of each measurement target block contacts the each measurement target block; a measuring step of setting the at least one pair of probes as an active pair, setting probe pairs other than the active pair among the set number of probe pairs as inert pairs, floating the potential of the probe pairs as the inert pairs, and measuring the electrical characteristics of each measurement target block as a measurement characteristic using the probe pairs as the active pairs; and a correction step of correcting the measurement characteristic based on a correction value corresponding to a combination pattern of the active pair and the inert pair when the measurement characteristic is measured, The correction values ​​correspond to the combination patterns in the set number of probe pairs, and are pre-stored in correspondence with the set number of probe pairs, respectively.

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