An automatic device for operating a needle card protective cover, a probe station and a wafer detection device

Abstract

The application provides a kind of needle card protection cover automatic operation device, probe station and wafer detection device, including bearing unit, sensing unit and mechanical arm;The bearing unit is arranged in the probe station, and has a bearing area for placing the needle card;The sensing unit includes a first sensing unit, the first sensing unit is used to detect whether the protection cover exists in the bearing area, and the first detection signal is sent to the mechanical arm in real time;The mechanical arm is arranged above the bearing unit, for receiving the first detection signal from the first sensing unit and the operation instruction sent from the probe station, and according to the first detection signal and the operation instruction, corresponding operation is executed. The automatic device is used for the automatic operation of the needle card, to avoid artificial forgetting to install or remove the protection cover, which causes the protection cover to collide with the wafer, so that the wafer is damaged or the probe in the needle card is damaged.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, in particular to a needle card protection cover automatic operation device, a probe station and a wafer detection device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the current semiconductor chip testing industry, in wafer level testing, the probes on the needle card are used to directly contact the pads or bumps on the chip to lead out the chip signals generated by the tester, and then the surrounding test instruments and software control are used to achieve the purpose of automatic measurement. The needle card is used for functional testing of bare chips before integrated circuit packaging, and the defective products are screened out for subsequent packaging process, thereby saving the packaging cost of defective products. Therefore, the needle card is of great significance to control the manufacturing cost in integrated circuit manufacturing.

[0003] Since the needle card is the most valuable consumable in the testing factory, a protection cover is used to protect the needle card when the needle card is not in use, and the protection cover is removed for use. However, the installation and removal of the protection cover of the needle card are currently completed by manual operation, so it is easy to forget to install the protection cover to the needle card, or to forget to remove the protection cover of the needle card for production, which causes damage to the probe due to the existence of the protection cover in the subsequent testing process, and even directly scrap, thereby causing great economic loss. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to provide a needle card protection cover automatic operation device, a probe station and a wafer detection device to solve the problem that the needle card protection cover is forgotten to be installed to the needle card by manual operation, or the needle card protection cover is forgotten to be removed when the probe detects the wafer, which causes damage to the probe.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a needle card protection cover automatic operation device, which is used for probe station to detect wafers, characterized in that it comprises a bearing unit, a sensing unit and a mechanical arm; the bearing unit is arranged on the probe station and has a bearing area for placing the needle card; the sensing unit comprises a first sensing unit for detecting whether the protection cover exists in the bearing area and sending a first detection signal to the mechanical arm in real time; the mechanical arm is arranged above the bearing unit and is used for receiving the first detection signal from the first sensing unit and an operation instruction sent from the probe station, and performing corresponding operation according to the first detection signal and the operation instruction.

[0006] Preferably, in the automated operation device for the needle card protective cover, the operation command includes a card insertion command and a card removal command. The robotic arm performs corresponding operations according to the detection signal and the operation command, including: if the first detection signal indicates that the protective cover exists in the bearing area and the operation command is the card insertion command, then the robotic arm moves the protective cover away from the needle card; if the first detection signal indicates that the protective cover does not exist in the bearing area and the operation command is the card insertion command, then the robotic arm does not perform any operation; if the first detection signal indicates that the protective cover does not exist in the bearing area and the operation command is the card removal command, then the robotic arm closes the protective cover onto the needle card.

[0007] Preferably, in the automated operation device for the needle card protective cover, the automated operation device for the needle card protective cover further includes a receiving unit, and the sensing unit further includes a second sensing unit. The receiving unit is used to place the protective cover removed from the needle card, and the second sensing unit is used to detect whether the protective cover exists in the receiving unit and send a second detection signal to the robotic arm. If the operation command is the card ejection command and the second detection signal indicates that the protective cover exists in the receiving unit, the robotic arm closes the protective cover onto the needle card.

[0008] Preferably, in the automated operation device for the pin card protective cover, the first sensing unit and / or the second sensing unit are infrared sensors.

[0009] Preferably, in the automated operation device for the pin card protective cover, the sensing angle of the first sensing unit and / or the second sensing unit is adjusted according to the height of the protective cover.

[0010] Preferably, in the automated operation device for the needle card protection cover, the automated operation device for the needle card protection cover further includes a trigger-type pressure sensor and a first alarm device. The trigger-type pressure sensor is disposed on the carrier unit to sense whether the needle card exists in the carrier unit and to send the sensing signal to the first alarm device.

[0011] Preferably, in the automated operation device for the needle card protective cover, the first alarm device receives the sensing signal from the trigger-type pressure sensor and the first detection signal from the first sensing unit. When the sensing signal indicates that the needle card is present in the carrier unit and the first detection signal indicates that the protective cover is not present in the carrier area, the alarm device sounds an alarm.

[0012] Preferably, in the needle card protection cover automatic operation device, the needle card protection cover automatic operation device further comprises a second alarm device, the second alarm device receives the second detection signal from the second sensing unit and the operation instruction, if the operation instruction is the card returning instruction and the second detection signal shows that the accommodation unit does not have the protection cover, the second alarm device alarms.

[0013] The present application provides a probe station, which is in communication connection with the needle card protection cover automatic operation device.

[0014] The present application provides a wafer detection device, which comprises the needle card protection cover automatic operation device and the probe station.

[0015] In summary, the present application provides a needle card protection cover automatic operation device, a probe station and a wafer detection device, wherein the needle card protection cover automatic operation device comprises a bearing unit, a sensing unit and a mechanical arm; the bearing unit is arranged on the probe station and has a bearing area for placing the needle card; the sensing unit comprises a first sensing unit for detecting whether the protection cover exists in the bearing area and sending a first detection signal to the mechanical arm in real time; the mechanical arm is arranged above the bearing unit and is used for receiving the first detection signal from the first sensing unit and an operation instruction sent from the probe station, and performing corresponding operation according to the first detection signal and the operation instruction.

[0016] The needle card protection cover automatic operation device, the probe station and the wafer detection device provided by the present application can protect the needle card during wafer testing, effectively avoid the damage of the probe in the needle card due to the lack of protection caused by the contact and friction with the outside world, or avoid the damage of the wafer and the probe in the needle card caused by the collision between the protection cover and the wafer during wafer testing, and further realize automation by using the automatic device, thereby greatly liberating manpower. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a structure diagram of a needle card protection cover automatic operation device;

[0018] In the drawings, the reference signs are explained as follows:

[0019] 10-needle card; 20-protection cover; 30-probe station;

[0020] 301-bearing unit; 302-accommodation unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The automatic operation device for needle card protection cover according to the present application will be further described in detail below in combination with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The advantages and features of the present application will be more apparent according to the following description and claims. It should be noted that the drawings are very simplified and all use non-precise proportions, only for the purpose of facilitating and clarifying the description of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the structures shown in the drawings are often part of the actual structures. In particular, the emphasis of each drawing is different, and sometimes different proportions are used.

[0022] As used in the present application, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural objects, the term "or" is generally used in the sense of "and / or", and in addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only used for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. In addition, as used in the present application, a component disposed in another component generally only indicates the connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission relationship between the two components, and the connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission between the two components can be direct or indirect through intermediate components, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the spatial positional relationship between the two components, i.e. one component can be in any position inside, outside, above, below or one side of another component, unless the content is otherwise explicitly indicated. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0023] The core idea of the present application is to solve the problem that the existing technology forgets to install the needle card protection cover to the needle card due to human error, or forgets to remove the needle card protection cover when the probe detects the wafer, resulting in damage to the probe.

[0024] To achieve this idea, please refer to Figure 1 The present application provides an automatic operation device for needle card protection cover, the needle card 10 is used for detecting the wafer by the probe station 30, comprising a bearing unit 301, a sensing unit and a mechanical arm.

[0025] The bearing unit 301 is arranged on the probe station 30 and has a bearing area for placing the needle card 10; the sensing unit comprises a first sensing unit for detecting whether the protection cover 20 exists in the bearing area and sending a first detection signal to the mechanical arm in real time; the mechanical arm is arranged above the bearing unit 301 and is used for receiving the first detection signal from the first sensing unit and the operation instruction sent from the probe station 30, and performing corresponding operation according to the first detection signal and the operation instruction.

[0026] Specifically, the operation instruction includes a card insertion instruction and a card withdrawal instruction, and the mechanical arm performs corresponding operations according to the detection signal and the operation instruction, including: if the first detection signal shows that the protective cover 20 exists in the bearing area, and the operation instruction is the card insertion instruction, the mechanical arm moves the protective cover 20 away from above the needle card 10; if the first detection signal shows that the protective cover 20 does not exist in the bearing area, and the operation instruction is the card insertion instruction, the mechanical arm does not perform operation; if the first detection signal shows that the protective cover 20 does not exist in the bearing area, and the operation instruction is the card withdrawal instruction, the mechanical arm covers the protective cover 20 on the needle card 10.

[0027] Based on the above description, the mechanical arm receives different operation instructions and different first detection signals, and performs different operations, so that full-automatic operation of the protective cover 20 can be realized.

[0028] It can be understood that the "card insertion" means that the needle card 10 is placed in the bearing area, and after the protective cover 20 is removed, it enters a working position to detect a wafer; the "card withdrawal" means that after the needle card 10 is in a working position to detect a wafer, the protective cover 20 is installed and the probe station 30 is exited.

[0029] In addition, when the needle card 10 is in a working state to detect the wafer, the protective cover 20 needs to be placed in a space, preferably, the needle card 10 protective cover 20 automatic operation device further includes a containing unit 302, and the containing unit 302 is used for placing the protective cover 20 taken from the needle card 10. It should be noted that the containing unit 302 can be arranged at a position outside the probe station 30, and optionally, the containing unit 302 can also be a fixed area on the probe station 30, and the present application does not limit this, but it should be noted that the fixed area needs to avoid the bearing area and a working position of the needle card 10 when detecting the wafer.

[0030] Specifically, the sensing unit further includes a second sensing unit, the second sensing unit is used for detecting whether the protective cover 20 exists in the containing unit 302, and sends a second detection signal to the mechanical arm; if the operation instruction is the card withdrawal instruction and the second detection signal shows that the protective cover 20 exists in the containing unit 302, the mechanical arm covers the protective cover 20 on the needle card 10.

[0031] In the embodiment, the first sensing unit and / or the second sensing unit is an infrared sensor.

[0032] In order to make the range detected by the first sensing unit and / or the second sensing unit comprehensive enough, as a preferred embodiment, the sensing angle of the first sensing unit and / or the second sensing unit is adjusted according to the height of the protective cover 20, so that when the height of the protective cover 20 is higher or lower than the preset sensing height, or deviates from the preset sensing area, the sensing angle of the first sensing unit and / or the second sensing unit can be adjusted accordingly so that it can still detect the protective cover 20.

[0033] In addition, in order to ensure the integrity of the automatic process before the probe station 30 sends the operation instruction, the needle card protective cover automatic operation device further comprises a trigger type pressure sensor arranged on the carrying unit 301 to sense whether the carrying unit 301 has the needle card; further, in order to timely remind the staff to confirm, troubleshoot or repair, the needle card protective cover automatic operation device further comprises a first alarm device, which receives the sensing signal from the trigger type pressure sensor and the first detection signal of the first sensing unit, and when the sensing signal shows that the carrying unit 301 has the needle card 10 and the first detection signal shows that the carrying area does not have the protective cover 20, the alarm device alarms.

[0034] It should be understood that the needle card 10 placed in front of the carrying unit 301 is by default with the protective cover 20, therefore, when the trigger type pressure sensor shows that the carrying unit 301 has the needle card 10 and the first detection signal shows that the protective cover 20 does not exist on the needle card 10, this is defined as an abnormal phenomenon, when the abnormal phenomenon occurs, it needs to be confirmed by artificial secondary, that is, the first alarm device alarms, confirms that the needle card 10 does not have the protective cover 20 and then carries out the subsequent process, avoids the damage of the wafer or the probe caused by directly detecting the wafer because the protective cover 20 on the needle card 10 is not detected due to other reasons.

[0035] Further, the needle card protective cover automatic operation device further comprises a second alarm device, which receives the second detection signal from the second sensing unit and the operation instruction, and if the operation instruction is the card withdrawal instruction and the second detection signal shows that the accommodating unit 302 does not have the protective cover 20, the second alarm device alarms.

[0036] Specifically, when the second detection signal shows that the accommodation unit 302 does not have the protective cover 20, the operation instruction is the card withdrawal instruction, at this time, the mechanical arm is static and needs to be manually placed by the staff to place the protective cover 20 in the accommodation unit 302 until the second detection signal shows that the accommodation unit 302 has the protective cover 20, and the mechanical arm clamps and moves the protective cover 20 from the accommodation unit 302 to the needle card 10.

[0037] Based on the same idea, the application also provides a probe station 30, please continue to see Figure 1 , the probe station 30 is in communication connection with the needle card 10 protective cover 20 automatic operation device.

[0038] Based on the same idea, the application also provides a wafer detection device, which comprises the needle card 10 protective cover 20 automatic operation device, the probe station 30 and the trigger type pressure sensor.

[0039] In summary, the application provides a needle card protective cover automatic operation device, a probe station and a wafer detection device, wherein the needle card protective cover automatic operation device comprises a bearing unit, a sensing unit and a mechanical arm; the bearing unit is arranged on the probe station and has a bearing area for placing the needle card; the sensing unit comprises a first sensing unit for detecting whether the protective cover exists in the bearing area and sending a first detection signal to the mechanical arm in real time; the mechanical arm is arranged above the bearing unit and is used for receiving the first detection signal from the first sensing unit and an operation instruction sent from the probe station, and performing corresponding operation according to the first detection signal and the operation instruction.

[0040] The needle card protective cover automatic operation device, the probe station and the wafer detection device provided by the application can protect the needle card during wafer testing, effectively avoid the damage of the probe in the needle card due to the lack of protection caused by the contact and friction with the outside world, or avoid the damage of the probe in the needle card and even the scrapping caused by the collision between the protective cover and the wafer due to the human error of forgetting to remove the protective cover when the probe detects the wafer, thereby causing economic loss. Further, the automatic device can realize automation, thereby greatly liberating manpower.

[0041] Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are merely exemplary of the application and that many variations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the application. Accordingly, it is intended that the application be construed broadly and encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. An automated operating device for a probe card protective cover, wherein the probe card is used by a probe station to inspect a wafer, characterized in that, include: The supporting unit, the sensing unit, and the robotic arm; The carrier unit is disposed on the probe station and has a carrier area for placing the needle card; The sensing unit includes a first sensing unit, which is used to detect whether the protective cover exists in the bearing area and to send a first detection signal to the robotic arm in real time. The robotic arm is positioned above the support unit and is used to receive the first detection signal from the first sensing unit and the operation command sent from the probe station, and to perform corresponding operations according to the first detection signal and the operation command. The operation instructions include a card insertion instruction and a card ejection instruction; the automated operation device for the pin card protective cover also includes a receiving unit, and the sensing unit further includes a second sensing unit. The receiving unit is used to place the protective cover removed from the pin card, and the second sensing unit is used to detect whether the protective cover exists in the receiving unit and send a second detection signal to the robotic arm; if the operation instruction is the card ejection instruction and the second detection signal indicates that the protective cover exists in the receiving unit, the robotic arm closes the protective cover onto the pin card.

2. The automated operating device for the pin clip protective cover as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic arm performs corresponding operations based on the detection signal and the operation command, including: If the first detection signal indicates that the protective cover exists in the bearing area, and the operation command is the card insertion command, then the robotic arm will move the protective cover away from the top of the pin card; If the first detection signal indicates that the protective cover is not present in the bearing area, and the operation command is the card insertion command, then the robotic arm will not perform the operation; If the first detection signal indicates that the protective cover is not present in the bearing area, and the operation command is the card ejection command, then the robotic arm will cover the protective cover onto the pin card.

3. The automated operating device for the pin clip protective cover as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first sensing unit and / or the second sensing unit are infrared sensors.

4. The automated operating device for the pin clip protective cover as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The sensing angle of the first sensing unit and / or the second sensing unit is adjusted according to the height of the protective cover.

5. The automated operating device for the pin clip protective cover as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The automated operation device for the needle card protective cover also includes a trigger-type pressure sensor and a first alarm device. The trigger-type pressure sensor is disposed on the carrier unit to sense whether the needle card exists in the carrier unit and to send the sensing signal to the first alarm device.

6. The automated operating device for the pin clip protective cover as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The first alarm device receives the sensing signal from the trigger-type pressure sensor and the first detection signal from the first sensing unit. When the sensing signal indicates that the pin is present in the carrier unit and the first detection signal indicates that the protective cover is not present in the carrier area, the alarm device will sound an alarm.

7. The automated operating device for the pin clip protective cover as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The automated operation device for the pin card protective cover also includes a second alarm device. The second alarm device receives the second detection signal from the second sensing unit and the operation command. If the operation command is the card ejection command and the second detection signal indicates that the protective cover is not present in the receiving unit, the second alarm device will sound an alarm.

8. A probe station, characterized in that, The probe station is communicatively connected to the automated operation device for the needle card protective cover as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A wafer inspection device, characterized in that, include: The automated operating device for the needle card protective cover as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 and the probe station as described in claim 8.

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