Probe station and feeding and discharging method of probe station

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor detection equipment, and particularly relates to a probe station and a feeding and discharging method of the probe station. Comprising a rack, an XY composite motion module, a lifting feeding module, a manipulator module, a pre-alignment module and a bearing workbench. The lifting feeding module is arranged on the rack and used for conveying to-be-detected materials to the feeding station. The mechanical arm module comprises a mechanical arm capable of sliding in the Y-axis direction of the rack, and the mechanical arm is used for grabbing the to-be-detected materials from the feeding station, transferring the to-be-detected materials to the pre-alignment station and transferring the detected materials back to the ascending and descending feeding module. The pre-alignment module is mounted on the Y-axis moving assembly, and the Y-axis moving assembly drives the pre-alignment module to slide to a pre-alignment station and is matched with the manipulator module to realize pre-alignment of the to-be-detected material; and the bearing workbench is driven to slide to the loading station or the unloading station along the X axis and the Y axis, and is matched with the manipulator module carrying the to-be-detected material, so that loading of the to-be-detected material and unloading of the detected material are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor detection equipment, and specifically relates to a probe station and a method for loading and unloading the probe station. Background Art

[0002] In the wafer production process, the probe station is an important device for testing wafers. The probe station generally includes a testing table and a carrying table. During testing, the wafer to be tested needs to be placed on the carrying table, and then the carrying table drives the wafer to move to the corresponding testing position of the testing table for testing.

[0003] In order to realize automatic loading and unloading of the probe station, the prior art usually adds a sub-machine on the side of the probe station, and sets a loading and unloading mechanism on the sub-machine to grab the wafer to be tested and place it on the carrying workbench of the probe station, and remove the wafer from the carrying workbench after testing. However, there are many problems with this scheme of automatically loading and unloading wafers on the probe station by setting up a sub-machine. On the one hand, it will cause a significant increase in the floor space occupied by the equipment used for the detection of the probe station. For enterprises, this means that a larger production site is needed, thereby increasing the cost of renting or purchasing the site. On the other hand, adding a sub-machine will also significantly increase the overall equipment cost, including the purchase cost of the sub-machine itself, the installation and commissioning cost, and the subsequent maintenance cost.

[0004] At the same time, most of the equipment on the market currently adopts the automatic loading and unloading material collection method. In addition to adding a sub-machine, there is also a method of expanding the original machine by at least 1 / 3 and installing an automatic film collection structure inside the machine. However, these methods cannot avoid the problem of a significant increase in the space occupied by the machine and a significant increase in the cost of the machine.

[0005] Based on this, the present invention provides a probe station and a method for loading and unloading the probe station to overcome the above-mentioned defects. Summary of the invention

[0006] The first purpose of the present invention is to provide a probe station, which effectively reduces the footprint of semiconductor testing equipment, optimizes the spatial layout of the equipment, and at the same time significantly improves the utilization rate of the robot module and reduces the overall equipment cost; in addition, the entire loading and unloading process is fully automated, greatly improving the detection efficiency and intelligence level.

[0007] The present invention adopts the following technical solution: a probe station, which comprises:

[0008] frame;

[0009] An XY compound motion module, wherein the XY compound motion module is composed of a Y-axis moving component and an X-axis moving component, wherein the Y-axis moving component is movably arranged on the frame, and the X-axis moving component is movably arranged on the Y-axis moving component;

[0010] A lifting and feeding module, which is arranged on the frame and is used to transport the material to be tested to the loading station;

[0011] A robot module, the robot module is installed on the frame; the robot module includes a robot arm that can slide along the Y-axis direction of the frame, the robot arm is used to grab the material to be tested from the loading station and transfer it to the pre-alignment station, and transfer the material after the test back to the lifting and feeding module;

[0012] A pre-alignment module, wherein the pre-alignment module is mounted on the Y-axis moving assembly, and the pre-alignment module is driven by the Y-axis moving assembly to slide to the pre-alignment station, and cooperates with the manipulator module to achieve pre-alignment of the material to be tested;

[0013] The carrying workbench is installed on the X-axis moving assembly to drive the carrying workbench to slide along the X-axis and the Y-axis to the loading station or the unloading station, and cooperate with the manipulator module carrying the material to be tested to realize the loading of the material to be tested and the unloading of the material after the test.

[0014] Furthermore, the lifting and feeding module comprises:

[0015] A feeding lifting slide rail assembly, wherein the feeding lifting slide rail assembly is arranged on the frame;

[0016] A fixed seat, the fixed seat being movably arranged on the feeding lifting slide rail assembly;

[0017] A double-stroke component, wherein the double-stroke component is mounted on the fixing seat;

[0018] A material box bottom plate, which is slidably mounted on the double-stroke component and is transmission-connected to the double-stroke component, and is driven by the double-stroke component to slide the material box bottom plate out of the fixed seat; a material box is mounted on the material box bottom plate, and the material box is used to hold materials.

[0019] Furthermore, the lifting and feeding module also includes:

[0020] A first in-position sensor, the first in-position sensor is used to detect whether the material box is in position;

[0021] And / or a second in-position sensor, wherein the second in-position sensor is used to detect whether the material deviates from a predetermined position of the material box.

[0022] Further, the pre-alignment module comprises a pre-alignment lifting mechanism and a pre-alignment rotating mechanism; the pre-alignment rotating mechanism is installed on the pre-alignment lifting mechanism, and the pre-alignment lifting mechanism drives the lifting of the pre-alignment rotating mechanism;

[0023] The pre-alignment rotating mechanism includes a rotating motor installed on the pre-alignment slide of the pre-alignment lifting mechanism, a pre-alignment table installed on the output shaft of the rotating motor, and a camera installed above the pre-alignment table. The camera is used to obtain information of the material to be tested, and the rotating motor drives the pre-alignment table to rotate, so as to rotate the physical mark position of the material to be tested to a preset position.

[0024] Furthermore, the output shaft of the rotary motor is a hollow shaft, and the hollow portion of the hollow shaft is used to accommodate the vacuum adsorption system pipeline of the pre-alignment platform.

[0025] Furthermore, the load-bearing workbench includes:

[0026] A bearing base, the bearing base is mounted on the X-axis moving assembly;

[0027] A wafer table, which is mounted on the upper surface of the bearing base and is rotatably connected to the bearing base; the wafer table is used to carry materials;

[0028] A rotation drive assembly, which is fixedly mounted on the bearing base and is transmission-connected to the wafer stage to drive the wafer stage to rotate;

[0029] A supporting assembly, the supporting assembly is installed on the bearing base and is used to lift the material on the sheet-carrying table;

[0030] A wafer stage camera, wherein the wafer stage camera is used to obtain material information on the wafer stage.

[0031] Furthermore, the pre-alignment module is arranged opposite to the lifting and feeding module;

[0032] The probe station also includes a sheet counting sensor, which is arranged on the pre-alignment module and is used to identify the quantity and position of the materials to be tested in the lifting and feeding module.

[0033] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0034] The general working process of the probe station in the present invention is as follows:

[0035] Material loading process: The lifting and feeding module transports the material to be tested to the loading station. The robotic arm of the robot module slides along the Y-axis direction of the frame to the loading station, grabs the material to be tested, and then moves to the pre-alignment station. At this time, the Y-axis moving component drives the pre-alignment module to slide to the pre-alignment station, and cooperates with the robot module to perform pre-alignment operations on the material to be tested. After the pre-alignment is completed, the X-axis moving component and the Y-axis moving component work together to drive the load-bearing workbench to move to the loading station. The robotic arm places the pre-aligned material to be tested on the load-bearing workbench to complete the loading operation.

[0036] Testing process: The load-bearing table is driven by the X-axis moving assembly and the Y-axis moving assembly to move directly below the testing table. The testing table tests the material to be tested on the load-bearing table.

[0037] Material unloading process: After the inspection is completed, the load-bearing workbench moves to the unloading station driven by the XY compound motion module. The robotic arm of the robot module grabs the inspected material and then transfers it back to the lifting and feeding module to complete the unloading operation.

[0038] It can be seen that the robot arm in the probe station of the present invention is used to grab the material to be tested from the loading station and transfer it to the pre-alignment station, and to transfer the material after the test back to the lifting and feeding module. It is also used to cooperate with the load-bearing workbench that can move along the X-axis and Y-axis directions, etc., and can complete the automatic loading and unloading of the probe station without setting up a secondary machine. On the one hand, it effectively reduces the floor space occupied by semiconductor testing equipment and optimizes the spatial layout of the equipment; on the other hand, it significantly improves the utilization rate of the robot module and reduces the overall equipment cost. At the same time, the entire loading and unloading process is fully automated, which greatly improves the detection efficiency and intelligence level.

[0039] In addition, a pre-alignment module has been added to give the probe station a pre-alignment function, which further improves the accuracy of material positioning during the inspection process and helps to improve inspection accuracy and quality.

[0040] In summary, the probe station of the present invention realizes an efficient, intelligent and accurate detection process through the coordinated design of various components, and has significant advantages in reducing equipment costs, reducing floor space, and improving detection efficiency and accuracy.

[0041] The second object of the present invention is to provide a method for loading and unloading a probe station, which is applied to the above-mentioned probe station, and the method for loading and unloading a probe station comprises the following steps:

[0042] Material box loading: Place the material box loaded with the material to be tested into the lifting and feeding module, drive the double stroke component in the lifting and feeding module, slide the material box into place; drive the feeding lifting rail component in the lifting and feeding module to transport the material to be tested to the loading station;

[0043] Piece counting: When the material box loaded with the material to be tested is rising, the piece counting sensor identifies the quantity and position of the material to be tested in the material box;

[0044] Slice removal: After the material to be tested is transported to the loading station, the robotic arm in the robotic module slides along the Y-axis to the position of the first material to be tested, and then the material box in the lifting and feeding module is lowered by a preset distance, and the first material to be tested is stopped on the robotic arm. At the same time, the robotic vacuum system inside the robotic arm is turned on to adsorb and fix the first material to be tested; then, the robotic arm slides along the Y-axis direction away from the material box to the pre-alignment station;

[0045] Pre-alignment: The Y-axis moving component drives the pre-alignment module, and cooperates with the mechanical arm that adsorbs the first material to be tested, so that the first material to be tested and the pre-alignment table in the pre-alignment module are both located at the pre-alignment station; then, the pre-alignment table rises to be higher than the mechanical arm, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the pre-alignment table is turned on, the vacuum system of the mechanical arm is turned off, and the first material to be tested is transferred to the pre-alignment table; the camera in the pre-alignment module obtains the information of the first material to be tested, and the pre-alignment table rotates the physical mark position of the material to be tested to a preset position based on the above information; then, the pre-alignment table descends, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the pre-alignment table is turned off, the vacuum system of the mechanical arm is turned on, and the first material to be tested is transferred to the mechanical arm to complete the pre-alignment;

[0046] Loading: The X-axis moving assembly and the Y-axis moving assembly drive the carrying table to slide to the loading station, and cooperate with the mechanical arm that adsorbs the first material to be tested, so that the first material to be tested and the wafer table in the carrying table are both located at the loading station; then, the top support assembly in the carrying table rises higher than the mechanical arm, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the mechanical arm is turned off, and the first material to be tested is separated from the mechanical arm; the mechanical arm moves along the Y-axis direction away from the wafer table until it leaves the first material to be tested, and then the top support assembly descends, and the first material to be tested stops on the wafer table, and the vacuum system of the wafer table is turned on, completing the loading of the first material to be tested;

[0047] Detection: Detecting the first material to be tested;

[0048] Unloading: After the inspection is completed, the robotic arm and the wafer table in the carrying workbench are moved to the unloading position, and the top support assembly on the wafer table lifts up the first material that has been inspected, and the vacuum system of the wafer table is turned off; the robotic arm extends between the first material and the wafer table, the top support assembly descends, the vacuum system of the robotic arm is turned on, and the first material is transferred and adsorbed onto the robotic arm;

[0049] Sheet return: Move the material box to the unloading station, and the robotic arm in the robot module slides along the Y-axis to transport the first material to the unloading station; then, raise the material box to a preset distance, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the robotic arm is turned off, the first material falls off the robotic arm, and the robotic arm returns to its initial state.

[0050] Furthermore, after the first material to be tested is loaded onto the wafer, the wafer stage camera obtains the material information on the wafer stage; based on the above information, the rotation drive component is started to drive the wafer stage to rotate, and the position of the first material to be tested is adjusted by rotation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0052] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a probe station in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the lifting and feeding module;

[0054] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the middle panel and the robot module;

[0055] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the pre-alignment module structure;

[0056] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the medium load-bearing workbench Figure 1 ;

[0057] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the middle sheet-bearing platform and the top support assembly;

[0058] Figure 7 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the medium load-bearing workbench Figure 2 ;

[0059] Among them: frame 1, panel 10; Y-axis moving component 2; X-axis moving component 3; lifting and feeding module 4, feeding lifting slide rail assembly 40, fixed seat 41, double stroke assembly 42, material box bottom plate 43, material box 44, limit block 45, limit boss 46, first in-position sensor 47; robot module 5, robot arm 50; pre-alignment module 6, pre-alignment lifting mechanism 60, pre-alignment slide 601, pre-alignment rotating mechanism 61, rotating motor 611, output shaft 612, pre-alignment table 613, camera 614; carrying workbench 7, carrying base 70, film holding table 71, rotation drive assembly 72, top support assembly 73, power drive component 731, top plate component 732; counting sensor 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0061] The following is combined with Figure 1 To Attachment Figure 7 And specific embodiments, the present invention is described in detail:

[0062] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the present invention provides a probe station, which includes:

[0063] Rack 1, as the basic supporting structure of the entire equipment, provides a stable platform for the installation and operation of other components;

[0064] XY compound motion module, the XY compound motion module is composed of a Y-axis moving component 2 and an X-axis moving component 3, the Y-axis moving component 2 is movably arranged on the frame 1, and the X-axis moving component 3 is movably arranged on the Y-axis moving component 2, which can realize two-dimensional plane motion; it should be noted that the X-axis moving component 3 and the Y-axis moving component 2 are linear drive mechanisms, for example, they can be cylinder components or electric telescopic rod components, or electric lead screw transmission components, etc., which are not specifically limited in the present invention;

[0065] A lifting and feeding module 4, which is arranged on the frame 1 and is used to transport the material to be tested to the loading station, providing material input for the entire testing process;

[0066] A robot module 5, the robot module 5 is mounted on the frame 1; the robot module 5 includes a robot arm 50 that can slide along the Y-axis direction of the frame 1, the robot arm 50 is used to grab the material to be tested from the loading station and transfer it to the pre-alignment station, and transfer the material after the test back to the lifting and feeding module 4;

[0067] A pre-alignment module 6, wherein the pre-alignment module 6 is mounted on the Y-axis moving assembly 2, and the pre-alignment module 6 is driven by the Y-axis moving assembly 2 to slide to the pre-alignment station, and cooperates with the manipulator module 5 to achieve pre-alignment of the material to be tested;

[0068] The carrying workbench 7 is installed on the X-axis moving component 3 to drive the carrying workbench 7 to slide along the X-axis and the Y-axis to the loading station or the unloading station, and cooperate with the manipulator module 5 carrying the material to be tested to realize the loading of the material to be tested and the unloading of the material after the test is completed.

[0069] The detection workbench is installed on the frame 1 and placed above the load-bearing workbench 7 to detect the material to be tested on the load-bearing workbench 7; it should be noted that the detection workbench in the probe station is arranged above the load-bearing workbench 7, which means that the load-bearing workbench 7 is located below the detection workbench in the vertical direction, and the load-bearing workbench 7 can be moved in the horizontal direction under the drive of the X-axis moving component 3 and the Y-axis moving component 2 to move out from the bottom of the detection workbench to load and unload materials and move to the bottom of the detection workbench to detect materials. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific structure of the detection workbench. It can be understood that the detection workbench is provided with corresponding detection instruments and equipment.

[0070] The general working process of the probe station in the present invention is as follows:

[0071] Material loading process: The lifting and feeding module 4 transports the material to be tested to the loading station. The robotic arm 50 of the robot module 5 slides along the Y-axis direction of the frame 1 to the loading station, grabs the material to be tested, and then moves to the pre-alignment station. At this time, the Y-axis moving component 2 drives the pre-alignment module 6 to slide to the pre-alignment station, and cooperates with the robot module 5 to perform pre-alignment operations on the material to be tested. After completing the pre-alignment, the X-axis moving component 3 and the Y-axis moving component 2 work together to drive the load-bearing workbench 7 to move to the loading station. The robotic arm 50 places the pre-aligned material to be tested on the load-bearing workbench 7 to complete the loading operation.

[0072] Testing process: The carrying table 7 is driven by the X-axis moving assembly 3 and the Y-axis moving assembly 2 to move to the bottom of the testing table. The testing table tests the material to be tested on the carrying table 7.

[0073] Material unloading process: After the inspection is completed, the carrying table 7 moves to the unloading station under the drive of the XY compound motion module. The mechanical arm 50 of the manipulator module 5 grabs the material after the inspection, and then transfers it back to the lifting and feeding module 4 to complete the unloading operation.

[0074] It can be seen that the robot arm 50 in the probe station of the present invention is used to grab the material to be tested from the loading station and transfer it to the pre-alignment station, and to transfer the material after the test back to the lifting and feeding module 4. It is also used to cooperate with the load-bearing workbench 7 that can move along the X-axis and Y-axis directions, etc., and can complete the automatic loading and unloading of the probe station without setting up a secondary machine. On the one hand, it effectively reduces the floor space occupied by the semiconductor testing equipment and optimizes the spatial layout of the equipment; on the other hand, it significantly improves the utilization rate of the robot module 5 and reduces the overall equipment cost. At the same time, the entire loading and unloading process is fully automated, which greatly improves the detection efficiency and intelligence level.

[0075] In addition, a pre-alignment module 6 is added to give the probe station a pre-alignment function, which further improves the accuracy of material positioning during the detection process and helps to improve the detection accuracy and quality.

[0076] In summary, the probe station of the present invention realizes an efficient, intelligent and accurate detection process through the coordinated design of various components, and has significant advantages in reducing equipment costs, reducing floor space, and improving detection efficiency and accuracy.

[0077] Furthermore, in some specific embodiments, Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the lifting and feeding module 4 includes:

[0078] A feeding lifting rail assembly 40, wherein the feeding lifting rail assembly 40 is arranged on the frame 1 and provides a vertical support and guide rail for the entire lifting feeding module 4;

[0079] A fixed seat 41, wherein the fixed seat 41 is movably disposed on the feeding lifting rail assembly 40, and can move vertically up and down along the feeding lifting rail assembly 40;

[0080] The double-stroke component 42 is installed on the fixed seat 41, and plays a key role in stroke amplification.

[0081] The material box bottom plate 43 is slidably mounted on the double-stroke component 42 and is transmission-connected to the double-stroke component 42. The double-stroke component 42 drives the material box bottom plate 43 to slide out of the fixed seat 41 to facilitate the replacement of the material box 44. A material box 44 is mounted on the material box bottom plate 43, and the material box 44 is used to hold materials.

[0082] It should be noted that in the present invention, the specific structures of the feed lifting rail assembly 40 and the double-stroke assembly 42 are not limited. It is understandable that the feed lifting rail assembly 40 can be a screw rod, and the fixed seat 41 can be set on the screw rod through a threaded sleeve to achieve a movable setting. It is also understandable that the double-stroke assembly 42 usually adopts a specific mechanical structure, such as through a gear rack, a connecting rod mechanism or a pulley set, when the material box bottom plate 43 moves a limited distance on the fixed seat 41, the double-stroke assembly 42 can amplify this moving distance. In this embodiment, the driving power of the double-stroke assembly 42 is a cylinder.

[0083] The double-stroke component 42 plays a core role in the lifting and feeding module 4, enabling the material box bottom plate 43 to extend and retract over a large distance under a relatively small moving stroke. The double-stroke component 42 drives the material box bottom plate 43. With a unique transmission mechanism, it amplifies the limited moving distance of the material box bottom plate 43, thereby driving the material box 43 to achieve a large displacement. In the past, if the same movement amplitude of the material box 43 was to be achieved, it was often necessary to set a longer moving path for the material box bottom plate 43, which would undoubtedly take up a large amount of horizontal space. The use of the double-stroke component 42 means that the probe station does not need to reserve too much space for the movement of the material box 43, which greatly facilitates the overall layout. On the one hand, it is conducive to the development of the probe station in the direction of miniaturization and reduces the equipment footprint; on the other hand, in the limited equipment installation space, more ample space can be reserved for key components such as the manipulator module 5 and the pre-alignment module 6, significantly improving the space utilization of the equipment. In addition, in terms of feeding efficiency, based on the stroke amplification characteristics of the double-stroke component 42, the material box 43 can be quickly extended to the specified position, such as accurately reaching the loading station, creating favorable conditions for the robot module 5 to quickly grab the material.

[0084] Furthermore, in some specific embodiments, the lifting and feeding module 4 further includes:

[0085] A first in-position sensor 47, which is used to detect whether the material box 44 is in position;

[0086] The second in-position sensor is used to detect whether the material deviates from the predetermined position of the material box 44, that is, to detect whether the material exceeds the material box 44, so as to prevent the material from being damaged during the work process. The second in-position sensor can be a through-beam sensor.

[0087] Specifically, in some more specific embodiments, the material box bottom plate 43 is a rectangular material box bottom plate, and three limit blocks 45 are arranged on its upper surface. The three limit blocks are respectively arranged at three directional positions of the material box bottom plate 43, which are the placement and alignment references of the material box 44, and at the same time play the role of limiting the position of the material box 44 in the work process. In this embodiment, the installation positions of the three limit blocks 45 are adjustable to adapt to the sizes of material boxes 44 of different sizes and improve versatility. In addition, the three limit blocks 45 are arranged in a U-shaped manner, and the two relatively arranged limit blocks 45 extend outward from one side close to the U-shaped opening end to form a limit boss 46, which is used to resist the outer wall surface of one side of the limit material box 44.

[0088] More specifically, an automatic material baffle plate (not shown in the figure) can be provided in the lifting and feeding module 4. The automatic material baffle plate automatically extends out following the movement of the material box bottom plate 43 to prevent the material in the material box 44 from being shaken out. After the material box slides into place, the automatic material baffle plate retracts away from the material box 44 to avoid affecting the return of the material box 44.

[0089] Furthermore, in some specific embodiments, Figure 1 , 4 As shown, the pre-alignment module 6 includes a pre-alignment lifting mechanism 60 and a pre-alignment rotating mechanism 61 ; the pre-alignment rotating mechanism 61 is installed on the pre-alignment lifting mechanism 60 , and the pre-alignment lifting mechanism 60 drives the pre-alignment rotating mechanism 61 to be lifted and lowered.

[0090] Among them, the pre-alignment rotating mechanism 61 includes a rotating motor 611 installed on the pre-alignment slide 601 of the pre-alignment lifting mechanism 60, a pre-alignment table 613 installed on the output shaft 612 of the rotating motor 611, and a camera 614 installed above the pre-alignment table 613. The camera 614 is used to obtain information of the material to be tested, and the rotating motor 611 drives the pre-alignment table 613 to rotate, so as to rotate the physical mark position of the material to be tested to a preset position to achieve pre-alignment.

[0091] By acquiring accurate information of the material to be tested through the camera 614 and accurately rotating and adjusting the material using the rotary motor 611, it is possible to ensure that the physical marking position of the material matches the preset position before entering the formal testing process. This greatly improves the accuracy of the contact between the probe and the material during the subsequent testing process, reduces the testing error caused by the material position deviation, and thus significantly improves the testing accuracy of the entire probe station and ensures the reliability of the test results.

[0092] The setting of the pre-alignment module 6, in cooperation with the manipulator module 5, the carrying workbench 7 and other components, makes the collaborative work between the various components smoother, and jointly ensures the efficient and accurate operation of the probe station, thereby improving the equipment performance of the probe station as a whole.

[0093] Specifically, the pre-alignment lifting mechanism 60 is composed of a lead screw motor and a linear guide rail guide structure, which ensures the stability of the material lifting process. At the same time, the lead screw motor and the rotary motor 611 of the pre-alignment lifting mechanism 60 of the present invention are arranged side by side, which can greatly reduce the space occupied in the height direction.

[0094] The output shaft 612 of the rotating motor 611 is a hollow shaft, and the hollow portion of the hollow shaft is used to accommodate the vacuum adsorption system pipeline of the pre-alignment stage 613, which facilitates the negative pressure adsorption design of the pre-alignment stage 613 and also makes the structural layout more compact and saves space.

[0095] It should be noted that when the material to be tested in the present invention is a wafer, the camera 614 can be used to obtain the orientation information of the flat edge (physical mark) of the wafer, and the pre-alignment stage 613 can rotate the wafer to a preset flat edge orientation based on the above information.

[0096] Furthermore, in some specific embodiments, Figure 5 , 6 As shown in , 7, the carrying workbench 7 includes:

[0097] A bearing base 70, wherein the bearing base 70 is mounted on the X-axis moving assembly 3;

[0098] The wafer support platform 71 is installed on the upper surface of the bearing base 70 and is rotatably connected to the bearing base 70; the wafer support platform 71 is used to support materials;

[0099] A rotation driving assembly 72, wherein the rotation driving assembly 72 is fixedly mounted on the bearing base 70 and is transmission-connected to the wafer stage 71, and is used to drive the wafer stage 71 to rotate;

[0100] A supporting assembly 73, the supporting assembly 73 is installed on the bearing base 70, and is used to support the material on the sheet support table 71;

[0101] The wafer stage camera is used to obtain material information on the wafer stage 71.

[0102] It should be noted that the specific structure of the rotary drive assembly 72 and the top support assembly 73 is not limited in the present invention, and can be selected by those skilled in the art according to actual conditions. It is understandable that in this embodiment, the rotary drive assembly 72 is composed of a drive motor and a conveyor belt assembly to drive the wafer stage 71 to rotate, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is understandable that when the material in the present invention is a wafer, the position of the light receiving assembly of wafers of different chips during optical testing puts forward space and structural requirements for the support workbench 7.

[0103] In one embodiment, Figure 5 , 6 As shown, the ejector assembly 73 may be composed of a power drive, an ejector lifting screw, an ejector lifting guide rail, and an ejector. The ejector lifting screw is driven to rise and fall by the power drive, and the ejector lifting guide rail plays a guiding role to ensure the stability of the ejector lifting screw. A plurality of ejectors are arranged at one end of the ejector lifting screw away from the power drive. The ejectors are initially hidden under the wafer support platform 71. When the ejector lifting screw rises, the ejectors penetrate and extend out of the upper surface of the wafer support platform 71 to lift the material. At this time, the corresponding wafer support platform 71 is in the shape of a circular plate. In this embodiment, the ejector is arranged below the wafer support platform 71.

[0104] In another embodiment, if Figure 7 The supporting assembly 73 may be composed of a power drive member 731 and a top plate member 732. Correspondingly, the wafer table 71 is a hollow annular structure, and two top plates 732 are symmetrically arranged outside the hollow annular structure, and the power drive member 731 drives the top plates 732 to rise and fall, so as to lift the material. In this embodiment, the top plate member 732 is arranged above the wafer table 71.

[0105] Furthermore, in some specific embodiments, the pre-alignment module 6 is arranged relative to the lifting and feeding module 4; the probe station also includes a wafer counting sensor 8, which is arranged on the pre-alignment module 6 and is used to identify the quantity and position of the material to be tested in the lifting and feeding module 4. In the present invention, the wafer counting sensor 8 can be an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, but is not limited to this. By setting the wafer counting sensor 8 to identify the quantity and position of the material to be detected in the material box 44, the control system of the probe station can control the movement of the manipulator module 5 according to the sensing information of the wafer counting sensor 8 to ensure the accuracy of the wafer grabbing position.

[0106] Furthermore, in some specific embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, a panel 10 is provided on the top of the frame 1, and the manipulator module 5 is installed on the panel 10. Installing the manipulator module 5 on the panel 10 is an effective use of the space on the top of the frame 1. Without occupying additional space, the installation position of the manipulator is increased, and the efficiency of space use is improved. In the present invention, the specific structure of the manipulator module 5 is not limited, and it can be selected by those skilled in the art according to actual conditions, as long as it includes a manipulator 50. As in the embodiment, the manipulator module 5 is composed of a driving motor and a linear driving component, so as to realize the sliding of the manipulator 50 along the Y-axis direction. A vacuum system of the manipulator is set in the manipulator module 5, that is, the adsorption of materials is realized through the design of negative pressure pipelines, and the air pressure is detected to determine the position of the materials in the manipulator 50.

[0107] Based on the above-mentioned probe station, the present invention also proposes a method for loading and unloading a probe station, which is applied to the above-mentioned probe station. The method for loading and unloading a probe station comprises the following steps:

[0108] Loading the material box: Place the material box 44 loaded with the material to be tested into the lifting and feeding module 4. At this time, the first in-situ sensor 47 detects and identifies the material box 44 and feeds back the information to the control system. The control system drives the double-stroke component 42 in the lifting and feeding module 4 to slide the material box 44 into place; drives the feeding lifting slide rail component 40 in the lifting and feeding module 4 to transport the material to be tested to the loading station; it should be noted that the material to be tested is placed in the material box 44, and can be loaded manually or automatically by AGV.

[0109] Counting pieces: During the rising process of the material box 44 loaded with the material to be tested, the piece counting sensor 8 identifies the quantity and position of the material to be tested in the material box 44, and feeds back the above quantity and position information to the control system to ensure the accuracy of the position of the material grasped by the subsequent robot module 5.

[0110] Taking the sheet: After the material to be tested is transported to the loading station, the robotic arm 50 in the robotic arm module 5 slides along the Y-axis to the position of the first material to be tested, that is, the robotic arm 50 extends into the material box 44, and takes the material to be tested from below. Then, the material box 44 in the lifting and feeding module 4 is lowered by a preset distance, and the first material to be tested is stopped on the robotic arm 50. At the same time, the robotic arm vacuum system inside the robotic arm 50 is turned on to adsorb and fix the first material to be tested; then, the robotic arm 50 slides along the Y-axis direction away from the material box 44 to the pre-alignment station; it should be noted that the preset distance can be set by the art according to actual conditions.

[0111] Pre-alignment: The Y-axis moving component 2 drives the pre-alignment module 6, and cooperates with the robotic arm 50 that adsorbs the first material to be tested, so that the first material to be tested and the pre-alignment table 613 in the pre-alignment module 6 are both located at the pre-alignment station; then, the pre-alignment table 613 rises to be higher than the robotic arm 50, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the pre-alignment table 613 is turned on, the vacuum system of the robotic arm 50 is turned off, and the first material to be tested is transferred to the pre-alignment table 613; the camera 614 in the pre-alignment module 6 obtains the information of the first material to be tested, and the pre-alignment table 613 rotates the physical mark position of the material to be tested to a preset position based on the above information; then, the pre-alignment table 613 descends, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the pre-alignment table 613 is turned off, the vacuum system of the robotic arm 50 is turned on, and the first material to be tested is transferred to the robotic arm 50 to complete the pre-alignment.

[0112] Loading: The X-axis moving component 3 and the Y-axis moving component 2 drive the carrying workbench 7 to slide to the loading station, and cooperate with the robotic arm 50 that adsorbs the first material to be tested, so that the first material to be tested and the wafer holding table 71 in the carrying workbench 7 are both located at the loading station; then, the top support component 73 in the carrying workbench 7 rises above the robotic arm 50, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the robotic arm 50 is turned off, and the first material to be tested is separated from the robotic arm 50; the robotic arm 50 moves along the Y-axis direction away from the wafer holding table 71 until it completes leaving the first material to be tested, and then the top support component 73 descends, and the first material to be tested stops on the wafer holding table 71, and the vacuum system of the wafer holding table 71 is turned on, completing the loading of the first material to be tested.

[0113] Detection: Detect the first material to be tested; the carrying table 7 can be moved in the horizontal direction under the drive of the X-axis moving component 3 and the Y-axis moving component 2, and moved to the bottom of the detection table to detect the material.

[0114] Unloading: After the inspection is completed, the robotic arm 50 and the wafer table 71 in the carrying workbench 7 are moved to the unloading position, and the supporting assembly 73 on the wafer table 71 lifts up the first material that has completed the inspection, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the wafer table 71 is turned off; the robotic arm 50 extends between the first material and the wafer table 71, the supporting assembly 73 descends, the vacuum adsorption system of the robotic arm 50 is turned on, and the first material is transferred and adsorbed onto the robotic arm 50.

[0115] Returning the film: Move the material box 44 to the unloading station, and the robot arm 50 in the robot module 5 slides along the Y-axis to transport the first material to the unloading station; then, raise the material box 44 by a preset distance, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the robot arm 50 is turned off, and the first material falls off the robot arm 50, and the robot arm 50 returns to its initial state. At the same time, other components are returned to their initial states, waiting for the next cycle.

[0116] In the loading and unloading method of the present invention, the entire process from loading the material box 44, counting the sheets, taking the sheets, pre-aligning, loading the sheets, testing, unloading the sheets to returning the sheets is completed by the control system coordinating the various components, reducing manual intervention, improving production efficiency, and reducing errors and defective rates caused by human factors.

[0117] At the same time, the counting sensor 8 feeds back the material quantity and position information to ensure that the robot can accurately grasp the material; the pre-alignment module 6 uses the camera 614 to identify and rotate to ensure the accurate position of the material's physical markings, so that the material can be accurately placed on the wafer table 71 during the loading process, which greatly improves the accuracy of the material position during detection, thereby improving the detection accuracy.

[0118] In addition, the various components work together, such as the double-stroke component 42 of the lifting and feeding module 4 slides out quickly, the robot module 5 moves quickly along the Y-axis, and the carrying workbench 7 slides accurately in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, which greatly shortens the transfer time of each material between different workstations, speeds up the overall loading and unloading speed, and meets the high-efficiency needs of large-scale testing.

[0119] Furthermore, in some specific embodiments, after the first material to be tested is loaded onto the wafer, the wafer stage camera obtains the material information on the wafer stage 71; based on the above information, the rotation drive component 72 is started to drive the wafer stage 71 to rotate, and the position of the first material to be tested is adjusted to achieve further fine-tuning of the material, thereby improving the accuracy of loading.

[0120] The present invention is further described above with the aid of specific embodiments. However, it should be understood that the specific description here should not be construed as limiting the essence and scope of the present invention. Various modifications made to the above embodiments by ordinary technicians in the field after reading this specification are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A probe station, characterized in that: It includes: frame; An XY compound motion module, wherein the XY compound motion module is composed of a Y-axis moving component and an X-axis moving component, wherein the Y-axis moving component is movably arranged on the frame, and the X-axis moving component is movably arranged on the Y-axis moving component; A lifting and feeding module, which is arranged on the frame and is used to transport the material to be tested to the loading station; A robot module, the robot module is installed on the frame; the robot module includes a robot arm that can slide along the Y-axis direction of the frame, the robot arm is used to grab the material to be tested from the loading station and transfer it to the pre-alignment station, and transfer the material after the test back to the lifting and feeding module; A pre-alignment module, wherein the pre-alignment module is mounted on the Y-axis moving assembly, and the pre-alignment module is driven by the Y-axis moving assembly to slide to the pre-alignment station, and cooperates with the manipulator module to achieve pre-alignment of the material to be tested; The carrying workbench is installed on the X-axis moving assembly to drive the carrying workbench to slide along the X-axis and the Y-axis to the loading station or the unloading station, and cooperate with the manipulator module carrying the material to be tested to realize the loading of the material to be tested and the unloading of the material after the test.

2. The probe station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting and feeding module comprises: A feeding lifting slide rail assembly, wherein the feeding lifting slide rail assembly is arranged on the frame; A fixed seat, the fixed seat being movably arranged on the feeding lifting slide rail assembly; A double-stroke component, wherein the double-stroke component is mounted on the fixing seat; A material box bottom plate, which is slidably mounted on the double-stroke component and is transmission-connected to the double-stroke component, and is driven by the double-stroke component to slide the material box bottom plate out of the fixed seat; a material box is mounted on the material box bottom plate, and the material box is used to hold materials.

3. The probe station according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting and feeding module also includes: A first in-position sensor, the first in-position sensor is used to detect whether the material box is in position; And / or a second in-position sensor, wherein the second in-position sensor is used to detect whether the material deviates from a predetermined position of the material box.

4. The probe station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pre-alignment module comprises a pre-alignment lifting mechanism and a pre-alignment rotating mechanism; the pre-alignment rotating mechanism is installed on the pre-alignment lifting mechanism, and the pre-alignment lifting mechanism drives the lifting of the pre-alignment rotating mechanism; The pre-alignment rotating mechanism includes a rotating motor installed on the pre-alignment slide of the pre-alignment lifting mechanism, a pre-alignment table installed on the output shaft of the rotating motor, and a camera installed above the pre-alignment table. The camera is used to obtain information of the material to be tested, and the rotating motor drives the pre-alignment table to rotate, so as to rotate the physical mark position of the material to be tested to a preset position.

5. The probe station according to claim 4, characterized in that: The output shaft of the rotary motor is a hollow shaft, and the hollow portion of the hollow shaft is used to accommodate the vacuum adsorption system pipeline of the pre-alignment stage.

6. The probe station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The load-bearing workbench comprises: A bearing base, the bearing base is mounted on the X-axis moving assembly; A wafer table, which is mounted on the upper surface of the bearing base and is rotatably connected to the bearing base; the wafer table is used to carry materials; A rotation drive assembly, which is fixedly mounted on the bearing base and is transmission-connected to the wafer stage to drive the wafer stage to rotate; A supporting assembly, the supporting assembly is installed on the bearing base and is used to lift the material on the sheet-carrying table; A wafer stage camera, wherein the wafer stage camera is used to obtain material information on the wafer stage.

7. The probe station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pre-alignment module is arranged opposite to the lifting and feeding module; The probe station also includes a sheet counting sensor, which is arranged on the pre-alignment module and is used to identify the quantity and position of the materials to be tested in the lifting and feeding module.

8. The probe station according to claim 1, characterized in that: A panel is provided on the top of the frame, and the robot module is installed on the panel.

9. A method for loading and unloading a probe station, applied to the probe station according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The loading and unloading method of the probe station comprises the following steps: Material box loading: Place the material box loaded with the material to be tested into the lifting and feeding module, drive the double stroke component in the lifting and feeding module, slide the material box into place; drive the feeding lifting rail component in the lifting and feeding module to transport the material to be tested to the loading station; Piece counting: When the material box loaded with the material to be tested is rising, the piece counting sensor identifies the quantity and position of the material to be tested in the material box; Slice removal: After the material to be tested is transported to the loading station, the robotic arm in the robotic module slides along the Y-axis to the position of the first material to be tested, and then the material box in the lifting and feeding module is lowered by a preset distance, and the first material to be tested is stopped on the robotic arm. At the same time, the robotic vacuum system inside the robotic arm is turned on to adsorb and fix the first material to be tested; then, the robotic arm slides along the Y-axis direction away from the material box to the pre-alignment station; Pre-alignment: The Y-axis moving component drives the pre-alignment module, and cooperates with the mechanical arm that adsorbs the first material to be tested, so that the first material to be tested and the pre-alignment table in the pre-alignment module are both located at the pre-alignment station; then, the pre-alignment table rises to be higher than the mechanical arm, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the pre-alignment table is turned on, the vacuum system of the mechanical arm is turned off, and the first material to be tested is transferred to the pre-alignment table; the camera in the pre-alignment module obtains the information of the first material to be tested, and the pre-alignment table rotates the physical mark position of the material to be tested to a preset position based on the above information; then, the pre-alignment table descends, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the pre-alignment table is turned off, the vacuum system of the mechanical arm is turned on, and the first material to be tested is transferred to the mechanical arm to complete the pre-alignment; Loading: The X-axis moving assembly and the Y-axis moving assembly drive the carrying table to slide to the loading station, and cooperate with the mechanical arm that adsorbs the first material to be tested, so that the first material to be tested and the wafer table in the carrying table are both located at the loading station; then, the top support assembly in the carrying table rises higher than the mechanical arm, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the mechanical arm is turned off, and the first material to be tested is separated from the mechanical arm; the mechanical arm moves along the Y-axis direction away from the wafer table until it leaves the first material to be tested, and then the top support assembly descends, and the first material to be tested stops on the wafer table, and the vacuum system of the wafer table is turned on, completing the loading of the first material to be tested; Testing: testing the first material to be tested; Unloading: After the inspection is completed, the robotic arm and the wafer table in the carrying workbench are moved to the unloading position, and the top support assembly on the wafer table lifts up the first material that has been inspected, and the vacuum system of the wafer table is turned off; the robotic arm extends between the first material and the wafer table, the top support assembly descends, the vacuum system of the robotic arm is turned on, and the first material is transferred and adsorbed onto the robotic arm; Sheet return: Move the material box to the unloading station, and the robotic arm in the robot module slides along the Y-axis to transport the first material to the unloading station; then, raise the material box to a preset distance, and at the same time, the vacuum system of the robotic arm is turned off, the first material falls off the robotic arm, and the robotic arm returns to its initial state.

10. The method for loading and unloading a probe station according to claim 8, characterized in that: After the first material to be tested is loaded, the material information on the substrate is obtained by the substrate camera; based on the above information, the rotary drive assembly is started to drive the substrate to rotate, and the position of the first material to be tested is adjusted by rotation.

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