prober

Abstract

To provide a prober that can perform more efficient testing.SOLUTION: A prober 10 includes a measurement unit 14 that contacts a probe card PC having a plurality of probes arranged thereon with a wafer W to inspect electrical characteristics, and a test head 44 electrically connected to the probe card PC. A maintenance area A2 for maintaining the test head 44 is positioned on the opposite side of the measurement unit 14 from a transport area A1 for transporting the wafer W to the measurement unit 44, and the probe card PC is configured to be able to be loaded into the measurement unit 44 from both the transport area A1 side and the maintenance area A2 side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a prober that inspects the electrical characteristics of a plurality of semiconductor elements (chips) formed on a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly to a prober equipped with a pull-out mechanism that pulls out a device to be maintained to a maintenance area. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a prober (wafer inspection device) has been proposed that includes a plurality of measurement units (cells), a transport mechanism (loader) that transports objects (wafers) to each measurement unit, and a pull-out mechanism (movement mechanism) that pulls out a pogo frame (maintenance target device) in a lateral direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to the prober described in Patent Document 1, the pogo frame is pulled out in a lateral direction while a test head arranged above the pogo frame is raised by the movement mechanism and separated from the pogo frame, so that when the pogo frame is pulled out in a lateral direction, breakage of the pogo pins of the pogo frame caused by rubbing against the test head can be prevented. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-179379 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the prober described in Patent Document 1, there is no suggestion what the desirable relationship should be between the pull-out direction of the device to be maintained and the conveying direction of the conveyed object.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to suppress (or eliminate) the Abbe error that must be taken into consideration when positioning a maintained device, which requires high accuracy, in a prober that includes a maintained device and multiple measuring units equipped with a pull-out mechanism for pulling out the maintained device, and a transport unit that moves to a position accessible to the measuring unit of the destination of the transported item and transports the transported item into the measuring unit of the destination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the prober of the present invention comprises a plurality of measurement sections arranged between a transport area and a maintenance area, each of which comprises a maintained device used when inspecting a semiconductor element formed on a wafer and a pull-out mechanism for pulling the maintained device toward the maintenance area, and a transport unit which has a housing for storing a transported item and moves within the transport area to a position accessible to the measurement section to which the transported item is to be transported and transports the transported item into the measurement section to which the transported item is to be transported, and the pull-out direction of the maintained device and the transport direction of the transported item are in a straight line.

[0007] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the prober further includes a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the maintained device, and the pull-out mechanism is configured to pull out the maintained device, which has been lifted to a predetermined position by the lifting mechanism, toward the maintenance area.

[0008] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the device to be maintained is at least one of a test head and a pogo frame arranged below the test head.

[0009] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the maintained device is at least one of a test head and a pogo frame arranged below the test head, the lifting mechanism is at least one of a test head lifting mechanism which lifts and lowers the test head between a pogo pin connection position where the pogo pins of the pogo frame are electrically connected and a test head pull-out position above it, and a pogo frame lifting mechanism which lifts and lowers the pogo frame between a probe connection position where the probes of a probe card are electrically connected and a pogo frame pull-out position above it, and the pull-out mechanism is at least one of a test head pull-out mechanism which pulls out the test head lifted to the test head pull-out position toward the maintenance area, and a pogo frame pull-out mechanism which pulls out the pogo frame lifted to the pogo frame pull-out position toward the maintenance area.

[0010] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the test head lifting mechanism includes a test head cylinder that lifts and lowers the test head, and the pogo frame lifting mechanism includes a pogo frame cylinder that lifts and lowers the pogo frame.

[0011] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the test head pull-out mechanism includes a guide rail for the test head that guides the pull-out of the test head that has been raised to the test head pull-out position, and the pogo frame pull-out mechanism includes a guide rail for the pogo frame that guides the pull-out of the pogo frame that has been raised to the pogo frame pull-out position.

[0012] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the test head lifting mechanism lifts and lowers the test head together with the test head guide rails, and the pogo frame lifting mechanism lifts and lowers the pogo frame together with the pogo frame guide rails.

[0013] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the multiple measurement units further include a probe card holding unit arranged below the pogo frame and a wafer chuck, and an alignment device that performs relative alignment between the wafer held by the wafer chuck and the probe card held in the probe card holding unit further includes an alignment device that moves between the multiple measurement units and, at the measurement unit to which it is moved, moves between the transport area side and the maintenance area side.

[0014] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the prober includes a head stage provided in each of the multiple measurement units and arranged below the pogo frame, a test head positioning mechanism that positions the test head relative to the pogo frame, and a pogo frame positioning mechanism that positions the pogo frame relative to the head stage.

[0015] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the prober further comprises a transport object holding arm that is provided on the transport unit and moves in and out through an opening formed in the housing to hold the transport object, the transport object being at least one of a wafer and a probe card, and the transport object holding arm being at least one of a wafer arm that holds the wafer and a probe card arm that holds the probe card.

[0016] In one embodiment of the prober of the present invention, the measurement units are arranged two-dimensionally in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0017] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the transported object is loaded into the measurement section.

[0018] In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, a loading section is provided that loads the transported object into the measurement section from the maintenance area side. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, in a prober equipped with a plurality of measuring units equipped with a maintained device and a pull-out mechanism for pulling out the maintained device, and a transport unit that moves to a position accessible to the measurement unit of the destination of the transported item and transports the transported item into the measurement unit of the destination, it is possible to suppress (or eliminate) the Abbe error that must be taken into consideration when positioning the maintained device, which requires high accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a prober according to the present embodiment; [Diagram 2] Front view of each measuring section [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conveying unit; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a transport unit; [Diagram 5] A perspective view of the moving device [Figure 6] Partially enlarged perspective view of the moving device [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a transport unit and a measurement unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a prober; [Figure 9] Front view of each measurement section (vertical row) [Figure 10] Schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the head stage, pogo frame, and test head [Figure 11] Partially enlarged perspective view of the measuring section [Figure 12] Schematic showing the test head being pulled out [Figure 13] Schematic diagram showing how the pogo frame is pulled out [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a top view showing that the pull-out direction of the maintenance target device and the transport direction of the transported object are aligned in a straight line. [Figure 15] A top view showing that the transported object is loaded into the measurement section from the maintenance area side. [Figure 16] Conceptual diagram showing an example of a calibration probe card DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a prober 10 of the present embodiment.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the prober 10 of this embodiment includes a transport item storage section 12, a plurality of measurement sections 14, a transport unit 16 that moves between the transport item storage section 12 and each measurement section 14 to transport an item (in this embodiment, at least one of a wafer and a probe card) into the transport item storage section 12 or into each measurement section 14, and a moving device 22 that moves the transport unit 16 between the transport item storage section 12 and each measurement section 14.

[0024] The transport object storage section 12 and each measurement section 14 are arranged at a fixed interval in the Y direction with their surfaces accessed by the transport unit 16 facing each other (that is, facing each other).

[0025] The transport unit 16 is disposed between the transport object storage section 12 and each of the measurement sections 14 .

[0026] The transported object storage section 12 includes a wafer storage section 12a that stores a plurality of wafers and a probe card storage section 12b that stores a plurality of probe cards. The number and arrangement of the transported object storage sections 12 are not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, four transported object storage sections 12 including the wafer storage section 12a and the probe card storage section 12b are arranged in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) with the side accessed by the transport unit 16 (the right side in FIG. 1) facing the same direction. The side opposite to the side accessed by the transport unit 16 (the left side in FIG. 1) is accessed by an operator when recovering the wafer or the probe card, etc.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 8, the measurement units 14 are arranged between the transport area A1 and the maintenance area A2. As shown in Fig. 1, each of the measurement units 14 is a rectangular parallelepiped measurement chamber (also called a prober chamber) configured by combining a plurality of frames extending in the X-axis direction, a plurality of frames extending in the Y-axis direction, and a plurality of frames extending in the Z-axis direction. Inside the measurement unit 14, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, a wafer chuck 18 for holding a wafer, a head stage 20, a test head 44 mounted on the head stage 20, a pogo frame 46 arranged between the head stage 20 and the test head 44, and a first probe card holding mechanism (probe card holding unit) 36 (omitted in Figs. 9 and 10) for holding a probe card PC are arranged. Also, as shown in Fig. 11, a test head lifting mechanism 48, a test head extraction mechanism 50, a pogo frame lifting mechanism 52, and a pogo frame extraction mechanism 54 are arranged inside each measurement unit 14.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a front view of each measuring unit 14.

[0029] The number and arrangement of the measurement units 14 are not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a measurement unit group consisting of four measurement units 14 arranged in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) is stacked in three tiers in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and is arranged two-dimensionally with the surface accessed by the transport unit 16 (the surface on the left side in Figure 1) facing the same direction.

[0030] An opening 14a is formed in each measurement section 14 (the surface accessed by the transport unit 16) through which the wafer holding arm 16b (wafer arm: transport object holding arm) and the probe card holding arm 16c (probe card arm) of the transport unit 16 enter and exit. In addition, an opening 14b (see FIG. 8) is formed in each measurement section 14 on the side opposite to the side on which the opening 14a is formed, for pulling out the test head 44 and the pogo frame 46. The surfaces of each measurement section 14 other than the surface on which the openings 14a and 14b are formed may be closed, or openings may be formed.

[0031] The wafer chuck 18 is adjusted to a high or low target temperature (inspection temperature) by a known temperature adjustment device (for example, a heat plate or chiller device built into the wafer chuck 18).

[0032] The environment in each measurement section 14 is controlled as follows. For example, the temperature in each measurement section 14 is controlled to a target temperature (inspection temperature) by the temperature of the wafer chuck 18 disposed in each measurement section 14. The humidity in each measurement section 14 is controlled to a target humidity by purging dry air into each measurement section 14 by a well-known mechanism. The environment in each measurement section 14 is controlled by purging a predetermined gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) into each measurement section 14 by a well-known mechanism. In each measurement section 14, a plurality of types of inspections are performed, such as a high-temperature inspection, a low-temperature inspection, and an inspection under a predetermined gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) atmosphere, which will be described later. The environment in each measurement section 14 is controlled so that it corresponds to the inspection performed in each measurement section 14. The inspections performed in each measurement section 14 may be the same for each measurement section, or may be different from each other.

[0033] The first probe card holding mechanism 36 is a means for detachably holding the probe card PC, and is provided above the wafer chuck 18, for example, on the head stage 20 side. The first probe card holding mechanism 36 detachably holds the probe card PC that has been transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 by a probe card transport mechanism described below. The first probe card holding mechanism 36 is well known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-150596), and therefore further description will be omitted.

[0034] In each measurement unit group, an alignment device 38 that performs relative alignment between the probe card PC held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36 and the wafer held by the wafer chuck 18, and a moving device (not shown) that moves the alignment device 38 between the four measurement units 14 are arranged. The alignment device 38 is moved between the four measurement units 14 included in the measurement unit group in which it is arranged, and is shared between the four measurement units 14. As for the moving device that moves the alignment device 38 between the four measurement units 14, for example, one described in JP 2014-150168 A can be applied.

[0035] The alignment device 38 is a means for performing relative alignment between the probe card PC held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36 and the wafer held by the wafer chuck 18, and is composed of a moving / rotating mechanism for moving the wafer chuck 18 in the XYZ-θ directions, including a Z-axis movable part 38a that moves up and down in the Z-axis direction, a Z-axis fixed part 38b, and an XY movable part 38c. The alignment device 38 is mainly used to align the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 18 with the probe of the probe card PC held above the wafer chuck 18 in a well-known manner while moving in the XYZ-θ directions, to electrically contact the wafer W with the probe, and to inspect the electrical characteristics of the wafer W via a test head.

[0036] The alignment device 38, while holding the wafer chuck 18 within the measurement unit 14, moves between a probe card receiving position P1 (see FIG. 7(a)) near the opening 14a and a position P2 (see FIG. 7(b)) below the first probe card holding mechanism 36. That is, the alignment device 38 moves between the transfer area A1 side and the maintenance area A2 side within the measurement unit 14 to which it is moved. This movement is achieved by a well-known alignment device moving device (not shown).

[0037] The alignment device moving device moves the alignment device 38 holding the wafer chuck 18 heated to the target temperature to a probe card receiving position P1 when receiving the probe card PC, and moves the alignment device 38 holding the probe card PC and the wafer chuck 18 heated to the target temperature to position P2 when transporting the probe card PC to the first probe card holding mechanism 36.

[0038] The alignment device 38 includes a second probe card holding mechanism 40 (also called a card lifter).

[0039] The second probe card holding mechanism 40 is a means for receiving and holding the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c, and is composed, for example, of a holding portion 40a (e.g., a ring-shaped member or multiple pins) attached to the Z-axis movable portion 38a while surrounding the wafer chuck 18, and a lifting mechanism (not shown) for raising and lowering the holding portion 40a in the Z-axis direction relative to the Z-axis movable portion 38a.

[0040] The probe card PC is received and held by, with the alignment device 38 moving to the probe card receiving position P1, lifting the holding part 40a in the Z-axis direction relative to the Z-axis movable part 38a to abut against the probe card PC (the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface), and lifting the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c by the holding part 40a rising in the Z-axis direction. The probe card PC is held directly above the wafer chuck 18.

[0041] The probe card transport mechanism is a means for transporting the probe card PC held by the second probe card holding mechanism 40 to the first probe card holding mechanism 36, and is composed, for example, of a Z-axis movable part 38a provided in the alignment device 38, which can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction.

[0042] The probe card PC is transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 by raising the Z-axis movable part 38a in the Z-axis direction while the alignment device 38 is moved to position P2.

[0043] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the transport unit 16, and FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the transport unit 16. As shown in FIG.

[0044] The transport unit 16 is a means for transporting and loading the wafer W or the probe card PC into the transport object storage section 12 or into each measurement section 14 by moving in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction between the transport object storage section 12 and each measurement section 14. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the transport unit 16 is a housing for storing the wafer W and the probe card PC, and includes a housing 16a having an opening 16f through which the wafer W and the probe card PC (wafer holding arm 16b and probe card holding arm 16c) enter and exit. The housing 16a has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and inside the housing 16a, the wafer holding arm 16b, the probe card holding arm 16c, an arm moving mechanism (not shown) for moving the arms 16b and 16c individually, an environment control means 16d for controlling the environment inside the housing 16a, and a sensor 16e for detecting the environment inside the housing 16a are arranged. The number of transport units 16 is not particularly limited, and one transport unit 16 is used in this embodiment. Figure 1 shows two transport units 16, which represent one transport unit 16 accessing the transport item storage section 12 (probe card storage section 12b) (see transport unit 16 depicted in the lower right of Figure 1) and one transport unit 16 accessing the measurement section 14 (see transport unit 16 depicted in the upper left of Figure 1).

[0045] Wafer holding arm 16b is a means for holding wafer W, and is disposed within housing 16a so as to be horizontally movable along, for example, a guide rail (not shown) provided within housing 16a. Wafer holding arm 16b is stored within housing 16a together with wafer W while holding the wafer W.

[0046] The probe card holding arm 16c is a means for holding the probe card PC, and is arranged in the housing 16a so as to be horizontally movable along a guide rail (not shown) provided in the housing 16a. The probe card holding arm 16c is stored in the housing 16a together with the probe card PC in a state in which the probe card holding arm 16c holds the probe card PC. The probe card PC includes a card holder CH. In some cases, a seal ring may be included instead of the card holder CH.

[0047] The number and arrangement of the arms 16b, 16c are not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, two wafer holding arms 16b and one probe card holding arm 16c are arranged in three upper and lower tiers as shown in Fig. 4. In addition, after the transport unit 16 transports the transported object to the measurement section 14, it loads the transported object into the measurement section 14 using the arms 16b, 16c.

[0048] The arm movement mechanism is a well-known mechanism, for example, a drive motor (not shown) provided in the housing 16a. By rotating this drive motor forward and backward, each arm 16b, 16c moves back and forth in the horizontal direction independently and enters and exits through an opening 16f formed in the housing 16a.

[0049] The transport unit 16 is equipped with an air curtain forming means 42 .

[0050] The air curtain forming means 42 is a means for forming an air curtain that blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a, thereby making the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or nearly sealed space, and is constituted, for example, by a well-known air injection port.

[0051] The number, shape, and arrangement of the air ejection ports are not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, multiple air ejection ports are arranged near and along the upper edge of opening 16f (in a direction perpendicular to the page in FIG. 4) in an attitude that ejects air downward.

[0052] The environment in the housing 16a is controlled as follows. For example, the temperature and humidity in the housing 16a are controlled to a target temperature and humidity under a predetermined gas atmosphere by purging each measuring unit 14 with dry air (high-temperature or low-temperature dry air) or a predetermined gas (nitrogen gas). This is realized by a known environment control means 16d, for example, a temperature-adjusted gas supply source including a heater and a cooler, a blower, and a pipe (not shown) connecting the blower (none of which are shown) to the housing 16a. The environment control means 16d may include a dehumidifier. The gas (high-temperature or low-temperature dry air) whose temperature (and humidity) has been adjusted by the temperature-adjusted gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a through the pipe by the blower, and is sprayed from an air outlet to form an air curtain that closes the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. As a result, the inside of the housing 16a becomes a sealed or approximately sealed space. The supply source of the gas supplied into the housing 16a and the supply source of the gas injected from the air injection port may be the same or different. The surfaces of the housing 16a other than the surface on which the opening 16f is formed may be closed or may have an opening. The environment control means 16d may be attached to the housing 16a or to the arms 16b and 16c.

[0053] The sensor 16e is a sensor that detects the environment within the housing 16a, and is, for example, a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor. The sensor 16e may be included in the environment control means 16d.

[0054] The environmental control means 16d controls the environment in the housing 16a so that the environment corresponds to the environment of the destination of the transported object. Specifically, the environmental control means 16d controls the environment in the housing 16a to a target environment based on the detection result of the sensor 16e. For example, the environmental control means 16d controls the temperature-adjusting gas supply source so that the temperature and humidity in the housing 16a become the target temperature and humidity based on the detection result of the sensor 16e. The function of the environmental control means 16d is realized, for example, by feedback control by a controller (not shown) to which the sensor 16e and the temperature-adjusting gas supply source (heater and cooler) are electrically connected. The environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 may be integrated. That is, in one device, an air outlet may be provided facing downward so as to block the opening 16f, and an air outlet for dry air for controlling the environment in the housing 16a may be provided. Here, it is preferable that the air outlet for dry air for controlling the environment in the housing 16a is provided in a direction such that the injected dry air circulates well in the housing 16a. By integrating the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42, the space required for providing the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 is reduced, and the space in the housing 16a can be used effectively. Furthermore, by integrating the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42, the temperature control gas supply source including a heater and a cooler, and a blower, etc. can be shared between the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the moving device 22, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the moving device 22. As shown in FIG.

[0056] The moving device 22 is a means for moving the transport unit 16 in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction between the transported object storage section 12 and each measuring section 14, and is, for example, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, composed of a first movable body 24 that moves in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) which is the arrangement direction of each measuring section 14 between the transported object storage section 12 and each measuring section 14, a first movable body moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the first movable body 24 in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), a second movable body 26 that is attached to the first movable body 24 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) which is the arrangement direction of each measuring section 14 and supports the transport unit 16 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis (Z-axis) as the center of rotation, a second movable body moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the second movable body 26 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and a transport unit rotation mechanism 28 that is attached to the second movable body 26 and rotates the transport unit 16 around the vertical axis (Z-axis) as the center of rotation.

[0057] The first movable body 24 is, for example, a frame body constructed by connecting the four corners of each of a pair of upper and lower rectangular frames 24a with four frames 24b extending in the Z-axis direction, and its lower part is movably connected to two guide rails 30 extending in the X-axis direction and arranged parallel to each other on a base 34 between the transported item storage section 12 and each measuring section 14.

[0058] The first movable body moving mechanism is configured with a well-known moving mechanism, for example, a ball screw connected to the first movable body 24 and a drive motor (neither of which are shown) that rotates the ball screw. By rotating this drive motor forward and backward, the first movable body 24 (transport unit 16) moves in the X-axis direction along the guide rail 30. Of course, the first movable body moving mechanism is not limited to this, and may be a mechanism for self-propelling the first movable body 24, for example, wheels provided on the first movable body 24 and a drive motor that rotates the wheels.

[0059] The second movable body 26 is movably connected to two guide rails 32 that are arranged parallel to each other on the first movable body 24 and extend in the Z-axis direction.

[0060] The second movable body moving mechanism is configured with a well-known moving mechanism, for example, a ball screw connected to the second movable body 26 and a drive motor (neither of which are shown) that rotates the ball screw. By rotating this drive motor forward and backward, the second movable body 26 (transport unit 16) moves in the Z-axis direction along the guide rail 32. Of course, the second movable body moving mechanism is not limited to this, and may be a mechanism for self-propelling the second movable body 26, for example, wheels provided on the second movable body 26 and a drive motor that rotates the wheels.

[0061] The transport unit rotation mechanism 28 is composed of a known rotation mechanism, for example, a rotation shaft (vertical shaft) provided on the second movable body 26 and a drive motor 28a for rotating the rotation shaft. The upper surface of the transport unit 16 is fixed to the rotation shaft (vertical shaft). By rotating the drive motor 28a forward and backward, the transport unit 16 rotates 180° around the vertical shaft (Z-axis) as the center of rotation, and the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit is placed in a state facing the transported object storage section 12 or each measurement section 14.

[0062] The test head 44 is a maintained device (a device on which maintenance is performed over time) used when inspecting semiconductor elements formed on a wafer, and includes a plurality of terminals (not shown) that are electrically connected to the pogo pins 46b of the pogo frame 46.

[0063] The test head 44 is held by a test head holding mechanism.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 11, the test head holding mechanism is composed of a base 56 and two test head guide rails 58 fixed on the base 56 and extending in the Y-axis direction. The test head 44 is slidably connected to the test head guide rails 58. The test head holding mechanism (base 56) is movably connected to a vertical guide rail (not shown) extending in the Z-axis direction. The base 56 is provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) that locks (fixes) the test head 44 to the base 56 (and the test head guide rails 58). The locking mechanism is composed of an engagement portion such as a claw portion that engages with or disengages from the test head 44.

[0065] The test head lifting mechanism 48 is a means for lifting and lowering the test head 44, and is constituted by, for example, an actuator such as a test head cylinder (air or hydraulic cylinder). For example, one end of the cylinder is connected to the base 56 side, and the other end is connected to the head stage 20 side. The cylinder may be equipped with a brake. When the test head holding mechanism (base 56) is lifted and lowered in the Z-axis direction along the vertical guide rail by this actuator, the test head 44 is lifted and lowered in the Z-axis direction together with the test head guide rail 58 in a state locked by the locking mechanism, and moves to the pogo pin connection position P3 (see FIG. 10) or the test head pull-out position P4 (see FIG. 12(a)).

[0066] The pogo pin connection position P3 is a position where the terminals of the test head 44 are electrically connected to the pogo pins 46b of the pogo frame 46. The test head pull-out position P4 is a position that is determined so that the test head 44 does not come into contact with the pogo pins 46b (and positioning pins 60a, described later) of the pogo frame 46 when the test head 44 is pulled out (and so that a lifting space for the pogo frame 46, described later, is secured).

[0067] The test head pull-out mechanism 50 (test head slide mechanism) is a means for pulling out the test head 44, which has been raised to the test head pull-out position P4, toward the maintenance area A2, and is constituted by a guide rail 58 for the test head, for example.

[0068] When the operator unlocks the test head 44 that has been raised to the test head pull-out position P4 and pulls it toward himself, the test head 44 slides in the Y-axis direction along the test head guide rails 58 and is pulled out through the opening 14b to the maintenance area A2 side (see FIG. 12(b)). This allows maintenance of the test head 44 (for example, replacing a board inside the test head, etc.).

[0069] After the maintenance is completed, the test head 44 is slid by the operator in the Y-axis direction along the test head guide rails 58 to the test head pull-out position P4, and then lowered along the vertical guide rails to the pogo pin connecting position P3. At this time, the test head 44 is positioned relative to the pogo frame 46 by the test head positioning mechanism 60, and is disposed above the pogo frame 46, i.e., at the pogo pin connecting position P3, as shown in FIG.

[0070] The test head positioning mechanism 60 is a means for positioning the test head 44 with respect to the pogo frame 46, and is composed of, for example, a positioning pin 60a and a recess 60b with which the positioning pin 60a abuts. The positioning pin 60a may be provided on the pogo frame 46 side, or on the test head 44 side. When the positioning pin 60a is provided on the pogo frame 46 side, the recess 60b with which the positioning pin 60a abuts is provided on the test head 44 side. On the other hand, conversely, when the positioning pin 60a is provided on the test head 44 side, the recess 60b with which the positioning pin 60a abuts is provided on the pogo frame 46 side.

[0071] The pogo frame 46 is a maintained device (a device on which maintenance is performed over time) used when inspecting semiconductor elements formed on a wafer, and is composed of a pogo frame body 46a and a number of pogo pins 46b held by the pogo frame body 46a, as shown in Fig. 10. The upper ends of the pogo pins 46b protrude from the upper surface of the pogo frame body 46a, and the lower ends of the pogo pins 46b protrude from the lower surface of the pogo frame body 46a. The pogo pins 46b are electrically connected to terminals of the test head 44 and are electrically connected to probes of the probe card PC held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36.

[0072] The pogo frame 46 is held by a pogo frame holding mechanism.

[0073] As shown in Fig. 11, the pogo frame holding mechanism is composed of a base 62 and two pogo frame guide rails 64 fixed on the base 62 and extending in the Y-axis direction. The pogo frame 46 is slidably connected to the pogo frame guide rails 64. The pogo frame holding mechanism (base 62) is movably connected to a vertical guide rail (not shown) extending in the Z-axis direction. The base 62 is provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) that locks (fixes) the pogo frame 46 to the base 62 (and the pogo frame guide rails 64). The locking mechanism is composed of an engagement portion such as a claw portion that engages with or disengages from the pogo frame 46.

[0074] The pogo frame lifting mechanism 52 is a means for lifting and lowering the pogo frame 46, and is constituted by, for example, an actuator such as a pogo frame cylinder (air or hydraulic cylinder). For example, one end of the cylinder is connected to the base 62 side, and the other end is connected to the head stage 20 side. The cylinder may be equipped with a brake. When the pogo frame holding mechanism (base 62) is lifted and lowered in the Z-axis direction along the vertical guide rail by this actuator, the pogo frame 46 is lifted and lowered in the Z-axis direction together with the pogo frame guide rail 64 in a state locked by the locking mechanism, and moves to the probe connection position P5 (see FIG. 12(a)) or the pogo frame pull-out position P6 (see FIG. 13(a)).

[0075] The probe connection position P5 is a position where the pogo pins 46b of the pogo frame 46 are electrically connected to the probes (not shown) of the probe card held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36. The pogo frame pull-out position P6 is a position where the pogo frame 46 (pogo pins 46b) do not come into contact with the probes of the probe card (and positioning pins 66a described later) when the pogo frame 46 is pulled out.

[0076] The pogo frame pull-out mechanism 54 (pogo frame slide mechanism) is a means for pulling out the pogo frame 46, which has been raised to the pogo frame pull-out position P6, toward the maintenance area A2, and is constituted by a guide rail 64 for the pogo frame, for example.

[0077] When the worker unlocks the locking mechanism of the pogo frame 46 that has been raised to the pogo frame pull-out position P6 and pulls it toward himself, the pogo frame 46 slides in the Y-axis direction along the pogo frame guide rail 64 and is pulled out to the maintenance area A2 side through the opening 14b (see FIG. 13(b)). This allows maintenance of the pogo frame 46 (for example, replacing pogo pins, etc.).

[0078] After the maintenance is completed, the pogo frame 46 is slid by the worker in the Y-axis direction along the pogo frame guide rail 64 to the pogo frame pull-out position P6, and then is lowered along the vertical guide rail to the probe connection position P5. At this time, the pogo frame 46 is positioned relative to the head stage 20 by the pogo frame positioning mechanism 66, as shown in FIG. 12(a), and is disposed above the head stage 20, that is, at the probe connection position P5.

[0079] The pogo frame positioning mechanism 66 is a means for positioning the pogo frame 46 with respect to the head stage 20, and is composed of, for example, a positioning pin 66a and a recess 66b with which the positioning pin 66a abuts. The positioning pin 66a may be provided on the pogo frame 46 side, or on the head stage 20 side. When the positioning pin 66a is provided on the pogo frame 46 side, the recess 66b with which the positioning pin 66a abuts is provided on the head stage 20 side. On the other hand, conversely, when the positioning pin 66a is provided on the head stage 20 side, the recess 66b with which the positioning pin 66a abuts is provided on the pogo frame 46 side.

[0080] Each device and mechanism, such as the alignment device 38, the arm moving mechanism, the environmental control means 16d, the moving device 22 (first movable body moving mechanism, second movable body moving mechanism, transport unit rotation mechanism 28), the test head lifting mechanism 48, and the pogo frame lifting mechanism 52, is driven under the control of a control means (controller, etc.) not shown.

[0081] Next, an example of the operation of the transport unit 16 in the prober 10 of this embodiment will be described.

[0082] <Example of wafer transfer operation> First, an example of the operation of the transfer unit 16 when transferring the wafer W from the wafer storage section 12a to the measuring section 14 where an inspection (for example, a high-temperature inspection or a low-temperature inspection) is performed will be described.

[0083] First, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the wafer storage section 12a can be accessed (a position where the wafer W can be removed), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16, through which the arms 16b, 16c enter and exit, faces the wafer storage section 12a.

[0084] Next, the wafer holding arm 16b advances into the wafer storage section 12a to take out one wafer W from the wafer storage section 12a and store it in the housing 16a. At the same time, the environment inside the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the measurement section 14 to which the wafer is transferred. Specifically, gas whose temperature has been adjusted by the temperature adjustment gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed by being sprayed from the air spray port to close the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. This makes the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or approximately sealed space.

[0085] Next, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position accessible to the destination measurement unit 14 (a position where the wafer W can be handed over), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16, through which each arm 16b, 16c enters and exits, faces the destination measurement unit 14.

[0086] Next, wafer holding arm 16b is advanced in the Y-axis direction into measurement section 14 through opening 16f on the transfer unit 16 side where the air curtain is formed and opening 14a on the measurement section 14 side, and wafer W is loaded onto wafer chuck 18. The arrow on the right side in Fig. 14 indicates the transfer direction of the transfer object (wafer W in this case). Wafer holding arm 16b, while holding wafer W, advances into measurement section 14 through opening 16f that is blocked by the air curtain.

[0087] The loaded wafer W is held by vacuum suction on the wafer chuck 18. Then, the wafer W waits until it reaches the inspection temperature by the wafer chuck 18, and when it reaches the inspection temperature, the alignment device 38 moves in the XYZ-θ directions to align the wafer W held on the wafer chuck 18 with the probe of the probe card PC held above the wafer chuck 18 in a well-known manner, and then the wafer chuck 18 moves in the Z-axis direction by the action of the alignment device 38 to electrically contact the wafer W with the probe, thereby performing an electrical characteristic inspection of the wafer W via the pogo frame 46 (pogo pins 46b) and the test head 44.

[0088] In this way, by controlling the environment in the transport unit 16 using the time taken for the wafer to be transported from the wafer storage section 12a to the destination measurement section 14 to reduce the difference with the inspection temperature in the destination measurement section 14, it is possible to shorten (or eliminate) the waiting time required for the wafer to approach the inspection temperature in the destination measurement section 14, compared to the conventional technology. This makes it possible to improve the throughput (processing capacity per unit time) in the measurement section 14.

[0089] <Example of probe card transport operation> Next, an example of the operation of the transport unit 16 when transporting the probe card PC from the probe card storage unit 12b to the measurement unit 14 where an inspection (for example, a high-temperature inspection or a low-temperature inspection) is performed will be described.

[0090] First, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the probe card storage section 12b is accessible (a position where the probe card PC can be removed), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16, through which each arm 16b, 16c enters and exits, faces the probe card storage section 12b.

[0091] Next, the probe card holding arm 16c advances into the probe card storage section 12b to take out one probe card PC from the probe card storage section 12b and store it in the housing 16a. At the same time, the environment inside the housing 16a is controlled so as to correspond to the environment of the measurement section 14 to which the probe card PC is transferred. Specifically, gas whose temperature has been adjusted by the temperature adjustment gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed by being sprayed from the air spray port to close the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. This makes the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or approximately sealed space.

[0092] Next, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the destination measurement unit 14 is accessible (a position where the probe card PC can be handed over), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16, through which each arm 16b, 16c enters and exits, faces the destination measurement unit 14.

[0093] Next, the probe card holding arm 16c is advanced in the Y-axis direction into the measurement unit 14 through the opening 16f on the transport unit 16 side where the air curtain is formed and the opening 14a on the measurement unit 14 side (see FIG. 7(a)). The probe card holding arm 16c, while holding the probe card PC, advances in the Y-axis direction into the measurement unit 14 through the opening 16f that is blocked by the air curtain. The arrow on the right side in FIG. 14 indicates the transport direction of the transported object (here, the probe card PC).

[0094] Next, the holding part 40a of the second probe card holding mechanism 40 receives the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c and holds it. Specifically, when the alignment device 38, holding the wafer chuck 18, moves to the probe card receiving position P1, the holding part 40a is raised in the Z-axis direction relative to the Z-axis movable part 38a to abut against the probe card PC (the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface), and the holding part 40a rising in the Z-axis direction lifts the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c. As a result, the probe card PC is transferred to the holding part 40a and held directly above the wafer chuck 18 by the holding part 40a.

[0095] Next, the alignment device 38 holding the probe card PC and the wafer chuck 18 is moved to position P2 (see FIG. 7(b)).

[0096] Next, the probe card PC is transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 (see FIG. 7(b)). Specifically, with the alignment device 38 holding the wafer chuck 18 moved to position P2, the Z-axis movable part 38a (second probe card holding mechanism 40) is raised in the Z-axis direction to transport the probe card PC held by the second probe card holding mechanism 40 to the first probe card holding mechanism 36. The probe card PC transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 is detachably held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36.

[0097] <Test head pull-out operation example> Next, an example of the operation when the test head 44 is pulled out to the maintenance area A2 side will be described.

[0098] 12(a), the test head holding mechanism (base 56) is raised from the pogo pin connection position P3 to the test head pull-out position P4 by the test head lifting mechanism 48. As a result, the test head 44 moves to the test head pull-out position P4 together with the test head guide rails 58 fixed to the base 56 while being locked by the locking mechanism.

[0099] Next, the operator releases the locking mechanism and then pulls the test head 44, which has been raised to the test head pull-out position P4, toward himself. This causes the test head 44 to slide in the Y-axis direction along the test head guide rails 58 and be pulled out to the maintenance area A2 side through the opening 14b, as shown in FIG. 12(b). This makes it possible to perform maintenance on the test head 44 (for example, replacing a board inside the test head). The arrow on the left side in FIG. 14 indicates the pull-out direction (and push-in direction) of the device to be maintained (here, the test head 44).

[0100] Next, an example of the operation when the test head 44 after maintenance is returned to the pogo pin connection position P3 will be described.

[0101] First, an operator pushes the test head 44 for which maintenance has been completed along the test head guide rails 58, slides it in the Y-axis direction to the test head pull-out position P4, and locks it at that position using the locking mechanism.

[0102] Next, the test head holding mechanism (base 56) is lowered from the test head pull-out position P4 to the pogo pin connection position P3 by the test head lift mechanism 48. As a result, the test head 44 moves to the pogo pin connection position P3 together with the test head guide rail 58 fixed to the base 56 while being locked by the lock mechanism. At this time, the test head 44 is positioned relative to the pogo frame 46 by the test head positioning mechanism 60, as shown in FIG. 10, and is disposed above the pogo frame 46, i.e., at the pogo pin connection position P3. As a result, the terminals of the test head 44 and the pogo pins 46b of the pogo frame 46 are aligned, so that they can be electrically connected with high precision.

[0103] As described above, since the withdrawal direction (see the arrow on the left side in FIG. 14) of the device to be maintained (here, the test head 44) ​​and the transport direction (see the arrow on the right side in FIG. 14) of the transported object (the wafer W or the probe card PC) are aligned in the Y-axis direction, it is possible to suppress (or eliminate) the Abbe error that must be taken into consideration when positioning the test head 44 with respect to the pogo frame 46, which requires high accuracy. In particular, when returning the test head 44 after maintenance to the pogo pin connection position P3, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the positioning accuracy in the X-axis direction.

[0104] <Pogo frame pull-out operation example> Next, an example of the operation when the pogo frame 46 is pulled out to the maintenance area A2 side will be described.

[0105] 12(a), the test head holding mechanism (base 56) is raised from the pogo pin connection position P3 to the test head pull-out position P4 by the test head lifting mechanism 48. As a result, the test head 44 moves to the test head pull-out position P4 together with the test head guide rails 58 fixed to the base 56 while being locked by the locking mechanism. This ensures the lift space S for the pogo frame 46.

[0106] 13(a), the pogo frame holding mechanism (base 62) is raised from the probe connection position P5 to the pogo frame pull-out position P6 by the pogo frame lifting mechanism 52. As a result, the pogo frame 46 moves to the pogo frame pull-out position P6 together with the pogo frame guide rail 64 fixed to the base 62 while being locked by the locking mechanism.

[0107] Next, the worker releases the locking mechanism and then pulls the pogo frame 46, which has been raised to the pogo frame pull-out position P6, toward himself. As a result, the pogo frame 46 slides in the Y-axis direction along the pogo frame guide rail 64 and is pulled out to the maintenance area A2 side through the opening 14b, as shown in FIG. 13(b). This allows maintenance of the pogo frame 46 (for example, replacing pogo pins, etc.). The arrow on the left side in FIG. 14 indicates the pull-out direction (and push-in direction) of the device to be maintained (here, the pogo frame 46).

[0108] Next, an example of the operation when the pogo frame 46 after maintenance is returned to the probe connection position P5 will be described.

[0109] First, an operator pushes the pogo frame 46 for which maintenance has been completed along the pogo frame guide rails 64, slides it in the Y-axis direction to the pogo frame pull-out position P6, and locks it at that position using the locking mechanism.

[0110] Next, the pogo frame holding mechanism (base 62) is lowered from the pogo frame pull-out position P6 to the probe connection position P5 by the pogo frame lifting mechanism 52. As a result, the pogo frame 46 moves to the probe connection position P5 together with the pogo frame guide rail 64 fixed to the base 62 in a state locked by the locking mechanism. At this time, the pogo frame 46 is positioned relative to the head stage 20 by the pogo frame positioning mechanism 66, as shown in FIG. 12(a), and is disposed above the head stage 20, that is, at the probe connection position P5. As a result, the pogo pins 46b of the pogo frame 46 and the probes of the probe card are aligned, so that they can be electrically connected with high precision.

[0111] As described above, since the pull-out direction (see the left arrow in FIG. 14) of the device to be maintained (here, the pogo frame 46) and the transport direction (see the right arrow in FIG. 14) of the transported object (wafer W or probe card PC) are aligned in the Y-axis direction, it is possible to suppress (or eliminate) the Abbe error that must be taken into consideration when positioning the pogo frame 46, which requires high accuracy, relative to the head stage 20. In particular, when returning the pogo frame 46 after maintenance to the probe connection position P5, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the positioning accuracy in the X-axis direction.

[0112] In addition, in the conventional technology, the pogo frame is pulled out without being raised, so the probe card had to be removed from the measurement section (cell) before pulling out the pogo frame, whereas in the present embodiment, the pogo frame 46 is raised to the pogo frame pull-out position P6 and moved away from the probe card, and then the pogo frame 46 raised to the pogo frame pull-out position P6 is pulled out, so that the pogo frame 46 can be pulled out without removing the probe card PC from the measurement section 14.

[0113] As described above, according to this embodiment, in a prober 10 equipped with a plurality of measurement units 14 each equipped with a maintainable device (e.g., at least one of a test head and a pogo frame) and a pull-out mechanism for pulling out the maintainable device, and a transport unit 16 for moving an object (e.g., at least one of a wafer and a probe card) to a position accessible to the measurement unit at the destination of the object and transporting the object into the destination measurement unit 14, by aligning the pull-out direction of the maintainable device and the transport direction of the object (see Figure 14), it is possible to suppress (or eliminate) the Abbe error that must be taken into consideration when positioning the maintainable device, which requires high accuracy.

[0114] That is, when the test head 44 is placed at the pogo pin connection position P3 and the pogo frame 46 is placed at the probe connection position P5, it is necessary to position the probe card PC relative to the pogo frame 46 and the wafer W relative to the probe card PC, but by transporting these components that require positioning in a straight line, the Abbe error can be suppressed. In addition, in this embodiment, by transporting these components that require positioning in a straight line, positioning in a straight line can be omitted, making positioning easier. In addition, in this embodiment, the pull-out direction of the device to be maintained and the transport direction of the transported object are in a straight line, so there is no space for rotating the test head, which is space-saving compared to the technology of rotating the test head to expose the pogo pins under the test head to perform maintenance.

[0115] In addition, whereas the prior art does not have a pull-out mechanism for pulling out the test head, and the test head cannot be pulled out, this embodiment is provided with a test head lifting mechanism 48 and a test head pull-out mechanism 50, which allows the test head 44 to be pulled out.

[0116] Next, a description will be given of other modes of loading into the measurement section 14. In the above example, it has been described that the transported object (wafer W or probe card PC) to be loaded into the measurement section 14 is loaded from the transport area A1 side by the transport unit 16 (see FIG. 14), but in other modes of loading into the measurement section 14, the transported object to be loaded into the measurement section 14 is loaded from the maintenance area A2 side by the loading section 70.

[0117] FIG. 15 is a top view showing that the transported object (wafer W and probe card PC) is loaded into the measurement unit 14 from the maintenance area A2 side. As shown in FIG. 15, when the transported object is loaded into the measurement unit 14 from the maintenance area A2 side, the transported object is loaded into the measurement unit 14 by the loading unit 70. The loading unit 70 may be provided with a transport means such as the transport unit 16 described above to transport the transported object, or the user or installer of the prober 10 may manually transport the transported object to the loading unit 70 and then load it into the measurement unit 14 by the loading unit 70. The loading unit 70 is not particularly limited, and a known loading means can be adopted. For example, the loading unit 70 may load the transported object into the measurement unit by a drawing mechanism, or may load the transported object into the measurement unit by an arm like the transport unit 16.

[0118] In this way, the transported object can be loaded into the measurement section 14 from the transport area A1 side and from the maintenance area A2 side. For example, when loading a probe card PC into the measurement section 14, the transport unit 16 loads the transported object into the measurement section 14 if the transported object is for testing a semiconductor device, and the loading section 70 loads the transported object into the measurement section 14 if the transported object is used to calibrate the position of the measurement section 14.

[0119] Also, for example, if the load of the transported object into the measurement unit 14 is frequent, the transported object is loaded into the measurement unit 14 from the transport area A1 side, and if the load of the transported object into the measurement unit 14 is infrequent, the transported object is loaded into the measurement unit 14 from the maintenance area side. Here, high frequency and low frequency differ depending on the usage mode of the prober 10 by the user, but for example, a high frequency transported object is one that needs to be replaced every time a wafer W is measured, and a low frequency transported object is one that needs to be loaded, for example, during maintenance or when the prober 10 is installed (started up).

[0120] Also, for example, the transport unit 16 loads the transported object into the measurement section 14 when the transported object requires environmental control, and the loading section 70 loads the transported object into the measurement section 14 when the transported object does not require environmental control. As described above, since the environment is adjusted by the environment control means 16d of the transport unit 16 in the transport area A1, when an object requiring temperature or humidity adjustment is to be loaded into the measurement section 14, the object is loaded into the measurement section 14 from the transport area A1 side.

[0121] Also, for example, depending on the type of the transported object, loading by the transport unit 16 or loading by the loading part 70 may be performed. In other words, since the transported objects, that is, the wafer W and the probe card PC, are used for various purposes and types, loading by the transport unit 16 or loading by the loading part 70 may be performed depending on the purpose and type of the wafer W and the probe card PC.

[0122] For example, the probe card PC includes a measurement probe card for inspecting and measuring the wafer W and a calibration probe card for calibrating the position of the wafer W, etc. Then, for example, the calibration probe card is loaded by the loading unit 70, and the measurement probe card is loaded by the transport unit 16.

[0123] In this manner, by changing the side on which the transported object is loaded into the measuring section 14 depending on the transported object and the usage status of the prober 10, more efficient inspection can be performed.

[0124] Here, loading in this application means setting the probe card PC or the wafer W in the measurement section 14. Moreover, loading by the above-mentioned transport unit 16 and loading by the loading section 70 are preferably arranged in a straight line with the pull-out direction of the device to be maintained and the transport direction of the transported object. The arrow in Fig. 15 indicates the loading direction performed by the loading section 70.

[0125] FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a calibration probe card. FIG. 16(a) is a top view of the probe side of the calibration probe card 72, and FIG. 16(b) is a side view of the calibration probe card 72. The calibration probe card 72 shown in FIG. 16 is composed of a calibration probe card body 72a and probes 72b. The calibration probe card 72 has a total of 18 probes 72b, which are paired (set) by two, and are arranged at 45° intervals along the circumference of the calibration probe card 72, with one set at the center. The calibration probe card 72 is used for positioning and alignment of the measurement unit 14. Therefore, for example, the calibration probe card 72 is used to align the measurement unit 14 when the prober 10 is started up or installed.

[0126] Next, a modified example will be described.

[0127] In this embodiment, a configuration using the test head lifting mechanism 48, the test head pull-out mechanism 50, the pogo frame lifting mechanism 52, and the pogo frame pull-out mechanism 54 has been exemplified, but the configuration is not limited to this, and only the test head lifting mechanism 48 and the test head pull-out mechanism 50 may be used, or only the pogo frame lifting mechanism 52 and the pogo frame pull-out mechanism 54 may be used.

[0128] In addition, in the present embodiment, the pogo frame lifting mechanism 52 is used to pull out the pogo frame 46 in the lifted state, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the pogo frame lifting mechanism 52 may be omitted. In other words, the pogo frame 46 may be pulled out without lifting it by using a pogo frame pull-out mechanism similar to the conventional technology.

[0129] In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the arms 16b and 16c of the transport unit 16 enter and exit through the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a has been exemplified, but this is not limited thereto. For example, a similar opening (not shown) may be formed on the surface of the housing 16a of the transport unit 16 opposite to the side on which the opening 16f is formed, and the arms 16b and 16c may be configured to move back and forth individually in the horizontal direction to enter and exit through the opening 16f and the opening on the opposite side. In this way, the transport unit rotation mechanism 28 can be omitted. And, even though the transport unit rotation mechanism 28 is omitted, that is, without rotating the transport unit 16, the arms 16b and 16c can access the transported object storage section 12 or each measurement section 14. In this case, in addition to the air curtain forming means 42 that forms an air curtain that blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a of the conveying unit 16, a similar air curtain forming means that forms an air curtain that blocks the opening formed on the opposite side of the opening 16f is provided in the conveying unit 16, so that the inside of the housing 16a can be made into a sealed or nearly sealed space, and the same effect as the above embodiment can be achieved.

[0130] In addition, in the present embodiment, a configuration in which the measurement units 14 are two-dimensionally arranged in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) has been exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the measurement units 14 may be arranged only in a line in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) or only in a line in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). By arranging the measurement units 14 only in a line in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), the second movable body moving mechanism can be omitted. Furthermore, by arranging the measurement units 14 only in a line in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), the first movable body moving mechanism can be omitted.

[0131] In addition, in the present embodiment, a configuration using one transport unit 16 and one moving device 22 is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of transport units 16 and a plurality of moving devices 22 may be used. In this way, the throughput in each measurement section 14 can be further improved.

[0132] In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration using wafer holding arm 16b and probe card holding arm 16c has been exemplified, but this is not limited to the above, and only wafer holding arm 16b may be used, or only probe card holding arm 16c may be used.

[0133] In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the arms 16b, 16c are provided on the transport unit 16 has been exemplified, but this is not limiting, and the arms 16b, 16c (or arms equivalent thereto) may be provided on the transport object storage section 12 side and on the measurement sections 14 side. This also makes it possible for the arms to take out the transport object from the transport object storage section 12 or the measurement section 14 and store it in the transport unit 16, and also makes it possible to take out the transport object from the transport unit 16 and deliver it to the transport object storage section 12 or the measurement section 14.

[0134] In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a is closed with an air curtain has been exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an opening opening / closing means such as a shutter or door that is opened when the transported object is taken out or handed over and closed during transport of the transported object may be provided in the transport unit 16, and the opening 16f may be opened and closed by this opening opening / closing means. Also, the openings 14a formed in each measurement section 14 may be closed with a similar air curtain, or the openings 14a may be opened and closed by a similar opening opening / closing means.

[0135] As described above, in a prober equipped with a plurality of measuring units equipped with a pull-out mechanism for pulling out the maintained device and a transport unit that moves to a position accessible to the measurement unit of the destination of the transported object and transports the transported object into the measurement unit of the destination, the idea of ​​suppressing Abbe error that must be taken into consideration when positioning the maintained device, which requires high accuracy, by aligning the pull-out direction of the maintained device and the transport direction of the transported object in a straight line can be applied not only to the prober of the above embodiment, but also to all kinds of probers equipped with a plurality of measuring units equipped with a pull-out mechanism for pulling out the maintained device and a transport unit that moves to a position accessible to the measurement unit of the destination of the transported object and transports the transported object into the measurement unit of the destination.

[0136] Although the prober of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 10...prober, 12...carried object storage section, 12a...wafer storage section, 12b...probe card storage section, 14...measurement section, 14a...opening, 16...transport unit, 16a...housing, 16b...wafer holding arm, 16c...probe card holding arm, 16d...environment control means, 16e...sensor, 16f...opening, 18...wafer chuck, 20...head stage, 22...moving device, 24...first movable body, 26...second movable body, 28...transport unit rotation mechanism, 28a...driving motor, 30, 32...guide rail, 34...base, 36...first probe card holding mechanism, 38...alignment device, 40...second probe card holding mechanism Holding mechanism, 40a...holding portion, 42...air curtain forming means, 44...test head, 46...pogo frame, 46a...pogo frame main body, 46b...pogo pin, 48...test head lifting mechanism, 50...test head pull-out mechanism, 52...pogo frame lift-out mechanism, 54...pogo frame pull-out mechanism, 56...base, 58...test head guide rail, 60...test head positioning mechanism, 60a...positioning pin, 60b...recess, 62...base, 64...pogo frame guide rail, 66...pogo frame positioning mechanism, 66a...positioning pin, 66b...recess, CH...card holder, PC...probe card, W...wafer

Claims

[Claim 1] A prober for inspecting electrical characteristics of a semiconductor element formed on a wafer, comprising: a measuring unit that tests electrical characteristics of the wafer by contacting a probe card having a plurality of probes arranged thereon with the wafer; a test head electrically connected to the probe card; Equipped with a maintenance area for performing maintenance on the test head is disposed on an opposite side of the measurement unit from a transfer area for transferring the wafer to the measurement unit, the maintenance area being disposed on an opposite side of the measurement unit from a transfer area for transferring the wafer to the measurement unit, The probe card is configured to be able to be loaded into the measurement unit from both the transport area side and the maintenance area side. Prover.

Images