Moving device, inspection device, and moving method

Abstract

To provide a technique that makes it possible to move a bridge body smoothly along a plurality of guide members and position the bridge body with high accuracy.SOLUTION: A moving device includes a plurality of guide members, a plurality of slider bodies that moves along the plurality of respective guide members, a bridge body to be fixed across the plurality of slider bodies, a plurality of drive units that independently moves each of the plurality of slider bodies, a plurality of detection units that detects the respective positions of the plurality of slider bodies, and a control unit that controls the plurality of drive units based on detection information from the plurality of detection units. The control unit controls a step of (A) moving the bridge body by a drive force of one drive unit of the plurality of drive units, and a step of (B) simultaneously driving the one drive unit and the other drive units to position the bridge body at the end of step (A).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a moving device, an inspection device, and a moving method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection device (probe device) that aligns a wafer placed on a mounting table with an inspection probe using detection information from a detection unit (CCD) provided on a bridge (alignment bridge). This inspection device has a moving device that moves the bridge along a pair of guide members (guide shafts) and positions it above the wafer, and detects the position of the wafer after positioning the bridge.

[0003] Furthermore, although there is no specific description in Patent Document 1, an air cylinder has conventionally been used as a drive unit for moving the alignment bridge. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-333100 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique for smoothly moving a bridge body along a plurality of guide members and accurately positioning the bridge body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a moving device including a plurality of guide members, a plurality of slider bodies provided on each of the plurality of guide members and moving respectively along the plurality of guide members, a bridge body fixed across the plurality of slider bodies, a plurality of drive units for independently moving each of the plurality of slider bodies, a plurality of detection units for detecting positions of the plurality of slider bodies, respectively, and a control unit for controlling the plurality of drive units based on detection information from the plurality of detection units to move the plurality of slider bodies and the bridge body, wherein the control unit controls: (A) a step of moving the bridge body by a drive force of one of the plurality of drive units; and (B) at the completion of step (A), a step of simultaneously driving the one drive unit and another drive unit of the plurality of drive units to position the bridge body. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect, the bridge body can be moved smoothly along the multiple guide members and positioned with high accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an inspection device to which a moving device according to an embodiment is applied; [Diagram 2] Fig. 2(A) is a schematic side view partially showing the inspection unit, and Fig. 2(B) is a plan view showing a moving device provided in the inspection unit. [Diagram 3] Fig. 3(A) is a flowchart showing a wafer inspection method of the inspection apparatus according to the embodiment, and Fig. 3(B) is a flowchart showing an alignment bridge operation method including a movement method of the movement apparatus. [Figure 4] Fig. 4(A) is a first plan view showing the operation of the moving device. Fig. 4(B) is a second plan view showing the operation of the moving device. Fig. 4(C) is a third plan view showing the operation of the moving device. Fig. 4(D) is a fourth plan view showing the operation of the moving device. [Diagram 5]Fig. 5(A) is a graph illustrating the torque of each linear motor in the moving method according to the embodiment, and Fig. 5(B) is a graph illustrating the torque of each linear motor in the moving method according to the reference example. [Figure 6] Fig. 6(A) shows the measurement results of the positional deviation in the X-axis direction when positioning is repeated multiple times between a conventional air cylinder and the linear motor according to the embodiment. Fig. 6(B) shows the measurement results of the positional deviation in the Y-axis direction when positioning is repeated multiple times between a conventional air cylinder and the linear motor according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a table showing measurement results of movement times when positioning is repeated multiple times using a conventional air cylinder and the linear motor according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a moving device according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view that shows a schematic diagram of an inspection apparatus 1 to which a moving device 50 according to an embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 inspects electrical characteristics of a wafer W, which is an example of an object to be inspected. For example, a plurality of semiconductor devices, which are devices under test (DUTs), are formed on the surface of the wafer W. Note that the object to be inspected is not limited to the wafer W, and may be a carrier on which the devices under test are arranged, a glass substrate, a single chip, an electronic circuit board, or the like. The devices under test are also not limited to semiconductor devices, and may be other electronic devices.

[0011] The inspection device 1 includes an inspection unit 10 that actually performs the inspection, a loader 13 installed adjacent to the inspection unit 10, and a tester 20 installed above the inspection unit 10. Furthermore, the inspection device 1 has a controller 90 that controls the operations of the inspection unit 10, the loader 13, and the tester 20.

[0012] The inspection unit 10 includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 11, and an inspection chamber 12 is disposed inside the housing 11. The inspection chamber 12 accommodates a stage 30 on which a wafer W is placed and which transports the wafer W to a desired three-dimensional coordinate position.

[0013] A carrier such as a FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod) (not shown) that holds a plurality of wafers W is set in the loader 13. The loader 13 includes a transfer device (not shown) that removes the wafers W from the carrier and delivers the wafers W to the stage 30 in the inspection chamber 12. The loader 13 also removes inspected wafers W from the stage 30 using the transfer device and stores them in the carrier.

[0014] The inspection unit 10 includes a probe card 21 connected to a tester 20 via an interface 23, located above the inspection chamber 12. The probe card 21 has a plurality of probes 22 at a position facing the wafer W. When the wafer W is moved by the stage 30, each probe 22 comes into contact with an electrode pad, a solder bump, or the like of each semiconductor device on the wafer W. As a result, the tester 20 outputs power and various signals to each semiconductor device via the probe card 21 and the interface 23, and also receives signals transmitted from each semiconductor device via the probe card 21 and the interface 23.

[0015] The tester 20 includes a motherboard (not shown) therein, which is connected to the interface 23. The motherboard has a number of slots into which a number of test boards (not shown) can be attached, and is connected to a controller 90. The motherboard judges the quality of each semiconductor device on the wafer W based on a signal transmitted from the device. By appropriately replacing the test board, the tester 20 can perform a number of types of inspections.

[0016] Fig. 2(A) is a schematic side view partially showing the inspection unit 10. Fig. 2(B) is a plan view showing a moving device 50 provided in the inspection unit 10. As shown in Fig. 2(A), the stage 30 is installed on the frame structure 14 of the housing 11. The stage 30 includes a mounting table 31 having a flat mounting surface 30s capable of supporting a wafer W.

[0017] The stage 30 transports the wafer W placed on the placement surface 30s to an appropriate three-dimensional coordinate position (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions) in the inspection chamber 12. For example, the stage 30 adjusts the horizontal position of the wafer W by moving in the horizontal direction (X-axis-Y-axis directions) between a position near (or inside) the loader 13 and a position facing the probe card 21. In addition, the stage 30 adjusts the elevation position of the wafer W by moving up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) at the position facing the probe card 21 and the wafer W.

[0018] In addition to the mounting table 31, the stage 30 has a moving section 32 (an X-axis moving mechanism 33, a Y-axis moving mechanism 34, and a Z-axis moving mechanism 35), as well as a stage control section, a motor driver section, and the like (not shown). The stage 30 may also have a stage-side camera 19 that captures an image of the contact state between the probe card 21 or each probe 22 and the wafer W, and the like (see FIG. 1).

[0019] In accordance with this stage 30, the frame structure 14 of the housing 11 has a two-stage structure including an upper base 141 that supports the moving unit 32, a lower base (not shown) that supports the stage control unit and the motor driver unit, and a number of pillars 142 that extend vertically and support each base.

[0020] The mounting table 31 is configured by stacking a plurality of structures, such as a bottom plate supported by the moving part 32 and a chuck top having a mounting surface 30s. The mounting surface 30s of the chuck top has a circular shape with a diameter larger than that of the wafer W in a plan view. Furthermore, the stage 30 may have a θ rotation mechanism (not shown) between the mounting table 31 and the moving part 32, or on the mounting table 31 itself, for rotating the chuck top around a central axis (around the θ axis). Although not shown, the chuck top may also have an appropriate holding means (vacuum suction mechanism, mechanical chuck, etc.) for holding the wafer W, a temperature control mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the mounting surface 30s, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the mounting surface 30s, etc.

[0021] The X-axis movement mechanism 33 of the movement unit 32 includes a plurality of guide rails 330 fixed to the upper surface of the upper base 141 and extending along the X-axis direction, a plurality of X-axis movable bodies 331 arranged on each guide rail 330, and an X-axis stage 332 supported by each X-axis movable body 331. The X-axis stage 332 has an X-axis driving unit (motor, gear mechanism, etc.) not shown that is connected to a motor driver unit (not shown). The X-axis driving unit reciprocates each X-axis movable body 331 and the X-axis stage 332 in the X-axis direction based on the power supply from the motor driver unit, thereby adjusting the X coordinate of the wafer W.

[0022] The Y-axis movement mechanism 34 includes a plurality of guide rails 340 fixed to the upper surface of the X-axis stage 332 and extending along the Y-axis direction, a plurality of Y-axis movable bodies 341 arranged on each guide rail 340, and a Y-axis stage 342 supported by each Y-axis movable body 341. The Y-axis stage 342 has a Y-axis driving section (motor, gear mechanism, etc.) not shown that is connected to a motor driver section. The Y-axis driving section reciprocates each Y-axis movable body 341 and the Y-axis stage 342 in the axial direction based on the power supply from the motor driver section, thereby adjusting the Y coordinate of the wafer W.

[0023] The Z-axis movement mechanism 35 is installed on the Y-axis stage 342 and holds the mounting table 31 on its upper portion. The Z-axis movement mechanism 35 includes a fixed guide body (not shown) and a Z-axis movable body (not shown) that is movable relatively to the fixed guide body, and displaces the mounting table 31 in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction).

[0024] The stage control unit of the stage 30 is connected to the controller 90 (see FIG. 1) of the inspection device 1, and controls the motor driver unit based on the command of the controller 90 to operate the stage 30. The stage control unit includes, for example, a main control unit that controls the operation of the entire stage 30, a PLC that controls the operation of the moving unit 32, a temperature controller that controls the temperature adjustment mechanism, an illumination control unit, a power supply unit, and the like (all not shown). For example, after the stage control unit receives the wafer W from the loader 13 onto the mounting table 31, it operates the moving unit 32 to move the wafer W in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the stage control unit raises the wafer W at a position where the wafer W faces the probe card 21, and brings the wafer W into contact with the probes 22 of the probe card 21. In this state, the controller 90 starts an electrical inspection by the tester 20. After the tester 20 finishes the inspection, the stage control unit lowers and horizontally moves the inspected wafer W by the reverse operation to the above, and returns the wafer W to the loader 13.

[0025] 1, the inspection apparatus 1 according to the embodiment includes an alignment bridge 40 between the tester 20 and the mounting table 31 of the stage 30 for aligning the wafer W mounted on the mounting table 31. The alignment bridge 40 has a detection structure 41 and a moving device 50 that moves the detection structure 41 forward and backward along the Y-axis direction. The detection structure 41 of the alignment bridge 40 is movable between a standby position SP and a center position CP that are set in the Y-axis direction by the moving device 50.

[0026] The standby position SP is, for example, a position adjacent to the frame structure 14 (suitable support pillars 142) of the housing 11 and not overlapping the vertically upper probe card 21. The center position CP is, for example, a position vertically above the mounting surface 30s of the stage 30 placed at the reference position, below the probe card 21, and coinciding with the center of the probe 22 of the probe card 21.

[0027] The detection structure 41 detects the wafer W on the opposing mounting table 31 below by moving the detection structure 41 to the center position CP, and recognizes the position of the wafer W based on the detection information. For this purpose, the detection structure 41 includes a bridge body 42 supported by a moving device 50 and slidable in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction), and a detection unit 43 provided on the bridge body 42.

[0028] The detection unit 43 is attached to the lower surface of the bridge 42 and is connected to the controller 90 to sense the wafer W placed vertically below. The controller 90 recognizes the position, posture, thickness, etc. of the wafer W and / or the position of the mounting table 31, etc., based on the detection information of the detection unit 43. For example, an imaging device using a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor may be used as the detection unit 43. Furthermore, the detection unit 43 may be a capacitance sensor, a displacement sensor, various optical sensors (e.g., an infrared sensor), a magnetic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, etc., or may be a combination of multiple types of sensors.

[0029] When aligning the wafer W using the alignment bridge 40, the inspection apparatus 1 first moves the bridge 42 to position it at the center position CP. By positioning the bridge 42 at this center position CP, the operating area of ​​the stage 30 for inspecting all the semiconductor devices on the wafer W placed on the mounting table 31 and the operating area of ​​the stage 30 for performing alignment can be made substantially the same.

[0030] After the center position CP is positioned, the controller 90 of the inspection device 1 detects the wafer W by the detection unit 43 to align the wafer W, and calculates the center position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the wafer W based on the detection information. For example, the controller 90 moves the wafer W on the mounting table 31 by the stage 30 in the X-axis direction, and measures two coordinates of the intersections between the scanning line of the imaging device of the detection unit 43 and the edge of the wafer W. Furthermore, the controller 90 moves the wafer W on the mounting table 31 by the stage 30 in the Y-axis direction, and measures two coordinates of the intersections between the scanning line of the imaging device of the detection unit 43 and the edge of the wafer W. When measuring the coordinates of the intersections of the edge of the wafer W, the controller 90 may also measure the coordinates of the edge of the mounting table 31 (mounting surface 30s). The controller 90 calculates the center position of the wafer W based on the measured coordinates of the four points of the wafer W, and further calculates the deviation state (deviation direction, deviation amount) of the center position of the wafer W relative to the center position of the mounting table 31.

[0031] Furthermore, in the alignment of the wafer W, the inspection apparatus 1 may perform orthogonal axis alignment of the wafer W based on detection information from the detection unit 43. For example, the orthogonal axis alignment is performed by measuring a line connecting pads in a semiconductor device of the wafer W by the detection unit 43, and rotating the stage 30 in the θ direction to match this line with the Y-axis direction of the stage 30.

[0032] Furthermore, the inspection apparatus 1 may measure the thickness of the wafer W to perform correction in the Z direction in the alignment of the wafer W. The thickness can be calculated by measuring the mounting surface 30s of the mounting table 31 and the upper surface of the wafer W using, for example, an electrostatic sensor or a displacement sensor of the detection unit 43.

[0033] Based on the measurement result of the position of the wafer W, the inspection apparatus 1 can adjust the position and attitude of the wafer W by moving or rotating the stage 30 by θ.

[0034] The moving device 50 of the alignment bridge 40 has a function of moving the bridge body 42 in the Y-axis direction and positioning the bridge body 42 at the center position CP. Here, the conventional moving device uses an air cylinder as a drive unit for moving the detection structure. However, the air cylinder generates friction and impact of the damper during positioning, which is a factor in reducing the positioning accuracy (e.g., repeatability of stopping with a deviation of about 2 [um]). Therefore, the moving device 50 according to the embodiment employs a servo system using a linear motor (linear servo motor) 53 and a linear encoder 55 to perform highly accurate positioning.

[0035] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2(B), the moving device 50 includes a plurality (pair) of guide members 51, and a slider body 52 and a linear encoder 55 provided on each of the plurality of guide members 51. A linear motor 53 is provided inside each slider body 52, and a servo amplifier 54 is connected to each linear motor 53. For ease of explanation, in the plan view shown in Fig. 2(B), the left guide member 51 and the respective components corresponding thereto are given the symbol L, and the right guide member 51 and the respective components corresponding thereto are given the symbol R.

[0036] The pair of guide members 51L, 51R are formed in a rectangular tube shape, aligned with each other in the X-axis direction, and extend linearly along the Y-axis direction. One end and the other end of the pair of guide members 51L, 51R serve as fixed portions 511 fixed to an appropriate frame structure 14 of the housing 11. The fixed portions 511 may function as stoppers that define the movement limits of each slider body 52L, 52R.

[0037] These guide members 51L, 51R are basically installed so as to extend parallel to each other. However, due to manufacturing errors, assembly errors, etc., the guide members 51L, 51R may not be completely parallel, and may be fixed in a slightly tilted or slightly distorted (twisted) state. As an example, the guide members 51L, 51R may be installed such that one end side is slightly apart, while the other end side is slightly close to each other (see FIG. 4(A)).

[0038] The slider body 52L is mounted on the guide member 51L and slides along the extension direction of the guide member 51L. Similarly, the slider body 52R is mounted on the guide member 51R and slides along the extension direction of the guide member 51R. For example, each of the slider bodies 52L, 52R is formed in a concave shape that covers the upper surface and both side surfaces of each of the guide members 51L, 51R, and is prevented from falling off each of the guide members 51L, 51R. The moving device 50 connects the bridge body 42 of the alignment bridge 40 to each of the opposing surfaces (inner surfaces) of the slider body 52L and the slider body 52R.

[0039] The bridge 42 is set to a length according to a predesigned interval between the slider body 52L and the slider body 52R. For example, the bridge 42 has a width that is approximately equal to the length of each of the slider bodies 52L and 52R in the Y-axis direction. The bridge 42 supported by each of the slider bodies 52L and 52R extends linearly along the X-axis direction perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, and includes a detection unit 43 at the middle of the extension direction. Hereinafter, the pair of slider bodies 52L and 52R and the bridge 42 supported thereon are also referred to as a bridge structure 56.

[0040] A linear motor 53L is provided inside slider body 52L. A linear motor 53R is provided inside slider body 52R. In other words, linear motor 53L is a drive unit that moves slider body 52L along the extension direction of guide member 51L, and linear motor 53R is a drive unit that moves slider body 52R along the extension direction of guide member 51R.

[0041] Each linear motor 53L, 53R includes, for example, a shaft (not shown) along the guide member 51, and includes a movable element (shown) attached to the shaft. The shaft has magnets arranged at equal intervals inside the pipe. The movable element has a three-phase coil wound around the shaft. Each linear motor 53L, 53R is configured to obtain a thrust in the Y-axis direction by passing a current through the coil of the movable element and causing it to interact with the magnetic flux of the magnet of the shaft. Each linear motor 53L, 53R configured in this manner has no backlash and hardly generates vibration (cogging), making it possible to perform positioning with high accuracy. In addition, the moving device 50 can be configured without mechanical structures such as screws and nuts inside, resulting in a small and simple structure and enabling high-speed movement.

[0042] The linear motors 53L, 53R are connected to servo amplifiers 54L, 54R, respectively. The slider body 52L slides in the extension direction of the guide member 51L based on the power supplied from the servo amplifier 54L to the linear motor 53L. Similarly, the slider body 52R slides in the extension direction of the guide member 51R based on the power supplied from the servo amplifier 54R to the linear motor 53R.

[0043] Moreover, the linear encoder 55L is disposed vertically below the guide member 51L, and is a detector that detects the position of each slider body 52L, and transmits position information to the servo amplifier 54L or the controller 90. For example, the servo amplifier 54L controls the position of the slider body 52L based on the target position (or target speed) transmitted from the controller 90 and the position information of the linear encoder 55L. Similarly, the linear encoder 55R is disposed vertically below the guide member 51R, and is a detector that detects the position of each slider body 52R, and transmits position information to the servo amplifier 54R or the controller 90. For example, the servo amplifier 54R controls the position of the slider body 52R based on the target position (or target speed) transmitted from the controller 90 and the position information of the linear encoder 55R.

[0044] The controller 90 is a computer having a processor, memory, an input / output interface, a communication interface, etc. (not shown). The processor is a combination of one or more of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a circuit made of a plurality of discrete semiconductors, etc., and executes and processes a program stored in the memory. The memory includes a main storage device made of a semiconductor memory, etc., and an auxiliary storage device made of a disk, a drive, a semiconductor memory (flash memory), etc.

[0045] The controller 90 according to the embodiment also functions as a control unit that controls the alignment bridge 40 (including the moving device 50). In other words, the moving device 50 is configured to include the controller 90. Note that the moving device 50 may have a dedicated control computer separate from the controller 90 of the inspection apparatus 1, and this control computer may be provided in the servo amplifier 54.

[0046] Fig. 3(A) is a flowchart showing an inspection method for a wafer W by the inspection apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. Fig. 3(B) is a flowchart showing an operation method of the alignment bridge 40, including a movement method of the movement device 50. In the inspection method for a wafer W, a controller 90 controls each component of the inspection apparatus 1 to sequentially perform steps S101 to S104 shown in Fig. 3(A).

[0047] In the inspection method for the wafer W, the inspection apparatus 1 first transports the wafer W using the transport device of the loader 13, and places the wafer W on the mounting surface 30s of the stage 30 (step S101).

[0048] The inspection device 1 then causes the X-axis moving mechanism 33 and the Y-axis moving mechanism 34 of the moving unit 32 to slide the stage 30 in the horizontal direction, and moves the stage 30 and the wafer W to positions facing the respective probes 22 of the probe card 21 (step S102). For example, the controller 90 has a reference position for aligning the wafer W, and places the stage 30 at this reference position.

[0049] Then, the inspection device 1 operates the above-mentioned alignment bridge 40 to place the detection unit 43 of the bridge body 42 at the center position CP, detects the wafer W on the stage 30, and aligns (corrects the position and attitude of) the wafer W (step S103). The operation of this alignment bridge 40 will be described in detail later.

[0050] When the alignment of the wafer W is completed, the inspection apparatus 1 raises the mounting table 31 by the Z-axis movement mechanism 35 of the movement unit 32, and brings each semiconductor device of the wafer W into contact with each probe 22 (step S104). By performing the above-mentioned alignment of the wafer W in advance, each semiconductor device can be brought into contact with each probe 22 with high accuracy. At this time, it is preferable that the controller 90 performs an overdrive to slightly raise the wafer W after each semiconductor device comes into contact with each probe 22, and stabilizes electrical conduction between each semiconductor device and each probe 22.

[0051] Thereafter, the inspection apparatus 1 inspects each semiconductor device by the tester 20 (step S105). The tester 20 transmits appropriate electrical signals to each semiconductor device on the wafer W, and judges the acceptability of each semiconductor device based on the signals transmitted from each semiconductor device.

[0052] When the inspection is completed, the inspection device 1 lowers and horizontally moves the stage 30 to a position adjacent to the loader 13, and then the transfer device of the loader 13 removes the wafer W placed on the stage 30 and transfers it to the carrier (step S106).

[0053] Here, in the case of a moving device applied to an alignment bridge or the like, when one bridge body is fixed to a plurality of driving parts (linear motors) as described above, it is common to move the bridge body by synchronously operating (driving simultaneously) each driving part. In this case, the guide members that guide each driving part are precisely installed parallel to each other, and a high torque is required from the motor to control the position of the slider body. The linear motor 53 applied to the servo system is basically low torque. If the driving parts are synchronously operated with the guide members 51 slightly inclined from the parallel state, a positional deviation occurs between the driving parts, and a large torque is applied to the linear motor 53, which may cause the linear motor 53 to stop driving.

[0054] Therefore, the servo system according to the embodiment performs single-axis control in which one of the pair of linear motors 53L, 53R is driven and the other is not driven during the movement of the bridge body 42. On the other hand, the servo system performs multi-axis control in which both of the pair of linear motors 53L, 53R are simultaneously driven at the center position CP, where the positioning accuracy of the bridge body 42 is required, and at the standby position SP, where the holding force of the bridge body 42 is required. This allows the inspection device 1 to smoothly move the bridge body 42 of the alignment bridge 40 and to position the bridge body 42 at an appropriate position with high accuracy.

[0055] Hereinafter, the operation of the alignment bridge 40, in other words, the control of step S103 in FIG. 3A, will be described with reference to FIG. 3B and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D. FIG. 4A is a first plan view showing the operation of the moving device 50. FIG. 4B is a second plan view showing the operation of the moving device 50. FIG. 4C is a third plan view showing the operation of the moving device 50. FIG. 4D is a fourth plan view showing the operation of the moving device 50. Note that FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D exaggerate an example in which the pair of guide members 51L, 51R widen on the Y-axis positive direction side while narrowing on the Y-axis negative direction side. The pair of guide members 51L, 51R are basically installed so as to be parallel to each other, and in reality, the parallelism between them is slightly tilted due to manufacturing errors and assembly errors.

[0056] In the operation of the alignment bridge 40, the inspection apparatus 1 performs steps S201 to S206 shown in Fig. 3(B) under the control of the controller 90. Specifically, the inspection apparatus 1 first monitors whether the conditions for performing alignment of the wafer W are met, and determines whether or not to start alignment of the wafer W (step S201).

[0057] For example, the alignment conditions include that an uninspected wafer W is placed on the mounting surface 30s of the stage 30, that the stage 30 is placed at a reference position, and that the alignment bridge 40 is waiting at the waiting position SP. That is, as shown in Fig. 4(A), each slider body 52L, 52R of the alignment bridge 40 (moving device 50) is positioned in advance and waits at the waiting position SP, which is an origin position set at the base end of each guide member 51. When the controller 90 determines that the alignment conditions are met (step S201: YES), the process proceeds to step S202.

[0058] In step S202, the inspection device 1 turns on the servo of one linear motor 53L of the pair of linear motors 53L, 53R and turns off the servo of the other linear motor 53R to move the bridge structure 56 from the standby position SP (step (A)). That is, as shown in FIG. 4(B), in the bridge structure 56, only the linear motor 53L of the slider body 52L is driven (see the thick dotted line in FIG. 4(B)). At this time, since the servo of the linear motor 53R is off, the slider body 52R is in a free state.

[0059] Therefore, when the slider body 52L moves in the negative direction of the Y axis by driving the linear motor 53L, the slider body 52R connected to the slider body 52L via the bridge body 42 also follows (slides) along with the movement of the slider body 52L. In other words, the linear motor 53L does not receive the torque of the linear motor 53R according to the inclination of the pair of guide members 51 during its driving. As a result, the moving device 50 can smoothly move the entire bridge structure 56 in the negative direction of the Y axis along the pair of guide members 51L, 51R.

[0060] Furthermore, the moving device 50 detects the positions of the slider bodies 52L, 52R by the linear encoders 55L, 55R when the bridge structure 56 moves. Position information detected by the linear encoder 55L is transmitted to the servo amplifier 54L (or the controller 90), and the servo amplifier 54L adjusts the driving state (driving speed, driving position, etc.) of the linear motor 53L based on this position information. This allows the inspection device 1 to precisely control the position of the bridge structure 56 in the Y-axis direction.

[0061] During the forward movement of the bridge structure 56, the controller 90 monitors whether the bridge body 42 has reached the center position CP (step S203 in FIG. 3B). For example, the controller 90 compares position information of the linear encoder 55L with position information of a preset center position CP to determine whether the center position CP has been reached. Note that, in order to position the bridge structure 56 in step S204, the controller 90 may be configured to determine that the bridge body 42 has reached a nearby position slightly before the center position CP is reached. When the center position CP is reached (step S203: YES), the controller 90 proceeds to step S204.

[0062] In step S204, the inspection device 1 simultaneously servos on both of the pair of linear motors 53L, 53R to position the bridge structure 56 at the center position CP (step (B)). That is, as shown in Fig. 4(C), the linear motor 53L of the slider body 52L and the linear motor 53R of the slider body 52R are each driven in the bridge structure 56 (see the thick dotted line in Fig. 4(C)).

[0063] As a result, the linear motor 53L stops the movement of the slider body 52L based on a preset stop position on the guide member 51L side (a position 485 mm away from the standby position SP in the embodiment). On the other hand, the linear motor 53R stops the slider body 52R based on a preset stop position on the guide member 51R side. The stop positions of the slider body 52L and the slider body 52R are the Y coordinates of the slider bodies 52L and 52R when the bridge body 42 is placed at the center position CP, and are respectively obtained by conducting experiments in advance after the installation of the inspection device 1 or during maintenance. Therefore, the stop position of the slider body 52L and the stop position on the slider body 52R side may be different from each other. As an example, when the distance in the Y-axis direction of bridge body 42 from standby position SP to center position CP is 485 mm, the stop position of slider body 52L can be set to 485 mm, and the stop position of slider body 52R can be set to 485.18 mm, etc.

[0064] In positioning the bridge structure 42, the linear motor 53L receives the torque of the linear motor 53R according to the inclination of the pair of guide members 51, while the linear motor 53R also receives the torque of the linear motor 53L according to the inclination of the pair of guide members 51. However, since the bridge structure 42 has reached the vicinity of the center position CP (or the center position CP itself), it is possible to avoid inconveniences such as the linear motors 53L and 53R stopping due to the influence of the torque. As a result, the moving device 50 can accurately position the bridge structure 56 with respect to the center position CP.

[0065] Thereafter, the alignment bridge 40 detects the wafer W on the opposing mounting table 31 by the detection unit 43 (step S205). By accurately positioning the bridge structure 56 at the center position CP, the alignment bridge 40 can significantly improve the detection accuracy of the wafer W.

[0066] Then, the inspection device 1 turns on the servo of one of the pair of linear motors 53L, 53R, the linear motor 53R, and turns off the servo of the other linear motor 53L, to move the bridge structure 56 away from the center position CP (step S206: (A)). That is, as shown in FIG. 4(D), in the bridge structure 56, only the linear motor 53R of the slider body 52R is driven (see the thick dotted line in FIG. 4(D)). At this time, since the servo of the linear motor 53L is turned off, the slider body 52L is in a free state.

[0067] Therefore, when the slider body 52R moves in the positive direction of the Y axis by driving the linear motor 53R, the slider body 52L connected to the slider body 52R via the bridge body 42 also follows (slides) along with the movement of the slider body 52R. That is, the moving device 50 can smoothly move the entire bridge structure 56 in the positive direction of the Y axis along the pair of guide members 51L, 51R during the return movement as well as during the forward movement. Furthermore, when the bridge structure 56 moves, the moving device 50 detects the positions of the slider bodies 52L, 52R by the linear encoders 55L, 55R, and adjusts the driving state (driving speed, driving position, etc.) of the linear motor 53L based on the position information of the linear encoder 55L. This allows the inspection device 1 to precisely control the position of the bridge structure 56 in the Y axis direction.

[0068] The controller 90 also monitors whether the bridge body 42 has reached the standby position SP during the return movement of the bridge structure 56 (step S207 in FIG. 3B). When the bridge body 42 has reached the standby position SP (step S207: YES), the controller 90 proceeds to step S208.

[0069] In step S208, the inspection device 1 turns on the servos of both of the pair of linear motors 53L, 53R to position the bridge structure 56 at the standby position SP (step (B)). The principle of positioning at the standby position SP is the same as that for the center position CP described above. This allows the movement device 50 to accurately position the bridge structure 56 with respect to the standby position SP as well.

[0070] As described above, the inspection device 1 performs uniaxial control in step (A) in which the bridge structure 56 moves, and performs multiaxial control in step (B) in which the bridge structure 56 is positioned. This makes it possible to improve the positioning accuracy at the position where the bridge structure 56 is stopped, while avoiding inconveniences such as stopping the movement of the bridge structure 56 in step (A). By performing positioning with high accuracy, the inspection device 1 can improve the alignment accuracy of the wafer W and narrow the movement range required for alignment, which ultimately makes it possible to improve the contact accuracy between the wafer W and the probes 22.

[0071] FIG. 5(A) is a graph illustrating the torque of each linear motor 53L, 53R in the moving method according to the embodiment. FIG. 5(B) is a graph illustrating the torque of each linear motor 53L, 53R in the moving method according to the reference example. The vertical axis of FIG. 5(A) and FIG. 5(B) is the output of the left linear motor 53L and the right linear motor 53R. In order to conveniently express the reciprocity of the left linear motor 53L and the right linear motor 53R, the output of the left linear motor 53L is positive, and the output of the right linear motor 53R is negative. Hereinafter, the torque applied to each linear motor 53L, 53R when the bridge structure 56 moves (during the step (A)) will be described separately for the single-axis control according to the embodiment and the multi-axis control according to the reference example.

[0072] The movement method according to the reference example shown in Fig. 5(B) performs multi-axis control to drive both linear motors 53L, 53R when moving the bridge structure 56. Here, as shown in Figs. 4(A) to 4(D), when the pair of guide members 51L, 51R are inclined so as to move away from each other, the torque of the left linear motor 53L and the torque of the right linear motor 53R are mutually opposed and increase toward the center position CP in the Y-axis direction.

[0073] Each linear motor 53L, 53R used in the moving device 50 is basically driven with low torque. In the example of FIG. 5(B), when the distance from the standby position SP to the center position CP is 485 mm, each linear motor 53L, 53R exceeds the rated torque of the other at about 380 mm. Since each linear motor 53L, 53R is driven with low torque, it is forced to stop moving. In addition, the torque of the left linear motor 53L and the read value deviation of the right linear motor 53R (the deviation of the detection information of the linear encoders 55L, 55R) at this time was about 50 μm. The read value deviation at the center position CP of the left linear motor 53L and the center position CP of the right linear motor 53R is 150 μm or more. In this way, in the bridge structure 56 according to the reference example, even if the guide members 51L, 51R are misaligned by only about 50 μm or more, the linear motors 53L, 53R are likely to stop driving during movement.

[0074] In contrast, in the moving method according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5(A), one of the linear motors 53L, 53R (the left linear motor 53L) is driven during the movement of the bridge structure 56 to perform uniaxial control to slide the bridge body 42. In this case, the torque of the left linear motor 53L fluctuates around the rated torque, while the torque of the other (the right linear motor 53R) is maintained at zero. In other words, even if the pair of guide members 51L, 51R are inclined so as to move away from each other, the torque of the left linear motor 53L and the torque of the right linear motor 53R are not mutually contradictory. Therefore, even if the linear motors 53L, 53R are driven with low torque, the bridge structure 56 can move smoothly toward the center position CP in the Y-axis direction.

[0075] Then, the moving method according to the embodiment switches to multi-axis control in which both linear motors 53L and 53R are driven at the center position CP. In the multi-axis control, when the detection information of each linear encoder 55L and 55R reaches a predetermined stop position, the driving of each linear motor 53L and 53R is stopped. Each stop position is a position where the detection unit 43 of the bridge body 42 accurately faces the center of each probe 22 of the probe card 21 in the pair of inclined guide members 51L and 51R, which is obtained by a prior experiment. As a result, when each slider body 52L and 52R reaches a stop position on each of the left and right sides to stop each linear motor 53L and 53R, the bridge structure 56 can accurately position the bridge body 42 at the center position CP.

[0076] Fig. 6(A) shows the measurement results of the positional deviation in the X-axis direction when positioning is repeated multiple times using a conventional air cylinder and the linear motor 53 according to the embodiment. Fig. 6(B) shows the measurement results of the positional deviation in the Y-axis direction when positioning is repeated multiple times using a conventional air cylinder and the linear motor 53 according to the embodiment. Note that in the configuration in which the linear motor 53 is used, a movement method including the movement by single-axis control and positioning by multi-axis control is performed.

[0077] 6A, when a conventional air cylinder is used, the center position CP repeatedly shifts by about 1.6 μm in the X-axis direction. On the other hand, when the linear motor 53 according to the embodiment is used, positioning is repeatedly performed with the center position CP shifting to 0.1 μm or less in the X-axis direction. Therefore, it can be said that the linear motor 53 can be used to achieve more accurate positioning in the X-axis direction.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 6B, when a conventional air cylinder is applied, the center position CP is repeatedly shifted by about 1.2 μm in the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, when the linear motor 53 according to the embodiment is applied, positioning is repeated with the center position CP shifted by about 0.4 μm in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, it can be said that the linear motor 53 can be used to achieve more accurate positioning in the Y-axis direction as well. The reason that the positional fluctuation in the Y-axis direction is greater than the positional fluctuation in the X-axis direction during repeated positioning is that the bridge structure 56 is moved in the Y-axis direction as described above, and positioning errors in the Y-axis direction are more likely to be large than those in the X-axis direction.

[0079] 7 is a table showing the measurement results of the movement time when positioning is repeated multiple times using a conventional air cylinder and the linear motor 53 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, when the conventional air cylinder is applied, the average time to move from the standby position SP to the center position CP is 1770 msec. In contrast, when the linear motor 53 according to the embodiment is applied, the average time to move from the standby position SP to the center position CP is 1343 msec. Therefore, by applying the linear motor 53, the forward movement time to move from the standby position SP to the center position CP is improved by 24.1%.

[0080] Similarly, when a conventional air cylinder was used, the average time required to move from the center position CP to the standby position SP was 1933 msec. In contrast, when the linear motor 53 according to the embodiment was used, the average time required to move from the center position CP to the standby position SP was 1340 msec. Therefore, by using the linear motor 53, the return time required to move from the standby position SP to the center position CP is improved by 30.7%.

[0081] In this manner, the moving device 50 according to the embodiment can reduce the time required for moving the bridge structure 56 by applying the linear motor 53. Therefore, the inspection apparatus 1 can reduce the time required for alignment of the wafer W, and thus improve the throughput of the entire inspection.

[0082] The moving device 50, the inspection device 1, and the moving method according to the embodiment are not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the moving device 50 according to the embodiment is configured to include a pair (two) of guide members 51L and 51R, slider bodies 52L and 52R, linear motors 53L and 53R, servo amplifiers 54L and 54R, and linear encoders 55L and 55R. However, the number of these members is not limited to two, and may be three or more. Even with three or more members, smooth movement and highly accurate positioning can be achieved by performing single-axis control (or two-axis control) during movement and performing two-axis control (or multi-axis control) during positioning.

[0083] In the moving method according to the embodiment, when the bridge body 42 moves, only one linear motor 53 is driven and the other linear motor 53 is not driven (torque is zero). However, the moving method is not limited to this, and the bridge body 42 may be moved by generating a slight torque in the other linear motor 53. In other words, in the single-axis control, the torque of the other linear motor 53 is set to be significantly lower (for example, about 1 / 100 to 1 / 2) than the torque of one linear motor 53. This makes it possible to move the other slider body 52 more easily by the driving force of the other linear motor 53 without interfering with the movement of the one slider body 52.

[0084] In the movement method according to the embodiment, single-axis control is performed during movement of the bridge structure 56, and multi-axis control is performed during positioning. In addition, the movement method may perform multi-axis control at the start of movement and perform single-axis control after a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of movement in order to suppress overshoot at the start of movement in one of the linear motors 53 on the driving side.

[0085] In addition, in the moving method according to the embodiment, uniaxial control and multiaxial control are performed both during the forward movement of the bridge body 42 from the standby position SP to the center position CP and during the return movement of the bridge body 42 from the center position CP to the standby position SP. However, the moving method may be configured to perform only uniaxial control (without multiaxial control) during the return movement of the bridge body 42 from the center position CP to the standby position SP. This allows the moving devices 50 and 50A to stop the bridge body 42 with high accuracy at the center position CP, where positioning accuracy is required, and to complete the movement of the bridge body 42 in a short time at the standby position SP, where positioning accuracy is not required.

[0086] Furthermore, the moving device 50 is not limited to a configuration in which one bridge body 42 is bridged and moved along the pair of guide members 51L, 51R, but may be configured in which, for example, a plurality of bridge bodies 42 are moved synchronously.

[0087] 8 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a moving device 50A according to a modified example. The moving device 50A according to the modified example differs from the moving device 50 of the above-described alignment bridge 40 in that the moving device 50A is applied to a moving section 32 that moves a mounting table 31 on which a wafer W is placed. For example, the moving device 50A is applied to an X-axis moving mechanism 33 and a Y-axis moving mechanism 34 of the moving section 32, and determines the horizontal coordinate position of the mounting table 31.

[0088] As an example, the moving device 50A of the Y-axis moving mechanism 34 has a plurality (pairs) of shaft-type linear motors (hereinafter referred to as shaft motors 60) extending in the Y-axis direction. Each shaft motor 60 includes a shaft 61, a slider body 62 that moves along the shaft 61, and a servo amplifier and a linear encoder (not shown). The slider body 62 of the shaft motor 60 is configured to be in a free state with respect to the shaft 61 when the shaft motor 60 is stopped. The mounting table 31 corresponds to the bridge body 42 described above, and is fixed across each slider body 62.

[0089] The moving device 50A configured in this manner can also smoothly move the mounting table 31 by performing single-axis control in which one of the shaft motors 60 is driven during movement. Moreover, the moving device 50A can accurately position the mounting table 31 at a target position by performing multi-axis control in which both of the shaft motors 60 are driven during positioning.

[0090] The technical ideas and effects of the present disclosure explained in the above embodiments will be described below.

[0091] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a moving device 50, 50A including a plurality of guide members 51, a plurality of slider bodies 52 provided on each of the plurality of guide members 51 and moving along the plurality of guide members 51, a bridge body 42 fixed across the plurality of slider bodies 52, a plurality of driving units (linear motor 53, shaft motor 60) for independently moving each of the plurality of slider bodies 52, a plurality of detection units (linear encoder 55) for detecting the positions of the plurality of slider bodies 52, and a control unit (controller 90) for controlling the plurality of driving units based on detection information from the plurality of detection units to move the plurality of slider bodies 52 and the bridge body 42, wherein the control unit controls (A) a step of moving the bridge body 42 by a driving force of one of the plurality of driving units, and (B) a step of simultaneously driving one of the plurality of driving units and another driving unit to position the bridge body 42 at the end of step (A).

[0092] According to the above, the moving devices 50, 50A move the bridge body 42 by the driving force of one driving unit (linear motor 53, shaft motor 60) in the step (A), thereby reducing the influence of other driving forces as much as possible. Therefore, the moving devices 50, 50A can smoothly move the bridge body 42 along the multiple guide members 51. Moreover, the moving devices 50, 50A can accurately position the bridge body 42 by simultaneously driving the multiple driving units in the step (B). As a result, the moving devices 50, 50A can obtain effects such as stabilizing the movement of the bridge body 42, improving the positioning accuracy, and shortening the positioning time.

[0093] Furthermore, the control unit (controller 90) sets the driving force of the other driving units among the multiple driving units (linear motor 53, shaft motor 60) to zero in the step (A). As a result, in the step (A), the bridge body 42 can be moved stably without receiving a conflicting torque from the other driving unit.

[0094] Further, the guide members 51, the slider bodies 52, the driving units (linear motors 53, shaft motors 60) and the detecting units (linear encoders 55) are provided in pairs. This allows the moving devices 50 and 50A to smoothly move the bridge body 42 (mounting table 31) while simplifying the configuration.

[0095] Moreover, the control unit (controller 90) moves the bridge body 42 in step (A) and switches to step (B) at a position where the bridge body 42 is stopped or a position near the position where the bridge body 42 is stopped. As a result, the moving device 50 performs multi-axis control only at the position where the bridge body 42 is stopped, and can position the bridge body 42 with high accuracy.

[0096] The control unit (controller 90) also holds in advance the stop positions for each of the plurality of slider bodies 52 corresponding to the positions at which the bridge body 42 is to be stopped, and in step (B) stops the driving of the driving units (linear motor 53, shaft motor 60) at the stop positions for each of the plurality of slider bodies 52. This allows the moving device 50 to stop each slider body 52 at its respective stop position, and as a result, it becomes possible to position the bridge body 42 with high accuracy.

[0097] The bridge body 42 is configured to reciprocate between the standby position SP and the target position (center position CP), and the control unit (controller 90) performs steps (A) and (B) both when moving the bridge body 42 from the standby position SP to the target position and when moving the bridge body 42 from the target position to the standby position SP. This allows the moving device 50 to accurately position the bridge body 42 even when returning the bridge body 42 from the target position to the standby position SP, making it possible to stably maintain control accuracy during the next movement.

[0098] In addition, the control unit (controller 90) differentiates one drive unit (linear motor 53, shaft motor 60) that drives in step (A) during forward movement from the other drive unit that drives in step (A) during return movement. This makes it possible for the moving device 50, 50A to suppress adverse effects caused by continuously using only one drive unit, thereby improving durability, etc.

[0099] The bridge body 42 is configured to reciprocate between the standby position SP and the target position (center position CP), and the control unit (controller 90) performs steps (A) and (B) during forward movement to move the bridge body 42 from the standby position SP to the target position, and performs step (A) but does not perform step (B) during return movement to move the bridge body 42 from the target position to the standby position SP. This allows the moving devices 50, 50A to stop the bridge body 42 at the target position with high accuracy, and complete the movement of the bridge body 42 to the standby position in a short time.

[0100] Moreover, the plurality of driving units are linear motors 53 provided for each of the plurality of slider bodies 52. This eliminates the need for the moving device 50 to have driving units at the end of the guide member 51, etc., and facilitates space saving.

[0101] The bridge 42 is an alignment bridge 40 that faces the substrate (wafer W) at a position where the bridge 42 is stopped and has a detection unit 43 that detects the position of the substrate. This allows the moving device 50 to accurately detect the position of the substrate (wafer W) in a space-saving manner and with high accuracy after accurately positioning the alignment bridge 40.

[0102] A second aspect of the present disclosure is an inspection apparatus 1 having a stage 30 on which a substrate (wafer W) is placed, and an alignment bridge 40 that moves relative to the stage 30 to detect the position of the substrate, and inspects the substrate placed on the stage 30, wherein at least one of the stage 30 or the alignment bridge 40 includes a plurality of guide members 51, a plurality of slider bodies 52 that are provided on each of the plurality of guide members 51 and move along the respective plurality of guide members 51, a bridge body 42 that is fixed across the plurality of slider bodies 52, and a bridge body that moves each of the plurality of slider bodies 52 independently. The control unit includes a plurality of driving units (linear motor 53, shaft motor 60) that move the slider bodies 52, a plurality of detection units (linear encoder 55) that detect the positions of the plurality of slider bodies 52, and a control unit (controller 90) that controls the plurality of driving units based on detection information from the plurality of detection units to move the plurality of slider bodies 52 and the bridge body 42, and the control unit controls (A) a step of moving the bridge body 42 by a driving force of one of the plurality of driving units, and (B) a step of simultaneously driving one of the plurality of driving units and the other driving unit to position the bridge body 42 at the completion of step (A).

[0103] Furthermore, a third aspect of the present disclosure is a moving method including a plurality of guide members 51, a plurality of slider bodies 52 provided on each of the plurality of guide members 51 and moving along the plurality of guide members 51, a bridge body 42 fixed across the plurality of slider bodies 52, a plurality of driving units (linear motor 53, shaft motor 60) for independently moving each of the plurality of slider bodies 52, and a plurality of detecting units (linear encoder 55) for detecting the positions of the plurality of slider bodies 52, respectively, and controlling the plurality of driving units based on detection information from the plurality of detecting units to move the plurality of slider bodies 52 and the bridge body 42, the method comprising: (A) a step of moving the bridge body 42 by a driving force of one of the plurality of driving units; and (B) a step of simultaneously driving the one driving unit and the other driving unit of the plurality of driving units at the completion of step (A) to position the bridge body 42. In the second and third embodiments described above, too, the bridge body 42 can be moved smoothly along the multiple guide members 51, and the bridge body 42 can be positioned with high accuracy.

[0104] The moving device 50, 50A, the inspection device 1, and the moving method according to the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The matters described in the above embodiments can be configured in other ways as long as they are not inconsistent, and can be combined as long as they are not inconsistent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1. Inspection equipment 42 Crosslinked body 50, 50A Mobile device 51 Guide member 52 Slider body 53 Linear Motor 55 Linear Encoder 60 shaft motor 90 Controller

Claims

1. A plurality of guide members; a plurality of slider bodies provided on each of the plurality of guide members and movable along the respective guide members; A bridge body fixed across the plurality of slider bodies; a plurality of drive units for independently moving each of the plurality of slider bodies; a plurality of detection units each detecting a position of the plurality of slider bodies; A control unit that controls the plurality of drive units based on detection information from the plurality of detection units to move the plurality of slider bodies and the bridge body, The control unit is (A) moving the bridge body by a driving force of one of the plurality of driving units; (B) at the end of the step (A), simultaneously driving the one driving unit and the other driving unit among the plurality of driving units to position the bridge body. Mobile device.

2. The control unit sets the driving force of the other driving unit to zero in the step (A). The mobile device of claim 1 .

3. The plurality of guide members, the plurality of slider bodies, the plurality of drive units, and the plurality of detection units are provided in pairs. The mobile device of claim 1 .

4. The control unit moves the crosslinked body in the step (A) and switches to the step (B) at a position where the crosslinked body is stopped or at a position near the position where the crosslinked body is stopped. A mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The control unit holds in advance stop positions for each of the plurality of slider bodies corresponding to positions at which the bridge body is stopped, and stops driving the drive unit at each stop position for each of the plurality of slider bodies in the step (B). The mobile device of claim 4.

6. The bridge body is configured to reciprocate between a standby position and a target position, The control unit performs the steps (A) and (B) both during a forward movement of moving the cross-linked body from the standby position to the target position and during a return movement of moving the cross-linked body from the target position to the standby position. A mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The control unit causes the one drive unit that drives in the step (A) during the forward movement to be different from the one drive unit that drives in the step (A) during the return movement. The mobile device of claim 6.

8. The bridge body is configured to reciprocate between a standby position and a target position, The control unit is During a forward movement of moving the cross-linked body from the standby position to the target position, the step (A) and the step (B) are performed; During the return movement of moving the cross-linked body from the target position to the standby position, the step (A) is performed, but the step (B) is not performed. A mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. The plurality of driving units are linear motors provided for the plurality of slider bodies, A mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. The bridge is an alignment bridge that faces the substrate at a position where the bridge is stopped and has a detection unit that detects the position of the substrate. A mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

11. A stage on which a substrate is placed; an alignment bridge that moves relative to the stage to detect a position of the substrate, the alignment bridge comprising: At least one of the stage or the alignment bridge is A plurality of guide members; a plurality of slider bodies provided on each of the plurality of guide members and movable along the respective guide members; A bridge body fixed across the plurality of slider bodies; a plurality of drive units for independently moving each of the plurality of slider bodies; a plurality of detection units each detecting a position of the plurality of slider bodies; A control unit that controls the plurality of drive units based on detection information from the plurality of detection units to move the plurality of slider bodies and the bridge body, The control unit is (A) moving the bridge body by a driving force of one of the plurality of driving units; (B) at the end of the step (A), simultaneously driving the one driving unit and the other driving unit among the plurality of driving units to position the bridge body. Inspection equipment.

12. A plurality of guide members; a plurality of slider bodies provided on each of the plurality of guide members and movable along the respective guide members; A bridge body fixed across the plurality of slider bodies; a plurality of drive units for independently moving each of the plurality of slider bodies; a plurality of detection units each detecting a position of the plurality of slider bodies, A moving method for moving the plurality of slider bodies and the bridge body by controlling the plurality of drive units based on detection information from the plurality of detection units, comprising: (A) moving the bridge body by a driving force of one of the plurality of driving units; (B) at the end of the step (A), simultaneously driving the one driving unit and another driving unit among the plurality of driving units to position the bridge body, How to move.

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