Prober

Abstract

To provide a prober capable of efficiently managing plastic deformation of a probe of a probe card or a prober capable of efficiently managing the plastic deformation of the probe of the probe card by accurately grasping it.SOLUTION: A prober 30 capable of inspecting an electric characteristic of a workpiece 10 including a wafer 11 in which a semiconductor chip 12 is formed includes a probe card 20 which has a probe 21 capable of being energized and is used for inspection of the workpiece and a camera 40 which can image the probe. The probe includes a probe body 22 extending in a cantilever shape. The camera is used for acquiring a height difference in a bending direction in two measurement parts 22c and 22d of the probe body at an interval in the longitudinal direction of the probe body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a prober capable of inspecting the electrical characteristics of a workpiece including a wafer on which semiconductor chips are formed. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, the electrical characteristics of workpieces, including wafers, are inspected using a probe card, which has probes mounted on it that correspond to the conductive electrode pads on the chips (semiconductor chips) formed on the wafer.

[0003] Specifically, a probe card has a substrate and probes attached to the surface of the substrate. Such a probe card is configured to pass electricity to a chip through the probes while the needles of the probes are in contact with electrode pads. A prober is equipped with a probe card and is used to test the electrical characteristics of a workpiece. The prober is configured to be able to maintain a state in which the electrode pads and the probe needles of the probe card are in contact with each other.

[0004] In recent years, the integration density of semiconductors has increased, and the number of probes formed on a probe card has increased accordingly. As a result, the pitch between adjacent probes has become narrower, and as a result, the size of the probes has become smaller. To manufacture such miniaturized probe cards, for example, MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technology has been used.

[0005] There are two types of probes for probe cards: cantilever probes and vertical pin probes. Cantilever probes are particularly popular because of their cost benefits and the ability to measure electrode pads arranged at narrow pitches.

[0006] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a cantilever-type probe extends parallel to the surface of a substrate, with the tip of the probe in the longitudinal direction being a free end and the base end of the probe in the longitudinal direction being attached to the surface of the substrate, and furthermore, the probe has a needle that protrudes from the tip of the probe to the opposite side of the substrate in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction.

[0007] When inspecting a workpiece using such a probe card, the needle of the cantilever-type probe is pressed slightly more against the electrode pad of the workpiece chip, thereby improving the contact performance between the probe needle and the electrode pad. This state is called "overdrive." In the overdrive state, the probe is deformed so that it is pushed up by the workpiece. This deformation amount is set within the range of the probe's elastic deformation so as to achieve both contact performance between the probe needle and the electrode pad and probe durability.

[0008] Regarding probe durability, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for managing probe damage by using a CCD camera to monitor the focus difference between a dummy pin and the probe needle in the direction in which the needle of a cantilever-type probe is pressed against the workpiece (hereinafter referred to as the "probe pressing direction" as necessary). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-141126 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, in recent years, inspections of workpieces using the above-mentioned probe card have been carried out under various conditions. For example, inspections of workpieces may be carried out at temperatures as high as 200°C or as low as -55°C. Repeated inspections of workpieces using a probe card under such harsh conditions may promote fatigue or creep, which may cause the probes of the probe card to undergo plastic deformation beyond the range of their elastic deformation.

[0011] In this case, the contact performance between the probe needle and the electrode pad may be degraded, which may cause the test to become unstable. Furthermore, if the amount of deformation of the probe due to plastic deformation increases, the base of the probe may come into contact with the workpiece before the probe needle comes into contact with the electrode pad of the workpiece.

[0012] Therefore, in order to manage the plastic deformation of the probe, it is possible to use a technology that monitors the focus difference between the dummy pin and the tip of the probe using a CCD camera, as described above. However, this technology can detect not only changes in the height of the needle in the probe-pressing direction due to the plastic deformation of the probe, but also changes in the height of the needle in the probe-pressing direction due to wear of the needle caused by cleaning, etc. Therefore, there are still challenges in accurately understanding and efficiently managing the plastic deformation of the probe.

[0013] In view of this situation, the object of the present invention is to provide a prober that can efficiently manage the plastic deformation of the probes of a probe card, or a prober that can accurately grasp the plastic deformation of the probes of a probe card and efficiently manage it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The present invention has the following configurations for solving the above problems. [1] A prober capable of inspecting the electrical characteristics of a workpiece, including a wafer on which a semiconductor chip is formed, comprising: a probe card having a conductive probe and used to inspect the workpiece; and a camera capable of imaging the probe, wherein the probe has a probe body extending in a cantilever shape, and the camera is used to obtain the difference in height in the deflection direction at two measurement locations of the probe body spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the probe body. [2] The prober according to [1], wherein the probe has a needle protruding from the probe body in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the probe body, the longitudinal tip of the probe body being a free end, and the longitudinal base end of the probe body being a fixed end, the needle being located at the tip of the probe body and being capable of contacting an electrically conductive electrode pad provided on the semiconductor chip formed on the wafer of the workpiece, and the two measurement sites being a first measurement site located closer to the tip of the probe body in the longitudinal direction and shifted in the longitudinal direction of the probe body relative to the tip, and a second measurement site located closer to the base end of the probe body than the first measurement site. [3] The prober according to [2], wherein a first block formed to promote reflection of light toward the camera is disposed in the first measurement location. [4] The prober according to [3], wherein a second block formed to promote reflection of light toward the camera is also disposed at the second measurement site. [5] A prober as described in [1], comprising an output device capable of outputting information about the probe card, and a control device capable of performing arithmetic processing based on the acquired values ​​of the height in the deflection direction at the two measurement sites acquired by the camera, and capable of controlling the camera and the output device, wherein the control device has an elevation difference acquisition unit that uses the camera to acquire the elevation difference in the deflection direction at the two measurement sites, an elevation difference determination unit that determines whether the acquired value of the elevation difference acquired by the elevation difference acquisition unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a warning output unit that controls the output device to output a warning when the elevation difference determination unit determines that the acquired value of the elevation difference exceeds the predetermined threshold. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, a prober is provided that can efficiently manage the plastic deformation of the probes of a probe card, or a prober that can accurately grasp the plastic deformation of the probes of a probe card and efficiently manage it. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a part of a prober according to an embodiment with a workpiece attached thereto. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the W portion of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a part of a prober according to an embodiment with a workpiece removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a bottom view schematically showing a probe according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a prober according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for inspecting a probe card according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] A prober according to one embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the workpiece to be inspected includes a wafer (semiconductor substrate). The wafer can be a Si (silicon) wafer, a SiC (silicon carbide) wafer, a sapphire wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or the like.

[0018] 1 to 5, the prober according to this embodiment is configured as follows: As shown in Fig. 1, the prober according to this embodiment is capable of inspecting a probe card 20 used to detect electrical characteristics of a workpiece 10 including a wafer 11. As an example, this probe card 20 can be of a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) type.

[0019] 1 to 4, the probe card 20 has a conductive probe 21. Although not specifically shown, the probe card 20 can have at least one probe 21. Preferably, the probe card 20 has a plurality of probes 21. The probe 21 has a probe body 22 that extends in a cantilever shape.

[0020] 5, the prober 30 has a camera 40 capable of capturing an image of the probe 21 of the probe card 20. The camera 40 is used to obtain the height difference in the deflection direction at two measurement sites 22c and 22d of the probe body 22 that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the probe body 22.

[0021] 1 to 6, the prober according to this embodiment can be configured as follows: As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the distal end 22a of the probe body 22 in the longitudinal direction is a free end, and the proximal end 22b of the probe body 22 in the longitudinal direction is a fixed end.

[0022] The probe 21 also has a needle 23 protruding from the probe body 22 in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the probe body 22. The needle 23 is located at a tip 22a of the probe body 22. The needle 23 is capable of contacting an electrically conductive electrode pad 13 provided on a chip (semiconductor chip) 12 formed on a wafer 11 of the workpiece 10.

[0023] The two measurement sites consist of a first measurement site 22c and a second measurement site 22d. The first measurement site 22c is located closer to the distal end 22a in the longitudinal direction of the probe body 22 and is shifted in the longitudinal direction of the probe body 22 relative to the distal end 22a. The second measurement site 22d is located at the proximal end 22b of the probe body 22. Note that the second measurement site 22d does not have to be located at the proximal end 22b. It is sufficient that it is located closer to the proximal end 22b than the first measurement site 22c. In other words, it is sufficient that the first measurement site 22c is located closer to the distal end 22a and the second measurement site 22d is located closer to the proximal end 22b in the longitudinal direction of the probe. This configuration achieves the desired effect, as described below. On the other hand, if the second measurement site 22d is located at the proximal end 22b, i.e., if a sufficient distance is secured between the first measurement site 22c and the proximal end 22b in the longitudinal direction of the probe, detection sensitivity is more likely to be improved, and better effects are obtained.

[0024] A first block 24 formed to encourage reflection of light toward the camera 40 is disposed at the first measurement site 22c. A second block 25 formed to encourage reflection of light toward the camera 40 is also disposed at the second measurement site 22d. The second block 25 is formed in the same manner as the first block 24 at the first measurement site 22c. Note that the probe body can also be formed so that a second block is not provided at the second measurement site.

[0025] In Fig. 3, camera 40 measuring first measurement site 22c is shown by a solid line, and camera 40 (and its periphery) measuring second measurement site 22d is shown by a virtual line (dash-dotted line). Furthermore, in Fig. 3, an example of probe 21 before plastic deformation is shown by a solid line, and an example of probe 21 after plastic deformation is shown by a virtual line (dash-two dotted line).

[0026] 5, the prober 30 has an output device 50 that can output information related to the probe card 20. The prober 30 has a control device 60 that can perform calculations based on the heights in the deflection direction at the two measurement sites 22c and 22d acquired using the camera 40. The control device 60 can control the camera 40 and the output device 50.

[0027] 6, the control device 60 has an elevation difference acquisition unit 60a that acquires the elevation difference in the deflection direction at the two measurement sites 22c, 22d using the camera 40. The control device 60 has an elevation difference determination unit 60b that determines whether the elevation difference acquired by the elevation difference acquisition unit 60a exceeds a predetermined threshold. The control device 60 has a warning output unit 60c that controls the output device 50 to output a warning when the elevation difference determination unit 60b determines that the acquired elevation difference exceeds the predetermined threshold.

[0028] 1 to 6, the prober 30 according to this embodiment is generally configured as follows: As shown in FIGS.

[0029] The prober 30 also has a probe card 20. Furthermore, the prober 30 has a chuck 1 that can hold the workpiece 10 facing the probe card 20 while bringing the probes 21, particularly the needles 23, of the probe card 20 into contact with the electrode pads 13 provided on the chips 12 formed on the wafer 11 of the workpiece 10.

[0030] 1 to 5, the prober 30 according to this embodiment can be configured in detail as follows: The wafer 11 is formed in a substantially disk shape.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, wafer 11 has a top surface 11a located on the top side in the thickness direction of wafer 11, and a bottom surface 11b located on the bottom side in the thickness direction of wafer 11. Top surface 11a of wafer 11 is formed to be approximately flat. Chips 12 are formed on top surface 11a of wafer 11 by processes such as film formation, exposure, etching, and planarization. In particular, multiple chips 12 are formed on top surface 11a of wafer 11. An electrode pattern (not shown) that can be electrically connected is formed within chip 12.

[0032] The chip 12 is formed in a generally plate shape. The chip 12 has a top surface 12a located on the top side in the thickness direction of the chip 12 and a bottom surface 12b located on the bottom side in the thickness direction of the chip 12. The bottom surface 12b of the chip 12 abuts against the top surface 11a of the wafer 11. An electrode pad 13 is formed on the top surface 12a of the chip 12.

[0033] The electrode pad 13 is electrically connected to the electrode pattern. The electrode pad 13 has a top surface 13a located on the top side in the thickness direction of the electrode pad 13 and a bottom surface 13b located on the bottom side in the thickness direction of the electrode pad 13. The top surface 13a of the electrode pad 13 is adapted to come into contact with the needle 23 of the probe 21. The bottom surface 13b of the electrode pad 13 is arranged to face the top surface 12a of the chip 12.

[0034] The chuck 1 has a top surface 1a capable of holding the wafer 11. The top surface 1a of the chuck 1 abuts against the bottom surface 11b of the wafer 11. The chuck 1 is configured to be able to hold the wafer 11 on the top surface 1a of the chuck 1 by using frictional force, vacuum suction force, surface tension of water, etc.

[0035] The probe card 20 has a substrate 26 that is arranged to face the top surface 10a of the workpiece 10 in the thickness direction when testing the electrical characteristics of the workpiece 10. At this time, the bottom surface 26a of the substrate 26 in the thickness direction faces the top surface 10a of the workpiece 10.

[0036] The probe card 20 has a fixing portion 27 used to fix the base end portion 22b of the probe body 22 of the probe 21 to the substrate 26. The fixing portion 27 is fixed to the base end portion 22b of the probe body 22 and the substrate 26.

[0037] 1 to 4, the probe 21 is configured to be conductive. In particular, the probe 21 may be made of metal. The probe body 22 of the probe 21 is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the bottom surface 26a of the substrate 26. However, the probe body may also be disposed so as to be spaced further away from the bottom surface of the substrate from the base end to the tip end.

[0038] The needle 23 of the probe 21 protrudes from the probe body 22 toward the workpiece 10 in the bending direction. The needle 23 of the probe 21 protrudes so as to be approximately parallel to the bending direction of the probe body 22. However, the needle of the probe can protrude so as to be inclined with respect to the bending direction of the probe body.

[0039] The cross sections of the probe body 22 and the needle 23 can be formed to be approximately circular. The first and second blocks 24, 25 of the probe body 22 protrude from the probe body 22 toward the workpiece 10 in the deflection direction. The first and second blocks 24, 25 have surfaces 24a, 25a located at the tips in the protruding direction. These surfaces 24a, 25a are formed to be approximately flat. Furthermore, the first and second blocks 24, 25 can be formed to have grooves, recesses, etc. Figures 1 to 4 show the first and second blocks 24, 25 having grooves.

[0040] 1 to 3, the opposing direction of the workpiece 10 and the probe card 20 can be made approximately parallel to the bending direction of the probe body 22. The thickness direction of the workpiece 10, the wafer 11, the chip 12, the electrode pads 13, and the substrate 26 of the probe card 20 can be made approximately parallel to the bending direction of the probe body 22.

[0041] The bending direction of the probe body 22 can be made substantially parallel to the height direction of the prober 30. The bending direction of the probe body 22 can be made substantially parallel to the vertical direction, that is, the up-down direction.

[0042] The prober 30 has a probe card support member 31 capable of supporting the probe card 20. The probe card support member 31 is capable of supporting the probe card 20 so that the probe card 20 faces the workpiece 10 with the needles 23 of the probes 21 of the probe card 20 in contact with the electrode pads 13 of the chips 12 of the workpiece 10 (contact state).

[0043] This contact state is preferably an overdrive state in which the probe body 22 is bent toward the substrate 26 in the bending direction so as to press the needle 23 against the electrode pad 13. The amount of bending of the probe body 22 in the overdrive state is preferably set so as to achieve both good contact performance between the needle 23 and the electrode pad 13 and durability of the probe 21.

[0044] 1 and 3, the camera 40 has a lens 41. The lens 41 is configured to be capable of power focusing. The image sensor used in the camera 40 may be a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) sensor, or the like.

[0045] The camera 40 is positioned on the workpiece 10 side in the bending direction of the probe body 22 relative to the chuck 1, the workpiece 10, and the probe card 20. The lens 41 of the camera 40 is oriented toward the substrate 26 side in the bending direction of the probe body 22. In particular, the camera 40 can be positioned below the chuck 1, the workpiece 10, and the probe card 20. In this case, the lens 41 of the camera 40 is oriented upward.

[0046] The camera 40 is configured to be able to focus on the first and second measurement sites 22c, 22d of the probe body 22. Furthermore, the camera 40 can be configured to be able to focus on the first and second blocks 24, 25 on which the first and second measurement sites 22c, 22d of the probe body 22 are provided.

[0047] The probe card 20 and the camera 40 are relatively movable in a direction (hereinafter referred to as "planar direction" as necessary) substantially perpendicular to the bending direction of the probe body 22. In this case, it is particularly preferable that the camera 40 is movable. In this case, the prober 30 has a movement mechanism 70 used to move the camera 40 in the planar direction.

[0048] The movement mechanism 70 has a stage 71 on which the camera 40 can be placed. The movement mechanism 70 has a drive unit 72 configured to be able to drive the stage 71 in a planar direction.

[0049] The workpiece 10 and the probe card 20 are movable relative to each other in a plane direction substantially perpendicular to the bending direction of the probe body 22. In this case, it is particularly preferable that the workpiece 10 is movable.

[0050] The moving mechanism 70 can be used to move the workpiece 10 in a planar direction in addition to the camera 40. In this case, it is preferable that the prober has the moving mechanism 70. The prober 30 has a chuck support member 2 that can support the chuck 1. The moving mechanism 70 can place the chuck support member 2 on a stage 71.

[0051] Although not specifically shown in the drawings, the output device 50 may be a display capable of displaying and outputting images, videos, etc. In this case, the display may output a warning display on the screen. The output device may also be a speaker capable of outputting audio. In this case, the speaker may output an alarm sound.

[0052] 5, the control device 60 has a processor 61, a memory 62, and an input / output unit 63. The processor 61 is an integrated circuit for control. For example, the processor 61 can be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a microcontroller, or the like. The processor 61 can also be configured to have a working RAM (Random Access Memory), not shown.

[0053] The memory 62 is a general information storage medium. The memory 62 may be a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 62 may be a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, or the like. The memory 62 may store programs, various data, and the like.

[0054] The input / output unit 63 serves as an interface for electrically connecting the control device 60 to the camera 40, the output device 50, and the drive unit 72 of the movement mechanism 70. Through such connections, the control device 60 is able to control the camera 40, the output device 50, and the drive unit 72 of the movement mechanism 70.

[0055] The control device 60 can acquire first and second focus values ​​of the camera 40 for the first and second measurement sites 22c and 22d of the probe body 22. The control device 60 can calculate and acquire the heights of the first and second measurement sites 22c and 22d based on the acquired first and second focus values. The control device 60 can also calculate and acquire the height difference between the first and second measurement sites 22c and 22d based on the heights of the first and second measurement sites 22c and 22d.

[0056] The control device 60 can store the acquired values ​​of the first and second focus values, the acquired value of the focus value difference between the first and second focus values, the acquired value of the heights of the first and second measurement sites 22c, 22d, the acquired value of the elevation difference between the first and second measurement sites 22c, 22d, the threshold value of the elevation difference, etc. The control device 60 can also store a program for causing the control device 60 to execute an inspection method for the probe card 20, which will be described later.

[0057] 7, a method for inspecting the probe card 20 by the control device 60 in the prober according to this embodiment will be described. First, the probe card 20 is placed on the probe card support member 31 of the prober 30.

[0058] The camera 40 is moved in a planar direction to a position corresponding to the first measurement site 22c of the probe body 22 of the probe 21 to be measured (step S1). The camera 40 is focused on the first measurement site 22c (step S2). A first focus value of the first measurement site 22c is obtained (step S3).

[0059] The camera 40 is moved in the planar direction to a position corresponding to the second measurement region 22d of the probe body 22 of the probe 21 to be measured (step S4). The camera 40 is focused on the second measurement region 22d (step S5). A second focus value of the second measurement region 22d is obtained (step S6).

[0060] The focus value difference between the first and second focus values ​​is acquired and calculated (step S7). Based on the acquired focus value difference, the height difference in the deflection direction at the first and second measurement sites 22c, 22d is acquired and calculated (step S8). It is determined whether the height difference value exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S9). If the height difference value is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (NO), the inspection for the probe 21 is terminated. If the height difference value exceeds the predetermined threshold (YES), a warning is output by the output device 50 (step S10).

[0061] As an example, the threshold value of the height difference can be set within a range of about 0.1 mm to about 2.0 mm, but the threshold value of the height difference is not limited to this.

[0062] As described above, the prober 30 according to this embodiment is equipped with a camera 40 capable of capturing an image of the probe 21 of the probe card 20, and such a camera 40 is used to obtain the height difference in the deflection direction at two measurement sites 22c, 22d of the probe body 22 spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the probe body 22.

[0063] Here, when the probe 21 undergoes plastic deformation, the difference in height in the bending direction between the tip end 22a and the base end 22b of the probe body 22 becomes significant. In contrast, in the prober 30 according to this embodiment, the camera 40 can be used to check the height change in the bending direction of the probe body 22 over a wide range in the longitudinal direction of the probe body 22. Therefore, the plastic deformation of the probe 21 can be efficiently detected. In other words, the plastic deformation of the probe 21 can be efficiently managed.

[0064] In the prober 30 according to this embodiment, the two measurement sites 22c, 22d consist of a first measurement site 22c located closer to the tip end 22a in the longitudinal direction of the probe body 22 and shifted in the longitudinal direction of the probe body 22 relative to the tip end 22a, and a second measurement site 22d located at the base end 22b of the probe body 22. Therefore, the height difference in the bending direction of the first and second measurement sites 22c, 22d thus acquired can be used to confirm the tendency of changes in the height difference in the bending direction of the probe 21 over the entire longitudinal direction of the probe 21. Therefore, plastic deformation of the probe 21 can be efficiently detected.

[0065] In the prober 30 according to this embodiment, a first block 24 is disposed at the first measurement site 22c, and is formed so as to reflect light toward the camera 40. Therefore, information regarding the height of the first measurement site 22c in the deflection direction can be efficiently obtained by the first block 24. Furthermore, the first measurement site 22c can be easily found by the first block 24. Therefore, plastic deformation of the probe 21 can be efficiently detected.

[0066] In the prober 30 according to this embodiment, a second block 25 formed to reflect light toward the camera 40 is also disposed at the second measurement site 22d. Therefore, this second block 25 makes it possible to efficiently obtain information about the height of the second measurement site 22d in the deflection direction in addition to the height of the first measurement site 22c in the deflection direction. Furthermore, the second block 25 makes it easy to find the second measurement site 22d. Therefore, plastic deformation of the probe 21 can be efficiently detected.

[0067] The prober 30 according to this embodiment includes an output device 50 capable of outputting information related to the probe card 20, and a control device 60 capable of performing arithmetic processing based on acquired values ​​of heights in the deflection direction at the two measurement sites 22c and 22d acquired using the camera 40, and capable of controlling the camera 40 and the output device 50. The control device 60 further includes an elevation difference acquisition unit 60a that acquires the elevation difference in the deflection direction at the two measurement sites 22c and 22d using the camera 40, an elevation difference determination unit 60b that determines whether the acquired value of the elevation difference acquired by the elevation difference acquisition unit 60a exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a warning output unit 60c that controls the output device 50 to output a warning when the elevation difference determination unit 60b determines that the acquired value of the elevation difference exceeds the predetermined threshold.

[0068] Therefore, if the threshold value of the height difference is set so as to enable detection of an abnormality in the probe 21, a warning can be immediately output by the output device 50 when a height difference occurs that indicates an abnormality in the probe 21. Therefore, plastic deformation of the probe 21 can be efficiently detected.

[0069] The prober 30 according to this embodiment is capable of inspecting the electrical characteristics of a workpiece 10 including a wafer 11. Such a prober includes the prober 30 according to this embodiment, a probe card 20, and a chuck 1 that can hold the workpiece 10 so as to face the probe card 20 while keeping the needles 23 of the probes 21 of the probe card 20 in contact with the electrode pads 13 provided on the chips 12 formed on the workpiece 10.

[0070] Therefore, it is possible to inspect the electrical characteristics of the workpiece 10 and also detect plastic deformation of the probes 21 of the probe card 20. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently manage the plastic deformation of the probes 21. Furthermore, it is possible to perform maintenance on the probe card before it becomes impossible to inspect, thereby improving measurement efficiency.

[0071] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention can be modified and changed based on the technical concept thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1... chuck, 2... chuck support member 10... workpiece, 11... wafer (semiconductor substrate), 12... chip (semiconductor chip), 13... electrode pad 20... probe card, 21... probe, 22... probe body, 22a... tip portion, 22b... base end portion, 22c... first measurement portion (measurement portion), 22d... second measurement portion (measurement portion), 23... needle, 24... first block, 25... second block 30...Prober 40...Camera 50...Output device 60...control device, 60a...altitude difference acquisition unit, 60b...altitude difference determination unit, 60c...warning output unit

Claims

1. A prober capable of inspecting electrical characteristics of a workpiece including a wafer on which semiconductor chips are formed, a probe card having a conductive probe and used for inspecting the workpiece; a camera capable of imaging the probe, The probe has a probe body extending in a cantilever shape, A prober, wherein the camera is used to acquire a height difference in a deflection direction at two measurement sites of the probe body spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the probe body.

2. the probe has a needle protruding from the probe body in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the probe body, The tip end of the probe body in the longitudinal direction is a free end, The base end of the probe body in the longitudinal direction is a fixed end, the needle is located at the tip of the probe body and can come into contact with an electrically conductive electrode pad provided on the semiconductor chip formed on the wafer of the workpiece; 2. The prober of claim 1, wherein the two measurement sites comprise a first measurement site located closer to the longitudinal tip of the probe body and shifted in the longitudinal direction of the probe body relative to the tip, and a second measurement site located closer to the base end of the probe body than the first measurement site.

3. 3. The prober according to claim 2, wherein a first block formed to promote reflection of light toward the camera is disposed in the first measurement region.

4. 4. The prober according to claim 3, wherein a second block formed to promote reflection of light toward the camera is also disposed at the second measurement site.

5. an output device capable of outputting information about the probe card; a control device that enables calculation processing based on the acquired values ​​of the heights in the deflection direction at the two measurement sites acquired by the camera and that can control the camera and the output device; Equipped with The control device an elevation difference acquisition unit that acquires an elevation difference in the deflection direction between the two measurement sites using the camera; an elevation difference determination unit that determines whether or not the elevation difference acquired by the elevation difference acquisition unit exceeds a predetermined threshold; a warning output unit that controls the output device to output a warning when the elevation difference determination unit determines that the acquired value of the elevation difference exceeds a predetermined threshold; 2. The prober of claim 1, comprising:

Images