Test apparatus and test method

Abstract

To provide a novel technique relating to a test apparatus and a test method for pressing and fracturing a test piece by an indenter.SOLUTION: A test apparatus includes: a support base for supporting a test piece; an indenter for pressing the upper surface of the test piece supported by the support base; a load measurement unit for measuring a load applied to the indenter during pressing of the test piece by the indenter; a movement unit for moving the indenter close to the test piece supported by the support base; a controller for controlling at least the movement unit; and a gas injection unit for injecting gas, the gas injection unit being configured for injecting the gas in a horizontal direction toward the tip of the indenter and an upper surface of the support base in a state where the tip of the indenter is spaced apart from the upper surface of the support base.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a testing device for measuring the strength of a test piece such as a semiconductor chip. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a testing device is known that measures the strength of a semiconductor chip by pressing a semiconductor chip supported by a support base with an indenter and measuring the load at the time of breakage.

[0003] If a fracture test of another semiconductor chip is performed with fragments or debris from the semiconductor chip that are generated by breaking the semiconductor chip and adhering to the tip of the indenter or the support base, there is a risk that the load cannot be measured accurately. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of spraying gas onto the indenter to remove the fragments and debris adhering to the indenter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-94832 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, spraying gas can cause debris adhering to the support base or indenter to fly up, and there is a risk that this debris will then adhere to the indenter or support base again, so improvements were desperately needed.

[0006] In view of the above, the present invention proposes a novel technique for a testing device and a testing method in which a test piece is pressed with an indenter to break it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above, and the means for solving this problem will now be described.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a testing apparatus comprising a support table that supports a test piece, an indenter that presses against the top surface of the test piece supported by the support table, a load measurement unit that measures the load applied to the indenter when the indenter presses against the test piece, a movement unit that moves the indenter closer to the test piece supported by the support table, a controller that controls at least the movement unit, and an injection unit that injects gas, wherein the injection unit injects the gas horizontally toward the tip of the indenter and the top surface of the support table while the tip of the indenter is spaced from the top surface of the support table.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, the support base is further provided with a wall portion that surrounds the support base and has an upper end higher than the upper surface of the support base, and the injection unit injects the gas while the tip of the indenter is positioned at a height where it is surrounded by the wall portion.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises an imaging unit disposed outside the wall portion for imaging the test piece supported by the support stand, the wall portion having a transparent portion at least in a portion facing the imaging unit, and the injection unit injects the gas in a direction along the transparent portion.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, the test method includes a support step of supporting a test piece on a support stand, a pressing step of pressing an indenter against the upper surface of the test piece supported on the support stand, a load measurement step of measuring the load applied to the indenter when the indenter presses against the test piece and breaks the test piece, and a gas injection step of injecting the gas horizontally toward the tip of the indenter and the upper surface of the support stand, with the tip of the indenter positioned at a height spaced from the upper surface of the support stand. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The present invention provides the following effects. In other words, according to one aspect of the present invention, the gas injected horizontally is not blocked by the indenter or the support base, and foreign matter such as debris and dust can be blown away in the direction of the gas injection, thereby reducing the risk of the foreign matter re-adhering to the indenter or the support base.

[0013] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent fragments and debris of the broken test piece from scattering outside the wall portion of the cover.

[0014] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, foreign matter such as fragments or debris of test pieces adhering to the transparent portion can be removed by gas, thereby avoiding the problem of foreign matter being reflected in images captured by the imaging unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a support unit. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of a support unit and an indenter. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing the procedure of an example of a testing method. [Figure 5] (A) is a diagram illustrating the state in which the test piece is set, (B) is a diagram illustrating the state in which the indenter contacts the test piece, and (C) is a diagram illustrating the state in which the test piece is broken. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a gas injection step. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example in which an indenter cover is provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1, a testing apparatus 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a box-shaped lower container 4 formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The lower container 4 has an opening 4a that opens upward, and a support unit 6 that supports a test piece whose strength is to be measured by the testing apparatus 2 is provided inside this opening 4a.

[0017] 2 is a perspective view showing the support unit 6. The support unit 6 includes a pair of support stands 8 that support a test piece. Each of the pair of support stands 8 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is arranged spaced apart from each other so that a gap 10 is provided between the pair of support stands 8. The pair of support stands 8 are also arranged so that the longitudinal direction of their support surfaces 8a is aligned with the first horizontal direction (Y-axis direction, front-rear direction). A test piece (e.g., a semiconductor chip) whose strength is to be measured is placed on the pair of support stands 8.

[0018] On the support surface 8a side of each support stand 8, a support portion 8b is formed, which forms a convex ridge that protrudes upward from the support surface 8a. The support portion 8b is made of a metal such as stainless steel, and is arranged adjacent to the gap 10 so that its length direction is along the Y-axis direction. The pair of support portions 8b are arranged spaced apart from each other across the gap 10, and support the lower surface of the test piece. Note that FIG. 2 shows a support portion 8b with a curved upper surface.

[0019] Furthermore, plate-shaped contact members 12 made of a material (such as rubber sponge) that is softer than the support portions 8b are provided on the support surface 8a of each support base 8. Each contact member 12 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view and is provided on both sides of the pair of support portions 8b. That is, the contact members 12 are each disposed on the opposite side of the gap 10 between the pair of support portions 8b, and the pair of support portions 8b are disposed between the pair of contact members 12.

[0020] The upper surface of the contact member 12 constitutes a contact surface 12a that contacts and supports the test piece. The contact member 12 is provided so that the contact surface 12a is located above the upper end of the support portion 8b (for example, about 1 mm above the upper end of the support portion 8b). Therefore, when the test piece is placed on the pair of support bases 8, the lower surface of the test piece does not contact the support portion 8b but contacts the contact surface 12a of the contact member 12.

[0021] A support unit movement mechanism 14 is provided on the rear side of the pair of support bases 8, which moves each of the pair of support bases 8 along a second horizontal direction (X-axis direction, left-right direction) perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. The support unit movement mechanism 14 has a rectangular parallelepiped support structure 16, and a pair of guide rails 18 are fixed to the front side (surface side) of the support structure 16 at a predetermined interval along the X-axis direction.

[0022] A pair of ball screws 20 are provided between the pair of guide rails 18 and are arranged generally parallel to the pair of guide rails 18. A pulse motor 22 that rotates the ball screws 20 is connected to one end of each of the pair of ball screws 20.

[0023] Furthermore, the support portion movement mechanism 14 includes a pair of moving plates 24 fixed to the rear sides of the pair of support bases 8, respectively. The moving plates 24 are slidably mounted on a pair of guide rails 18 provided on the front side of the support structure 16, respectively.

[0024] Furthermore, a nut portion (not shown) is provided on each rear surface (back surface) of the pair of moving plates 24. The nut portion provided on one of the pair of moving plates 24 is threadedly engaged with one of the pair of ball screws 20, and the nut portion provided on the other of the pair of moving plates 24 is threadedly engaged with the other of the pair of ball screws 20.

[0025] When the ball screw 20 is rotated by the pulse motor 22, the moving plate 24 screwed onto the ball screw 20 moves in the X-axis direction along the guide rail 18. This controls the positions of the pair of support bases 8 in the X-axis direction and the width of the gap 10.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 1, a pressing unit 26 is disposed above the lower container 4. The pressing unit 26 presses the test piece supported by the support unit 6, and measures the load acting on the pressing unit 26 when pressing the test piece.

[0027] The pressing unit 26 includes a moving member 28 connected to a moving unit 40. A cylindrical first support member 30 is connected to the lower surface of the moving member 28 and is arranged downward from the lower surface of the moving member 28, and a load measuring unit 32 made up of a load cell or the like is fixed to the lower end of the first support member 30 to measure the load applied to an indenter 39 when pressing a test piece (not shown).

[0028] An indenter fixing member 37 is fixed to the underside of the load measuring unit 32 via a second support member 34, and an indenter 39 is fixed to the indenter fixing member 37 to press the upper surface of a test piece (not shown) supported by a support base.

[0029] 3, the tip 39a (lower end) of the indenter 39 is configured to be approximately V-shaped and contacts a test piece (not shown) from above. The upper end of the indenter 39 is fixed to an indenter fixing member 37. The indenter 39 is a member that extends in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and is configured as a member that has a width in the Y-axis direction in FIG. 2, similar to the support base 8 shown in FIG.

[0030] 1, a moving unit 40 that moves the pressing unit 26 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction, up and down direction) is provided on the rear side (back side) of the pressing unit 26. The moving unit 40 has a rectangular parallelepiped support structure 42, and a pair of guide rails 44 are fixed to the front side (surface side) of the support structure 42 at a predetermined interval along the Z-axis direction.

[0031] The moving unit 40 has a ball screw 46 arranged vertically between a pair of guide rails 44, and a pulse motor 48 connected to one end of the ball screw 46 and rotating the ball screw 46.

[0032] The rear surface (back surface) of the moving member 28 is slidably mounted on a pair of guide rails 44. A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the rear surface of the moving member 28, and this nut portion is threadedly engaged with a ball screw 46.

[0033] When the ball screw 46 is rotated by the pulse motor 48 of the moving unit 40, the moving member 28 moves in the Z-axis direction along the guide rail 44. This controls the position of the pressing unit 26 in the Z-axis direction. Then, by moving the pressing unit 26 along the Z-axis direction by the moving unit 40, the indenter 39 moves closer to and away from the support unit 6 relatively.

[0034] 1, a fragment discharge unit 62 is connected to the bottom of the lower container 4 to collect fragments and debris of the broken test piece from the bottom of the lower container 4. The fragment discharge unit 62 is connected to a suction source (not shown), and uses negative pressure to suck in the fragments and debris and discharge them outside the lower container 4.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 1, the support unit 6 is covered with a support base cover 52, which is configured to prevent fragments and debris from the broken test specimen from scattering around. The support base cover 52 is placed inside the lower container 4, and is formed in a box shape with an open bottom, so as to completely cover the support unit 6. When setting the test specimen, the support base cover 52 is removed, and after the test specimen is set, the support base cover 52 is attached, and the test is ready.

[0036] 3, the support base cover 52 is made of, for example, a metal such as SUS or a transparent plate material (glass, plastic, etc.). The support base cover 52 has a top surface portion 52a that is provided in the horizontal direction, an indenter insertion hole 52d that allows the indenter 39 to be inserted in the vertical direction, and a wall portion 52c that surrounds the support unit 6 and has an upper end that is higher than the upper surface of the support base 8 of the support unit 6. The wall portion 52c is provided in the vertical direction, and its upper end is higher than the contact surface 12a of the contact member 12 that constitutes the upper surface of the support base 8 and the support portion 8b.

[0037] 3, a nozzle insertion hole 52f is provided in a wall portion 52c of the support base cover 52. A nozzle 56 of an injection unit 54 for injecting gas onto the indenter 39 and the upper surface of the support base 8 to perform air blowing is inserted into this nozzle insertion hole 52f. The nozzle 56 is connected to a gas supply source 60 via a gas supply pipe 57 and a valve 58. The gas is, for example, an inert gas or air.

[0038] 1, an imaging unit 72 is provided on the rear side of the lower container 4, and is configured to irradiate light from a light source (not shown) so that the state of the test piece being destroyed and the state of the tip of the indenter 39 (presence or absence of foreign matter, presence or absence of chipping, etc.) can be observed. The image captured by the imaging unit 72 is displayed on a display monitor 202 so that the operator can check it.

[0039] 3, the wall 52c of the support base cover 52 has a transparent portion 52g that allows light to pass through in at least a part of the area facing the imaging unit 72 (FIG. 1). The imaging unit 72 (FIG. 1) can capture an image of the interior of the support base cover 52 through this transparent portion 52g. Note that, for example, when the wall 52c of the support base cover 52 is made of a metal such as SUS, the transparent portion 52g may be formed by making part of the wall 52c out of a transparent member such as an acrylic plate, or the entire support base cover 52 may be made out of a transparent member.

[0040] 1, each component of the testing apparatus 2 is connected to a controller 200 that controls the operation of the testing apparatus 2. The controller 200 controls the operation of the support portion moving mechanism 14, the load measurement unit 32, the moving unit 40, the ejection unit 54, the debris ejection unit 62, the imaging unit 72, etc.

[0041] 1, the test device 2 is provided with a display monitor 202 that is connected to a controller 200 and that displays various information and allows an operator to perform input operations. The display monitor 202 can be configured, for example, with a touch panel. Note that an operation unit for performing input operations may be provided separately from the display monitor, and the display monitor may only perform display operations.

[0042] Next, an example of a test method using the above configuration will be described below. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of an example of the test method.

[0043] <Support Step> 5(A), this is a step of supporting the test piece 11 on the support bases 8, 8. In this embodiment, the test piece 11 is a rectangular semiconductor chip, and is placed so as to straddle the pair of contact members 12 with the bottom surface of the semiconductor chip not in contact with the support portion 8b.

[0044] <Pressing step> As shown in FIG. 5(B), this is a step in which the upper surface of the test piece 11 supported by the support stands 8, 8 is pressed with an indenter 39.

[0045] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the controller 200 operates the moving unit 40 to lower the indenter 39, and as shown in FIG. 5(B), the indenter 39 contacts the test piece 11 and presses it.

[0046] In this pressing step and the subsequent load measuring step, the imaging unit 72 shown in FIG. 1 captures an image of the inside of the support base cover 52 through the transparent portion 52g (FIG. 5(B)).

[0047] <Load measurement step> As shown in FIG. 5(C), this is a step of measuring the load applied to the indenter 39 when the indenter 39 presses the test piece 11 and the test piece 11 breaks.

[0048] 1, the controller 200 monitors the load measured by the load measurement unit 32, identifies the load before the sudden drop in the load at which the test piece breaks, and measures this load as the load at which the test piece breaks. This load at which the test piece breaks can be used as a numerical value indicating the flexural strength of the test piece.

[0049] <Gas injection step> As shown in Figure 6, this is a step in which the tip 39a of the indenter 39 is positioned at a height spaced apart from the upper surface of the support base 8,8, and gas is sprayed horizontally toward the tip 39a of the indenter 39 and the upper surface of the support base 8,8.

[0050] 1, the controller 200 opens the valve 58 of the injection unit 54 to inject gas from the nozzle 56. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the nozzle 56 is configured to inject gas horizontally, and is disposed so that the injected gas K passes over the upper surfaces of the support stands 8, 8 from the side.

[0051] The upper surfaces of the support bases 8, 8 include the upper ends of the support portions 8b of the support base 8 and the contact surfaces 12a of the contact members 12. Furthermore, the horizontal direction does not mean strictly horizontal, but means the direction from the right to the left (lateral direction) in the example of Fig. 6.

[0052] This allows the jet of gas to remove foreign matter such as fragments and debris of the test piece that is attached to the upper end of the support portion 8b of the support stand 8 and the contact surface 12a of the contact member 12. Furthermore, because the tip 39a of the indenter 39 is at a height with a certain gap from the upper surfaces of the support stands 8, 8, the gas K jetted horizontally is not blocked by the indenter 39 or the support stands 8, 8, and foreign matter such as fragments and debris can be blown away in the direction of the gas jet, reducing the risk of them re-adhering to the indenter or the support stand.

[0053] Also, as shown in Figure 6, the wall portion 52c of the support base cover 52 surrounds a pair of support bases 8, 8, and the upper end of the wall portion 52c of the support base cover 52 is positioned at a higher position than the upper end of the support portion 8b, which is the upper surface of the support base, and the contact surface 12a of the contact member 12.

[0054] This makes it possible to prevent fragments and debris of the broken test piece from scattering outside the wall portion 52c.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzle 56 of the injection unit 54 injects gas in a state where the tip 39a of the indenter 39 is positioned at a height where it is surrounded by the wall portion 52c.

[0056] This allows foreign matter such as broken pieces or debris of the test piece adhering to the indenter 39 to be removed by the gas jet, making it possible to avoid measurement failures due to foreign matter and improve measurement accuracy.

[0057] 6, in this embodiment, the nozzle 56 is disposed to the right of the indenter 39, and gas is ejected toward one side of the indenter 39. However, a nozzle may be additionally provided to the left of the indenter 39, and gas may also be ejected from the left side. In this case, for example, gas is ejected sequentially from the right and left directions with different timings.

[0058] 6, the nozzle 56 of the injection unit is configured to inject gas in a direction along the transparent portion 52g. In other words, when a surface parallel to the transparent portion 52g of the support base cover 52 is defined as an XZ surface (a surface including the X-axis and Z-axis perpendicular to each other), the gas is injected in the X-axis direction.

[0059] This allows foreign matter such as broken pieces or debris of the test piece adhering to the transparent portion 52g to be removed by the gas, thereby preventing the foreign matter from appearing in the image captured by the imaging unit 72 (FIG. 1).

[0060] As shown in FIG. 1, fragments and debris of the destroyed test piece are sucked by the fragment discharge unit 62 through a discharge port (not shown) formed in the lower container 4 and discharged to the outside of the support base cover 52.

[0061] 7, an indenter cover 53 may be provided to cover the periphery of the indenter 39. In this embodiment, the indenter cover 53 is a box-shaped indenter with an open bottom and is integrally provided with the indenter fixing member 37, and is configured to move up and down together with the indenter 39.

[0062] The lower end of the indenter cover 53 is inserted into the indenter insertion hole 52d formed in the support base cover 52 when the indenter 39 is lowered, and is configured to cover the test piece and the support bases 8, 8 from above when the indenter 39 presses the test piece. By arranging the indenter cover 53 in this manner, it is possible to prevent fragments and debris from the broken test piece from scattering around.

[0063] 7, the indenter cover 53 is configured so that, during the gas injection step, the injected gas reaches the indenter 39 without being blocked by the indenter cover 53. For example, by setting the injection angle of the nozzle 56 or by setting the height of the lower end 53d of the wall portion 53c of the indenter cover 53 to a position higher than the tip 39a of the indenter 39, the gas can be reliably made to reach the indenter 39.

[0064] 7, the height of the lower end 53d of the wall portion 53c of the indenter cover 53 may be approximately equal to the height of the tip 39a of the indenter 39. Alternatively, the height of the lower end 53d of the wall portion 53c of the indenter cover 53 may be slightly lower than the tip 39a of the indenter 39, as long as the gas can reliably reach the indenter 39 by setting the spray angle of the nozzle 56 or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 2. Test equipment 4 Lower vessel 4a opening 6 Support Unit 8 Support stand 8a Support surface 8b Support part 10 Gap 11 Test specimen 12 Contact member 12a Contact surface 14 Support moving mechanism 16 Support structure 18 Guide rail 20 ball screw 22 Pulse motor 24 Moving Plate 26 Pressing unit 28 Moving parts 30 Support member 32 Load measurement unit 34 Support member 37 Indenter fixing member 39 Indenter 39a tip 40 Mobile Units 52 Cover 52a Top section 52c wall 52d Indenter insertion hole 52f Nozzle insertion hole 52g transparent part 53 Indenter cover 53c wall 53d Lower end 54 Injection unit 56 nozzles 57 Gas supply pipe 58 Valve 60 Gas supply source 62 Debris ejection unit 200 Controller K gas

Claims

1. a support base for supporting the test piece; an indenter that presses the upper surface of the test piece supported by the support base; a load measuring unit that measures the load applied to the indenter when the indenter presses the test piece; a moving unit that moves the indenter closer to the test piece supported by the support table; a controller for controlling at least the mobile unit; A testing device comprising: an injection unit that injects gas, The injection unit injects the gas horizontally toward the tip of the indenter and the upper surface of the support table, with the tip of the indenter spaced apart from the upper surface of the support table.

2. a wall portion surrounding the support base and having an upper end higher than the upper surface of the support base; 2. The testing device according to claim 1, wherein the injection unit injects the gas in a state where the tip of the indenter is positioned at a height surrounded by the wall portion.

3. an imaging unit disposed outside the wall portion and configured to capture an image of the test piece supported by the support base; the wall portion has a transparent portion at least in a portion facing the imaging unit; 3. The testing device according to claim 2, wherein the jetting unit jets the gas in a direction along the transparent portion.

4. a support step for supporting the test specimen on a support stand; a pressing step of pressing an upper surface of the test piece supported by the support base with an indenter; a load measuring step of measuring a load applied to the indenter when the indenter presses the test piece and the test piece breaks; a gas injection step of injecting the gas horizontally toward the tip of the indenter and the upper surface of the support table while the tip of the indenter is positioned at a height spaced apart from the upper surface of the support table.

Images