Inspection equipment

Abstract

To appropriately adsorb an inspection target body in which a rear face irradiation type imaging device is formed, and make light of a desired intensity incident on each imaging device.SOLUTION: In an inspection device, light is incident from a rear face which is a face at a side opposite with a side where a wiring layer is provided to a substrate as an inspection target body in which a rear face irradiation type imaging device is formed. The inspection device comprises a mount base 10 for supporting the inspection target body in a mode opposed with the rear face of the imaging device. The mount base includes: a top plate 30 which consists of a light transmissive material and on which the inspection target body is mounted; a base member 40 which consists of a light transmissive material, is disposed so as to be opposed to the inspection target body with the top plate interposed therebetween and forms a space S, from which air is exhausted, between the base member and the top plate; and a light irradiation mechanism 50 which is disposed so as to be opposed to the inspection target body with the top plate and the base member interposed therebetween and irradiates the inspection target body with light. The top plate is composed of porous glass having an average pore diameter of 30 nm or less or 10 μm or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to an inspection apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] The inspection apparatus of Patent Document 1 inspects an imaging device by making contact terminals electrically contact a wiring layer of the imaging device while causing light to be incident on the imaging device formed on a test object. In Patent Document 1, light is incident on the imaging device from the back surface, which is the surface opposite to the surface on which the wiring layer is provided. The inspection apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a mounting table formed of a light-transmitting member on which the test object is placed in a form facing the back surface of the imaging device, and a light irradiation mechanism that is disposed so as to face the test object with the mounting table interposed therebetween and has a plurality of LEDs directed at the test object. Further, in Patent Document 1, the mounting table has an upper lid on the side of the test object and a bottomed member on the side of the light irradiation mechanism, and suction holes for sucking the test object are formed on the surface of the upper lid. The suction holes are formed in a region where the imaging device is not located above the suction holes when the test object is placed on the upper lid.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technology according to the present disclosure enables appropriate suction of a test object on which an imaging device is formed and incidence of light of a desired intensity on each imaging device in inspection of a back-illuminated imaging device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is an inspection apparatus for inspecting a device to be inspected, wherein the device to be inspected is a back-illuminated imaging device in which light is incident from the back surface, which is the side opposite to the side on which the wiring layer is provided, and is formed on the object to be inspected, and the inspection apparatus comprises a mounting table that supports the object to be inspected in a manner facing the back surface of the imaging device, the mounting table comprising a top plate made of a light-transmitting material on which the object to be inspected is placed, a base member made of a light-transmitting material and positioned to face the object to be inspected with the top plate in between, and forming a space for exhaust between the top plate and the base member, and a light irradiation mechanism positioned to face the object to be inspected with the top plate and the base member in between, and irradiates light toward the object to be inspected, wherein the top plate has an average pore diameter of 30 nm or less Below It is made of porous glass. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to this disclosure, in the inspection of a back-illuminated imaging device, the object to be inspected on which the imaging device is formed can be appropriately adsorbed, and light of a desired intensity can be incident on each imaging device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a substrate as an inspection target on which a back-illuminated imaging device is formed. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a back-illuminated imaging device. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a prober as an inspection device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the prober as an inspection device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view that shows the general layout of the stage. [Figure 6] This is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the stage according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows a modified example of the stage according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows another variation of the stage according to the first embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, for example, a large number of semiconductor devices with predetermined circuit patterns are formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as "wafer"). The formed semiconductor devices are inspected for electrical characteristics and other factors, and sorted into good and defective products. The inspection of semiconductor devices is performed, for example, using an inspection device called a prober, while the substrate is still in its original state before each semiconductor device is separated.

[0009] The inspection device has a probe card with multiple needle-shaped contact terminals (probes) mounted above a mounting table on which a substrate is placed. During inspection, the probe card and the wafer on the mounting table are brought close together, and each probe on the probe card makes contact with each electrode of the semiconductor device formed on the substrate. In this state, an electrical signal is supplied to the semiconductor device from a test head located on the top of the probe card via each probe. Based on the electrical signals received by the test head from the semiconductor device via each probe, the semiconductor device is sorted to determine whether or not it is defective.

[0010] When the semiconductor device being inspected is an imaging device such as a CMOS sensor, the inspection is performed while illuminating the imaging device with light, unlike with other general semiconductor devices. Furthermore, in recent years, back-illuminated imaging devices have been developed that receive light incident from the back side, opposite to the front side where the wiring layer is formed. Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection apparatus for a back-illuminated imaging device.

[0011] The inspection apparatus of Patent Document 1 comprises a mounting table made of a light-transmitting member on which a substrate, which is the object to be inspected, is placed facing the back surface of a back-illuminated imaging device, and a light irradiation mechanism having a plurality of LEDs positioned to face the object to be inspected with the mounting table in between, and directed toward the object to be inspected. Furthermore, in the inspection apparatus of Patent Document 1, the mounting table has an upper cover on the side facing the object to be inspected and a bottomed member on the side facing the light irradiation mechanism, and suction holes for adsorbing the object to be inspected are formed on the surface of the upper cover, and the suction holes are formed in a region where the back-illuminated imaging device is not located above the suction holes when the object to be inspected is placed on the upper cover.

[0012] However, if suction holes are formed only in areas like those described in Patent Document 1, the suction force on the object being inspected may be insufficient. For example, when a large number of probes contact a back-illuminated imaging device at once, at least some of the probes contact the back surface of the object being inspected from an oblique direction. As a result, a horizontal force acts from the probes to the object being inspected, but if the suction force is insufficient as described above, this horizontal force can cause the object to move. If the object being inspected moves during inspection, it may become impossible to perform the inspection accurately, or the imaging device being inspected may be damaged.

[0013] Furthermore, simply forming suction holes in the area that overlaps with the back-illuminated imaging device in a plan view, in order to ensure the suction force of the object to be inspected, may result in the intensity of light incident on the imaging device varying within the plane of the object to be inspected, which may not be as desired.

[0014] Therefore, the technology disclosed herein provides an inspection apparatus that, in the inspection of a back-illuminated imaging device, can appropriately adsorb an object to be inspected on which an imaging device is formed, and can also cause light of a desired intensity to be incident on the imaging device.

[0015] The inspection apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0016] In the technology according to this embodiment, since the inspection target device is for inspecting a back-illuminated imaging device, first, the back-illuminated imaging device will be described.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a substrate as an inspection object on which a back-illuminated imaging device is formed, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the back-illuminated imaging device. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of back-illuminated imaging devices D are formed on a substantially disk-shaped wafer W, which is an example of a substrate.

[0018] The back-illuminated imaging device D is a solid-state imaging device. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it has a photoelectric conversion unit PD that is a photodiode and a wiring layer PL including a plurality of wirings PLa. Further, light is incident on the back surface of the wafer W, which is the surface opposite to the front side where the wiring layer PL is provided, of the back-illuminated imaging device D. Then, the back-illuminated imaging device D receives the light incident from the back surface of the wafer W with the photoelectric conversion unit PD via an on-chip lens L and a color filter F. The color filter F is composed of a red color filter FR, a blue color filter FB, and a green color filter FG.

[0019] Also, an electrode E is formed on the front (front) surface Da of the back-illuminated imaging device D, that is, the front (front) surface of the wafer W, and the electrode E is electrically connected to the wiring PLa of the wiring layer PL. The wiring PLa is for inputting an electrical signal to the circuit elements inside the back-illuminated imaging device D or outputting an electrical signal from the circuit elements to the outside of the back-illuminated imaging device D. The wiring layer PL may include pixel transistors that control signals related to the photoelectric conversion unit. As shown in FIG. 1, a non-device formation region R where the back-illuminated imaging device D is not formed exists in the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W.

[0020] (First Embodiment) [Inspection Device] Next, the inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described. Figures 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a front view, respectively, illustrating the schematic configuration of the prober 1 as an inspection device according to the first embodiment. In Figure 4, a portion of the components housed in the housing chamber and loader of the prober 1 shown in Figure 3 are shown in cross-section to illustrate their contents.

[0021] The prober 1 is used to inspect the electrical characteristics of each of the multiple back-illuminated imaging devices D (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as imaging device D) formed on the wafer W. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the prober 1 comprises a housing chamber 2, a loader 3 positioned adjacent to the housing chamber 2, and a tester 4 positioned to cover the housing chamber 2.

[0022] The housing chamber 2 is a hollow enclosure and has a stage 10 as a mounting platform. As will be described later, the stage 10 supports the wafer W in a configuration where the back surface of the imaging device D and the stage 10 face each other. The stage 10 is configured to be movable in both the horizontal and vertical directions, and the relative position of the probe card 11 (described later) and the wafer W can be adjusted to bring the electrodes E on the surface of the wafer W into contact with the probes of the probe card (described later).

[0023] Furthermore, a probe card 11 is positioned above the stage 10 in the containment chamber 2, facing the stage 10. The probe card 11 has numerous needle-shaped probes 11a as contact terminals. Each probe 11a is formed to be able to contact the corresponding electrode E on the surface of the wafer W. The probe card 11 is connected to the tester 4 via interface 12. During the inspection of the imaging device D, each probe 11a contacts the corresponding electrode E and supplies power input from the tester 4 via interface 12 to the imaging device D, or transmits signals from the imaging device D to the tester 4 via interface 12.

[0024] Loader 3 takes out wafer W, which is contained in a transport container called FOUP (not shown), and transports it to stage 10 in storage chamber 2. Loader 3 also receives wafer W from stage 10 after the electrical characteristics of the imaging device D have been inspected and places it in FOUP.

[0025] The loader 3 has a base unit 13 as a controller that controls the power supply, etc. The base unit 13 is composed of a computer equipped with, for example, a processor such as a CPU and memory, and has a program storage unit. The program storage unit stores a program that controls the operation of each component of the prober 1 during electrical characteristic testing. Note that the above program may have been recorded on a storage medium readable by the computer and installed from that storage medium to the base unit 13.

[0026] Furthermore, the base unit 13 is connected to the stage 10 via wiring 14 and to the tester computer 16 via wiring 15. Based on input signals from the tester computer 16, the base unit 13 controls the irradiation operation of the stage 10 by the light irradiation mechanism described later. The base unit 13 also controls the temperature control mechanism 60 of the stage 10, described later. The base unit 13 may also be installed in the housing chamber 2.

[0027] Tester 4 has a test board (not shown) that reproduces a part of the circuit configuration of the motherboard on which the imaging device D is mounted. The test board is connected to the tester computer 16. The tester computer 16 determines whether the imaging device D is good or bad based on the signal from the imaging device D. By changing the test board, Tester 4 can reproduce the circuit configurations of multiple types of motherboards.

[0028] Furthermore, Prover 1 includes a user interface unit 17. The user interface unit 17 is for displaying information to the user and for the user to input instructions, and consists of a display panel having, for example, a touch panel or a keyboard.

[0029] In the prober 1 having the parts described above, when inspecting the electrical characteristics of the imaging device D, the tester computer 16 transmits data to a test board connected to the imaging device D via each probe 11a. The tester computer 16 then determines whether the transmitted data has been processed correctly by the test board based on the electrical signals from the test board.

[0030] [stage] Next, we will describe the configuration of Stage 10. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of Stage 10. The stage 10 is on which the wafer W is placed, with the back surface of the imaging device D facing the stage 10, and as shown in Figure 5, it has a top plate 30, a base member 40, and a light irradiation mechanism 50.

[0031] The top plate 30 is made of a light-transmitting material and is on which the wafer W is placed. It is formed in a flat plate shape (specifically, a disc shape larger than the diameter of the wafer W). In this embodiment, the top plate 30 is made of porous glass having an average pore diameter of 30 nm or less and being light-transmitting. Specifically, the porous glass used for the top plate 30 is porous glass obtained as follows: First, raw material glass (for example, Na2O-B2O3-SiO2 glass) is melted, and then phase separation is performed by heat treatment or the like to form a mesh made of the other phase (Na2O-B2O3 glass) within a flat plate made of one phase (SiO2 glass). Then, by removing only the above mesh by acid treatment or the like, a porous glass is obtained in which multiple pores penetrate the flat plate made of the first phase (SiO2 glass) in a non-linear manner in the thickness direction. This porous glass is used for the top plate 30.

[0032] Since the top plate 30 is made of porous glass as described above, when the wafer W is placed on the top plate 30, holes are formed that penetrate the top plate 30 nonlinearly in the thickness direction not only in the areas that do not overlap with the imaging device D in a plan view, but also in the areas that do overlap. In other words, holes that penetrate the top plate 30 nonlinearly in the thickness direction are formed across the entire surface of the top plate 30.

[0033] Furthermore, the "light-transmitting material" mentioned above is a material that transmits light of wavelengths within the inspection range (i.e., light from the light irradiation mechanism 50), and similarly, "light transmittance" refers to the property of transmitting light of wavelengths within the inspection range.

[0034] The base member 40 is made of a light-transmitting material and is positioned opposite the wafer W with the top plate 30 in between, forming a space S between it and the top plate 30 for exhaust. Specifically, the light-transmitting material used for the base member 40 is glass having a coefficient of thermal expansion approximately the same as that of the wafer W. In one embodiment, the base member 40 has a recess 41a in the center that is recessed on the side opposite to the top plate 30, and a space S is formed by closing the opening of the recess 41a with the top plate 30. The space S is exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 100.

[0035] The exhaust mechanism 100 is controlled by the base unit 13 and has an exhaust pipe 101 in addition to a vacuum exhaust pump 102. One end of the exhaust pipe 101 communicates with space S via a connection hole 42, and the other end communicates with the vacuum exhaust pump 102. A buffer tank 103 is interposed in the exhaust pipe 101. The exhaust pipe 101 must be designed so that the conductance is low when multiple pipes are connected to the buffer tank 103, which is essentially the same space.

[0036] Furthermore, a support portion 43 is provided within the recess 41a, extending from the bottom of the recess 41a toward the top plate 30 and supporting the top plate 30. The support portion 43 has, for example, a plurality of support columns 43a that extend toward the top plate 30 and are formed in a columnar shape. Alternatively, the support portion 43 may have support walls formed in a spiral shape in plan view instead of support columns 43a. Alternatively, the support portion 43 may have both support columns 43a and the aforementioned spiral-shaped support walls.

[0037] Furthermore, in order to make the space S airtight, an O-ring 44 is provided between the top plate 30 and the base member 40. Specifically, the O-ring 44 is provided between the peripheral edge of the top plate 30 and the peripheral edge of the base member 40. Alternatively, the top plate 30 and the base member 40 may be joined together with adhesive.

[0038] The light irradiation mechanism 50 is positioned to face the wafer W with the top plate 30 and base member 40 in between, and irradiates light toward the wafer W. The light irradiation mechanism 50 includes, for example, a light guide plate 51, a light source 52, and a diffuser plate 53.

[0039] The light guide plate 51 is provided facing the base member 40 and is formed in a flat plate shape (specifically, a disc shape larger than the diameter of the wafer W). The light guide plate 51, for example, directs light incident from its peripheral edge towards the base member 40, that is, towards the wafer W.

[0040] The light source 52 emits light for inspection purposes and has multiple LED units 52a, each having an LED. The light source 52 is located on the side of the light guide plate 51. Specifically, the light source 52 has multiple LED units 52a arranged along the peripheral end surface of the light guide plate 51. Each LED unit 52a emits light of a wavelength within the inspection range toward the center of the light guide plate 51. Light of a wavelength within the inspection range is, for example, light with wavelengths in the visible light region.

[0041] The diffuser plate 53 diffuses the light from the light source 52. In this embodiment, the diffuser plate 53 diffuses the light emitted from the light guide plate 51 and then causes it to enter the base member 40.

[0042] The light irradiation mechanism 50 may also have a heat sink to release heat from the LED unit 52a.

[0043] Furthermore, the stage 10 has a temperature control mechanism 60 for adjusting the temperature of the wafer W. As the temperature control mechanism, an existing wafer W mounting stage with a temperature control function (hereinafter referred to as the "temperature control stage") can be used. Since the existing temperature control stage has a wafer W adsorption mechanism, the light irradiation mechanism 50 (specifically the light guide plate 51) is adsorbed and held to the temperature control mechanism 60 by this adsorption mechanism. The fixing of the light guide plate 51 to the light source 52, the fixing of the light guide plate 51 to the diffuser plate 53, and the fixing of the diffuser plate 53 to the base member 40 are performed, for example, by adhesive holding with a transparent adhesive material.

[0044] [Inspection process] Next, an example of inspection processing on a wafer W using prober 1 will be described. In the following description, it will be assumed that one imaging device D is inspected in one inspection. However, multiple imaging devices D may be inspected simultaneously in a single inspection using prober 1.

[0045] For example, first, the wafer W is removed from the FOUP of the loader 3 and transported into the storage chamber 2. Then, the wafer W is placed on the top plate 30 of the stage 10 such that the back surface of the imaging device D formed on the wafer W faces the stage 10, and the wafer W is in contact with the side of the top plate 30 of the stage 10 that is opposite to the base member 40. After that, the space S between the top plate 30 and the base member 40 is exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 100. Since the top plate 30 is made of porous glass, by exhausting the space S as described above, the space between the back surface of the wafer W and the top plate 30 is exhausted through the holes in the porous glass of the top plate 30, and the wafer W is held in place by suction to the top plate 30. Furthermore, since the exhaust mechanism 100 has a buffer tank 103, the exhaust flow velocity through the connection hole 42 can be reduced, and the increased suction force of the wafer W only in the vicinity of the connection hole 42 can be suppressed.

[0046] Next, the stage 10 is moved, and the probe 11a located above the stage 10 comes into contact with the electrode E of the imaging device D being examined.

[0047] Then, light is emitted from the light irradiation mechanism 50. Specifically, all LED units 52a of the light source 52 are lit. As a result, light is incident on the peripheral edge surface of the light guide plate 51 from each LED unit 52a. The light incident on the light guide plate 51 is reflected and diffused towards the base member 40 inside the light guide plate 51 and emitted in a planar manner from the surface of the light guide plate 51 facing the wafer W.

[0048] Light emitted from the light guide plate 51 is diffused by the diffuser plate 53 and then incident on the wafer W via the base member 40 and the top plate 30, which are made of light-transmitting material.

[0049] Unlike this embodiment, if the diameter of the hole that nonlinearly penetrates the top plate 30 is the same as the wavelength of the light emitted from the light irradiation mechanism 50, the light will be refracted or reflected by the hole, resulting in areas where the light incident on the wafer W via the top plate 30 reinforces and areas where it cancels each other out. In this case, it may not be possible to incident the light emitted from the light irradiation mechanism 50 on a desired part of the wafer W (specifically, the part corresponding to the imaging device D to be inspected) with the desired intensity. In contrast, in this embodiment, the diameter (average hole diameter) of the hole that nonlinearly penetrates the top plate 30 is 30 nm or less, which is sufficiently small compared to the wavelength of the light emitted from the light irradiation mechanism 50, so the hole is practically nonexistent. Therefore, in this embodiment, the light is not refracted or reflected by the hole. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, if there is no bias in the plane of the light incident on the top plate 30, there will be no bias in the plane of the light incident on the wafer W via the top plate 30. Therefore, in this embodiment, light irradiated from the light irradiation mechanism 50 can be incident on a desired portion of the wafer W (specifically, the portion corresponding to the imaging device D to be inspected) at a desired intensity.

[0050] Along with the irradiation of light from the aforementioned light irradiation mechanism 50, an inspection signal is input to the probe 11a. This allows for the inspection of the imaging device D. During the inspection, the temperature of the wafer W is measured by a temperature measuring unit (not shown), and based on the result, the temperature adjustment mechanism 60 is controlled to adjust the temperature of the wafer W to a desired value, thereby adjusting the temperature of the imaging device D to a desired value. From this point onward, the same process as described above is repeated until the inspection of all imaging devices D is completed.

[0051] [Main effects of this embodiment] As described above, in this embodiment, the top plate 30 is made of porous glass, and holes for adsorbing the wafer W are formed on the entire surface of the top plate 30, including the area that overlaps with the imaging device D in a plan view. Therefore, even if the exhaust flow rate from the space S between the top plate 30 and the base member 40 is low, the wafer W can be adsorbed to the top plate 30 with a higher vacuum adsorption force than in the conventional method. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the diameter of the holes (average hole diameter) in the top plate 30 is 30 nm or less, as described above, the light irradiated from the light irradiation mechanism 50 can be incident on the portion of the wafer W corresponding to the imaging device D to be inspected with the desired intensity. In other words, according to this embodiment, in the inspection of a back-illuminated imaging device D, the wafer W can be appropriately adsorbed, and light of a desired intensity can be incident on the back-illuminated imaging device D to be inspected.

[0052] (Second Embodiment) [stage] Next, the stage according to the second embodiment will be described. Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the stage according to the second embodiment. In Figure 5, Stage 10 had a top plate 30 made of porous glass with an average pore size of 30 nm or less and possessing light transmittance. In contrast, in Figure 6, Stage 10A had a top plate 30A made of porous glass with an average pore size of 10 μm or more and possessing light transmittance. The porous glass used for the top plate 30A can be obtained in the same manner as the porous glass used for the top plate 30 in Figure 5.

[0053] Similar to the top plate 30 in Figure 5, the top plate 30A also has holes that penetrate the top plate 30A nonlinearly in the thickness direction, not only in the areas that do not overlap with the imaging device D in a plan view when the wafer W is placed on the top plate 30A, but also in the areas that do overlap. In other words, holes that penetrate the top plate 30A nonlinearly in the thickness direction are formed across the entire surface of the top plate 30A.

[0054] [Main effects of this embodiment] In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the top plate 30A is made of porous glass, and holes for adsorbing the wafer W are formed on the entire surface of the top plate 30A, including the area that overlaps with the imaging device D in a plan view. Therefore, even if the exhaust flow rate from the space S between the top plate 30A and the base member 40 is low, the wafer W can be adsorbed to the top plate 30 with a higher vacuum adsorption force than in the conventional method.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the diameter (average hole diameter) of the holes that non-linearly penetrate the top plate 30A is 10 μm or more, which is sufficiently larger than the wavelength of the light irradiated from the light irradiation mechanism 50 and incident on the top plate 30A. In addition, the holes have various shapes. Therefore, even if the light incident on the top plate 30A is refracted or reflected by the holes, no regularly reinforced and cancelling portions are generated in the light that passes through the top plate 30A and is incident on the wafer W. In this embodiment, the light incident on the top plate 30A is diffused by the top plate 30A and incident on the wafer W. Therefore, according to this embodiment, if there is no bias in the plane of the light incident on the top plate 30A, there will be no bias in the plane of the light that passes through the top plate 30A and is incident on the wafer W. Rather, the light that passes through the top plate 30A and is incident on the wafer W is more uniform in the plane than the light incident on the top plate 30A. Therefore, in this embodiment as well, light irradiated from the light irradiation mechanism 50 can be incident at a desired intensity onto a desired portion of the wafer W (specifically, the portion corresponding to the imaging device D to be inspected).

[0056] In other words, in this embodiment as well, in the inspection of the back-illuminated imaging device D, the wafer W can be appropriately adsorbed, and light of a desired intensity can be incident on the back-illuminated imaging device D to be inspected.

[0057] (modified version) When using the stage 10A according to the second embodiment, the light incident on the wafer W is diffused by the top plate 30A, so the light irradiation mechanism 50 does not need to have a diffuser plate 53. Furthermore, even when using the stage 10 according to the first embodiment, if the top plate 30 is precisely designed, the refraction and reflection of light can be appropriately utilized with the top plate 30, and the diffuser plate 53 can be omitted.

[0058] Figure 7 shows a modified example of the stage according to the first embodiment. In Figure 7, stage 10B is made of porous glass with a pore diameter of 30 nm or less, and the surface facing the wafer W is coated with silicone. Specifically, in stage 10B, the surface facing the wafer W of the top plate 30B is coated with silicone in a manner that does not block the pores.

[0059] The method for manufacturing a silicone-coated tabletop 30B in a form where the pores are not blocked is as follows: After coating the entire surface of the porous glass with silicone, before the silicone hardens, gas is blown towards the back to blow away the portion of the silicone covering the entire surface of the porous glass that overlaps with the pores of the tabletop 30B. This makes it possible to manufacture a silicone-coated tabletop 30B in a form where the pores are not blocked.

[0060] In this example, when the wafer W is adsorbed and held on the stage 10B (specifically the top plate 30B) through the pores of the porous glass constituting the top plate 30B, even if the back surface of the wafer W (specifically the on-chip lens L) comes into contact with the top plate 30B, it is the silicone coating layer 31 that comes into contact. Therefore, damage to the back surface of the wafer W (specifically the on-chip lens L) due to contact with the top plate 30B can be suppressed.

[0061] The top plate 30B has an annular wall 32 in plan view that is formed along the top plate 30B and supports the peripheral edge of the wafer W.

[0062] The annular wall 32 may be provided on the stage 10 in Figure 5, which does not have the silicone coating layer 31. Alternatively, the silicone coating layer 31 and the annular wall 32 described above may be provided on the top plate 30A of the stage 10A in Figure 6.

[0063] Figure 8 shows another variation of the stage according to the first embodiment. The stage 10C in Figure 8 further includes a clamping mechanism 70 that clamps the wafer W between itself and the top plate 30. Specifically, the clamping mechanism 70 clamps the non-device formation region R of the outer periphery of the wafer W between itself and the top plate 30.

[0064] The clamping mechanism 70 includes, for example, a plate-shaped member 71 configured to be vertically movable, and a lifting mechanism (not shown) for raising and lowering the plate-shaped member 71. The lifting mechanism has a drive source such as a motor that outputs a driving force for raising and lowering the plate-shaped member 71, and is controlled by the base unit 13.

[0065] According to Stage 10C, when the wafer W is held by suction through the holes in the top plate 30, the wafer W can also be held by the clamping mechanism 70, thereby further suppressing the movement of the wafer W. The clamping mechanism 70 may be provided on the stage 10A in Figure 6.

[0066] In the above example, the temperature control mechanism 60 was provided on the side of the light irradiation mechanism 50 opposite to the base member 40. The temperature control mechanism for the wafer W may be provided between the light irradiation mechanism 50 and the base member 40. In this case, the temperature control mechanism is made of a light-transmitting material.

[0067] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 1 Proba Stages 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C 30, 30A, 30B top plate 40 Base member 50 Light irradiation mechanism 51 Light guide plate D Back-illuminated imaging device PL wiring layer S space W wafer

Claims

1. An inspection device for inspecting a device to be inspected, The device to be inspected is a back-illuminated imaging device in which light is incident from the back surface, which is the side opposite to the side on which the wiring layer is provided, and is formed in the object to be inspected. The inspection device includes a mounting platform that supports the object to be inspected in a manner facing the back surface of the imaging device, The aforementioned mounting platform is A top plate made of a light-transmitting material on which the object to be inspected is placed, A base member made of a light-transmitting material, positioned facing the object to be inspected with the top plate in between, and forming a space for exhaust between itself and the top plate, The device has a light irradiation mechanism that is positioned with the top plate and the base member in between, facing the object to be inspected, and irradiates light toward the object to be inspected, The inspection device is characterized in that the top plate is made of porous glass with an average pore size of 30 nm or less.

2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation mechanism comprises a light source and a diffuser plate for diffusing light from the light source.

3. The light irradiation mechanism further includes a light guide plate provided opposite the base member, The light guide plate is configured to guide light from the light source, which is provided to the side of the light guide plate, to the object to be inspected. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the diffuser plate is disposed between the base member and the light guide plate.

4. The mounting platform further includes a light guide plate provided opposite the base member, The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light guide plate is configured to guide light from a light source provided to the side of the light guide plate to the top plate.

5. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the surface of the top plate that faces the object to be inspected is covered with silicone.

6. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a clamping mechanism for clamping the object to be inspected between the top plate and the clamping mechanism.

7. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the mounting platform further comprises a temperature control mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the object to be inspected.

8. An inspection device for inspecting a device to be inspected, The device to be inspected is a back-illuminated imaging device in which light is incident from the back surface, which is the side opposite to the side on which the wiring layer is provided, and is formed in the object to be inspected. The inspection device includes a mounting platform that supports the object to be inspected in a manner facing the back surface of the imaging device, The aforementioned mounting platform is A top plate made of a light-transmitting material on which the object to be inspected is placed, A base member made of a light-transmitting material, positioned facing the object to be inspected with the top plate in between, and forming a space for exhaust between itself and the top plate, The device has a light irradiation mechanism that is positioned with the top plate and the base member in between, facing the object to be inspected, and irradiates light toward the object to be inspected, The aforementioned top plate is made of porous glass with an average pore size of 30 nm or less or 10 μm or more. The light irradiation mechanism is an inspection device having a light source and a diffuser plate that diffuses light from the light source.

9. An inspection device for inspecting a device to be inspected, The device to be inspected is a back-illuminated imaging device in which light is incident from the back surface, which is the side opposite to the side on which the wiring layer is provided, and is formed in the object to be inspected. The inspection device includes a mounting platform that supports the object to be inspected in a manner facing the back surface of the imaging device, The aforementioned mounting platform is A top plate made of a light-transmitting material on which the object to be inspected is placed, A base member made of a light-transmitting material, positioned facing the object to be inspected with the top plate in between, and forming a space for exhaust between itself and the top plate, The device has a light irradiation mechanism that is positioned with the top plate and the base member in between, facing the object to be inspected, and irradiates light toward the object to be inspected, The aforementioned top plate is made of porous glass with an average pore size of 30 nm or less or 10 μm or more. An inspection device in which the surface of the top plate facing the object to be inspected is covered with silicone.

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