Information processing device, prober, and probe card replacement method

Abstract

This information processing device comprises a control unit which performs control so that, in the case of an inspection state in which a probe needle of a probe card is brought into contact with a plurality of semiconductor chips formed on a semiconductor wafer to inspect the semiconductor chips, a test head is disposed above a prober body unit that holds the semiconductor wafer, and so that, in the case of a replacement state in which the probe card is replaced by a conveyance device above the prober body unit, the test head is retracted from above the prober body unit.

Description

Information Processing Apparatus, Prober, and Probe Card Replacement Method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, a prober, and a probe card replacement method.

[0002] Japanese Patent No. 7539624 discloses a system that automatically conveys a cassette having a mechanism for holding a wafer, that is, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), and a probe card using the same overhead traveling automatic guided vehicle when automatically conveying a probe card without intervention of an operator.

[0003] In the system described in Japanese Patent No. 7539624, in order to convey the probe card by the overhead traveling automatic guided vehicle, the probe card is pulled out to a position that does not cover the test head or the prober main body. However, the test head mounted on the head stage of the prober has been increasing in size year by year, and even when the probe card is pulled out to the maximum extent, the test head may become an obstacle when the probe card is conveyed by the overhead traveling automatic guided vehicle. In order to pull out the probe card further to a large extent so that the test head does not become an obstacle, a complicated pull-out mechanism is required, which increases the cost. Further, if an existing mechanism can no longer be used, there is a risk that the reliability of the apparatus may decrease.

[0004] In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing apparatus, a prober, and a probe card replacement method that can maintain reliability of the apparatus while suppressing an increase in facility cost.

[0005] The information processing apparatus according to the first aspect includes a control unit that performs control such that a test head is disposed above a prober main body that holds a semiconductor wafer in an inspection state in which inspection of the semiconductor chips is performed by bringing probe needles of a probe card into contact with a plurality of semiconductor chips formed on the semiconductor wafer, and control such that the test head is retracted from above the prober main body in an exchange state in which the probe card is exchanged by a conveying device above the prober main body.

[0006] A prober according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an information processing device, the prober body, the test head, and a manipulator for retracting the test head from above the prober body.

[0007] In the probe card replacement method according to the third embodiment, when the inspection state is performed by contacting the probe needles of the probe card with a plurality of semiconductor chips formed on a semiconductor wafer to inspect the semiconductor chips, the computer controls the placement of a test head on the upper part of the prober body that holds the semiconductor wafer, and when the replacement state is performed by a transport device above the prober body that replaces the probe card, the computer controls the test head to retract from above the prober body.

[0008] The information processing device, prober, and probe card replacement method relating to this disclosure have the excellent effect of maintaining the reliability of the device while suppressing an increase in equipment costs.

[0009] This is a schematic diagram of a wafer test system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a schematic plan view illustrating a transport mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a schematic side view illustrating a part of the transport mechanism in Figure 1. This is a perspective view illustrating the schematic configuration of the prober in Figure 1. This is a plan view illustrating the schematic configuration of the prober in Figure 1. This is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the schematic configuration of the inspection unit and the extraction mechanism. This is a side view illustrating the schematic configuration of the extraction mechanism. This is a schematic side view illustrating a part of the prober body. This is a schematic front view illustrating the rotation trajectory of the test head. This is a perspective view of the rotation device viewed from the diagonal rear side. This is a perspective view of the rotation device viewed from the diagonal front side. This is a perspective view of the prober with the test head in the inspection position. This is a perspective view of the prober with the test head in the retracted position. This is an explanatory diagram of a laser scanner. This is a schematic block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the wafer test system in Figure 1. This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the probe card replacement process in the wafer test system in Figure 1. This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the probe card separation and recovery process in Figure 16. This is an explanatory diagram (part 1) for explaining the separation process when replacing probe cards. This is an explanatory diagram (part 2) for explaining the separation process when replacing probe cards. This is a flowchart showing the flow of the probe card loading and installation process in Figure 16. This is an explanatory diagram (part 1) for explaining the installation process when replacing probe cards. This is an explanatory diagram (part 2) for explaining the installation process when replacing probe cards.

[0010] A wafer test system 1 equipped with a prober 10 according to one embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the figures.

[0011] (Wafer Test System 1) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a wafer test system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The wafer test system 1 automatically inspects the electrical characteristics of each semiconductor chip (hereinafter referred to as a chip; not shown) formed on a semiconductor wafer W using a prober 10 described later. The wafer test system 1 also automatically replaces the probe card 34 of the prober 10. The wafer test system 1 may also automatically replace the cassette CS that houses the semiconductor wafer W placed on the load port section 13.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the wafer test system 1 includes, as an example, a prober 10, a laser scanner 19 located near the prober 10, a transport mechanism 20, and a GEM (Generic Model For Communications and Control Of Manufacturing Equipment) computer, which is a GEM host 60. The laser scanner 19 is an example of a sensor unit of this disclosure. The prober 10, the laser scanner 19, the transport mechanism 20, and the GEM host 60 are each connected to one another via a known network 62.

[0013] (Transportation Mechanism 20) Figure 2 is a schematic plan view showing a transport mechanism 20 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the transport mechanism 20 is capable of transporting probe cards 34 and cassette CS between one or more probers 10 and a predetermined storage area 50. The transport mechanism 20 includes one or more transport rails 22, one or more overhead-traveling unmanned transport vehicles (OHTs) 24, and a GEM host 60. In this disclosure, the OHT 24 corresponds to a transport device. In this disclosure, the GEM host 60 controls various transport operations.

[0014] Each transport rail 22 extends in any direction in accordance with the manufacturing process on the ceiling of the manufacturing process where semiconductor manufacturing takes place. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 as an example, each transport rail 22 extends in the X direction and is provided in multiple rows in the Y direction on the ceiling of the manufacturing process. That is, a transport rail 22 is provided for each row of probers 10 arranged in multiple rows in the X direction.

[0015] Specifically, the transport rail 22 is installed on the ceiling so that, when viewed from above in the Z direction, i.e., in a top view, it corresponds to the probe card 34 mounted on each prober 10 in each row of probers 10. In other words, the probers 10 are installed so that the probe card 34 corresponds to the transport rail 22. In this embodiment, as an example, the prober 10 is positioned such that, in a top view, the center C1 of the probe card 34 of the prober 10 coincides with a position Y1 in the Y direction of the transport rail 22. That is, this position Y1 becomes the replacement position Y1 for the probe card 34. However, in a transport mechanism in which, for example, the OHT 24 is mounted at a position offset from the transport rail 22 in a top view, the transport rail 22 and the probe card 34 do not need to strictly coincide in a top view. That is, when the lifting and lowering holding part 24A of the OHT 24, which runs along the transport rail 22, is lowered, it is sufficient that the lifting and lowering holding part 24A can move to a position directly above the probe card 34.

[0016] One end of each transport rail 22 is connected to a storage area 50. As shown in Figure 1, this storage area 50 stores multiple cassettes CS containing multiple semiconductor wafers W before inspection, as well as multiple probe cards 34 of various types corresponding to the semiconductor chip types of the semiconductor wafers W. Note that the storage area 50 where the cassettes CS are stored and the storage area 50 where the probe cards 34 are stored may be located in different places.

[0017] Each OHT 24 is provided on each transport rail 22 and moves along the line of the transport rail 22. Specifically, the OHT 24 travels along the transport rail 22. In this embodiment, each OHT 24 is movable in the X direction. This allows the OHT 24 to move to a position directly above (including approximately directly above) the probe card 34 mounted on each prober 10. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, each OHT 24 is equipped with a lifting and lowering holding part 24A that is movable up and down in the Z direction (vertical direction) and whose position in the Y direction can be finely adjusted.

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic side view illustrating a part of the transport mechanism 20 shown in Figure 1. In Figure 3, the left diagram shows the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A in a raised state, and the right diagram shows the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A in a lowered state. The lifting and lowering holding unit 24A performs a retrieval process, which involves collecting the probe card 34 before replacement and transporting it to the storage area 50, and a loading process, which involves transporting the new probe card 34 from the storage area 50 to the replacement position before the mounting process. At this time, as shown in Figure 3, the OHT 24 holds or releases the probe card 34 by lowering the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A from the raised position shown in the left diagram to the lowered position shown in the right diagram.

[0019] Furthermore, the transport mechanism 20 of this embodiment performs not only the retrieval and loading of the probe card 34, but also the cassette CS containing the semiconductor wafer W. For this purpose, in this embodiment, as an example, as shown in Figure 2, in the load port section 13, which will be described later, the center of the upper surface on which the cassette CS is placed is defined as center C3, and this center C3 is positioned on the Y-direction position Y1 of the transport rail 22.

[0020] (Probe 10) Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the probe 10 in Figure 1, and Figure 5 is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of the probe 10 in Figure 1. Note that in the figures, among the mutually orthogonal XYZ directions, the XY direction is the horizontal direction and the Z direction is the vertical direction. Also, in Figure 4, the tester 36 and the slewing device 41 that rotates the tester 36 are not shown. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the probe 10 comprises a probe body 11, a loader section 12 adjacent to the probe body 11 in the X direction, and a load port section 13 adjacent to the loader section 12 in the Y direction. The load port section 13 is located on the front side of the loader section 12 in the Y direction.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, the prober body 11 comprises an inspection unit 30 disposed inside and a housing 14 that houses the inspection unit 30. The housing 14 has an openable and closable door 14A on the upper front side in the Y direction. The prober body 11 also has a pull-out mechanism 15 that allows the probe card 34 to be pulled out to the replacement position Y1 (see Figures 1 and 5). Since the detailed configuration of the prober 10 is publicly known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-104175), only a partial description of the prober 10's configuration will be given here.

[0022] Figure 6 is a side view showing the schematic configuration of the inspection unit 30 and the extraction mechanism 15. As shown in Figure 6, the inspection unit 30 includes a probe card 34 having probe needles 32 that contact the electrodes of the chip to be inspected, a tester 36, and a wafer chuck 38. The tester 36 has a test head 40 and an interface 42 that electrically connects the terminals of the test head 40 and the terminals of the probe card 34.

[0023] A swivel device 41 (see Figure 5) is connected to the test head 40, and this swivel device 41 moves the test head 40 to the upper part of the prober body 11 or to move it away from the upper part of the prober body 11. In this embodiment, as an example, the swivel device 41 is arranged adjacent to the prober body 11 in the X-axis direction. The swivel device 41 and the movement of the test head 40 by the swivel device 41 will be described in detail later.

[0024] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the tester 36 is moved to the upper part of the prober body 11 by the swivel device 41, and supplies power and various test signals to multiple chips formed on the semiconductor wafer W from terminals connected to the probe needle 32 via the interface 42, and checks whether the chips are functioning correctly by analyzing the signals output to the electrodes of the chips.

[0025] The probe card 34 is detachably held in a probe card mounting portion 14C, which is formed by an opening in the head stage 14B, as shown in Figure 4. Specifically, the probe card mounting portion 14C detachably holds the probe card 34 via a card holder 35 that holds the outer circumference of the probe card 34, as shown in Figure 6.

[0026] As shown in Figure 6, the probe card 34 has multiple probe needles 32 formed on its lower surface, that is, the surface facing the wafer chuck 38. The probe card 34 also has a held portion 34A on its upper surface, that is, the surface facing the tester 36, which is held by the lifting and lowering holding portion 24A (see Figure 3) of the OHT 24 that constitutes the transport mechanism 20 described later.

[0027] The wafer chuck 38 is placed on the base 16 and positioned below the probe card 34, facing the probe card 34. The wafer chuck 38 has a holding surface 44 formed on its upper surface for holding the semiconductor wafer W. The holding surface 44 holds the semiconductor wafer W by various holding methods such as vacuum suction. Inside the wafer chuck 38, there is a temperature control unit (not shown) for adjusting the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W.

[0028] Furthermore, a chuck movement mechanism 46 is connected to the wafer chuck 38, and the chuck movement mechanism 46 is composed of a known actuator such as a motor. This chuck movement mechanism 46 makes it possible to move the wafer chuck 38 in the XYZθ direction. Here, the θ direction is the direction around an axis parallel to the Z direction. This makes it possible to move the semiconductor wafer W held on the holding surface 44 of the wafer chuck 38 and the probe needle 32 relative to each other in the XYZθ direction.

[0029] In the inspection of the electrical characteristics of a semiconductor wafer W (wafer-level inspection) performed using the inspection unit 30 configured in this way, first, the semiconductor wafer W before inspection is placed on the holding surface 44 of the wafer chuck 38 and held. Then, using an alignment camera (not shown) and a needle position detection camera, the relative position (alignment) of the electrodes of the semiconductor wafer W and the probe needles 32 of the probe card 34 is performed. After that, the wafer chuck 38 is moved upward toward the probe card 34 by the chuck movement mechanism 46, and the electrodes of the chips of the semiconductor wafer W are brought into contact with the probe needles 32 of the probe card 34. In this state, power and various test signals are supplied from the tester 36 to the probe needles 32, and the electrical characteristics are inspected by detecting the signals output from the chips.

[0030] In the inspection unit 30 configured in this way, the probe cards 34 used for inspecting chips are replaced, for example, depending on the type of chip, or after a predetermined number of inspections. In the wafer test system 1 of this embodiment, the probe cards 34 are replaced automatically using the chuck movement mechanism 46 described above, the extraction mechanism 15 described later, the transport mechanism 20, and the control unit 70A of the information processing device 70 described later. "Replacing the probe cards 34" here includes the case where a new probe card 34 is attached to the prober 10 when no probe card 34 is attached to the prober 10, and the case where the old probe card 34 already held in the probe card mounting section 14C is replaced with a new probe card 34.

[0031] As shown in Figure 6, the extraction mechanism 15 is mounted on a base 16 and is movable in the Y direction. For example, the extraction mechanism 15 has a connecting portion 15A on the lower part of the surface facing the wafer chuck 38. The extraction mechanism 15 is connected to a connecting portion 38A of the wafer chuck 38, which is located opposite the connecting portion 15A, and is therefore movable in the Y direction together with the wafer chuck 38 by the chuck moving mechanism 46. For example, the connecting portion 38A is housed inside the wafer chuck 38 except when the probe card 34 is being replaced, and protrudes from the side of the wafer chuck 38 in the Y direction and connects to the extraction mechanism 15 when the probe card 34 is being replaced. Alternatively, the wafer chuck 38 and the extraction mechanism 15 may always be moved together without the connecting portion 38A. Alternatively, a mechanism for moving the extraction mechanism 15 separately from the chuck moving mechanism 46 may be provided.

[0032] The extraction mechanism 15, together with the chuck movement mechanism 46, performs a separation process to pull the card holder 35 and the probe card 34 before replacement from the "holding position" to the "replacement position" as a single unit when the probe card 34 is replaced, and a mounting process to transport the card holder 35 and the new probe card 34 from the "replacement position" to the "holding position" as a single unit. Here, the "holding position" is the position where the probe card 34 and the card holder 35 are held by the probe card mounting portion 14C. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the holding position Y2 is the position in the Y direction of the center C2 of the probe card mounting portion 14C.

[0033] Furthermore, the "exchange position" is the exchange position Y1 described above, which is the position in the prober 10 where the probe card 34 is replaced, or more specifically, the position where the probe card 34 can be retrieved and transported by the OHT 24 (see Figure 1), which will be described later. In this embodiment, as described above, the exchange position Y1 is set on the line of the transport rail 22.

[0034] The extraction mechanism 15, when the probe card 34 is replaced, connects the connected portion 15A to the wafer chuck 38 via the aforementioned connecting portion 38A, thereby transporting the card holder 35 and the probe card 34 together between the holding position and the replacement position.

[0035] Figure 7 is a side view showing the schematic configuration of the drawer mechanism 15. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the drawer mechanism 15 is equipped with a substantially flat tray 15B capable of holding (supporting) the probe card 34 and the card holder 35. The drawer mechanism 15 holds the tray 15B so that it can be displaced between a reclined state parallel to the XZ plane, as shown in the left view of Figure 7, and an upright state parallel to the XY plane, as shown in the center view of Figure 7. Furthermore, the drawer mechanism 15 holds the tray 15B in the upright state so that it can be raised and lowered in the Z direction, as shown in the right view of Figure 7. The tray 15B has a holding portion (not shown) near its center that holds the outer periphery of the card holder 35, and in the upright state of the tray 15B, the card holder 35 is held by the holding portion. As a result, the tray 15B holds the probe card 34 and the card holder 35 together.

[0036] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the tray 15B holding the probe card 34 via the card holder 35 (see Figure 6) is pulled out and retracted between the holding position and the replacement position. In this embodiment, as an example, as shown in Figure 5, the prober 10 is installed such that the center C1 of the probe card 34 held in the tray 15B pulled out by the pull-out mechanism 15 is located at the replacement position Y1.

[0037] Figure 8 is a schematic side view showing a part of the prober body 11. As shown in Figure 8, when the probe card 34 is transported by the OHT 24, the probe card 34 is pulled out to the replacement position Y1 (see Figure 5) by the extraction mechanism 15. At this time, the larger the test head 40 is, the more likely it is to overlap the probe card 34 when viewed from above, and if it overlaps, it becomes difficult to replace the probe card 34 with the OHT 24.

[0038] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the probe card 34 is replaced, the test head 40 is moved away from above the prober body 11 by the swivel device 41. Figure 9 is a schematic front view showing the swivel trajectory R of the test head 40. As shown in Figure 9, when the prober body 11 is in an inspection state where it is performing an inspection of the electrical characteristics of a chip formed on a semiconductor wafer W, the swivel device 41, by command from the control unit 70A (described later), swivels the test head 40 so that it is positioned above the prober body 11, as indicated by arrow A. The position of the test head 40 indicated by arrow A is the inspection position.

[0039] On the other hand, when the probe card 34 is being replaced, the swivel device 41, in accordance with a command from the control unit 70A (described later), rotates the test head 40 so that it rotates approximately 90 degrees along the swivel trajectory R to an upright position, as indicated by arrow B. Alternatively, the swivel device 41 may rotate the test head 40 so that it rotates approximately 180 degrees along the swivel trajectory R to a fully open position, as indicated by arrow C. By placing the test head 40 in an upright or fully open position in this way, the test head 40 is retracted from above the prober body 11. The positions of the test head 40 indicated by arrows B and C are considered the retracted positions. This allows the test head 40 to be removed from the lifting and lowering transport path K of the probe card 34 by the OHT 24 (see Figure 3) when the probe card 34 is being replaced.

[0040] Figure 10 is a perspective view of the slewing device 41 viewed from the rear at an angle, and Figure 11 is a perspective view of the slewing device 41 viewed from the front at an angle. Note that Figures 10 and 11 are shown with the test head 40 removed, and some covers and other parts are omitted. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the slewing device 41 is, for example, provided adjacent to the prober body 11 in the X direction. In this embodiment, the slewing device 41 is an example of a manipulator.

[0041] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the slewing device 41 comprises a slewing shaft 41A, a motor 41B, a reduction gear 41C, a motor electrical unit 41D, and a control board unit 41E. The slewing shaft 41A is arranged to extend in the Y direction, with one end rotatably held in the housing 41F of the slewing device 41, and the other end fixed to the shaft of the reduction gear 41C so as to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the reduction gear 41C. The reduction gear 41C is connected to the shaft of the motor 41B. In other words, the slewing shaft 41A is rotated with a target torque by the motor 41B and the reduction gear 41C.

[0042] The motor electrical unit 41D houses various electrical components such as power lines and control lines (hereinafter also referred to as electric wires) for controlling the operation of the motor 41B. The control board unit 41E is equipped with a microcontroller that combines a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random-access memory), and I / O ports into a single integrated circuit (IC), and an inverter circuit composed of multiple switching elements (for example, FETs (Field effect transformers)). The control board unit 41E can, for example, convert DC power supplied from a drive source (not shown) into three-phase AC power and supply it to the motor 41B.

[0043] Figure 12 is a perspective view of the prober 10 with the test head 40 in the inspection position, and Figure 13 is a perspective view of the prober 10 with the test head 40 in the retracted position. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the test head 40 is held by a test head holding member 41G. The side of the test head holding member 41G is connected to the pivot axis 41A by a substantially L-shaped arm 41H. In this embodiment, as an example, two arms 41H are used.

[0044] Furthermore, the test head 40 is connected with a cable B, a pipe 41K, and the like for supplying power and various test signals from the driving device 41J to the prober main body 11, and the cable B, the pipe 41K, and the turning shaft 41A are connected by an arm member 41M. By this arm member 41M, the cable B and the pipe 41K are also turned together with the test head 40.

[0045] The turning device 41 configured as described above is driven by the motor 41B and the speed reducer 41C via the control board unit 41E and the motor electrical component unit 41D in accordance with a command from a control unit 70A described later, whereby the turning shaft 41A is rotated forward and reversely. When the turning shaft 41A is rotated, the test head 40 is turned around the turning shaft 41A via the arm 41H and the test head holding member 41G. Accordingly, the test head 40 can be moved between the aforementioned inspection position and the retracted position. Although the turning device 41 of the present embodiment has the above configuration, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The turning device 41 may employ a known structure.

[0046] Next, returning to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the loader unit 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the loader unit 12 is adjacent to the prober main body 11 in the X direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the loader unit 12 is disposed on the rear side relative to the tray 15B pulled out to the replacement position Y1. The loader unit 12 includes a transfer arm 12A inside.

[0047] The transfer arm 12A loads and unloads the semiconductor wafer W accommodated in the cassette CS in the load port unit 12 between the cassette CS and the prober main body 11. The transfer arm 12A is configured to be movable in XYZθ directions, and can hold the semiconductor wafer W by vacuum suction using, for example, a suction mechanism. A known technique can be used for the transfer arm 12A.

[0048] Next, the load port unit 13 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the load port unit 13 is adjacent to the front side of the loader unit 12 in the Y direction. A cassette CS that houses a plurality of semiconductor wafers W is placed on the load port unit 13. Here, in the load port unit 13, the center of the upper surface on which the cassette CS is placed is defined as a center C3. Further, the load port unit 13 may be set with a docking position (not shown) at which semiconductor wafers W can be loaded and unloaded between the cassette CS and the prober main body unit 11, and an undocking position (not shown) at which the cassette CS is delivered to the OHT 24.

[0049] The docking position is set to a position where the transfer arm 12A described above can suck and hold a semiconductor wafer W from the cassette CS placed at the docking position, and transfer the semiconductor wafer W to the holding surface 44 (see FIG. 6) of the wafer chuck 38 of the prober main body unit 11. The docking position can be freely determined for each prober 10. In the present embodiment, as an example, the docking position D1 is set between the exchange position Y1 and the holding position Y2. When the center C3 of the load port unit 13 is located at the docking position, the transfer arm 12A can transfer the semiconductor wafer W.

[0050] The undocking position is set to a position where the cassette CS can be held when the elevation holding unit 24A of the OHT 24 described above is lowered. In the present embodiment, the undocking position is set to the exchange position Y1. When the center C3 of the load port unit 13 is located at the undocking position, the OHT 24 can transfer the cassette CS.

[0051] (Laser Scanner 19) Next, the laser scanner 19 will be described. Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram of the laser scanner 19. As shown in Figure 14 and Figure 1 above, the laser scanner 19 is positioned near the door portion 14A of the prober 10. The laser scanner 19, for example, emits and scans infrared laser light, and detects the infrared laser light reflected after hitting a person H, which is the object to be detected, thereby detecting the distance to obstacles H such as workers or AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles). By adjusting the installation position of the laser scanner 19 and the scanning range of the infrared laser light, it is possible to detect whether or not obstacles H have entered the protected area PA and warning area WA, which are set in advance based on the replacement position and the position of the door portion 14A.

[0052] The protective area PA is defined as the area where an obstacle H may collide with the opening and closing door section 14A or where a hand may get caught, and the area where an obstacle H may collide with the test head 40 when it is retracted, that is, the area including the retracted position of the test head 40. In other words, it is an area that defines a dangerous zone if an obstacle H enters while the door section 14A is opening and closing or while the test head 40 is retracting.

[0053] The warning area WA is located outside the protection area PA and is an area for issuing warnings to obstacles H that may intrude into the protection area PA. Note that setting up the warning area WA is optional.

[0054] The detection signal output from the laser scanner 19 is input to the prober 10, and further input to the GEM host 60 (described later) via the prober 10 and the network 62. Note that the laser scanner 19 in this embodiment is an example of a sensor unit.

[0055] (GEM Host 60) The GEM host 60 comprehensively controls the operation of multiple probers 10 and multiple OHTs 24, and is equipped with an arithmetic circuit composed of various processors and memory. The various functions of the GEM host 60 may be realized by a single processor, or by multiple processors of the same or different types. In addition, a control device other than the GEM host 60 may be used as long as it can comprehensively control the operation of multiple probers 10 and multiple OHTs 24. In this embodiment, the GEM host 60 requests the probers 10 to replace the probe card 34.

[0056] (Information Processing Device 70) Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the wafer test system 1 in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 15, the prober 10 is provided with an information processing device 70 in addition to the parts described above.

[0057] The information processing device 70 comprehensively controls the operation of the prober 10 under the control of the GEM host 60, which will be described later, and is equipped with an arithmetic circuit composed of various processors and memory. Various types of processors include CPUs (Central Processing Units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), and programmable logic devices [for example, SPLDs (Simple Programmable Logic Devices), CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Devices), and FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays)]. The various functions of the information processing device 70 may be implemented by a single processor, or by multiple processors of the same or different types.

[0058] Furthermore, the information processing device 70 includes a control unit 70A as one of its various functions. The control unit 70A functions as a control unit that controls the swivel device 41 by executing a control program read from a storage unit (not shown). A motor 41B is connected to the control unit 70A, and a laser scanner 19 is also connected via a connection interface (not shown). A detection unit 41X is also connected to the control unit 70A. In this embodiment, the detection unit 41X detects the retracted position of the test head 40. As an example, the detection unit 41X includes an encoder (not shown) provided on the rotation axis of the motor 41B. The detection unit 41X detects the swivel position of the test head 40 by detecting the rotation speed and rotation angle of the rotation axis of the motor 41B using the encoder. The control unit 70A is also connected to the GEM host 60 via a communication interface and network 62 (not shown).

[0059] Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of the probe card 34 replacement process performed in the wafer test system 1 with the above configuration. As shown in Figure 16, when replacing the probe card 34 of the prober 10, under the control of the GEM host 60, the separation process and the recovery process are performed sequentially in step S1 for each prober 10.

[0060] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of the separation and recovery processes. As shown in Figure 17, first, in step S11, the control unit 70A receives a request to replace the probe card 34, i.e., a separation process request, from the GEM host 60 via the network 62. Similarly, the OHT 24 of the transport mechanism 20 also receives a request to replace the probe card 34, i.e., a separation process request, from the GEM host 60 via the network 62.

[0061] In step S12, the control unit 70A communicates via the network 62 according to SEMI-E84 to detect whether the probe card 34 can be replaced. Specifically, the control unit 70A detects whether an obstacle H has entered the protected area PA and the warning area WA based on the data received from the laser scanner 19, and determines that it can be replaced if there is no intrusion.

[0062] If, in step S12, the control unit 70A determines that it is impossible to replace the probe card 34, that is, if it determines that an obstacle H has entered the protected area PA and the warning area WA (step S12; NO), the control unit 70A repeats the process in step S12 until it determines that there is no intrusion of obstacle H into the protected area PA and the warning area WA.

[0063] On the other hand, if in step S12 the control unit 70A determines that the probe card 34 can be replaced, that is, if it determines that there is no intrusion of obstacle H into the protected area PA and the warning area WA (step S12; YES), then in step S13 the control unit 70A controls the swivel device 41 so that the test head 40 is moved away from above the prober body 11. Specifically, as described above, the control unit 70A moves the test head 40 to the retracted position (see Figure 9) by driving the motor 41B and the reduction gear 41C via the control board 41E and the motor electrical equipment 41D.

[0064] In this embodiment, as an example, when the probe card 34 is replaced by the OHT 24, the control unit 70A controls the test head 40 to retract before the probe card 34 is pulled out to the replacement position Y1 by the extraction mechanism 15. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and the test head 40 may be controlled to retract after the probe card 34 has been pulled out to the replacement position Y1 by the extraction mechanism 15.

[0065] Next, in step S14, the control unit 70A moves the probe card 34 to the replacement position Y1. Figures 18 and 19 are explanatory diagrams illustrating the separation process when the probe card 34 is replaced. In Figures 18 and 19, the internal structure of the prober 10 and the probe card 34 are simplified in order to prevent the diagrams from becoming too complex. Furthermore, the size of the probe card 34 and card holder 35 is emphasized compared to the tray 15B to make it clear that the probe card 34 and card holder 35 are being transported by the tray 15B.

[0066] As shown in Figure 18(A), specifically, before the start of the separation process, the wafer chuck 38 is positioned so that the holding position Y2 is located vertically below the center C2 (see Figure 5) of the probe card mounting portion 14C in the Y direction. The extraction mechanism 15 is positioned at the exchange position Y1. That is, the extraction mechanism 15 is positioned so that when the tray 15B is in an upright position parallel to the XY plane (see Figure 7), the center of the tray 15B is located at the exchange position Y1.

[0067] When the separation process begins, the control unit 70A separates the probe card 34 from the head stage 14B (see Figure 4). Specifically, as shown in Figure 18(B), the control unit 70A moves the wafer chuck 38 to the extraction mechanism 15 using the chuck movement mechanism 46 (see Figure 6). Then, the control unit 70A extends the connecting portion 38A of the chuck movement mechanism 46 and connects it to the connected portion 15A of the extraction mechanism 15.

[0068] Next, as shown in Figure 18(C), the control unit 70A moves the wafer chuck 38 and the extraction mechanism 15 together toward the holding position Y2. In this embodiment, as an example, when the vicinity of the center of the wafer chuck 38 reaches the holding position Y2, the control unit 70A switches the tray 15B from a reclined state to an upright state.

[0069] As shown in Figure 18(D), after the tray 15B is switched to the upright position, the control unit 70A uses the chuck movement mechanism 46 (see Figure 6) to move the wafer chuck 38 and the extraction mechanism 15 together towards the holding position Y2, so that the center of the tray 15B is positioned at the holding position Y2. Subsequently, the control unit 70A raises the tray 15B and transports it to a position where it is in contact with the card holder 35 held by the probe card mounting portion 14C. As a result, the card holder 35 is held in the tray 15B, and the probe card 34 is held in the tray 15B via the card holder 35.

[0070] Then, as shown in Figure 19(A), the probe card 34 and card holder 35 are held by the tray 15B, and the card holder 35 is released from the probe card mounting portion 14C, resulting in the state where the probe card 34 and card holder 35 are held by the tray 15B.

[0071] As shown in Figure 19(B), when the card holder 35 is released from being held by the probe card mounting portion 14C, the control unit 70A lowers the tray 15B. At this time, the control unit 70A keeps the door portion 14A in the open position.

[0072] As shown in Figure 19(C), once the tray 15B has finished descending, the control unit 70A moves the wafer chuck 38 to the replacement position Y1 using the chuck movement mechanism 46 (see Figure 6). Specifically, the control unit 70A moves the extraction mechanism 15 so that the center C1 (see Figure 5) of the probe card 34 is located at the replacement position Y1. In this state, the OHT 24 can retrieve the old probe card 34 from the tray 15B and load a new probe card 34 into the tray 15B.

[0073] Returning to Figure 17, in step S15, the control unit 70A determines whether the test head 40 has completed retracting to its retracted position (see Figure 9). Specifically, the control unit 70A determines whether the test head 40 is in the retracted position based on the output data from the detection unit 41X that detects the retracted position of the test head 40. More specifically, the control unit 70A detects the rotational position of the test head 40 by detecting the rotational speed and rotational angle (rotational position information) of the rotational shaft of the motor 41B based on the output data from the detection unit 41X, i.e., the encoder (not shown) provided on the rotational shaft of the motor 41B. Based on the detected rotational position of the test head 40, the control unit 70A determines whether the test head 40 is in the retracted position.

[0074] In step S15, if the control unit 70A determines that the test head 40 is not in the retracted position (step S15; NO), the control unit 70A repeats the process in step S15 and drives the swivel device 41 until the test head 40 is in the retracted position. The control unit 70A also determines whether the tray 15B has finished moving so that the center C1 of the probe card 34 (see Figure 5) is in the exchange position Y1. If the movement is not completed (step S15; NO), the control unit 70A makes the OHT 24 wait until the movement of the tray 15B is completed. In this embodiment, the test head 40 being in the retracted position and the tray 15B being moved so that the center C1 of the probe card 34 (see Figure 5) is in the exchange position Y1 are predetermined conditions.

[0075] On the other hand, in step S15, if the control unit 70A determines that the test head 40 is in the retracted position and that the tray 15B has moved so that the center C1 of the probe card 34 (see Figure 5) is in the replacement position Y1 (step S15; YES), then in step S16, the control unit 70A moves the OHT 24 of the transport mechanism 20 to the replacement position Y1 in order to have the OHT 24 perform the replacement of the probe card 34. Specifically, the OHT 24 is moved in the Y direction along the transport rail 22 to position it at the replacement position Y1 (see Figures 1 and 2).

[0076] Note that steps S14 and S15 and step S16 may be performed simultaneously.

[0077] Next, in step S17, the control unit 70A transports the probe card 34 using the OHT 24. Specifically, the control unit 70A lowers the lifting and holding part 24A of the OHT 24 to hold the probe card 34 (see Figure 3), and then raises the lifting and holding part 24A. Then, the control unit 70A transports the probe card 34 to the storage area 50 by moving the OHT 24, together with the lifting and holding part 24A holding the probe card 34, along the transport rail 22.

[0078] Furthermore, if an obstacle H enters the protected area PA while steps S13 to S17 are being performed, the control unit 70A stops the driving of the swivel device 41 or the OHT 54, and especially stops the raising and lowering of the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A. This prevents the test head 40 or the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A from colliding with the obstacle H. Then, based on the detection result of the laser scanner 19, the control unit 70A restarts the driving of the swivel device 41 or the OHT 54 when the status changes from "obstacle H has entered the protected area PA" to "obstacle H has not entered". This reduces the effort required for the operator to perform the restart operation.

[0079] Next, in step S18, the control unit 70A puts the extraction mechanism 15 into a state ready for inserting the probe card 34. Specifically, the control unit 70A uses the chuck moving mechanism 46 to move the extraction mechanism 15 together with the wafer chuck 38 into the prober 10 along the Y direction from the exchange position Y1 shown in Figure 19(C). Furthermore, the control unit 70A closes the door section 14A.

[0080] Next, in step S19, the control unit 70A returns the test head 40 to its original position. Specifically, the control unit 70A controls the swivel device 41 so that the test head 40 is positioned above the probe body 11. Specifically, as described above, the control unit 70A moves the test head 40 to the inspection position (see Figure 9) by driving the motor 41B and the reduction gear 41C via the control board 41E and the motor electrical unit 41D.

[0081] Furthermore, in cases such as when a new probe card 34 is to be installed immediately after the old probe card 34 has been retrieved, the test head 40 may be left in standby position without being returned to its original position in order to improve the cycle time. In other words, the process in step S19 may be omitted.

[0082] In this manner, the separation and recovery processes of the probe card 34 are carried out.

[0083] Returning to Figure 16, in step S1, the probe card 34 is separated and recovered. Next, in step S2, the probe card 34 is loaded and mounted.

[0084] Figure 20 is a flowchart showing the flow of the loading and mounting processes. As shown in Figure 20, first, in step S21, the control unit 70A receives a request to replace the probe card 34, i.e., a mounting process request, from the GEM host 60 via the network 62. Similarly, the OHT 24 of the transport mechanism 20 also receives a request to replace the probe card 34, i.e., a mounting process request, from the GEM host 60 via the network 62.

[0085] In step S22, the control unit 70A communicates via the network 62 according to SEMI-E84 to detect whether or not the probe card 34 can be replaced. The specific processing by the control unit 70A is the same as in step S21 in Figure 17.

[0086] If, in step S22, the control unit 70A determines that it is impossible to replace the probe card 34, that is, if it determines that an obstacle H has entered the protected area PA and the warning area WA (step S22; NO), the control unit 70A repeats the process in step S22 until it determines that there is no intrusion of obstacle H into the protected area PA and the warning area WA.

[0087] On the other hand, if in step S22 the control unit 70A determines that the probe card 34 can be replaced, that is, if it determines that there is no intrusion of obstacle H into the protected area PA and the warning area WA (step S22; YES), then in step S23 the control unit 70A controls the swivel device 41 so that the test head 40 is moved away from above the prober body 11. The specific processing by the control unit 70A is the same as in step S31 in Figure 17.

[0088] Next, in step S24, the control unit 70A moves the tray 15B to the replacement position Y1. Before the start of the probe card 34 mounting process, the extraction mechanism 15 is in a waiting state for the probe card 34 to be mounted. Specifically, the extraction mechanism 15 is housed inside the prober 10 together with the wafer chuck 38. Furthermore, the door section 14A is closed. When the mounting process starts, the control unit 70A opens the door section 14A and then moves the tray 15B to the replacement position Y1.

[0089] Figures 21 and 22 are explanatory diagrams illustrating the installation process when replacing the probe card 34. In Figures 21 and 22, the internal structure of the prober 10 and the probe card 34 are simplified in order to avoid making the drawings more complex. Furthermore, the size of the probe card 34 and card holder 35 is emphasized compared to the tray 15B to make it clear that the probe card 34 and card holder 35 are being transported by the tray 15B.

[0090] As shown in Figure 21(A), the connecting portion 38A of the chuck movement mechanism 46 and the connected portion 15A of the extraction mechanism 15 are connected, and the tray 15B is in an upright position parallel to the XY plane. In this state, the wafer chuck 38 and the extraction mechanism 15 are installed so that the position of the center of the tray 15B in the Y direction is the exchange position Y1.

[0091] Returning to Figure 20, in step S25, the control unit 70A determines whether the movement of the tray 15B has been completed and whether the test head 40 has been moved to its retracted position (see Figure 9). The specific processing by the control unit 70A is the same as in step S15 of Figure 17.

[0092] In step S25, if the control unit 70A determines that the test head 40 is not in the retracted position (step S25; NO), the control unit 70A repeats the process in step S25 and drives the swivel device 41 until the test head 40 is in the retracted position. The control unit 70A also determines whether the movement of the tray 15B has been completed so that the center of the tray 15B is at the exchange position Y1. If the movement is not completed (step S25; NO), the control unit 70A makes the OHT 24 wait until the movement of the tray 15B is completed. In this embodiment, the conditions that the test head 40 is in the retracted position and that the tray 15B has been moved so that the center of the tray 15B is at the exchange position Y1 are predetermined conditions.

[0093] On the other hand, in step S25, if the control unit 70A determines that the test head 40 is in the retracted position and that the movement of the tray 15B has been completed so that the center of the tray 15B is located at the exchange position Y1 (step S25; YES), then in step S26, the control unit 70A has the replacement probe card 34, which was stored in the storage area 50, held in the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A, and moves the OHT 24 holding the probe card 34 to the exchange position Y1 in order to have the OHT 24 of the transport mechanism 20 perform the exchange of the probe card 34. Specifically, the OHT 24 is moved in the Y direction along the transport rail 22 to be positioned at the exchange position Y1 (see Figures 1 and 2). Here, the replacement probe card 34 is held in the card holder 35 in advance.

[0094] Note that steps S24 and S25 and step S26 may be performed simultaneously.

[0095] Next, in step S27, the control unit 70A lowers the probe card 34. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the control unit 70A lowers the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A that holds the probe card 34 and the card holder 35. Then, as shown in Figure 21(A), the control unit 70A releases the card holder 35 from the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A and places the probe card 34 and card holder 35 on the tray 15B. The control unit 70A then raises the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A that does not hold the probe card 34 and card holder 35 and returns it to its standby position.

[0096] In step S28, the control unit 70A mounts the probe card 34 onto the probe card mounting section 14C. Specifically, as shown in Figure 21(A), the control unit 70A moves the extraction mechanism 15, on which the test head 40 is placed on the tray 15B, toward the holding position Y2 in the Y direction together with the wafer chuck 38 by the chuck moving mechanism 46. Then, as shown in Figure 21(B), after the center C1 (see Figure 5) of the probe card 34 is positioned at the holding position Y2, the control unit 70A raises the tray 15B.

[0097] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 21(C), the control unit 70A raises the tray 15B to transport the probe card 34 and card holder 35 placed on the tray 15B to a position where they are in contact with the probe card mounting section 14C. As a result, the card holder 35 is held by the probe card mounting section 14C, and a new probe card 34 is mounted on the probe card mounting section 14C via the card holder 35. Then, the probe card 34 and card holder 35 are held by the probe card mounting section 14C, and the tray 15B releases its hold on the card holder 35, causing the tray 15B to move downwards from the card holder 35.

[0098] Furthermore, if an obstacle H enters the protected area PA while steps S23 to S28 are being processed, the control unit 70A stops the driving of the swivel device 41 or the OHT 54, and especially stops the lifting and lowering of the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A. This prevents the test head 40 or the lifting and lowering holding unit 24A from colliding with the obstacle H. Then, based on the detection result of the laser scanner 19, the control unit 70A restarts the driving of the swivel device 41 or the OHT 54 when the status changes from "obstacle H has entered the protected area PA" to "obstacle H has not entered". This reduces the effort required for the operator to perform the restart operation.

[0099] Returning to Figure 20, in step S29, the control unit 70A puts the wafer chuck 38 and the extraction mechanism 15 into a standby state. Specifically, as shown in Figure 22(A), once the tray 15B has finished descending, the control unit 70A uses the chuck movement mechanism 46 (see Figure 6) to move the wafer chuck 38 toward the exchange position Y1 and stops it just before the exchange position Y1. After this movement is complete, as shown in Figure 22(B), the control unit 70A switches the tray 15B of the extraction mechanism 15 from the upright state to the downed state.

[0100] As shown in Figure 22(C), after the tray 15B is switched to the inverted state, the chuck movement mechanism 46 (see Figure 6) moves the wafer chuck 38 further toward the exchange position Y1. Then, the control unit 70A releases the connection between the wafer chuck 38 and the extraction mechanism 15 by retracting the connecting portion 38A into the wafer chuck 38. As a result, the extraction mechanism 15 is positioned at the exchange position Y1 before the start of the separation process.

[0101] As shown in Figure 22(D), when the connection between the wafer chuck 38 and the extraction mechanism 15 is released, the chuck moving mechanism 46 (see Figure 6) moves the wafer chuck 38 to the inspection position Y2. Furthermore, the control unit 70A closes the door section 14A. This completes the loading and mounting processes.

[0102] Returning to Figure 20, in step S30, the control unit 70A causes the test head 40 to return to its original position. Specifically, the control unit 70A controls the swivel device 41 so that the test head 40 is positioned above the probe body 11. More specifically, as described above, the control unit 70A moves the test head 40 to the inspection position (see Figure 9) by driving the motor 41B and the reduction gear 41C via the control board 41E and the motor electrical equipment 41D.

[0103] In this way, the loading and mounting processes for the probe card 34 are performed, and the series of processes by the wafer test system 1 are completed.

[0104] (Operation and Effects) Next, the operation and effects of the first embodiment will be described.

[0105] In this embodiment, the control unit 70A of the prober 10 retracts the test head 40 when replacing the probe card 34 using the OHT 24 located above the prober body 11, so there is no need to further pull out the probe card 34 in the Y direction from the prober body 11. Therefore, a complex new pulling mechanism is unnecessary, and the existing pulling mechanism can be used as is, thus maintaining the reliability of the device while suppressing an increase in equipment costs.

[0106] In this embodiment, the control unit 70A of the prober 10 controls the test head 40 to retract before the probe card 34 is pulled out to the replacement position Y by the extraction mechanism 15 when the probe card 34 is replaced by the OHT 24. Therefore, the test head 40 is retracted before the probe card 34 is pulled out by the extraction mechanism 15, that is, before the probe card 34 is held in the OHT 24. This allows the probe card 34 to be replaced using the existing extraction mechanism 15.

[0107] In this embodiment, the control unit 70A of the prober 10 causes the OHT 24 to replace the probe card 34 when the retracted position detected by the detection unit 41X, which detects the retracted position of the test head 40, satisfies predetermined conditions. Therefore, the probe card 34 can be replaced after confirming that the test head 40 has been retracted. This prevents the test head 40 from becoming an obstacle to the replacement of the probe card 34.

[0108] In this embodiment, the control unit 70A of the prober 10 detects the retracted position based on rotational position information from an encoder provided on the motor 41B that drives the test head 40. Therefore, the rotational position information for control, obtained from the output of the encoder, can be used to detect the retracted position of the test head 40.

[0109] In this embodiment, the control unit 70A of the prober 10 controls the test head 40 to retract when the laser scanner 19 detects whether or not the test head 40 has entered the protected area PA and the warning area WA, which are predetermined areas including the retraction position of the test head 40, and it is determined that there has been no intrusion into the protected area PA and the warning area WA. Therefore, the safety of the operator can be ensured when the test head 40 moves to a retraction position.

[0110] [Supplementary Explanation] In the above embodiment of the wafer test system 1, an example of a configuration comprising multiple probers 10 has been described, but the technology of this disclosure is not limited thereto. The wafer test system 1 may comprise only one prober 10.

[0111] Furthermore, while the prober 10 of the above embodiment uses a swivel device 41 as an example of a manipulator, the disclosure is not limited thereto. The manipulator may be a retraction device that moves the test head 40 vertically and then swivels it, or a retraction device that moves it vertically and then linearly moves it in the X or Y direction, or a retraction device that linearly moves it in the X or Y direction. Any method can be used for the manipulator as long as it can retract the test head 40 from the upper part of the prober body 11.

[0112] Furthermore, in the prober 10 of the above embodiment, the control unit 70A controls the test head 40 to retract before the probe card 34 is pulled out to the replacement position Y1 by the extraction mechanism 15 when the probe card 34 is replaced by the OHT 24, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The control unit 70A may also control the test head 40 to retract when the probe card 34 has been pulled out to the replacement position Y1 by the extraction mechanism 15.

[0113] Furthermore, while the prober 10 of the above embodiment uses a laser scanner 19 as an example of a sensor unit, this disclosure is not limited to this. The sensor unit may use a light curtain, or a pressure-sensitive sensor (sheet) may be mounted on the floor surface of the protect area PA and warning area WA. Alternatively, the sensor unit may detect the intrusion of a person H by image processing based on an image acquired by photographing the area around the prober 10, or known technologies may be used.

[0114] Furthermore, while an encoder is used as the detection unit 41X in the prober 10 of the above embodiment, this disclosure is not limited to this. The detection unit 41X may, for example, have proximity switch sensors on both ends of the pivot axis 41A, and the position of the test head 40 may be detected according to the output from the proximity switch sensors. Alternatively, a limit switch or the like may be used instead of a proximity switch sensor. Known techniques can be used for detecting the position of the test head 40.

[0115] The configuration of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the configuration can be modified as appropriate, as long as the problem can be solved.

[0116] Furthermore, the disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-057141, filed on 28 March 2025, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards described herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard were specifically and individually noted to be incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a control unit that controls the placement of a test head on the upper part of the prober body that holds the semiconductor wafer when the device is in an inspection state in which probe needles of a probe card are brought into contact with a plurality of semiconductor chips formed on a semiconductor wafer to perform inspection of the semiconductor chips, and controls the placement of the test head on the upper part of the prober body when the device is in an exchange state in which the probe card is replaced by a transport device above the prober body.

2. The prober body is equipped with a pull-out mechanism for pulling out the probe card to an exchange position where it can be transferred to and from the transport device, and the control unit controls the test head to retract when the probe card is exchanged by the transport device, either when the probe card is pulled out to the exchange position by the pull-out mechanism or before it is pulled out.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the transport device to replace the probe card when the retracted position detected by the detection unit for detecting the retracted position of the test head satisfies predetermined conditions.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit detects the retracted position based on rotational position information from an encoder provided on a motor that drives the test head.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the test head to retract when a sensor unit that detects whether or not the test head has entered a predetermined area including the retracted position of the test head detects that there has been no intrusion into the area.

6. A prober comprising: an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; the prober body; the test head; and a manipulator for retracting the test head from above the prober body.

7. A probe card replacement method in which a computer performs a process to control the placement of a test head on the upper part of the prober body that holds the semiconductor wafer when the test state is in which the probe needles of a probe card are brought into contact with a plurality of semiconductor chips formed on a semiconductor wafer to perform an inspection of the semiconductor chips, and when the replacement state is in which the probe card is replaced by a transport device above the prober body, the computer performs a process to control the test head to retract from above the prober body.

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