Probe System Heating and Cooling With Vortex Tube Moisture Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heating and cooling apparatuses for semiconductor element testing face challenges in maintaining accurate electrical characteristic measurements due to moisture condensation and temperature limitations, particularly during low-temperature tests, which can lead to current leakage and accessibility issues.
Innovation Solution
A heating and cooling apparatus with a moisture removal function is designed, incorporating a vortex tube and a series installation of an air-cooling chiller and compressed air cooler, along with heaters and nozzles to efficiently manage temperature and dehumidify the air stream, allowing for precise temperature control and effective removal of water droplets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional hot chuck with a covered plate structure is used for wafer measurement, then heating function is provided, but installation of light source for measuring photo current becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The chuck is divided into multiple independent heating zones with separate heating elements, allowing different regions to be heated independently. This segmentation enables the light source to be installed in previously inaccessible areas while maintaining heating functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a top-down covered plate structure to a side-access or bottom-access heating configuration, allowing light sources to be positioned in new spatial dimensions that were previously blocked by the cover plate.
2Temperature
If cooling measurement is performed below dew point temperature, then low-temperature electrical characteristic test is enabled, but water droplets are generated on surface causing current leakage
Solution Approach 1:
A heated air blow device is positioned to blow warm air across the measurement surface before and during cooling measurements. This preliminary anti-action prevents moisture condensation by maintaining the surface temperature above the dew point locally, even when the bulk temperature is below dew point.
Solution Approach 2:
A stream of warmed air acts as an intermediary between the cooling mechanism and the measurement surface, preventing direct contact between moisture and the measurement area while allowing heat transfer to occur through the air medium.
3Reliability
If the entire probe station is configured as a N2 chamber structure for low-temperature testing, then moisture control is improved, but accessibility and operational flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The moisture control function is extracted from the enclosed N2 chamber structure and implemented as a localized heated air blow device. This allows moisture control to be maintained at the measurement point without requiring the entire station to be sealed and purged with N2.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses ambient air that is heated locally rather than requiring a separate N2 gas supply system. The heated air is generated on-demand at the measurement location, eliminating the need for complex gas chamber infrastructure.
4Temperature
If a covered plate structure is used for heating, then heating function is provided, but the structure becomes complex and light source installation is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical covered plate heating structure is replaced with a system that uses directed heated air flow. Instead of a physical cover plate with integrated heating elements, warm air is blown directly onto the measurement surface, eliminating the complex mechanical structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables efficient hot and cold measurements, including ultra-low temperature testing, by maintaining accurate temperature conditions and preventing moisture formation, thus ensuring reliable electrical characteristic testing without constraints.
Implementation Method 1
a vortex tube configured to separate compressed air which has been cooled by the air-cooling chiller into cold air and hot air
Implementation Method 2
a first heater configured to heat the cold air from a port at one side of the compressed air cooler to a predetermined temperature
Implementation Method 3
a second heater configured to heat hot air from another port of the compressed air cooler to a high temperature for dehumidification
Implementation Method 4
an air-cooling chiller and a compressed air cooler installed in a thermo-stream in series
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a heating and cooling apparatus having a moisture removal function for testing electrical characteristics of a semiconductor element using a probe system, in which the heating and cooling apparatus is configured to be capable of hot and cold measurement of a wafer or a flat panel display product and to be capable of efficiently removing water droplets generated at the time of cooling by adding a vortex tube to a thermo-stream provided in a probe head of the probe system and configuring the vortex tube to be interlocked with a moisture removal device.