Prober Alignment Device Positioning and Fixing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing semiconductor prober systems face challenges in maintaining position accuracy and throughput due to the distortion of alignment devices caused by weight and thermal changes, leading to increased installation area and device cost when trying to inspect a large number of chips on a single wafer.
Innovation Solution
A prober system with a positioning and fixing device that includes a clamp mechanism to securely attach and position the alignment device at multiple points, combined with a belt drive mechanism for moving the alignment device among measuring units, ensuring accurate and efficient alignment and inspection of multiple chips simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of probers is increased to improve throughput, then the inspection speed increases, but the installation area and device cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple measuring units into a single integrated prober system, allowing one prober to inspect multiple chips simultaneously through multi-probing technology. This merging approach increases throughput without requiring multiple separate probers, thereby avoiding the increase in installation area and device cost that would result from adding more individual probers.
Solution Approach 2:
The prober is designed with multi-functionality to perform simultaneous inspection of multiple chips using a single device. The system can handle multiple measuring tasks concurrently through the multi-probing technique, making one prober serve multiple functions that would traditionally require multiple separate devices, thus improving throughput without increasing installation footprint.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the moving distance of the alignment device is increased to serve multiple measuring units, then the system integration improves, but the position accuracy decreases due to distortion from weight and thermal expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment device is divided into multiple independent alignment units, each responsible for a specific measuring unit. This segmentation allows each alignment unit to have a shorter moving distance, reducing distortion from weight and thermal expansion, thereby maintaining position accuracy while still enabling the system to serve multiple measuring units through coordinated operation of the segmented alignment units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a support structure that acts as an intermediary between the alignment device and the measuring units. This support structure is designed to minimize thermal expansion and maintain stability, thereby reducing the impact of thermal effects on position accuracy while allowing the alignment device to effectively serve multiple measuring units.
3Productivity
If the allowable error in contact alignment is reduced to inspect more chips simultaneously, then the inspection capability increases, but the position accuracy requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical alignment methods with optical field-based alignment techniques. By using optical fields instead of purely mechanical systems, the alignment precision is significantly improved, allowing for tighter allowable errors in contact alignment when inspecting multiple chips simultaneously. This substitution enables higher inspection capability while meeting the increased position accuracy requirements through non-contact optical measurement and alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a prober capable of suppressing the increase in installation area and the increase in device cost, and also improving the throughput, while maintaining the accuracy of the moving position of an alignment device shared by each of measuring units. The prober includes: a plurality of measuring units, each of which has a probe card electrically connected to a test head; a wafer chuck that holds a wafer in which a plurality of chips are formed; an alignment device which performs relative alignment between the probe card and the wafer held by the wafer chuck; a moving device which moves the alignment device among the measuring units; and a positioning and fixing device which is provided for every of the measuring units, and positions and fixes the alignment device which is moved to each of the measuring units.