JP7699329B2 - Prober - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a prober that inspects the electrical characteristics of multiple semiconductor elements (chips) formed on a semiconductor wafer, and in particular to a prober equipped with a transport unit that moves between a transport item storage section and multiple measurement sections to transport the transport item to the transport item storage section or each measurement section.

Conventionally, a prober (wafer inspection device) has been proposed that includes a transport object storage section (cassette stock section that stores multiple wafers) that stores multiple transport objects, multiple measurement sections (wafer inspection sections), and a transport unit (self-propelled carriage) that moves between the transport object storage section and each measurement section to transport the transport object to the transport object storage section or each measurement section (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to the prober described in Patent Document 1, for example, when N measurement sections are used, the inspection time can be reduced to 1/N compared to when one measurement section is used.

Conventionally, probers have been used to test the electrical properties of wafers at high (or low) temperatures (high-temperature or low-temperature testing). This testing is usually performed by transporting the wafer from a cassette to a wafer chuck using a transport arm, heating (or cooling) the wafer on the wafer chuck to the testing temperature and testing the electrical properties, and after testing is complete, cooling (or heating) the wafer on the wafer chuck, and returning the wafer to room temperature using the transport arm.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-343497

However, in the prober described in Patent Document 1, when high-temperature or low-temperature testing is performed in each measurement section, the following problem occurs due to the difference between the environment of the transported object storage section (usually a room temperature environment) and the environment of each measurement section (a high-temperature or low-temperature environment).

For example, when performing high-temperature testing, waiting time is required at each measurement section before starting the test (for preheating) to bring the wafer or probe card, which is at room temperature, closer to the test temperature, resulting in a problem of reduced throughput (processing capacity per unit time) at each measurement section. In particular, when performing high-temperature testing again after replacing the wafer or probe card, it takes time for the wafer chuck to heat up to high temperature again, so the waiting time becomes even longer before the next high-temperature testing can be performed, further reducing the throughput at each measurement section. In addition, when performing high-temperature testing, when replacing the wafer or probe card after the inspection is completed, waiting time is required at each measurement section to bring the wafer or probe card, which is at high temperature, closer to room temperature, resulting in a problem of reduced throughput at each measurement section.

Similarly, when performing low-temperature inspection, a waiting time is required at each measurement section before the start of the inspection to bring the wafer and probe card at room temperature closer to the inspection temperature, which reduces the throughput at each measurement section. In particular, when performing low-temperature inspection again after replacing the wafer or probe card, it takes time for the wafer chuck to reach low temperature again, which makes the waiting time longer until the next low-temperature inspection can be performed, further reducing the throughput at each measurement section. In addition, when performing low-temperature inspection, a waiting time is required after the inspection is completed to bring the wafer and probe card at low temperature closer to a temperature at which condensation does not occur (usually room temperature), which also reduces the throughput at each measurement section.

As described above, in the prober described in Patent Document 1, when high-temperature or low-temperature testing is performed in each measurement section, the difference between the environment of the transported object storage section (usually a room temperature environment) and the environment of each measurement section (high-temperature or low-temperature environment) causes a long waiting time in each measurement section until the transported object approaches a specified temperature (e.g., the testing temperature or room temperature), resulting in a decrease in throughput in each measurement section. There is a demand for improving this problem and improving the throughput in each measurement section.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a prober and a transport unit that can improve the throughput at each measurement section in a prober equipped with a transport unit that moves between a transport item storage section and multiple measurement sections to transport a transport item (e.g., at least one of a wafer and a probe card) to the transport item storage section or each measurement section.

To achieve the above object, the prober of the present invention comprises a transported object storage section that stores multiple transported objects, multiple measurement sections, a housing that stores the transported objects, and an environmental control means that controls the environment within the housing, a transport unit that moves between the transported object storage section and each measurement section to transport the transported objects into the transported object storage section or into each measurement section, and a moving device that moves the transport unit between the transported object storage section and each measurement section, and the environmental control means controls the environment within the housing to create an environment that corresponds to the environment of the destination of the transported objects.

The transport unit of one embodiment of the prober of the present invention further includes a sensor that detects the environment inside the housing, and the environmental control means controls the environment inside the housing to a target environment based on the detection result of the sensor.

In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, when the destination of the transport unit is a measurement section, the environmental control means controls the environment within the housing so that the environment is appropriate for the test to be performed within the measurement section at the destination.

In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, when the destination of the transport unit is a measurement section where high-temperature testing is performed, the environmental control means controls the environment within the housing so that the transported object stored within the housing is heated.

In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, when the destination of the transport unit is the transported object storage section and the transport unit transports the transported object that has become hot due to high-temperature testing into the transported object storage section, the environmental control means controls the environment within the housing so that the transported object stored within the housing is cooled.

In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, when the destination of the transport unit is a measurement section where low-temperature testing is performed, the environmental control means controls the environment within the housing so that the transported object stored within the housing is cooled.

In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, when the destination of the transport unit is the transported object storage section and the transport unit transports the transported object that has been brought to a low temperature state by low-temperature inspection into the transported object storage section, the environment control means controls the environment within the housing so that the transported object stored within the housing is heated.

In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, when the destination of the transport unit is a measurement section where an inspection is performed under a specified gas atmosphere, the environmental control means controls the environment within the housing so that the specified gas atmosphere is created within the housing.

One aspect of the prober of the present invention is a transport unit having an object holding arm that is provided on the transport unit and holds the transport object, the transport object holding arm entering and exiting through an opening formed in the housing, and being housed in the housing together with the transport object while holding the transport object.

In one embodiment of the prober of the present invention, the transported object storage section and each measurement section are arranged at a fixed distance with the surfaces accessed by the transport unit facing each other, and the transport unit is arranged between the transported object storage section and each measurement section.

One aspect of the prober of the present invention is equipped with a transport unit rotation mechanism that rotates the transport unit so that the opening through which the transported object holding arm enters and exits faces the transported object storage section or each measurement section.

In one embodiment of the prober of the present invention, each measurement section is arranged two-dimensionally in the horizontal and vertical directions.

In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the moving device includes a first movable body that moves in the horizontal direction between the transported object storage section and each measurement section, which is the arrangement direction of each measurement section; a first movable body moving mechanism that moves the first movable body in the horizontal direction; a second movable body that is attached to the first movable body so as to be movable in the vertical direction, which is the arrangement direction of each measurement section, and supports the transport unit so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis; a second movable body moving mechanism that moves the second movable body in the vertical direction; and a transport unit rotation mechanism that is attached to the second movable body and rotates the transport unit around the vertical axis.

In one embodiment of the prober of the present invention, the transported object is at least one of a wafer and a probe card, and the transported object holding arm is at least one of a wafer arm that holds the wafer and a probe card arm that holds the probe card.

In one embodiment of the prober of the present invention, each of the multiple measurement units includes a wafer chuck that is adjusted to a target temperature and a probe card holder to which a probe card is removably attached.

The environmental control means of one embodiment of the prober of the present invention is provided on the upper surface inside the housing.

The environmental control means of one embodiment of the prober of the present invention is provided approximately at the center of the upper surface.

The transport unit, which is another aspect of the present invention, is a transport unit that moves between a transport object storage section that stores multiple transport objects and multiple measurement sections to transport the transport objects into the transport object storage section or into each measurement section, and includes a housing that stores the transport objects, and an environmental control means that controls the environment within the housing so that the environment within the housing corresponds to the environment of the destination of the transport objects.

According to the present invention, in a prober equipped with a transport unit that moves between a transport object storage section and multiple measurement sections to transport a transport object (e.g., at least one of a wafer and a probe card) to the transport object storage section or each measurement section, it is possible to provide a prober and transport unit that can improve the throughput at each measurement section.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a prober according to the present embodiment; Front view of each measuring section FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conveying unit; FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a transport unit; A perspective view of the moving device Partially enlarged perspective view of the moving device FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a transport unit and a measurement unit. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a transport unit;

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the prober 10 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the prober 10 of this embodiment includes a transport item storage section 12, multiple measurement sections 14, a transport unit 16 that moves between the transport item storage section 12 and each measurement section 14 to transport the transport item (in this embodiment, at least one of a wafer and a probe card) into the transport item storage section 12 or into each measurement section 14, and a moving device (transport unit moving device) 22 that moves the transport unit 16 between the transport item storage section 12 and each measurement section 14.

The transported object storage section 12 and each measuring section 14 are arranged at a fixed distance in the Y direction with the surfaces accessed by the transport unit 16 facing each other (i.e., facing each other).

The transport unit 16 is disposed between the transported item storage section 12 and each measurement section 14.

The transported object storage section 12 includes a wafer storage section 12a that stores multiple wafers and a probe card storage section 12b that stores multiple probe cards. The number and arrangement of the transported object storage sections 12 are not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, four transported object storage sections 12 including the wafer storage section 12a and the probe card storage section 12b are arranged in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) with the side accessed by the transport unit 16 (the right side in FIG. 1) facing in the same direction. The side opposite to the side accessed by the transport unit 16 (the left side in FIG. 1) is accessed by an operator when retrieving wafers or probe cards, etc.

Each of the multiple measurement units 14 is a rectangular parallelepiped measurement chamber (also called a prober chamber) constructed by combining multiple frames extending in the X-axis direction, multiple frames extending in the Y-axis direction, and multiple frames extending in the Z-axis direction, as shown in FIG. 1. Inside the measurement chamber, as shown in FIG. 7, there are arranged a wafer chuck 18 for holding a wafer, a head stage 20, a test head (not shown) placed on the head stage 20, and a first probe card holding mechanism 36 for holding a probe card PC.

Figure 2 is a front view of each measuring unit 14.

The number and arrangement of the measuring units 14 are not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a measuring unit group consisting of four measuring units 14 arranged in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) is stacked in three tiers in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and is arranged two-dimensionally with the surface accessed by the transport unit 16 (the surface on the left side in Figure 1) facing the same direction.

Each measuring section 14 (the surface accessed by the transport unit 16) has an opening 14a through which the wafer holding arm (wafer arm: transported object holding arm) 16b and the probe card holding arm (probe card arm) 16c of the transport unit 16 enter and exit. The surfaces of each measuring section 14 other than the surface on which the opening 14a is formed may be closed or may have an opening formed therein.

The wafer chuck 18 is adjusted to a high or low target temperature (test temperature) by a known temperature adjustment device (e.g., a heat plate or chiller device built into the wafer chuck 18).

The environment in each measurement unit 14 is controlled as follows. For example, the temperature in each measurement unit 14 is controlled to a target temperature (inspection temperature) by the temperature of the wafer chuck 18 arranged in each measurement unit 14. The humidity in each measurement unit 14 is controlled to a target humidity by purging dry air into each measurement unit 14 by a well-known mechanism. The environment in each measurement unit 14 is controlled by purging a specified gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) into each measurement unit 14 by a well-known mechanism. In each measurement unit 14, multiple types of inspections are performed, such as high-temperature inspection, low-temperature inspection, and inspection under a specified gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) atmosphere, which will be described later. The environment in each measurement unit 14 is controlled so that it corresponds to the inspection performed in each measurement unit 14. The inspections performed in each measurement unit 14 may be the same between the measurement units, or may be different from each other.

The first probe card holding mechanism 36 is a means for removably holding the probe card PC, and is provided above the wafer chuck 18, for example, on the head stage 20 side. The first probe card holding mechanism 36 removably holds the probe card PC that has been transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 by a probe card transport mechanism described below. The first probe card holding mechanism 36 is well known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-150596), so further description will be omitted.

Each measurement unit group is provided with an alignment device 38 that performs relative alignment between the probe card PC held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36 and the wafer held by the wafer chuck 18, and a moving device (not shown) that moves the alignment device 38 between the four measurement units 14. The alignment device 38 is moved between the four measurement units 14 included in the measurement unit group in which it is arranged, and is shared between the four measurement units 14. As for the moving device that moves the alignment device 38 between the four measurement units 14, for example, one described in JP 2014-150168 A can be applied.

The alignment device 38 is a means for performing relative alignment between the probe card PC held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36 and the wafer held by the wafer chuck 18, and is composed of a movement and rotation mechanism that moves the wafer chuck 18 in the X-Y-Z-θ direction, including the Z-axis movable part 38a, the Z-axis fixed part 38b, and the XY movable part 38c, which are raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction. The alignment device 38 is mainly used to align the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 18 to the probe of the probe card PC held above the wafer chuck 18 in a well-known manner while moving in the X-Y-Z-θ direction, electrically contact the wafer W and the probe, and perform an electrical characteristic inspection of the wafer W via the test head.

The alignment device 38 holds the wafer chuck 18 in the measurement section 14 and moves between a probe card receiving position P1 (see FIG. 7(a)) near the opening 14a and a preheat position P2 (see FIG. 7(b)) below the first probe card holding mechanism 36. This movement is achieved by a well-known alignment device moving device (not shown).

The alignment device moving device moves the alignment device 38 holding the wafer chuck 18 heated to the target temperature to the probe card receiving position P1 when receiving the probe card PC, and moves the alignment device 38 holding the probe card PC and the wafer chuck 18 heated to the target temperature to the preheat position P2 when transporting the probe card PC to the first probe card holding mechanism 36.

The alignment device 38 is equipped with a second probe card holding mechanism 40 (also called a card lifter).

The second probe card holding mechanism 40 is a means for receiving and holding the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c, and is composed of, for example, a holding part 40a (e.g., a ring-shaped member or multiple pins) attached to the Z-axis movable part 38a while surrounding the wafer chuck 18, and a lifting mechanism (not shown) for raising and lowering the holding part 40a in the Z-axis direction relative to the Z-axis movable part 38a.

The probe card PC is received and held by, with the alignment device 38 moving to the probe card receiving position P1, raising the holding part 40a in the Z-axis direction relative to the Z-axis movable part 38a to abut against the probe card PC (the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface), and then lifting the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c with the holding part 40a rising in the Z-axis direction. The probe card PC is held directly above the wafer chuck 18.

The probe card transport mechanism is a means for transporting the probe card PC held by the second probe card holding mechanism 40 to the first probe card holding mechanism 36, and is composed of, for example, a Z-axis movable part 38a provided in the alignment device 38 that can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction.

The probe card PC is transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 by raising the Z-axis movable part 38a in the Z-axis direction while the alignment device 38 is moved to the preheat position P2.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the transport unit 16, and Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the transport unit 16.

The transport unit 16 is a means for moving in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction between the transported object storage section 12 and each measurement section 14 to transport the wafer W or the probe card PC into the transported object storage section 12 or into each measurement section 14. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the transport unit 16 is a housing for storing the wafer W and the probe card PC, and is provided with a housing 16a having an opening 16f through which the wafer W and the probe card PC (wafer holding arm 16b and probe card holding arm 16c) enter and exit. The housing 16a has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and inside the housing 16a, the wafer holding arm 16b, the probe card holding arm 16c, an arm moving mechanism (not shown) for moving each arm 16b, 16c individually, an environment control means 16d for controlling the environment inside the housing 16a, and a sensor 16e for detecting the environment inside the housing 16a are arranged. The number of transport units 16 is not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, one transport unit 16 is used. Two transport units 16 are depicted in Figure 1, which shows one transport unit 16 accessing the transported object storage section 12 (probe card storage section 12b) (see transport unit 16 depicted in the lower right of Figure 1) and one accessing the measurement section 14 (see transport unit 16 depicted in the upper left of Figure 1).

The wafer holding arm 16b is a means for holding the wafer W, and is arranged within the housing 16a so as to be movable horizontally along, for example, a guide rail (not shown) provided within the housing 16a. The wafer holding arm 16b is stored within the housing 16a together with the wafer W while holding the wafer W.

The probe card holding arm 16c is a means for holding the probe card PC, and is arranged in the housing 16a so as to be movable horizontally along a guide rail (not shown) provided in the housing 16a, for example. The probe card holding arm 16c is stored in the housing 16a together with the probe card PC while holding the probe card PC. The probe card PC includes a card holder CH. In some cases, a seal ring may be included instead of the card holder CH.

The number and arrangement of the arms 16b and 16c are not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, two wafer holding arms 16b and one probe card holding arm 16c are arranged in three upper and lower tiers.

The arm movement mechanism is a well-known mechanism, for example, a drive motor (not shown) provided in the housing 16a. By rotating this drive motor forward and backward, each arm 16b, 16c moves back and forth horizontally independently and enters and exits through an opening 16f formed in the housing 16a.

The conveying unit 16 is equipped with an air curtain forming means 42.

The air curtain forming means 42 is a means for forming an air curtain that closes the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a to make the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or nearly sealed space, and is configured, for example, by a well-known air injection port.

The number, shape, and arrangement of the air injection ports are not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, multiple air injection ports are arranged near and along the upper edge of the opening 16f (in a direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 4) in an orientation that injects air downward. Note that the arrow 44 in FIG. 4 shows an example of the flow of dry air injected from the environmental control means 16d, and indicates the wafer chuck 18.

The environment in the housing 16a is controlled as follows. For example, the temperature and humidity in the housing 16a are controlled to a predetermined gas atmosphere, target temperature, and humidity by purging dry air (high-temperature or low-temperature dry air) or a predetermined gas (nitrogen gas) into each measuring unit 14. This is realized by a well-known environment control means 16d, for example, a temperature-adjusted gas supply source including a heater and a cooler, a blower, and a pipe (not shown) connecting the blower (none of which are shown) to the housing 16a. The environment control means 16d may include a dehumidifier. The gas (high-temperature or low-temperature dry air) whose temperature (and humidity) is adjusted by the temperature-adjusted gas supply source is supplied to the housing 16a through the pipe by the blower, and an air curtain is formed that is sprayed from the air nozzle and blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. As a result, the inside of the housing 16a becomes a sealed or approximately sealed space. The supply source of the gas supplied into the housing 16a and the supply source of the gas sprayed from the air nozzle may be the same or different. The surfaces of the housing 16a other than the surface on which the opening 16f is formed may be closed or may have an opening. The environmental control means 16d may be attached to the housing 16a or to the arms 16b and 16c.

The sensor 16e is a sensor that detects the environment inside the housing 16a, and is, for example, a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor. The sensor 16e may be included in the environmental control means 16d.

The environmental control means 16d controls the environment in the housing 16a so that the environment corresponds to the environment of the destination of the transported object. Specifically, the environmental control means 16d controls the environment in the housing 16a to a target environment based on the detection result of the sensor 16e. For example, the environmental control means 16d controls the temperature-adjusting gas supply source so that the temperature and humidity in the housing 16a become the target temperature and humidity based on the detection result of the sensor 16e. The function of this environmental control means 16d is realized, for example, by feedback control by a controller (not shown) to which the sensor 16e and the temperature-adjusting gas supply source (heater and cooler) are electrically connected. The environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 may be integrated. That is, in one device, an air injection port may be provided facing downward to block the opening 16f, and an air injection port for dry air to control the environment in the housing 16a may be provided. Here, it is preferable that the air injection port for dry air to control the environment in the housing 16a is provided in a direction such that the injected dry air circulates well in the housing 16a. By integrating the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42, the space required for providing the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 is reduced, and the space in the housing 16a can be used effectively. In addition, by integrating the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42, the temperature control gas supply source including the heater and cooler, and the blower, etc. can be shared between the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the moving device 22, and Figure 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the moving device 22.

The moving device 22 is a means for moving the transport unit 16 in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction between the transported object storage section 12 and each measuring section 14, and is, for example, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, composed of a first movable body 24 that moves in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) in which each measuring section 14 is arranged between the transported object storage section 12 and each measuring section 14, a first movable body moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the first movable body 24 in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), a second movable body 26 that is attached to the first movable body 24 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) in which each measuring section 14 is arranged and supports the transport unit 16 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis (Z-axis) as the center of rotation, a second movable body moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the second movable body 26 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and a transport unit rotation mechanism 28 that is attached to the second movable body 26 and rotates the transport unit 16 around the vertical axis (Z-axis).

The first movable body 24 is, for example, a frame body formed by connecting the four corners of a pair of upper and lower rectangular frames 24a with four frames 24b extending in the Z-axis direction, and its lower part is movably connected to two guide rails 30 extending in the X-axis direction and arranged parallel to each other on a base 34 between the transported object storage section 12 and each measuring section 14.

The first movable body moving mechanism is composed of a well-known moving mechanism, such as a ball screw connected to the first movable body 24 and a drive motor (neither shown) that rotates the ball screw. By rotating this drive motor forward and backward, the first movable body 24 (transport unit 16) moves in the X-axis direction along the guide rail 30. Of course, this is not limited to this, and the first movable body moving mechanism may also be a mechanism for self-propelling the first movable body 24, such as wheels provided on the first movable body 24 and a drive motor that rotates the wheels.

The second movable body 26 is movably connected to two guide rails 32 that are arranged parallel to each other on the first movable body 24 and extend in the Z-axis direction.

The second movable body moving mechanism is composed of a well-known moving mechanism, such as a ball screw connected to the second movable body 26 and a drive motor (neither shown) that rotates the ball screw. By rotating this drive motor forward and backward, the second movable body 26 (transport unit 16) moves in the Z-axis direction along the guide rail 32. Of course, the second movable body moving mechanism is not limited to this, and may be a mechanism for self-propelling the second movable body 26, such as wheels provided on the second movable body 26 and a drive motor that rotates the wheels.

The transport unit rotation mechanism 28 is composed of a known rotation mechanism, for example, a rotation shaft (vertical shaft) provided on the second movable body 26 and a drive motor 28a that rotates it. The upper surface of the transport unit 16 is fixed to the rotation shaft (vertical shaft). By rotating this drive motor 28a forward and backward, the transport unit 16 rotates 180° around the vertical axis (Z axis) as the center of rotation, and the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16, through which each arm 16b, 16c enters and exits, faces the transported object storage section 12 or each measurement section 14.

In addition, each device and mechanism, such as the alignment device 38, the arm movement mechanism, the environment control means 16d, the movement device 22 (first movable body movement mechanism, second movable body movement mechanism, transport unit rotation mechanism 28), etc., is driven under the control of a control means (controller, etc.) not shown.

Next, an example of the operation of the transport unit 16 in the prober 10 of this embodiment will be described.

<Wafer Transfer Operation Example 1>
First, an operation example in which the transfer unit 16 transfers the wafer W from the wafer storage section 12a (for example, room temperature 23° C.) to the measurement section 14 where high-temperature inspection (for example, inspection temperature 80° C.) is performed will be described.

First, the transfer unit 16 is moved to a position where the wafer storage section 12a can be accessed (a position where the wafer W can be removed), and the transfer unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transfer unit 16, through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit, faces the wafer storage section 12a.

Next, the wafer holding arm 16b advances into the wafer storage section 12a to take out one wafer W from the wafer storage section 12a and store it in the housing 16a. At the same time, the environment in the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the measurement section 14 to which the wafer is to be transferred (here, a high-temperature test at 80°C performed in the measurement section 14). Specifically, a gas (e.g., dry air or nitrogen with a temperature adjusted to 60°C) whose temperature is adjusted by the temperature-adjusting gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed that is sprayed from the air nozzle and blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. This makes the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or nearly sealed space. Note that the target temperature adjusted by the temperature-adjusting gas supply source is not limited to 60°C, but can be an appropriate temperature that takes into account the distance and time for which the wafer W is transferred from the wafer storage section 12a to the measurement section 14 to which the wafer is to be transferred, the test temperature at the measurement section 14 to which the wafer is to be transferred, etc.

Next, the transfer unit 16 is moved to a position accessible to the measurement unit 14 at the transfer destination (a position where the wafer W can be handed over), and the transfer unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transfer unit 16 through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit faces the measurement unit 14 at the transfer destination. During this time, the wafer W stored in the transfer unit 16 continues to be heated by the gas supplied to the housing 16a (a sealed or nearly sealed space).

Next, the wafer holding arm 16b is advanced into the measurement section 14 through the opening 16f on the transfer unit 16 side where the air curtain is formed and the opening 14a on the measurement section 14 side, and the wafer W is loaded onto the wafer chuck 18. The wafer holding arm 16b, while holding the wafer W, advances into the measurement section 14 through the opening 16f, which is blocked by the air curtain. At this time, the wafer W is further heated by the air curtain.

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, the following effects can be achieved.

First, just as in the case where the opening 16f is closed with a physical door or shutter, the inside of the housing 16a can be made into a sealed or nearly sealed space, and by supplying temperature-controlled gas into the sealed housing 16a, the environment inside the housing 16a can be made to correspond to the environment of the measurement unit 14 to which it is to be transported (here, a high-temperature test at 80°C performed within the measurement unit 14).

Second, the probe card holding arm 16c can be advanced into the measurement section 14 while keeping the inside of the housing 16a sealed.

Thirdly, compared to closing the opening 16f with a physical door or shutter, the time required to open and close a physical door or shutter is eliminated, so the probe card holding arm 16c can be quickly advanced into the measurement section 14.

Fourthly, when the probe card PC is handed over, the probe card PC can be heated by the action of an air curtain blown onto the probe card PC.

Fifth, when opening 16f is closed with a physical door or shutter, the gas supplied to the inside of housing 16a comes into contact with the physical door or shutter and is dissipated to the external environment through the physical door or shutter, which causes a drop in the temperature of the gas supplied to the inside of housing 16a. In contrast, when opening 16f is closed with an air curtain as in this example, the gas supplied to the inside of housing 16a comes into contact with an air curtain that has the same temperature as the opening 16f, and this prevents the temperature of the gas supplied to the inside of housing 16a from dropping.

The loaded wafer W is held on the wafer chuck 18 by vacuum suction. The wafer W is then heated by the wafer chuck 18 and waits until it reaches the inspection temperature (80°C in this case). Once the inspection temperature is reached, the alignment device 38 moves in the X-Y-Z-θ directions to align the wafer W held on the wafer chuck 18 with the probe of the probe card PC held above the wafer chuck 18 in a well-known manner. The wafer chuck 18 then moves in the Z-axis direction by the action of the alignment device 38 to electrically contact the wafer W with the probe, and an electrical characteristic inspection of the wafer W is performed via the test head.

In this way, by controlling the environment within the transport unit 16 (heating the wafer) using the time it takes to transport the wafer from the wafer storage section 12a to the destination measurement section 14 to reduce the difference with the inspection temperature at the destination measurement section 14, it is possible to shorten (or eliminate) the waiting time required to bring the wafer closer to the inspection temperature in the destination measurement section 14 compared to conventional technology. This makes it possible to improve the throughput at the measurement section 14.

<Wafer Transfer Operation Example 2>
Next, an operation example will be described in which the transfer unit 16 transfers a wafer W that has reached a high temperature (e.g., 80° C.) due to a high temperature inspection from the measurement section 14 to the wafer storage section 12a (e.g., room temperature 23° C.).

First, the wafer W immediately after the high-temperature inspection is completed is taken out of the measurement unit 14 by the wafer holding arm 16b and stored in the housing 16a. This is performed in the reverse order of the wafer transport operation example 1. At the same time, the environment in the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the wafer storage unit 12a to which the wafer is to be transported (here, room temperature 23°C). Specifically, a gas (e.g., dry air or nitrogen temperature-adjusted to 40°C) that has been temperature-adjusted by the temperature-adjusting gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed that is sprayed from the air nozzle and blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. This makes the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or nearly sealed space. Note that the target temperature to which the temperature-adjusting gas supply source adjusts the temperature is not limited to 40°C, but can be an appropriate temperature that takes into account the distance and time for which the wafer W is transported from the measurement unit 14 to the wafer storage unit 12a to which the wafer is to be transported, the temperature in the wafer storage unit 12a to which the wafer is to be transported, and the like. Immediately after the high-temperature inspection is completed, the wafer W is held by the wafer holding arm 16b and passes through the opening 16f, which is closed by an air curtain, and is taken out of the measurement section 14 and stored in the housing 16a. At that time, the wafer W is cooled by the air curtain blown onto it, and is further cooled by the gas supplied into the housing 16a.

Next, the transfer unit 16 is moved to a position accessible to the destination wafer storage unit 12a (a position where the wafer W can be handed over), and the transfer unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transfer unit 16 through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit faces the destination wafer storage unit 12a. During this time, the wafer W stored in the transfer unit 16 continues to be cooled by the gas supplied inside the housing 16a (a sealed or nearly sealed space).

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in wafer transfer operation example 1 above.

Next, the wafer holding arm 16b is advanced into the wafer storage section 12a to return the wafer W to the wafer storage section 12a.

In this way, by using the time it takes to transport the wafer from the measurement section 14 to the destination wafer storage section 12a to control the environment within the transport unit 16 (to cool the wafer) and reduce the temperature difference with the destination wafer storage section 12a, it is possible to eliminate (or shorten) the waiting time required to bring the wafer closer to room temperature within the measurement section 14 compared to conventional technology, and the wafer after high-temperature inspection can be immediately removed from the measurement section 14 and returned to the wafer storage section 12a. This improves the throughput at the measurement section 14. It also eliminates (or shortens) the waiting time required for the operator to retrieve the wafer after it has been stored.

<Wafer Transfer Operation Example 3>
Next, an operation example in which the transfer unit 16 transfers the wafer W from the wafer storage section 12a (eg, room temperature 23° C.) to the measurement section 14 where a low-temperature inspection (eg, inspection temperature −10° C.) is performed will be described.

First, the transfer unit 16 is moved to a position where the wafer storage section 12a can be accessed (a position where the wafer W can be removed), and the transfer unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transfer unit 16, through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit, faces the wafer storage section 12a.

Next, the wafer holding arm 16b advances into the wafer storage section 12a to take out one wafer W from the wafer storage section 12a and store it in the housing 16a. At the same time, the environment in the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the measurement section 14 to which the wafer is to be transferred (here, a low-temperature test at -10°C performed in the measurement section 14). Specifically, a gas (e.g., dry air or nitrogen with a temperature adjusted to -15°C) whose temperature or humidity is adjusted by the temperature-adjusting gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed that is sprayed from the air nozzle and blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. This makes the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or nearly sealed space. Note that the target temperature to which the temperature-adjusting gas supply source adjusts the temperature is not limited to -15°C, but can be an appropriate temperature that takes into account the distance and time for which the wafer W is transferred from the wafer storage section 12a to the measurement section 14 to which the wafer is to be transferred, the test temperature at the measurement section 14 to which the wafer is to be transferred, etc.

Next, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position accessible to the destination measurement unit 14 (a position where the wafer W can be handed over), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b, 16c enter and exit faces the destination measurement unit 14. During this time, the wafer W stored in the transport unit 16 continues to be temperature-adjusted (e.g., cooled) and dried by the gas supplied inside the housing 16a (sealed or nearly sealed space). This makes it possible to prevent condensation from forming on the wafer W while it is being transported to the destination measurement unit 14.

Next, the wafer holding arm 16b is advanced into the measurement section 14 through the opening 16f on the transfer unit 16 side where the air curtain is formed and the opening 14a on the measurement section 14 side, and the wafer W is loaded onto the wafer chuck 18. The wafer holding arm 16b, while holding the wafer W, advances into the measurement section 14 through the opening 16f, which is blocked by the air curtain. At this time, the wafer W is further cooled and dried by the air curtain. This makes it possible to prevent condensation from occurring on the wafer W when the wafer W is transferred.

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in wafer transfer operation example 1 above.

The loaded wafer W is held by the wafer chuck 18 by vacuum suction. The wafer W is cooled by the wafer chuck 18 and waits until it reaches the test temperature (here, -10°C). When the test temperature is reached, the alignment device 38 moves in the X-Y-Z-θ directions to align the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 18 with the probe of the probe card PC held above the wafer chuck 18 in a well-known manner. The wafer chuck 18 then moves in the Z-axis direction by the action of the alignment device 38 to electrically contact the wafer W with the probe, thereby performing an electrical characteristic test of the wafer W via the test head. In addition, a gas with a dew point that does not condense at the cooling temperature of the wafer or probe card (e.g., dry air at 20°C) is supplied by a well-known means to the measurement unit 14 at the transport destination so that condensation does not occur on the wafer or probe card during the low-temperature test, and the low-temperature test is performed in an environment where this gas is supplied.

In this way, by controlling the environment within the transport unit 16 (cooling the wafer) using the time it takes to transport the wafer from the wafer storage section 12a to the destination measurement section 14, and reducing the difference with the inspection temperature of the destination measurement section 14, it is possible to shorten (or eliminate) the waiting time required to bring the wafer closer to the inspection temperature in the destination measurement section 14 compared to conventional technology. This makes it possible to improve the throughput at the measurement section 14.

<Wafer Transfer Operation Example 4>
Next, an operation example will be described in which the transfer unit 16 transfers the wafer W, which has been brought to a low temperature state (eg, −40° C.) by the low temperature inspection, from the measurement section 14 to the wafer storage section 12a (eg, room temperature 23° C.).

First, the wafer W immediately after the low-temperature inspection is completed is taken out of the measurement unit 14 by the wafer holding arm 16b and stored in the housing 16a. This is performed in the reverse order of the wafer transport operation example 3. At the same time, the environment in the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the wafer storage unit 12a to which the wafer W is to be transported (here, room temperature 23°C). Specifically, a gas (e.g., dry air or nitrogen whose temperature is adjusted to 15°C) that has been temperature- or humidity-adjusted by the temperature-adjusting gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed that is sprayed from the air nozzle and blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. This makes the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or nearly sealed space. Note that the target temperature to which the temperature-adjusting gas supply source adjusts the temperature is not limited to 15°C, but can be an appropriate temperature that takes into account the distance and time for which the wafer W is transported from the measurement unit 14 to the wafer storage unit 12a to which the wafer W is to be transported, the temperature in the wafer storage unit 12a to which the wafer W is to be transported, and the like. Immediately after the low-temperature inspection, the wafer W is held by the wafer holding arm 16b and passes through the opening 16f, which is closed by an air curtain, to be removed from the measurement unit 14 and stored in the housing 16a. At this time, the wafer W is heated by the air curtain blown onto it, and is further heated by the gas supplied into the housing 16a. This makes it possible to prevent condensation from forming on the wafer W when it is handed over.

Next, the transfer unit 16 is moved to a position accessible to the destination wafer storage unit 12a (a position where the wafer W can be handed over), and the transfer unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transfer unit 16 through which the arms 16b, 16c enter and exit faces the destination wafer storage unit 12a. During this time, the wafer W stored in the transfer unit 16 continues to be heated by the gas supplied to the housing 16a (sealed or nearly sealed space). This makes it possible to prevent condensation from occurring on the wafer W while it is being transferred to the wafer storage unit 12a.

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in wafer transfer operation example 1 above.

Next, the wafer holding arm 16b is advanced into the wafer storage section 12a to return the wafer W to the wafer storage section 12a.

In this way, by controlling the environment within the transport unit 16 (heating the wafer) using the time it takes to transport the wafer from the measurement unit 14 to the destination wafer storage unit 12a to reduce the temperature difference with the destination wafer storage unit 12a, it is possible to eliminate (or shorten) the waiting time required to bring the wafer closer to room temperature within the measurement unit 14 compared to conventional technology, and the wafer after low-temperature inspection can be immediately removed from the measurement unit 14 and returned to the wafer storage unit 12a. This improves the throughput at the measurement unit 14. It also makes it possible to prepare a temperature environment that prevents condensation from occurring on the wafer before it is transported into the wafer storage unit 12a.

<Wafer Transfer Operation Example 5>
Next, an example of operation will be described in which the transport unit 16 transports the wafer W from the wafer storage section 12a (e.g., room temperature 23°C) to the measurement section 14 where inspection is performed under a specified gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) atmosphere.

First, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the wafer storage section 12a can be accessed (a position where the wafer can be removed), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16, through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit, faces the wafer storage section 12a.

Next, the wafer holding arm 16b advances into the wafer storage section 12a to remove one wafer W from the wafer storage section 12a and store it in the housing 16a. At the same time, the environment inside the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the measurement section 14 to which the wafer is to be transported (here, testing in a specified gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) atmosphere). Specifically, a gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) for preventing oxidation of the wiring (particularly copper wiring) exposed on the wafer surface and the probe of the probe card is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed by being sprayed from the air nozzle to close the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. This makes the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or nearly sealed space.

Next, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position accessible to the destination measurement unit 14 (a position where the wafer W can be handed over), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b, 16c enter and exit faces the destination measurement unit 14. During this time, an anti-oxidation gas continues to be supplied inside the transport unit 16 (a sealed or nearly sealed space). This makes it possible to prevent the wafer W from oxidizing while it is being transported to the destination measurement unit 14. An anti-oxidation gas is also supplied to the destination measurement unit 14 by well-known means.

Next, the wafer holding arm 16b is advanced into the measurement section 14 through the opening 16f on the transfer unit 16 side where the air curtain is formed and the opening 14a on the measurement section 14 side, and the wafer W is loaded onto the wafer chuck 18. The wafer holding arm 16b, while holding the wafer W, advances into the measurement section 14 through the opening 16f, which is blocked by the air curtain. At this time, the action of the air curtain prevents the wafer W from being oxidized.

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in wafer transfer operation example 1 above.

The loaded wafer W is held on the wafer chuck 18 by vacuum suction. The alignment device 38 then moves in the X-Y-Z-θ directions to align the wafer W held on the wafer chuck 18 with the probe of the probe card PC held above the wafer chuck 18 in a well-known manner, and the alignment device 38 then moves the wafer chuck 18 in the Z-axis direction to electrically contact the wafer W with the probe, thereby inspecting the electrical characteristics of the wafer W via the test head. The inspection is carried out in an environment where anti-oxidation gas is supplied.

In this way, even while the wafer is being transported from the wafer storage section 12a to the measurement section 14 at its destination, the wafer is placed in an environment similar to that of the measurement section 14 where inspection is performed under a specified gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) atmosphere, so that the wiring (especially the copper wiring) exposed on the wafer surface is prevented from oxidizing during transport and handover.

Note that this operation example 5 can also be implemented in combination with the above wafer transfer operation examples 1 to 4.

<Probe Card Transport Operation Example 1>
Next, an example of operation in which the transport unit 16 transports the probe card PC from the probe card storage section 12b (for example, room temperature 23° C.) to the measurement section 14 where high-temperature inspection (for example, inspection temperature 80° C.) is performed will be described.

First, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the probe card storage section 12b can be accessed (a position where the probe card PC can be removed), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit faces the probe card storage section 12b.

Next, the probe card holding arm 16c is advanced into the probe card storage section 12b to take out one probe card PC from the probe card storage section 12b and store it in the housing 16a. At the same time, the environment in the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the measurement section 14 to be transported (here, a high-temperature test at 80°C performed in the measurement section 14). Specifically, a gas (e.g., dry air or nitrogen temperature-adjusted to 60°C) whose temperature is adjusted by the temperature-adjusting gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed that is sprayed from the air nozzle and blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. As a result, the inside of the housing 16a becomes a sealed or nearly sealed space. Note that the target temperature to which the temperature-adjusting gas supply source adjusts the temperature is not limited to 60°C, but can be an appropriate temperature taking into consideration the distance and time for which the probe card PC is transported from the probe card storage section 12b to the measurement section 14 to be transported, the test temperature at the measurement section 14 to be transported, etc.

Next, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the measurement unit 14 at the transport destination can be accessed (a position where the probe card PC can be handed over), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit faces the measurement unit 14 at the transport destination. During this time, the probe card PC stored in the transport unit 16 continues to be heated by the gas supplied inside the housing 16a (a sealed or nearly sealed space).

Next, the probe card holding arm 16c is advanced into the measurement unit 14 through the opening 16f on the transport unit 16 side where the air curtain is formed and the opening 14a on the measurement unit 14 side (see FIG. 7(a)). The probe card holding arm 16c, while holding the probe card PC, passes through the opening 16f, which is blocked by the air curtain, and advances into the measurement unit 14. At this time, the probe card PC is further heated by the air curtain that is blown against it.

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in wafer transfer operation example 1 above.

Next, the holding part 40a of the second probe card holding mechanism 40 receives the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c and holds it. Specifically, when the alignment device 38, holding the wafer chuck 18 heated to the target temperature (here, the test temperature of 80°C), moves to the probe card receiving position P1, the holding part 40a is raised in the Z-axis direction relative to the Z-axis movable part 38a to abut against the probe card PC (the outer periphery of the lower surface), and the holding part 40a, which rises in the Z-axis direction, lifts the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c. As a result, the probe card PC is transferred to the holding part 40a, and is held directly above the wafer chuck 18 by the holding part 40a. During this time, the probe card PC is heated by the radiant heat of the wafer chuck 18 below it.

Next, the alignment device 38, which is holding the probe card PC and the wafer chuck 18 heated to the target temperature (here, the test temperature is 80° C.), is moved to the preheat position P2 (see FIG. 7(b)). During this time, the probe card PC is still heated by the radiant heat of the wafer chuck 18 below it.

Next, the probe card PC is transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 (see FIG. 7B). Specifically, while the alignment device 38 is moving to the preheat position P2 while holding the wafer chuck 18 heated to the target temperature (here, the test temperature of 80° C.), the Z-axis movable part 38a (second probe card holding mechanism 40) is raised in the Z-axis direction to transport the probe card PC held by the second probe card holding mechanism 40 to the first probe card holding mechanism 36. The probe card PC transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 is detachably held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36. During this time, the probe card PC is heated by the radiant heat of the wafer chuck 18 below it.

As described above, the probe card PC is not only heated within the transport unit 16, but also continues to be seamlessly heated (preheated) by the radiant heat of the wafer chuck 18 until it is handed over from the probe card holding arm 16c and held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36.

As a result, even if it takes 10 to several tens of seconds for the probe card PC heated in the transport unit 16 to be transferred from the probe card holding arm 16c and held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36, the temperature of the probe card PC does not decrease along the way, and the preheated probe card PC can be held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36.

In this way, by using the time it takes to transport the probe card from the probe card storage section 12b to the destination measurement section 14 to control the environment within the transport unit 16 (by heating the probe card) and reducing the difference with the inspection temperature at the destination measurement section 14, it is possible to shorten (or eliminate) the waiting time required to bring the probe card closer to the inspection temperature (to preheat) within the destination measurement section 14 compared to conventional technology. This makes it possible to improve the throughput at the measurement section 14.

<Probe Card Transport Operation Example 2>
Next, an example of operation will be described in which the transport unit 16 transports a probe card PC that has reached a high temperature (e.g., 80° C.) due to high-temperature testing from the measurement section 14 into the probe card storage section 12b (e.g., room temperature 23° C.).

First, the probe card PC immediately after the high-temperature inspection is completed is taken out of the measurement unit 14 by the probe card holding arm 16c and stored in the housing 16a. This is performed in the reverse order of the above-mentioned probe card transport operation example 1. At the same time, the environment in the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the probe card storage unit 12b to which the probe card PC is transported (here, room temperature 23°C). Specifically, a gas (e.g., dry air or nitrogen temperature-adjusted to 40°C) that has been temperature-adjusted by the temperature-adjusting gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed that is sprayed from the air nozzle and blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. As a result, the inside of the housing 16a becomes a sealed or nearly sealed space. Note that the target temperature to which the temperature-adjusting gas supply source adjusts the temperature is not limited to 40°C, but can be an appropriate temperature that takes into account the distance and time for which the probe card PC is transported from the measurement unit 14 to the probe card storage unit 12b to which the probe card PC is transported, the temperature in the probe card storage unit 12b to which the probe card PC is transported, and the like. Immediately after the high-temperature test is completed, the probe card PC is held by the probe card holding arm 16c and passes through the opening 16f, which is blocked by an air curtain, and is removed from the measurement unit 14 and stored in the housing 16a. At that time, the probe card PC is cooled by the air curtain blown against it, and is further cooled by the gas supplied into the housing 16a.

Next, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the probe card storage unit 12b at the transport destination can be accessed (a position where the probe card PC can be handed over), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit faces the probe card storage unit 12b at the transport destination. During this time, the probe card PC stored in the transport unit 16 continues to be cooled by the gas supplied inside the housing 16a (a sealed or nearly sealed space).

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in wafer transfer operation example 1 above.

Next, the probe card holding arm 16c is advanced into the probe card storage section 12b to return the probe card PC to the probe card storage section 12b.

In this way, by controlling the environment in the transport unit 16 (cooling the probe card) using the time it takes to transport the probe card from the measurement unit 14 to the destination probe card storage unit 12b, and reducing the temperature difference with the destination probe card storage unit 12b, it is possible to eliminate (or shorten) the waiting time required to bring the probe card closer to room temperature in the measurement unit 14, and after the high-temperature inspection is completed, the probe card can be immediately removed from the measurement unit 14 and returned to the probe card storage unit 12b. This improves the throughput in the measurement unit 14. It is also possible to eliminate (or shorten) the waiting time required for the operator to retrieve the probe card after storing it.

<Probe Card Transport Operation Example 3>
Next, an example of operation will be described in which the transport unit 16 transports the probe card PC from the probe card storage section 12b (for example, room temperature 23° C.) to the measurement section 14 where low-temperature inspection (for example, inspection temperature −10° C.) is performed.

First, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the probe card storage section 12b can be accessed (a position where the probe card can be removed), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit faces the probe card storage section 12b.

Next, the probe card holding arm 16c is advanced into the probe card storage section 12b to take out one probe card PC from the probe card storage section 12b and store it in the housing 16a. At the same time, the environment in the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the measurement section 14 to be transported (here, a low-temperature test at -10°C performed in the measurement section 14). Specifically, a gas (e.g., dry air or nitrogen with a temperature adjusted to -15°C) whose temperature or humidity is adjusted by the temperature-adjusting gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed that is sprayed from the air nozzle and blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. As a result, the inside of the housing 16a becomes a sealed or nearly sealed space. Note that the target temperature to which the temperature-adjusting gas supply source adjusts the temperature is not limited to -15°C, but can be an appropriate temperature taking into consideration the distance and time for which the probe card PC is transported from the probe card storage section 12b to the measurement section 14 to be transported, the test temperature at the measurement section 14 to be transported, etc.

Next, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the destination measurement unit 14 can be accessed (a position where the probe card PC can be handed over), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b, 16c enter and exit faces the destination measurement unit 14. During this time, the probe card PC stored in the transport unit 16 continues to be cooled and dried by the gas supplied inside the housing 16a (sealed or nearly sealed space). This makes it possible to prevent condensation from forming on the probe card PC while it is being transported to the destination measurement unit 14.

Next, the probe card holding arm 16c is advanced into the measurement unit 14 through the opening 16f on the transport unit 16 side where the air curtain is formed and the opening 14a on the measurement unit 14 side (see FIG. 7(a)). The probe card holding arm 16c, while holding the probe card PC, advances into the measurement unit 14 through the opening 16f, which is blocked by the air curtain. At this time, the probe card PC is further cooled and dried by the air curtain blown against it. This makes it possible to prevent condensation from occurring on the probe card PC when the probe card PC is handed over.

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in wafer transfer operation example 1 above.

Next, the holding part 40a of the second probe card holding mechanism 40 receives the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c and holds it. Specifically, when the alignment device 38, holding the wafer chuck 18 cooled to the target temperature (here, the test temperature -10°C), moves to the probe card receiving position P1, the holding part 40a is raised in the Z-axis direction relative to the Z-axis movable part 38a to abut against the probe card PC (the outer periphery of the lower surface), and the holding part 40a, which rises in the Z-axis direction, lifts the probe card PC from the probe card holding arm 16c. As a result, the probe card PC is transferred to the holding part 40a, and is held directly above the wafer chuck 18 by the holding part 40a. During this time, the probe card PC is cooled by the wafer chuck 18 below it.

Next, the alignment device 38, which is holding the probe card PC and the wafer chuck 18 cooled to the target temperature (here, the test temperature -10°C), is moved to position P2 (see FIG. 7(b)). During this time, the probe card PC is still cooled by the wafer chuck 18 below it.

Next, the probe card PC is transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 (see FIG. 7(b)). Specifically, while the alignment device 38 is moving to position P2 while holding the wafer chuck 18 cooled to the target temperature (here, the test temperature -10°C), the Z-axis movable part 38a (second probe card holding mechanism 40) is raised in the Z-axis direction to transport the probe card PC held by the second probe card holding mechanism 40 to the first probe card holding mechanism 36. The probe card PC transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 is detachably held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36. During this time, the probe card PC is cooled by the wafer chuck 18 below it.

As described above, the probe card PC is not only cooled within the transport unit 16, but also continues to be seamlessly cooled by the wafer chuck 18 until it is handed over from the probe card holding arm 16c and held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36.

As a result, even if it takes 10 to several tens of seconds for the probe card PC cooled in the transport unit 16 to be transferred from the probe card holding arm 16c and held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36, the probe card PC in the cooled state can be held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36 without the temperature of the probe card PC increasing along the way. Note that a gas with a dew point that does not condense at the cooling temperature of the wafer or probe card (e.g., dry air at 20°C) is supplied by well-known means to the measurement unit 14 at the transport destination.

In this way, by using the time it takes to transport the probe card from the probe card storage section 12b to the destination measurement section 14 to control the environment within the transport unit 16 (to cool the wafer) and reduce the difference with the inspection temperature of the destination measurement section 14, it is possible to shorten (or eliminate) the waiting time required for the probe card to approach the inspection temperature within the destination measurement section 14 compared to conventional technology. This makes it possible to improve the throughput at the measurement section 14.

<Probe Card Transport Operation Example 4>
Next, an example of operation will be described in which the transport unit 16 transports a probe card PC that has been brought to a low temperature state (e.g., −40° C.) by a low-temperature inspection from the measurement unit 14 into the probe card storage unit 12b (e.g., room temperature 23° C.).

First, the probe card PC immediately after the low-temperature inspection is completed is taken out of the measurement unit 14 by the probe card holding arm 16c and stored in the housing 16a. This is performed in the reverse order of the above-mentioned probe card transport operation example 3. At the same time, the environment in the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the probe card storage unit 12b to which the probe card PC is transported (here, room temperature 23°C). Specifically, a gas (e.g., dry air or nitrogen whose temperature is adjusted to 15°C) whose temperature or humidity is adjusted by the temperature-adjusting gas supply source is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed that is sprayed from the air nozzle and blocks the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. As a result, the inside of the housing 16a becomes a sealed or nearly sealed space. Note that the target temperature to which the temperature-adjusting gas supply source adjusts the temperature is not limited to 15°C, but can be an appropriate temperature that takes into account the distance and time for which the probe card PC is transported from the measurement unit 14 to the probe card storage unit 12b to which the probe card PC is transported, the temperature in the probe card storage unit 12b to which the probe card PC is transported, and the like. Immediately after the low-temperature test is completed, the probe card PC is held by the probe card holding arm 16c, passes through the opening 16f, which is blocked by an air curtain, and is removed from the measurement unit 14 and stored in the housing 16a. At that time, the probe card PC is heated by the air curtain blown onto it, and is further heated by the gas supplied into the housing 16a. This makes it possible to prevent condensation from forming on the probe card PC when the probe card PC is handed over.

Next, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the probe card storage unit 12b at the transport destination can be accessed (a position where the probe card PC can be handed over), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b, 16c enter and exit faces the probe card storage unit 12b at the transport destination. During this time, the probe card PC stored in the transport unit 16 continues to be heated by the gas supplied inside the housing 16a (a sealed or nearly sealed space). This makes it possible to prevent condensation from occurring on the probe card PC while the probe card PC is being transported to the probe card storage unit 12b.

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in wafer transfer operation example 1 above.

Next, the probe card holding arm 16c is advanced into the probe card storage section 12b to return the probe card PC to the probe card storage section 12b.

In this way, by controlling the environment in the transport unit 16 (heating the probe card) using the time taken to transport the probe card from the measurement unit 14 to the probe card storage unit 12b at the transport destination, and reducing the temperature difference with the probe card storage unit 12b at the transport destination, it is possible to eliminate (or shorten) the waiting time for bringing the probe card closer to room temperature in the measurement unit 14, and to immediately remove the probe card from the measurement unit 14 and return it to the probe card storage unit 12b after the low-temperature inspection is completed. This improves the throughput in the measurement unit 14. In addition, it is possible to prepare a temperature environment that prevents condensation from occurring on the probe card before the probe card is transported to the probe card storage unit 12b.

<Probe Card Transport Operation Example 5>
Next, an example of operation will be described when the transport unit 16 transports the probe card PC from the probe card storage section 12b (e.g., room temperature 23°C) to the measurement section 14 where inspection is performed under a specified gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) atmosphere.

First, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the probe card storage section 12b can be accessed (a position where the probe card can be removed), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180° so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit faces the probe card storage section 12b.

Next, the probe card holding arm 16c is advanced into the probe card storage section 12b to take out one probe card PC from the probe card storage section 12b and store it in the housing 16a. At the same time, the environment inside the housing 16a is controlled so that it corresponds to the environment of the measurement section 14 to which it is transported (here, inspection under a specified gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) atmosphere). Specifically, a gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) for preventing oxidation of the wiring (particularly copper wiring) exposed on the wafer surface and the probe of the probe card is supplied into the housing 16a, and an air curtain is formed by being sprayed from the air nozzle to close the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a. This makes the inside of the housing 16a a sealed or approximately sealed space.

Next, the transport unit 16 is moved to a position where the destination measurement unit 14 can be accessed (a position where the probe card PC can be handed over), and the transport unit 16 is rotated 180 degrees so that the opening 16f formed in the transport unit 16 through which the arms 16b and 16c enter and exit faces the destination measurement unit 14. During this time, an anti-oxidation gas continues to be supplied inside the transport unit 16 (a sealed or nearly sealed space). This makes it possible to prevent the probe card PC from oxidizing while it is being transported to the destination measurement unit 14. Note that an anti-oxidation gas is also supplied into the destination measurement unit 14 by well-known means.

Next, the probe card holding arm 16c is advanced into the measurement unit 14 through the opening 16f on the transport unit 16 side where the air curtain is formed and the opening 14a on the measurement unit 14 side. The probe card holding arm 16c, while holding the probe card PC, advances into the measurement unit 14 through the opening 16f, which is blocked by the air curtain. At this time, the action of the air curtain prevents the probe card PC from oxidizing.

In this way, by closing the opening 16f with an air curtain rather than a physical door or shutter as in the prior art, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in wafer transfer operation example 1 above.

Then, the probe card PC is transported to the first probe card holding mechanism 36 in the same manner as in the above probe card transport operation examples 1 and 3, and is held by the first probe card holding mechanism 36 in a removable manner.

In this way, even while the probe card is being transported from the probe card storage section 12b to the measurement section 14 at its destination, the probe card is placed in an environment similar to that of the measurement section 14 where testing is performed under a specified gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) atmosphere, so the probe of the probe card is prevented from oxidizing during transport and handover.

Note that this operation example 5 can also be performed in combination with the above probe card transport operation examples 1 to 4.

As described above, according to this embodiment, in a prober 10 equipped with a transport unit 16 that moves between the transport item storage section 12 and multiple measurement sections 14 to transport the transport item (e.g., at least one of a wafer and a probe card) to the transport item storage section 12 or each measurement section 14, it is possible to provide a prober that can improve the throughput at each measurement section 14.

This is because the environment (e.g., temperature and humidity) within the transport unit 16 (housing 16a) is controlled using the time it takes for the transported item to be transported to its destination (measurement section 14 or transported item storage section 12), and this makes it possible to shorten (or eliminate) the waiting time required for the transported item to approach a specified temperature (e.g., inspection temperature or room temperature) within each measurement section compared to conventional technology.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the environment of the entire prober 10 is not controlled, but rather the environment within the housing 16a, which is smaller than the entire prober 10, is controlled. In other words, the environment within the housing 16a is controlled locally, which makes it possible to achieve energy savings compared to controlling the environment of the entire prober 10. In addition, the amount of gas (dry air or nitrogen gas) supplied into the housing 16a can be reduced.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the installation area of the prober 10 can be minimized. Also, the time it takes for the transport unit 16 to access the transported object storage section 12 or each measurement section 14 can be minimized.

This is because the transported item storage section 12 and each measuring section 14 are arranged at a fixed distance in the Y direction with the surfaces accessed by the transport unit 16 facing each other (i.e., facing each other), and the transport unit 16 is arranged between the transported item storage section 12 and each measuring section 14.

Next, other embodiments of the transport unit 16 will be described.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the transport unit 16 of another embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used to denote parts that have already been described in Figure 4, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

In the conveying unit 16 shown in FIG. 8, the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 are provided separately. In this way, the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 can be operated independently by providing the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 separately (independently). For example, the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 can be operated independently so that the environmental control means 16d controls the environment inside the housing 16a with hot air, and the air curtain forming means 42 closes the opening 16f with cold air. In addition, when the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 are provided separately, the environmental control means 16d is provided on the upper surface inside the housing 16a, so that the environmental control means 16d can efficiently control the environment inside the housing 16a. Furthermore, when the environmental control means 16d and the air curtain forming means 42 are provided separately, the environmental control means 16d can more efficiently control the environment inside the housing 16a by providing the environmental control means 16d approximately in the center of the top surface of the housing 16a. Here, approximately in the center does not necessarily mean that it is exactly in the center, but rather means that it is sufficient if it is in the vicinity of the center or near the center.

Next, we will explain the modified example.

In this embodiment, the configuration in which each arm 16b, 16c of the transport unit 16 enters and exits through the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a is exemplified, but this is not limited to the above. For example, a similar opening (not shown) may be formed on the side of the housing 16a of the transport unit 16 opposite the side on which the opening 16f is formed, and each arm 16b, 16c may be configured to move back and forth horizontally individually to enter and exit through the opening 16f and the opening on the opposite side. In this way, the transport unit rotation mechanism 28 can be omitted. And, even though the transport unit rotation mechanism 28 is omitted, that is, without rotating the transport unit 16, the arms 16b, 16c can access the transported object storage section 12 or each measurement section 14. In this case, in addition to the air curtain forming means 42 that forms an air curtain that closes the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a of the transport unit 16, a similar air curtain forming means that forms an air curtain that closes the opening formed on the opposite side of the opening 16f is provided in the transport unit 16, so that the inside of the housing 16a can be made into a sealed or nearly sealed space, and the same effect as the above embodiment can be achieved.

In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration in which each measurement unit 14 is arranged two-dimensionally in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) has been exemplified, but this is not limited to the above, and each measurement unit 14 may be arranged only in a row in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), or only in a row in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). By arranging each measurement unit 14 only in a row in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), the second movable body moving mechanism can be omitted. Furthermore, by arranging each measurement unit 14 only in a row in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), the first movable body moving mechanism can be omitted.

In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration using one transport unit 16 and one moving device 22 is exemplified, but this is not limiting, and multiple transport units 16 and multiple moving devices 22 may be used. In this way, the throughput at each measurement section 14 can be further improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration using the wafer holding arm 16b and the probe card holding arm 16c is exemplified, but this is not limited to the above, and only the wafer holding arm 16b may be used, or only the probe card holding arm 16c may be used.

In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration in which the arms 16b and 16c are provided on the transport unit 16 is exemplified, but this is not limiting, and the arms 16b and 16c (or equivalent arms) may be provided on the transported object storage section 12 side and on the measuring section 14 side. This also allows the transported object to be removed from the transported object storage section 12 or the measuring section 14 by each arm and stored in the transport unit 16, and the transported object to be removed from the transport unit 16 and handed over to the transported object storage section 12 or the measuring section 14.

In addition, in this embodiment, the opening 16f formed in the housing 16a is closed with an air curtain, but the present invention is not limited to this. The transport unit 16 may be provided with an opening opening/closing means such as a shutter or door that is opened when the transported object is removed or handed over and closed while the transported object is being transported, and the opening 16f may be opened and closed by this opening opening/closing means. Also, the openings 14a formed in each measuring unit 14 may be closed with a similar air curtain, or the openings 14a may be opened and closed by a similar opening opening/closing means.

As explained above, the idea of controlling the environment inside the transport unit (housing) to match the environment of the destination of the transported object by utilizing the time it takes to transport the transported object to the destination (measurement section or transported object storage section) can be applied not only to the prober of the above embodiment, but also to probers equipped with any type of transport unit (for example, the self-propelled platform described in JP Patent Publication No. 5-343497) that moves between the transported object storage section and multiple measurement sections to transport the transported object into the transported object storage section or into multiple measurement sections.

The prober of the present invention has been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements and modifications may of course be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

10...prober, 12...carried object storage section, 12a...wafer storage section, 12b...probe card storage section, 14...measurement section, 14a...opening, 16...transport unit, 16a...housing, 16b...wafer holding arm, 16c...probe card holding arm, 16d...environment control means, 16e...sensor, 16f...opening, 18...wafer chuck, 20...head stage, 22...moving device, 24...first movable body, 26...second movable body, 28...transport unit rotation mechanism, 28a...driving motor, 30, 32...guide rail, 34...base, CH...card holder, PC...probe card, W...wafer

Claims (1)

a transport object storage section for storing the transport object;
a measuring unit having an environment different from that of the transported object storage unit and disposed opposite the transported object storage unit at a predetermined distance;
a transport unit that transports the object between the transport object storage unit and the measurement unit,
The transport unit has an environment control means for controlling a transport environment of the transport object,
the environment control means controls a transport environment of the transported object so that the transport environment of the transported object becomes close to an environment of the measurement portion when the transported object is transported from the transported object storage portion to the measurement portion;
The transport unit has a housing that houses the object to be transported,
The environmental control means controls an environment within the housing as a transport environment of the transported object.
Prover.

Images