JP3047361B2 - Probe needle position detection method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for detecting the position of a probe needle, and more particularly to a method for detecting the position of a probe needle attached to a probe card for inspecting electrical characteristics of a large number of semiconductor element circuits formed on a semiconductor wafer. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A semiconductor element is manufactured by forming a plurality of required identical electric element circuits on a substantially disk-shaped thin plate of a predetermined size, called a wafer, which is aligned vertically and horizontally. The wafer manufactured in this way is inspected for quality of each element by a semiconductor element inspection apparatus called a wafer prober to inspect the formation quality of element circuits before the elements are divided into individual chips. You. This semiconductor device inspection apparatus includes a table and a head stage, and the like.
The table sucks the wafer and performs horizontal movement in the X-Y direction and vertical movement in the Z direction according to the element arrangement when necessary.
The head stage is disposed above a table, and each of the head stages is provided via a probe card for fixing a plurality of probe needles as contact needles provided at positions corresponding to the respective electrode pads of the element to be inspected. The circuit of the element is sequentially inspected and determined.

In the probe card, a relative mounting position of each probe needle must be detected in advance so that each tip of the probe needle can accurately contact the electrode pad. Conventionally, the position detection method of a probe needle is performed by observing each probe needle with a microscope.

[0004]

However, the conventional method for detecting the position of a probe needle using a microscope has a drawback that the position of a small-diameter probe needle cannot be accurately detected due to the problem of resolution of the microscope. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a probe needle position detecting method capable of accurately detecting the position of a probe needle without being affected by the size of the probe needle. And

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of probe needles attached to a probe card and a plate-shaped conductive needle having an insulating pattern having a predetermined width formed on the surface thereof. Body and a tester, the surface of the conductor is brought into contact with each tip of the probe needle to feed the conductor at a predetermined feed amount, and from the origin position in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the insulating pattern. By moving in the X direction, the conductive area and the non-conductive area of each probe needle in the X direction are detected, and the position of each tip of the probe needle from the origin position in the X direction from the non-conductive area in the X direction. Calculate, the conductor at a predetermined feed amount,
Further, by moving from the origin position in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the insulating pattern in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, a conductive area and a non-conductive area in each of the probe needles in the Y direction are detected. The position of each tip of the probe needle from the origin position in the Y direction is calculated from the non-conduction area, and the relative position of each tip of the probe needle is detected based on both the calculated positions in the X direction and the Y direction. It is characterized by the following.

[0006]

According to the present invention, first, each probe needle of the probe card and a plate-shaped conductor having an insulating pattern having a predetermined width formed on the surface thereof are connected to a tester.
Next, the surface of the conductor is brought into contact with each tip of the probe needle, and the conductor is moved in the X direction from the origin position in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the insulating pattern by a predetermined feed amount, Of the front end portion in the X direction are detected. Next, the position of each probe needle from the origin position in the X direction is calculated from the non-conductive area in the X direction.

When the calculation of the position in the X direction is completed,
The conductor is moved in a Y direction perpendicular to the X direction from an origin position in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the insulating pattern at a predetermined feed amount, and a conductive area and a non-conductive area in the Y direction of each probe needle are moved. And detect. Next, the position of each tip of the probe needle from the origin position in the Y direction is calculated from the non-conductive area in the Y direction.

Thus, the relative mounting position of the probe needle can be accurately and easily detected without being affected by the size of the probe needle.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the probe needle position detecting method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the probe needle position detecting method according to the present invention is applied to a semiconductor device inspection apparatus 10. Head stage 1 of semiconductor device inspection apparatus 10
2, the probe card 14 is attached to the insert ring 16 and arranged. The probe card 14 is electrically connected to the tester 22 via the insert ring 16, the pogo pins 18, 18, the test head 20, and the cable 21. Thereby, the probe card 1
The sixteen probe needles a to p shown in FIG. 2 attached to 4 are electrically connected to the tester 22.

A position detecting jig 24 is electrically connected to the tester 22 through a conductive table 28 as shown in FIG. The position detecting jig 24 is attracted to a table 28 of a moving stage 26 disposed below the head stage 12, and is appropriately moved in the horizontal direction in the XY direction and the vertical direction in the Z direction by the moving stage 26. Be moved.

As shown in FIG. 3, the position detecting jig 24 includes a conductive member 30 formed in a plate shape, and a cable 32 in which the tester 22 is connected to a conductive table is connected to the conductive member 30. Connected through. At a substantially middle portion of the conductive member 30, a linear insulating pattern 34 having a minute width is formed, and the insulating pattern 34 is flush with the surface 32a of the conductive member 30 as shown in FIG. The width is formed to be 50 μm.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, an operation means 38 is connected to the tester 22 via a cable 36.
The calculating means 36 is connected to a drive control unit (not shown) of the moving stage 26 via a cable 40. The operation means 38 includes a conduction signal and a non-conduction signal output from the tester 22, a signal indicating a horizontal feed amount output from the drive control unit of the moving stage 26,
The width dimension (50
μm), it is possible to calculate the absolute position of each tip of the probe needles a to p on the coordinate plane.

Next, a method of detecting the positions of the tips of the probe needles a to p in the semiconductor device inspection apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described. First, the position detecting jig 22 is moved up by the moving stage 26, and the surface 30a of the conductive member 30 of the position detecting jig 22 is brought into contact with each tip of the probe needles a to p. The position at this time is registered as the origin coordinate, and a signal indicating that all the probe needles a to p are conducting is transmitted to the tester 22.
Is output to the calculating means 38.

Next, the position detecting jig 24 is horizontally moved in the X direction from the origin position 0 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the insulating pattern 34 by a predetermined feed amount. When the position detection jig 24 is moved horizontally, the probe needles a to p
Are relatively moved along the path of the conductive member 30 → the insulating pattern 34 → the conductive member 30. Then, among the probe needles a to p, the probe needles passing through the insulating pattern 34 become non-conductive, and a signal indicating the non-conduction is output to the calculating means 38 for each of the probe needles a to p.

Next, the arithmetic means 38 calculates the conduction signal and the non-conduction signal for each of the probe needles a to p output from the tester 22 and the horizontal feed amount output from the drive control section of the moving stage 26. Based on the signals shown, the relationship between the conducting region (solid line portion) and the non-conducting region (dotted line portion) in the X direction of the probe needles a to p shown in FIG. 5 is created. In FIG. 5, the vertical axis represents the number of the probe needles a to p, and the horizontal axis represents the position detecting jig 2.
4 is shown.

The calculating means 38 calculates and stores the position of each tip of each of the probe needles a to p from the origin position 0 in the X direction from the start end of the non-conducting area in the X direction. That is, the tip of the probe needle a
At a position 104 μm away from the origin position 0 in the X direction,
The fact that the tip of the probe needle b is located at a distance of 110 μm in the X direction from the origin position 0 is also stored for the other probe needles c to p.

Next, when the calculation of the position in the X direction is completed, the position detecting jig 24 is moved from the origin position 0 in the X direction by a predetermined feed amount and in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the insulating pattern 34. Move in the Y direction orthogonal to.
When the position detection jig 24 is moved, the respective tips of the probe needles a to p move in the path of the conductive member 30 → the insulating pattern 34 → the conductive member 30 in the same manner as in the X-direction movement described above. Then, among the probe needles a to p, the probe needles passing through the insulating pattern 34 become non-conductive, and a signal indicating the non-conduction is output to the calculating means 38 for each of the probe needles a to p.

Next, the calculating means 38 outputs a conduction signal for each of the probe needles a to p output from the tester 22,
Based on the non-conduction signal and the signal indicating the horizontal feed amount output from the drive control section of the moving stage 26, the conduction area (solid line portion) in the X direction of the probe needles a to p shown in FIG. Create a relationship with the non-conducting area (dotted line). Then, the calculating means 38 calculates and stores the position from the origin position 0 in the Y direction of each tip of each of the probe needles a to p from the start end of the non-conductive area in the Y direction. That is, the tip of the probe needle a is 200 μm away from the origin position 0 in the Y direction and the tip of the probe needle b is 208 μm away from the origin position 0 in the Y direction. The memory is stored for the probe needles c to p.

Thus, the relative mounting positions of the tips of the probe needles a to p can be accurately and easily detected without being affected by the size of the probe needles. The calculating means 38 is provided in FIG.
From the length of the non-conducting area shown in FIG. 4 and the width dimension (50 μm) of the insulating pattern 34 input in advance, each probe needle a
To p can be calculated. For example, the length of the non-conducting area in the X direction and the Y direction of the probe needle a is 30 μm as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the length is two times that of the probe needle a shown by the solid line in FIG. This is the length when moving to the position shown by the dotted line. Therefore, if the diameter of the probe needle a is D, then D = (50-30) μm = 20 μm.

Thus, each of the probe needles a to p
By calculating the diameter D of the probe needle a
Also, the center coordinates of the tip of p can be calculated. For example, since the diameter D of the probe needle a is 20 μm, it can be seen that the center coordinate is 10 μm in the feed direction from the start end of the non-conducting area shown in FIGS. The position obtained by adding 10 μm is the center coordinate point.

Thus, in this embodiment, the center positions of the tip portions of the probe needles a to p which cannot be observed with a microscope can be easily calculated.

[0022]

As described above, according to the probe needle position detecting method of the present invention, each probe needle of the probe card and a plate-shaped conductor having an insulating pattern having a predetermined width formed on the surface thereof are provided. Is connected to the tester, the surface of the conductor is brought into contact with each tip of the probe needle, the conductor is moved in the X direction from the origin position, and the conductive area and the non-conductive area in the X direction of each probe needle are Is detected, and the position of each tip of the probe needle from the origin position in the X direction is calculated from the non-conductive area in the X direction. When the calculation of the position in the X direction is completed, the conductor is moved in the Y direction to detect a conductive area and a non-conductive area in the Y direction of each probe needle. The position from the origin position in the Y direction is calculated. Then, the position of each tip of the probe needle is calculated by X-
Since the information is displayed on the Y coordinate plane, the relative mounting position of the probe needle can be accurately and easily detected without being affected by the size of the probe needle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a semiconductor device inspection apparatus to which a probe needle position detecting method according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a probe card.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a position detection jig applied to the probe needle position detection method according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a probe needle is in contact with a position detection jig.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a conducting region and a non-conducting region in the X direction of the probe needle created by the calculating means applied to the probe needle position detecting method according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a conducting region and a non-conducting region in the Y direction of the probe needle created by the calculating means applied to the probe needle position detecting method according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

14 probe card 22 tester 24 position detecting jig 38 calculating means a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l,
m, n, o, p ... probe needle

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI H01L 21/66 H01L 21/66 B

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tester comprising: a plurality of probe needles attached to a probe card; and a plate-like conductor having an insulating pattern having a predetermined width formed on a surface thereof, connected to a tester. By moving the conductor in the X direction from the origin position in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the insulating pattern by moving the conductor by a predetermined feed amount in contact with each tip of the needle, the conduction of each probe needle in the X direction Detecting the position of the tip of each probe needle from the origin position in the X direction from the non-conductive region in the X direction, and detecting the position of the conductor at a predetermined feed amount and the insulation. By moving from the origin position in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the pattern in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, the conductive area and the non-conductive area in the Y direction of each probe needle are detected. Calculating the position of each tip of the probe needle from the origin position in the Y direction from the non-conductive area in the Y direction, and calculating the position of each tip of the probe needle based on both the calculated positions in the X and Y directions. A method for detecting the position of a probe needle, comprising detecting a position.