JPH05166891A - Inspecting method for probe card - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display a picture by matching to an actual direction of a probe card even at the time of correcting a needle end or reversing other probe card front-side rearward by arbitrarily switching a needle end display recognized by a picture to a front or rear image. CONSTITUTION:A method for inspecting a probe card by recognizing a needle end of a probe card 36 to be inspected by a picture and displaying it on a display unit has the step of arbitrarily switching the needle end display to a front (needle end) image or a rear (pad) image. For example, when a measuring needle 37 is pressed to a transparent flat glass plate to measure a needle end position, the card 36 is displayed by a picture as an image as seen from the front side (needle end side). On the other hand, in a case like a time when the needle end is corrected, a measuring needle 37 of the card 36 is displayed by a picture as an image as seen from the rear side (pad side), and disposed in a pattern corresponding to the state of the actual needle 37 directed at its end upward.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a probe card inspection method, and more particularly to an improvement in a method for displaying needle measurement images of a plurality of conductive measuring needles provided on a probe card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Semiconductor ICs formed in large numbers on a wafer
A prober tester system is used to perform the electrical characteristic test of (1), and a probe card having a plurality of conductor measuring needles arranged according to the electrode pattern of each semiconductor IC is attached to the prober. This probe card usually has a structure in which a plurality of conductive material measuring needles such as tungsten are erected and fixed on a substrate made of epoxy resin or the like, and the tip of the measuring needle is brought into contact with each electrode pad of a semiconductor IC which is an object to be measured. And the desired electrical test is performed. The tip of such a measuring needle is normally bent into an L-shaped hook shape, each measuring needle is brought into contact with, for example, a bonding pad which is an electrode of a semiconductor IC chip, and an electrical test of the IC is performed by a tester. Be seen.

Therefore, the tip of the measuring needle of such a probe card must be arranged in a pattern that exactly corresponds to the electrode pattern of the IC chip to be measured, and its height accuracy must be strictly controlled. Similarly,
To ensure good electrical continuity with each bonding pad, the contact resistance at its tip must also be properly controlled.

As described above, the probe card inspection apparatus has been put into practical use in order to correctly position the measuring needle of the probe card and to repair the deformation of the measuring needle that occurs during long-term use.

Conventionally, as a device for measuring the probe tip of the probe card, as shown in JP-A-3-89102, a prober tester system is provided with a measuring optical system having an optical lens and a CCD camera. Therefore, there has been proposed a device for measuring the probe tip position of the probe card during alignment during wafer measurement.

However, such a measuring device has a problem in that it is only possible to know the approximate position of the needle tip and it is not possible to measure the height variation or the contact resistance. Since the measurement is carried out in a floating state, there is a problem that the needle tip pattern cannot be inspected when the bonding pad of the actual wafer is contacted.

FIG. 16 shows a schematic structure of a conventional probe card inspection apparatus. With this apparatus, the height and contact resistance of the measuring needle of the probe card can be inspected.

In FIG. 16, an elevating unit 11 is supported on a base 10 so as to be vertically movable, and an electrode flat plate 12 is fixed to the upper end of the elevating unit 11. And
A probe card 13 is fixedly held on the electrode flat plate 12 in parallel with the flat plate 12. In practice, the probe card 13 is fixed to a holder (not shown), and any probe card 13 is removably positioned so as to face the electrode flat plate 12. A tester 15 is connected between the electrode flat plate 12 and each measuring needle group 14 of the probe card 13, and the contact state and the contact resistance when the measuring needle 14 and the electrode flat plate 12 are in contact with each other are precisely measured. It

In such a conventional apparatus, after the probe card 13 is fixed at a predetermined position, the electrode flat plate 12 is
Is moved to the probe card 13 side by the elevating unit 11, and the position where the first measuring needle 14 contacts the electrode flat plate 12 is recorded. Then, the elevating unit 11 further moves the electrode flat plate 12 sequentially in the upward direction and records the contact position with each measuring needle 14, so that the height variation of each measuring needle 14 can be inspected. At the same time, the contact resistance between each measuring needle 14 and the electrode plate 12 at this time can also be inspected.

[0010]

When the IC wafer is actually inspected by using the probe card, the above-mentioned probe tip coordinate position of the measuring needle is an important inspection in order to bring the measuring needle into proper contact with the electrode pad of the IC wafer. It is an item.

If a defective needle position is detected during probe card inspection, it is desirable to immediately repair this measuring needle. Usually, such needle point repair is performed by correcting the measuring needle with tweezers etc. from the working hole provided on the back side of the probe card, but during the actual repair, the measuring needle is pressed against the electrode flat plate. There is a case that correct correction cannot be sufficiently performed only from the back side of the probe card, and normally, it is also necessary to separate the probe card from the electrode flat plate and correct the correction from the front side of the probe card.

[0012] When correcting such a measuring needle, it is useful for a quick correction work to perform the operation while displaying the recognized needle tip position on the display screen.

However, in the conventional device, the needle tip image is displayed only on the side (needle tip) image of the needle tip viewed from the observation device side such as a microscope.

Therefore, in the case where the needle correction is performed from both sides of the probe card, the measurement needle actually viewed by the operator and the displayed image may be reversed, and the needle tip image display may be corrected. There was a problem that it could not be used.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object thereof is to display an image in accordance with such an actual orientation of the probe card even when correcting the tip of the probe or reversing the probe card. The object of the present invention is to provide an improved inspection method.

[0016]

To achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that the image-recognized needle tip display can be arbitrarily switched between a front (needle tip image) and a back (pad) image. And

As a result, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the direction of the needle tip display can be arbitrarily selected by manual switching or automatic switching.

[0018]

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is necessary to display an image which is displayed as either a front (needle tip) image or a back (pad) image in a normal measurement state in which the measuring needle is pressed against the glass flat plate. When the probe card is inverted for correction or other purposes, the image display can be easily or manually reversed to match this, and the actual needle point and the display can be matched to provide a display that is easy for the operator to see. Can be given.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an apparatus to which the probe card inspection method according to the present invention is applied, in a state in which a main mechanism inside is shown, and a side view seen from the direction. 2 is shown. According to the apparatus of this embodiment, not only the inspection of the needle tip slip characteristic of the present invention but also the height variation of the measuring needle and the contact resistance can be measured.

A lifting unit 31 is mounted on the inspection apparatus base 30.
Is provided for moving the composite inspection substrate up and down in the Z direction with respect to the probe card to be measured as will be described later, and for moving the needle tip observation device in the horizontal direction on the elevating unit 31. A moving mechanism is stored.

As is apparent from the figure, a composite inspection board 32 is slidably mounted on the upper surface of the elevating unit 31, and this slide mechanism will be described in detail later. The substrate 32 has a structure in which an electrode flat plate 33 and a transparent glass flat plate 34 are arranged side by side on the same plane. The electrode flat plate 33 is made of a low resistance conductive plate having a conductor plated with gold, while the transparent glass flat plate 34 is made of a glass plate such as lead glass having an excellent light transmittance.

In this embodiment, as is clear from the inspection procedure described later, the flat plates 33 and 34 must have the same height in the slid state, and for this reason, the upper surfaces of the flat plates 33 and 34 must be the same. The height is fixed in a precisely adjusted state.

A probe card holder 35 is supported on the inspection device base 30, and a probe card 36 to be measured is detachably attached to the probe card holder 35. In the embodiment, the probe card holder 35 is rotatable about the rotation axis fixed to the inspection device base 30, so that the probe card 36 at the inspection position 200 has its measuring needle 37.
Is directed downward toward the composite inspection board 32 side. On the other hand, when the probe card holder 35 is turned upside down, the measuring needle 37 of the probe card 36 is exposed upward, and for example, the position of the measuring needle 37 can be corrected during the inspection.

Although not shown in detail in FIGS.
The measuring needles 37 and the electrode flat plate 33 are electrically connected to a tester for measuring the contact resistance between the measuring needle 37 and the electrode flat plate 33.

In the present embodiment, the lifting unit 31
A needle tip observing device for observing the measuring needle 37 of the probe card 36 is mounted therein, and can be moved in the Z direction, that is, the vertical direction together with the composite inspection board 32 by the elevating unit 31. This needle tip observation device includes an optical microscope 38 and a CCD camera 39 in the embodiment,
At the inspection position 200, the desired tip of the measuring needle 37 can be image-recognized through the transparent glass plate 34.

The elevating unit 31 includes a Z stage 40, and can be moved up and down in the Z direction of the drawing by a Z-direction moving mechanism which will be described later. The composite inspection board 32 moves together with the Z stage 40, and the inspection position 200 Either the electrode flat plate 33 or the transparent glass flat plate 34, which is positioned so as to face, can be pressed against the measuring needle 37 of the probe card 36. An X stage 41 and a Y stage 42 are provided in the lifting unit 31, and the optical microscope 3 is provided for the Z stage 40, respectively.
8 and the CCD camera 39 can be moved in the X and Y directions to take a desired plane coordinate position.

As described above, the lifting unit 31
Is capable of moving the composite inspection board 32 up and down in the Z direction while carrying the needle tip observation device therein.
2 can be pressed against the measuring needle 37 of the probe card 36 or retracted from the measuring needle 37, and the height of each measuring needle 37 can be measured while the contact amount with the measuring needle 37 is sequentially changed. Becomes Therefore, the electrode plate 33
By pressing and moving the needle against the measuring needle 37, the height of the needle tip and the contact resistance can be measured. On the other hand, when the transparent glass flat plate 34 is pressed against the measuring needle 37 by a predetermined amount, the needle tip coordinate is measured by the observing device. The pattern can be observed. At the time of observing the needle tip coordinate pattern, it becomes possible to sequentially follow and observe the plurality of measuring needles 37 by moving the optical microscope 38 carried by the elevating unit 31 to a predetermined position by the XY tables 41 and 42.

FIG. 3 shows an overall external view of this embodiment, and the above-mentioned mechanism portion of FIGS. 1 and 2 is housed in the main body cover 43. The probe card holder 35 is capable of 180 ° inversion movement about the shaft 44 as indicated by arrow C, and is measured as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 at the probe card holder position shown by the solid line in FIG. The measuring needle 37 of the probe card 36 is held downward on the composite inspection board 32 side so as to perform, and when it is inverted to the position shown by the chain line, the measuring needle 37 of the probe card 36 is opened upward. In this state, the position of each measuring needle 37 can be repaired very easily.

In FIG. 3, the main body cover 43 has a built-in personal computer 45, which performs predetermined data processing, and uses a well-known tester (not shown in detail) to measure the measuring needles 37 and the electrode flat plate 33. The contact resistance between the two is measured by the four-terminal method, and the measurement result is processed by the personal computer 45.

A monitor 46 and a personal computer display 47 are further mounted on the inspection device in this embodiment, and the image information output from the observation device by the monitor 46 is displayed after being processed by the image processing device. .. On the other hand, the personal computer display 47 displays the output processed by the personal computer 45. Each of these data processing outputs can be printed out by the printer 48 as needed. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the probe card 36 to be measured is mounted on the probe card holder 35, and the composite inspection substrate 32 is slid so that either the electrode flat plate 33 or the transparent glass flat plate 34 is moved. It is possible to successively measure the height of the measuring needle 37, the contact resistance, and the needle tip coordinate pattern by using the measuring needle 37. These series of measurement procedures are performed automatically or manually by an instruction from the control panel 49, and in the embodiment, the sliding movement of the composite inspection board 32 is performed by pneumatic driving, while the lifting unit 31 moves. Vertical movement in the Z direction and horizontal movement of the XY tables 41 and 42 are performed by driving a pulse motor. The control panel 49 includes a joystick in the embodiment, and the XY tables 41 and 42 can be manually moved at any time.

The detailed structure of the lifting unit 31 and the composite inspection board 32 and the probe card holder 3 will be described below.
5 preferred embodiments will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 shows the lifting unit 3 in this embodiment.
One Z-direction moving mechanism is shown. Inspection device base 30
Two Z receiving plates 50 and 51 are vertically fixed to the Z stage. Z slide plates 52 and 53 are guided in the Z receiving plates 50 and 51 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. It is understood that the Z stage 40 is movably supported in the vertical direction on the inspection device base 30 by firmly fixing the Z slide plates 52 and 53.

As is clear from the above description, this Z
Posts 54 and 55 are fixed to the stage, the composite inspection board 32 is supported via the posts 54 and 55, and an observation device including the above-mentioned optical microscope 38 and CCD camera 39 is mounted together with the XY stage. In order to smoothly move the Z stage 40 in the vertical direction under the weight of these devices, a compression spring (not shown in detail) is provided between the inspection device base 30 and the Z stage 40. A pressure mechanism is provided.

In order to drive the Z stage 40 in the vertical direction, a Z pulse motor 56 is mounted on the inspection apparatus base 30.
Is fixed, and the pulley 5 fixed to the motor shaft
7 and a pulley 59 fixed to the lower end of the Z drive screw 58
A drive belt 60 is hung between and, and the Z drive screw 58 can be rotationally driven by the rotation of the Z pulse motor 56. The Z drive screw 58 is rotatably supported by a bearing 61 on the inspection device base 30, while a Z nut 62 is fixed to the Z stage 40.
When the Z drive screw 58 is screwed to the Z nut 62, the Z stage 4 is rotated by the rotation of the Z drive screw 58.
It is possible to move 0 up and down to an arbitrary height. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the composite inspection board 32 is pushed up toward the measuring needle 37 of the probe card 36 by the Z drive device shown in FIG. 4, and the height in the Z direction at this time is driven by the Z pulse motor 56. It can be known by the pulse, and in the embodiment, one feed pulse of the motor 56 is set to correspond to 1 μm in the Z direction. Therefore, according to the elevating unit 31, it is possible to measure the contact height between the composite inspection substrate 32 and the measuring needle 37 with an accuracy of 1 μm. Further, by moving the Z pulse motor 56 at a high speed, the composite inspection board 32 is moved to the measuring needle 3 of the probe card 36.
It is possible to quickly withdraw from 7 or move at high speed to a predetermined position.

FIG. 5 shows an XY drive mechanism of the needle tip observation device in this embodiment, in which the X receiving plate 63 of the X stage 41 is fixed on the Z stage 40 of FIG. An X slide plate 64 is supported on the X receiving plate 63 so as to be slidable in the X direction.

Therefore, in the present invention, as will be described later, the needle tip observing device automatically follows the needle tips in accordance with the card data of the probe card 36 to be measured and automatically recognizes the images of all the needle tips. Is possible.

An X step motor 65 is attached to the X receiving plate 63.
Is fixed, and X (not shown) fixed to its main shaft
The drive screw has an X fixed to the X slide plate 64.
The nut is screw-coupled, and as a result, the X slide plate 64 can be moved to an arbitrary position by the rotation of the X step motor 65. In the embodiment, the movement in the X direction can be known by the number of pulses applied to the X step motor 65, but in this embodiment, an accurate X direction position can be determined by the linear encoder 66 fixed to the X slide plate 64. Can be detected.

Similarly, a Y receiving plate 67 of the Y stage 42 is fixed to the X slide plate 64.
A Y slide plate 68 is supported on the slider 7 so as to be slidable in the Y direction. Then, by rotating the Y step motor 69 fixed to the Y receiving plate 67, the Y drive screw 70 is screwed to the Y nut 71 fixed to the Y slide plate 68, and the Y slide plate 68 is moved to the Y direction. It can be moved to a predetermined position in the direction. Y as with the X stage 41
A linear encoder 73 is fixed to the Y slide plate 68 also on the stage 42, and the position in the Y direction can be accurately detected.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an optical microscope 38 and a CCD camera 39 are fixed to the Y slide plate 68, so that the observation position of the optical microscope 38 is fixed to each measuring needle 37 of the probe card 36. It is possible to adjust to the needle tip, and in automatic measurement, while continuously moving the optical microscope 38 to each needle tip position of the plurality of measuring needles 37,
The tip shape of the needle tip at this time can be displayed on the monitor 46 and the personal computer display 47.

The feature of this embodiment is that the composite inspection board 32 having the electrode flat plate 33 and the transparent glass flat plate 34.
Is slid to either the inspection position 200 or the retracted position, the height and contact resistance of the measuring needle 37 are measured by the electrode flat plate 33, while the needle tip coordinate pattern of the measuring needle can be measured by the transparent glass flat plate 34. .. FIG. 6 shows a preferred embodiment of the slide mechanism for the composite inspection board 32.

The column 5 provided on the Z stage 40
A slider receiving plate 74 is fixed to the sliders 4, 55, and a slide plate 76 on which the composite inspection board 32 is mounted is slidably supported on a slide guide 75 provided on the slider receiving plate 74. For this purpose, the slide plate 76 is provided with guide pieces 77 and 78 which slide on the slide guide 75. In the embodiment, a pneumatic actuator 79 is provided in order to move the slide plate 76 by a stroke indicated by S. The pneumatic actuator 79 includes a cylinder 80 and a piston rod 81, and the cylinder 80 has a slide receiving plate. 74, while the piston rod 81 is fixed to a bracket 82 fixed to the slide plate 76. Therefore, by operating the pneumatic actuator 79, the slide plate 76 carrying the composite inspection substrate 32 can be quickly moved to the left or right by the stroke S shown in the figure, whereby either the electrode flat plate 33 or the transparent glass flat plate 34 is moved. It is possible to face the inspection position 200.

FIG. 7 shows in detail a preferred embodiment of the probe card holder in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the composite inspection board 32 and the needle tip observation device are mounted in the elevating unit 31.
As a result, the probe card 36 to be measured must be positioned at the inspection position 200 so that the measuring needle 37 faces the upper surface of the composite inspection board 32.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the probe card 36 is mounted so that its measuring needle 37 faces downward, and in this embodiment, the probe card holder 35 has a holder frame 83 for this purpose. The mother board 84 is positioned and fixed by the clamps 85 and 86,
The probe card 36 is attached to the mother board 84, and the measuring needle 37 is arranged downward at the measuring position.

One end of the holder frame 83 is rotatably supported by a rotary shaft 87 provided on the inspection device base 30, and the holder frame 83 can be reversed around the rotary shaft 87. Therefore, when the holder frame 83 is positioned as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7, the probe card 36 is automatically positioned at the inspection position, and the probe card 36 is inverted in the state of the chain line to expose the measuring needle 37 upward. It becomes possible to easily repair the measuring needle during the inspection. In the inspection position shown by the solid line in FIG. 7, the holder frame 83 is firmly positioned by the lock 88, and the lock 88 in the embodiment holds the holder frame 83 during the inspection by the holding force from the pneumatic pump (not shown). To do.

In this embodiment, the weight of the holder frame 83 accommodating the mother board 84 and the probe card 36 is large, and there is a problem that the operability is deteriorated when performing the reversing operation. In order to reduce the operation amount, a tension spring 90 is applied to a spring hook 89 provided on the tail portion 83a of the holder frame 83, and the reversing operation force of the holder frame 83 is reduced by the pulling force of the tension spring 90.

Although the structure of the preferred embodiment of the probe card inspection apparatus used in this embodiment is clear from the above description, the inspection procedure will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10.

FIG. 8 shows the outline of the measurement procedure.
In step S1, card data of a probe card to be measured is input. This data includes a probe card name, a serial number, a measurement channel number, a measurement needle coordinate pattern, and the like, and these data are read into the inspection device from a keyboard of the control panel 46, a floppy disk reader, or the like.

Step S2 is an initial setting of the inspection device, which includes an overdrive amount, a relief amount, and a measurement pitch.

The overdrive is the moving penetrate amount of the elevating unit 31 against which the composite inspection board 32 is pressed against the measuring needle 37. In measuring the height of the measuring needle and the contact resistance, the maximum overdrive amount from the first contact is preset. When the needle tip coordinate pattern is measured, the amount of overdrive from the first contact at the time of measurement is set in advance. For example, about 100 μm or less is selected as such an overdrive amount.

The escape amount is the composite inspection board 3 in this embodiment.
2 is the amount of withdrawal from the measuring needle 37, and the electrode flat plate 3
3. The amount of withdrawal in each direction when selectively moving one of the transparent glass flat plate 34 to the measurement position 200 is determined, and for example, about 500 μm is suitable. Further, the measurement pitch is a setting of the ascending pitch when measuring the height variation, and by setting it to, for example, about 1 μm, highly accurate observation measurement can be performed. When the initial setting is completed as described above, the probe card 36 to be measured is correctly mounted on the probe card holder 35, and after each measuring needle 37 and the tester are electrically connected, the menu by the personal computer display 47 is displayed. According to the display, a predetermined inspection mode is selected in step S3. In this embodiment, the following six types of inspection can be selected.

1. Pin-to-pin short measurement 2. Leak measurement between pins 3. Pin height variation measurement 4. Pin tip contact resistance measurement 5. Pin tip position measurement 6. Pin tip diameter measurement In the present embodiment, the mode selection S3 can select each of these measurements individually or continuous measurement. When an individual inspection is selected, each measurement corresponds to each of the above measurements. Steps S4, S5, S6, S7, S8,
The measurement of S9 is performed individually, and after each of these measurements is completed, after the measured value is recorded by steps S10 to S15,
It returns to the step S3 again and waits for selection of the next inspection mode.

On the other hand, when the continuous inspection mode is selected, the individually selected individual inspections of the steps S4 to S9 are successively performed in accordance with the continuous program shown in step S16, and the predetermined order is set. The continuous measurement of is completed.

FIG. 9 shows the detailed procedure of the height variation measurement described above. First, in step S20, the electrode flat plate 33 of the composite inspection substrate 32 is moved to the inspection position 200. This movement is quickly performed by the pneumatic actuator as described above, and of course, at this time, the lifting unit 31 is used.
Is lowered, and the composite inspection board 32 and the measuring needle 37 are not in contact with each other.

In step S21, the lifting unit 3
1 rises to the first contact with the measuring needle 37,
Each time the measuring needle 37 is contacted (S22), the Z coordinate data at this time is read (S23), and this rising measurement is repeated until a predetermined overdrive amount is reached (S24).

Then, when the predetermined upward movement in the Z direction is completed, the contact position of each measuring needle 37 is read during this period, and the elevation of the elevating unit 31 is stopped (S25).

When all the data has been taken in, the elevating unit 31 descends again, and the electrode plate 33 is retracted from the measuring needle 37 (S26).

As described above, the height variation of the measuring needle 37 is inspected. During such a procedure, the electrode flat plate 33 is inspected.
The contact between each of the measuring needles 37 and each of the measuring needles 37 is performed by measuring the contact resistance by a tester. Therefore, the contact resistance value of each measuring needle itself can be measured by the same procedure as shown in FIG.

In the present invention, the needle tip of each measuring needle is image-recognized, this is subjected to image pattern processing, and then displayed as a needle tip image, and the display directions at this time are displayed as the front (needle tip) image and the back (pad) image. ) It is possible to switch to both of the images.

The operation of observing and displaying the needle tip image in the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 10 shows the procedure of the first and second needle tip position measurement in this embodiment. In step S30, the transparent glass flat plate 34 of the composite inspection substrate 32 is brought to the inspection position 200 by the pneumatic actuator. Then, the elevating unit 31 is raised from the first contact position with the measuring needles 37 by a predetermined amount of overdrive, and the transparent glass substrate 34 is pressed against all the measuring needles 37 (S31,
S32). At this time, in the first needle tip position measurement,
Subsequent measurements are performed in a small overdrive amount or in the first contact state where only one of the measuring needles abuts, while in the second needle tip position measurement, a predetermined overdrive amount, for example, 50 μm measuring needle 37 and transparent glass The measurement is performed with the flat plate 34 pressed. Therefore, if both measurement results are displayed on the same screen for each measuring needle 37, it is possible to know the slip amount for each individual measuring needle 37. The procedure of image recognition in measuring both needle tip positions will be described below.

Then, in step S33, the optical microscope 38 is aligned with a predetermined measuring needle tip using a joystick or the like. In this state, when the measurement start is instructed, the needle tip image at the start position is image-recognized (S34), and the needle tip image is displayed together with the determination reference frame (S35).

FIG. 11 shows a display example of the needle tip image according to this embodiment.

In the embodiment, the monitor 46 displays the image information output from the observing device as it is, that is, the image of the CCD camera 39 as it is, while the display 47 displays the recognition image shown in FIG.
Is displayed as a result of data processing.

As is apparent from FIG. 11, according to the present invention, the screen of the display 47 is a display 130 showing the arrangement of all pins in the XY directions, and a detailed display frame 100 for displaying the measurement result for each pin in detail. It consists of and.

In the detailed display frame 100 in the embodiment, the height relationship between the needle tip display frame 102 displaying the data-processed needle tip image 101, the display pin and the other pin, and the height relationship displaying the contact resistance judgment. A display frame 110 is included.

In the needle tip display frame 102, a circle display 103 having a radius of a contact center deviation allowable value corresponding to the needle 37 being displayed, which is obtained from card data of the probe card 36 to be inspected, which has been previously input with data. , And a circle display 104 of a warning level frame when the contact center deviation allowable value is 100%. In addition, the needle tip image 10
1 is shown as a virtual tip circle display having an average diameter obtained from image-recognized data.

Further, in the height relation display frame 110, a bar graph 111 showing the height relation between the pin being displayed and other pins is displayed as described above, and further, the contact resistance value is a preset reference value. When it is below the value, the color of the bar graph changes.

Therefore, the detailed display frame 100 shown in FIG.
It is possible to easily determine the quality of the measuring needle 37 being inspected on the screen based on the position / size of the top image 101 and the length / color of the bar graph 111.

Further, according to this embodiment, the following additional displays are displayed in the detailed display frame. Display 102
Indicates the pin number for which the details of the measurement result are being displayed, and it is understood that this is the display of the 1st pin selected at the start position in the figure. Further, the display 121 shows the tip diameter of the pin being displayed. The display 122 shows the amount of deviation from the reference coordinate position as the amount of deviation on the X and Y axes. The display 123 shows the distance from the reference coordinate position to the center of the needle tip. Further, the display 124 shows the amount of overdrive in which the display pin and the transparent glass flat plate 34 are pressed against each other when the needle tip position is measured. A display 125 shows the color change position of the bar graph in the height relation display frame. Further, the following additional display is displayed on the screen of the display 47.

The display 130 showing the arrangement of all the pins in the XY directions is color-coded according to the result of judgment based on the respective measurement data, and the pin position currently displayed is further shown as the display 131. It can be quickly read from the peripheral pin pattern that the measurement result of the 1st pin is displayed in the figure, and in the embodiment, it is displayed with a frame as the pin position display 131 being displayed. A display 132 shows the number of defective pins with respect to the total number of pins. In the figure, since pin 1 is defective, it means that one of the 32 pins is defective.

Therefore, such a display 47 enables the inspector to visually recognize the quality of the measuring needle 37 as the numerical data.

Next, in step S36, the XY stages 41 and 42 are sequentially moved stepwise by a distance between pins predetermined by the card data, and each measuring needle 3 is moved.
Image recognition is performed on 7.

When the measurement of all needles is completed (S3
7) The apparatus is stopped (S38), and the composite inspection board 32 is retracted from the probe card 36 after the measurement is completed (S39).

The needle tip position is measured as described above, and the inspection as to whether the measuring needle 37 of the probe card 36 is assembled in a predetermined coordinate pattern is completed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the needle tip coordinate pattern can be continuously measured, and there is an advantage that accurate measurement can be performed in an extremely short time.

Further, according to this embodiment, the step S
The results of the measurements made by 34 are stored in a suitable memory, such as a floppy disk, and the results of the measurements are read out arbitrarily and displayed on the display 47 shown in FIG.
Can be observed for each measuring needle.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the needle tip image of each measuring needle 37 is captured at the predetermined overdrive amount.

In this embodiment, the measuring needle 37 is pressed against the transparent glass flat plate 34 with a small overdrive amount including a non-contact state and a predetermined large overdrive amount, and the first and second states are different. The second needle tip position measurement is performed as described above, and the change (slip) of the needle tip position due to the change of the overdrive amount of each measuring needle 37 can be inspected from the detected needle tip position data.

FIG. 12 shows a slip inspection procedure in this embodiment.

Step S40 shows the Z stage positioning step of pressing the transparent glass flat plate 34 against the measuring needles 37 with a small amount of overdrive, and this small amount of overdriving gave a slight pressing to all the measuring needles 37. In some cases, or a predetermined state, for example, only the first contact measuring needle is pressed against the flat plate 34.

In this way, a small overdrive amount,
That is, the first probe tip position measurement is performed in step S41 in a state in which the penetrating is hardly performed on the measuring needle 37. This first needle tip position measurement is based on the above-mentioned FIG.
Since the procedure is 0, detailed description thereof is omitted.

As described above, when the tip positions of all the measuring needles 37 are measured with a small amount of overdrive,
These first data are stored in a memory or the like (S42),
The first data can be read at any position.

Next, as shown in step S43,
The transparent glass flat plate 34 is further raised by a predetermined amount, for example, 50 μm, and a state of a large overdrive amount that gives a penetrate amount to all the measuring needles 37 is obtained. This large amount of overdrive is assumed to be in a state of being pressed against the electrode pad when the IC wafer is inspected by the probe card 36 that is substantially the object to be measured.

When the pressing of the large overdrive amount is completed in this way, the second needle tip position measurement is performed (S44). This measurement is also the same as the procedure shown in FIG. 10 described above, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The second needle tip position measurement result is stored as the second data (S45), and both the first data and the second data are read out for each required measuring needle 37 to obtain the desired criterion. The slide display is performed together with the frame (S46).

FIG. 13 shows an example of such a slide display, which is almost the same as the judgment reference frame and other displays of FIG. 11 described above, and the same reference numerals are given to the same displays. The description is omitted.

However, in the sliding display of FIG. 13, the first and second data obtained by the measurement of the first and second needle tip positions are displayed at the same time, that is, reference numeral 101a indicates little overdrive. Display 101b, while display 101b shows the measurement result with a large amount of overdrive.

Further, the needle tip display frame 102 in this case shows the contact area allowable value corresponding to the measuring needle 37 being displayed, and the warning level frame when the contact area allowable value is 100% is the frame display 105. Is displayed as.

Therefore, according to the display of the inspection result as shown in FIG. 13, it is possible to clearly know the slip of each measuring needle 37 when the measuring needle 37 is pressed against the transparent glass flat plate 34. In particular, from FIG. 13, the direction and amount of slippage when the measuring needle slides can be visually and very clearly understood, and the quality of the probe card 36 when it is actually used for IC pad measurement can be accurately determined. be able to.

The display 126 in FIG. 13 shows the deviation amount of the needle tip with a small overdrive amount, and the display 127 shows the deviation amount of the needle tip when a large overdrive amount is applied as the deviation amounts of the X and Y axes, respectively. In addition, the actual amount of slippage is displayed on the display 128 and can be numerically grasped.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the needle position coordinates of the measuring needle 37 can be displayed, for example, as a slipping state.

FIG. 14 shows a state in which the probe card 36 is viewed from the front side, and is shown in FIG.
In No. 7, the first needle tip is displayed as an image. This display is shown in Figure 1.
4B, the needle tip pattern is also displayed as an image viewed from the front side (needle tip side) of FIG. A. Therefore, the inspector uses this display as a table image viewed from the microscope side, and the needle tip is good or bad. Can be determined.

On the other hand, FIG. 15 shows a state in which the needle tip 37 of the probe card 36 is viewed from the back side. According to the present invention, the image display at this time is reversed to the left and right direction as in FIG. 14B as shown in FIG. It is shown as a figure. Therefore, the currently displayed needle position has moved from the left side of FIG. 14B to the right side of FIG. 15B. Therefore, for example, in the case of correcting the needle tip, the back side of the probe card 36 faces upward in the embodiment as shown in FIG. 15 at the time of measurement, and the correction in this state is corrected by the actual measurement needle 37 according to FIG. 15B. It has a pattern layout corresponding to, and is extremely easy to correct. On the other hand, when the probe card 36 is inverted from FIG. 15, that is, when the measuring needle 37 is inverted to the front (needle tip) image side as shown in FIG. The (needle tip) image is displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 14B.

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that such arbitrary front and back images can be selected.

In the present embodiment, such display switching can also be performed by a manual instruction from the control panel 49, and the screen display can be arbitrarily reversed.

Further, in the probe card holder of FIG. 7, the holder frame 83 is provided with a proximity switch.
When the measuring needle 37 is pressed against the glass flat plate 34, the back (pad) image screen of FIG. 15B is obtained, while when the holder frame 83 is inverted and the measuring needle 37 is separated from the glass flat plate 34, the proximity switch is pressed. It is possible to automatically switch the front (needle tip) image image to be displayed as shown in FIG. 14B by the switching signal.

[0099]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When displaying the probe tip pattern of the probe card measuring needle,
Both the front (needle tip) image and the back (pad) image can be arbitrarily switched and displayed, and a display that is easy for an inspector or a correction operator to see can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram showing a preferred embodiment of an apparatus to which a probe card inspection method according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view seen from the direction in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an overall external view when the present embodiment is assembled as an inspection device.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing a detailed structure of a Z-direction moving mechanism of the lifting unit according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of an XY moving device of a needle tip observation device carried by an elevating unit in this embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a front view of essential parts showing a slide mechanism of a composite inspection board according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a main part front view showing a preferred embodiment of the probe card holder according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an inspection procedure in the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a height variation measurement procedure in the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the first and second needle tip position measuring procedures in the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of a needle tip image according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing a data measurement and display procedure of a needle tip slip state in the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a slip display according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a display state of a front (needle tip) image in the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a display state of a back (pad) image according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic structure of a conventional probe card inspection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 30 Inspection device base 31 Lifting unit 32 Composite inspection board 33 Electrode plate 34 Transparent glass plate 35 Probe card holder 36 Probe card 37 Measuring needle 100 Detailed display frame 101, 101a, 101b Display of needle tip image 200 Inspection position

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Atsuhiro Kakimoto 1-10-14 Itabashi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Inside the Tokyo Cathode Research Institute (72) Inventor Riki Hashimoto 1-10-14 Itabashi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Sadachika Ota 1-10-14 Itabashi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Inventor, Tokyo Cathode Institute

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A probe card inspection method for image-recognizing a needle tip of a probe card to be inspected and displaying it on a display device, wherein the needle tip display is arbitrarily displayed on a front (needle tip) image and a back (pad) image. A probe card inspection method characterized by being switchable.