Probe apparatus

A probe apparatus of inspecting an electrical characteristic of a power device that is formed on a substrate to be inspected and has electrodes on front and rear surfaces of the substrate, the probe apparatus comprising:

• a movable chuck top configured to mount and support the substrate thereon;
• a probe card that is provided above the chuck top to face the chuck top and is configured to support a probe needle having a leading end to be brought into contact with a front surface electrode of the power device exposed at the front surface of the substrate supported on the chuck top;
• a first measurement line, having the probe needle, configured to electrically connect the front surface electrode of the power device to a corresponding first terminal of a tester;
• a mounting surface conductor that serves as a mounting surface on the chuck top and is configured to be brought into contact with a rear surface electrode of the power device exposed at the rear surface of the substrate;
• a second measurement line, having the mounting surface conductor, configured to electrically connect the rear surface electrode of the power device to a corresponding second terminal of the tester;
• and
• an attracting device, having many vertical fine holes which are densely distributed in an attraction region set on the mounting surface and each of which is vertically extended from a surface of the mounting surface conductor to an inner portion thereof, configured to apply a vacuum attracting force to the rear surface of the substrate through the vertical fine holes,
• wherein, in the attraction region, the vertical fine hole satisfies a condition of φ<p≦2φ when φ denotes a diameter of the vertical fine hole and p denotes a pitch therebetween.