Apparatus and method for testing a semiconductor device

A method of testing an electrical characteristic of a semiconductor device comprising:

• connecting a probe card to a test head of a testing apparatus for testing an electrical characteristic of a semiconductor device;
• contacting a substrate having a semiconductor device formed thereon with probe needles of the probe card;
• applying a load to the probe card by a horizontal maintaining unit provided inside the test head in a direction perpendicular to the probe card to maintain horizontality of the probe card;
• and
• determining a location of a contact mark formed on pads of the semiconductor device, and compensating for a bending of the probe card by applying the load to the probe card in a different direction than a bending direction of the probe card according to the location of the contact mark.

A semiconductor device test apparatus comprising:

• a probe room which includes a substrate support unit installed on a transferring member, wherein the transferring member linearly moves the substrate support unit in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction and rotates the substrate support unit;
• a loader room disposed adjacently to one side of the probe room, the loader room is operatively connected to the probe room for transferring a wafer having a semiconductor device formed thereon to the probe room to be placed on the substrate support unit and tested;
• a probe card disposed in a hole located in an upper wall of the probe room, wherein the probe card faces the substrate support unit disposed in the probe room and includes probe needles thereon, wherein electrodes pads of the semiconductor device on the wafer are disposed under a vertical direction of the probes needles of the probe card such that when the support substrate unit having the wafer thereon is transferred in the vertical direction by the transferring member, the electrode pads can be in physical contact with the probe needles of the probe card to thereby have a contact mark formed on the electrode pads;
• a tester which includes a test body disposed on one side of the probe room and a test head electrically connected to the test body, the test head includes a base to which the probe card is connected, the test body applies an electrical signal for testing the semiconductor device to the probe card through the test head and the base, and then receives a signal checked from the applied electrical signal from the probe card to judge whether the semiconductor device is good or not;
• a horizontal maintaining unit installed inside the base of the test head for holding the probe card in a horizontal state by applying a load to the probe card in a direction opposite to a bending direction of the probe card;
• and
• a controller which determines the location of the contact mark and compensates for a bending of the probe card by controlling movement of a certain part of the horizontal maintaining unit.