# US 9,519,022 B2 · Method for pre-heating probe card

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- Number: US 9,519,022 B2
- Document ID: US9519022B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/680,718
- Filed: 2015-04-07
- Published: 2015-08-06
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2010-09-13
- Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Inventors: Hiroshi Yamada; Takaaki Hoshino; Shinji Kojima; Takeshi Saigusa; Hiroshi Shimoyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9519022B2

## CPC

- G01R 31/2887: {involving moving the probe head or the IC under test; docking stations (moving single probes G01R1/06705; moving individual probes in multiple probes G01R1/07392)}
- G01R 31/2893: {Handling, conveying or loading, e.g. belts, boats, vacuum fingers (G01R31/2867 takes precedence; handling semiconductor devices or wafers during manufacture or treatment H10P72/00)}
- G01R 31/2891: {related to sensing or controlling of force, position, temperature (G01R31/2874 takes precedence; sensing of force G01L; sensing of position G01B, G01D; sensing of temperature G01K; controlling in general G05)}
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)

## Abstract

A wafer inspection apparatus includes a first and second wafer transfer mechanisms, an alignment chamber, a second wafer transfer mechanism and a plurality of inspection chambers. The first wafer transfer mechanism is installed at a first transfer area to transfer wafers individually from a housing. The alignment chamber has an alignment mechanism configured to align the wafer at an inspection position for an electrical characteristics inspection. The second wafer transfer mechanism is configured to transfer the wafer through a wafer retaining support in a second transfer area formed along the first transfer area and an alignment area. The plurality of inspection chambers is arranged at an inspection area formed along the second transfer area and is configured to inspect electrical characteristics of the wafer transferred by the second wafer transfer mechanism through the wafer retaining support.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for pre-heating a probe card, for which an alignment chamber having an alignment mechanism configured to align a wafer at an inspection position of electrical characteristics inspection, and an inspection chamber configured to perform electrical characteristics inspection of the wafer are provided, the inspection chamber including: a probe card having a plurality of probes; a sealing member surrounding the plurality of probes; a lifting body configured to lift the wafer and bring the wafer into contact with the sealing member, the lifting body being capable of regulating temperature; and an exhaustion mechanism vacuumizing a hermetically closed space formed by the wafer, the sealing member, and the probe card,
wherein the method uses the lifting body in the inspection chamber for electrical characteristics inspection of the wafer and comprises:
lifting the wafer by the lifting body and bringing the wafer into contact with the sealing member;
decompressing the interior of the hermetically closed space through the exhaustion mechanism to adsorb the wafer to the sealing member; and
pre-heating the probe card so that the plurality of probes contact an upper surface of the wafer by the lifting body.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising aligning the wafer in the alignment chamber.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, comprising transferring the wafer between the alignment chamber and the inspection chamber through a wafer retaining support.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, comprising unloading the wafer retaining support from the inspection chamber after decompressing the interior of the hermetically closed space.