Probe card with temperature control function, inspection apparatus using the same, and inspection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10295590-B2
Application number	US-201715628076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2017
Priority date	Jun 21, 2016
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A probe card having uniform temperature distribution under control to a desired temperature is provided, so as to provide an inspection apparatus and an inspection method. The probe card includes a supporting substrate, a wiring layer arranged including a wiring on a main surface of the supporting substrate, a probe arranged on a surface serving as an opposite side to a side of the supporting substrate of the wiring layer so as to be connected to the wiring, and a plurality of heaters. Further, the probe card is virtually divided into heater regions according to a plurality of heater regions arrayed in vertical and horizontal directions in plan view, and at least one of a plurality of heaters is arranged in each of the plurality of heater regions. An inspection apparatus is configured including the probe card, and an object to be inspected is inspected by use of the inspection apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A probe card comprising:
a supporting substrate;
a wiring layer arranged including a wiring on one surface of the supporting substrate;
a probe arranged on a surface serving as an opposite side to a side of the supporting substrate of the wiring layer so as to be connected to the wiring;
a plurality of heater regions divided virtually in plan view and arrayed in vertical and horizontal directions; and
a plurality of first heaters, at least one of the plurality of first heaters being arranged in each of the heater regions.

2. The probe card according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of controllers for individually controlling a calorific value of each of the plurality of first heaters.

3. The probe card according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of first heaters is embedded in the supporting substrate corresponding to each of the plurality of heater regions.

4. The probe card according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of temperature sensors arranged corresponding to each of the plurality of heater regions.

5. The probe card according to claim 1 , wherein
the heater regions has a rectangular shape in plan view, and one side of the rectangular shape is in a range of 10 mm to 40 mm.

6. The probe card according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat insulating member arranged at a part corresponding to a boundary between the heater regions in the supporting substrate.

7. The probe card according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat insulating member arranged at a part corresponding to a boundary between the heater regions in the supporting substrate,
wherein the heat insulating member is formed in a partition wall shape for partitioning an inside of the supporting substrate corresponding to the plurality of heater regions.

8. An inspection apparatus for inspecting an object to be inspected by use of a probe card, the inspection apparatus comprising:
an XYZ stage on which the object to be inspected being placed;
the probe card according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of controllers for individually controlling a calorific value of each of the plurality of first heaters; and
a temperature controller to which a target temperature of the probe card being input.

9. The inspection apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the XYZ stage includes a second heater for receiving the object to be inspected in a heatable state.

10. The inspection apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the probe card has a plurality of temperature sensors arranged corresponding to each of the plurality of heater regions of the supporting substrate, and
each of the plurality of controllers individually controls a calorific value of each of the plurality of first heaters based on the target temperature and an output by each of the plurality of temperature sensors.

11. The inspection apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the supporting substrate of the probe card further comprises a heat insulating member arranged at a part corresponding to a boundary between the heater regions.

12. An inspection method for inspecting an object to be inspected by use of a probe card, the inspection method comprising the step of:
by use of the probe card according to claim 1 , the probe card further comprising a plurality of controllers for individually controlling a calorific value of each of the plurality of first heaters and a plurality of temperature sensors,
inspecting the object to be inspected by individually controlling a temperature of each of the plurality of heater regions so as to bring the probe card to a target temperature,
wherein a temperature control for individually controlling the temperature of each of the plurality of heater regions includes:
a temperature setting step of setting the target temperature;
a current supplying step of supplying current to the first heaters based on the target temperature;
a heater heating step of heating each of the heater regions including each of the first heaters by use of each of the first heaters supplied with the current; and
a temperature measuring step of, by use of each of the temperature sensors arranged in each of the heater regions, measuring the temperature of each of the heater regions based on an output by each of the temperature sensors,

and further includes, after the temperature measuring step,
a determining step of determining repetition of the temperature measuring step, upon the temperature of each of the heater regions being equal to the target temperature, and of determining repetition in an order of the current supplying step, the heater heating step and the temperature measuring step, upon the temperature of each of the heater regions being different from the target temperature.

Assignees

• Nihon Micronics Kk

Inventors

• Saito Yuki
• Fukami Yoshiyuki
• Kiyofuji Hidehiro

Classifications

• G01R31/2831

  Testing of materials or semi-finished products, e.g. semiconductor wafers or substrates (G01R31/318511 takes precedence; testing during manufacture H10P74/00) · CPC title

• G01R31/2875

  related to heating · CPC title

• G01R1/07307 Primary

  with individual probe elements, e.g. needles, cantilever beams or bump contacts, fixed in relation to each other, e.g. bed of nails fixture or probe card · CPC title

• G01R1/0491

  for testing integrated circuits on wafers, e.g. wafer-level test cartridge · CPC title

• G01R31/2891 Primary

  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) · CPC title