Wafer holder for wafer prober and wafer prober equipped with same

• US 20090045829A1
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Itakura, Katsuhiro, Nakata, Hirohiko, Natsuhara, Masuhiro, Awazu, Tomoyuki
• Application Number:
  US11/496,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20090045829A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/762.50
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2865 Holding devices, e.g. chucks; Handlers or transport devices having contacts G01R31/2863
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2875 related to heating

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wafer prober wafer holder that is highly rigid and increases the heat insulating effect, thereby improving positional accuracy, thermal uniformity, and chip temperature ramp-up and cooling rates, as well as a wafer prober device equipped therewith.

A wafer holder of the present invention includes a chuck top that mounts a wafer, and a support member that supports the chuck top, wherein, a restricting member is provided that covers an interface between the chuck top and the support member. By covering the gap between the chuck top and the support member with the restricting member, the heat insulating effect can be increased by preventing the flow of outside air through the gap into the support member, and the cooling rate can be particularly improved if cooling to a temperature below room temperature.

Claims

1. A wafer holder comprising:

a chuck top that mounts a wafer; and

a support member that supports said chuck top;

wherein,

a restricting member is provided that covers an interface between said chuck top and said support member.

2. The wafer holder as recited in claim 1, wherein

said restricting member is sheet-shaped.

3. The wafer holder as recited in claim 1, wherein

said restricting member is a filler.

4. The wafer holder as recited in claim 1, wherein

said restricting member is a metal foil.

5. A heater unit for a wafer prober comprising a wafer holder as recited in claim 1.

6. A wafer prober comprising the heater unit as recited in claim 5.