Probe apparatus

• US 5,325,052 A
• Filed: 09/11/1992
• Issued: 06/28/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Ltd. (Tokyo Electron Limited)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): KARLSEN, ERNEST F
• Application Number:
  US07/943,492
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 324/158 P, 324/158 F, 324/72.5
• US Class Current: 324/750.08
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06738 related to tip portion
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06755 Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07357 with flexible bodies, e.g. buckling beams
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2874 related to temperature

Abstract

A probe apparatus comprises a vertically movable table for placing a semiconductor wafer having semiconductor devices, a heater for heating the wafer at a predetermined temperature, and a probe card located above the wafer and having support and positioning portions for probes. The probe has a vertical portion which extends downward substantially vertically, and is capable of buckling. Two positioning plates are supported by the support positioning portion through which the vertical portions of said probes are downwardly extended wherein a temperature controller heats the probes at the positioning plates at a predetermined temperature.

Claims

1. A probe apparatus comprising:

vertically movable wafer placing means for placing a semiconductor wafer having at least one semiconductor device formed thereon, a large number of electrode pads being formed on an upper surface of said semiconductor device;

first temperature control means for setting the wafer placed on said wafer placing means at a predetermined temperature;

a probe card located above said wafer placing means and having an electrical wiring portion, probes, and support means, said probes having vertical portions which are connected to said wiring portion, which extend downward substantially vertically, and which have lower end portions, upper end portions, and intermediate portions located between said lower and upper end portions and capable of buckling, and said support means carrying said electrical wiring portion, supporting said upper end portions of said vertical portions of said probes, and having a space in which said intermediate portions of said vertical portions are located;

second temperature control means for setting said lower end portions of said vertical portions of said probes at a predetermined temperature;

a first positioning plate supported by said support means and having a large number of through holes in which said lower end portions of said vertical portions of said probes are movably inserted, wherein said second temperature control means sets portions of said probes at said positioning plate at a predetermined temperature;

a second positioning plate which is supported by said support means, has a large number of through holes in which said lower end portions of said vertical portions of said probes are movably inserted, and which is positioned above said first positioning plate with a predetermined gap therefrom, said first and second positioning plates and said support means defining a temperature control chamber, wherein said second temperature control means has a heating medium located in said temperature control chamber;

wherein said heating medium is a fluid heated or cooled to the predetermined temperature; and

wherein said second temperature control means has means for supplying and discharging said fluid to and from said temperature control chamber.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising third temperature control means for setting a portion of said support means near said electrical wiring portion at the predetermined temperature.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for supporting said probe card to oppose said wafer placing means, and fourth temperature control means for setting said probe card support means at the predetermined temperature.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gold plating layer is formed on a surface of a lower end of said vertical portion of each of said probes. wherein said heating medium is a fluid heated or cooled to the predetermined temperature;

and

wherein said second temperature control means has means for supplying and discharging said fluid to and from said temperature control chamber.

5. A probe apparatus comprising:

vertically movable wafer placing means for placing semiconductor wafer having at least one semiconductor device formed thereon, the semiconductor device having a large number of electrode pads;

first temperature control means for cooling the wafer placed on the wafer placing means;

a probe card located above the wafer placing means and having an electrical wiring portion, probes electrically connected to the wiring portion, and support means for supporting the wiring portion and the probes, said support means and having a space and a bottom face facing the wafer placing means, each of said probes having an upper portion supported by the supporting means, an intermediate portion vertically extended and located in the space and a lower portion downwardly extending from the space, the space having an open end in the bottom face of the supporting means;

a positioning plate attached to the support means to close the open end of the space thereof and having a large number of through holes which the lower ends of the probes vertically extend toward the wafer placing means;

means for supplying a cooling fluid into the space for cooling the probes; and

means for discharging the cooling fluid from the space;

whereby the cooling fluid is discharged from the space through the discharging means without substantially contacting of the cooling fluid against the semiconductor wafer.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said cooling fluid supplying means includes means for supplying a cooling gas into the space to cool the probes.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said cooling fluid supplying means includes for controlling the temperature of the cooling gas.

8. A probe apparatus comprising:

vertically movable wafer placing means for placing a semiconductor wafer having at least one semiconductor device formed thereon, the semiconductor device having a large number of electrode pads;

first temperature control means for selectively cooling and heating the wafer placed on the wafer placing means;

a probe card located above the wafer placing means and having an electrical wiring portion, probes electrically connected to the wiring portion, and support means for supporting the wiring portion and the probes, said support means and having a space and a bottom face facing the wafer placing means, each of said probes having an upper portion supported by the supporting means, an intermediate portion vertically extended and located in the space and a lower portion downwardly extending from the space, the space having an open end in the bottom end face of the supporting means;

a positioning plate attached to the support means to close the open end of the space thereof and having a large number of through holes through which the lower ends of the probes are vertically extended toward the wafer placing means;

means for supplying a temperature controlling fluid into the space for selectively cooling and heating the probes; and

means for discharging the temperature controlling fluid from the space;

whereby the temperature controlling fluid is discharged from the space through the discharging means without substantially contacting of the cooling fluid against the semiconductor wafer.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a first sensor for sensing the temperature of the wafer placing means to control the temperature thereof, and a second sensor for sensing the temperature of fluid in the space to control the temperature thereof.