Device for electrically contacting a floating semiconductor wafer having an insulating film

• US 6,114,865 A
• Filed: 04/21/1999
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Diagnostics, Inc. (SEMILAB Félvezeto Fizikai Laboratórium Zrt.)
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Diagnostics, Inc. (SEMILAB Félvezeto Fizikai Laboratórium Zrt.)
• Inventors: Kochev, Nick, Schraver, Charles, Lagowski, Jacek, Savtchouk, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vincent Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/295,919
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 324/755, 324/765, 324/754, 324/769, 438/14, 438/254
• US Class Current: 324/754.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06722 Spring-loaded
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06755 Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2831 Testing of materials or semi-finished products, e.g. semiconductor wafers or substrates G01R31/318511 takes precedence; testing during manufacture H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for contacting and electrically grounding semiconductor substrate coated with or otherwise having an insulating film positioned thereover. The device includes a chuck having a wafer support surface which holds the wafer and a scriber movably attached to the chuck. The scriber is configured to contact the wafer through an opening in the chuck and to produce a perforation through the insulating film. The device further includes an electrically conductive probe movably attached to the chuck and configured to be moved into an access opening in the chuck to contact the semiconductor substrate through the perforation. Thus, the device increases the accuracy of open circuit type measurements of the wafer surface potential, particularly for Kelvin and Monroe electrode measurements of electrical properties of insulating films on semiconductor substrates.

Claims

1. A device for electrically contacting a semiconductor substrate having an insulating film disposed over at least a portion of the semiconductor substrate, the device comprising:

a chuck having a wafer support surface which holds the wafer;

a scriber movably attached to the chuck, the scriber configured to produce a perforation through the insulating film; and

an electrically conductive probe electrically contacting ground and movably attached to the chuck, the conductive probe configured to contact the semiconductor substrate through the perforation.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a motor configured to move the chuck within a plane and align the rotatable cylinder and the actuator.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the probe comprises tungsten carbide.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the scriber comprises diamond.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the chuck is formed of an electrically conductive material and is electrically grounded.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the rotatable cylinder is formed of an electrically conductive material and is electrically grounded.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the probe is electrically connected to the rotatable cylinder and is electrically grounded.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the chuck defines an opening, and the device further comprising a rotatable cylinder positioned within the opening of the chuck, a longitudinal axis about which the rotatable cylinder rotates, the scriber and the probe being mounted on the rotatable cylinder.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the chuck includes an access opening extending from the opening within which the rotatable cylinder is positioned to the support surface, and the rotatable cylinder is configured such that the probe, in a first position, contacts the semiconductor substrate through the access opening and the perforation when the scriber is in a diametrically opposing second position.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the access opening in the chuck serves as a vacuum port for suctioning debris from the production of the perforation.

11. The device of claim 9, further comprising an actuator configured to engage and rotate the rotatable cylinder and move the scriber to the first position to produce the perforation and to further rotate the cylinder to cause the probe to contact the semiconductor substrate through the perforation.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the probe and scriber are mounted onto the rotatable cylinder at angularly offset positions.

13. The device of claims 12, wherein the probe and the scriber are mounted at diametrically opposing positions of the rotatable cylinder.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the rotatable cylinder includes a longitudinal axis about which the rotatable cylinder rotates and a bore having an axis substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the rotatable cylinder, the probe and scriber being disposed within the bore.

15. The device of claim 13, further comprising a resilient member disposed between the probe and the scriber.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the resilient member is a spring.

17. A method for electrically grounding a semiconductor substrate, having an insulating film disposed over at least a portion of the substrate, the method comprising:

providing (1) a chuck having a wafer support surface which holds the substrate, (2) a scriber movably attached to the chuck, and (3) an electrically conductive probe for contacting and electrically grounding the semiconductor substrate, the probe movably attached to the chuck;

positioning the wafer in a fixed position on the chuck;

perforating the insulating film to form a perforation; and

positioning the probe to contact the semiconductor substrate through the perforation.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising, after positioning the probe, retaining the probe in contact with the semiconductor substrate with the substrate held on the chuck to allow electrical measurement of the substrate and insulating film.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein perforating the insulating layer of the supported wafer includes contacting the insulating layer with a scriber.