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Methods and apparatus for utilizing an optical reference

  • US 7,538,564 B2
  • Filed: 10/18/2006
  • Issued: 05/26/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method, comprising:

  • positioning a wafer-based device in a reference field;

    determining a relative position of a second element in the reference field, the second element being a device interface element of the wafer-based device;

    generating an optical reference beam that intersects a predetermined position in the reference field, including;

    generating a laser processing beam and propagating the laser beam along an optical path that intersects the reference field; and

    attenuating the laser processing beam;

    detecting a relative position of a first element in the reference field, the first element being a probe element; and

    aligning the first element to the second element, including aligning the device interface element within the reference field to the probe element based on the detected position of the probe element in the reference field and the determined position of the device interface element, andprocessing material of the wafer-based device with the laser processing beam;

    wherein determining the relative position of the device interface element to the reference field further comprises;

    detecting a position of reference features carried with the device interface element with respect to the reference field, anddetermining the position of the device interface element based on the position of the detected reference features and a predetermined position of the device interface element with respect to the reference feature;

    and wherein a predetermined position of the device interface element with respect to the reference feature is one of;

    the position of the device interface element in a map of a wafer including both reference feature positions and device interface element positions, ora position of a device interface element measured in relation to a reference feature;

    and wherein determining the position of the device interface element based on the position of the detected reference features and a predetermined position of the device interface element with respect to the reference feature includes;

    utilizing a first camera with at least one field of view positioned in the reference field to detect the position of the reference features carried with the device interface element in the reference field;

    and wherein detecting the position of the probe element in the reference field with respect to the position of the optical reference beam includes;

    i) positioning the optical reference beam at a predetermined location in the reference field;

    ii) positioning a field of view of a second camera within the reference field;

    iii) forming an image of the optical reference beam in the field of view while the optical reference beam is at the predetermined location in the reference field;

    iv) forming an image of one or more tips of probe pins associated with a probe card in the field of view, the probe element being one of the one or more probe pins;

    v) determining the position of the image of the optical reference beam in the field of view; and

    vi) determining the position of at least one probe pin tip in the field of view.

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