Inspecting method and program for object to be inspected

• US 8,947,114 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Huy Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Astacio-Oquendo, Giovanni
• Application Number:
  US12/512,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: 324/757.01, 324/757.03, 324/759.01, 324/754.01
• US Class Current: 324/754.01
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2894 Aspects of quality control [QC] G01R31/31718 takes precedence; program control for QC G05B19/41875

Abstract

An inspecting method for an object to be inspected is provided to bring probes of a probe card into electrical contact with a predetermined number of devices of target devices of the object at a time to inspect electrical characteristics of the target devices by moving a mounting table for mounting thereon the object under the control of a control unit. Upon completion of the inspection of the target devices, if inspection errors have occurred in specific devices of the target devices in a regular pattern, the target devices are re-examined, and when the re-examination is carried out, a contact position between the probe card and the object is displaced from a contact position in a previous inspection by a distance of at least one device to inspect electrical characteristics of the number of devices of the target devices at a time.

Claims

1. An inspecting method for use with an inspection apparatus for inspecting an object, in which probes of a probe card are brought into electrical contact with a predetermined number of devices of target devices of the object at a time to inspect electrical characteristics of the target devices by moving a mounting table for mounting thereon the object, comprising:

performing a second inspection of the target devices upon completion of a first inspection of the target devices, if inspection errors have occurred in specific devices of the target devices in a regular pattern indicative of a defect pattern associated with a first set of probes of the probe card;

wherein the specific devices showing said inspection errors in the first inspection are re-inspected during the second inspection with a second set of probes of the probe card that had previously contacted devices other than the specific devices having said inspection errors in the first inspection; and

wherein performing a second inspection further comprises moving a mounting table in an opposite direction to an inspection direction or an inspection direction by a predetermined number of devices.

2. The inspecting method of claim 1, wherein the inspecting method is performed under a control of a control unit of the inspection apparatus.

3. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the inspecting method of claim 1.

4. An inspecting method for use with an inspection apparatus for inspecting an object, in which probes of a probe card are brought into electrical contact with a predetermined number of devices of target devices of the object at a time to inspect electrical characteristics of the target devices by moving a mounting table for mounting thereon the object, the method comprising:

inspecting electrical characteristics of the number of devices of the target devices at a time by bringing the object and the probe card into electrical contact with each other by moving the object together with the mounting table by a distance of the number of devices;

detecting, upon completion of a first inspection of the target devices, whether inspection errors have occurred in specific devices of the target devices in a regular pattern indicative of a defect pattern associated with a first set of probes of the probe card;

performing a second inspection when the inspection errors have occurred in the regular pattern;

wherein the specific devices showing said inspection errors in the first inspection are re-inspected during the second inspection with a second set of probes of the probe card that had previously contacted devices other than the specific devices having said inspection errors in the first inspection; and

wherein performing a second inspection further comprises moving a mounting table in an opposite direction to an inspection direction or an inspection direction by a predetermined number of devices.

5. The inspecting method of claim 4, wherein the inspecting method is performed under a control of a control unit of the inspection apparatus.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the inspecting method of claim 4.

7. An inspecting program stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and executed for performing an inspection method for an object to be inspected in which probes of a probe card are brought into electrical contact with a predetermined number of devices of target devices of the object at a time to inspect electrical characteristics of the target devices by moving a mounting table for mounting thereon the object under the control of a control unit, comprising:

performing a second inspection of the target devices upon completion of a first inspection of the target devices, if inspection errors have occurred in specific devices of the target devices in a regular pattern indicative of a defect pattern associated with a first set of probes of the probe card;

wherein the specific devices showing said inspection errors in the first inspection are re-inspected during the second inspection with a second set of probes of the probe card that had previously contacted devices other than the specific devices having said inspection errors in the first inspection; and

wherein performing a second inspection further comprises moving a mounting table in an opposite direction to an inspection direction or an inspection direction by a predetermined number of devices.

8. An inspecting program stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and executed for performing an inspection method for an object to be inspected in which probes of a probe card are brought into electrical contact with a predetermined number of devices of target devices of the object at a time to inspect electrical characteristics of the target devices by moving a mounting table for mounting thereon the object, wherein the program is executed to perform processes of:

inspecting electrical characteristics of the number of devices of the target devices at a time by bringing the object and the probe card into electrical contact with each other by moving the object together with the mounting table by a distance of the number of devices;

detecting, upon completion of a first inspection of the target devices, whether inspection errors have occurred in specific devices of the target devices in a regular pattern indicative of a defect pattern associated with a first set of probes of the probe card;

performing a second inspection when the inspection errors have occurred in the regular pattern;

wherein the specific devices showing said inspection errors in the first inspection are re-inspected during the second inspection with a second set of probes of the probe card that had previously contacted devices other than the specific devices having said inspection errors in the first inspection; and

wherein performing a second inspection further comprises moving a mounting table in an opposite direction to an inspection direction or an inspection direction by a predetermined number of devices.