JP2002319605A - Method of inspecting semiconductor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem conventionally that inspection method, such as that the frequency of cleaning for a probe increases and the throughput of inspection process as a whole drops, since foreign matters in growing of bumps adhere to the probe in the probe inspection process. SOLUTION: Sine the shape of a tip 12a of the probe 12 is acute and spherical in surface, in the inspection process the tip 12a of the probe 12 can be brought into contact with an Au bump electrode 11 without overdrive amount, so that the quantity of foreign mater in growth of the bump adhering to the probe 12 can be reduced, and also at cleaning of the probe, it is cleaned, using a cleaning sheet capable of surely removing the foreign matters which adhere to the probe, whereby a superior inspection method for a semiconductor device capable of improving the throughput and reducing the inspection cost can be materialized as an inspection method.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of semiconductor elements formed in a plane thereof, by contacting a probe of a probe device with electrical characteristics of each semiconductor element. The present invention relates to a method of inspecting a semiconductor device, which inspects electrical characteristics and determines the quality of each semiconductor element, and more particularly to a method of inspecting a semiconductor device capable of shortening an inspection time and improving throughput.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional semiconductor device inspection method will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional semiconductor device inspection method.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 3, a semiconductor wafer 3 having a plurality of liquid crystal driver semiconductor elements 2 having Au bump electrodes 1 formed on a plurality of electrodes on the surface thereof in a plane is first placed above the semiconductor wafer 3. Then, the probe 4 of the inspection apparatus is brought into contact with the Au bump electrode 1 of each semiconductor element 2 by giving an overdrive amount. In the related art, the overdrive amount is set to 25 [μm] for the first contact and 50 [μm] for the second contact, thereby making contact.

At this point, by inspecting the electrical characteristics, a good or defective semiconductor element 2 is determined.
Inspection is performed sequentially for each semiconductor element.

When the probe 4 is brought into contact with the Au bump electrode 1 for inspection, as shown in an enlarged sectional view of the bump portion in FIG. The flat tip 4a is brought into contact with the tip 4a, and the tip 4a of the probe 4 is slid according to the amount of overdrive for inspection. In FIG. 4, the upper surface shape of the Au bump electrode 1 is shown as flat, but actually, fine bumps and dips formed in the manufacturing process are formed.

As shown in the enlarged sectional view of FIG. 5, after inspecting, for example, ten chips (semiconductor elements) of the semiconductor elements on the semiconductor wafer, the tip 4a of the probe 4 is brought into contact with the cleaning sheet 5, and In addition to removing the growing foreign matter 6 of the Au bump electrode attached to the tip 4a and the side surface 4b of the probe 4, the worn tip 4a is polished and cleaned, and the inspection process is performed again. Conventionally,
The cleaning sheet 5 used was a sheet in which an adhesive 8 was provided on a cushion 7 and an abrasive layer 9 was provided on the adhesive 8, and the probe 4 was cleaned.

In FIG. 3 showing a conventional method of inspecting a semiconductor device, an Au bump electrode 1 is connected to one semiconductor element 2.
However, the number of Au bump electrodes 1 is actually set according to the number of electrodes of the semiconductor element 2. In the case of a liquid crystal driver semiconductor element, The number of Au bump electrodes per semiconductor element is
The number is 200 to 600, and is fine and multi-pin.

[0008]

However, in the conventional method for inspecting a semiconductor device, the tip of the probe has a flat shape, and the cleaning step requires a cushion material,
Since the probe is cleaned and polished using a cleaning sheet composed of an adhesive material and an abrasive layer, the growth foreign matter of the bump attached to the tip of the probe is removed by the abrasive layer, and the tip is polished. However, the growth foreign matter of the bump adhering to the side surface of the probe is not adsorbed to the abrasive layer, but remains on the side surface of the tip of the probe as it is, and is combined with the growth foreign matter adhering at the next inspection, so that the cleaning frequency is reduced. Could be high.

In the conventional method of inspecting a semiconductor device, the tip of the probe has a flat shape, is brought into contact with the upper surface of the Au bump, and is contacted with an overdrive amount.
Since the upper surface of the Au bump is shaved by the tip of the probe, there is a problem that the growing foreign matter of the Au bump adheres to the tip of the probe. In particular, when the bump electrode of the semiconductor element is an Au bump formed of gold (Au), the surface of the Au bump on the semiconductor element is in a state where irregularities due to plating are formed. For this reason, at the time of contact of the probe, the contact resistance increases, and more growing foreign matter adheres.

Further, as the frequency of cleaning of the probe increases, the probe itself wears out, the life of the probe is shortened, and the cost for the inspection due to replacement of the probe increases.

That is, according to the conventional method for inspecting a semiconductor device, even though a relatively large amount of bump-grown foreign matter adheres to the probe in the inspection process, foreign matter can be surely adsorbed by the cleaning sheet in cleaning the probe. However, there has been a problem that the cleaning frequency is improved and the throughput in the entire inspection process is reduced. The semiconductor element to be inspected is a fine and multi-pin liquid crystal driver semiconductor element, and the number of Au bump electrodes per semiconductor element is 20.
The number ranges from 0 to 600, and the inspection throughput per sheet cannot be ignored.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce the amount of growth foreign matter adhering to a probe at the time of inspection and to surely remove the growth foreign matter that has adhered, thereby lowering the frequency of cleaning and improving the throughput of the inspection process. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for inspecting a semiconductor device which can perform the above-mentioned steps.

[0013]

To solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, a semiconductor device inspection method according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, for a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of semiconductor elements having a plurality of bump electrodes on the surface are formed, a semiconductor device inspection method for inspecting electrical characteristics of individual semiconductor elements, An inspection step of contacting a probe having a sharp tip and a spherical tip with respect to a plurality of bump electrodes to inspect the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor element to determine whether the semiconductor element is good or not; and After executing on a plurality of semiconductor elements, a first cushion material, an adhesive material on the first cushion material, an abrasive layer on the adhesive material, and a second
A cleaning step of bringing the tip of the probe into contact with a cleaning sheet having a cushion material to remove bump foreign matter adhering to the probe and cleaning the semiconductor device.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device inspection method for inspecting a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of liquid crystal driver semiconductor elements provided with gold (Au) bump electrodes.

[0015] In the cleaning step, the second cushion material adsorbs the bump foreign matter adhering to the side surface of the probe, and the abrasive layer adsorbs the bump foreign matter adhering to the tip of the probe. This is an inspection method for a semiconductor device in which a tip of a needle is polished.

Further, in the inspection step, there is provided an inspection method of a semiconductor device in which a tip of a probe is brought into contact with a plurality of bump electrodes of a semiconductor element without an overdrive amount.

The probe is a method for inspecting a semiconductor device using a probe made of an alloy of tungsten (W) and rhenium (Re).

As described above, the probe to be used is a probe having a contact portion having an acute angle and a spherical tip, and bumps are formed on the tip and side surfaces of the probe to make contact without an overdrive amount. The probe is made of a material that hardly adheres to foreign matter and has a high hardness, so wear can be reduced and the life of the probe can be prolonged. Can be suppressed.

When the probe is cleaned after inspecting a certain semiconductor element, an adhesive is provided on the first cushion, an abrasive layer is provided on the adhesive, and a second cushion is provided on the abrasive. The tip of the probe abuts against the cleaning sheet with the tip to remove and remove bump foreign matter attached to the probe, so that the foreign matter attached to the tip of the probe is removed by being adsorbed by the abrasive layer. Since the foreign matter adhering to the side surface of the probe is adsorbed and removed by the second cushion material, the foreign matter can be reliably removed, the number of semiconductor elements to be inspected can be increased, and the frequency of cleaning can be reduced. The inspection time per semiconductor wafer can be significantly reduced, and the throughput can be improved.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a semiconductor device inspection method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view showing a semiconductor device inspection method according to the present embodiment. In the inspection method of the semiconductor device according to the present embodiment, the outline of the inspection method is the same as the conventional configuration shown in FIG.

The method for inspecting a semiconductor device according to the present embodiment is applied to a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of liquid crystal driver semiconductor elements having a plurality of Au (gold) bump electrodes on the surface are formed. In the inspection method of a semiconductor device for inspecting characteristics, the surface state of an Au bump as a bump electrode is 3 [μm] to 5 [μm] due to plating formation.
This is an inspection method for inspecting a liquid crystal driver semiconductor element on which an Au bump having irregularities of [μm] is formed.

First, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, a probe 12 having an acute angle and a spherical tip 12a is brought into contact with a plurality of Au bump electrodes 11 of a semiconductor element 10 so as to contact the semiconductor element. Is inspected to determine the quality.

Then, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, after the inspection process is performed on a plurality of semiconductor elements, a first cushion material 13 and an adhesive material 14 on the first cushion material 13 are formed. The tip 12a of the probe 12 is pressed against the cleaning sheet 17 having the abrasive layer 15 on the adhesive material 14 and the second cushion material 16 on the abrasive layer 15, and the probe is contacted. Tip 12a and side surface 12b of needle 12
The cleaning removes the grown foreign matter 18 of the Au bump electrode 11 adhered to the above. That is, in the cleaning step of the present embodiment, the tip 12 a of the probe 12 bites into the second cushion material 16, and the Au bump electrode 11 adhered to the side surface 12 b of the probe 12 by the second cushion material 16. The growth foreign material 18 is adsorbed, the growth foreign material 18 remains in the second cushion material 16, the growth foreign material 18 attached to the tip 12 a of the probe 12 is adsorbed by the abrasive layer 15, and Tip 12a
The cleaning can be performed while preventing the growth foreign matter from remaining on the side surface 12b of the probe 12, and the cleaning can be reliably performed.

Since the tip 12a of the probe 12 has an acute angle and a spherical shape, a plurality of Au bump electrodes 11 of the semiconductor element are used in the inspection step of bringing the probe 12 into contact with the Au bump electrode 11. , The tip 12 of the probe 12
a can be contacted without an overdrive amount, and A
This prevents peeling of the upper surface of the u-bump electrode 11 and reduces the amount of bump growth foreign matter adhering to the probe 12. In this embodiment, the overdrive amount is 1 s.
The contact is 30 [μm] and the second is 30 [μm], and the contact is made without an overdrive amount.

In the present embodiment, the probe 12 is a probe made of a hard material made of an alloy of tungsten (W) and rhenium (Re). Can be reduced. Further, as an example of the probe 12 used in the present embodiment, the tip diameter of the probe 12 is 20 [μm].

In the present embodiment, the cleaning of the probe has conventionally been performed every 10 chip inspections.
Cleaning can be performed after inspection of 0 or more chips, and the frequency of cleaning can be reduced. As a result, the inspection time per semiconductor wafer is significantly reduced, and the throughput is improved by 10% or more compared to the past. You can do it. In addition, the probe used for the inspection is a probe having a contact portion having an acute angle and a spherical tip. In order to make contact with the probe without an overdrive amount, foreign matter of bumps adheres to the tip and side surfaces of the probe. It is difficult to use, and the material of the probe is high in hardness, so that wear can be reduced and the life of the probe can be prolonged. You can do it.

As described above, in this embodiment, the probe contact method and the probe structure, in which the growth foreign matter is less likely to adhere to the probe, are used.
In addition, by performing cleaning using a cleaning sheet capable of reliably removing foreign matter, an excellent inspection method of a semiconductor device capable of improving throughput and reducing inspection cost can be realized. Of course, it is possible to prevent the growth foreign matter from adhering to the probe at the time of the inspection, so that a decrease in the inspection yield can be suppressed.

[0029]

As described above, in the method of inspecting a semiconductor device according to the present invention, the probe used is a probe having a contact portion having an acute angle and a spherical tip. The growth foreign matter of the bump does not easily adhere to the tip and side of the probe, and the probe is made of a material with high hardness, which reduces wear, prolongs the life of the probe and suppresses the increase in inspection cost. Can be done.

When the probe is cleaned after inspecting a considerable number of semiconductor elements, an adhesive is provided on the first cushion, an abrasive layer is provided on the adhesive, and a second cushion is provided on the abrasive. The tip of the probe is brought into contact with the cleaning sheet having the following to remove and remove the bump foreign matter attached to the probe, so that the foreign matter attached to the tip of the probe is adsorbed by the abrasive layer. Since the foreign matter that has been removed and adhered to the side surface of the probe is adsorbed and removed by the second cushion material, the foreign matter can be reliably removed, the number of semiconductor elements to be inspected can be increased, and the frequency of cleaning can be reduced. This is an excellent method for inspecting a semiconductor device, which can significantly shorten the inspection time per semiconductor wafer and improve the throughput.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a semiconductor device inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a semiconductor device inspection method according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a conventional semiconductor device inspection method.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a conventional semiconductor device inspection method.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a conventional semiconductor device inspection method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 Au bump electrode 2 Semiconductor element 3 Semiconductor wafer 4 Probe 4a Tip 4b Side face 5 Cleaning sheet 6 Growth foreign matter 7 Cushion material 8 Adhesive material 9 Polishing layer 10 Semiconductor element 11 Au bump electrode 12 Probe 12a Tip 12b Side 13 First cushion material 14 Adhesive material 15 Abrasive layer 16 Second cushion material 17 Cleaning sheet 18 Growth foreign matter

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2G003 AA07 AA10 AB01 AF06 AG03 AG12 AH04 2G011 AA02 AA16 AC14 AE03 2G132 AB01 AF01 AL03 AL09 4M106 AA01 AD08 AD09 BA01 DD03 DD06 DD18

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A semiconductor device inspection method for inspecting electrical characteristics of individual semiconductor elements on a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of semiconductor elements having a plurality of bump electrodes on a surface is formed. An inspection step of inspecting the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor element by contacting a probe having an acute angle and a spherical tip with respect to the plurality of bump electrodes of the element to determine whether the semiconductor element is good or not; After performing the inspection process on multiple semiconductor devices,
For a cleaning sheet having a first cushion material, an adhesive on the first cushion material, an abrasive layer on the adhesive, and a second cushion material on the abrasive layer, A method of inspecting a semiconductor device, comprising: a cleaning step of removing a bump foreign matter adhering to the probe by abutting a tip of the probe to clean the probe. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of liquid crystal driver semiconductor elements provided with bump electrodes made of gold (Au) is inspected. 3. The cleaning step, wherein a second cushion material adsorbs bump foreign matter adhering to the side surface of the probe, and a polishing agent layer adsorbs bump foreign matter adhering to the tip of the probe, and the probe further comprises The method according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the needle is polished. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the inspection step, the tip of the probe is brought into contact with the plurality of bump electrodes of the semiconductor element without an overdrive amount. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the probe is a probe made of an alloy of tungsten (W) and rhenium (Re).