JP2007005348A - Substrate-testing method and substrate-testing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate-testing method and a substrate-testing device capable of efficiently switching from high-temperature measurement to low-temperature measurement, without inviting large increase in investment in facilities. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate 8 to be tested is placed on a measurement stage 10 for testing at high temperature and is removed from the measurement stage 10. An auxiliary stage 40, made of a material having thermal conductivity that is smaller than that of the measurement stage 10, is fitted to the measurement stage 10. The substrate 8 to be tested is placed on the auxiliary stage 40 for measurement at low temperature. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate testing method and apparatus for testing a substrate under test such as a semiconductor substrate.

  In testing a semiconductor substrate, in order to test the reliability of a product, it is necessary to repeatedly perform tests repeatedly between normal temperature measurement and high temperature measurement. The test apparatus is provided with a measurement stage that can be heated to adjust the temperature, and the semiconductor substrate is placed on the measurement stage. Switch between normal temperature measurement and high temperature measurement by heating the measurement stage and adjusting the temperature.

  At the time of switching from normal temperature measurement to high temperature measurement, the measurement stage is heated to reach a desired high temperature, for example, 110 ° C. in about 10 minutes, and then maintained at a desired high temperature by adjusting the temperature. Is possible.

  On the other hand, when switching from high temperature measurement to normal temperature measurement, heating of the measurement stage is stopped, and thereafter, due to natural cooling, it takes a long time for the temperature to be stably measured at normal temperature. For example, in the case of an 8-inch semiconductor substrate, it takes about 100 minutes or more to change from a high temperature of 110 ° C. to a normal temperature of 25 ° C. During this time, the substrate testing apparatus is stopped and inefficient.

  For this reason, a technique is known in which a low-temperature unit (chiller) for cooling is provided as an option in the substrate testing apparatus, and the substrate is cooled by the low-temperature unit (see Patent Document 1). In this way, at the time of switching from high temperature measurement to room temperature measurement, the substrate temperature reaches room temperature in about 10 minutes, and measurement becomes possible.

In addition, a technique is known in which a cooling fan is provided in the substrate testing apparatus, and the substrate is forcibly air-cooled using the cooling fan (see Patent Document 2). In this way, when switching from high temperature measurement to room temperature measurement, the substrate temperature reaches room temperature in a relatively short time, and measurement is possible.
JP-A-5-343486 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-087475

  However, the technique of providing a low-temperature unit for cooling in the substrate testing apparatus can measure the room temperature in a short time, but the low-temperature unit is expensive, and there is a problem that the capital investment for it is enormous. .

  In addition, the technology of providing a cooling fan in the substrate testing apparatus has a problem that the cooling time is not drastically shortened although the capital investment does not increase greatly. For example, although it takes about 10 minutes from 110 ° C. to 50 ° C., it takes about 90 minutes to reach room temperature from 50 ° C. to 25 ° C. Further, when cooling with a cooling fan, peripheral particles are also skipped, so there is a concern that the particles adhere to the semiconductor substrate and deteriorate the quality.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate testing method and apparatus capable of efficiently switching from high temperature measurement to low temperature measurement without causing a large increase in capital investment.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a step of placing a substrate under test on a measurement stage and performing a test at a first temperature; a step of removing the substrate under test from the measurement stage; Mounting an auxiliary stage made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the measurement stage; and placing the substrate under test on the auxiliary stage and performing a test at a second temperature lower than the first temperature. A substrate test method is provided.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a measurement stage, an auxiliary stage mounted on the measurement stage and made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the measurement stage, and placed on the measurement stage or the auxiliary stage. And a test means for testing the substrate under test, and when performing the test at the first temperature, the test substrate is placed on the measurement stage and tested by the test means. When the test is performed at a second temperature lower than the temperature, the auxiliary stage is mounted on the measurement stage, the substrate to be tested is mounted on the auxiliary stage, and the test is performed by the test means. A substrate testing apparatus is provided.

  According to the present invention, the substrate to be tested is placed on the measurement stage, the test is performed at the first temperature, the substrate to be tested is removed from the measurement stage, and the measurement stage is made of a material having lower thermal conductivity than the measurement stage. The auxiliary stage is mounted, the substrate to be tested is mounted on the auxiliary stage, and the test is performed at the second temperature lower than the first temperature. Switching from low temperature measurement to low temperature measurement can be performed efficiently.

  A substrate testing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a substrate testing apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration when the substrate testing apparatus according to the present embodiment is switched from a high temperature test to a room temperature test, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the auxiliary | assistant stage used for the board | substrate test apparatus by embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the substrate testing apparatus of the present embodiment is provided with a measurement stage 10 on which a semiconductor substrate 8 as a substrate to be tested is placed. The measurement stage 10 is provided with a heater 12 and a thermocouple 14 for temperature measurement. A temperature controller 20 and its power supply 22 are provided for temperature adjustment of the semiconductor substrate 8 placed on the measurement stage 10. The temperature controller 20 controls the heater 12 on and off while measuring the temperature of the semiconductor substrate 8 with the thermocouple 14. Thereby, the semiconductor substrate 8 placed on the measurement stage 10 is maintained at the set temperature.

  A vacuum path 16 is further formed inside the measurement stage 10 for vacuum-sucking the semiconductor substrate 8. A vacuum pump 24 is connected to the vacuum path 16. The semiconductor substrate 8 placed on the measurement stage 10 can be lifted from the measurement stage 10 by lift pins 18 as shown in FIG.

  When mounting the semiconductor substrate 8, the semiconductor substrate 8 is temporarily supported by the lift pins 18, and then the lift pins 18 are lowered, and the semiconductor substrate 8 is placed on the measurement stage 10 from the vacuum path 16 through the vacuum groove 17 by the vacuum pump 24. Vacuum adsorption.

  When the semiconductor substrate 8 is detached, the suction by the vacuum pump 24 is stopped, the lift pins 18 are projected, and the semiconductor substrate 8 is separated from the measurement stage 10.

  The substrate testing apparatus of the present embodiment is further provided with a probe card 30, a probe card holding unit 32, and a tester 34 in order to test the semiconductor substrate 8. The electrode 31 of the probe card 30 is brought into contact with a test electrode (not shown) of the semiconductor substrate 8 placed on the measurement stage 10, and various tests are performed on the semiconductor substrate 8 using the tester 34.

  When switching from a high temperature test to a room temperature test using the substrate test apparatus of the present embodiment, an auxiliary stage 40 is mounted on the measurement stage 10 as shown in FIG. The substrate 8 is placed and the test is performed.

  The auxiliary stage 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 3A is a plan view of the auxiliary stage, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary stage taken along the line AA ′.

  The auxiliary stage 40 is made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than that of the measurement stage 10, for example, a non-metallic material having a thermal conductivity of 1 or less, specifically, fluorine such as Teflon (registered trademark) or Daiflon (registered trademark). It is formed of a resin material of a series resin.

  The auxiliary stage 40 has a smaller outer diameter than the measurement stage 10. As shown in FIG. 3A, the auxiliary stage 40 has a double vacuum groove 47 concentrically formed, and a vacuum path 46 is opened at a predetermined position of the vacuum groove 47. A through hole 44 for penetrating the lift pin 18 is formed in the vicinity of the vacuum groove 47.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the auxiliary stage 40 has a large cavity 42 formed therein, and further has a through hole 44 for allowing the lift pin 18 to pass therethrough. The formation of the large cavity 42 makes it difficult for heat to be conducted from the measurement stage 10 to the semiconductor substrate 8 on the auxiliary stage 40. By forming the through hole 44, the semiconductor substrate 8 can be lifted from the auxiliary stage 40 by the lift pins 18.

  Further, a vacuum path 46 for vacuum suction is formed inside the auxiliary stage 40. The vacuum path 46 is for connecting the vacuum path 16 of the measurement stage 10 to the vacuum groove 47 formed in the auxiliary stage 40 when the auxiliary stage 40 is mounted on the measurement stage 10. The semiconductor substrate on the auxiliary stage 10 is sucked from the vacuum path 16 of the measurement stage 10 by the vacuum pump 24, via the vacuum groove 17 of the measurement stage 10, and from the vacuum path 46 of the auxiliary stage 40 to the vacuum groove 47. 8 is vacuum-adsorbed.

  The size of the opening on the measurement stage 10 side of the vacuum path 44 is made larger than the opening of the vacuum path 16 of the measurement stage 10. Thereby, even if the auxiliary stage 40 is displaced, the semiconductor substrate 8 can be vacuum-sucked.

  A substrate testing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. A case will be described in which a semiconductor substrate 8 as a substrate to be tested starts from a normal state at normal temperature, is first tested and measured at a high temperature of 110 ° C., and then is measured at a normal temperature of 25 ° C.

  In the initial state at room temperature, as shown in FIG. 1B, the transferred semiconductor substrate 8 is placed on the lift pins 18 protruding from the measurement stage 10.

  Next, the lift pin 18 is lowered while being sucked from the vacuum path 16 by the vacuum pump 24, and the semiconductor substrate 8 is vacuum-sucked to the measurement stage 10 as shown in FIG.

  Next, the measurement stage 10 is heated by the heater 12. The substrate temperature is measured by the thermocouple 14 and heating is continued until the desired 110 ° C. is reached. When the temperature reaches about 110 ° C., the heater 12 is on / off controlled while measuring the temperature with the thermocouple 14. Thereby, the semiconductor substrate 8 placed on the measurement stage 10 is maintained at a set temperature of 110 ° C. Note that the measurement stage 10 may be heated at a predetermined temperature before placing the semiconductor substrate 8 on the measurement stage 10.

  When the semiconductor substrate 8 is maintained at a set temperature of 110 ° C., the electrode 31 of the probe card 30 is brought into contact with the test electrode (not shown) of the semiconductor substrate 8 placed on the measurement stage 10, and the tester Various test measurements (high-temperature test measurements) are performed on the semiconductor substrate 8 using 34.

  When the high temperature test measurement is completed, the semiconductor substrate 8 is lifted by the lift pins 18 and once stored at a normal temperature in another place.

  Next, the heater 12 of the measurement stage 10 is turned off to start natural cooling. Subsequently, the auxiliary stage 40 stored at room temperature is attached to the high-temperature measurement stage 10. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2B, the semiconductor substrate 8 once moved to another place is placed on the lift pins 18 protruding from the auxiliary stage 40.

  Next, while the vacuum pump 24 sucks from the vacuum path 16 of the measurement stage 10, the lift pin 18 is lowered to vacuum-suck the semiconductor substrate 8 to the auxiliary stage 40 as shown in FIG.

  At this time, since the measurement stage 10 is only naturally cooled, the temperature is still high. However, the auxiliary stage 40 is formed of a material having low thermal conductivity, and the large cavity 42 is formed inside. The temperature of 10 does not conduct heat up to the auxiliary stage 40, and the semiconductor substrate 8 is maintained at room temperature.

  When the semiconductor substrate 8 is maintained at a normal temperature of 25 ° C., the test electrode 34 of the probe card 30 is brought into contact with the test electrode (not shown) of the semiconductor substrate 8 placed on the auxiliary stage 40. Are used to perform various test measurements (normal temperature test measurements) on the semiconductor substrate 8.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when switching from high temperature measurement to room temperature measurement, the auxiliary stage stored at room temperature is used in a short time before the measurement stage reaches room temperature by natural cooling. You can switch to measurement. Conventionally, switching from high temperature measurement to normal temperature measurement requires a time of 100 minutes or more, but according to the present embodiment, it is possible to switch to normal temperature measurement in about 10 minutes. In addition, since only an auxiliary stage needs to be prepared for this purpose, an increase in capital investment can be minimized.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, in the above embodiment, a resin material is used for the auxiliary stage, but a material having a lower thermal conductivity than that of the measurement stage, and any material other than a resin material can be used as long as there is no concern about particles, contamination or strength. Good.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the board | substrate test apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure at the time of switching from the high temperature test to the normal temperature test of the board | substrate test apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the auxiliary | assistant stage used for the board | substrate test apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

8 ... Semiconductor substrate 10 ... Measurement stage 12 ... Heater 14 ... Thermocouple 16 ... Vacuum path 17 ... Vacuum groove 18 ... Lift pin 20 ... Temperature controller 22 ... Power supply 24 ... Vacuum pump 30 ... Probe card 32 ... Probe card holder 34 ... Tester 40 ... Auxiliary stage 42 ... Cavity 44 ... Through hole 46 ... Vacuum path 47 ... Vacuum groove

Claims (5)

Placing the substrate under test on the measurement stage and performing a test at a first temperature;
Removing the substrate under test from the measurement stage;
Attaching an auxiliary stage made of a material having lower thermal conductivity than the measurement stage to the measurement stage;
Placing the substrate to be tested on the auxiliary stage and performing a test at a second temperature lower than the first temperature. The substrate testing method according to claim 1,
The auxiliary stage is made of a material that is non-metallic and has a thermal conductivity of 1 or less. In the board | substrate test method of Claim 1 or 2,
A substrate testing method, wherein the auxiliary stage has a cavity formed therein. A measurement stage;
An auxiliary stage mounted on the measurement stage and made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the measurement stage;
A test means for testing a substrate under test placed on the measurement stage or the auxiliary stage,
When performing the test at the first temperature, the test substrate is placed on the measurement stage and the test is performed,
When the test is performed at a second temperature lower than the first temperature, the auxiliary stage is mounted on the measurement stage, the substrate to be tested is mounted on the auxiliary stage, and the test is performed by the test means. A board testing apparatus characterized by: An auxiliary stage mounted on a measurement stage whose temperature is adjusted by temperature adjusting means and on which a substrate to be tested is placed,
An auxiliary stage characterized in that it is made of a material that is non-metallic and has a thermal conductivity of 1 or less, and a cavity is formed inside.

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