| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090212804 | NEEDLE TRACE TRANSFER MEMBER AND PROBE APPARATUS - A needle trace transfer member to which needle traces of probes are transferred is installed at a movable mounting table to align the probes before electrical characteristics of a target object on the mounting table are inspected by bringing the probes into electrical contact with the target object. The needle trace transfer member is made of a shape memory polymer transformed reversibly and rapidly between a glass state with a high modulus elasticity and a rubber state with a low modulus of elasticity near its glass transition temperature. The glass transition temperature is set to a temperature close to a set temperature of the mounting table. The shape memory polymer is mainly made of polyurethane-based resin. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090219046 | PROBE CARD INCLINATION ADJUSTING METHOD, INCLINATION DETECTING METHOD AND STORAGE MEDIUM STORING A PROGRAM FOR PERFORMING THE INCLINATION DETECTING METHOD - An inclination adjusting method adjusts an inclination of a probe card installed at a probe apparatus to make the probe card be in parallel with a mounting surface of a movable mounting table for mounting thereon an object to be inspected. The method includes: detecting an average tip height of multiple probes disposed at each of plural locations of the probe card by using a tip position detecting device; obtaining an inclination of the probe card with respect to the mounting table based on differences in the average tip heights detected from the plural locations of the probe card; and adjusting the inclination of the probe card based on the obtained inclination. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090251163 | ALIGNMENT METHOD, TIP POSITION DETECTING DEVICE AND PROBE APPARATUS - An alignment method is used in implementation of electric characteristic inspection of an object to be inspected via electric contact between the object disposed on a movable mounting table and probes. The alignment method includes detecting tip positions of the probes by using the tip position detecting device, detecting the tip positions of the probes, previously detected by the tip position detecting device, by using the second imaging unit, transferring needle marks of the probes onto a soft member provided at the tip position detecting device by allowing the probes to come into contact with the soft member, detecting the needle marks of the probes formed on the soft member by using the first imaging unit, and detecting inspection electrodes of the object corresponding to the probes by using the first imaging unit. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20090284277 | PROBE APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CORRECTING CONTACT POSITION - A probe apparatus includes a movable mounting table for supporting an object to be tested; a probe card disposed above the mounting table and having a plurality of probes to come into contact with electrodes of the object; a support body for supporting the probe card; and a control unit for controlling the mounting table. Electrical characteristics of the object are tested based on a signal from a tester by bringing the object and the probes into electrical contact with each other by overdriving the mounting table in a state where a test head is electrically connected with the probe card by a predetermined load. Further, one or more distance measuring devices for measuring a current overdriving amount of the mounting table are provided at one or more locations of the test head or the probe card. | 11-19-2009 |
| 20090315580 | PROBE APPARATUS - A probe apparatus includes a mounting table having a mounting table main body and a chuck top, cylinder mechanisms surrounding a mount of the chuck top, and a connecting mechanism to releasably connect the cylinder mechanisms to a head plate horizontally supporting a probe card. When a semiconductor wafer, mounted on the mount, comes into contact with probes of the probe card, a control unit operates the cylinder mechanisms and the connecting mechanism to connect the cylinder mechanisms to the head plate. Thereafter, the control unit further operates the cylinder mechanisms, to move the chuck top upward from the mounting table main body by a predetermined overdrive amount. Accordingly, the probe apparatus achieves an originally required contact load between the semiconductor wafer and the probes of the probe card while preventing the probe card from being displaced upward during overdriving of the semiconductor wafer, thereby enabling a highly reliable test. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20100001751 | TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR TARGET OBJECT TO BE INSPECTED - A transfer mechanism for a target object includes at least two insulating wire materials disposed spaced from each other to transverse a mounting table, at least two pairs of supporting bodies horizontally disposed at outsides of the mounting table, for stretching said at least two wire materials in parallel with a mounting surface of the mounting table, and at least two grooves formed on the mounting surface of the mounting table to respectively receive therein said at least two wire materials by said at least two pairs of supporting bodies. The transfer mechanism further includes a first elevation driving mechanism for vertically moving said wire materials between said grooves and above of the mounting surface through said pairs of supporting bodies, wherein the target object is transferred between a carrying mechanism and the mounting table through said at least two wire materials. | 01-07-2010 |
| 20100079161 | PROBE APPARATUS - A probe apparatus includes a holding frame holding a test head through a biasing unit biasing the test head. An annular member is rotatably mounted in an opening of a ceiling plate of a main body. Cam followers are rotatably provided circumferentially on the annular member. An intermediate connecting member is provided in a lower surface of the test head, for bringing the test head into electrical contact with an upper surface of the probe card. Protrusions for guiding the cam followers are provided corresponding thereto at an outer periphery of the intermediate connecting member, upper surfaces of the protrusions being inclined. The cam followers are moved relatively upward along the respective inclined surfaces of the protrusions by rotating the annular member so that the intermediate connecting member is pushed downward against a biasing force of the biasing unit to bring the test head into press-contact with the probe card. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20110304348 | Apparatus for Driving Placing Table - Disclosed is an apparatus for driving a placing table that contributes to saving a space and reducing the weight of an inspecting apparatus. The apparatus for driving a placing table according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a horizontal driving mechanism that horizontally moves a placing table in an inspecting chamber, a base that supports horizontal driving mechanism, a placing table lifting mechanism (for example, air bearing) that lifts placing table from support, using compressed air in inspecting chamber, a connecting mechanism that connects horizontal driving mechanism with placing table, and a case that accommodates the horizontal driving mechanism and the base. | 12-15-2011 |
