Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080224426 | CHUCK WITH TRIAXIAL CONSTRUCTION - A chuck with triaxial construction comprises a receiving surface for a test substrate and arranged below the receiving surface: an electrically conductive first surface element, an electrically conductive second surface element electrically insulated therefrom, and an electrically conductive third surface element electrically insulated therefrom, and, between the first and the second surface element, a first insulation element and, between the second and the third surface element, a second insulation element. A chuck for very low current measurements which can be used to prevent the occurrence of leakage currents and a triboelectric charge and which is configured favourably in terms of production, is achieved because at least one of the electrically conductive surface elements is mechanically connected to at least one insulation element and has an elasticity that compensates for an expansion difference resulting from differences in different coefficients of expansion between a respective surface element and an adjoining insulation element. | 09-18-2008 |
20090021275 | METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR POSITIONING A PROBE CARD - A method for perpendicular positioning of a probe card relative to a test substrate, includes storing a separation position approached in a first positioning step as a distance between the needle tips of the probe card and the substrate, storing a contact position approached in a second positioning step until the probe card contacts the substrate, and displaying an image of the needle tips. For avoiding erroneous operation after a probe card has been changed, when imaging the needle tips, the stored contact position is imaged and is changed until presentation of this contact position corresponds to actual height of the tips appropriate for the respective probe card and this setting is then stored as a new contact position. A display device presents the needle tips and the stored contact position and is connected to a memory, a recording device and an input device which changes the contact position. | 01-22-2009 |
20090049944 | MICROMANIPULATOR FOR MOVING A PROBE - A micromanipulator for moving a probe comprises two elements which are mechanically connected to one another in such a way that one element can be moved relative to other element. The movement of the element occurs as a result of the pressure change of a fluid which acts upon an actuator which is in mechanical contact to a mobile element or to an element moving on a surface segment. | 02-26-2009 |
20090058442 | PROBER FOR TESTING COMPONENTS - A prober for testing components comprises a lower frame, over which a probe holder plate is disposed at a distance therefrom for receiving test probes that make contact with the components to be tested and to which a displacement device is connected. A substrate carrier is disposed in the space between the frame and the probe holder plate, and the probe holder plate is provided with an opening, below which the substrate carrier can be displaced. To expand the scope of application of probers used for testing components, all those components of the prober that surround the substrate are made from a non-magnetic material. | 03-05-2009 |
20090085595 | METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR POSITIONING A PROBE CARD - A method for perpendicular positioning of a probe card relative to a test substrate, includes storing a separation position approached in a first positioning step as a distance between the needle tips of the probe card and the substrate, storing a contact position approached in a second positioning step until the probe card contacts the substrate, and displaying an image of the needle tips. For avoiding erroneous operation after a probe card has been changed, when imaging the needle tips, the stored contact position is imaged and is changed until presentation of this contact position corresponds to actual height of the tips appropriate for the respective probe card and this setting is then stored as a new contact position. A display device presents the needle tips and the stored contact position and is connected to a memory, a recording device and an input device which changes the contact position. | 04-02-2009 |
20090314051 | METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF ELECTRONIC COMPONETS AND METHOD FOR CALIBRATION OF A MEASURING UNIT - In a method for calibration of a measurement unit for determination of electrical properties of electronic components using at least one planar calibration standard, an electrical measurement quantity is measured at two different temperatures. The electrical property of the calibration standard is known at at least one temperature or is to be determined by calculation. A temperature coefficient is determined from both measured quantities, which describes the relative change of the electrical property of the calibration standard accompanying the temperature change and with which the electrical property of the calibration standard is determined at a measurement temperature. From the change in electrical property, an error coefficient of the measurement unit is determined. A method is also provided for determination of an electrical property of an electronic component, using the calibration method. | 12-24-2009 |
20090315581 | CHUCK FOR SUPPORTING AND RETAINING A TEST SUBSTRATE AND A CALIBRATION SUBSTRATE - A chuck for supporting and retaining a test substrate includes a device for supporting and retaining a calibration substrate. The chuck comprises a first support surface for supporting a test substrate and a second support surface, which is laterally offset to the first support surface, for supporting a calibration substrate The calibration substrate has planar calibration standards for calibration of a measuring unit of a prober, and dielectric material or air situated below the calibration substrate at least in the area of the calibration standard. In order to be able to take the actual thermal conditions on the test substrate and in particular also on known and unknown calibration standards and thus the thermal influence on the electrical behavior of the calibration standard used into consideration, the second support surface is equipped for temperature control of the calibration substrate. | 12-24-2009 |
20100029022 | METHOD FOR IMPROVED UTILIZATION OF SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL - In a method for producing semiconductor components, in which chips are structured, tested, and isolated into dies on a wafer, in the event of a wafer being broken during the method, undamaged chips of a fragment of the wafer delimited by at least one edge section and at least one fracture contour are processed further as usual. The method has the result that the yield of usable chips is significantly increased in relation to the discarding and disposal of broken wafers provided in the prior art. The average production costs of electronic components and the loss of valuable semiconductor materials and the costs for the disposal of the fragments viewed as discards up to this point are thus significantly reduced. | 02-04-2010 |
20110221461 | METHOD FOR TESTING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS OF A REPETITIVE PATTERN UNDER DEFINED THERMAL CONDITIONS - The invention relates to a method for testing several electronic components ( | 09-15-2011 |
20110227602 | PROBE STATION FOR ON-WAFER-MEASUREMENT UNDER EMI-SHIELDING - An arrangement is provided for testing DUTs with a chuck that has a support surface for supporting of a DUT as well as for supplying the support surface with a defined potential, or for connecting the DUT. The arrangement further includes a positioning device for positioning the chuck as well as an electromagnetic shielding housing enclosing at least the chuck. Inside the housing and adjacent to the chuck, a signal preamplifier is arranged whose signal port facing the chuck is electrically connected with the support surface, wherein the signal preamplifier is moveable together with the chuck by the positioning device in a way that it holds its position constant relative to the chuck during positioning. The signal preamplifier is connected to a measurement unit outside of the housing via a measurement cable. | 09-22-2011 |
20110241711 | METHOD FOR VERIFYING A TEST SUBSTRATE IN A PROBER UNDER DEFINED THERMAL CONDITIONS - A method and an apparatus for verifying or testing test substrates, i.e. wafers and other electronic semiconductor components, in a prober under defined thermal conditions. Such a verifying apparatus, known to the person skilled in the art as a prober, has a housing having at least two housing sections, in one housing section of which, designated hereinafter as test chamber, the test substrate to be verified is held by a chuck and is set to a defined temperature, and in the other housing section of which, designated hereinafter as probe chamber, probes are held. For verification purposes, the test substrate and the probes are positioned relative to one another by means of at least one positioning device and the probes subsequently make contact with the test substrate. | 10-06-2011 |
20110291680 | CHUCK FOR SUPPORTING AND RETAINING A TEST SUBSTRATE AND A CALIBRATION SUBSTRATE - A chuck for supporting and retaining a test substrate includes a device for supporting and retaining a calibration substrate. The chuck comprises a first support surface for supporting a test substrate and a second support surface, which is laterally offset to the first support surface, for supporting a calibration substrate. The calibration substrate has planar calibration standards for calibration of a measuring unit of a prober, and dielectric material or air situated below the calibration substrate at least in the area of the calibration standard. In order to be able to take the actual thermal conditions on the test substrate and in particular also on known and unknown calibration standards and thus the thermal influence on the electrical behavior of the calibration standard used into consideration, the second support surface is equipped for temperature control of the calibration substrate. | 12-01-2011 |
20120146676 | METHOD FOR MEASUREMENT OF A POWER DEVICE - A method is disclosed for the measurement of a power device in a prober, which serves the examination and testing of such components. In the process, a power device is held by a chuck, and at least one electric probe is held by a probe holder, and optionally, the power device or the probe is positioned each relative to the other using a positioning device with an electrical drive, and contacts the power device. At the same time, an electrical connection remains between the probe to a signal unit with which a power signal is sent out or received, is blocked and only unblocked when it is determined that the contact between probe | 06-14-2012 |
20130027070 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTACTING A ROW OF CONTACT AREAS WITH PROBE TIPS - The invention generally relates to a method and device for contacting contact areas ( | 01-31-2013 |
20140028337 | METHOD FOR TESTING A TEST SUBSTRATE UNDER DEFINED THERMAL CONDITIONS AND THERMALLY CONDITIONABLE PROBER - In a method and a device for testing a test substrate under defined thermal conditions, a substrate that is to be tested is held by a temperature-controllable chuck and is set to a defined temperature; the test substrate is positioned relative to test probes by at least one positioning device; and the test probes make contact with the test substrate for testing purposes. At least one component of the positioning device that is present in the vicinity of the temperature-controlled test substrate is set to a temperature that is independent of the temperature of the test substrate by a temperature-controlling device, and this temperature is held constant. | 01-30-2014 |
20140145743 | MODULAR PROBER AND METHOD FOR OPERATING SAME - The invention relates to a prober for checking and testing electronic semiconductor components and methods of using the same. The prober comprises at least two checking units, each of which is equipped with a chuck, probes, and a positioning unit, and each of which is assigned to a machine control system and a process control system. The prober further comprises a loading unit for automatically loading both testing units and an additional loader for manually loading at least one of the testing units, a user interface, and a module control system for controlling the process control systems and/or the machine control systems and the loading unit. The user interface can optionally be connected to at least one of the process control systems or the module control system by means of a switching device of the prober. | 05-29-2014 |
20140186145 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING WAFER ACCESS IN A WAFER PROCESSING SYSTEM - Systems and methods for providing wafer access in a wafer processing system are disclosed herein. The methods may include docking a first wafer cassette on the wafer processing system and removing a selected wafer from the first wafer cassette with the wafer processing system. The methods further may include performing a process operation on the selected wafer with the wafer processing system and undocking the first wafer cassette from the wafer processing system while performing the process operation. The methods also may include docking a second wafer cassette (which may be the same as or different from the first wafer cassette) on the wafer processing system, inventorying the second wafer cassette with the wafer processing system, and/or subsequently placing the selected wafer in the second wafer cassette. The systems may include wafer processing systems that include a controller that is programmed to perform at least a portion of the methods. | 07-03-2014 |
20140239991 | METHOD FOR VERIFYING A TEST SUBSTRATE IN A PROBER UNDER DEFINED THERMAL CONDITIONS - A method and an apparatus for verifying or testing test substrates, i.e. wafers and other electronic semiconductor components, in a prober under defined thermal conditions. Such a verifying apparatus, known to the person skilled in the art as a prober, has a housing having at least two housing sections, in one housing section of which, designated hereinafter as test chamber, the test substrate to be verified is held by a chuck and is set to a defined temperature, and in the other housing section of which, designated hereinafter as probe chamber, probes are held. For verification purposes, the test substrate and the probes are positioned relative to one another by means of at least one positioning device and the probes subsequently make contact with the test substrate. | 08-28-2014 |