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• Understanding Probe Stations, a powerful tool for semiconductor probing

Probe station is one of the important test equipment in the semiconductor industry, which is widely used for precision electrical measurements of complex and high-speed devices to ensure quality and reliability, and to reduce R&D time and cost of device manufacturing process.

Semiconductor testing can be categorized into three types according to the production process: verification testing, wafer testing and package testing. Probe stations are mainly used for wafer inspection, chip development and failure analysis in wafer manufacturing. In addition to probe tables, testers are also needed in wafer inspection to test the function and performance of chips. The probe table realizes the connection between the chip under test and the tester. Through the cooperation of the probe table and the tester, the bare chip on the wafer can be tested for functional and electrical parameters or RF test, and good and bad chips can be screened out.

What are the important parts of the Probe Stage composed of students?

1. Sample table (carrier table)

The table is a device used to position a wafer or a chip assembly. Usually based on the size of the wafer to design the size,wafer level testing and supplemented by the corresponding precision movement positioning function. Kronos' ultra-precision air-bearing stage is a device that can be used as part of a wafer or chip. With a repeatable positioning accuracy of ± 50 nm, it can be relied on for perfect positioning in a very short exposure time by precision mechanical operation, accomplishing very accurate inspection of wafers at the measuring end.

Features of Kronos Air Float Stages.

01 Ultra-precise design;

02 Repeatable positioning accuracy ± 50nm.

03 y-axis double-drive double-door structure, strong load-bearing capacity;

04 Optional grating or laser interferometer for position information feedback.

Fast movement! Precise displacement adjustment!

2.Optical component

The function of this component is to visually magnify and observe the object to be measured,failure analysis so as to accurately align and place the probe tip on the measuring point of the wafer to be measured.

3.Chuck

For a very flat metal surface, Chuck uses a chuck to hold the object in place or a vacuum to absorb the wafer.

How does the Probe Table work?

The probe table can be used to hold a wafer or chip in place and accurately market the object to be measured. The user of a manually controlled probe table installs the probe arm and probes into a manipulator and uses an electron microscope to place the probe tip horizontally into the correct development position on the object to be measured. Once the company has all these probe tips set in the correct position by us, the test can be analyzed and tested on the object to be tested itself.

For some wafers with multiple chips, users we can lift the platen by lifting the platen, the platen separates the probe tip from the chip, and then move the table to the next chip, using an electron microscope to find a more precise position, the platen is lowered after the next important chip technology can be efficiently managed to carry out the test. Semi-automated and fully automated probe table systems are designed to use mechanized tables and machine vision to automate the solution to this corporate mobile teaching process, wafer test increasing probe table productivity.

What does a probe table do?

Probe tables can place electrical, optical, or RF probes on silicon wafers, allowing them to be used in conjunction with test instruments/semiconductor test systems to test chips/semiconductor devices.

Wafer testing is an important part of semiconductor manufacturing. It is also important to choose the right wafer probe station and probes for wafer testing. Kronos' newly developed ultra-precision air-bearing motion stage with high accuracy and motion stability enables the system to accurately identify and measure defects on wafers during rapid operation, greatly improving the efficiency of wafer testing.