Patent · US Expired

Probe apparatus for measuring electrical characteristics of objects

US5416592A · kind A · utility

22Cited by
9References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 19, 1993
Grant dateMay 16, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 19, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/311
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A contact ring having probe pins is mounted in the top surface of a casing, and a wafer holder table is placed below the contact ring. A holder member comprising a longitudinally extended cylindrical body are provided in such a manner as to be free to move into and out of a space between the probe pins and the wafer holder table, parallel to the upper surface of a wafer and along guide rails protruding from a casing. An image of the probe pins which act as contact means and an image of the electrode pads of an IC chip on the wafer are input to a camera that is provided in the holder member. With the probe apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to position the wafer while viewing these images, and there is no need to provide a region for separate positioning. This facilitates the design of a smaller probe apparatus.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.