Probe apparatus and method for correcting contact position

Abstract

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.

1 . A probe apparatus comprising:
 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 through a fixing mechanism; and   a control unit for controlling the mounting table,   wherein 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, and   wherein 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 mounting table, and the control unit compares the current overdriving amount with a preset overdriving amount and corrects the current overdriving amount to become same as the preset overdriving amount based on the comparison result.   
     
     
         2 . The probe apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the distance measuring devices are a laser beam measuring device for measuring a distance by using laser beam. 
     
     
         3 . The probe apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the distance measuring devices measure as a first distance a distance to the fixing mechanism when the object on the mounting table starts to contact with the probes, and also measures as a second distance a distance to the fixing mechanism when the mounting table is overdriven. 
     
     
         4 . A method for correcting a contact position by correcting an overdriving amount of a mounting table to become same as a preset overdriving amount while electrical characteristics of an object to be tested on the mounting table are tested by bringing the object into electrical contact with a plurality of probes of a probe card by overdriving the mounting table, the method comprising:
 bringing the object on the mounting table into contact with the probes of the probe card;   calculating a current overdriving amount in overdriving the mounting table;   comparing the current overdriving amount with the preset overdriving amount; and   correcting the current overdriving amount to become same as the preset overdriving amount based on the comparison result,   wherein the step of calculating the current overdriving amount includes:   calculating as a first distance a distance to a fixing unit of the probe card when the object on the mounting table starts to contact with the probes;   calculating as a second distance a distance to the fixing unit of the probe card when the mounting table is overdriven; and   calculating as the current overdriving amount a difference between the first distance and the second distance.