Patents by Inventor Muneaki Tamura
Muneaki Tamura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11340263Abstract: There is provided a probe device for inspecting a wafer. The probe device includes: an upper camera provided in a wafer alignment unit; a lower camera provided in a stage; a target member provided in any one of the wafer alignment unit and the stage; and a control circuit configured to control each operation of the upper and lower camera. The target member has an end surface on which a target mark is provided, wherein any of the upper and lower camera is configured to capture an image of the target mark. The control circuit is configured to acquire a captured image of the target mark using any of the upper camera and the lower camera; and calculate a correspondence between a specific physical parameter and a value represented in the captured image for a parameter represented in the captured image among physical parameters, based on the acquired captured image.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2019Date of Patent: May 24, 2022Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventor: Muneaki Tamura
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Patent number: 11221363Abstract: A test device for testing a needle mark generated in an electrode formed in a test object when a probe needle contacts the electrode includes an imaging part having a binning function, and a controller configured to control at least the imaging part. The controller is configured to perform a high-speed low-precision test process of imaging the electrode, after a contact operation by the probe needle, by the imaging part whose binning function is on, and determining a state of the needle mark of the electrode, based on an imaging result, and a low-speed high-precision test process of imaging the electrode again by the imaging part whose binning function is off, according to a determination result in the high-speed low-precision test process, and determining a state of the needle mark of the electrode imaged again, based on an imaging result.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2018Date of Patent: January 11, 2022Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventor: Muneaki Tamura
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Publication number: 20200241069Abstract: A test device for testing a needle mark generated in an electrode formed in a test object when a probe needle contacts the electrode includes an imaging part having a binning function, and a controller configured to control at least the imaging part. The controller is configured to perform a high-speed low-precision test process of imaging the electrode, after a contact operation by the probe needle, by the imaging part whose binning function is on, and determining a state of the needle mark of the electrode, based on an imaging result, and a low-speed high-precision test process of imaging the electrode again by the imaging part whose binning function is off, according to a determination result in the high-speed low-precision test process, and determining a state of the needle mark of the electrode imaged again, based on an imaging result.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2018Publication date: July 30, 2020Inventor: Muneaki TAMURA
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Publication number: 20200174040Abstract: There is provided a probe device for inspecting a wafer. The probe device includes: an upper camera provided in a wafer alignment unit; a lower camera provided in a stage; a target member provided in any one of the wafer alignment unit and the stage; and a control circuit configured to control each operation of the upper and lower camera. The target member has an end surface on which a target mark is provided, wherein any of the upper and lower camera is configured to capture an image of the target mark. The control circuit is configured to acquire a captured image of the target mark using any of the upper camera and the lower camera; and calculate a correspondence between a specific physical parameter and a value represented in the captured image for a parameter represented in the captured image among physical parameters, based on the acquired captured image.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2019Publication date: June 4, 2020Inventor: Muneaki TAMURA
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Patent number: 10310010Abstract: A probe apparatus includes a stage, a first and a second imaging device, a first and a second imaging optical unit, and a projection optical unit. The stage is movable in horizontal and vertical directions. The first imaging device picks up an image of a probe needle which is made to contact with an electrode of a device formed on a surface of the substrate. The first and second imaging optical units include optical systems for performing an image pickup by using the first and second imaging devices, respectively. The second imaging device picks up an image of the electrode held on the stage. The projection optical unit includes an optical system that projects an optical target mark, used in a position alignment of the first and the second imaging device, onto each of image forming units of the first and second imaging devices at the same time.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2015Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignees: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, SEIWA OPTICAL CO., LTD.Inventors: Muneaki Tamura, Shinji Akaike, Kenta Saiki, Kazuhiko Koshimizu, Isao Okazaki, Mitsuya Kawatsuki, Kiyoshi Tsuda
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Patent number: 10006941Abstract: A contact position of a probe needle with respect to electrode pads 71 to 75 of a semiconductor device is inspected in advance when performing an inspection by a prober on the semiconductor device formed on a wafer W placed on a stage 11. A reticle 31 on which shapes 61 to 65 indicating positions of the probe needles are formed is placed instead of the probe needles at a position where the probe needles are arranged. The semiconductor device formed on the wafer W is imaged by the imaging unit 33 through the reticle 31. A positional relationship between the shapes formed on the reticle 31 and the electrode pads 71 to 75 is analyzed from the image. When necessary, a position of the stage 11 is adjusted such that centers of the shapes 61 to 65 and centers of the electrode pad 71 to 75 are coincident.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2015Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Kenta Saiki, Toshihiko Tanaka, Muneaki Tamura, Kazuhiko Koshimizu, Shinji Akaike
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Publication number: 20170219625Abstract: A contact position of a probe needle with respect to electrode pads 71 to 75 of a semiconductor device is inspected in advance when performing an inspection by a prober on the semiconductor device formed on a wafer W placed on a stage 11. A reticle 31 on which shapes 61 to 65 indicating positions of the probe needles are formed is placed instead of the probe needles at a position where the probe needles are arranged. The semiconductor device formed on the wafer W is imaged by the imaging unit 33 through the reticle 31. A positional relationship between the shapes formed on the reticle 31 and the electrode pads 71 to 75 is analyzed from the image. When necessary, a position of the stage 11 is adjusted such that centers of the shapes 61 to 65 and centers of the electrode pad 71 to 75 are coincident.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2015Publication date: August 3, 2017Inventors: Kenta Saiki, Toshihiko Tanaka, Muneaki Tamura, Kazuhiko Koshimizu, Shinji Akaike
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Publication number: 20160161553Abstract: A probe apparatus includes a stage, a first and a second imaging device, a first and a second imaging optical unit, and a projection optical unit. The stage is movable in horizontal and vertical directions. The first imaging device picks up an image of a probe needle which is made to contact with an electrode of a device formed on a surface of the substrate. The first and second imaging optical units include optical systems for performing an image pickup by using the first and second imaging devices, respectively. The second imaging device picks up an image of the electrode held on the stage. The projection optical unit includes an optical system that projects an optical target mark, used in a position alignment of the first and the second imaging device, onto each of image forming units of the first and second imaging devices at the same time.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2015Publication date: June 9, 2016Inventors: Muneaki TAMURA, Shinji AKAIKE, Kenta SAIKI, Kazuhiko KOSHIMIZU, Isao OKAZAKI, Mitsuya KAWATSUKI, Kiyoshi TSUDA
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Publication number: 20080024794Abstract: In a semiconductor surface inspection apparatus for inspecting the surface of a semiconductor device as a test object based on an optical image thereof, the present invention achieves illumination that enables diffracted light from the test object under dark-field illumination to be obtained efficiently from the entire area of the test object and thereby alleviates degradation of the defect detection sensitivity of the inspection apparatus over the entire area of the test object.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 3, 2005Publication date: January 31, 2008Inventors: Yoko Miyazaki, Toshiro Kurosawa, Muneaki Tamura