Abstract: A test apparatus is provided which includes a substrate retainer, a probe card, a tester, a test head, and a main controller. The substrate retainer is for holding a substrate having a plurality of chips. The probe card has an array of probes aligned in rows and columns, and each of the probes is for contacting respective chips of the substrate held by the retainer and each includes a plurality of probe needles. The tester conducts a test routine by generating test signals and by receiving and analyzing return signals, and the test head is for sending the test signals from the tester to the probe card, and for sending the return signals from the probe card to the tester. The main controller includes a test result database for storing test data analyzed by the tester, and for executing a cleaning error detection program to determine whether the test data contains cleaning errors resulting from a lack of cleanliness of the probe needles of the probes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning debris and residue from a multitude of electrical contacts of a test probe card of an integrated circuit test probe apparatus preferably comprises a silicon wafer having a grooved surface into which the test probe card is moved into pressurized contact. The grooved surface provides a grating structure that when combined with the pressurized electrical contacts will crush any intervening or attached residue particles, which will then break into smaller particles and fall away from the probe card. Pressure and relative movement of the probe card may be controlled by a variety of measurement sensors.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning debris and residue from a multitude of electrical contacts of a test probe card of an integrated circuit test probe apparatus preferably comprises a silicon wafer having a grooved surface into which the test probe card is moved into pressurized contact. The grooved surface provides a grating structure that when combined with the pressurized electrical contacts will crush any intervening or attached residue particles, which will then break into smaller particles and fall away from the probe card. Pressure and relative movement of the probe card may be controlled by a variety of measurement sensors.

Abstract: A pad coating system includes an ultraviolet (UV) source portion which includes first control switches and which irradiates UV light during a pad coating operation in response to a UV source open/close signal, a dispenser which includes second control switches and which dispenses a coating liquid during the pad coating operation in response to a coating condition designation signal, and a prober which generates the UV source open/close signal and the coating condition designation signal and which controls the pad coating operation. The operational states of the first and second switches are monitored, and the pad coating operation is stopped if the operational state of at least one of the first and second switches is not set to a desired state.

Abstract: A test apparatus is provided which includes a substrate retainer, a probe card, a tester, a test head, and a main controller. The substrate retainer is for holding a substrate having a plurality of chips. The probe card has an array of probes aligned in rows and columns, and each of the probes is for contacting respective chips of the substrate held by the retainer and each includes a plurality of probe needles. The tester conducts a test routine by generating test signals and by receiving and analyzing return signals, and the test head is for sending the test signals from the tester to the probe card, and for sending the return signals from the probe card to the tester. The main controller includes a test result database for storing test data analyzed by the tester, and for executing a cleaning error detection program to determine whether the test data contains cleaning errors resulting from a lack of cleanliness of the probe needles of the probes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning debris and residue from a multitude of electrical contacts of a test probe card of an integrated circuit test probe apparatus preferably comprises a silicon wafer having a grooved surface into which the test probe card is moved into pressurized contact. The grooved surface provides a grating structure that when combined with the pressurized electrical contacts will crush any intervening or attached residue particles, which will then break into smaller particles and fall away from the probe card. Pressure and relative movement of the probe card may be controlled by a variety of measurement sensors.