Patent ID: 6906546

Claim:
A semiconductor device inspection apparatus for acquiring electric contact between a semiconductor device and an inspection substrate, comprising: a wafer stage on which said semiconductor device as an inspection target is to be placed; a base table; an X stage mounted on said base table and movable in an X direction; a Y stage mounted on said X stage and movable in a Y direction crossing said x direction; an elevation unit which is mounted on said Y stage and elevates said wafer stage up and down; a rotary unit which turns said wafer stage; a vibration elimination table which reduces vibration of said base table; a probe card having a plurality of probe needles which electrically contact a plurality of electrodes when said wafer stage moves upward; a probe card holder in which said probe card is to be placed; a sensor which detects heights of said probe needles of said probe card; a camera having image processing means picks up images of said inspection target and said probe needles of said probe card and performs image processing on said images; and a control section which computes positions of said inspection target and said probe card based on image information acquired by said image processing means and controls said X stage, said Y stage and said rotary unit based on results of that computation, wherein a linear scale for detecting up and down positions of said wafer stage is provided on said elevation unit for said wafer stage, said elevation unit has a fixed frame which is driven up and down by a stepping motor, a movable frame, crossroller guides which control said movable frame in such manner as to be movable up and down with respect to said fixed frame, a cylinder which is fixed to said fixed frame and whose piston rod pushes said movable frame upward, a load sensor which detects a load applied by a contact bar fixed to said movable frame as a contact bar abuts on said load sensor when said movable frame moves upward, and a control section which controls pressing force by said cylinder based on said load detected by said load sensor, and said load sensor restricts upward movement of said contact bar, not downward movement of said contact bar, when said contact bar abuts on said load sensor.