Patent ID: 7859283

Claim:
A probe apparatus for inspecting a plurality of chips to be inspected by mounting on a substrate mounting table a substrate on which the chips are arranged and making a contact between probes of a probe card and electrode pads of the chips at a time, the probe apparatus comprising: a load port for mounting thereon a carrier accommodating therein a plurality of substrates; a plurality of probe apparatus main bodies, each having a supporting unit for detachably supporting the substrate mounting table and vertically moving the substrate mounting table between an upper portion at which the electrode pads of the chips on the substrate contact with the probes of the probe card and a lower portion at which the substrate mounting table is transferred; a loader unit for transferring the substrate between the carrier of the load port and the probe apparatus main bodies; and a control unit for outputting a control signal to the loader unit and the probe apparatus main bodies, wherein the loader unit includes: a substrate transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate to and from the carrier; a mounting table transfer mechanism provided commonly for the supporting units in the probe apparatus main bodies, for transferring the substrate mounting table to and from the supporting unit; a rotation unit provided with the mounting table transfer mechanism, for rotating the substrate mounting table about a vertical axis; an XY moving unit for moving the rotation unit in X and Y directions; a first image imaging device provided at a portion which rotates by the rotation unit, for imaging the probes of the probe card; and a second image imaging device for imaging the electrode pads of the chips of the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table on the mounting table transfer mechanism, and wherein the control unit adjusts, based on imaging results obtained by the first and the second imaging device of each of the probe apparatus main bodies, the position of the substrate mounting table on the mounting table transfer mechanism via the rotation unit and the XY moving unit so that the chips are made to contact with the probes, and outputs a control signal to transfer the substrate mounting table of which position has been adjusted from the mounting table transfer mechanism to a supporting unit of a corresponding probe apparatus main body and also to bring the electrode pads of the substrate on the substrate mounting table into contact with the probes.