Probe Table Wafer Chuck Guides and Their Diverse Applications

Wafer chucks play a pivotal role in securing wafers and chips during the detection process, ensuring stability and accuracy. The choice of chuck type, size, and material depends on the specific requirements of the wafer or chip being inspected, making them versatile components in probing technology. Here, we explore various types of wafer chucks and their applications in diverse testing scenarios.

1. Vacuum Wafer Holders:

Wafer chucks can utilize mechanical fixtures or apply a small vacuum from the backside of the wafer. Vacuum wafer holders, often preferred in most applications, ensure secure positioning and stability during the detection process.

2. Customization for Varied Needs:

Chucks come in diverse sizes, materials, and shapes, slightly larger than the wafer's size, with concentric vacuum rings for accommodating substrates of different sizes. Common materials include aluminum plated with nickel or gold, and in some cases, steel based on specific business application requirements.

3. Hot Chucks:

Hot chucks, capable of heating or cooling substrates, are essential for various applications. They cover a temperature range from ambient to 200°C, with considerations for higher temperatures. Careful selection of materials for probe arms, platens, and chuck adapters is necessary to avoid exposing operators to hot surfaces.

4. Localized Environmental Chamber (LEC):

LECs provide a controlled environment, protecting devices from ambient air and enabling testing at temperatures below ambient. These chambers must be adaptable, mountable within the probe station, and allow unrestricted movement for manipulators and probe arms.

5. Double-Sided Chucks:

Some applications require access to the device from both front and back. Double-sided chucks are designed for this purpose and can be configured with openings for optical inspection or probe contact, depending on the test needs.

6. High-Frequency Chucks:

Designed for high-frequency equipment analysis, these chucks hold wafers and calibration substrates with independent control over the vacuum environment in three quadrants.

7. High-Power Chucks:

Configured for high-power probing systems, these chucks accommodate typical voltages up to 3 kV or 10 kV using various connectors. They are available in environmental and thermal configurations.

8. Encapsulated Part Fixtures:

These fixtures hold package parts, substrates, and printed circuit boards. They can also be used to hold wafer chucks, allowing a single system to test entire wafers and package assemblies.

9. Lift Pin Chucks:

Featuring lifting pins, these chucks facilitate automated transfer of wafers by robotic arms. The pins can be mechanically, pneumatically, or electrically actuated for safe and repeatable material handling.

10. MEMS Chucks:

MEMS chucks, tilt-able in the X or Y direction, allow inspection of specific areas not easily accessible. They are suitable for use in vacuum chambers.

No matter the probing technology application or specific requirements of a test system, chucks or customized solutions offer versatile and effective solutions for diverse testing needs.