P 12

A semiconductor prober is used to position a wafer or device under a probe interface so electrical contact can be made for measurement. A prober belongs in the electrical test area rather than in patterning or material deposition. A prober is generally paired with external test instrumentation that applies signals and reads the device response.

A wafer prober moves the sample and probe interface into controlled alignment so probe needles or similar contacts can touch device pads. A probe operation typically establishes temporary electrical contact, runs a measurement sequence through connected test electronics, and then indexes to the next site. A prober commonly combines motion control, sample handling, alignment viewing, and contact sequencing in one platform.

A prober is used in electrical characterization and production test flows after the wafer has completed the relevant front end or back end process steps needed for contact to test pads. A prober can support inline engineering evaluation, parametric measurements, device screening, and sort activity before singulation or packaging. A prober therefore sits downstream of fabrication steps that create the structures being measured and upstream of later assembly decisions that depend on test results.

Probers are applied to wafer level electrical measurements for semiconductor devices and test structures. A prober can be used for parametric testing, functional checks, failure analysis support, and engineering characterization. A prober can also support process monitoring by measuring dedicated structures that track the health of a manufacturing flow.