Apparatus and method for inspecting semiconductor devices

摘要

A semiconductor device inspecting apparatus includes a signal input for an LSI device, a comparator used to compare an LSI device output with an expected value, an X-Y stage for moving the LSI device in an X direction or a Y direction, a probe for non-contact probing of the electrical state inside the LSI device, and a device for determining the probing position and for judging and executing the result, by which the defect location of the LSI device is automatically located. A corresponding semiconductor device inspecting method includes a step of applying a test pattern to an input terminal of an LSI device, a step of comparing an output signal appearing at the output terminal of the semiconductor device with an expected value signal to detect conformity or nonconformity of the output signal and the expected value signal, a step of probing, in the case of nonconformity, of a specific portion of the semiconductor device by controlling a non-contact probe by using an error signal appearing at the output terminal; and a step of comparing this probing data with an expected value of the probed portion to locate the defect location in the semiconductor device.