US 12,461,131 B2
Device inspection apparatus and device inspection method
Shinya Kurebayashi, Yamanashi (JP)
Assigned to Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 18/554,666
Filed by Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Apr. 8, 2022, PCT No. PCT/JP2022/017349
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 10, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/224843, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 27, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-072503 (JP), filed on Apr. 22, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0192257 A1, Jun. 13, 2024
Int. Cl. G01R 27/08 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 27/08 (2013.01) 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device inspection apparatus comprising:
a voltage source configured to apply a voltage to a device to be inspected;
a plurality of resistors coupled in series between the voltage source and the device;
a detector configured to detect a potential difference across respective ends of a resistor group that includes one or more resistors among the plurality of resistors;
a switching device configured to switch the resistor group from which the detector detects the potential difference among the plurality of resistors; and
a controller configured to:
control the detector and the switching device to detect a potential difference across respective ends of at least two different resistor groups, and
control the detector and the switching device to detect the potential difference in an ascending order of a combined resistance value between respective ends of the at least two or more resistor groups, wherein:
in a state where the controller controls the voltage source to supply a current to all resistors of the plurality of resistors and the current is supplied to all resistors of the plurality of resistors, the switching device selects a resistor group having a smallest combined resistance, and the detector detects a potential difference across respective ends of the resistor group having the smallest combined resistance after a first time elapses, the switching device next selects a resistor group having a combined resistance larger than the smallest combined resistance, and the detector detects a potential difference across respective ends of the resistor group having the combined resistance larger than the smallest combined resistance after a second time elapses, and
the first time and the second time start when the current starts to flow through all resistors of the plurality of resistors.