INSPECTION USING PROBE

PURPOSE:To prevent a probe and an object to be inspected from being damaged, by a method wherein, when the object to be inspected is brought close to the probe, an approaching speed is delayed as soon as it approaches the probe. CONSTITUTION:While a wafer stage 1 is raised at a high speed of, e.g., about 28 mm/s, a semiconductor wafer 2 is brought close to probes 4. Just before the semiconductor wafer 2 comes into contact with the probes 4, the ascending speed of the wafer stage 1 is changed to a slow speed of, e.g., 5 mm/s; the semiconductor wafer 2 is brought closer to the probes 4 at this speed. When the wafer stage 1 has reached a prescribed position, it is stopped automatically; in this state, the probes 4 come into contact with Al pads installed on a semiconductor chip inside the semiconductor wafer 2; a prescribed inspection operation by using the probes is executed automatically.