The inspection apparatus 10 is an apparatus that inspects electrical characteristics of each of a plurality of electronic devices (inspection objects) formed on a wafer (a substrate) W. It should be noted that the substrate having the inspections objects is not limited to the wafer W, but may be a carrier on which electronic devices are arranged, a glass substrate, a chip, or the like. The inspection apparatus 10 includes a chamber 12 that houses a stage 11 on which the wafer W is mounted, a loader 13 arranged adjacent to the chamber 12, and a tester 14 arranged over the chamber 12.

The chamber 12 has a housing shape with a hollow inside. Inside the chamber 12, the stage 11 for mounting the wafer W and a probe card 15 that is arranged to face the stage 11 are accommodated. The probe card 15 has a number of needle-shaped probes (contact terminals) 16 arranged corresponding to electrode pads or solder bumps provided corresponding to electrodes of the respective electronic devices of the wafer W.

The stage 11 includes a fixation mechanism (not illustrated) that fixes the wafer W to the stage 11. Thereby, a positional deviation of the wafer W relative to the stage 11 is prevented. The chamber 12 is also provided with a movement mechanism (not illustrated) that moves the stage 11 in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction. Thereby, the relative position between the probe card 15 and the wafer W is adjusted so that electrode pads or solder bumps provided corresponding to the electrodes of the respective electronic devices contact the respective probes 16 of the probe card 15.