Electricity: measuring and testing – Measuring – testing – or sensing electricity – per se – With rotor
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-24
2003-01-07
Sherry, Michael (Department: 2829)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Measuring, testing, or sensing electricity, per se
With rotor
C324S765010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06504359
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and a device for testing a plurality of electronic components.
When electronic components, in particular semiconductor modules, chips or the like, are manufactured, it is necessary for the quality assurance of the production to test and evaluate the manufactured electronic components both in terms of their basic method of operation and freedom from faults and with respect to concealed quality differences. For this purpose, particularly within the scope of mass production of electronic components, the components are subjected to joint hardware and/or software testing methods. When this is done, the electronic components are also to be subjected to specific environmental conditions within the scope of the test which is to be carried out, such as raised temperature, overvoltage or the like. The tests, in particular under the specific environmental conditions, are carried out for a specific predefined time period. As a result of the test which is carried out it is possible not only to eliminate electronic components which have failed or which do not comply with specific specifications, but also, by virtue of the test result, it may, under certain circumstances, be possible to arrive at statistical conclusions relating to the entirety of the production.
In known test methods for testing a plurality of electronic components, in particular semiconductor modules, chips or the like, at least one test is carried out on a plurality of electronic components. After the respective tests are completed, the electronic components are made to output output data which relate to the test or the test result, and these output data are then recorded and fed to further processing devices for evaluating the test.
In order to do this, a plurality of electronic components are usually provided on a device for testing, and the test or tests are then carried out. The outputting of the output data by the individual, tested electronic component is usually brought about by feeding an output initiation signal to each component provided on the device through the use of an individual line provided for this component, the output initiation signal causing the addressed component to output, after the test carried out on it has been completed, the output data which relate to the test or test result on a perspective output line from where the output data are then recorded or tapped for further processing.
It is customary here that a common line device, for example a bus or the like, is provided for outputting the output data for a plurality of electronic components. Consequently, the individual electronic components must be made to output their output data in such a way that a data collision on the common bus is avoided.
Particularly within the scope of mass production it is necessary for a common test device to be equipped simultaneously with the largest possible number of electronic components in order to keep the efficiency of the test method with respect to yield and time period as high as possible, as is usually already also provided when the respective electronic components are produced.
In known methods and devices, the electronic components which are to be tested with respect to the initiation of the outputting of the output data are, however, each addressed individually via a separate line using a separate output initiation signal, with the result that the testing capacity of respective test devices or test boards is as a rule limited by the plurality of individual lines which have to be provided to make available the output initiation signals because these lines take up a considerable amount of space on a test board and consequently constitute a basic obstacle to further increasing the capacity.
It is to be borne in mind here, in particular, that the tester is basically limited in terms of channels. This means that only a limited number of I/O channels or input/output channels is available. The more scan signals or chip select signals are necessary, the more I/O channels are allocated to or seized by the tester. This is also a factor which could limit the maximum number of electronic components on a test board.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method and a device for testing a plurality of electronic components which overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known methods and devices of this general type and which can be implemented for a particularly high capacity and at the same time a high level of reliability.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for testing semiconductor components, in particular semiconductor modules, chips or the like, the method includes the steps of:
carrying out at least one test of a plurality of electronic components;
causing the electronic components to output output data relating to a respective test result;
recording the output data which are output by the electronic components;
starting the recording of the output data by feeding a primary output initiation signal to a first one of the electronic components in order to cause the first one of the electronic components to output a first portion of the output data; and
continuing the recording of the output data for further ones of the electronic components by feeding a respective output initiation signal, which is not directly dependent on the primary output initiation signal and corresponds to a status signal of a preceding one of the electronic components, to a following one of the electronic components in order to induce the following one of the electronic components to output a further portion of the output data, such that the output data of the electronic components is recorded, in response to the primary output initiation signal, until the output data of all the electronic components are output and recorded.
In other words, the method according to the invention, includes the following steps:
at least one test of the electronic components is carried out,
the electronic components are made to output data relating to a respective test result,
the output data which are output by the electronic components are recorded such that the recording of the output data is begun by feeding a primary output initiation signal to a first one of the electronic components in order to cause its output data to be output, and such that the recording of the output data is continued for the further electronic components by feeding in each case one output initiation signal, which is not directly dependent on the primary output initiation signal and corresponds to a status signal of a preceding electronic component, to each following electronic component in order to initiate the outputting of its output data, with the result that the output data of the plurality of the electronic components is recorded in response to the primary output initiation signal until the output data of all of the electronic components are output and recorded.
In the method according to the invention for testing a plurality of electronic components, in particular semiconductor modules, chips or the like, provision is made for the recording of output data to be begun by feeding a primary output initiation signal to a first electronic component of the plurality of electronic components in order to bring about the outputting of its output data. For the further electronic components the recording of the respective output data is continued by in each case feeding an output initiation signal corresponding to a status signal of a preceding electronic component to each following electronic component in order to initiate the outputting of its output data. Here, according to the invention the recording of the output data of the plurality of electronic components is carried out in response to the primary output initiation signal until the output data of the entirety of the plurality of electronic components have been output and recorded.
A basic idea of the metho
Infineon - Technologies AG
Mayback Gregory L.
Patel Paresh
Sherry Michael
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