Automated monitoring of placement of an IC package onto a...

Details Automated monitoring of placement of an IC package onto a... Automated monitoring of placement of an IC package onto a...

2000-06-26

2002-05-14

Metjahic, Safet (Department: 2858)

Electricity: measuring and testing

Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components

Of individual circuit component or element

C324S1540PB

Reexamination Certificate

active

06388457

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to test stations for IC (integrated circuit) packages, and more particularly, to a socket cover with a signal emitter and a signal detector for automatically monitoring that an IC package is placed onto a socket of a test station with proper orientation and proper alignment for testing the IC package.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
During manufacture of IC (integrated circuit) packages, the IC packages are tested for determining various performance characteristics of such IC packages, as known to one of ordinary skill in the art of IC package manufacture. Referring to
FIG. 1
, an IC package
102
is placed onto a socket
104
of a test station for testing of the IC package
102
. The socket
104
has a plurality of pins within a socket opening
106
including a first pin
112
, a second pin
114
, a third pin
116
, a fourth pin
118
, a fifth pin
120
, a sixth pin
122
, a seventh pin
124
, an eighth pin
126
, and a ninth pin
128
. A socket typically has more numerous pins therein, but nine pins are shown within the socket opening
106
of
FIG. 1
for clarity of illustration.
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the IC package
102
is placed onto the socket
104
for testing of the IC package
102
at a test station. Referring to
FIG. 3
, a bottom view of the IC package
102
shows a plurality of contact pads for making contact with the plurality of pins within the socket opening
106
when the IC package
102
is placed onto the socket
104
with proper orientation and with proper alignment. Elements having the same reference number in
FIGS. 1
,
2
, and
3
refer to elements having similar structure and function. For proper orientation, a predetermined corner
129
of the IC package
102
is matched with a predetermined corner
130
of the socket opening
106
.
When the IC package
102
is placed onto the socket
104
with proper orientation and with proper alignment, a first contact pad
132
makes contact with the first pin
112
, a second contact pad
134
makes contact with the second pin
114
, a third contact pad
136
makes contact with the third pin
116
, a fourth contact pad
138
makes contact with the fourth pin
118
, a fifth contact pad
140
makes contact with the fifth pin
120
, a sixth contact pad
142
makes contact with the sixth pin
122
, a seventh contact pad
144
makes contact with the seventh pin
124
, an eighth contact pad
146
makes contact with the eighth pin
126
, and a ninth contact pad
148
makes contact with the ninth pin
128
.
Each of the contact pads
132
,
134
,
136
,
138
,
140
,
142
,
144
,
146
, and
148
is for providing connection to a respective node of the integrated circuit within the IC package
102
, as known to one of ordinary skill in the art of IC package manufacture. Each of the pins
112
,
114
,
116
,
118
,
120
,
122
,
124
,
126
, and
128
of the socket
104
is for coupling a respective contact pad of the IC package
102
to a test station, as known to one of ordinary skill in the art of IC package manufacture.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, when the IC package
102
is placed onto the socket
104
for testing of the IC package
102
, a cylinder head
150
extends down onto the IC package
102
. The cylinder head
150
presses the IC package
102
against the pins of the socket
104
for ensuring that each of the contact pads
132
,
134
,
136
,
138
,
140
,
142
,
144
,
146
, and
148
of the IC package
102
contacts a respective one of the pins
112
,
114
,
116
,
118
,
120
,
122
,
124
,
126
, and
128
of the socket
104
, as described herein.
Unfortunately, if the IC package
102
is not placed onto the socket
104
with proper orientation and with proper alignment, when the cylinder head
150
extends down onto the IC package
102
, the IC package
102
may undesirably break. During testing of IC packages at a test station, an operator loads and unloads a large quantity of IC packages in a work day. For example, thousands of IC packages may be loaded into and unloaded from the socket
104
by an operator during a work day. With handling of such a large quantity of IC packages, the operator is prone to human error of placing an IC package onto the socket
104
with improper orientation or with improper alignment. When, the cylinder head
150
extends down onto such an IC package that is placed onto the socket
104
with improper orientation or with improper alignment, the IC package breaks resulting in loss of yield during IC package production.
Thus, a mechanism is desired for automatically monitoring that an IC package is placed onto a socket of a test station with proper orientation and proper alignment before the cylinder head
150
extends down onto the IC package.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in a general aspect of the present invention, a socket cover is mounted onto a socket for monitoring that an IC (integrated circuit) package is properly placed onto the socket with proper orientation and proper alignment. The socket cover includes a platform that is attached on top of the socket, and the platform has an opening for exposing pins of the socket when the platform is attached onto the top of the socket. The IC package is placed within the opening of the platform and onto the pins of the socket for testing of the IC package. A signal generator is disposed on a first side of the opening of the platform for emitting a signal across the opening toward a second side of the opening. A signal detector is disposed on the second side of the opening of the platform, and the signal detector is aligned with the signal generator such that the signal detector detects the signal emitted by the signal generator when the signal is not blocked.
The signal detector detects the signal emitted by the signal generator when the IC package that is placed with proper orientation and proper alignment within the opening of the platform does not block the signal. Alternatively, the signal detector does not detect the signal emitted by the signal generator when the IC package that is placed with improper orientation or improper alignment within the opening of the platform does block the signal.
The present invention may be used to particular advantage when a cylinder head extends down to press down the IC package onto the pins of the socket after placement of the IC package onto the pins of the socket. In that case, a cylinder controller controls the cylinder head to not extend down toward the IC package when the signal detector does not detect the signal emitted by the signal generator indicating that the IC package that is placed with improper orientation or improper alignment within the opening of the platform is blocking the signal. Alternatively, the cylinder controller controls the cylinder head to extend down toward the IC package when the signal detector detects the signal emitted by the signal generator indicating that the IC package that is placed with proper orientation and proper alignment within the opening of the platform is not blocking the signal.
In this manner, damage to an IC package from improper placement of the IC package within the socket with improper orientation or improper alignment is prevented.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by considering the following detailed description of the invention which is presented with the attached drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4820975 (1989-04-01), Diggle
patent: 4864227 (1989-09-01), Sato
patent: 4929893 (1990-05-01), Sato et al.

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