Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-10
2003-03-18
Sherry, Michael (Department: 2829)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components
Of individual circuit component or element
C324S1540PB
Reexamination Certificate
active
06535007
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a component holder for testing electronic components, a component holder system comprising a component holder and an adapter to adapt to testing devices, and a testing system having a component holder, an adapter and testing devices.
Electronic components such as ICs, for example processors or memories, and also further circuits such as ASICs, are subjected to thorough tests for their use in order to ensure their serviceability. The tests are intended to test various electronic functionalities and to check the serviceability of the components under various environmental conditions as well. To this end, the components are usually subjected to a test which is carried out at operating speed; just like a burn-in test, in which the component is exposed to increased temperatures in order to simulate a manufacturing process. A typical test sequence for DRAM modules may have the following appearance, for example:
1. Pre burn-in test using a high-performance tester, as it is known;
2. Load burn-in boards used for the burn-in test;
3. Burn in, if appropriate again with a test during the burn-in;
4. First post burn-in test, a so-called hot test on the high performance tester;
5. Second post burn-in test, a so-called cold test on the high performance tester.
The prior art for handling the components to be tested is to insert (to load) the components for each of the above tests individually into the testing device used in each case and to remove them again after each test. This requires very awkward handling of the components and loads the connecting contacts of the components during each testing operation. In addition, for each testing device and for each component, it is necessary to provide a holder which permits the component and testing device to be connected mechanically and electrically. The number of necessary different component holders is therefore equal to the product of the testing devices used and the different components to be tested, or, respectively, the different number of packages for the components.
A further drawback in the individual tests of the components is to be seen in the fact that components can be interchanged when being sorted, which can lead to so-called “mixed devices”. Such mistakes are extremely disadvantageous for subsequent processing and/or testing steps and, at present, can be corrected virtually only by hand.
In order to reduce the above disadvantages, it has been proposed to carry out the tests with components which remain in the transport pallets (so-called trays) provided for them. Apart from the comprehensive changes which are necessary on the testing devices in order to carry out this method, the component contacts are also loaded during each testing step in this case.
A further proposal consists in testing the components while they are still present in coherent strips. During assembly, integrated circuits are fitted to a carrier, from which at the same time the electrical contacts also branch. This carrier in each case contains eight holding positions for integrated circuits and is referred to as a strip. Part of the strip is the so-called lead frame, which surrounds the component carrier as a mechanical stabilizing means. After they have been finished, the individual components are then separated from the strip.
However, in the case of testing the components while they are still integrated in the strip, leads to the disadvantage that the separation and the shaping of the component (for example bending over the contact pins) are carried out only after the main test, so that a final functional test, including the handling need for this, still remains necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is therefore based on the object of simplifying the testing of electronic components without increasing the loading on the components, in particular at their contact surfaces.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing a component holder according to the independent patent claim 1, a component holder system according to the independent patent claim 15 and a testing system according to the independent patent claim 16. Further advantageous refinements, aspects and details of the present invention emerge from the dependent patent claims, the description and the appended drawing.
The invention is therefore directed to a component holder for testing electronic components, having a carrier, at least one component socket arranged on the carrier and having a group of component contacts to hold and make contact with a component, and at least one group of adapter contacts, which are arranged on the carrier in a predefined standard arrangement and are connected to the component contacts.
The principle on which the invention is based includes the use of adapters, which make it possible to couple any desired components to any desired testing devices, it being possible for the components to remain in a component holder, such an adapter, during all the tests and transport measures. The component holder, designed specifically for testing purposes, permits optimum adaptation to the necessities of the testing environment. One or more component sockets are arranged on a carrier. These sockets can be chosen in accordance with the design of the components to be tested and the electrical values to be complied with.
The component holder has at least one group of adapter contacts, which are connected to the contacts in the component socket and which serve to route the electrical signals and inputs away to a testing device. In this case, in principle two arrangements are possible, namely, firstly, the preferred embodiment, in which each group of component contacts is connected to its own group of adapter contacts and, secondly, the preferred embodiment in which all the groups of component contacts can be connected individually to a group of adapter contacts. The first of these two preferred embodiments has the advantage that no electronic or electrical wiring has to be carried out within the component holder, since all the contacts of all the components can be tapped off via the adapter contacts.
In contrast, the second preferred embodiment has the advantage that the component holder has to be placed on the testing device only once, and all the components can be tested one after another by switching over the contacts from one component socket to the next component socket. In this case, however, attention must be paid to the fact that the switching and circuit element used for the changeover operation to connect the component contacts to the adapter contact also have to be designed in such a way that they also satisfy, in the long term, the requirements placed on the component holder with regard to the ability to withstand temperature, etc.
The carrier can be a simple board, such as familiar to those skilled in the art as a circuit board.
In this case, a particularly simple embodiment constitutes arranging the at least one component socket and the adapter contacts on opposite surfaces of the board.
As already mentioned, it is preferred for a whole series of component sockets to be arranged on the carrier, not just a single component socket. For example, eight to 265 components would be typical, which can be accommodated jointly on a component holder, even more components being possible.
The component sockets are preferably DC isolated from one another.
As already mentioned above, the component holder must fulfill requirements on its stability during the tests. It is therefore preferred for the component holder to be so heat-resistant that it can withstand a temperature at which burn-in tests are carried out. Materials and processes for selecting the component socket, carrier and contacts which fulfill these requirements are familiar to those skilled in the art.
Furthermore, the component holder should preferably be designed to be vibration-proof, so that a secure contact with the components held in it is also ensured during burn-in tests. The ovens used for burn-in tests are operated with hot a
Haas Hermann
Lüpke Jens
Infineon - Technologies AG
Nguyen Jimmy
Sherry Michael
Welsh & Katz Ltd.
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