Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-27
2004-12-28
Zarneke, David (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
06836137
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a configuration for testing semiconductor devices.
In the development and production of semiconductor devices, for example, memory devices, memory chips, wafers, and semiconductor modules, it is necessary to test the semiconductor devices during the development process or else during various intermediate stages of production in order to guarantee the functioning of the semiconductor devices and to be able to ensure quality assurance. In such a case, in addition to various functional parameters, if appropriate, the electric power consumption or the like is also determined individually for the individual semiconductor devices.
The influence of the test on the test result itself is problematic in the case of such functional tests that determine the parameters of the electric power consumption.
2. Summary of the Invention
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a configuration for testing semiconductor devices that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and with which operating parameters of a plurality of semiconductor devices that relate to the electrical current consumption can be determined individually and, nevertheless, particularly flexibly and reliably.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a configuration for testing semiconductor devices, including a common current/voltage supply unit for testing the semiconductor devices, a plurality of pairs of individual current/voltage supply line devices connected to the common current/voltage supply unit, each of the pairs adapted to connect one of the semiconductor devices to be tested to the common current/voltage supply unit, and current measuring devices respectively formed in the individual current/voltage supply line devices of each of the pairs and respectively measuring an individual current consumption of a given one of the semiconductor devices to be tested, each of the current measuring devices having at least one Hall sensor device. Preferably, the semiconductor devices are memory chips, wafers, or semiconductor modules,
The present invention's configuration for testing semiconductor devices has a common current/voltage supply unit for semiconductor devices to be tested. Furthermore, a plurality of pairs of individual current/voltage supply line devices is provided for connecting the semiconductor devices to be tested to the common current/voltage supply unit. A respective current measuring device in an individual current/voltage supply line device of the respective pair of current/voltage supply line devices is provided for determining the individual current consumption of semiconductor devices to be tested. According to the invention, the respective current measuring device has, in each case, at least one Hall sensor device.
Consequently, it is a fundamental idea of the present invention to form the respective individual current measuring devices for the individual semiconductor devices in each case with at least one Hall sensor device. As a result, it is possible to determine the consumption of electric current by the respective individual semiconductor device with direct influencing being avoided to the greatest possible extent. Consequently, by the Hall sensor device, it is possible to determine an uncorrupted measurement result with regard to the electric current consumed by the individual semiconductor device.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, respective Hall sensor device is configured for measuring an electric current flowing in the respective current/voltage supply line device by a magnetic field that can be generated by the current.
In principle, according to the invention, in accordance with a further feature of the invention, the Hall sensor device may be formed with an individual Hall sensor that is, then, constructed for a specific measurement range with regard to the magnetic field impinging on it and, thus, with regard to the electric current flowing through the respective associated current/voltage supply line device. However, Hall sensors often have a comparatively narrow measurement range. Therefore, it is particularly advantageous if a plurality of Hall sensors are provided, a plurality of at most partly overlapping measurement ranges being formed, so that, as seen overall, the electric current flowing through an associated individual current/voltage supply line device can be detected particularly reliably across a wide range of values.
To further improve the measurement range characteristics and to improve the sensitivity of the respective Hall sensors, in accordance with an added feature of the invention, a magnetic field concentrating device is formed and provided for each
Hall sensor, the concentrating device being configured for concentrating the magnetic field arising as a result of current flow in the associated current/voltage supply line device substantially onto the respective Hall sensor. This may be realized, for example, by a core of a soft-magnetic material respectively being provided as magnetic field concentrating device. The core may include, for example, ferrite or the like.
Furthermore, in accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the magnetic field concentrating device substantially encloses the cross-section of the respective associated and individual current/voltage supply line device at at least one location. What is, thus, achieved is that a large part of the magnetic field lines generated by the current/voltage supply line device and, thus, the magnetic flux cover the area formed by the enclosing by the magnetic field concentrating device.
Furthermore, in accordance with yet another feature of the invention, for concentration purposes it is provided that the magnetic field concentrating device has a gap, and that the respective associated Hall sensor is disposed in the region of the gap.
Hall sensors can be used in direct magnetic field measurement operation, in which the magnetic field strength or magnetic flux density and the corresponding current flow are determined directly by the Hall voltage generated on account of the Lorentz forces acting. However, an indirect technique is appropriate precisely when a higher accuracy is to be achieved. This indirect technique may be carried out, for example, in the context of a so-called compensation method and, then, the Hall sensor device is in each case formed as a compensation current converter or closed-loop-Hall transducer. In such a case, an additional device in the Hall sensor device generates a magnetic field that compensates as exactly as possible for the flux density of the field that is actually to be measured at the location of the Hall sensor. Based upon a corresponding calibration, the current flow that is necessary for compensation can, then, be used, for example, as a measure of the magnetic field that is actually to be measured and, thus, as a measure of the current that is actually to be measured in the associated individual current/voltage supply line device.
To such an end, in accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, a magnetic field compensation device is formed, in particular, in the form of a winding in the region of the magnetic field concentrating device, and further, preferably, around the core of soft-magnetic material.
In an advantageous manner, in accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the present invention's configuration for testing semiconductor devices is configured for testing memory chips, wafers, or semiconductor modules.
The present invention's configuration for testing semiconductor devices has a particularly flexible and compact configuration when it is formed at least in part on a circuit board or a motherboard, in particular, a test device. Furthermore, in a special embodiment, it may be provided that the present invention's configuration for testing semiconductor devices has a needle
Greenberg Laurence A.
Infineon - Technologies AG
Locher Ralph E.
Nguyen Jimmy
Stemer Werner H.
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