Device carrier and autohandler

Details Device carrier and autohandler Device carrier and autohandler

2002-06-12

2004-04-20

Karlsen, Ernest (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

06724206

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device carrier for allowing terminals provided on a device such as an IC to be brought into contact with contacts of a socket.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When measuring electric characteristics of an IC such as a ball grid array (BGA) type package IC, the IC is held by a device carrier and placed on an IC socket so that terminals formed of solder balls provided on the IC are allowed to be brought into contact with contacts provided on the IC socket.
FIG. 6
is a side partial view of a conventional device carrier for holding an IC (device). In
FIG. 6
, a device carrier
50
has a recess
51
formed in a rectangular shape in cross section and guide holes
53
wherein an IC (BGA type package IC) is placed on the recess
51
. Guide pins
61
formed on an IC socket
60
are inserted into the holes
53
of the IC device carrier
50
. That is, the device carrier
50
and the IC socket
60
IC are positioned with respect to each other by the guide pins
61
. Multiple ball-like terminals (solder balls) B are provided on the lower face of the IC. A positioning plate part
52
is provided on the bottom of the recess
51
of the device carrier
50
for positioning the IC disposed on the recess
51
with respect to the device carrier
50
. Multiple positioning holes
54
are formed on the positioning plate part
52
, wherein when the terminals B are fitted in the positioning holes
54
, the IC is positioned with respect to the device carrier
50
. Contacts
62
of the IC socket
60
are inserted into the positioning holes
54
of the device carrier
50
from the lower side thereof. A socket board
70
is disposed under the IC socket
60
and the lower ends of the contacts
62
contact seat patterns
71
of the socket board
70
.
When measuring electric characteristics of the IC, the IC is first conveyed on the IC socket
60
by the device carrier
50
so that the IC socket
60
and the device carrier
50
are positioned with respect to each other. Upon completion of the positioning between the device carrier
50
and IC socket
60
, the contacts
62
provided on the IC socket
60
are allowed to be brought into contact with the terminals B of the IC held by the device carrier
50
. In a state where the contacts
62
provided on the IC socket
60
and the terminals B of the IC held by the device carrier
50
contact one another, the electric characteristics of the IC is measured. At this time, the IC placed on the device carrier
50
which is disposed over the IC socket
60
is pressed by a contact pusher
80
having guide holes
81
through which the guide pins
61
of the IC socket
60
are inserted, thereby assuring the contact between the terminals B and the contacts
62
. The positioning plate part
52
on which the IC is placed is formed of nonconductive synthetic resin so that the terminals B of the IC and the contacts
62
of the IC socket
60
are not short-circuited when they contact each other.
When measuring the electric characteristics of the IC using the IC socket
60
shown in
FIG. 6
, particularly measuring the electric characteristics in high frequency region, it is preferable that a distance between the terminals B of the IC and the seat patterns
71
of the socket board
70
is set to be as short as possible. That is, if the length of each contact
62
is set to be as short as possible, the electric characteristics of the IC can be measured stably with high accuracy.
Meanwhile, when the length of each contact
62
is set to be short, a thickness L of the positioning plate part
52
has to be set to be thin. However, since the positioning plate part
52
is made of synthetic resin as set forth above, if the thickness L of the positioning plate part
52
is set to be thin, the strength of the positioning plate part
52
is significantly lowered. If the contact pusher
80
presses the IC in a state where the thickness L of the positioning plate part
52
made of synthetic resin is set to be thin, a stress is localized, e.g., on steps
51
a
and the like inside the recess
51
, so that the steps
51
a
are bent, causing a problem that the device carrier
50
can not stably hold the IC. Further, there occurs a case where the ends of the IC supported by the steps
51
a
are bent, so that the electric characteristics of the IC is not stably measured with high accuracy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been developed in view of the circumstances as set forth above and it is an object of the invention to provide a device carrier capable of stably measuring properties of the device with high accuracy and an auto-handler.
achieve the above object, the device carrier for holding a device having terminals on a given face thereof at multiple positions, and allowing the terminals of the device to be brought into contact with contacts provided on an IC socket according to the first aspect of the invention is characterized in that the device carrier comprises an opening through which the device can pass, a support part disposed so as to close at least to a part of the opening for supporting the given face, and a hinge part for turnably supporting the support part, wherein said support part is turned to release the support of the given face of the device when it approaches to the socket.
According to the invention, the device carrier can hold the device stably by the support part which is disposed so as to close at least at a part of the opening through which the device can pass. Since the support part is turnably supported by the hinge part and is turned when it approaches to the socket, the opening is completely released when the support part is turned so that the device is moved toward the socket through the opening and it is directly placed on the socket. Since the device is directly placed on the socket when the support part is turned, so that the length of each contact of the socket can be set to be short. Accordingly, the properties of the device can be measured stably with high accuracy.
The device carrier according to the second aspect of the invention is characterized in that the hinge part according to the first aspect of the invention supports the device while biasing it in a direction to close the opening, and said support part is turned in a direction to open the opening while engaged with an engagement part provided on the socket.
According to the invention, the support part and the engagement part can be engaged with each other by merely approaching the device carrier and the socket to each other. As set forth above, the support of the device by the support part can be released by merely allowing the device carrier and the socket to approach to each other, so that the properties of the device can be easily and efficiently measured. Further, since the hinge part supports the support part while biasing the support part in the direction to close the opening, the support can stably support the given face of the device unless the support part of the device carrier and the engagement part of the socket are not engaged with each other.
The device carrier according to the third aspect of the invention is characterized in that the support part according to either first or second aspect of the invention comprises multiple support members for supporting multiple spots of the device at the given face thereof other than the spots where the terminals are provided.
According to the invention, since the support part comprises multiple support members and the multiple support members support given faces of the device, even if the size of one support member is small, the support members can stably support the device. Further, when the device is supported by the multiple support members, the size of each support member can be reduced. Accordingly, the turning space of each support member can be reduced, thereby making the device compact as a whole.
The device carrier according to the fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the device according to any of the first to third aspects of the invention further comprises

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