Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-08
2002-09-03
Le, N. (Department: 2858)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components
Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
active
06445203
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric device testing apparatus for testing an electric device, such as an IC chip, under a predetermined temperature, more specifically relates to an electric device testing apparatus which can always maintain the temperature around the electric device at a set temperature even when the electric device itself generates heat during the test and perform testing electric devices at a desired set temperature with a high credibility.
2. Description of the Related Art
A testing apparatus for testing a finally produced device, such as an IC chip, is necessary in a producing process of a semiconductor device, etc. As one kind of such testing apparatuses, an apparatus for testing an IC chip under applying a thermal stress of a high temperature, a normal temperature and a lower temperature than a normal temperature is known. It is because IC chips are required to guarantee as a feature thereof to operate well under a high, normal and low temperature.
A test is carried out in such a testing apparatus, wherein an upper portion of its test head is covered with a chamber for providing a sealed space, an IC chip is conveyed to above the test head, where the IC chip is pushed against the test head for connection, and inside the chamber is maintained at a high, normal or low temperature condition within a constant temperature range. The IC chips are preferably tested by the above test and sorted into at least good ones and defective ones.
Along with the recent IC chips becoming higher to speed and more highly integrated, however, the heat generation by itself during operating has become higher and heat is generated by itself also during the IC chip testing. Even when inside the chamber is maintained at a constant temperature, it has become difficult to carry out the test on an IC chip under the original temperature of the test. For example, some generates about 30 watts of heat by itself depending on kinds of the IC chips.
When testing an IC chip which generates such high heat by itself, the temperature around the IC chip rises due to the self heating even if inside the chamber is made to be at a constant temperature, so it becomes difficult to carry out a test on the IC chip under a determined testing temperature. When a test of an IC chip cannot be carried out under a determined testing temperature, it gives a problem that reliability of the test declines.
Especially, when the self heating of an IC chip is high in a high temperature test, assuming that though a set temperature inside a chamber is 80° C., the actual temperature on the IC chip device becomes 90° C. Thus, the temperature on the device becomes rather higher than the set temperature. Also, when a high temperature test of about 125° C. is carried out, for example, the quantity of heat by the self heating in addition to that of the set temperature is applied to the IC chip, as a result, there arises a possibility that the temperature on the IC chip exceeds its tolerable limit.
Thus, in the related art, a correction value (10° C.) is determined in advance by expecting the self heating of the IC chip to set the set temperature of inside the chamber at 70° C., which is 10° C. lower than the test temperature of 80° C. in the specification. By doing so, tests have been carried out assuming that the temperature on the IC chip during the test is set at 80° C. as in the test specification.
However, when the self heating is very high due to high integration of an IC chip or when a test time is long, it is difficult to determine the correction value in advance and to precisely control the test temperature of a device under the test, such as an IC chip.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electric device testing apparatus which can always maintain the temperature around the electric device at a set temperature even if the electric device under testing generates heat by itself during the test so as to carry out a test on the electric device under a desired temperature with high credibility, and furthermore, prevent the electric device from being damaged.
(1) To attain the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric device testing apparatus comprising:
a connection terminal to which an electric device to be tested is removably connected;
a pusher for pushing the electric device against said connection terminal in order to connect the electric device to said connection terminal;
and a means for adjusting a temperature of the electric device during a test on said electric device via a hole formed on said pusher.
(1-1) In this case, it is preferable that the hole includes a ventilation hole formed on said pusher, and the temperature adjusting means includes a temperature adjusted gas supply means for blowing a temperature adjusted gas to around said electric device during the test on the electric device.
Also, it is preferable that the temperature adjusted gas supply means includes a temperature ventilation amount control means for controlling the temperature of the temperature adjusted gas and/or the ventilation amount to be supplied around the electric device during the test on the electric device based on temperature data from a temperature sensor.
Also, it is preferable that the temperature adjusted gas supply means includes a dry means for previously drying the temperature adjusted gas to be supplied around the electric device.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the electric device testing apparatus according to the present invention further comprises a sealed chamber for covering said connection terminal, pusher and electric device as one.
Also, it is preferable that the temperature adjusted gas to be supplied around the electric device from the temperature adjusted gas supply means is an air taken out from a part of the air inside said chamber and being adjusted its temperature.
When performing a high temperature test, normal temperature test, or low temperature test on an electric device, such as an IC chip, the electric device becomes high temperature due to its self-heating and the temperature around the electric device becomes higher than a set temperature in a usual case. However, in an electric device testing apparatus according to the present invention, a temperature adjusted gas is directly blown around the electric device via a ventilation hole formed on a pusher. The temperature adjusted gas is, for example, a dry air and set, for example, at a temperature specified in the test specification, or at a temperature of being added a control value to the temperature. For example, when the test specification specifies a high temperature test of 80° C., the temperature adjusted air is at 80° C. or less in order to maintain the electric device under the test at 80° C. and blown directly around the electric device. Note that during the test, by detecting the temperature on the electric device, the temperature and/or amount of the temperature adjusted gas are adjusted so that the electric device becomes at the temperature specified in the test specification. The adjustment of the temperature and/or the blowing amount are preferably performed for individual electric device. It is because even if the electric devices to be tested are all identical, the temperature may vary depending on the position of the electric device inside the chamber.
As explained above, an electric device testing apparatus according to the present invention, electric devices are always tested under a condition close to a set temperature (temperature specified in a test specification), and the reliability of the test improves.
In the above invention, it is preferable that the pusher is provided with a temperature sensor capable of detecting an temperature of the electric device and/or an atmosphere temperature around the electric device.
By detecting by the temperature sensor the temperature on the electric device and/or the atmosphere temperature around the electric device and contro
Igarashi Noriyuki
Kiyokawa Toshiyuki
Kobayashi Yoshihito
Nakamura Hiroto
Shimada Ken'ichi
Advantest Corporation
Le N.
LeRoux Etienne P
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