Material or article handling – Apparatus for moving intersupporting articles into – within,... – Unstacking apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-26
2002-03-12
Hess, Douglas (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for moving intersupporting articles into, within,...
Unstacking apparatus
C414S416060, C414S795600, C414S795700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06354792
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC transporting and handling system (commonly referred to as IC handler) for transporting semiconductor devices, specifically ICs (semiconductor integrated circuits) which are typical examples thereof, to test them through a test section and to sort the tested ICs on the basis of the test results, and particularly, to a tray storage device for storing IC receiving trays each of which is used for receiving ICs to be tested or the tested ICs in an IC transporting and handling system and a mounting apparatus for mounting one or more of such tray storage device at a predetermined position in the IC transporting and handling system.
2. Background of the Related Art
Many of semiconductor device testing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as IC tester) for measuring the electrical characteristics of semiconductor devices by applying signals of a predetermined test pattern to devices to be tested, i.e. devices under test (commonly called DUT) have a semiconductor transporting and handling apparatus (hereinafter referred to as IC handler) integrally incorporated therein for transporting semiconductor devices for testing and sorting the tested semiconductor devices on the basis of the test results.
An example of the prior art IC handler called “forced horizontal transporting system” is shown diagrammatically in FIG.
1
. The illustrated IC handler
10
comprises a loader section
11
where ICs
15
to be tested which a user has beforehand loaded on a customer (user) tray
13
are transferred and reloaded onto a test tray
14
capable of withstanding high/low temperatures, a constant temperature or thermostatic chamber
20
including a test section or testing zone
21
for receiving and testing the ICs from the loader section
11
, and an unloader section
12
where the tested ICs
15
which have been carried on the test tray
14
out of the constant temperature chamber
20
subsequently to undergoing a test in the test section
21
are transferred from the test tray
14
to the customer tray
13
to be reloaded on the latter (generally, the tested ICs are often sorted into categories based on the data of the test results and transferred onto the corresponding customer trays
13
each for one category). Depending upon the type of ICs to be tested (in the case of the surface mount type ICs or the like packaged in a dual-in-line flat packages, for example), each IC may be loaded on an IC carrier, and then the IC carrier loaded with the IC may be placed on a customer tray.
The test tray
14
is moved in a circulating manner from and back to the loader section
11
sequentially through the constant temperature chamber
20
and the unloader section
12
. More specifically, the test tray
14
loaded with ICs
15
to be tested is transported from the loader section
11
to a soak chamber
22
within the constant temperature chamber
20
where the ICs
15
placed on the tray
14
are heated or cooled to a predetermined constant temperature. Generally, the soak chamber
22
is adapted to store a plurality of (say, nine) test trays
14
stacked one on another such that a test tray
14
newly received from the loader section
11
is stored at the uppermost of the stack while the bottom test tray is delivered to the test section
21
.
The ICs
15
to be tested are heated or cooled to a predetermined constant temperature while the test tray
14
is moved from the top to the bottom of the stack within the soak chamber
22
. The heated or cooled ICs
15
together with the test tray
14
are then transported while maintained at the constant temperature from the soak chamber
22
to the test section
21
where the ICs under test are brought into electrical contact with IC sockets (not shown) disposed in the test section
21
to be measured for their electrical characteristics.
Upon completion of the test, the tested ICs
15
are transported from the testing zone
21
to an exit chamber
23
where they are restored to the ambient temperature. Like the soak chamber
22
, the exit chamber
23
is also adapted to accommodate test trays in the form of a stack. For example, the arrangement is such that the tested ICs
15
are brought back to the ambient temperature as the associated test tray is moved sequentially from the bottom to the top of the stack within the exit chamber
23
. Thereafter, the tested ICs
15
as carried on the test tray
14
are passed to the unloader section
12
where the tested ICs are sorted by categories based on the data of the test results and transferred onto the corresponding customer trays
13
. The test tray
14
emptied in the unloader section
12
is delivered back to the loader section
11
where it is again loaded with ICs
15
to be tested from the customer tray
13
to repeat the same steps of operation.
It is to be noted that the transfer of ICs already tested as well as ICs to be tested between the customer tray
13
and the test tray
14
is typically effected by suction transport means utilizing a vacuum pump which may pick up one to several ICs at a time for the transfer.
While the IC handler
10
illustrated in
FIG. 1
is of the type which is configured to transport ICs under test as placed on the tray, IC handlers of the type adapted to transport ICs under test individually are also currently used.
In the illustrated example, the test section
21
is so arranged that those in odd-numbered rows, for example, of the ICs under test carried on one test tray
14
are first tested, followed by those in even-numbered rows being tested. For this reason, two test trays
14
are shown in the test section
21
. This is because the number of ICs to be tested at one time by an IC tester is limited (say, up to thirty-two), while too many (sixty-four, for example) ICs to be tested at one time are carried on one test tray in this example. One test tray is adapted to accommodate sixty-four ICs in a matrix of 4 columns×16 rows.
It is also to be noted that there is still another type of IC handlers in which ICs to be tested are sequentially transferred from the tray into a socket or sockets for the test at a time and upon the test being completed the IC or ICs are transferred from the socket or sockets back onto the tray, in the test section
21
.
Heretofore, in case of testing ICs to be tested by use of such IC handlers, a user places ICs
15
to be tested on a customer tray
13
and stores a plurality of, for example, about twenty of customer trays
13
each having ICs
15
to be tested thereon respectively within a tray storage device not shown (hereinafter referred to as tray cassette), and thereafter the user transports the tray cassette to the loader section
11
in an IC handler and takes out the customer trays
13
one by one from the tray cassette to arrange them on the loader section
11
. This results from that there is provided no mechanism in prior IC handlers for automatically taking out the customer trays
13
from the tray cassette one by one and transporting the customer tray to the transfer position of the loader section
11
. Accordingly, there is not provided in prior art IC handlers a mounting apparatus for setting a tray cassette or cassettes therewithin.
An example of the prior art tray cassette is shown in
FIGS. 2
to
5
wherein
FIG. 2
is a plan view of the prior tray cassette
40
,
FIG. 3
is a bottom view of the tray cassette
40
,
FIG. 4
is a right side view of the tray cassette
40
of
FIG. 2
, and
FIG. 5
is a perspective view of the tray cassette
40
. The tray cassette
40
comprises a rectangular base plate
44
and a frame structure of a rectangular shape in plan view integrally formed on the base plate
44
and having props or stays
43
each in a form of angle bar at four corners of the frame structure so that the tray cassette
40
opens at all four sides thereof. Also, as shown in
FIG. 5
, the tray cassette
40
is so constructed that a customer tray
13
on which ICs to be tested are placed is inserted into the tray cassette
40
from the bo
Kobayashi Yoshito
Nakamura Hiroto
Advantest Corporation
Hess Douglas
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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