Electricity: measuring and testing – Measuring – testing – or sensing electricity – per se – With rotor
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-10
2001-03-06
Metjahic, Safet (Department: 2858)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Measuring, testing, or sensing electricity, per se
With rotor
C324S754090, C414S403000, C702S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198273
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated-circuit tester for testing ICs (semiconductor integrated circuit elements) for defects and, more particularly, to an IC tester of the type that does simultaneous testing of plural ICs.
2. Background of the Related Art
With reference to
FIGS. 1 through 5
, a description will be given, in particular, of the general construction of what is called a handler which automatically transfers ICs in an IC tester for testing a number of ICs at one time.
FIG. 1
is a plan view schematically showing the handler in the form of functional blocks. Reference numeral
100
denotes a chamber section with a tester head placed therein,
200
an IC storage section for housing not-yet-tested ICs and for housing tested ICs according to their test results,
300
a loader section for loading the not-yet-tested ICs into the chamber section
100
,
400
an unloader section for unloading tested ICs from the chamber section
100
while sorting them out according to their test results, and TST test trays. The not-yet-tested ICs are loaded on the test trays TST in the loader section
300
and brought into the chamber section
100
, and after being tested therein, they are brought out therefrom and into the unloader section
400
.
The chamber section
100
comprises a constant temperature chamber wherein the ICs loaded on the test trays TST undergo an intended high or low-temperature thermal stress, a test chamber
102
wherein the ICs thus thermally stressed in the constant temperature chamber
101
are held in contact with a tester head
104
during testing, and a cooling/heating chamber
103
for removing the thermal stress from the ICs tested in the test chamber
102
. When the ICs are heated at a high temperature in the constant temperature chamber
101
, they are cooled down to room temperature by an air blow in the cooling/heating chamber
103
after the test in the test chamber
102
and then carried out therefrom to the unloader section
400
. When the ICs are cooled down to a low temperature as of −30° C. or so prior to the test, they are heated by hot air or heater in the cooling/heating chamber
103
up to a temperature at which substantially no condensation occurs, and then the tested ICs are carried out to the unloader section
400
.
The constant temperature chamber
101
and the cooling/heating chamber
103
are disposed upwardly of the test chamber
102
. Extended between the upper portions of the constant temperature chamber
101
and the cooling/heating chamber
103
as shown in
FIG. 2
is a mounting plate
105
, on which a test tray transfer unit
108
is mounted so that the test trays TST are transferred from the cooling/heating chamber
103
side to the constant temperature chamber
101
. The test trays TST are loaded with not-yet-tested ICs in the loader section
300
and carried into the constant temperature chamber
101
. In the constant temperature chamber
101
there is placed a vertical transfer unit, by which plural test trays are supported in the wait state until the test chamber
102
becomes empty. During waiting the ICs are subjected to high- or low-temperature thermal stress. In the test chamber
102
there is placed centrally thereof a tester head
104
, with which the ICs on the test tray TST brought to the position just above it are electrically connected for test. After the test the test tray TST is carried out of the test chamber
102
and into the cooling/heating chamber
103
for cooling the ICs down to room temperature, thereafter being discharged into the unloader section
400
.
As depicted in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the IC storage section
200
has a yet-to-be untested IC stocker
201
for housing ICs to be tested and a tested IC stocker
202
for housing ICs sorted out according to their test results. In the yet-to-be untested IC stocker
201
universal trays KST carrying the ICs to be tested are stacked on top of each other in layers. The universal trays KST are brought to the loader section
300
, wherein the ICs on the universal trays KST are reloaded therefrom onto the test tray TST at a standstill in the loader section
300
. To reload the ICs from the universal tray KST onto the test tray TST in the loader section
300
, it is possible to employ an X-Y transfer unit
304
which comprises, as shown in
FIG. 2
, two rails
301
planted on the mounting plate
105
, a movable arm
302
mounted on the rails
301
in a manner to be movable to and fro between the test tray TST and the universal tray KST (in the direction assumed to be the Y direction in this specification), and a movable head
303
supported by the movable arm
302
and movable along it in the X direction. The movable head
303
has downward suction heads, which move while sucking air; hence, the ICs on the universal trays KST are sucked up therefrom by the suction heads and brought onto the test trays TST. The number of suction heads mounted on the movable head
303
is, for example, eight or so, by which eight ICs are transferred onto the test tray TST at one time.
FIG. 3
shows the construction of the test tray TST. The test tray TST has a rectangular frame
12
, plural parallel crosspieces
13
placed thereacross at equal intervals and plural equally spaced mounting pieces
14
protrusively provided on the crosspieces
13
along their both marginal edges and on opposite sides
12
a
and
12
b
of the frame
12
along their inside marginal edges. Between the opposed crosspieces
13
and between them and the opposite sides
12
a
and
12
b
there are defined IC holder housing portions
15
each having two opposed mounting pieces
14
. In each IC holder housing portion
15
there is housed one concave IC holder
16
molded of a resinous material, which is loosely secured by fasteners
17
to the two mounting pieces
14
. The test trays TST each have about 16 by 4 IC holders
16
mounted thereon.
The IC holders
16
are all identical in shape and in size and each receives an IC in its concavity
19
. The concavity
19
is determined according to the shape of the IC to be received therein. That is, the IC holder
16
is prepared for each shape of the IC and changed according to the IC configuration. To this end, each IC holder
16
has holes hl for affixing it to the mounting pieces
14
and positioning pin receiving holes h
2
made in its opposite end portions.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, the IC holder
16
receives and holds therein the IC with its pins
18
extending downward for contact with the tester head
104
. The IC pins
18
are pressed against contacts
19
of an IC socket to establish electric connections between the IC and the tester head
104
. To perform this, a presser
20
is disposed above the tester head
104
, by which the IC received in the IC holder
16
is pressed down into contact with the tester head
104
.
For example, as depicted in
FIG. 5
, ICs are arrayed in the test tray TST with 4 rows and 16 columns and the ICs of every fourth columns (indicated by diagonal shading) are connected to the tester head
104
or tested at one time. In the first round of test, 16 ICs of columns 1, 5, 9 and 13 are connected to the tester head
104
, then in the second round the test tray TST is shifted by one column and 16 ICs of columns 2, 6, 10 and 14 are tested; this operation is repeated four times to test all the ICs mounted on the test tray TST. The test results are stored at addresses that are determined, for example, by identification numbers given to the test tray TST and the numbers of the IC holders
16
assigned thereto in the test tray TST.
The test results are used as data to sort out non-defectives from defectives when the tested ICs are transferred from the test tray TST to the universal tray KST in the unloader section
400
. This data is erased upon completion of the above assortment. Conventionally, the number of failures of ICs tested so far through the contact of the respective IC socket of the tester head
104
(which contact refers to the whole set of contacts of each IC so
Onishi Takeshi
Suzuki Katsuhiko
Yatsuda Minoru
Advantest Corporation
Hollington Jermele M.
Metjahic Safet
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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