Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-26
2003-02-18
Sherry, Michael (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
06522157
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connecting mechanism for connecting a test head which tests an integrated circuit (hereinafter, it may be simply referred to “IC”) to an automatic handler sorting the IC according to a result of the test by the test head, particularly, to a connecting mechanism for connecting a test head to an automatic handler having a low temperature testing function.
2. Description of Related Art
As an automatic handler which is connected to an IC tester, the one that cools IC under test and tests electric characteristics of the IC under test in a low temperature environment has been known. In other words, an automatic handler having a low temperature testing function has been known. Hereinafter, such automatic handler may be simply referred to “low temperature handler”. The low temperature handler has a dry air supply unit which supplies dry air to a testing portion (for example, a testing box in a thermostat) in order to prevent a frost formation in the testing portion when the low temperature handler tests the IC under test in the low temperature environment.
FIGS. 3
,
4
A and
4
B show an example of an IC test system including the low temperature handler, according to an earlier technology.
FIG. 4A
shows that the low temperature handler and a test head are separated from each other.
FIG. 4B
shows that the low temperature handler is connected to the test head.
The IC test system
1
has, as shown in
FIGS. 3
,
4
A and
4
B, the test head
2
and the low temperature handler
3
. The test head
2
is provided with a testing box
21
on which a contact board
24
is disposed. The contact board
24
has IC sockets
23
. Coupling cables
28
are connected to the contact board
24
through connectors
25
, and also connected to a test head body
20
through a base board
29
with being surrounded closely by packing
29
a
for a cable outlet or exit, as shown in a central ruptured portion of FIG.
3
. The testing box
21
is provided with an air intake
26
for frost formation prevention for letting dry air from a dry air supply unit in the testing box
21
through a piping hose
27
. The low temperature handler
3
has a thermostat
31
, a transfer carrier
32
, a contact pusher
33
and a piping hose
35
(see
FIGS. 4A and 4B
) which is connected to the dry air supply unit (not shown).
When ICs are tested with the IC test system
1
, the test head
2
is moved to the low temperature handler
3
. Then the testing box
21
is inserted in the thermostat
31
, inside of which is kept the low temperature environment, thereby the test head
2
is connected to the low temperature handler
3
, as shown in FIG.
4
B. Leads of the ICs under test transferred by the transfer carrier
32
are pressed against contacts of the IC sockets
23
by the contact pusher
33
to be brought into contact with the contacts. Thus, electric characteristics of the ICs in the low temperature environment are tested. At this time, the piping hose
27
and the piping hose
35
are connected to each other through junction connectors
37
at outside of the low temperature handler
3
and the test head
2
. The dry air is supplied to the testing box
21
from the dry air supply unit through the connected piping hoses
27
and
35
, suppressing entering of moisture of outside air from spaces between the coupling cables
28
and the packing
29
a
to the testing box
21
during the IC test. Thereby, the frost formation in the testing box
21
is prevented.
With the IC test system
1
, aside from a connection between the test head
2
and the low temperature handler
3
, the piping hose
27
of the testing box
21
is connected to the piping hose
35
of the low temperature handler
3
through the junction connectors
37
. Thus, when the test head
2
and the low temperature handler
3
are connected to or separated from each other, in addition to the connection or separation of them, the connection or separation of the piping hoses
27
and
35
is required, taking a lot of time. Furthermore, a person may forget the connection between the piping hoses
27
and
35
when the test head
2
and the low temperature handler
3
are connected to each other.
When the test head
2
is separated from the low temperature handler
3
, if the piping hoses
27
and
35
are left connected, the piping hose
27
of the test head
2
pulls the piping hose
35
of the low temperature handler
3
. Thus, the piping hoses
27
and
35
may become wrong or be damaged. Furthermore, during the transfer of the test head
2
, a person should pay attention to the piping hose
27
which is connected to the testing box
21
. Thus, the operations for them are complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was developed in view of the above-described problems. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for connecting a test head to an automatic handler, that makes an IC test system capable of testing an IC under test in a suitable temperature environment not by complicated operations but merely by connecting the test head to the automatic handler.
In order to accomplish the above-described object, in one aspect of the present invention, a mechanism for connecting a test head to an automatic handler comprises a piping for connecting the test head to the automatic handler, and a fluid supply means for supplying fluid in the test head through the piping and for keeping a testing environment for an IC under test. The fluid may be for preventing a frost formation. The piping comprises a first piping portion which is provided to the automatic handler and which has a first piping connection opening. The piping also comprises a second piping portion which is provided to the test head and connected to the first piping portion. The second piping portion has a second piping connection opening which is connected to the first piping connection opening when test head is connected to the automatic handler.
The fluid may comprise whatever that is supplied to the test head for keeping the testing environment the desired one and prevents the frost formation when the IC under test is tested. For example, dry air may be used for preventing outside air from entering the test head and preventing the frost formation to be generated.
According to the mechanism, the piping connection openings are connected to each other at the same time that the test head and the automatic handler are connected to each other, so that the first piping portion and the second piping portion are connected to each other.
Thus, the fluid which prevents the frost formation, for example, compressed fluid, is supplied to the test head from the fluid supply means, merely by connecting the test head to the automatic handler, so that the electric characteristics of the IC under test can be tested by the test head with the predetermined testing environment kept.
That is, except the connection between the test head and the automatic handler, the operations of connection between the test head and the fluid supply means for supplying the fluid to the test head, such as the connection of piping hoses, are not required. Accordingly, forgetting of the connection between the piping of the fluid supply means of the automatic handler and the piping of the test head, or the interference by each piping hoses when the automatic handler and the test head are separated from each other, as in the earlier technology, is solved. Particularly, during the separation of the test head from the automatic handler or the transfer of the test head for connecting it to the automatic handler, the interference by the piping hoses is reduced. Thus, the automatic handler and the test head can be smoothly connected to each other. Furthermore, when the test head is separated from the automatic handler, the piping may not become wrong or be damaged by forgetting the operations for the separation of the piping for supplying fluid to the test head, differing from the earlier technology.
The automatic handler ma
Ando Electric Co. Ltd.
Sherry Michael
Tang Minh N.
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