Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-06
2002-10-29
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
06472895
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to processing and testing of semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a method and system for adapting boards used in one burn-in system to another, otherwise incompatible burn-in system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
High temperature operating life (“HTOL”) reliability stress testing of semiconductor devices is employed to determine the reliability of semiconductor devices. HTOL utilizes conventional burn-in systems.
FIG. 1
depicts such a conventional burn-in system
10
. The conventional burn-in system includes an oven
26
having a fan
30
run by a motor
28
, a heater
32
and connector sockets
34
and
36
. The conventional burn-in system to also includes conventional driver boards and conventional burn-in boards. For clarity, only a single conventional burn-in board
12
and a single driver board
18
are shown. The conventional burn-in board
12
includes multiple sockets
14
into which semiconductor devices to be tested (not shown) are plugged. The conventional burn-in board
12
plugs into the connector socket
34
within the conventional oven
26
via the conventional burn-in board's connector
16
. The conventional driver board
18
is used to provide signals from the outside to the semiconductor devices being tested. The conventional driver board
18
typically includes a clock signal circuit
20
, which generates the signals to be provided to the semiconductor devices during the HTOL reliability stress test. In certain conventional burn-in systems, such as the AEHR Test 800 system, the conventional driver board
18
may also include a bias voltage generating circuit
22
. In the AEHR Test 800 driver board, the bias voltage generated is a DC voltage. However, conventional driver boards for other conventional burn-in systems, such as the Criteria Rel. Inc. CR-V system, do not have a bias voltage generating circuit on the conventional driver board
18
. The conventional driver board
18
plugs into the connector socket
36
outside the conventional oven
26
via the conventional driver board's connector
24
. Thus, in the conventional system
10
, the connectors
16
and
24
are configured to be received by the connector sockets
34
and
36
, respectively. Note that although a single conventional driver board
18
is shown as driving a single conventional burn-in board
12
, in some conventional burn-in systems, the conventional driver board
18
drivers multiple conventional burn-in boards
12
. For example, in the Criteria Rel. Inc. CR-V systems, the conventional driver board
18
drives four conventional burn-in boards
12
.
Once the conventional driver board
18
and the conventional burn-in board
12
are plugged in, HTOL stress reliability testing can commence. The conventional oven
26
can be heated, typically to between one hundred twenty-five and one hundred fifty degrees Centigrade. During the test, the bias voltage and signals are provided from the conventional driver board
18
to the conventional burn-in board
12
and, therefore, to the semiconductor devices plugged into the sockets
14
.
Although the conventional system
10
functions, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the conventional system
10
is not very flexible. In particular, the conventional driver board
18
and the conventional burn-in board
12
are specific to the conventional burn-in system
10
for which they are manufactured. In addition, the conventional driver board
18
is specific to the semiconductor devices for which it was manufactured. The conventional driver board
18
and the conventional burn-in board
12
are provided by the manufacturer of the conventional burn-in system
10
. Thus, the configurations of the pins for the connector
24
and for the connector
16
are specific to the particular conventional burn-in system for which the conventional driver board
18
and the conventional burn-in board
12
, respectively, are manufactured. Thus, the conventional driver boards
18
for different manufacturers' conventional burn-in systems
10
are not interchangeable. Similarly, the conventional burn in boards
12
for different manufacturers' conventional burn-in systems
10
are not interchangeable. In addition, a conventional driver board
18
provides signals for the semiconductor devices desired to be tested. These signals are typically specific to certain semiconductor devices. For example, the conventional driver board
18
provided by the manufacturer includes the circuitry, such as the clock signal circuit
20
and possibly the bias voltage generating circuit
22
, required to test specific devices. Consequently, a conventional driver board
18
for certain semiconductor devices cannot be used with different semiconductor devices.
Because the conventional burn-in board
12
and the conventional driver board
18
are specific to certain conventional burn-in systems
10
and because the conventional driver board
18
is specific to certain semiconductor devices, the conventional burn-in system
10
is not flexible. For example, the conventional burn-in system
10
is typically large and very expensive. Thus, different locations for a semiconductor device manufacturer may have different conventional burn-in systems
10
. Each conventional burn-in system has its own conventional burn-in boards
12
and driver boards
18
. The same semiconductor device may be desired to be tested at different locations having different conventional burn-in systems
10
or by different conventional burn-in systems
10
at the same location. In order to test the same semiconductor devices using a different manufacturers' conventional burn-in system
10
, a new conventional driver board
18
must be ordered for the different conventional burn-in system
10
. Such a board is very expensive. For example, a typical conventional driver board
18
may cost as much as $10,000. Ordering and receiving a new conventional driver board
18
also takes a finite amount of time. Thus, testing of semiconductor devices is made more expensive and difficult because of the limited flexibility of the conventional burn-in system
10
.
The fact that some conventional burn-in boards
12
contain scrambling circuits (not shown) does not change this conclusion. Such a scrambling circuit is for changing the pins of the semiconductor devices being tested to which signals are provided. This allows for some increased flexibility in the semiconductor devices being tested and the tests performed on such semiconductor devices. However, such a scrambling circuit cannot render a different conventional driver board
18
compatible with the conventional burn-in system
10
. Such a scrambling circuit may not be able to account for the different pin configuration of the conventional driver board
18
. In addition, such a scrambling circuit may not affect the ability of the connector
24
of the conventional driver board
18
to adequately couple to the connector socket
36
. Thus, the conventional driver board
18
of one manufacturer is still incompatible with the conventional burn-in system
10
of another manufacturer. Thus, testing of semiconductor devices on another manufacturer's conventional burn-in system is still subject to the problems discussed above.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for making burn-in systems more flexible. The present invention addresses such a need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and system for providing an adapter system for use with a first burn-in system. The first burn-in system includes a heating chamber and a plurality of burn-in boards for use in the heating chamber. Each of the plurality of burn-in boards is for holding a plurality of semiconductor devices for testing in the first burn-in system. Each of the plurality of burn-in boards has a first connector for receiving a plurality of signals for a first portion of the plurality of semiconductor devices. Each of the plurality of signals is received in a first correspond
Boutngam Tanawat
Jaimsomporn Yong
Tabtimted Narupon
Advanced Micro Devices , Inc.
Nguyen Jimmy
Sawyer Law Group LLP
Sherry Michael
LandOfFree
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