Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-04
2004-07-20
Cuneo, Kamand (Department: 2829)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components
Of individual circuit component or element
C324S1540PB, C250S341400, C385S014000, C385S015000, C385S018000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06765396
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present invention relates generally to testing a device using an automated tester, and more particularly to testing both the electrical and optical portions of the device.
BACKGROUND
Imaging devices are used in many of today's consumer electronic products, as well as in various commercial and government applications. These imaging devices must be made as small as possible to facilitate use in portable products such as hand-held video recorders and the like. In order to make these imaging devices as small as possible, it is often desirable to include an optical sensor in the same package with associated electronic circuitry. Such an imaging device is shown in prior art FIG.
1
.
In order to test an imaging device using an automated handler, for example an integrated circuit handler, the imaging device, for example imaging device
100
, is normally positioned with electrical leads
102
pointing toward the test hardware such as is illustrated in orientation
111
of FIG.
1
. Note that manufacturers often place the optical sensor
104
, which may be an individual sensor or an array of sensors, on the top of imaging device
100
so that the optical sensor
104
is positioned away from the test hardware when electrical leads
102
are positioned for testing using automated handling equipment. An imaging device
100
oriented for electrical testing is shown in orientation
111
, which is sometimes referred to as a “live bug” orientation because the integrated circuit package of imaging device
100
resembles a crawling bug.
Since the imaging device
100
includes an optical sensor
104
, full parametric and functional testing of imaging device
100
requires the use of a controlled light source in addition to electrical test signals. These light sources are relatively large and are therefore usually placed inside of a test head (not shown) located beneath load-board/plate
105
, where sufficient space is available. As a result, the light source cannot illuminate optical sensor
104
when imaging device
100
is positioned in a live bug orientation.
Consequently, in order to test the optical sensor portion of imaging device
100
, imaging device
100
must be flipped over so that optical sensor
104
faces the test head and electrical leads
102
face away from the testing equipment as illustrated in orientation
120
. The orientation of imaging device
100
shown in orientation
120
is sometimes referred to as a “dead bug” orientation because imaging device
100
resembles a bug lying on its back with its legs sticking up in the air.
One disadvantage of having to position the imaging device
100
in both live bug and dead bug orientations is that some package configurations cannot be properly positioned in both orientations using currently available integrated circuit handlers. Even where currently available integrated circuit handlers can properly position an image device in a dead bug orientation, extra positioning steps are required to completely and fully test devices having both optical and electrical portions. The requirement of extra positioning steps can add extra time and expense to the testing of devices such as imaging device
100
.
Another factor to consider when testing devices in a dead bug orientation, is the need for more electrical connections to the handler. Extra connections are needed because in a dead bug orientation, the electrical pins face away from the tester, and signals must somehow be routed back to the tester. Normally these extra connections are provided by pogo pins, which sometimes fail and need to be replaced. For each electrical pin on the device being tested in dead bug orientation, two pogo pins are needed. Therefore, if a device to be tested includes eight electrical pins, sixteen pogo pins are required. Each of these sixteen pogo pins has a failure rate, and if any one of them fails the handler may be unusable until the pogo pin is replaced.
As should be apparent from the above discussion, currently available testing methodologies for devices including both optical and electrical portions are less than ideal, because fully automated testing can not be performed in some cases, and in other cases extra positioning steps are required to fully test imaging devices. What is needed is some way to permit testing of devices including both optical and electrical portions using a single device orientation.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5821529 (1998-10-01), Chihara et al.
patent: 6018248 (2000-01-01), Kelley et al.
patent: 6156078 (2000-12-01), Huat
patent: 6586953 (2003-07-01), Okayasu
Freescale Semiconductor Inc.
Nguyen Jimmy
Toler Larson & Abel, LLP
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