Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Sorting special items – and certain methods and apparatus for... – Condition responsive means controls separating means
Patent
1997-03-27
2000-05-23
Terrell, William E.
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Sorting special items, and certain methods and apparatus for...
Condition responsive means controls separating means
209574, 209552, B07C 5344
Patent
active
060668229
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device testing apparatus suitable for testing one or more semiconductor devices, particularly one or more semiconductor integrated circuit elements (as will be referred to as IC or ICs hereinafter) which are typical examples of the semiconductor devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device testing apparatus of the type in which semiconductor devices to be tested are transported, for testing, to a test or testing section where they are brought into electrical contact with a tester head (a component of the testing apparatus for applying and receiving various electrical signals for testing) to perform an electrical test of the semiconductor devices, followed by being carried out of the test section and then the tested semiconductor devices are sorted out into conformable or pass articles and unconformable or failure articles on the basis of the test results, and a semiconductor device testing system having a plurality of such semiconductor device testing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many of semiconductor device testing apparatus (commonly called IC tester) for applying a test signal of a predetermined pattern to a semiconductor device to be tested, i.e. device under test (commonly called DUT) and measuring the electrical characteristics of the devices, have a semiconductor device transporting and handling or processing apparatus (commonly called handler) mounted thereto which transports semiconductor devices to a test section, brings them into electrical contact with a tester head in the test section, after the testing, carries the tested semiconductor devices out of the test section, and sorts them out into pass articles and failure articles on the basis of the test results. In the specification, the testing apparatus which comprises a combination of the IC tester and the handler mounted or connected thereto of the type described above is termed "semiconductor device testing apparatus". In the following disclosure the present invention will be described by taking ICs typical of semiconductor devices for example for clarity of explanation.
As the density of elements integrated on a semiconductor substrate or chip in an IC becomes higher, the number of terminals or pins of the IC is increased, and it is difficult to test such an IC having a large number of terminals using an IC testing apparatus having a naturally dropping type handler mounted thereto in which ICs are caused to slide down in a sloped carrying path or groove by their gravities for testing the ICs. Therefore, the general trend in recent years is toward the use of an IC testing apparatus having a handler called "horizontal transporting system" mounted thereto which can transport ICs to any desired place or position by using suction head means utilizing a vacuum pump which may pick up one to several ICs at a time and X and Y direction transfer means.
There have been previously used in practice following two types of IC testing apparatus each having a horizontal transporting system handler mounted thereto.
(1) One type of the IC testing apparatus is arranged such that a tray on which many ICs are loaded in a plane is placed at a predetermined position of the testing apparatus, a predetermined number of ICs are picked up by suction from the tray by use of a suction head utilizing a vacuum pump (vacuum suction head), the ICs being attracted against the vacuum suction head are transported to a test section through a preheating/precooling section by use of X and Y direction transfer means for testing, and upon completion of the test the tested ICs are sorted out into conformable articles (pass articles) and unconformable articles (failure articles), and transferred onto the corresponding trays by use of X and Y direction transfer means.
(2) The other type of the IC testing apparatus is arranged such that many ICs are loaded in a plane on a general-purpose tray (customer tray) which is used by a u
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U.S. application No. 08/832,774, Watanabe et al., filed Apr. 4, 1997.
Ikeda Hiroki
Kobayashi Yoshihito
Nakamura Hiroo
Nemoto Shin
Onishi Takeshi
Advantest Corporation
Deuble Mark
Terrell William E.
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