Optical: systems and elements – Deflection using a moving element – Using a periodically moving element
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-13
2002-05-28
Pascal, Leslie (Department: 2633)
Optical: systems and elements
Deflection using a moving element
Using a periodically moving element
C359S199200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06396610
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit which can be suitably used in case that two devices, for example, are connected with each other through an optical transmission path or line and an optical signal is transmitted between the two devices (an optical signal is sent from one to the other or received by any one of them) over the optical transmission path to operate one or both of the devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many of semiconductor device testing apparatus (commonly called IC tester) for testing various types of semiconductor devices including semiconductor integrated circuits (IC) have a semiconductor device transporting and handling apparatus (commonly called handler) connected thereto for transporting various types of semiconductor devices to be tested (commonly called DUTS) to a test section for testing them, and carrying the tested semiconductor devices out of the test section for transport to a desired location. In such type of the semiconductor device testing apparatus, the section thereof called “test head” which is disposed in the test section of the handler is formed separately from the testing apparatus proper, and a signal transmission path or line such as a cable connects therebetween.
The testing apparatus proper and the test head have a semiconductor integrated circuit used therein, respectively, and the operation rate or speed of a semiconductor device which is testable by the testing apparatus is determined depending upon the transmission rate of a signal transmitting between them. In other words, if the transmission rate of a signal transmitting between the testing apparatus proper and the test head cannot be made high, it is impossible to test a semiconductor device having high operating speed or rate.
It is needless to say that the more the transmission rate of a signal transmitting between not only the semiconductor device testing apparatus proper and the test head but also two devices each having a semiconductor integrated circuit used therein is made high, the more it is desirable. For this end, recently, an optical signal is used as a signal transmitting between a plurality of devices each having a semiconductor integrated circuit used therein to make the transmission rate of the signal high.
FIG. 12
is a block diagram showing one circuit construction of the conventional transmitting side device and the conventional receiving side device adopted in case of transmitting an optical signal between two devices each having a semiconductor integrated circuit used therein. This case shown in
FIG. 12
is one in which data (a signal) is transmitted by use of an optical signal from the transmitting side device A to the receiving side device B. The transmitting side device A comprises a light emitting element
11
such as a laser diode, a light emitting diode or the like, a light emitting element driver circuit
12
for supplying a drive signal to the light emitting element
11
, and a semiconductor integrated circuit
13
for supplying data (a pulse signal for example) to be transmitted to the light emitting element driver circuit
12
.
The receiving side device B comprises a light receiving element
15
such as a photodiode, phototransistor or the like, a current detector circuit
16
for detecting an output current from the light receiving element
15
to convert it into data corresponding to the original data, and a semiconductor integrated circuit
17
for receiving an output signal from the current detector circuit
16
tc process it in a predetermined manner. The transmitting side device A and the receiving side device B are optically connected with each other by an optical transmission path or line
14
formed by an optical fiber. Usually, a PIN photodiode or avalanche photodiode (APD) is used as the light receiving element
15
.
In the construction mentioned above, when data to be transmitted is applied to the light emitting driver circuit
12
from the semiconductor integrated circuit
13
which forts a signal source in the transmitting side device A, the light emitting element driver circuit
12
applies a drive signal corresponding to this data to the light emitting element
11
where the data is converted into an optical signal. The optical signal is transmitted through the optical transmission path
14
to the receiving side device B in which the light receiving element
15
converts the received optical signal into a current signal. The current signal is detected by the current detector circuit
16
which converts it into data corresponding to the original data. The data is given to the semiconductor integrated circuit
17
to process it in a predetermined manner.
Generally, there are often the cases a semiconductor integrated circuit is constituted by a plurality of CMOSs (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) because a CMOS structure integrated circuit can be manufactured with high degree or high density in integration so that it can be miniaturized, the manufacture thereof is easy, the power consumption thereof is little, and it can be manufactured by low cost. In
FIG. 12
, the semiconductor integrated circuits
13
and
17
(they are Large Scale Integrated circuits, in this example) are constituted by many CMOSs, respectively. On the contrary, the light emitting driver circuit
12
and the current detector circuit
16
are constituted by a plurality of bipolar transistors, GaAs field effect transistors or the like suitable for high speed operation, respectively.
Heretofore, the purpose of signal transmission has been directed to a long-distance and high density transmission of signals such as, for instance, signal transmission in a main line or trunk line system of a communication network. For this end, it is necessary to carry information content as much as possible on one optical fiber, and hence high rate signal transmission of several Gbps (gigabits/sec) to several tens Gbps per one optical fiber is requested. As a result, bipolar transistors, GaAs field effect transistors or the like suitable for high speed operation have been inevitably used in the past.
Accordingly, as shown in
FIG. 12
, in addition to the semiconductor integrated circuits
13
and
17
, the light emitting element driver circuit
12
and the current detector circuit
16
are provided in the transmitting side device A and the receiving side device B separately from the semiconductor integrated circuits
13
and
17
, respectively. Consequently, there are needed additional spaces for accommodating the light emitting element driver circuit
12
and the current detector circuit
16
on the semiconductor chips on which the semiconductor integrated circuit
13
and
17
are formed, respectively. Moreover, there is a necessary to connect between the semiconductor integrated circuit
13
and the light emitting element driver circuit
12
and between the semiconductor integrated circuit
17
and the current detector circuit
16
by outer conductive paths, respectively, which results in a defect that power consumption is considerably increase.
In particular, in case that many optical transmission paths of several hundred to several thousand channels are provided between the transmitting side device A and the receiving side device B, spaces for accommodating the light emitting element driver circuits
12
and the current detector circuits
16
and the amount of power consumption are increased more and more with the number of channels increased. As a result, riot only the power consumption is greatly increased but also a large space is needed, and hence it is a big obstacle in miniaturizing the transmitting side device A and the receiving side device B.
However, in case of a short-distance and parallel data transmission as in the semiconductor device testing apparatus described before, or between frames or racks or in a frame or rack of a parallel computer or the like, the transfer or transmission rate is 1 to 2 Gbps at its maximum, but a great number of signals must be treated.
Advantest Corporation
Bello Agustin
Pascal Leslie
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