Semiconductor package testing equipment including loader...

Details Semiconductor package testing equipment including loader... Semiconductor package testing equipment including loader...

2001-03-14

2002-10-08

Sherry, Michael (Department: 2829)

Electricity: measuring and testing

Measuring, testing, or sensing electricity, per se

With rotor

C324S755090, C324S758010, C324S765010

Reexamination Certificate

active

06462534

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the testing of semiconductor devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a loader which is used in a burn-in test.
2. Description of the Related Art
A burn-in test is a reliability test which is performed before electronic components, such as memories or logic devices, are graded acceptable. In particular, the burn-in test applies severe stress in the form of a high temperature, a voltage, a pulse (clock) or the like, to semiconductor devices to in effect speed up a point in time at which a defective semiconductor device fails. Thus, the defective semiconductor devices are detected early on, and only the good semiconductor devices are subjected to a final electrical test and are then sent out.
The burn-in test includes the steps of: a) loading a semiconductor package onto a burn-in board having a test socket, b) testing the semiconductor package loaded on the burn-in board for a certain period of time while a stress produced by a burn-in system is applied to the semiconductor package, and c) unloading a burn-in tested semiconductor package from the burn-in board. In this test, a loader is used to load the semiconductor package onto and unload the semiconductor package from the test socket of the burn-in board.
FIG. 1
is a schematic front view of a general loader of semiconductor package testing device. Referring to
FIG. 1
, the loader
1
generally includes a main loader body
10
, a main nozzle body
20
capable of vertical movement, a vacuum suction head
30
, and a socket cover depressing head
40
. The vacuum suction head
30
is connected to the bottom of the main nozzle body
20
, and picks up a semiconductor package
50
using suction. The socket cover depressing head
40
extends around the main nozzle body
20
and the vacuum suction head
30
, and depresses the socket cover of a test socket.
When the semiconductor package
50
is to be lifted and unloaded from the test socket, the main nozzle body
20
descends and picks up the semiconductor package
50
using the vacuum suction head
30
. On the other hand, when the semiconductor is to be loaded onto the test socket, the suction from the vacuum suction head
30
is turned off while the main nozzle body
20
remains still, thereby dropping the semiconductor package
50
onto the test socket
50
.
FIG. 2
is a schematic front view of the test socket which is used with the loader shown in FIG.
1
. Referring to
FIG. 2
, the test socket includes a main body
60
, a socket cover
62
, a support bar
64
, an adapter
66
and wiring
72
. The support bar
64
acts as a spring which contracts/retracts when the socket cover
62
is depressed. Once the socket cover
62
is depressed, the adapter
66
guides a semiconductor package, that is dropped by the loader
1
, to a position where an electrical connection between the package and the wiring
72
is established.
FIG. 3
is a plan view of the test socket and
FIG. 4
shows the test socket with the socket cover
62
depressed. Referring to
FIGS. 3 and 4
, the wiring
72
extends to a flat connection plate
68
in which connection contacts
70
are located. The adapter
66
is disposed inside the socket cover
62
, and the flat connection plate
68
is, in turn, located within the adapter
66
. Thus, when a semiconductor package is loaded onto the flat connection plate
68
, external connection terminals of the semiconductor package, for example, solder balls, are connected to the connection contacts
70
within the flat connection plate
68
. The semiconductor package is subjected to the burn-in test in this state.
The size of the adaptor
66
varies according to the size of the semiconductor package which is to undergo the burn-in test. On the other hand, the flat connection plate
68
can accommodate semiconductor packages of all sizes. However, without the adaptor
66
present, the solder balls of the semiconductor package might not be aligned with, i.e., electrically connected to, the connection contacts
70
when dropped onto the test socket by the loader
1
.
Referring now to
FIG. 4
, in particular, even if a semiconductor package is dropped from a loader while the solder balls of the package are not disposed directly over the corresponding connection contacts
70
, the inclined walls A of the adaptor
66
align the semiconductor package with the connection contacts. That is, the solder balls of the semiconductor package are correctly seated on the connection flat plate
68
and are thus electrically connected to the connection contacts
70
.
FIG. 5
is a flowchart illustrating a method of using a conventional loader for semiconductor package testing. Referring to
FIG. 5
, the main nozzle body
20
of the loader
1
is lowered whereupon the vacuum suction head
30
of the loader
1
picks up a semiconductor package from the top using suction. Then, the loader
1
is moved over a test socket. Thereafter, the socket cover depressing head
40
of the loader
1
depresses the socket cover
62
of the test socket. Then, the suction of the vacuum suction head
30
of the loader
1
is turned off, whereby the semiconductor package is dropped onto the test socket. The falling semiconductor package is aligned by the adaptor
66
of the test socket, so that solder balls of the semiconductor package, which constitute external connection terminals of the semiconductor package, are connected to the connection contacts
70
of the test socket. In this state, the semiconductor package is tested under the internal electrical control of the loader equipment.
The use of the above-described loader for semiconductor package testing has the following problems. The test socket can be used only for semiconductor packages of the same size because of the adaptor. For example, a 1.2 cm×1.2 cm semiconductor package can not be tested using a burn-in test socket having an adaptor configured for a 1 cm×1 cm semiconductor package.
Therefore, a large number of burn-in boards are required for burn-in testing. The fabrication and management of this large number of burn-in boards is costly, and requires a lot of manpower and production storage space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a loader, for use in semiconductor package testing equipment, having a package guider which allows one test socket to be used for testing semiconductor packages of different sizes.
To achieve the first object, the present invention provides a loader including a main loader body, a main nozzle main body having a vacuum line therein and capable of moving vertically below the main loader body, a vacuum suction head integrated with the bottom of the main nozzle body, a socket cover depressing head extending around the main nozzle body and the vacuum suction head, below the main loader body, for depressing the socket cover of a test socket, and a package guider for guiding a semiconductor package as it falls from the vacuum suction head.
The test socket will be similar to that of a conventional burn-in test socket but in this case has no adaptor. The semiconductor packages to which the present invention is particularly well-suited are ball grid array (BGA) packages and chip scale packages (CSP).
The package guider comprises an upper package guide member, a plurality of (preferably four) lower package guide members, connection springs connecting the lower guide members to the upper guide member, and a mechanism, such as a camming mechanism, for moving guide surfaces of the lower guide members toward and away from each other. Preferably, the lower package guide members are pushed outward by the operation of the camming mechanism when the main nozzle body descends, and are pursed together by the connection springs to form a space through which the semiconductor package must pass when the main nozzle body is raised to a loading position. The camming mechanism can be constituted by protrusions on the lower guide members which coact with the main nozzle body as

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Semiconductor package testing equipment including loader... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Semiconductor package testing equipment including loader..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Semiconductor package testing equipment including loader... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2998975