Method and apparatus for testing of integrated circuit chips

US5420520A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Morris Anschel · Carmel, US
• Anthony P. Ingraham · Endicott, US
• Charles Robert Lamb · Endwell, US
• Michael D. Lowell · Endicott, US
• Voya R. Markovich · Endwell, US
• Wolfgang Mayr · Poughkeepsie, US
• Richard G. Murphy · Binghamton, US
• Mark V. Pierson · Binghamton, US
• Tamar A. Powers · Endicott, US
• Timothy Shawn Reny · Underhill Center, US
• Scott Reynolds · East Greenville, US
• Bahgat Sammakia · Newark Valley, US
• Wayne R. Storr · New Milford, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 11, 1993
• Grant date: May 30, 1995
• Expiry date: Jun 11, 2013

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R31/2879
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method of testing semi-conductor chips is disclosed. The individual semiconductor chips have I/O, power, and ground contacts. In the method of the invention a chip test fixture system is provided. The chip test fixture system has contacts corresponding to the contacts on the semiconductor chip. The carrier contacts have dendritic surfaces. The chip contacts are brought into electrically conductive contact with the conductor pads on the chip test fixture system. Test signal input vectors are applied to the inputs of the semiconductor chip, and output signal vectors are recovered from the semiconductor chip. After testing the chip is removed from the substrate.