Integrated prober, handler and tester for semiconductor components
US6024526A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 20, 1995 |
| Grant date | Feb 15, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 20, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/6838
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An integral unit for use in testing semiconductor components. The unit is designed to manipulate either packaged semiconductor components or semiconductor wafers and present them to a test head. It provides significant space savings because it replaces the need for separate prober, handler and tester units. The integrated unit includes a positioning mechanism with a tool plate that can be changed to grasp either a semiconductor wafer or a tray of semiconductor components. The tool plate uses a vacuum plate. To hold a tray of semiconductor parts, the vacuum plate has numerous independently operable holes. Each hole is positioned behind one semiconductor component and can be engaged or released separately so that the components can be sorted into separate output bins. To hold a wafer, the tool plate has an extendible tongue member that can be inserted into a stack of semiconductor wafers to pick up one wafer in the stack. One disclosed positioning mechanism is a hexapod unit, which, due to its light weight, allows fast and accurate positioning of the semiconductor devices. Multiple positioning mechanisms are used in some instances to increase throughput.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.