Electrical contact terminals for semiconductor devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device testing apparatus comprising contact pins with a chuck at their upper ends, and a floating actuator positioned above the chuck. When a semiconductor device is lowered onto the testing apparatus, it engages the actuator and lowers it. The descending actuator then engages the chuck and forces it to retract around the device pins of the semiconductor device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to electrical contact terminals for semiconductor device testing equipment, and more particularly, to electrical contact terminals that establish a secure electrical connection between contact pins of the testing equipment and device pins of a semiconductor device during testing. Background Art

[0002] As part of the manufacturing process, semiconductor devices need to be tested to evaluate their performance. During testing, the pins of the semiconductor device must be electrically connected to the contact pins of the test equipment via electrical contact terminals. In some devices, the device pins are vertical and closely spaced. Furthermore, the size and dimensional tolerances of the vertical device pins, as well as their positional accuracy, can vary significantly. All of this makes establishing a good electrical connection between the semiconductor device and the test equipment a challenge for conventional electrical contact terminal designs. Some of these tests also require very high currents to flow through these electrical contact terminals, making the quality of the electrical connection even more critical.

[0003] U.S. Patent No. 10,826,217 (Foong et al.) proposes a solution for electrical contact terminals on vertical device pins. The solution is a clamp design that relies on an elastomer to provide clamping force as the device pin is lowered. One problem with this solution is that the device pin and the contact pin may contact each other before the device pin is fully lowered. As the device pin is lowered further, the contact pin may scratch the device pin, causing undesirable damage.

[0004] What is needed in the art is an electrical contact terminal in semiconductor device testing equipment that provides a good electrical connection for high current between the contact pins of the testing equipment and the thin vertical device pins while eliminating scratching of the device pins. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention seeks to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings by providing a semiconductor device testing apparatus having contact pins with a collet at their upper ends, and a floating actuator positioned above the collet. When the semiconductor device is lowered onto the testing apparatus, it grasps the actuator and lowers it. The descending actuator then engages the collet and forces it to retract around the device pins of the semiconductor device.

[0006] The novelty and inventiveness of the present invention stems from a mechanism comprising an actuator that engages a collet and forces it to retract around a device pin. The mechanism can be used with a variety of test equipment configurations, including those with a single contact pin and those with a coaxial outer tubular pressure pin, which acts as a contact pin with a top collet separated from an inner test pin with a spring probe design by a tubular insulator.

[0007] The present invention relates to an electrical contact terminal for detachably connecting a contact pin of a semiconductor device testing device to a semiconductor device pin. The contact terminal comprises: a contact pin connected to the semiconductor device testing device and having a chuck formed at its top end; and an actuator positioned above the chuck. When a semiconductor device, to which a semiconductor device pin is attached, is lowered toward the semiconductor device testing device, the semiconductor device grasps the actuator. The actuator then lowers toward the chuck, engaging the actuator with the chuck and forcing the chuck to retract around the semiconductor device pin. The actuator includes a vertical through-hole that gradually widens toward a bottom opening. The actuator has a top opening that is smaller than the diameter of the chuck in a retracted state and a bottom opening that is larger than the diameter of the chuck in an unretracted state. The taper angle of the actuator and the dimensions of the chuck are designed so that the inner surface of the chuck contacts the device pin only when the semiconductor device is fully lowered. This prevents the contact pin from scratching the device pin as it is lowered. The actuator is located on an actuator plate that is connected to the semiconductor device testing device via a plurality of springs and floats above the semiconductor device testing device. The contact pin is also provided with a bottom clamp at its lower end. When released, the outer diameter of the bottom clamp is slightly larger than the diameter of a through-hole for a contact pin lead on the contact pin carrier plate, and when retracted, the outer diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the through-hole. When the bottom clamp is inserted into the contact pin lead through-hole, it contracts slightly to accommodate the smaller diameter of the through-hole and provides a radially outward elastic force, thereby "inserting" the bottom clamp into the contact pin lead through-hole.

[0008] The present invention also relates to an electrical contact terminal for detachably contacting a contact pin of semiconductor device testing equipment with a semiconductor device pin, further comprising a sensing pin located within a cavity of the contact pin and electrically insulated from the contact pin, the sensing pin being configured to make contact with the semiconductor device pin during testing. The sensing pin is connected to the semiconductor device testing equipment via a spring connector at its lower end.

[0009] The present invention thus provides an elegant solution to the problem of establishing a good electrical connection between contact pins of a tester and device pins of a semiconductor device under test. The chuck has a sufficiently wide opening to allow for a wide tolerance range in the size and volume of the device pins, as well as their positional accuracy. The chuck is retracted by an actuator to fully grasp the device pins, thereby providing a good electrical connection between the pins. The device pins are not scratched by the contact pins because the chuck makes contact with the device pins only after the device pins are fully lowered.

[0010] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1A perspective view of a contact pin in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0012] Figure 2 A front view of a contact pin in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0013] Figure 3 A perspective view of a sensing pin in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0014] Figure 4 A perspective view of an insulator in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0015] Figure 5 An exploded view of a pin assembly in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0016] Figure 6 A perspective view of a pin assembly in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0017] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of a pin assembly in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of a testing device in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 9 A cross-sectional view of a testing device in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 10 A cross-sectional view of a test apparatus and device pins in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 11 A cross-sectional view of a test apparatus and device pins engaged with an actuator in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 12 An exploded view of a testing device in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Figure 13 Shown is a perspective view of the top housing and actuator plate in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 14 Shown is a perspective view of the top housing and actuator plate in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 15 Shown is a perspective view of the bottom housing, top housing, and actuator plate in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 16 Shown is a perspective view of the bottom housing, top housing, and actuator plate in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 17 A perspective view of a pin assembly, bottom housing, top housing, and actuator plate in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0028] Figure 18 A perspective view of a pin assembly, bottom housing, top housing, and actuator plate in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0029] Figure 19 A perspective view of a contact pin load board and a sense pin load board in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0030] Figure 20 A perspective view of a contact pin load board and a sense pin load board in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0031] Figure 21 A perspective view of a testing device in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0032] Figure 22 A perspective view of a testing device in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0033] Figure 23 A perspective view of a test apparatus and a semiconductor device in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0034] Figure 24 A perspective view of a testing device and a semiconductor device in one embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, identical numerals in different figures represent identical or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present application, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0037] The terms used in this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The singular forms of "a", "said" and "the" used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items. Words such as "include" or "comprising" mean that the elements or objects appearing before "include" or "comprising" cover the elements or objects listed after "include" or "comprising" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects.

[0038] Label list

[0039] Contact pins (10)

[0040] Contact pin collet (12)

[0041] Contact pin bottom clip (14)

[0042] Contact pin shoulder (16)

[0043] Sense pins (20)

[0044] Sense pin top (22)

[0045] Sense pin load board end (24)

[0046] Sensing pin spring (26)

[0047] Insulation Sleeve(30)

[0048] Actuator Plate (40)

[0049] Actuator (42)

[0050] Actuator plate protrusion (44)

[0051] Actuator plate extended side (46)

[0052] Top shell(50)

[0053] Top housing hard stop (52)

[0054] Top housing locating pins (54)

[0055] Bottom shell (60)

[0056] Bottom housing locating pin holes (64)

[0057] Contact pin load board (70)

[0058] Contact Pin Load Board Leads(72)

[0059] Contact Pin Load Board Through Hole (74)

[0060] Sense Pin Load Board(80)

[0061] Sense Pin Load Board Leads (82)

[0062] Semiconductor devices (90)

[0063] Semiconductor device pins (92)

[0064] It should be noted that the following detailed description is directed to an electrical contact terminal for use in semiconductor device testing equipment and is not limited to any particular size or configuration, but rather encompasses a variety of sizes and configurations within a general range.

[0065] refer to Figure 1 and 2 , the figure shows a contact pin (10) of the present invention. In some configurations of the test equipment, the contact pin (10) is also called a "force pin". The contact pin (10) is tubular, vertically elongated, and has a vertical cavity extending axially through its center. The contact pin (10) is formed with a clamp (12) at its upper end. The clamp is a flexible fixture that includes a plurality of cutouts formed along a portion of its length, thereby forming a plurality of flexible blades that allow the clamp to expand and contract. There are at least two of these blades, and there can be any number. At the bottom end of the contact pin (10) is a contact pin bottom clamp (14), which provides electrical contact to the load board of the test equipment once assembled and ready for testing. The working principle of the bottom clamp (14) is the same as that of the clamp (12) located at the top of the contact pin (10), in that it has flexible blades that allow it to expand and contract. However, instead of clamping with an inward force like the clamp (12), the bottom clamp (14) pushes radially outward onto the diameter of the through hole located on the contact pin lead of the contact pin load board (see below). Figure 19 and Figure 20 As shown). The outer diameter of the bottom clamp (14) is slightly larger than the through-hole diameter of the contact pin lead in a static state, and slightly smaller than the through-hole diameter in a contracted state. When the bottom clamp (14) is inserted into the through-hole of the contact pin lead, it contracts slightly to accommodate the through-hole with a smaller diameter, thereby providing a radially outward elastic force, thereby "inserting" into the through-hole of the contact pin lead.

[0066] Figure 3The present invention shows a two-wire sensing pin (20). In some configurations of test equipment, two separate electrical connections must be established between the test equipment and the device pins of the semiconductor device under test. This is also called a Kelvin connection. In this embodiment, the Kelvin connection uses a coaxial design with an outer tubular pressure pin that is a contact pin with a top clamp separated by a tubular insulator from an inner sensing pin having a spring probe design. The contact pin or pressure pin (10) is used to transmit a high current (or voltage) to the device pin, and the sensing pin (20) then measures the feedback current (or voltage) from the semiconductor device under test. The sensing pin (20) of the present invention has a spring probe design with its top (20) electrically contacting the device pin of the semiconductor device during testing, and a spring mechanism (26) and a load plate end (24) for making electrical contact with the load plate of the test equipment after the equipment and device are assembled and ready for testing.

[0067] Figure 4 An insulator (30) of the present invention is shown. The insulator (30) is a hollow tubular electrical insulator.

[0068] Figure 5 、 6 7 and 8 respectively show an exploded view, a perspective view, and a cross-sectional view of the contact pin (10), the insulator (30), and the sensing pin (20) when assembled together. As can be seen from these figures, the sensing pin (20) is inserted into the hollow tube of the insulator (30), while the insulator (30) itself is inserted into the central cavity of the tubular contact pin (10). The insulator (30) is located between the contact pin (10) and the sensing pin (20), so there is no direct electrical contact between the two pins. The clamp (12) of the contact pin (10) has a wide enough opening that it will not contact the sensing pin top (22) during testing, even in the retracted state. Also shown in these figures are the contact pin bottom clamp (14) and the sensing pin load board end (24), which are also separated by the insulator (30). The spring (26) of the sensing pin (20) allows the sensing pin top (22) to move vertically flexibly relative to its load board end (24) during testing. The sensing pin (20) is not fixed in the pin assembly, but is held in place by friction between the sensing pin and the insulator (30), which allows the sensing pin (20) to be easily removed using simple tools (such as tweezers) for maintenance and replacement.

[0069] Figure 8 and Figure 9The pin assembly is shown in combination with the rest of the test equipment. There can be different numbers of pin assemblies in the test equipment, and four are shown in the figure. The pin assemblies are positioned according to the configuration of the device pins of the semiconductor device being tested. Each pin assembly is inserted into and retained in a through hole in the bottom housing (60). The contact pin bottom clamp (14) is electrically contacted with the leads on the contact pin load board (70). Similarly, the sensing pin load board end (24) is electrically contacted with the leads on the sensing pin load board (80). The figure also shows the actuators (42), each actuator (42) being located just above each clamp (12). The actuator plates (40) float above the bottom housing (60) with a visible gap between them. Multiple springs (not shown) provide a repulsive force between the actuator plates (40) and the bottom housing (60) to maintain the gap. A hard stop (52) on the top housing (50) acts on the extended side (46) of the actuator plate (40) to prevent the actuator plate (40) from moving further. The top housing (50) also constrains the actuator plate (40) to move only in the vertical direction. The spring allows the actuator plate (40) and the actuator (42) to move vertically elastically. The actuator plate (40) and the actuator (42) are made of electrically insulating material. The actuator (42) is a vertical hole through the actuator plate (40) that gradually widens from top to bottom. The top opening of the actuator (42) is smaller than the diameter of the chuck (42) in the retracted state, while the bottom opening is larger than the diameter of the chuck (42) in the unretracted state. When the semiconductor device is lowered onto the test equipment, it first hits a plurality of upward protrusions (not shown) on the actuator plate (40), thereby pressing the actuator plate (40) and the actuator (42) downward and toward the clamp (12).

[0070] Figure 10 and 11The semiconductor device is shown as it is lowered onto the test equipment. The device pins (92) attached to the semiconductor device are lowered toward the test equipment. The semiconductor device first contacts a protrusion (not shown) on the actuator plate (40). As the semiconductor device moves further downward, it pushes the actuator plate (40) and the actuator (42) downward. The actuator (42) then engages the chuck (12), and the conical hollow of the actuator (42) forces the chuck (12) to contract. The taper angle of the actuator (42) and the size of the chuck (12) are designed so that the inner surface of the chuck (12) contacts and clamps the semiconductor device pins (92) only after the semiconductor device is fully lowered. This prevents the contact pins (10) from scratching the device pins (92) during their descent. This forms a strong electrical contact between the contact pins (10) and the device pins (92). When the device pins (92) approach their lowest point, their bottom tips contact the tops (22) of the sensing pins. The device pin (92) can be of many different shapes, and any cross-sectional shape is acceptable as long as it is elongated. The clamp mechanism of the present invention ensures that the device pin (92) forms a good electrical contact with the contact pin, regardless of the shape of the device pin (92). Because the clamp (12) is round, it establishes multiple contact points with the device pin (92). For other solutions for electrical contact terminals, the situation is different.

[0071] Figure 12 The exploded view of the entire test equipment assembly is shown. From top to bottom, the top housing (50), actuator plate (40), pin assembly, bottom housing (60), contact pin load board (70) and sense pin load board (80) are shown in sequence.

[0072] Figures 13 to 22 The assembly process of the test equipment is shown, including how to assemble the actuator plate (40) to allow it to move vertically elastically within the test equipment and how to allow the semiconductor device to be pushed downward during testing.

[0073] Figure 13 and 14 A bottom (inverted) view of the first step in the assembly process is shown, which is to assemble the actuator plate (40) to the top housing (50). The actuator plate (40) is adapted to fit tightly into the central cavity of the top housing (50). The actuator plate (40) is provided with a protrusion (44), which is shown facing downward in these figures, but is actually facing upward when in the correct orientation during testing. The actuator plate (40) is also provided with an extended side (46) to abut against a hard stop (52) of the top housing (50) to prevent the actuator plate (40) from moving further relative to the top housing (50). The actuator (42) on the actuator plate (40) can also be seen in these figures.

[0074] Figure 15 and 16 A bottom (inverted) view is shown of the second step of the assembly process, assembling the bottom housing (60). The bottom housing (60) is assembled to the assembly of the top housing (50) and actuator plate (40) using a guiding mechanism of dowel pins (54) and dowel pin holes (64).

[0075] Figure 17 and 18 A bottom (inverted) view of the third step of the assembly process is shown, i.e., assembling the pin assemblies. Each pin assembly is inserted through a hole located in the bottom housing (50). The contact pins (10) are provided with shoulders (16) that act as hard stops against the top housing (50), preventing the pin assembly from moving further toward the top housing (50). The shoulders (16) are located near the lower ends of the contact pins (10) and include radial projections that are larger in diameter than the remainder of the contact pins (10).

[0076] Figure 19 and 20 The exploded view and assembled view of the contact pin load board (70) and the sense pin load board (80) are shown respectively. Most known load board solutions use a single load board for the contact pins and the sense pins. When the distance between the contact pin bottom clamp and the end of the sense pin load board is very small, it becomes a challenge to place the two leads on a single load board while maintaining good electrical isolation between the leads. Therefore, the present invention introduces two separate load boards, one for the contact pin leads (72) and the other for the sense pin leads (82), which are stacked on top of each other, with the contact pin load board (70) positioned on top of the sense pin load board (80). The contact pin leads (72) are provided with through holes (74) through which the sense pins can pass and contact the sense pin leads (82) on the sense pin load board (80). The diameter of the through hole (74) is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the bottom clamp (14) of the contact pin (10). Thus, when the contact pin load board (70) is connected to the rest of the test equipment, the bottom clamp (14), once "inserted" into the through hole (74), contracts as it passes through the through hole (74), thereby providing a resilient outward radial force on the inner wall of the through hole (74). This provides a secure and good electrical contact with the contact pin leads (72). The spring-loaded sense pin load board end (24) provides a resilient downward force on the sense pin leads (82).

[0077] Figure 21 and 22 Shows a top view of the fourth step in the assembly process, which is to Figure 18 and 19The load board stack is assembled to the rest of the assembly. The load board stack, which includes the contact pin load board (70) and the sense pin load board (80), is assembled to another assembly comprising a bottom housing (60), a top housing (50), and an actuator board (40). Also shown in these figures are upwardly directed protrusions (44) on the actuator board (40) that catch the semiconductor device as it is lowered onto the test equipment during testing.

[0078] This is Figure 23 and 24 See more clearly in the reference Figure 23 and 24 , which shows a semiconductor device (90) with device pins (92) being lowered onto a test device during testing. The protrusions (44) of the actuator plate (40) will catch the semiconductor device (90) after it is lowered. The entire actuator plate (40) along with the semiconductor device (90) and actuator (42) then moves downward relative to the rest of the assembly.

[0079] Although several particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following claims are intended to cover such changes, modifications, and applications as are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical contact terminal for detachably contacting a contact pin of a semiconductor device testing equipment with a semiconductor device pin, characterized in that: include: A tubular contact pin connected to a semiconductor device testing device and having a chuck formed at its top end, the chuck having a plurality of cutouts formed along a portion of its length, thereby forming at least two blades, so that the chuck can be extended and retracted; an actuator located above the chuck, As the semiconductor device with its pins is lowered toward the semiconductor device testing equipment, it grasps the actuator and then lowers the actuator toward the collet, causing the actuator to engage with the collet and force the collet to contract around the semiconductor device pins. When the semiconductor device is fully lowered, the inner surface of the collet contacts and clamps the semiconductor device pins.

2. The electrical contact terminal for detachably contacting a contact pin of a semiconductor device testing equipment with a semiconductor device pin according to claim 1, wherein: The actuator includes a vertical through hole, which gradually widens toward the bottom opening.

3. The electrical contact terminal for detachably contacting a contact pin of a semiconductor device testing equipment with a semiconductor device pin according to claim 2, wherein: The actuator has a top opening with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the collet in the retracted state, and a bottom opening with a diameter larger than the diameter of the collet in the unretracted state.

4. The electrical contact terminal for detachably contacting a contact pin of a semiconductor device testing equipment with a semiconductor device pin according to claim 1, wherein: The collet is circular and includes a plurality of flexible blades, the inner surface of which contacts the device pins only after the semiconductor device is fully lowered.

5. The electrical contact terminal for detachably contacting a contact pin of a semiconductor device testing equipment with a semiconductor device pin according to claim 1, wherein: The device further includes a sensing pin located within the cavity of the contact pin, electrically insulated from the contact pin, and adapted to contact the semiconductor device pin during testing. Furthermore, the clamp has a sufficiently wide opening so that, even in a retracted state, it will not contact the top of the sensing pin during testing.

6. The electrical contact terminal for detachably contacting a contact pin of a semiconductor device testing equipment with a semiconductor device pin according to claim 5, wherein: The sensing pin is connected to the semiconductor device testing equipment via a spring connector at the lower end thereof.

7. The electrical contact terminal for detachably contacting a contact pin of a semiconductor device testing equipment with a semiconductor device pin according to claim 1, wherein: The actuator is located on an actuator plate, and the actuator plate is connected to the semiconductor device testing equipment through a plurality of springs so as to float above the semiconductor device testing equipment.

8. The electrical contact terminal for detachably contacting a contact pin of a semiconductor device testing equipment with a semiconductor device pin according to claim 1, wherein: The contact pin is provided with a bottom clamp at its bottom end. The outer diameter of the bottom clamp in the loose state is slightly larger than the diameter of the through hole of the contact pin lead on the contact pin carrier plate, and the outer diameter in the contracted state is slightly smaller than the diameter of the through hole.

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