Feeding and discharging equipment of chip carrier and chip testing system

Abstract

The invention discloses feeding and discharging equipment of a chip carrier and a chip testing system, and relates to the technical field of semiconductor chip testing, and the feeding and discharging equipment comprises a rack, a positioning mechanism, a material box and a transfer mechanism; feeding and discharging stations are arranged on the two sides of the machine frame. The positioning mechanism is arranged at the top of the rack; the material box is arranged at the top of the positioning mechanism; the transfer mechanism is installed on the rack, a plurality of sensors are arranged on the transfer mechanism, and the plurality of sensors are used for obtaining the number information and the position information of the chip carriers placed in the material box; the transferring mechanism is used for taking out the chip carrier in the material box, transferring the chip carrier to the positioning mechanism for positioning, and transferring the positioned chip carrier to a feeding and discharging station; the transferring mechanism is further used for transferring the chip carriers on the feeding and discharging station to the positioning mechanism to be positioned, and the positioned chip carriers are placed in the material box. The loading and unloading equipment can realize automatic loading and unloading of the two external probe testing machines, and is higher in efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor chip testing, and particularly relates to a loading and unloading device for a chip carrier and a chip testing system. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor chips are an indispensable part of modern electronic devices, and they are miniature devices that implement various electronic functions. The PAD (pin pad) points on the chips play an important role in circuit design. They provide electrical connections and mechanical support, enabling the chips to transmit signals and transfer energy with external circuits. Therefore, after chip manufacturing, it is necessary to test the PAD points to determine whether the chips are qualified. Currently, the device for testing the PAD points is a probe tester. However, the chips to be tested need to be manually loaded onto the probe tester for testing, and then manually unloaded after the test. Then, the above steps are repeated to complete the testing of each chip. This not only consumes human resources and increases the labor intensity of workers, but also the loading and unloading efficiency is affected by humans, resulting in a low loading and unloading efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main object of the present invention is to propose a loading and unloading device for a chip carrier and a chip testing system, aiming to solve the technical problems of the existing manual loading and unloading consuming human resources and having a low loading and unloading efficiency.

[0004] To achieve the above object, a loading and unloading device for a chip carrier proposed by the present invention, the chip carrier carries chips, and the loading and unloading device includes: A frame, both sides of the frame along a first direction are provided with loading and unloading stations; A positioning mechanism, the positioning mechanism is arranged on the top of the frame, and the positioning mechanism is used to position the chip carrier; A cassette, the cassette is arranged on the top of the positioning mechanism, and each cassette is used to place a chip carrier; A transfer mechanism, the transfer mechanism is installed on the frame, and a plurality of sensors are arranged on the transfer mechanism; the plurality of sensors are used to obtain the quantity information and position information of the chip carriers placed in the cassette, and the transfer mechanism is used to take out the chip carriers in the cassette according to the quantity information and the position information and transfer them to the positioning mechanism for positioning, and transfer the positioned chip carriers to any one of the loading and unloading stations; the transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the chip carriers at the loading and unloading stations to the positioning mechanism for positioning, and place the positioned chip carriers in the cassette according to the quantity information and the position information.

[0005] In one embodiment, the positioning mechanism includes a mounting box and a positioning platform installed inside the mounting box. A first opening is formed on one side of the mounting box facing the transfer mechanism, and two of the material boxes are correspondingly arranged on the tops of the two mounting boxes; the first opening is used for the transfer mechanism to enter and exit the mounting box. The positioning platform is used to hold the chip carrier. Telescopic driving members and push rods are arranged on both sides of the mounting box along the first direction. The push rod is connected to the output shaft of the corresponding telescopic driving member and the push rod is located above the positioning platform. Each telescopic driving member is used to drive the corresponding push rod to move along the first direction, so that the two push rods cooperate with each other to position the chip carrier carried on the positioning platform.

[0006] In one embodiment, a support block and a rotary driving member arranged on one side of the support block are provided inside the mounting box. A rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the support block, and the top of the rotating shaft is connected to the bottom of the positioning platform. The rotary driving member is used to drive the rotating shaft to rotate, so as to drive the positioning platform and the chip carrier carried on the positioning platform to rotate.

[0007] In one embodiment, the material box forms a feeding space. A plurality of feeding areas for placing the chip carriers are provided in the feeding space, and the plurality of feeding areas are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. A second opening is formed on one side of the material box facing the transfer mechanism, and the second opening is used for the transfer mechanism to enter and exit the feeding space.

[0008] In one embodiment, the material box includes two support plates arranged at intervals along the first direction. The feeding space is formed between the two support plates; a plurality of grooves spaced apart in the vertical direction are provided on one side of each of the two support plates facing each other. A feeding area is formed between two corresponding grooves on the two support plates. The two ends of the chip carrier located in the feeding area extend into the corresponding two grooves along the first direction and are supported on the bottom groove walls of the grooves.

[0009] In one embodiment, the transfer mechanism further includes: A lifting and rotating driving member, which is installed on the frame and located between the two positioning mechanisms; A support table, which is arranged on the top of the lifting and rotating driving member, A translation assembly, which is installed on the top of the support table; A pick-and-place component, the pick-and-place component is arranged at one end of the translation component, and the pick-and-place component is used for picking and placing the chip carrier; wherein, the lifting and rotating driving member is used to drive the support platform and the translation component to lift and rotate relative to the frame, and the translation component is used to drive the pick-and-place component to translate.

[0010] In one embodiment, a slide rail is arranged at the top of the support platform. The translation component includes a support plate and a translation driving member. One end of the support plate is slidably matched with the slide rail through a slider, and the pick-and-place component is arranged at the end of the support plate away from the slider; the translation driving member is arranged at the bottom of the support platform, and the translation driving member is used to drive the slider to slide along the slide rail.

[0011] In one embodiment, the pick-and-place component includes a connecting block and two support arms. The connecting block is connected to the support plate, and the two support arms are arranged at intervals on the side of the connecting block away from the support plate, and the chip carrier can be received on the two support arms.

[0012] In one embodiment, the number of the positioning mechanisms and the material boxes are both two. The two positioning mechanisms are arranged at intervals along the second direction on the top of the frame. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. The two material boxes are respectively arranged on the tops of the two positioning mechanisms, and the transfer mechanism is located between the two positioning mechanisms.

[0013] The present invention also provides a chip testing system, including: A loading and unloading device, the loading and unloading device adopts the loading and unloading device of the chip carrier as described above; Two probe testing machines, the two probe testing machines are respectively arranged on both sides of the loading and unloading device along the first direction and correspond to the two loading and unloading stations one by one. Each probe testing machine has a wafer stage, and the chip carrier transferred to the corresponding loading and unloading station can be received on the wafer stage. The probe testing machine is used to test the chips on the chip carrier received on the wafer stage.

[0014] In the present invention, the loading and unloading device for the chip carrier is provided with loading and unloading stations on both sides of the frame, so that probe testers can be arranged on both sides of the frame. Therefore, through this loading and unloading device, automatic loading and unloading can be achieved for two probe testers in sequence at the two loading and unloading stations. During the testing period after loading one of the probe testers, loading can continue for the other probe tester, thereby reducing the waiting time of the loading and unloading device and improving the loading and unloading and chip detection efficiency. When the picking and placing component takes out the chip carrier in the cartridge, there is no need to significantly adjust the position of the picking and placing component. The transfer mechanism can quickly drive the chip carrier in the cartridge to move to the positioning mechanism below the cartridge for positioning, so as to improve the overall loading efficiency. And through the positioning by the positioning mechanism, the position accuracy of the chip carrier transferred to the loading and unloading station is improved, which is convenient for the probe tester to perform accurate testing and is more reliable.

[0015] Furthermore, after the chip on the chip carrier is tested, the transfer mechanism is also used to move the chip carrier to the positioning mechanism for positioning. After positioning, the attitude and position of the chip carrier are adjusted to facilitate putting it back into the cartridge for collection, so as to realize automatic unloading of the tested chips. Compared with the manual loading and unloading method in the prior art, the loading and unloading device of the present invention can perform mechanical and automatic loading and unloading, reducing the demand for manpower, reducing the labor intensity of workers, and being able to realize automatic loading and unloading for two external probe testers, with higher loading and unloading efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for description in the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the loading and unloading device for the chip carrier provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the positioning mechanism and the cartridge in the loading and unloading device for the chip carrier provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 For Figure 2 the enlarged view at A in Figure 4 For Figure 2 the enlarged view at B in Figure 5 It is a partial structural diagram of the positioning mechanism in the loading and unloading device for the chip carrier provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of a transfer mechanism in a loading and unloading device of a chip carrier provided in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of a transfer mechanism in a loading and unloading device of a chip carrier provided in an embodiment of the present invention from another perspective; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a chip testing system provided in yet another embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Description of Figure Numbers: 100, loading and unloading equipment; 1, frame; 11, walking wheel; 2, positioning mechanism; 21, mounting box; 211, first opening; 22, positioning platform; 23, telescopic drive member; 24, push rod; 25, support block; 251, rotating shaft; 26, rotating drive member; 27, guide rail; 3, material box; 31, support plate; 311, groove; 32, material discharge space; 33, second opening; 4, transfer mechanism; 41, pick-and-place assembly; 41 1. Connecting block; 412. Support arm; 42. Lifting and rotating drive member; 43. Support platform; 431. Slide rail; 432. Support frame; 4321. Support rod; 433. Telescopic cylinder; 434. Receiver block; 435. Receiver plate; 44. Translation assembly; 441. Support plate; 442. Slider; 443. Translation drive member; 444. Driving sprocket; 445. Driven sprocket; 446. Chain; 45. Counting sensor; 200. Chip testing system; 201. Probe testing machine; 300. Chip carrier.

[0019] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0022] In addition, if the embodiments of the present invention involve descriptions such as "first", "second", etc., the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears throughout the text, its meaning includes three parallel scenarios. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes scenario A, or scenario B, or the scenario where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. In addition, the technical solutions between various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of those of ordinary skill in the art to implement. When the combination of technical solutions results in contradictions or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0023] The present invention provides a loading and unloading device 100 for a chip carrier 300.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 7 , in an embodiment of the present invention, for the loading and unloading device 100 of the chip carrier 300, the chip carrier 300 carries chips, and the loading and unloading device 100 includes a frame 1, a positioning mechanism 2, a cassette 3, and a transfer mechanism 4; both sides of the frame 1 along a first direction are provided with loading and unloading stations; the positioning mechanism 2 is disposed on the top of the frame 1, and the positioning mechanism 2 is used to position the chip carrier 300; the cassette 3 is disposed on the top of the positioning mechanism 2, and each cassette 3 is used to place the chip carrier 300; the transfer mechanism 4 is installed on the frame 1, and a plurality of sensors 45 are provided on the transfer mechanism 4; the plurality of sensors 45 are used to obtain the quantity information and position information of the chip carrier 300 placed in the cassette 3, and the transfer mechanism 4 is used to take out the chip carrier 300 in the cassette 3 according to the quantity information and the position information and transfer it to the positioning mechanism 2 for positioning, and transfer the positioned chip carrier 300 to any loading and unloading station; the transfer mechanism 4 is further used to transfer the chip carrier 300 at the loading and unloading station to the positioning mechanism 2 for positioning, and place the positioned chip carrier 300 in the cassette 3 according to the quantity information and the position information.

[0025] It should be noted that the first direction in this embodiment is Figure 1 the front-back direction in Figure 1 , the second direction is Figure 1 the left-right direction in

[0026] In the present invention, the loading and unloading device 100 of the chip carrier 300 is provided with loading and unloading stations on both sides of the frame 1, so that probe testing machines 201 can be arranged on both sides of the frame 1. Therefore, through the loading and unloading device 100, automatic loading and unloading can be sequentially performed on two probe testing machines 201 at the two loading and unloading stations. During the testing period after loading one of the probe testing machines 201, loading can continue on the other probe testing machine 201, thereby reducing the waiting time of the loading and unloading device 100 and improving the loading and unloading as well as chip detection efficiency. When the picking and placing component 41 takes out the chip carrier 300 in the cartridge 3, there is no need to greatly adjust the position of the picking and placing component 41. The transfer mechanism 4 can quickly drive the chip carrier 300 in the cartridge 3 to move to the positioning mechanism 2 below the cartridge 3 for positioning, so as to improve the overall loading efficiency. And through the positioning by the positioning mechanism 2, the position accuracy of the chip carrier 300 transferred to the loading and unloading station is improved, facilitating accurate testing by the probe testing machine 201 and being more reliable.

[0027] Furthermore, after the chip on the chip carrier 300 is tested, the transfer mechanism 4 also moves the chip carrier 300 to the positioning mechanism 2 for positioning. After positioning, the attitude and position of the chip carrier 300 are adjusted to facilitate putting it back into the cartridge 3 for collection, so as to realize automatic unloading of the tested chips. Compared with the manual loading and unloading method in the prior art, the loading and unloading device 100 of the present invention can perform mechanized and automated loading and unloading, reducing the demand for manpower, lightening the labor intensity of workers, and being able to perform automatic loading and unloading on two external probe testing machines 201, with higher loading and unloading efficiency.

[0028] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 , further, a picking and placing component 41 is provided on the transfer mechanism 4. The number of the positioning mechanisms 2 and the number of the cartridges 3 are both two. The two positioning mechanisms 2 are arranged at intervals along the second direction on the top of the frame 1. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. The two cartridges 3 are correspondingly arranged on the tops of the two positioning mechanisms 2. The transfer mechanism 4 is located between the two positioning mechanisms 2. The transfer mechanism 4 is used to take out the chip carrier 300 in any one of the cartridges 3 through the picking and placing component 41 and transfer it to the corresponding positioning mechanism 2 for positioning, and transfer the positioned chip carrier 300 to any one of the loading and unloading stations; the transfer mechanism 4 is also used to transfer the chip carrier 300 at the loading and unloading station to any one of the positioning mechanisms 2 through the picking and placing component 41 for positioning, and place the positioned chip carrier 300 in the corresponding cartridge 3.

[0029] Understandably, by providing two cassettes 3 on the rack 1, after all the chips in one of the cassettes 3 are tested, the loading and unloading device 100 can directly transfer the chip carrier 300 in the other cassette 3 to the loading and unloading station, so that the chips on the chip carrier 300 can be detected by the external probe tester 201, greatly reducing the loading and unloading stagnation time of the loading and unloading device 100 and achieving higher loading and unloading efficiency. Moreover, two positioning mechanisms 2 are provided at the top of the rack 1, and the cassettes 3 are correspondingly arranged on the tops of the positioning mechanisms 2, so that the chip carrier 300 can be quickly transferred to the positioning mechanism 2 for positioning when it is taken out from the cassette 3, saving operation time and improving efficiency.

[0030] In this embodiment, several sensors 45 are provided on the transfer mechanism 4. When the transfer mechanism 4 drives the picking and placing component 41 to align with one of the cassettes 3, the number and position of the chip carriers 300 in the cassette 3 can be obtained through the several sensors 45, so as to know the number and position of the chip carriers 300 and the chips, and better control the transfer mechanism 4 to perform precise loading and unloading of the chip carriers 300 according to the quantity information and position information. Understandably, according to the quantity information, the loading and unloading times of the transfer mechanism 4 can be determined, and according to the position information, the transfer mechanism 4 can be precisely controlled to drive the picking and placing component 41 to precisely pick and place the chip carrier 300.

[0031] It should be noted that the several sensors 45 can upload the obtained quantity information and position information to a control terminal, and the control terminal controls the operation of the transfer mechanism 4 according to the quantity information and position information. The control terminal can be the control terminal of the loading and unloading device itself or an external control terminal, such as a PLC control system. The above information transmission and interaction method, the adoption of the control terminal, the processing logic of the control terminal for the quantity information and position information, and the control logic of the control terminal for controlling the operation of the transfer mechanism 4 can all be implemented by existing technologies.

[0032] It should also be noted that the several sensors 45 can adopt reflection sensors in the existing technology, such as proximity position sensors.

[0033] Furthermore, the cassette 3 is detachably connected to the corresponding positioning mechanism 2. It should be noted that in this embodiment, each chip carrier 300 in the cassette 3 carries a chip. After all the chips in the cassette 3 are tested, the cassette 3 is replaced manually.

[0034] Understandably, in this embodiment, the chip carriers 300 in the same cartridge 3 can be loaded onto any loading and unloading station, that is, they can be loaded onto any external probe tester 201 for testing. After the testing is completed, the clamping mechanism on the transfer mechanism 4 removes the chip carrier 300 at the loading and unloading station, and the chip carrier 300 can be placed in any cartridge 3. Therefore, both tested chips and untested chips can exist in the cartridge 3 in this embodiment. Preferably, one of the cartridges 3 is used to collect the chips that fail the test, and the other cartridge 3 is used to collect the chips that pass the test.

[0035] Furthermore, walking wheels 11 are provided at the bottom of the frame 1 to further facilitate the movement and adjustment of the position of the loading and unloading device 100.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4 , in an embodiment, the positioning mechanism 2 includes a mounting box 21 and a positioning platform 22 mounted in the mounting box 21. A first opening 211 is formed on one side of the mounting box 21 facing the transfer mechanism 4, and two cartridges 3 are correspondingly arranged on the tops of the two mounting boxes 21; the first opening 211 is used for the pick-and-place mechanism 4 to enter and exit the mounting box 21; the positioning platform 22 is used to receive the chip carrier 300. Telescopic driving members 23 and push rods 24 are arranged on both sides of the mounting box 21 along the first direction. The push rod 24 is connected to the output shaft of the corresponding telescopic driving member 23 and the push rod 24 is located above the positioning platform 22. Each telescopic driving member 23 is used to drive the corresponding push rod 24 to move along the first direction, so that the two push rods 24 cooperate with each other to position the chip carrier 300 carried on the positioning platform 22.

[0037] In this embodiment, the positioning mechanism 2 includes a mounting box 21 and a positioning platform 22. A first opening 211 is formed on one side of the mounting box 21 facing the transfer mechanism 4. When the transfer mechanism 4 drives the pick-and-place component 41 to enter the mounting box 21 through the first opening 211, the chip carrier 300 is placed on the positioning platform 22. After the positioning is completed, the pick-and-place component 41 drives the chip carrier 300 to leave the mounting box 21 through the first opening 211. By arranging the telescopic driving members 23 and the push rods 24 on both sides of the mounting box 21 along the first direction and making the push rods 24 located above the positioning platform 22, the telescopic driving members 23 can drive the push rods 24 to move, so as to push the chip carrier 300 to move on the positioning platform 22, realizing the adjustment of the position of the chips on the chip carrier 300, thereby ensuring the accuracy of subsequent chip testing.

[0038] It should be noted that the telescopic driving member 23 is a cylinder in the prior art.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 5, in one embodiment, a support block 25 and a rotary driving member 26 disposed on one side of the support block 25 are provided inside the mounting box 21. A rotating shaft 251 is rotatably connected to the support block 25, and the top of the rotating shaft 251 is connected to the bottom of the positioning platform 22. The rotary driving member 26 is configured to drive the rotating shaft 251 to rotate so as to drive the positioning platform 22 and the chip carrier 300 carried on the positioning platform 22 to rotate.

[0040] In this embodiment, by providing the rotary driving member 26 and the rotating shaft 251 on the support block 25, the rotating shaft 251 is driven by the rotary driving member 26 to rotate so as to drive the chip carrier 300 to rotate, thereby further adjusting the direction of the chips on the chip carrier 300 to facilitate the subsequent accuracy of chip testing.

[0041] Specifically, the output shaft of the rotary driving member 26 is in transmission connection with the rotating shaft 251 through a synchronous belt. It should be noted that the rotary driving member 26 can adopt a driving motor in the prior art.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 5 , further, a guide rail 27 and a lifting driving member are further provided inside the mounting box 21. The guide rail 27 extends vertically, and the support block 25 is in sliding fit with the guide rail 27. The lifting driving member is configured to drive the support block 25 to lift vertically relative to the guide rail 27.

[0043] It can be understood that by providing the guide rail 27 and the support block 25 being in sliding fit with the guide rail 27, the support block 25 can be driven to lift by the lifting driving member. When the picking and placing assembly 41 picks and places the chip carrier 300 on the positioning platform 22, the positioning platform 22 is first driven to descend by the lifting driving member to avoid interference between the two push rods 24 and the picking and placing assembly 41, which affects the loading and unloading. When positioning the chip carrier 300 is required, the lifting driving member drives the positioning platform 22 to rise so that the push rod 24 can abut against the chip carrier 300 on the positioning platform 22.

[0044] It should be noted that the lifting driving member can adopt a cylinder, an oil cylinder, etc. in the prior art.

[0045] Please refer to others Figure 2 and Figure 3 , in one embodiment, the cartridge 3 forms a loading space 32. The loading space 32 has a plurality of loading areas for placing the chip carriers 300, and the plurality of loading areas are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. A second opening 33 is formed on one side of the cartridge 3 facing the transfer mechanism 4. The second opening 33 is used for the transfer mechanism 4 to enter and exit the loading space 32.

[0046] In this embodiment, by vertically and spacedly arranging a plurality of material placing areas in the material box 3, more chip carriers 300 can be placed, and there is a spacing between any two adjacent chip carriers 300 placed in the material box 3, and this spacing facilitates the pick-and-place component 41 on the transfer mechanism 4 to extend therein to pick and place any chip carrier 300. Second openings 33 are formed on one side of the two material boxes 3 facing the transfer mechanism 4. When picking and placing the chip carrier 300 through the pick-and-place component 41, it can enter and exit the material placing space 32 from the second opening 33, so as to take out the chip carrier 300 in any material placing area or place the chip carrier 300 in an empty material placing area.

[0047] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the chip carriers 300 are all horizontally placed in the material box 3 to prevent the chips from falling off the chip carriers 300.

[0048] Please refer to Figure 3 , in an embodiment, the material box 3 includes two support plates 31 spaced along a first direction, and a material placing space 32 is formed between the two support plates 31; a plurality of grooves 311 spaced vertically are provided on opposite sides of the two support plates 31, and a material placing area is formed between two corresponding grooves 311 on the two support plates 31, and the two ends of the chip carrier 300 located in the material placing area extend into the corresponding two grooves 311 and are supported on the bottom groove walls of the grooves 311.

[0049] In this embodiment, by providing a plurality of grooves 311 spaced vertically on opposite sides of the two support plates 31 and making the two ends of the chip carrier 300 extend into the corresponding grooves 311 and be supported on the bottom groove walls, stable support can be provided for the chip carrier 300. This design ensures that the chip carrier 300 will not easily slide or shift during storage and handling, enhancing stability.

[0050] Among them, each chute extends along a second direction. When the pick-and-place component 41 picks and places the chip carrier 300, it drives the chip carrier 300 to move out of the material placing space 32 along the chute. When placing the chip carrier 300, the pick-and-place component 41 first aligns the two ends of the chip carrier 300 with the two chutes, and then drives the chip carrier 300 into the material placing space 32.

[0051] Specifically, the distance between the top groove wall and the bottom groove wall of the groove 311 is greater than the thickness of the chip carrier 300. When picking and placing the chip carrier 300, by first lifting the chip carrier 300 by a certain distance, the chip carrier 300 does not contact and rub against the top groove wall and the bottom groove wall of the groove 311, so as to easily pick and place the chip carrier 300.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 6 and Figure 7, in one embodiment, the transfer mechanism 4 further includes a lifting and rotating drive member 42, a support platform 43, a translation assembly 44, and a pick-and-place assembly 41; the lifting and rotating drive member 42 is installed on the frame 1 and located between the two positioning mechanisms 2; the support platform 43 is disposed on the top of the lifting and rotating drive member 42; the translation assembly 44 is installed on the top of the support platform 43, and the pick-and-place assembly 41 is disposed at one end of the translation assembly 44. The pick-and-place assembly 41 is used for picking and placing the chip carrier 300. The lifting and rotating drive member 42 is used to drive the support platform 43 and the translation assembly 44 to lift and rotate relative to the frame 1, and the translation assembly 44 is used to drive the pick-and-place assembly 41 to translate relative to the support platform 43.

[0053] In this embodiment, by providing the lifting and rotating drive member 42 and the support platform 43, the lifting and rotating drive member 42 can drive the support platform 43 to lift relative to the frame 1, and can also drive the support platform 43 to rotate, thereby driving the translation assembly 44 located on the support platform 43 to rotate. Since the pick-and-place assembly 41 is disposed at one end of the translation assembly 44, the orientation of the pick-and-place assembly 41 also changes as the support platform 43 rotates; the pick-and-place assembly 41 can be finally driven by the lifting and rotating drive member 42 to face any one of the material boxes 3, the positioning mechanisms 2, and the loading and unloading stations, and the translation mechanism can drive the pick-and-place assembly 41 to translate, so as to pick and place the chip carrier 300 in and out of the material box 3, the installation box 21, etc. The structure is simple and has good flexibility.

[0054] It can be understood that the translation assembly 44 only drives the pick-and-place assembly 41 to translate when the pick-and-place assembly 41 faces the material box 3, the positioning mechanism 2, or the loading and unloading station, that is, to translate in the front-back direction or the left-right direction. It should be noted that the lifting and rotating drive member 42 can adopt a combination of a cylinder and a drive motor in the prior art.

[0055] In one embodiment, a slide rail 431 is provided on the top of the support platform 43. The translation assembly 44 includes a support plate 441 and a translation drive member 443. One end of the support plate 441 is slidably engaged with the slide rail 431 through a slider 442, and the pick-and-place assembly 41 is disposed at the end of the support plate 441 away from the slider 442; the translation drive member 443 is disposed at the bottom of the support platform 43, and the translation drive member 443 is used to drive the slider 442 to slide along the slide rail 431.

[0056] In this embodiment, by providing the slide rail 431 on the top of the support platform 43 and the support plate 441 being slidably engaged with the slide rail 431 through a slider 442, a gap is formed between the support plate 441 and the support platform 43, which is more conducive to the translation of the support plate 441 relative to the support platform 43. When the support platform 43 rotates, the direction of the slide rail 431 changes as the support platform 43 rotates. The translation drive member 443 can drive the slider 442 to slide along the slide rail 431, thereby driving the support plate 441 and the pick-and-place assembly 41 on the support plate 441 to translate.

[0057] Furthermore, a driving sprocket 444 is arranged on the output shaft of the translation driving member 443, a driven sprocket 445 is arranged at one end of the support table 43 away from the translation driving member 443, a chain 446 is wound around the driving sprocket 444 and the driven sprocket 445, and the slider 442 is connected to the chain 446. It can be understood that when the output shaft of the translation driving member 443 rotates, the slider 442 is driven to move on the slide rail 431 through the chain 446. Among them, the translation driving member 443 can adopt a driving motor in the prior art.

[0058] In an embodiment, two slide rails 431 are arranged at intervals on the top of the support table 43. The number of translation assemblies 44 is the same as that of the slide rails 431 and they are arranged in one-to-one correspondence. Both support plates 441 are slidably matched with the corresponding slide rails 431 through a slider 442. Among them, the two support plates 441 are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, and a picking and placing assembly 41 is arranged at one end of each of the two support plates 441 away from the slider 442; one of the picking and placing assemblies 41 is used to take out the chip carrier 300 in any one of the cartridges 3, transfer it to the corresponding positioning mechanism 2 for positioning, and transfer the positioned chip carrier 300 to any one of the loading and unloading stations; the other picking and placing assembly 41 is used to transfer the chip carrier 300 at the loading and unloading station to the corresponding positioning mechanism 2 for positioning, and place the positioned chip carrier 300 in the corresponding cartridge 3.

[0059] In this embodiment, by arranging two picking and placing assemblies 41, one is used to take out the chip carrier 300 from the cartridge 3 and transfer it to the positioning mechanism 2 for positioning, and the other is used to transfer the tested chip carrier 300 from the loading and unloading station back to the cartridge 3. It can be understood that during unloading, the lifting and rotating driving member 42 drives one of the picking and placing assemblies 41 to align with the loading and unloading station first, and then the translation mechanism drives the picking and placing assembly 41 to move to the loading and unloading station to pick up the chip carrier 300, and then the translation mechanism drives the picking and placing assembly 41 to retreat. Then, the lifting and rotating driving member 42 drives the other picking and placing assembly 41 to align with the loading and unloading station, and then the translation mechanism drives the picking and placing assembly 41 to move to place the chip carrier 300 thereon at the loading and unloading station, so as to achieve rapid loading and unloading of the loading and unloading station, with higher efficiency, realize continuous testing of the probe tester 201, and effectively reduce the waiting time of the probe tester 201. When the picking and placing assembly 41 faces the cartridge 3, one of the picking and placing assemblies 41 takes out a chip carrier 300 carrying a chip to be tested, while the other picking and placing assembly 41 puts back the chip carrier 300 carrying the tested chip.

[0060] It can be seen that in this embodiment, one of the picking and placing assemblies 41 is used for loading, while the other picking and placing assembly 41 is used for unloading, so as to achieve continuous loading and unloading with higher efficiency.

[0061] Please refer toFigure 6 and Figure 7 In one embodiment, the pick-and-place component 41 includes a connecting block 411 and two support arms 412. The connecting block 411 is connected to one end of the support plate 441 away from the slider 442. The two support arms 412 are spaced apart on the side of the connecting block 411 away from the support plate 441. The two support arms 412 are used to hold the chip carrier 300.

[0062] In this embodiment, by providing two support arms 412 for holding the chip carrier 300, during loading, first, the lifting and rotating drive member 42 drives the pick-and-place component 41 to move to the position corresponding to the chip carrier 300 to be taken out. Then, the translation mechanism drives the pick-and-place component 41 to translate, so that the two support arms 412 are located below the chip carrier 300 to be taken out. Then, the lifting and rotating drive member 42 drives the support arms 412 to rise a certain distance, thereby lifting the chip carrier 300 by a certain height, so that there is no friction between the chip carrier 300 and the groove 311. Then, the translation mechanism drives the pick-and-place component 41 to retract. If another pick-and-place component 41 carries a chip carrier 300, the lifting and rotating drive member 42 also drives the other pick-and-place component 41 to align with the magazine 3. Then, the translation mechanism drives the pick-and-place component 41 to move and put the chip carrier 300 back into the magazine 3. After that, the lifting and rotating drive member 42 drives the pick-and-place component 41 to descend to align with the positioning mechanism 2. The positioning platform 22 of the positioning mechanism 2 descends. Then, the translation mechanism drives the pick-and-place component 41 to translate, so as to place the chip carrier 300 taken out from the magazine 3 on the positioning platform 22 and then retract. The positioning platform 22 rises. The rotating drive member 26 and the push rod 24 act to position the chip carrier 300 thereon. After positioning, the positioning platform 22 descends. The translation mechanism drives the two support arms 412 of the pick-and-place component 41 to extend under the chip carrier 300, lift the chip carrier 300 by a certain distance and take it out of the mounting box 21. Finally, the pick-and-place component 41 without a chip carrier 300 is adjusted by the lifting and rotating drive member 42 to align with the loading and unloading station. The translation mechanism drives the pick-and-place component 41 to translate to the loading and unloading station to first take down the chip carrier 300, and then the pick-and-place component 41 retracts. The lifting and rotating drive member 42 is adjusted to make the other pick-and-place component 41 align with the loading and unloading station, and the translation mechanism drives to place the chip carrier 300 thereon at the loading and unloading station.

[0063] Therefore, in this application, by providing two support arms 412 to hold the chip carrier 300, compared with other methods of clamping the chip carrier 300 by a fixture, it is not easy to cause deformation of the chip carrier 300 when holding the chip carrier 300, thereby further avoiding damage to the chips thereon and having better reliability.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7, Further, a support frame 432 is also provided on the support table 43. The support frame 432 includes a support rod 4321 located above the support plate 441. Two telescopic cylinders 433 are arranged at intervals at the bottom of the support rod 4321. A receiving block 434 is provided at the output end of each telescopic cylinder 433. A receiving plate 435 is provided on the side of the receiving block 434 facing the picking and placing component 41. The telescopic cylinder 433 is used to drive the receiving block 434 to translate relative to the support rod 4321.

[0065] It can be understood that by providing the support frame 432 and arranging the telescopic cylinder 433 and the receiving block 434 on the support frame 432, when the picking and placing component 41 places the chip carrier 300 back into the material box 3 towards the material box 3, the telescopic cylinder 433 drives the receiving block 434 to translate so that the receiving block 434 corresponds to one of the placing areas. Then, by moving the picking and placing component 41 during translation, the chip carrier 300 on the picking and placing component 41 moves along the upper side of the receiving plate 435, and thus accurately enters the corresponding placing area. The two receiving plates 435 can be regarded as an intermediate bridge. The receiving plate 435 holds the chip carrier 300, avoiding the situation that the chip carrier 300 cannot be accurately placed back into the material box 3 due to reasons such as the chip carrier 300 sagging caused by its excessive weight, and the reliability is better.

[0066] Specifically, the upper picking and placing component 41 is used for discharging, and the lower picking and placing component 41 is used for loading.

[0067] Please refer to Figure 8 , The present invention also proposes a chip testing system 200, which includes a loading and unloading device 100 for the chip carrier 300 and two probe testing machines 201. The two probe testing machines 201 are respectively arranged on both sides of the loading and unloading device 100 along the first direction and correspond to two loading and unloading stations one by one. Each probe testing machine 201 has a wafer chuck, and the wafer chuck can hold the chip carrier 300 transferred to the corresponding loading and unloading station. The probe testing machine 201 is used to test the chips on the chip carrier 300 held on the wafer chuck. The specific structure of the loading and unloading device 100 for the chip carrier 300 refers to the above embodiment. Since this chip testing system 200 adopts all the technical solutions of the above all embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0068] Among them, through one loading and unloading device 100, the two probe testing machines 201 can be alternately loaded and unloaded in sequence, saving costs and reducing the waiting time of the loading and unloading device 100, and the loading and unloading efficiency is high.

[0069] Furthermore, a code scanning mechanism is also provided on the carrier stage. The code scanning mechanism is used to scan the chips on the chip carrier 300 on the picking and placing component 41, and then send the scanned information to the probe tester 201. The probe tester 201 loads the information and enters the test preparation stage. It should be noted that the interaction method between the code scanning mechanism and the probe tester 201 is implemented by existing technologies. When the wafer stage catches the chip carrier 300, the wafer stage drives it to the position of the probe, and then tests the PAD points of the chip through the probe. After the test is completed, the wafer stage drives the chip carrier 300 to the loading and unloading station.

[0070] The above are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and do not limit the protection scope of the present invention accordingly. Any equivalent structural transformation made under the technical concept of the present invention by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present invention, or any direct / indirect application in other related technical fields, is included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An equipment for loading and unloading a chip carrier, characterized in that, The chip carrier carries a chip, and the loading and unloading device includes: A frame, with loading and unloading stations provided on both sides of the frame along a first direction; A positioning mechanism, which is provided on the top of the frame and is used to position the chip carrier; A magazine, which is provided on the top of the positioning mechanism, and each magazine is used to place the chip carrier; A transfer mechanism, which is installed on the frame, and several sensors are provided on the transfer mechanism; the several sensors are used to obtain the quantity information and position information of the chip carriers placed in the magazine, and the transfer mechanism is used to take out the chip carriers in the magazine according to the quantity information and the position information and transfer them to the positioning mechanism for positioning, and transfer the positioned chip carriers to any loading and unloading station; the transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the chip carriers at the loading and unloading station to the positioning mechanism for positioning, and place the positioned chip carriers in the magazine according to the quantity information and the position information.

2. The loading and unloading device for a chip carrier according to claim 1, wherein: The positioning mechanism includes a mounting box and a positioning platform installed in the mounting box. A first opening is formed on one side of the mounting box facing the transfer mechanism, and the two magazines are correspondingly arranged on the tops of the two mounting boxes; the first opening is used for the transfer mechanism to enter and exit the mounting box; The positioning platform is used to receive the chip carrier. Telescopic driving members and push rods are provided on both sides of the mounting box along the first direction. The push rods are connected to the output shafts of the corresponding telescopic driving members and are located above the positioning platform. Each telescopic driving member is used to drive the corresponding push rod to move along the first direction, so that the two push rods cooperate with each other to position the chip carrier carried on the positioning platform.

3. The loading and unloading device for the chip carrier according to claim 2, wherein, A support block and a rotary driving member provided on one side of the support block are arranged in the mounting box. A rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the support block, and the top of the rotating shaft is connected to the bottom of the positioning platform. The rotary driving member is used to drive the rotating shaft to rotate, so as to drive the positioning platform and the chip carrier carried on the positioning platform to rotate.

4. The loading and unloading device for the chip carrier according to claim 1, wherein The magazine forms a loading space, and a plurality of loading areas for placing the chip carriers are provided in the loading space, and the plurality of loading areas are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. A second opening is formed on one side of the magazine facing the transfer mechanism, and the second opening is used for the transfer mechanism to enter and exit the loading space.

5. The loading and unloading device for the chip carrier according to claim 4, characterized in that, The magazine includes two support plates arranged at intervals along the first direction, and the loading space is formed between the two support plates; a plurality of grooves spaced at intervals in the vertical direction are provided on one side of the two support plates facing each other, and a loading area is formed between the two corresponding grooves on the two support plates. The two ends of the chip carrier located in the loading area extend into the corresponding two grooves along the first direction and are supported on the bottom groove walls of the grooves.

6. The loading and unloading device for the chip carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The transfer mechanism further includes: A lifting and rotating drive member, which is installed on the frame and located between the two positioning mechanisms; A support table, which is arranged on the top of the lifting and rotating drive member, A translation assembly, which is installed on the top of the support table; A picking and placing assembly, which is arranged at one end of the translation assembly, and the picking and placing assembly is used for picking and placing the chip carrier; wherein, the lifting and rotating drive member is used to drive the support table and the translation assembly to lift and rotate relative to the frame, and the translation assembly is used to drive the picking and placing assembly to translate.

7. The loading and unloading device for the chip carrier according to claim 6, characterized in that, A slide rail is arranged on the top of the support table. The translation assembly includes a support plate and a translation drive member. One end of the support plate is slidably matched with the slide rail through a slider, and the picking and placing assembly is arranged at the end of the support plate away from the slider; the translation drive member is arranged at the bottom of the support table, and the translation drive member is used to drive the slider to slide along the slide rail.

8. The loading and unloading device for the chip carrier according to claim 7, wherein, The picking and placing assembly includes a connecting block and two support arms. The connecting block is connected to the support plate, and the two support arms are arranged at intervals on the side of the connecting block away from the support plate, and the chip carrier can be received on the two support arms.

9. The loading and unloading device for the chip carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The number of the positioning mechanisms and the cassettes is two. The two positioning mechanisms are arranged at intervals along the second direction on the top of the frame. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. The two cassettes are correspondingly arranged on the tops of the two positioning mechanisms, and the transfer mechanism is located between the two positioning mechanisms.

10. A chip testing system, characterized in that, Comprising: A loading and unloading device, which is the loading and unloading device for the chip carrier as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; Two probe testers, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the loading and unloading device along the first direction and correspond to the two loading and unloading stations one by one. Each probe tester has a wafer stage, and the chip carrier transferred to the corresponding loading and unloading station can be received on the wafer stage. The probe tester is used to test the chips on the chip carrier received on the wafer stage.

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