System for testing semiconductor device using rotating turret system

Abstract

The present application provides a system (101) for testing a semiconductor device (103) using a rotating turret system, the system (101) comprising at least one test module (111) of a test station (109) capable of receiving said semiconductor device (103) from suction nozzles (107) on the circumference of a rotating turret (105) and linearly transferring said semiconductor device (103) to a tester (203); and upon completion of the testing of the semiconductor device, returning the semiconductor device (103) to the rotating turret (105); a high test speed and a high yield are thus obtained using the rotary turret system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application provides a system and method for testing semiconductor devices using a rotating turret system, comprising at least one test module of a test station, which is capable of receiving the semiconductor device from a suction nozzle on the circumference of a rotating turret and linearly transferring the semiconductor device to a tester; and returning the semiconductor device to the rotating turret once the test of the semiconductor device is completed; thereby obtaining high testing speed and high throughput using the rotating turret system. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, semiconductor devices such as packaged devices or chips undergo various processes in device / die sorting equipment to achieve specific purposes such as defect detection, sorting devices / chips into various types or sizes, etc. However, the task of testing the semiconductor devices is completed at another location, whereby after the semiconductor devices are unpacked, sorted, and repacked by the chip sorting equipment, the tape and reel containing the semiconductor devices is transferred to another equipment for unpacking, testing, and repacking. This process is time-consuming, thus greatly affecting production yield due to the need to repeat the unpacking and repacking process to perform sorting and testing by their respective equipment. This also affects the accuracy of the sorting or testing tasks of semiconductor devices, because the repeated unpacking and repacking of semiconductor devices from tape and reel, and repeated unpacking and repacking to tape and reel may further damage the semiconductor devices.

[0003] CN102921644A by Xu Yinsen et al. discloses a turret test sorter for testing, marking, sorting and taping very small semiconductor devices. Although the workstations have different functions, including loading stations, 1-6 test stations and 1-2 rotation correction stations, the time required to perform all the tests will create a bottleneck for the operation of the turret, because the tests need to be completed before the turret can continue to operate.

[0004] CN218213067U by Chen Yongsheng et al. discloses a chip detection device, specifically a rotating test platform and corresponding workstations; whereby the turntable rotates a predetermined angle, and the suction pen assembly drives the photovoltaic module to move until the photovoltaic module is in electrical contact with the detection part. Even if the prior art claims that the detection speed is high, the time required to perform all the tests will create a bottleneck for the operation of the turret, because the test needs to be completed before the turret can continue to operate.

[0005] Therefore, it would be advantageous to mitigate these disadvantages by having a system and method for testing semiconductor devices using a rotating turret system that provides high speed testing and high production throughput. Summary of the invention

[0006] Therefore, a primary object of the present application is to provide a system and method for testing semiconductor devices using a rotating turret system, which system and method provide high speed testing and high yield throughput.

[0007] Another object of the present application is to provide a system and method for testing semiconductor devices using a rotating turret system, wherein defective semiconductor devices detected during testing can be tracked within a test station of the rotating turret system.

[0008] Other objects of the present application will become apparent upon understanding the following detailed description of the application or employing the application in actual practice.

[0009] According to the preferred embodiment of the present application, the following contents are provided:

[0010] A system for testing semiconductor devices using a rotating turret system, comprising:

[0011] a rotating turret having a plurality of suction nozzles disposed at a circumference of the rotating turret, the suction nozzles being capable of picking up or placing the semiconductor devices at specific locations along the circumference of the rotating turret;

[0012] Testing stations;

[0013] The test station includes at least one test module;

[0014] The test modules include:

[0015] a test fixture configured to accept the semiconductor device from the suction nozzle and hold the semiconductor device;

[0016] at least one tester;

[0017] Connect the paths,

[0018] The test fixture is attached to a platform configured to be actuated by at least one actuator to move linearly along the connection path; thereby the test fixture is linearly moved back and forth from a first position below the rotation path of the suction nozzle to at least one test position corresponding thereto so that the semiconductor device can be reached by the at least one tester; wherein the at least one test position extends outward from the circumference of the rotating turret within the path of the connection path.

[0019] In another embodiment of the present application, there is provided:

[0020] A method for testing a semiconductor device using a rotating turret system, comprising the steps of:

[0021] Before placing the semiconductor device in the test fixture, and before transferring the semiconductor device to a position above at least one test fixture in at least one test module, picking up the semiconductor device from a suitable position along the circumference of the rotating turret by at least one suction nozzle; wherein the suction nozzle is placed at the circumference of the rotating turret and is capable of picking up or placing the semiconductor device at a specific position along the circumference of the rotating turret; wherein the test fixture is positionable at a first position below the rotation path of the suction nozzle;

[0022] transferring the semiconductor device from the first position to its corresponding test position by the test fixture; wherein the test position extends outward from the circumference of the rotating turret;

[0023] When the test fixture is in the test position, the tester performs any suitable test on the semiconductor device;

[0024] transferring the semiconductor device to be tested from the test position to the first position by means of the test fixture;

[0025] The semiconductor device is picked up from the test fixture by the suction nozzle at the first position to another suitable position along the circumference of the rotating turret. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Other aspects of the present application and their advantages will be recognized after studying the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 A top view of a system for testing semiconductor devices using a rotating turret system of the present application is shown.

[0028] Figure 2 A side view of the test module is shown.

[0029] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method for testing a semiconductor device using a rotating turret system of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In the following detailed description, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known methods, processes and / or components are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present application.

[0031] The present application will be more clearly understood from the following description of embodiments given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not drawn to scale.

[0032] The present application is a system 101 for testing a semiconductor device 103 using a rotating turret system, including a rotating turret 105 having a plurality of suction nozzles 107 and a test station 109, such as Figure 1 The suction nozzle 107 is disposed on the circumference of the rotating turret 105 and can pick up or place the semiconductor device 103 at a specific position along the circumference of the rotating turret 105 .

[0033] The test station 109 includes at least one of the test modules 111, wherein the test module 111 includes a test fixture 201, a tester 203, and a connection path 205, wherein the connection path 205 is used for the test fixture 201 to move back and forth from a first position below the rotation path of the suction nozzle 107 to its corresponding test position that can be reached by the tester 203, such as Figure 2 The test locations extend outwardly from the circumference of the rotating turret 105 .

[0034] The tester 203 is configured to perform a white light test, a crosstalk test, or a combination thereof.

[0035] The connection path 205 is a rail, track or any other suitable device for guiding the test fixture 201. Preferably, the connection path 205 is a linear path to ensure smooth and fast movement between the first position and the test position. However, other forms of connection paths are still possible, such as a curved path, as long as the connection path can guide the test fixture 201 back and forth from the first position to the test position.

[0036] The suction nozzle 107 on the rotating turret 105 can reach at least one vibration bowl 113, at least one semiconductor device positioning station 115, at least one first visual inspection station 117, at least one semiconductor device orientation rotating station 119; at least one second visual inspection station 121; at least one taping station 123 or a combination thereof.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, the present application is also a method for testing semiconductor devices using a rotating turret system, wherein the testing step includes the following steps. First, before placing the semiconductor device in a test fixture, before transferring the semiconductor device to a position above at least one test fixture in at least one test module, the semiconductor device is picked up from a suitable position along the circumference of the rotating turret by at least one suction nozzle. The suction nozzle is placed at the circumference of the rotating turret and can pick up or place the semiconductor device at a specific position along the circumference of the rotating turret. The test fixture can be positioned at a first position below the rotation path of the suction nozzle.

[0038] Second, the test fixture transfers the semiconductor device from the first position to its corresponding test position; wherein the test position extends outward from the circumference of the rotating turret. Third, when the test fixture is in the test position, any suitable test is performed on the semiconductor device by the tester. Fourth, the semiconductor device under test is transferred from the test position to the first position by the test fixture. Thereafter, the semiconductor device is picked up from the test fixture by the suction nozzle at the first position to another suitable position along the circumference of the rotating turret.

[0039] Before the suction nozzle picks up the semiconductor device from a suitable position along the circumference of the rotating turret (i.e., the test step), the rotating turret system can perform the following pre-test steps. First, a plurality of semiconductor devices are arranged in a desired orientation. This can be accomplished by using a vibrating bowl; wherein a plurality of semiconductor devices are placed in a bowl-like device having an outlet, the outlet being arranged to allow the semiconductor device to leave the bowl-like device through the outlet in a desired orientation; wherein the desired orientation is any orientation of the semiconductor device suitable for use in the next step. Second, the semiconductor device is transferred to the positioning station by at least one suction nozzle, thereby performing the correct positioning of the semiconductor device. Third, the semiconductor device is transferred to the first visual inspection station by at least one suction nozzle, thereby performing a visual inspection on the upper surface of the semiconductor device. Fourth, a semiconductor device having at least one defect is transferred to a first waste container by at least one suction nozzle, while a semiconductor device without a defect is transferred to an orientation rotation station for rotating the semiconductor device to an orientation suitable for the test station.

[0040] After the test step (i.e., the step of picking up the semiconductor device from the test fixture by the suction nozzle at the first position), the rotary turret system can perform the following post-test steps. First, the semiconductor device is transferred from the test fixture to another orientation rotation station by the suction nozzle so that the orientation rotation station rotates the semiconductor device to the same direction as the taping station. Second, the semiconductor device is transferred from the orientation rotation station to the second visual inspection station by the suction nozzle, thereby performing a visual inspection on the bottom surface, at least one side surface, or a combination thereof of the semiconductor device. Third, the semiconductor device with at least one defect is transferred to the second waste container, while the semiconductor device without defects is transferred to the taping station for packaging. Fourth, the suction nozzle is cleaned by blowing air from the suction nozzle to the suction nozzle cleaning barrel station.

[0041] Although the present application has been shown and described herein in a manner that is considered to be its preferred embodiment, illustrating the results and advantages obtained by the present application over the prior art, the present application is not limited to these specific embodiments. Therefore, the form of the present application shown and described herein is considered to be illustrative only, and other embodiments may be selected without departing from the scope of the present application, as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system (101) for testing a semiconductor device (103) using a rotating turret system, comprising: A rotating turret (105), the rotating turret (105) having a plurality of suction nozzles (107) placed at the circumference of the rotating turret (105), the suction nozzles (107) being capable of picking up or placing the semiconductor device (103) at a specific position along the circumference of the rotating turret (105); Testing Station (109); It is characterized in that The testing station (109) comprises at least one testing module (111); The test module (111) comprises: A test fixture (201), the test fixture (201) being configured to receive the semiconductor device (103) from the suction nozzle (107) and hold the semiconductor device (103); at least one tester (203); CONNECT PATH (205); The test fixture (201) is attached to a platform (207) which is configured to be actuated by at least one actuator (209) to move linearly along the connection path (205); thereby the test fixture (201) is linearly moved back and forth from a first position below the rotation path of the suction nozzle (107) to at least one test position corresponding thereto so that the semiconductor device (103) can be reached by the at least one tester; wherein the at least one test position extends outward from the circumference of the rotating turret (105) within the path of the connection path (205).

2. The system (101) for testing semiconductor devices (103) using a rotating turret system according to claim 1, wherein: The tester (203) is configured to perform a white light test, a crosstalk test, or a combination thereof.

3. The system (101) for testing semiconductor devices (103) using a rotating turret system according to claim 1, wherein: The connection path (205) is a rail, a track or any other suitable means for guiding the test fixture (201).

4. The system (101) for testing semiconductor devices (103) using a rotating turret system according to claim 1, wherein: The suction nozzle (107) on the rotating turret (105) is capable of reaching at least one vibration bowl (113), at least one semiconductor device positioning station (115), at least one first visual inspection station (117), at least one semiconductor device orientation rotation station (119); at least one second visual inspection station (121); at least one taping station (123) or a combination thereof.

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