Pogo pin cooling system, cooling method, and electronic device test device equipped with said system

Abstract

The pogo pin cooling system, cooling method, and electronic device testing apparatus equipped with the system include a coolant circulation module, which includes a coolant supply channel and a coolant recovery channel that are connected to a bath inlet and a bath outlet, respectively, of a chip socket. When an electronic component is placed in the chip socket, the coolant circulation module supplies coolant into the chip socket through the coolant supply channel and the bath inlet, and after the coolant flows through the pogo pins, it returns to the coolant recovery channel through the bath outlet. The circulating coolant not only cools the pogo pins in the chip socket, but also cools the bottom surfaces and solder ball contacts of the electronic component, preventing the solder balls from softening or even melting due to high temperatures and contaminating the pogo pins and chip socket.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for cooling pogo pins of a test device, which is used when testing electronic devices, and to an electronic device test device equipped with the system. [Background technology]

[0002] To ensure the quality of the electronic components, they had to be tested before shipping. Taking chip testing as an example, first, the chip is placed in a test socket, and then a number of pogo pins are placed at the bottom of the test socket. The solder balls on the bottom of the chip are electrically connected to the pogo pins, and then the test begins.

[0003] However, as the functionality of the chip increases, the processing or calculation operations become more complex, and the number of contacts on the bottom of the chip increases, which in turn increases the number of pogo pins in the test socket. Furthermore, with the advancement of semiconductor technology, the volume of chips has become smaller, and the density of pogo pins installed in test sockets has gradually increased. Additionally, as the functionality became more complex, test times became longer and the power provided gradually increased. Therefore, the high heat generated when testing the chip was transferred directly to the solder balls and pogo pins of the chip. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, the melting point of a solder ball is 180°C, but when the temperature of the solder ball reaches 120°C, it begins to soften. Furthermore, when the power during testing reaches 900W to 1000W, the temperature of the solder ball also reaches 120°C. However, according to current chip testing standards, for chips with complex functions, the testing power often reaches between 800W and 2600W. As a result, during testing, the solder balls often melt and stick to the pogo pins, or solder ball residue is scattered inside the test socket. After a period of time, the damage could range from mild to severe, resulting in test failure, short circuiting, chip damage, or device failure.

[0005] The main object of the present invention is to provide a pogo pin cooling system, a cooling method, and an electronic device testing apparatus equipped with the system, which can reduce the temperature of the pogo pins in a test socket and the solder ball contacts of an electronic device, thereby preventing the solder balls from melting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a pogo pin cooling system for cooling pogo pins in a chip socket, the chip socket including at least one tank inlet and at least one tank outlet, the system mainly including a coolant circulation module, the coolant circulation module including at least one coolant supply channel, at least one coolant return channel, and a coolant, the coolant supply channel and the coolant return channel communicating with the tank inlet and the tank outlet, respectively. When an electronic component is placed in the chip socket, the coolant circulation module supplies the coolant into the chip socket through the coolant supply channel and the tank inlet, and after the coolant flows through the pogo pins, it returns to the coolant collection channel through the tank outlet.

[0007] Furthermore, the coolant circulation module further includes a pump, a reservoir tank, a radiator, a filter, and a coolant pipe, wherein at least one coolant supply channel and at least one coolant recovery channel are provided at both ends of the coolant pipe, respectively, and the pump, the reservoir tank, the radiator, and the filter are mounted on the coolant pipe.

[0008] In other words, the present invention mainly uses circulating coolant to cool the pogo pins in the chip socket, as well as the bottom surface of the electronic component and the solder ball contacts on the bottom surface, thereby cooling the pogo pins and solder balls that are in a high temperature state during the test process, preventing the solder balls from softening or even melting due to the high temperature and contaminating the pogo pins and chip socket, and also cooling the electronic component to maintain the test temperature.

[0009] In addition, the present invention may further include a gas supply module connected to the tank inlet, and after the coolant circulation module stops supplying the coolant, the gas supply module supplies purge gas into the chip socket through the tank inlet and circulates the coolant through at least one of the coolant recovery channels. In other words, once testing is complete and the supply of coolant into the chip socket is stopped, the present invention utilizes a gas supply module to remove any remaining coolant in the chip socket or on the electronic component, keeping the electronic component and chip socket clean and dry, and recovering the remaining coolant for reuse.

[0010] The cooling system further includes a switch module having two inlet ends and an outlet end, the switch module having a pressure source channel, one end of which is connected to a pressure source and the other end of which is connected to one of the two inlet ends of the switch module, at least one of the coolant supply channels being connected to another of the inlet ends of the switch module, the outlet end of the switch module being connected to at least one of the tank inlets, and the switch module being used to switch and connect at least one of the coolant supply channels or the pressure source channel to at least one of the tank inlets.

[0011] Furthermore, the electronic component is housed in the chip socket, and the lower surface of the electronic component, the bottom surface of the chip socket, and the surrounding sidewalls of the chip socket collectively define a cooling space, and the coolant circulation module supplies the coolant into the cooling space.

[0012] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an electronic device testing apparatus comprising the above-mentioned pogo pin cooling system and a main controller, the main controller is electrically connected to the coolant circulation module, and controls the coolant circulation module to supply the coolant into the chip sockets, thereby achieving fully automated operation through the main controller and greatly improving testing efficiency.

[0013] Furthermore, it further includes a pressure welding head and a test socket, and the chip socket is formed on the upper surface of the test socket. The pressure welding head is installed above the test socket and is controlled by the main controller to selectively move toward or away from the test socket. When the electronic component is placed in the chip socket, the pressure welding head is controlled by the controller to press against the electronic component.

[0014] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the pogo pin cooling method provided by the present invention mainly includes the following steps: The method includes the steps of first placing an electronic component in a chip socket, the bottom surface of which includes at least one pogo pin; providing a coolant into the chip socket through at least one coolant supply channel, and returning the coolant to at least one coolant recovery channel after the coolant has flowed through the at least one pogo pin; and then stopping the provision of the coolant into the chip socket.

[0015] Furthermore, in step (A), the lower surface of the electronic component, the bottom surface of the chip socket, and the peripheral sidewall of the chip socket jointly define a cooling space; in step (B), the cooling liquid is provided into the cooling space through at least one of the cooling liquid supply channels; after step (C), the method further includes step (D) of supplying a purge gas into the chip socket through a gas supply module and returning the cooling liquid to at least one of the cooling liquid recovery channels, wherein the gas supply module supplies the purge gas into the cooling space and returns the cooling liquid to at least one of the cooling liquid recovery channels.

[0016] Furthermore, in step (B), the coolant is drawn from the storage tank by a pump and then pumped into the cooling space through at least one of the coolant supply channels, and the coolant returns to at least one of the coolant recovery channels, then flows through a filter and a radiator in sequence, and then enters the storage tank.

[0017] Therefore, the cooling method of the pogo pins provided by the present invention uses a liquid cooling method to cool the pogo pins and the solder balls of the electronic component in the chip socket using a circulating coolant, and utilizes the sealed cooling space formed after the electronic component is placed in the chip socket, and a sealed circuit consisting of a coolant supply channel and a coolant recovery channel to continuously circulate the coolant, thereby improving the cooling effect.

[0018] In addition, after the supply of the coolant is stopped, the gas supply module supplies a purge gas into the chip socket to return the coolant to the coolant recovery channel. That is, the gas supply module separately supplies high-pressure gas, which returns the coolant remaining in the cooling space to the coolant recovery channel, effectively preventing the electronic components and chip sockets from being contaminated by the coolant. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a pogo pin cooling system of the present invention. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating how a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides coolant. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating how a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides purge gas. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a coolant circulation module of the present invention. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B shows a second embodiment of the coolant circulation module of the present invention. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a coolant fluid pressure analysis diagram of the first embodiment of the coolant circulation module of the present invention. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a coolant fluid pressure analysis diagram of the second embodiment of the coolant circulation module of the present invention. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a coolant fluid viscosity analysis diagram of the first embodiment of the coolant circulation module of the present invention. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a coolant fluid viscosity analysis diagram of the second embodiment of the coolant circulation module of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the coolant flow rate and the pogo pin temperature rise in the first and second embodiments of the coolant circulation module of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Before describing the pogo pin cooling system, cooling method, and electronic device testing apparatus equipped with the system in detail in this embodiment, it should be noted that in the following description, similar elements are represented by the same reference numerals. It should also be noted that the accompanying drawings of the present invention are for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily drawn to scale, and not all details are shown in the accompanying drawings. Commonly encountered test equipment to which the present invention is applicable includes, but is not limited to, semiconductor chip test equipment, system level automatic test equipment, and the like.

[0021] First, reference is made to Figure 1, which shows a diagram of the pogo pin cooling system of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the pogo pin cooling system of this embodiment is mainly used to cool the pogo pins Sp in the chip socket S of the test socket and the solder ball contacts of the electronic component C (see FIG. 2). The chip socket S includes a number of vessel inlets Sin and a number of vessel outlets Sout. The pogo pin cooling system of this embodiment mainly includes a coolant circulation module 2, a gas supply module 3, a switch module 4 and a main controller 5. The coolant circulation module 2 includes a coolant supply channel 21 , a coolant recovery channel 22 , a coolant Lc, a pump 23 , a reservoir tank 24 , a radiator 25 , a filter 26 and a coolant pipe 27 .

[0022] As shown in the figure, the coolant supply channel 21 and the coolant recovery channel 22 are provided at both ends of the coolant pipe 27, respectively. According to the fluid circulation flow direction, the coolant pipe 27 is provided with the coolant recovery channel 22, the filter 26, the radiator 25, the reservoir tank 24, the pump 23 and the coolant supply channel 21 in this order. A filter 26 may be used to filter out impurities such as solder ball debris and dust from the coolant Lc, a radiator 25 may be used to remove heat from the coolant Lc, the temperature of the coolant Lc may be lowered through bypassed ducts and heat dissipation fins, and a fan may be used in combination to force convection and enhance the heat dissipation effect.

[0023] The reservoir tank 24 is used to store the cooling liquid Lc for circulation, and the cooling liquid Lc is pumped in by the pump 23 to forcibly circulate the cooling liquid Lc. The switch module 4 may also be an electromagnetic control valve, which includes two inlet ends 41 and an outlet end 42 . The gas supply module 3 of this embodiment includes a pressure source channel 32 , one end of which communicates with the pressure source Sa and the other end of which communicates with one of the inlet ends 41 of the switch modules 4 . The coolant supply channel 21 of the coolant circulation module 2 communicates with another one of the inlet ends 41 of the switch module 4 . On the other hand, the outlet end 42 of the switch module 4 is connected to the tank inlet Sin, and when the switch module 4 is controlled, the coolant supply channel 21 or the pressure source channel 32 is connected to the tank inlet Sin.

[0024] Next, the figure further shows a main controller 5, which may be the main controller of the entire electronic component testing apparatus, i.e., the main controller of the entire apparatus including material feeding, testing, material distribution, material discharge, temperature control, etc., which may be an industrial computer equipped with a processor, memory, storage media, and other computer hardware components. The main controller 5 is electrically connected to the coolant circulation module 2, the gas supply module 3, and the switch module 4, and the main controller 5 controls the switch module 4 to connect the coolant supply channel 21 to the tank inlet Sin and supply coolant Lc into the chip socket S via the coolant circulation module, or connect the air pressure source channel 32 to the tank inlet Sin and supply purge gas into the chip socket S via the gas supply module 3.

[0025] Please refer to Figures 1, 2A and 2B in conjunction. Figure 2A is a diagram showing how a preferred embodiment of the present invention supplies coolant, and Figure 2B is a diagram showing how a preferred embodiment of the present invention supplies purge gas. The electronic device testing apparatus of this embodiment includes, in addition to the main components described above, a pressure welding head Ph and a test socket SI. The chip socket S is formed on the upper surface of the test socket SI, and the pressure welding head Ph is placed above the test socket SI and, under the control of the main controller 5, is selectively moved toward or away from the test socket SI.

[0026] The testing and cooling process of the electronic device testing apparatus of this embodiment will be described in detail below. First, the electronic component C to be tested is transferred by the pressure welding head Ph and placed in the chip socket S. At this time, the lower surface of the electronic component C, the bottom surface of the chip socket S, and the sidewalls surrounding the chip socket S jointly define a cooling space Sc. 2A, as shown in the figure, as the pressure welding head Ph continues to press the electronic component C within the cooling space Sc, the solder ball contacts Cb on the bottom surface of the electronic component C are already in electrical contact with the pogo pins Sp on the bottom surface of the chip socket S, and the tank inlet Sin and tank outlet Sout also communicate with the cooling space Sc.

[0027] Subsequently, the main controller 5 starts the pump 23, which controls the switch module 4, so that the coolant supply channel 21 is connected to the tank inlet Sin. When the pump 23 is started, the pump 23 draws the coolant Lc from the reservoir tank 24 and supplies the coolant Lc into the cooling space Sc via the coolant supply channel 21 and the tank inlet Sin. At this time, the pump 23 operates continuously to pump the coolant Lc into the cooling space Sc, gradually filling the entire cooling space Sc, and then the coolant Lc flows toward the tank outlet Sout and into the coolant recovery channel 22. See FIG. 2A.

[0028] After entering the coolant recovery channel 22, the coolant Lc passes through a filter 26 and a radiator 25 in this order, and finally returns to the reservoir tank 24, thereby forming a circulation loop for the coolant Lc. The filter 26 filters out foreign matter such as solder ball debris or dust contained in the coolant Lc, and the radiator 25 dissipates the heat contained in the coolant Lc by a heat exchange method. In another embodiment, for example, during low temperature testing, the heat sink 25 may be replaced with a cooler to further reduce the temperature of the coolant Lc and ensure a low temperature testing environment for the electronic components.

[0029] Next, the electronic component C is tested, and the pump 23 is kept running throughout the entire test process, causing the coolant Lc to flow through the pogo pins Sp in the chip socket S and the solder ball contacts Cb of the electronic component C, thereby continuously removing the heat generated during the test and lowering the temperatures of the pogo pins Sp, the solder ball contacts Cb, and even the electronic component C.

[0030] When the test is completed, the main controller 5 stops the operation of the pump 23. That is, the coolant circulation module 2 stops supplying the coolant Lc into the cooling space Sc. Subsequently, the main controller 5 controls the operation of the switch module 4 to connect the air pressure source channel 32 to the tank inlet Sin. At this time, the pressure source Sa provides air at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, so when the switch module 4 switches its operation, the high-pressure air enters the cooling space Sc as a purge gas, and the purge gas is blown into the cooling liquid Lc remaining in the cooling space Sc, causing the remaining cooling liquid Lc to enter the tank outlet Sout and flow into the cooling liquid recovery channel 22 for recovery and reuse. See Figure 2B.

[0031] After the gas supply module 3 continues to supply purge gas into the chip socket S for a certain period of time, the entire chip socket S (including the pogo pins Sp) and the bottom surface of the electronic component C (including the solder ball contacts Cb) are both cleaned. Finally, the pressure welding head Ph removes the electronic component C for which testing has been completed from the chip socket S and places another electronic component C to be tested. Here, the coolant Lc in this embodiment is a non-conductive heat-conductive liquid. This is, for example, an electronic process liquid such as 3M® Novec®, so that no short circuit occurs between the pogo pins Sp and the solder ball contacts Cb.

[0032] 3A and 3B, Fig. 3A shows a first embodiment of a coolant circulation module of the present invention. FIG. 3B shows a second embodiment of the coolant circulation module of the present invention. Hereinafter, a first embodiment and a second embodiment of the coolant circulation module of the present invention will be described. The first embodiment employs two bath inlets Sin and two bath outlets Sout, which are respectively located on two corresponding side walls of the chip socket S. The second embodiment employs three bath inlets Sin and three bath outlets Sout, which are respectively located on two corresponding side walls of the chip socket S.

[0033] The results of comparing the first and second embodiments using computer software are shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B. The second embodiment provides a three-in, three-out mode, where the fluid pressure decreases very uniformly along the flow direction. See Figure 4B. In contrast, the two-in, two-out mode of the first embodiment generates a higher fluid pressure at the vessel inlet Sin and a lower fluid pressure at the vessel outlet Sout, which is not a uniform decrease.

[0034] Regarding the fluid viscosity, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the second embodiment, the overall fluid viscosity is very uniform, and the fluid viscosity in the area between the two tank inlets Sin and the area between the two tank outlets Sout is slightly higher. However, in the first embodiment, in addition to the areas between the inlets and outlets, the viscosity is also high at the four corners, as shown in Figure 5A. This indicates that the liquid at the four corners has poor fluidity.

[0035] Please also refer to Figure 6, which is a relationship diagram between the coolant flow rate and the pogo pin temperature rise in the first and second embodiments of the coolant circulation module of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper dotted line indicates the relationship between temperature and flow rate in the first embodiment. When the coolant flow rate is about 0.092 LPM, the first embodiment can control the temperature difference that increases the contact temperature between the pogo pin and the solder ball to maintain the operating temperature (about 50 degrees). Meanwhile, the lower solid line shows the temperature analogy of the second embodiment. As can be clearly seen from the figure, the three-in, three-out mode of the second embodiment has a better cooling effect.

[0036] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative for the sake of convenience, and the scope of the rights claimed by the present invention should be determined based on the claims, and is not limited to the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 2 Coolant Circulation Module 3 Gas Supply Module 4 Switch Module 5 Main Controller 21 Coolant Supply Channel 22 Coolant recovery channel 23 Pump 24 Storage tank 25 Heat sink 26 filters 27 Coolant line 32 Pressure Source Channel 41 Inlet end 42 Outlet end C Electronic components Cb Solder ball contact lc coolant Sa pressure source S-chip socket Sc cooling space SI Test Socket Sin tank inlet Sout Tank outlet Sp Pogo Pin Ph pressure head

Claims

1. 1. A pogo pin cooling system for use at least in cooling pogo pins in a tip socket, the tip socket including at least one bath inlet and at least one bath outlet, the system includes a coolant circulation module; the coolant circulation module includes at least one coolant supply channel, at least one coolant return channel, and a coolant; at least one coolant supply channel and at least one coolant return channel communicate with at least one tank inlet and at least one tank outlet, respectively; When an electronic component is accommodated in the chip socket, the coolant circulation module supplies the coolant into the chip socket through at least one of the coolant supply channels and at least one of the tank inlets, and after the coolant flows through the pogo pins, it returns to at least one of the coolant recovery channels through at least one of the tank outlets.

2. the coolant circulation module further includes a pump, a reservoir tank, a radiator, a filter, and a coolant line; At least one coolant supply channel and at least one coolant recovery channel are provided at both ends of the coolant pipe, respectively; 2. The pogo pin cooling system of claim 1, wherein the pump, the reservoir tank, the radiator, and the filter are mounted on the coolant line.

3. a gas supply module in communication with at least one of the vessel inlets; 2. The pogo pin cooling system of claim 1, wherein after the coolant circulation module stops supplying the coolant, the gas supply module supplies purge gas into the chip socket through at least one of the tank inlets to return the coolant to at least one of the coolant recovery channels.

4. further comprising a switch module; The switch module includes two inlet ends and an outlet end; the gas supply module includes a pressure source channel, one end of which is in communication with a pressure source and the other end of which is in communication with one of the two inlet ends of the switch module; at least one of the coolant supply channels communicates with another of the inlet ends of the switch modules; communicating the outlet end of the switch module with at least one of the tank inlets; 4. The pogo pin cooling system of claim 3, wherein the switch module is used to switch and connect at least one of the coolant supply channel or the air pressure source channel to at least one of the tank inlets.

5. The electronic component is accommodated in the chip socket; a cooling space is jointly defined by a lower surface of the electronic component, a bottom surface of the chip socket, and a peripheral sidewall of the chip socket; The pogo pin cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the coolant circulation module supplies the coolant into the cooling space.

6. An electronic device test apparatus equipped with a pogo pin cooling system, comprising the pogo pin cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and a main controller, The main controller is electrically connected to the coolant circulation module, and the main controller controls the coolant circulation module to supply the coolant into the chip socket.

7. further including a crimping head and a test socket; forming the chip socket on an upper surface of the test socket; the pressure welding head is placed above the test socket and is controlled by the main controller to selectively move toward or away from the test socket; 7. The electronic device testing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the electronic device is accommodated in the chip socket, the controller controls the pressure welding head to press against the electronic device.

8. (A) placing an electronic component in a chip socket, the bottom surface of the chip socket including at least one pogo pin; (B) providing a coolant into the chip socket through at least one coolant supply channel, the coolant flowing through at least one pogo pin and then returning to at least one coolant return channel; (C) stopping the supply of the cooling liquid into the chip socket.

9. In step (A), a cooling space is jointly defined by the lower surface of the electronic component, the bottom surface of the chip socket, and the peripheral sidewall of the chip socket; In step (B), the cooling liquid is provided into the cooling space through at least one of the cooling liquid supply channels; After step (C), the method further includes step (D) of supplying a purge gas into the chip socket through a gas supply module to return the coolant to at least one of the coolant recovery channels; The cooling method according to claim 8 , wherein the gas supply module supplies the purge gas into the cooling space and returns the coolant to the at least one coolant recovery channel.

10. In step (B), a pump draws the cooling liquid from a reservoir tank and pumps the cooling liquid into the cooling space through at least one of the cooling liquid supply channels; The cooling method according to claim 9, wherein the coolant flows back to the at least one coolant recovery channel, then flows through a filter and a radiator, and then enters the reservoir tank.

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