Modular Test Head Linking for Parallel Semiconductor Device Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional test apparatuses for semiconductor devices are limited in the number of devices that can be tested in parallel due to the size of the test head, leading to waste and increased capital investment when upgrading to larger test heads.
Innovation Solution
A test apparatus with multiple test heads that can be linked using a single connecting section, allowing for the insertion and removal of test boards through the side surface, enabling increased parallel testing without the need for new, larger test heads, thus utilizing existing equipment and reducing capital investment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large test head is provided to increase the number of devices under test testable in parallel, then the productivity is improved, but the capital investment increases and existing test heads become waste
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple independent test heads (first test head, second test head, etc.) that can be separately mounted on a single connecting section. Each test head can independently retain and test devices under test, allowing the system to achieve large-scale parallel testing without requiring a single large test head, thus avoiding waste of existing test heads while improving productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting section is designed to universally mount multiple different test heads simultaneously. This multi-functional platform allows various existing test heads to be integrated together, enabling them to work in parallel for testing multiple devices at once, thereby increasing productivity without discarding existing test heads
2Productivity
If a large test head is provided to increase the number of devices under test testable in parallel, then the productivity is improved, but the capital investment increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple test heads are merged and integrated onto a single connecting section, forming a combined testing system. This approach allows the system to achieve the functionality of a large test head by combining several smaller existing test heads, thereby increasing the number of devices that can be tested in parallel without the need for expensive new capital investment in a single large test head
3Ease of operation
If test boards are made removable through side surface of test heads, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing test boards from the top surface of test heads, the design inverts the removal direction by providing removable panels on the side surfaces. This allows test boards to be inserted and removed from the side, making the operation more convenient and easier to access while the internal structure remains relatively simple
Data Source
AI summary
An existing test head is made best use of and a capital investment is reduced. A test apparatus for testing a plurality of devices under test includes: a plurality of test heads for retaining therein at least one test board to test devices under test; a connecting section mounted on upper surfaces of the plurality of test heads and is independently fixed to each of the plurality of test heads; and a DUT board on which the plurality of devices under test are mounted, the DUT board being mounted to the connecting section, where the at least one test board is mountable and removable through a side surface of each of the plurality of test heads while the connecting section is mounted to the test head.