TEST APPARATUS

• US 20120133382A1
• Filed: 05/30/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Inventors: SATO, Shusaku
• Granted Patent: US 8,829,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/754.07
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06777 High voltage probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2889 Interfaces, e.g. between probe and tester G01R31/31905 and G01R1/07364 take precedence

Abstract

A test apparatus that test a device under test, comprising a test head that is arranged facing the device under test and that includes a test module for testing the device under test, and a probe assembly that transmits a signal and that is arranged between the test head and the device under test. The probe assembly includes a plurality of low voltage pins arranged at prescribed intervals from each other, and a plurality of high voltage pins that are arranged such that distance between each high voltage pin and each low voltage pin is greater than the prescribed interval, and that transmit a signal with a higher voltage than a signal transmitted by the low voltage pins. All of the high voltage pins are arranged in only one of two regions formed by dividing a surface of the probe assembly in half.

Claims

1. A test apparatus that test a device under test, comprising:

a test head that is arranged facing the device under test and that includes a test module for testing the device under test; and

a probe assembly that transmits a signal and that is arranged between the test head and the device under test, wherein

the probe assembly includes;

a plurality of low voltage pins arranged at prescribed intervals from each other; and

a plurality of high voltage pins that transmit a signal with a higher voltage than a signal transmitted by the low voltage pins, and

all of the high voltage pins are arranged in only one of two regions formed by dividing a surface of the probe assembly in half.

2. The test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the high voltage pins are arranged such that distance between each high voltage pin and each low voltage pin is greater than the prescribed interval.

3. The test apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

each high voltage pin is arranged such that distance between the high voltage pin and at least one other high voltage pin is the prescribed interval.

4. The test apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the low voltage pins are arranged in both of the two regions obtained by dividing the surface of the probe assembly in half.

5. The test apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

a high voltage pin area, in which the high voltage pins and the low voltage pins are arranged, is provided on the surface of the probe assembly, and

in the high voltage pin area, the high voltage pins are arranged in a substantial center and the low voltage pins are arranged at a periphery.

6. The test apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

a plurality of the high voltage pin areas are disposed in one of the two regions formed by dividing the probe assembly in half.

7. The test apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the test head includes a test module that performs low voltage testing on the device under test by outputting a low voltage signal and a high voltage module that performs high voltage testing on the device under test by outputting a high voltage signal whose voltage is higher than voltage of the low voltage signal, and

the high voltage pins are connected to the high voltage module.

8. The test apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a performance board that is arranged between the device under test and the test head and transmits signals between the test module and the device under test, wherein

the probe assembly is arranged between the device under test and the performance board.

9. The test apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the high voltage module and the probe assembly are electrically connected to each other via a withstand voltage cable, and

the test module and the probe assembly are electrically connected to each other via pattern wiring in the performance board.

10. The test apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the withstand voltage cable electrically connects the high voltage module and the probe assembly via a withstand voltage connector fixed to the performance board.

11. The test apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the withstand voltage cable includes:

a board-side cable that is electrically connected to the performance board; and

a module-side cable that is electrically connected to the high voltage module, and

the withstand voltage connector includes;

a board-side connector that is fixed to the performance board and electrically connected to the board-side cable; and

a module-side connector that is disposed without being fixed to the performance board, is electrically connected to the module-side cable, and engages with the board-side connector.

12. The test apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the module-side cable is electrically connected to the high voltage module through a through-hole formed in a side surface of a frame formed integrally with the performance board.

13. The test apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the high voltage module is disposed on a surface of the test head facing the performance board.

14. The test apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a frame that is provided on the surface of the test head and on which the performance board is mounted, wherein

the high voltage module is provided on the surface of the test head in a region surrounded by the frame.

15. The test apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

an indentation is formed in the surface of the test head in a region where the high voltage module is disposed.

16. The test apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a probe card that has disposed thereon a probe pin contacting the device under test and that transmits signals between the probe assembly and the device under test, wherein

the performance board has disposed thereon a plurality of electrodes connected to a plurality of the withstand voltage cables,

each electrode of the performance board is electrically connected to a corresponding electrode disposed on the probe card, via the probe assembly,

pattern wiring is disposed on the probe card to form a loop-back path that loops a signal supplied to the performance board back to the performance board via the probe assembly and the probe card by electrically connecting two electrodes of the probe card to each other, and

the high voltage module outputs a connection confirmation signal from the performance board to the loop-back path, and starts high voltage testing on a condition that the connection confirmation signal is looped back.