SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER TEST SYSTEM

• US 20200132720A1
• Filed: 10/29/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keysight Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Keysight Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Takano, Kenichi, Shimonishi, Sumio, Juso, Motochika
• Granted Patent: US 10,845,383 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/0416 Connectors, terminals G01R1/0425 and G01R1/0433 take precedence; with measurement function for battery poles G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/0491 for testing integrated circuits on wafers, e.g. wafer-level test cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2831 Testing of materials or semi-finished products, e.g. semiconductor wafers or substrates G01R31/318511 takes precedence; testing during manufacture H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2868 Complete testing stations; systems; procedures; software aspects

Abstract

A wafer test system includes a cabinet housing multiple instruments, a test head having multiple pin modules, and cable connecting at least some of the instruments to the pin modules. The cabinet has at least one front door, left and right side panels, a rear door, a ceiling unit, and a bottom unit. Each of the instruments has a front surface, left and right side surfaces, and a rear surface. At least some of the instruments each include at least one first connection terminal. The cabinet further includes a first space defined between the at least one front door and the front surface of each of the instruments, and a second space defined between the rear door and the front surface of each of the instruments. The first space and the second space are separated in the cabinet to separate intake air and exhaust air of the instruments.

Claims

1. A wafer test system comprising:

a cabinet comprising at least one front door, a left side panel, a right side panel, a rear door, a ceiling unit, and a bottom unit, the cabinet being configured to house a plurality of instruments, wherein each of the plurality of instruments in the cabinet has a front surface, a left side surface, a right side surface, and a rear surface;

a test head comprising a plurality of pin modules; and

a plurality of cables configured to connect at least some of the plurality of instruments to the plurality pin modules,

wherein at least some of the plurality of instruments each include at least one first connection terminal, wherein the cabinet further comprises;

a first space defined in the cabinet between the at least one front door and the front surface of each of the plurality of instruments; and

a second space defined in the cabinet between the rear door and the front surface of each of the plurality of instruments, the first space and the second space being separated in the cabinet to separate intake air and exhaust air of the plurality of instruments in the cabinet,

wherein the cabinet includes, when some of the plurality of instruments have air inlets on the left side surfaces and/or the right side surfaces thereof, air intake panels on the left side surface and/or the right side surface of the cabinet corresponding to the air inlets, the air intake panels each including a tubular member, which extends from the air inlet and pierces through the left side surface and/or the right side surface of the cabinet,

wherein the cabinet includes a first separation panel, which is configured to separate air inside the cabinet and air outside the cabinet, for left side surfaces and/or right side surfaces of some of the plurality of instruments on which no air inlets are provided, and

wherein each of the plurality of pin modules includes at least one second connection terminal for connecting to the at least one first connection terminal of an instrument of the at least some of the plurality of instruments.

2. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein some of the plurality of pin modules are configured to connect a signal transmitted to the at least one second connection terminal by at least one cable.

3. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein some of the plurality of pin modules are configured to connect a signal transmitted to the at least one second connection terminal to at least one contact probe by at least one conductive pattern on a substrate.

4. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first connection terminal and the at least one second connection terminal include a coaxial connector or a triaxial connector.

5. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein the cabinet further includes a plurality of second separation panel configured to separate the first space and the second space in the cabinet, the plurality of second separation panels covering gaps between left and right edges of the front surfaces of the plurality of instruments and left and right side surfaces of the cabinet.

6. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein the cabinet further includes a third separation panel configured to cover from an upper edge of the front surface of at least one of the plurality of instruments to the ceiling unit of the cabinet, and/or a fourth separation panel configured to cover from a lower edge of the front surface of at least another of the plurality of instruments to the bottom unit of the cabinet, for separating the first and second spaces.

7. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein the cabinet further includes a fifth separation panel configured to cover from a lower edge of the front surface of one of the plurality of instruments to an upper edge of the front surface of another of the plurality of instruments.

8. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein the ceiling unit of the cabinet has an opening leading to the first space.

9. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein the cabinet further includes, on an inner side of the rear door, an air exhaust unit configured to exhaust air in the second space to a space below the cabinet.

10. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein some of the plurality of instruments comprise measurement instruments, and at least one of the plurality of instruments comprises a controller including a computer.

11. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of pin modules includes an interlock pin, and the test head includes a plurality of interlock switches, and

the interlock pin engages with a corresponding one of the plurality of interlock switches when the plurality of pin modules are mounted to the test head, thereby enabling the test head to detect that the plurality of pin modules are mounted.

12. The wafer test system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pin modules is mounted to the test head with captive screws included in the test head.

13. A wafer test system comprising:

a cabinet housing a plurality of instruments;

a test head including a plurality of pin modules; and

a plurality of cables configured to connect some of the plurality of instruments to the plurality pin modules,

wherein some of the plurality of instruments each include at least one first connection terminal,

wherein the plurality of pin modules each include at least one second connection terminal and at least one contact probe, and

wherein the plurality of pin modules are configured to convert connection of a signal transmitted to the at least one second connection terminal, and to transmit the signal of the converted connection to the at least one contact probe.

14. The wafer test system according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of pin modules are further configured to connect the signal transmitted to the at least one second connection terminal to the at least one contact probe by at least one cable, or by at least one conductive pattern on a substrate.

15. A wafer test system comprising:

a cabinet comprising at least one front door, a left side panel, a right side panel, a rear door, a ceiling unit, and a bottom unit, the cabinet being configured to house a plurality of instruments, each of the plurality of instruments having a front surface, a left side surface, a right side surface, and a rear surface, wherein some of the plurality of instruments each include at least one first connection terminal; and

a plurality of cables configured to connect to the some of the plurality of instruments,

wherein the cabinet further includes a first space defined in the cabinet between the at least one front door and the front surface of each of the plurality of instruments, and a second space defined in the cabinet between the rear door and the front surface of each of the plurality of instruments, wherein the first space and the second space are separated in the cabinet to separate intake air and exhaust air of the plurality of instruments,

wherein the cabinet further includes air intake panels on the left side surface and/or the right side surface of the cabinet corresponding to air inlets on left side surfaces and/or right side surfaces of some of the plurality of instruments, the air intake panels each including a tubular member extending from a corresponding air inlet and through the left side surface and/or the right side surface of the cabinet, and

wherein the cabinet further includes a first separation panel configured to separate air inside the cabinet and air outside the cabinet, for left side surfaces and/or right side surfaces of some of the plurality of instruments having no air inlets.

16. The wafer test system according to claim 15, wherein the cabinet further comprises a plurality of second separation panels separating the first space and the second space in the cabinet, the plurality of second separation panels covering gaps between left and right edges of the front surfaces of the plurality of instruments and left and right side surfaces of the cabinet.

17. The wafer test system according to claim 15, wherein the cabinet further comprises a third separation panel configured to cover from an upper edge of the front surface of at least one of the plurality of instruments to the ceiling unit of the cabinet, and/or a fourth separation panel configured to covers from a lower edge of the front surface of at least another of the plurality of instruments to the bottom unit of the cabinet, for separating the first and second spaces.

18. The wafer test system according to claim 15, wherein the cabinet further comprises a fifth separation panel configured to cover from a lower edge of the front surface of one of the plurality of instruments to an upper edge of the front surface of another of the plurality of instruments.

19. The wafer test system according to claim 15, wherein the ceiling unit of the cabinet has an opening leading to the first space.

20. The wafer test system according to claim 15, wherein the cabinet further includes, on an inner side of the rear door, an air exhaust unit configured to exhaust air in the second space to a space below the cabinet.