Modifiable IC board
First Claim
1. An IC board for providing electrical coupling in a plurality of channels from test equipment to an integrated circuit, the test equipment having power and I/O drivers and receivers, the integrated circuit having power and I/O electrical contacts, the IC board comprising:
- a) first means for providing electrical communication from selected power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected first channels;
b) second means for providing electrical communication from selected power and I/O electrical contacts to selected second channels, said second means comprising;
1) first channel plates located on a surface of the IC board;
2) first channel vias located within the first channel plates for providing electrical communication from the first channel plates to selected first channels;
3) second channel plates located on the surface of the IC board; and
4) second channel vias located within the second channel plates for providing electrical communication from the second channel plates to selected second channels; and
c) third means for selectively providing electrical communication from selected first channels to selected second channels, thereby providing electrical communication from selected test equipment power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected integrated circuit power and I/O electrical contacts.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A multilayer IC board is provided with channel plates on its surface for electrically coupling selected drivers and receivers of the ATE to selected electrical contacts of an IC being tested. This is accomplished by first electrically coupling some channel plates to the ATE drivers and receivers and other channel plates to the IC electrical contacts. Selected channel plates are then selectively electrically coupled together thereby coupling selected ATE drivers and receivers to selected IC electrical contacts. This provides for a large number of ATE to IC communication channel combinations that can be easily modified. A multilayer IC board is also provided with a lattice of noise reduction plates on its surface for reducing noise on the power channels to the IC being tested. This is accomplished by first electrically coupling the noise reduction plates to the power channels such that adjacent noise reduction plates are electrically coupled to power channels with different voltage levels. Capacitors are then electrically coupled between adjacent noise reduction plates of the lattice thereby reducing noise on selected power channels. The lattice arrangement of the noise reduction plates allows easy modification of the location of capacitors, especially when the power channels may be modified by the use of the channel plates.
-
Citations
27 Claims
-
1. An IC board for providing electrical coupling in a plurality of channels from test equipment to an integrated circuit, the test equipment having power and I/O drivers and receivers, the integrated circuit having power and I/O electrical contacts, the IC board comprising:
-
a) first means for providing electrical communication from selected power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected first channels; b) second means for providing electrical communication from selected power and I/O electrical contacts to selected second channels, said second means comprising; 1) first channel plates located on a surface of the IC board; 2) first channel vias located within the first channel plates for providing electrical communication from the first channel plates to selected first channels; 3) second channel plates located on the surface of the IC board; and 4) second channel vias located within the second channel plates for providing electrical communication from the second channel plates to selected second channels; and c) third means for selectively providing electrical communication from selected first channels to selected second channels, thereby providing electrical communication from selected test equipment power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected integrated circuit power and I/O electrical contacts. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. An IC board for providing electrical coupling in a plurality of power and I/O channels from test equipment to an integrated circuit, the test equipment having power and I/O drivers and receivers, the integrated circuit having power and I/O electrical contacts, the IC board comprising:
-
a) first means for providing electrical communication from test equipment power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected power and I/O channels; b) second means for providing electrical communication from integrated circuit power and I/O electrical contacts to selected power and I/O channels, said second means comprising; 1) first channel plates located on a surface of the IC board; 2) first channel vias located within the first channel plates for providing electrical communication from the first channel plates to selected first channels; 3) second channel plates located on the surface of the IC board; and 4) second channel vias located within the second channel plates for providing electrical communication from the second channel plates to selected second channels; and (c) noise reduction plates located on the surface of the IC board; d) third means for providing electrical communication from the noise reduction plates to selected power channels. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A DUT board for providing electrical coupling in a plurality of channels from test equipment to an integrated circuit, the test equipment having power and I/O drivers and receivers, the integrated circuit having power and I/O electrical contacts, the DUT board comprising:
-
a) first means for providing electrical communication from selected power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected first channels; b) second means for providing electrical communication from selected power and I/O electrical contacts to selected second channel, said second means comprising; 1) first channel plates located on the surface of the DUT board; 2) first channel vias located within the first channel plates for providing electrical communication from the first channel plates to selected first channels; 3) second channel plates located on the surface of the DUT board; and 4) second channel vias located within the second channel plates for providing electrical communication from the second channel plates to selected second channels; and c) third means for selectively providing electrical communication from selected first channel to selected second channels, thereby providing electrical communication from selected test equipment power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected integrated circuit power and I/O electrical contacts. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. An DUT board for providing electrical coupling in a plurality of power and I/O channels from test equipment to an integrated circuit, the test equipment having power and I/O drivers and receivers, the integrated circuit having power and I/O electrical contacts, the DUT board comprising:
-
a) first means for providing electrical communication from test equipment power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected power and I/O channels; b) second means for providing electrical communication from integrated circuit power and I/O electrical contacts to selected power and I/O channels, said second means comprising; 1) first channel plates located on a surface of the IC board; 2) first channel vias located within the first channel plates for providing electrical communication from the first channel plates to selected first channels; 3) second channel plates located on the surface of the IC board; and 4) second channel vias located within the second channel plates for providing electrical communication from the second channel plates to selected second channels. c) noise reduction plates located on the surface of the DUT board; and d) third means for providing electrical communication from the noise reduction plates to selected power channels. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A probe card for providing electrical coupling in a plurality of channels from test equipment to an integrated circuit, the test equipment having power and I/O drivers and receivers, the integrated circuit having power and I/O electrical contacts, the probe card comprising:
-
a) first means for providing electrical communication from selected power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected first channels; b) second means for providing electrical communication from selected power and I/O electrical contacts to selected second channels, said second means comprises; 1) first channel plates located on a surface of the probe card; 2) first channel vias located within the first channel plates for providing electrical communication from the first channel plates to selected first channels; 3) second channel plates located on the surface of the probe card; and 4) second channel vias located within the second channel plates for providing electrical communication from the second channel plates to selected second channels; and c) third means for selectively providing electrical communication from selected first channels to selected second channels, thereby providing electrical communication from selected test equipment power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected integrated circuit power and I/O electrical contacts. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A probe card for providing electrical coupling in a plurality of power and I/O channels from test equipment to an integrated circuit, the test equipment having power and I/O drivers and receivers, the integrated circuit having power and I/O electrical contacts, the probe card comprising:
-
a) first means for providing electrical communication from test equipment power and I/O drivers and receivers to selected power and I/O channels; b) second means for providing electrical communication from integrated circuit power and I/O electrical contacts to selected power and I/O channels, said second means comprising; 1) first channel plates located on a surface of the probe card; 2) first channel vias located within the first channel plates for providing electrical communication from the first channel plates to selected first channels; 3) second channel plates located on the surface of the probe card; and 4) second channel vias located within the second channel plates for providing electrical communication from the second channel plates to selected second channels; c) noise reduction plates located on the surface of the probe card; d) third means for providing electrical communication from the noise reduction plates to selected power channels. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
-
Specification