Rapid temperature cycling for accelerated stress testing
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A thermal testing apparatus comprisinga thermally controlled test chamber;
- a first body located within said chamber and to which may be thermally sunk a device under test;
a second body located within said chamber;
a heat pump selectively pumping heat between said first and said second body; and
temperature maintaining means for maintaining an ambient temperature within said test chamber to a first temperature, and wherein said heat pump cools said first body to a temperature below said first temperature.
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Abstract
An environmental testing chamber (10) and thermal cycling method in which, in addition to stressing the device (20) under test with electrical bias (32), elevated temperature (12), pressure (16), and humidity (18) while the device is being monitored (32), a thermoelectric heat pump (26) quickly cycles the temperature of the device by pumping heat from the heat sink (22) mounting the device to another larger heat sink (24).
44 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A thermal testing apparatus comprising
a thermally controlled test chamber; -
a first body located within said chamber and to which may be thermally sunk a device under test; a second body located within said chamber; a heat pump selectively pumping heat between said first and said second body; and temperature maintaining means for maintaining an ambient temperature within said test chamber to a first temperature, and wherein said heat pump cools said first body to a temperature below said first temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A thermal testing apparatus comprsing
a thermally controlled test chamber; -
a first body located within said chamber and to which may be thermally sunk a device under test; a second body located within said chamber; a heat pump selectively pumping heat between said first and said second body; a heater maintaining an elevated ambient temperature within said test chamber; a pressure source maintaining an elevated pressure within said chamber; and a humidity source maintaining a humidity level within said chamber. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method of testing a device comprising the steps of
placing a device under test on a first body inside an enrironmentally controlled chamber; -
pumping heat from said first body to a second body within said chamber, whereby a temperature of said device is lowered; and elevating a temperature within said chamber to an ambient temperature, and wherein said pumping step operates periodically to reduce a temperature of said device from approximately said ambient temperature to a lower temperature. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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Specification