Singulated bare die tester and method of performing forced temperature electrical tests and burn-in

• US 5,475,317 A
• Filed: 04/21/1995
• Issued: 12/12/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ELK Financial, Inc.
• Original Assignee: EPIC Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Kenneth R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wieder, Kenneth A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KHOSRAVI, KOURO
• Application Number:
  US08/427,974
• Time in Patent Office: 235 Days
• Field of Search: 327/760, 327/754, 439/67
• US Class Current: 324/750.05
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/0483 Sockets for un-leaded IC's having matrix type contact fields, e.g. BGA or PGA devices; Sockets for unpackaged, naked chips for IC's with connecting points around the edges only G01R1/0433
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07314 the body of the probe being perpendicular to test object, e.g. bed of nails or probe with bump contacts on a rigid support on an elastic support, e.g. a film, G01R1/0735

Abstract

A reusable test socket is described for testing singulated bare die to determine, before packaging, that the bare die is a "known good die". The socket contains a circuit pad pattern in the mirror image of the bond pad pattern of the bare die to be tested. Each pad of the socket contains a conductive elastomeric probe which has been "screened" onto the bond pad. The socket also contains an alignment template for orienting the bare die onto the elastomeric probes of the pad pattern of the test socket. Additionally, the socket can be a singular piece or it can be made of two main pieces; the first being a socket, and the second being a test board designed to mate with the socket. Further, the socket can be utilized in conjunction with a clamp for holding the bare die in place and with a thermoelectric cooler. The thermoelectric cooler is used to heat or cool the die at all temperatures required for military certification and other extended temperature applications. The disclosed invention also includes a method of using the reusable test socket which includes the steps of placing the bare die onto the test socket, placing the socket into electrical continuity with test equipment, conducting tests at ambient temperatures, subjecting the die to a prolonged period of "burn-in" at elevated temperatures, conducting further electrical tests at various temperatures, and determining whether the bare semiconductor die is a "known good die".

Claims

1. A reusable test socket for performing forced temperature pre-burn-in, burn-in and post burn-in electrical tests upon a singulated semiconductor bare die having bond pads thereon forming a bond pad pattern, said reusable test socket comprising:

die carrier having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a plurality of at least two-element structures for continuously and repetitively establishing electrical continuity between said bare die bond pads and said die carrier, each of said at least two-element structures being posed on said top surface of the die carrier to correspond with said bond pad pattern of the semiconductor bare die to be tested, each of said at least two-element structures comprising,

a circuit pad, and

an electrically conductive nonadhesive, malleable elastomeric probe placed on top of, and in electrical continuity with, said circuit pad;

a means for electrically connecting the at least two-element structures posed on the top surface of the die carrier to an instrument for testing the die; and

a means for orienting the bond pads of the semiconductor bare die into alignment with corresponding at least two-element structures posed on the die carrier.

2. The test socket of claim 1 wherein the orienting means comprises an alignment template with an aperture, wherein the aperture shape approximates the shape of the bare semiconductor die to be tested.

3. The test socket of claim 1 wherein the orienting means comprises a plurality of guidance points located to describe the perimeter of the die to be tested, designed to receive the semiconductor bare die and to orient the bond pad pattern of the die into electrical alignment with the corresponding electrically conductive malleable elastomeric probes of the die carrier.

4. The test socket of claim 1 wherein the means for electrically connecting the bond pads to an instrument for testing further comprises:

a carrier connector adapted to be easily brought into electrical connection with the test instrument containing a plurality of individual leads attached to the carrier connector;

a plurality of connection pads posed onto the bottom surface of the die carrier electrically connected to the bond pads on the top of the die carrier; and

connection pads, connected to the plurality of individual leads, posed onto a top surface of the carrier connector corresponding to connection pads on the bottom surface of the die carrier.

5. The test socket of claim 1 wherein the means for electrically connecting the bond pads to an instrument for testing further comprises:

a plurality of individual leads attached to the die carrier; and

a direct and permanent electrical connection, in the form of standard circuit wiring, between each of the circuit pads posed on the top surface of the die carrier and the plurality of individual leads.

6. The test socket of claim 1 which further comprises a means for heating and cooling the die during testing.

7. The test socket of claim 6 wherein the means for heating and cooling the die comprises:

a thermoelectric cooler positioned on top of, and in thermal communication with, the die to urge the die against the conductive malleable elastomeric probes and to change the temperature of the die in accordance with the forced temperature electrical test requirements.

8. The test socket of claim 7 wherein the means for heating and cooling the die further comprises:

an auxiliary cooling unit positioned on top of, and in thermal communication with, a thermoelectric cooler hot side whereby a thermoelectric cooler cold side is adjacent to the bare die.

9. A process for burn-in testing of a singulated semiconductor bare die having bond pads, which bond pads form a bond pad pattern, said process comprising the steps of:

placing the semiconductor bare die into electrical contact with a reusable test socket for testing singulated bare die, said reusable test socket having a plurality of at least two-element structures comprising a circuit pad and a malleable, nonadhesive, elastomeric probe placed on top of said circuit pad for continuously and repetitively establishing electrical continuity between said bond pads and said reusable test socket;

urging the semiconductor die onto said plurality of malleable elastomeric probes to establish electrical continuity between the bond pads on the die being tested and the corresponding circuit pads of the test socket;

placing the reusable test socket for testing singulated bare die into electrical continuity with an instrument for testing the die;

placing the die into thermal communication with a temperature changing device;

exercising the die at a raised temperature for a sufficient amount of time to satisfy burn-in certification requirements; and

periodically sampling electrical signal levels from the die to verify that electrical continuity exists between the die and the test socket while the die is being exercised during burn-in.

14. The process for burn-in testing of a singulated semiconductor bare die of claim 9 comprising the preliminary step of testing the die either at a raised or at a lowered temperature prior to the step of exercising in the die at a raised temperature for a sufficient amount of time to satisfy burn-in certification requirements.

15. The process of claim 9 for burn-in testing of singulated semiconductor bare die comprising an additional step of testing the die after bum in at ambient temperature, at a raised temperature, and at a lowered temperature whereby the die is certified as a known-good-die upon successful completion of this post burn-in testing.

10. A process for testing singulated semiconductor bare die having bond pads thereon forming a bond pad pattern, said process comprising the steps of:

placing the semiconductor bare die into electrical contact with a reusable test socket for testing singulated bare die, said reusable test socket having a plurality of at least two-element structures comprising a circuit pad and a malleable, nonadhesive elastomeric probe placed on top of said circuit pad for continuously and repetitively establishing electrical continuity between said bond pads and said reusable test socket;

urging the semiconductor bare die onto a plurality of malleable elastomeric probes to insure that all of the bond pads on the die being tested are in electrical continuity with the corresponding circuit pads of the test socket;

placing the reusable test socket for testing singulated bare die into electrical continuity with an instrument for testing the die; and

performing tests.

11. The process for testing of claim 10 which further comprises placing the die into thermal communication with a temperature changing device.

12. The process for testing of claim 10 which further comprises verifying electrical continuity periodically by measuring electrical signals being produced or stored by the bare die in order to determine that such signals are being produced or stored and therefore the a break in continuity has not occurred.

13. A process for performing forced temperature electrical tests upon a singulated bare die having bond pads thereon forming a bond pad pattern to determine whether the die is a known good die which comprises:

placing the semiconductor bare die into electrical continuity with a reusable test socket for testing singulated bare die, said reusable test socket having a plurality of at least two element structures comprising a circuit pad and a malleable, nonadhesive elastomeric probe placed on top of said circuit pad for continuously and repetitively establishing electrical continuity between said bond pads and said reusable test socket;

placing the reusable test socket for testing bare singulated die into electrical continuity with an instrument for testing the die;

placing the die into thermal communication with a thermoelectric cooler;

performing electrical tests upon the die at a raised or lowered temperature whereby the raised or lowered temperature increases the probability that a defective die will fail;

subsequently exercising the die while it is in thermal communication with a temperature changing device for an extended period of time sufficient to satisfy burn-in certification requirements;

periodically sampling electrical signal levels from the die to verify that electrical continuity exists between the die and the test socket while the die is in thermal communication with the temperature changing device and while the die is being exercised; and

subsequently performing post burn-in testing which is comprised of in no particular order;

electrically testing the die at ambient temperature wherein ambient temperature is approximately 25°

Celsius,

electrically testing the die at a high temperature wherein the high temperature can be as high as 125°

Celsius and is determined by certification standards, and

electrically testing the die at a low temperature wherein the low temperature can be as low as (-)55°

Celsius and is determined by certification standards;

whereby the die is certified as a known-good-die upon completion of the post burn-in testing.