Converter and digital channel selector

• US 5,600,236 A
• Filed: 11/01/1994
• Issued: 02/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: VLSI Technology, Inc. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: VLAI Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Haley, Mark W., Sparks, Eric A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Regan, Maura K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bowser, Barry C.
• Application Number:
  US08/333,009
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 324/73 R, 324/72.5, 324/758, 324/158.1, 324/73 PC, 324/73
• US Class Current: 324/754.03
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/073 Multiple probes

Abstract

A converter and digital channel selector device is provided which is interconnected between a source measurement unit having a plurality of output terminal connectors and a probe station having a plurality of input probe terminal connectors. The channel selector device is used to selectively connect each one of the plurality of output terminals of the source measurement unit to corresponding one of the plurality of input probe terminal connectors, respectively. The channel selector device includes a converter for generating a plurality of digital control signals and a digital channel select logic circuit which is responsive to the digital control signals for selectively connecting respective ones of a plurality of its input channel connectors connected to the plurality of output terminal connectors to any one of a plurality of its output channel connectors connected to the plurality of input probe terminal connectors.

Claims

1. A manually-controlled converter and digital channel selector device for use with a source measurement unit and a probe station having a plurality of separate probes, said channel selector device comprising in combination:

said source measurement unit having a plurality of output terminal connectors connected to receive corresponding ones of a plurality of signals;

said probe station having a plurality of separate probes, each of which can be secured to different test points on a wafer of a semiconductor integrated circuit device;

said channel selector device including a plurality of input channel connectors being connected to corresponding ones of said plurality of output terminal connectors of said source measurement unit and a plurality of output channel connectors being connected to corresponding ones of said plurality of separate probes;

said channel selector device further including manually-controlled converter means for generating a plurality of digital control signals and digital channel selector logic circuit means responsive to said digital control signals for selectively connecting respective ones of said plurality of input channel connectors to any one of said plurality of output channel connectors,

whereby said digital channel selector logic circuit means selectively applies each one of the plurality of signals from the source measurement unit to any one of the corresponding plurality of discrete separate probes;

wherein said manually controlled converter means is comprised of a plurality of code switch means for manually encoding selected digits into BCD code signals defining said plurality of digital control signals;

wherein said code switch means is comprised of a plurality of thumbwheel switches in which the selected digits can be manually controlled by a user;

wherein said digital channel selector logic circuit means is comprised of a plurality of multiplexer circuits, wherein each of said multiplexer circuits has a plurality of input terminals, wherein each of the plurality of output terminal connectors of said source measurement unit are connected to an input terminal of each of said multiplexer circuits, where in an output terminal of each of said multiplex circuits is connected to a respective one of the plurality of discrete probes; and

wherein each respective one of said multiplexer circuits is manually controlled by a respective one of said manually-controlled thumbwheel switches to selectively connect an input terminal of said multiplexer circuits to its output terminal.

2. A channel selector device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of muliplexer circuits is comprised of an I.C. multiplexer chip of the 74153 type.

3. A channel selector device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of input channel connectors is comprised of a TRIAC-type connector.

4. A channel selector device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of output channel connectors is comprised of a BNC-type connector.

5. A channel selector device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said source measurement unit is comprised of a HP4145 Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer.

6. A channel selector device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said output terminal connectors is comprised of a TRIAC-type connector.