IC tester simultaneously testing plural ICS

• US 6,198,273 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1997
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Katsuhiko, Yatsuda, Minoru, Onishi, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hollington, Jermele M.
• Application Number:
  US08/966,781
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 324/158.1, 324/754, 324/760, 324/73.1, 324/755, 702/108, 702/117, 414/403, 414/404, 414/416, 414/405, 414/409, 209/571, 209/573, 209/574, 209/538
• US Class Current: 324/750.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/01 Subjecting similar articles in turn to test, e.g. "go/no-go" tests in mass production; Testing objects at points as they pass through a testing station testing of cables continuously passing the testing apparatus G01R31/59; testing dielectric strength or breakdown voltage G01R31/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2851 Testing of integrated circuits [IC] G01R31/317 takes precedence; testing individual devices G01R31/26; testing printed circuits G01R31/2801
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2893 Handling, conveying or loading, e.g. belts, boats, vacuum fingers G01R31/2867 takes precedence; handling semiconductor devices or wafers during manufacture or treatment H01L21/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/22 Detection or location of defective computer hardware by testing during standby operation or during idle time, e.g. start-up testing

Abstract

In an integrated-circuit tester which is provided with a contact failure analysis/storage part for counting and storing the number of failures occurring at each contact, an automatic stop part for deciding contact as defective based on the numbers of failures stored in the storage part and for stopping a handler, an automatic turn-OFF part by which, upon each operation of the automatic stop part, contacts having met the stop condition are automatically put in their unused state, and a defective contact display for displaying the number of contacts put in the unused state upon each automatic stop of the handler, an operator checks the number of contacts put in the unused state upon each automatic stop of the handler, then decides whether or not all the contacts used are to be replaced, and performs the necessary operations for resuming the test.

Claims

1. An integrated-circuit tester comprising:

a handler for automatically transferring plural ICs under test;

a tester head mounted on said handler;

plural contacts mounted on said tester head, for electric connections to said plural ICs;

a testing device electrically connected to said tester head to actuate said plural ICs, for deciding whether they are non-defective or defective;

contact failure analysis/storage means for counting the numbers of times when ICs tested in contact with each of said plural contacts are decided by said testing device as defective and for storing failure count values thus counted in correspondence with each of said plural contacts, respectively;

automatic stop means for stopping said handler from operation when it determines a stop condition preset therein for stopping the handler is met in accordance with the failure count values for the respective contacts stored in said contact failure analysis/storage means; and

automatic turn-OFF means, when said automatic stop means controls said handler to stop its operation, for setting the feeding of ICs to be inhibited to such failing contacts as having met the stop condition for stopping said handler, and for automatically putting said failing contacts out of use.

2. The tester of claim 1, further comprising automatic decision means coupled to said automatic turn-OFF means for deciding whether or not said plural contacts are to be replaced when total number of the failing contacts put out of use by said automatic turn-OFF means does or does not exceed a predetermined value.

3. The tester of claim 1, further comprising a failing contact display responsive to said automatic stop means for displaying respective identifiable numbers of the failing contacts put out of use, alarm means for raising and alarm when said automatic stop means controls said handler to top its operation, reset means manually operable by operator for resetting said automatic stop means and said alarm means, and start-up means manually operable by operator for starting up said handler.

4. The tester of claim 1, further comprising control means coupled through a bus to a host computer, for controlling data exchanges therethrough between said tester and said host computer, said control means being further coupled to said automatic turn-OFF means and deciding whether or not said plural contacts are to be replaced when the total number of the failing contacts put out of use by said automatic turn-OFF means does or does not exceed predetermined value.

6. The tester of claim 2, further comprising:

a failing contact display responsive to said automatic stop means for displaying respective identifiable numbers of the failing contacts put out of use;

alarm means for raising an alarm when said automatic stop means stops said handler;

reset means for resetting said automatic stop means and said alarm means; and

start-up means for starting up said handler,

wherein said reset means and said start-up means are automatically actuated by said automatic decision means when it decides the contact are not to be replaced.

7. The tester according to claim 4,

wherein said handler further comprises:

reset means for resetting said automatic stop means; and

start-up means for starting up said handler, and

wherein said reset means and said start-up means are automatically actuated by said control means when it decides the contacts are not to be replaced.

5. A handler of an integrated-circuit tester comprising:

a contact failure analysis memory storing failure count values corresponding to respective contacts of the integrated-circuit tester;

a mode setting part, coupled to the contact failure analysis memory, setting automatic stop conditions for each of the respective contacts; and

an automatic stop part stopping the operation of the handler based on the automatic stop values and the failure count values for each of the respective contacts, and transmitting either a signal indicating that the handler should be stopped and an alarm should be sounded, or a signal indicating that one of the contacts having met the automatic stop conditions should be put out of use.