Method and device for testing electronic devices

• US 6,856,157 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2004
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heatron, Inc. (NIBE Industrier AB)
• Original Assignee: Heatron, Inc. (NIBE Industrier AB)
• Inventors: Fetscher, Brian S., Martter, Robert H., Sundberg, Craig C., Deutschlander, G. James, Giardina, Richard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vinh P.
• Application Number:
  US10/794,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20040169522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 347 Days
• Field of Search: 324/755, 324/765, 324/760, 298/30, 298/42, 298/43, 174/257, 174/260, 174/256, 174/258, 361/260, 361/793
• US Class Current: 324/750.05
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2849 Environmental or reliability testing, e.g. burn-in or validation tests of individual semiconductors G01R31/2642; of printed circuits boards G01R31/2817; of IC's G01R31/2855
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2863 Contacting devices, e.g. sockets, burn-in boards or mounting fixtures in general G01R1/04
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/053 the metal substrate being covered by an inorganic insulating layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49004 including measuring or testing of device or component part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49126 Assembling bases

Abstract

The present invention provides a new electronic circuit board and a method of using such board to test electronic devices at elevated temperatures. The board comprises a steel base having a dielectric coating layer and a circuit formed on the layer. The circuit includes a connector region for attachment to an external electrical source and a mounting region for mounting sockets for supporting, powering and monitoring the electronic devices during elevated temperature testing. The board displays a leakage current of less than 10 μAmps at 350° C.

Claims

1. A method of conducting the high temperature testing of an electronic device comprising the steps of:

(i) providing an electronic circuit board for supporting and supplying current to the device to be tested, said electronic circuit board comprising a steel base coated with a dielectric material coating;

(ii) providing electric current to the electronic circuit board; and

(iii) heating the electronic circuit board to a temperature of from about 350°

C. to about 500°

C.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said steel base comprises stainless steel.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said electronic circuit board includes a connector region for attachment to an external electrical source and a mounting region having sockets for supporting said electronic device.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 including the step (iv) of monitoring the electrical characteristics of said electronic device during heating.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said dielectric material coating comprises multiple discrete layers of dielectric material, and said electronic circuit board displays a leakage current of less than 10 μ

Amps at 350°

C.

6. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said electronic circuit board displays a leakage current of less than 1 μ

Amps at 350°

C.

7. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said dielectric material coating comprises a first layer of porcelain enamel and a second layer of high-performance porcelain enamel.

8. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said dielectric material coating comprises multiple discrete layers of dielectric material.

9. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said dielectric material coating comprises two discrete layers of dielectric material.

10. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein said first and second layers of enamel are nonhomogeneous.

11. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said dielectric material coating comprises at least three discrete layers of dielectric material.