Wireless test system

• US 7,675,311 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FormFactor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: FormFactor Incorporated
• Inventors: Miller, Charles A., Eldridge, Benjamin N., Khandros, Igor Y., Sporck, A. Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Ha Tran T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tung X
• Application Number:
  US11/749,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20070210822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 324/765, 324/763, 324/760, 324/158.1, 324/754, 324761-762, 340/870.16, 340/988, 340/635, 340/653, 702/119, 264/21, 455/427, 455/430, 455/12.1, 455/13, 455/1, 455/67.1, 455/423, 455/67.11, 701/33, 701/35
• US Class Current: 324/762.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3025 Wireless interface with the DUT
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31907 Modular tester, e.g. controlling and coordinating instruments in a bus based architecture
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31908 Tester set-up, e.g. configuring the tester to the device under test [DUT], down loading test patterns

Abstract

One or more testers wirelessly communicate with one or more test stations. The wireless communication may include transmission of test commands and/or test vectors to a test station, resulting in testing of one or more electronic devices at the test station. The wireless communication may also include transmission of test results to a tester. Messages may also be wirelessly exchanged.

Claims

1. A tester comprising:

initiating means for wirelessly initiating testing of an electronic device only at an on-line test station;

receiving means for wirelessly receiving results of said testing from said on-line test station;

means for wirelessly receiving a request from an off-line test station to be become an on-line test station; and

adding means for bringing said off-line test station on-line and thereby making the off-line test station an on-line test station.

2. The tester of claim 1, wherein said initiating means further comprises means for initiating testing of a plurality of electronic devices at said on-line test station.

3. The tester of claim 1, wherein:

said initiating means further comprises means for initiating testing of an electronic device only at each of a plurality of on-line test stations; and

said receiving means further comprises means for receiving results of said testing from each of said on-line test stations.

4. The tester of claim 1 further comprising means for maintaining an identification of a plurality of on-line test stations, wherein:

said initiating means further comprises means for initiating testing of an electronic device only at each of said plurality of on-line test stations; and

said receiving means further comprises means for receiving results of said testing from each of said plurality of on-line test stations.

5. The tester of claim 4, wherein said adding means brings said off-line test station on-line after said initiating means initiates testing of an electronic device at least one of said plurality of on-line test stations but before said receiving means receives results of said testing of said electronic device at said at least one of said plurality of on-line test stations.

6. The tester of claim 3 further comprising means for taking one of said on-line test stations off-line.

7. The tester of claim 1 further comprising means for signaling another tester that results of testing have been received from said test station.

8. The tester of claim 1 further comprising means for receiving a signal from another tester that testing of said electronic device by said other tester is completed, wherein said initiating means initiates said testing in response to said signal from said other tester.

9. The tester of claim 1, wherein said test station comprises a prober and said electronic device comprises an unsingulated semiconductor wafer.

10. The tester of claim 1, wherein said electronic device comprises a packaged semiconductor die.

11. The tester of claim 1, wherein said electronic device comprises a singulated, unpackaged semiconductor die.

12. The tester of claim 1, wherein said electronic device comprises a multi-chip module.

13. The tester of claim 1, wherein said initiating means comprises a digital storage device and a digital processor configured to operate in accordance with instructions stored in said digital storage device.

14. The tester of claim 1, wherein said initiating means initiates said testing by wirelessly sending to said on-line test station test data comprising at least one test vector comprising data and locations to which said data is to be written.

15. The tester of claim 14, wherein said locations comprise identifications of probes through which said test data is to be written to said electronic device.

16. The tester of claim 1, wherein said request from an off-line test station comprises data identifying the off-line test station and data identifying a type of an electronic device at said off-line test station that is to be tested.

17. The tester of claim 1, wherein said adding means brings said off-line test station on-line by storing data at said tester identifying said off-line tester as being on-line.

18. The tester of claim 1, wherein said initiating means is not configured to initiate testing of an electronic device at an off-line tester.