Probe card assembly for electronic device testing with DC test resource sharing

• US 7,924,035 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2008
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FormFactor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: FormFactor Incorporated
• Inventors: Huebner, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Vinh P
• Application Number:
  US12/173,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20100013503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 324/754.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31926 Routing signals to or from the device under test [DUT], e.g. switch matrix, pin multiplexing

Abstract

A test system can include contact elements for making electrical connections with test points of a DUT. The test system can also include a DC test resource and a signal router, which can be configured to switch a DC channel from the DC test resource between individual contact elements in a group of contact elements.

Claims

1. A probe card assembly comprising:

an electrical interface to a plurality of DC channels to a tester;

a plurality of probes disposed to contact directly test points on one or more electronic devices to be tested; and

a first signal router configured to switch selectively connection of a first one of the DC channels among each one of a plurality of first ones of the probes, wherein the signal router can connect the first DC channel to each one of first probes without simultaneously connecting the first DC channel to the others of the first probes.

2. The probe card assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical interface is also to a plurality of AC channels to the tester.

3. The probe card assembly of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of electrical paths through the probe card assembly connecting ones of the AC channels to a plurality of second ones of the probes.

4. The probe card assembly of claim 3 further comprising a second signal router configured to switch selectively connection of a second one of the DC channels among each one of a plurality of third ones of the probes, wherein the second signal router can connect the second DC channel to each one of third probes without simultaneously connecting the second DC channel to the others of the third probes.

5. The probe card assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the probes are disposed in a pattern that corresponds to the test points on a plurality of the electronic devices, and

each of the first probes is disposed in the pattern to correspond to a different one of the electronic devices.

6. The probe card assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the first signal router comprises a control input, and

the first signal router is further configured to switch the connection of the first DC channel from one of the first probes to another of the first probes in response to a signal on the control input.

7. A probe card assembly comprising:

an electrical interface to a plurality of DC channels to a tester;

a plurality of probes disposed to contact directly test points on one or more electronic devices to be tested;

a signal router configured to connect one of the DC channels through a plurality of switches to each of the probes in a group of a plurality of the probes wherein the signal router can disconnect the one of the DC channels from one of the probes in the group of the probes without simultaneously disconnecting the one of the DC channels from the other of the probes in the group of the probes;

a plurality of current sensors each configured to sense a level of current flowing between one of the probes in the group of probes and the DC channel.

8. The probe card assembly of claim 7, wherein each of the current sensors is further configured to open a switch between the one of the probes in the group and the DC channel if the sensed current exceeds a predetermined current level.

9. The probe card assembly of claim 8 further comprising a controller configured to program selectively the predetermined current level.

10. The probe card assembly of claim 8, wherein the predetermined current level corresponds to an anticipated fault at one of the test points.

11. The probe card assembly of claim 10, wherein the anticipated fault is a short of the one of the test point to ground.