Automated test equipment and control method thereof

• US 9,348,719 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kimm, Deock-Kyum, Jang, Mi, Kim, Dae-Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Dieu-Minh
• Application Number:
  US14/197,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20140258778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 714/27, 714/28, 714/25, 714/31, 714/734
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

An automated test system for a semiconductor device to concurrently perform multiple device tests is provided. The system may include at least one test client, at least one test site and a test server. The at least one test client is configured to receive a test request of at least one worker and to display a test response. The at least one test site is configured to test at least one device under test (DUT). The test server is configured to communicate with the at least one test client and the at least one test site, divide and/or drive the at least one test site in response to the test request of the at least one test client, and transmit a response of the at least one test site to the at least one test client.

Claims

1. An automated test system, the automated test system comprising:

at least one test client;

at least one test site; and

a test server communicatively coupled to the test client and the at least one test site;

the at least one test client being configured to

receive a test request of at least one worker,

communicate the test request to the test server, and

display a test response of the at least one test site based on receiving the test response from the test server;

the at least one test site being configured to

test at least one semiconductor chip device under test (DUT) based on being driven by the test server, and

generate the test response based on testing the at least one semiconductor chip DUT; and

the test server being configured to

communicate with the at least one test client and the at least one test site,

receive the test request from the at least one test client,

drive the at least one test site in response to the test request of the at least one test client such that the at least one test site tests the at least one semiconductor chip DUT based on the test request,

receive the test response of the at least one test site, and

transmit the test response of the at least one test site to the at least one test client such that the at least one test client displays the test response of the at least one test site.

2. The automated test system of claim 1, wherein the at least one test site is further configured to:

execute a test program downloaded from the test server to test the at least one semiconductor chip DUT.

3. The automated test system of claim 1, wherein the at least one test site is further configured to:

execute mutually different test programs with respect to at least two types of semiconductor chip DUTs to test the at least two types of the semiconductor chip DUTs.

4. The automated test system of claim 3, wherein the mutually different test programs are downloaded from the test server.

5. The automated test system of claim 1, wherein the at least one test site is further configured to:

execute mutually different test programs associated with at least two types of semiconductor chip DUTs, and

perform at least one test on the at least two types of the semiconductor chip DUTs.

6. The automated test system of claim 5, wherein the test site is configured to test the at least two types of the semiconductor chip DUTs simultaneously.

7. The automated test system of claim 1, wherein the test server is configured to communicate with the at least one test client using one of an Inter-Process Communication (IPC) and a Remote Procedure Call (RPC).

8. The automated test system of claim 7, wherein the test server is configured to communicate using the IPC, and is further configured to independently communicate with at least one processor of the at least one test client according to the IPC.

9. The automated test system of claim 7, wherein the test server is configured to communicate using the RPC, and is further configured to:

provide a communications interface to the at least one test client for the at least one test client to communicate with the test server according to the RPC.

10. The automated test system of claim 1, wherein the at least one test site is configured to operate asynchronously.

11. A test server for concurrently scheduling multiple device tests on a semiconductor chip device under test (DUT), the test server configured to:

receive a plurality of test requests from a plurality of test clients, each of the plurality of test requests corresponding to a semiconductor chip DUT of a plurality of semiconductor chip DUTs to be tested by a test site, the test site being configured to test each semiconductor chip DUT based on at least one test request; and

divide the test site according to each of the plurality of test requests that are received such that the test site tests each semiconductor chip DUT of the plurality of semiconductor chip DUTs concurrently based on a separate test request of the plurality of test requests.

12. The test server of claim 11, further configured to:

provide a plurality of mutually different test programs to the test site, each one of the plurality of mutually different test programs being used to test a corresponding one of the semiconductor chip DUTs.

13. The test server of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of the test requests includes a client identification code, test site data, at least one semiconductor chip DUT to be tested, and at least one of the plurality of mutually different test programs,

the at least at least one semiconductor chip DUT to be tested corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of mutually different test programs.

14. The test server of claim 11, further configured to:

transmit a test response to each of the plurality of test clients, the test response corresponding to a tested semiconductor chip DUT, the test response including test site data, data associated with the tested semiconductor chip DUT, and test result data associated with the tested semiconductor chip DUT.

15. The test server of claim 11, further configured to:

provide a user interface to each of the plurality of test clients, each of the plurality of test requests being received via the provided user interface.