DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC TEST OF INTEGRATED ANTENNAS

• US 20180003754A1
• Filed: 06/27/2017
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Schrattenecker, Jochen O., Frank, Oliver, Kaineder, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 10,564,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/045 Sockets or component fixtures for RF or HF testing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/10 Radiation diagrams of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2822 of microwave or radiofrequency circuits of attenuation, gain, e.g. using network analyzers G01R27/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/302 Contactless testing G01R31/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/40 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4004 of parts of a radar system
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/04105 Bonding areas formed on an encapsulation of the semiconductor or solid-state body, e.g. bonding areas on chip-scale packages
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/12105 Bump connectors formed on an encapsulation of the semiconductor or solid-state body, e.g. bumps on chip-scale packages
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3233 particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems

Abstract

A test set-up for testing a system-in package with an integrated antenna is described herein. According to one exemplary embodiment, the test set-up includes a carrier with an RF probe arranged thereon and a test socket with resilient electric contacts. The test socket is mounted on the carrier and provides an electric contact to interconnects of the package when it is placed on the test socket. The test socket has an opening which is arranged superjacent to the RF probe.

Claims

1. A test set-up for testing a system-in package with an integrated antenna, the test set-up comprises:

a carrier with an RF probe arranged thereon; and

a test socket with resilient electric contacts, the test socket being mounted on the carrier and providing an electric contact to interconnects of the package when placed on the test socket,

wherein the test socket has an opening which is arranged superjacent to the RF probe.

2. The test set-up of claim 1,

wherein the opening provides a passage for the electromagnetic radiation through the test socket such that electromagnetic radiation emanating from the package passes the opening and reaches the RF probe.

3. The test set-up of claim 1, further comprising:

a wafer chuck configured to receive the package.

4. The test set-up of claim 3,

wherein the wafer chuck is configured to place the package on the test socket such that the resilient electric contacts are electrically connected to the interconnects of the package.

5. The test-set-up of claim 1,

wherein the resilient electric contacts are formed by one of:

resilient pins, spring contacts, pogo-pins, needle contacts, electrically conductive elastomer contacts, and electrical lines formed on a membrane.

6. The test-set-up of claim 1,

wherein the carrier is a printed circuit board or a probe-card.

7. A system for testing a system-in package with an integrated antenna, the system comprises:

a wafer chuck configured to receive the package; and

an automatic test equipment, including a carrier with an RF probe arranged thereon and further including a test socket with resilient electric contacts mounted on the carrier;

wherein the wafer chuck is configured to place the package on the test socket so that the resilient electric contacts of the test socket provide an electric contact to interconnects of the package, and

wherein the test socket has an opening which is arranged superjacent to the RF probe.

8. The system of claim 7,

wherein the automatic test equipment is configured to cause the system-in-package to generate an RF signal, which is radiated by the integrated antenna.

9. The system of claim 8,

wherein the automatic test equipment is configured to receive a measured signal provided by the RF probe.

10. The system of claim 8,

wherein the distance between the package and the RF probe is such that, for a given RF band including the RF signal, the RF probe is in the near-field of the integrated antenna of the package.

11. The system of claim 8,

wherein the automatic test equipment is configured to calculate, based on the measured signal provided by the RF probe, data representing the far-field of the integrated antenna.

12. The system of claim 11,

wherein the automatic test equipment is configured to derive at least one parameter of the system-in-package or the integrated antenna from the calculated data.

13. A method for testing a system-in package with an integrated antenna, the method comprises:

placing the package on a test socket using a wafer chuck, the test socket being attached on a carrier and including resilient electric contacts that provide an electric contact to interconnects of the package;

using an RF probe mounted on the carrier to obtain near-field measurements of an electromagnetic field emanating from the integrated antenna, the electromagnetic field extending through an opening in the test socket; and

calculating far-field data from the near-field measurements.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

controlling, via the resilient electric contacts of the test socket, the sys-tem-in-package to generate an RF signal, which is supplied to the integrated antenna and causes the electromagnetic field.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

calculating, based on the calculated far-field data, one or more parameters of the system-in-package or the integrated antenna or both.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of the following:

EIRP, transmitted RF power, effective antenna gain, and system gain.