# US 11,906,579 B2 · Wafer-level test method for optoelectronic chips

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- Number: US 11,906,579 B2
- Document ID: US11906579B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/770,916
- Filed: 2020-06-19
- Published: 2022-12-15
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2019-10-25
- Assignees: Jenoptik Aktiengesellschaft
- Applicants: JENOPTIK Optical Systems GmbH
- Inventors: Tobias Gnausch; Armin Grundmann; Thomas Kaden; Norik Janunts; Robert Buettner; Christian Karras
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906579B2

## CPC

- G01R 31/311: of integrated circuits {(G01R31/31728 takes precedence)}
- G01R 31/2886: {Features relating to contacting the IC under test, e.g. probe heads; chucks (G01R31/2865 takes precedence, test connections, e.g. test sockets, or probes per se, G01R1/04 or G01R1/06)}
- G01R 31/2891: {related to sensing or controlling of force, position, temperature (G01R31/2874 takes precedence; sensing of force G01L; sensing of position G01B, G01D; sensing of temperature G01K; controlling in general G05)}
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)

## Abstract

A method for the testing of optoelectronic chips which are arranged on a wafer and have electrical interfaces in the form of contact pads and optical interfaces which are arranged to be fixed relative thereto in the form of optical deflection elements, e.g., grating couplers, with a specific coupling angle. The wafer is adjusted in three adjustment steps with one of the chips relative to a contacting module such that the electrical interfaces of the chip and contacting module contact one another, and the optical interfaces of the chip and contacting module occupy a maximum position of the optical coupling.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for testing of optoelectronic chips which are arranged on a wafer and have electrical interfaces in a form of contact pads and optical interfaces which are arranged to be fixed relative thereto in a form of optical deflection elements with a specific coupling angle, comprising:
a positioning table receiving the wafer the positioning table being adjustable relative to a contacting module in an X direction, Y direction and Z direction of a Cartesian coordinate system and being rotatable around the Z axis, wherein the contacting module has electrical interfaces in a form of needles which are associated with the contact pads, and optical interfaces which are associated with the optical deflection elements, and
in a first adjustment step, feeding the wafer is to the contacting module in such a way that the needles are disposed vertically above centers of the contact pads of a first one of the chips in a first adjustment position,
wherein the contacting module has an adjustment distance in the Z direction from a first one of the chips that is greater than a free length of the needles,
in further adjustment steps, carrying out a relative alignment of the optical deflection elements with respect to the optical interfaces provided on the contacting module,
then feeding the positioning table to the contacting module in the Z direction using a feed displacement in an optical working distance in which the needles contact the contact pads with a predefined pressing force, and
subsequently routing electrical signals and optical signals via the interfaces which are associated with one another, wherein:
the relative alignment of the optical deflection elements with respect to the optical interfaces provided on the contacting module is carried out by:
in a scanning field smaller than a size of the contact pads, initially deflecting the positioning table into a second adjustment position in the X direction and the Y direction relative to the first adjustment position, while routing an optical signal via at least one of the optical interfaces of the contacting module and one of the optical deflection elements, wherein the second adjustment position is occupied when the optical signal is coupled in with a maximum intensity, and
subsequently deflecting the first one of the chips is subsequently deflected in the X-Y direction by an adjustment displacement into a third adjustment position, wherein the adjustment displacement was calculated from the feed displacement and the coupling angle (α) of a relevant optical deflection element before the positioning table is fed to the contacting module in the Z direction by the feed displacement in the optical working distance.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for testing optoelectronic chips arranged on a wafer, according to claim 1, wherein a difference in position resulting from the first adjustment position and the second adjustment position of the first one of the chips is stored as an offset and taken into account for adjustment of further chips after the further chips have been positioned in a first adjustment position with respect to the contacting module.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method for testing optoelectronic chips arranged on a wafer, according to claim 1, wherein the optical working distance in which the needles contact the contact pads with the predefined pressing force is monitored, and the third adjustment position is corrected when there are changes in the pressing force.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method for testing optoelectronic chips arranged on a wafer, according to claim 1, wherein a change in the optical working distance is determined long-term over a useful life of the contacting module and, for implementing the method, the needles of the contacting module are replaced by new needles when the optical working distance falls below a predetermined minimum distance.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method for testing optoelectronic chips arranged on a wafer, according to claim 1, wherein, when the optical signals routed via the interfaces which are respectively associated with one another are coupled into one of the interfaces, they over-radiate the interface.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method for testing optoelectronic chips arranged on a wafer, according to claim 1, wherein the optical signals routed via the interfaces which are respectively associated with one another have a tophead distribution of their radiation intensity when coupled into one of the interfaces.