Systems and methods for testing a plurality of circuit devices

A test system that tests integrated circuit devices for defects, the test system comprising:

• a controller that is configured to generate a test signal for testing integrated circuit devices;
• first through m-th relays that are configured to toggle between transferring and stopping the transfer of the test signal in response to first through m-th relay control signals;
• first through m-th test units that are configured to test integrated circuit devices using the test signal transferred from the first through m-th relays, and to generate first through m-th test result signals having information on whether or not the tested integrated circuit devices are defective;
• first through m-th stepped test result synthesizing units that are configured to receive the first through m-th test result signals and to generate first through m-th device test result signals having information on the result of the test of the integrated circuit devices;
• and
• first through m-th relay signal control units that are configured to generate the first through m-th relay control signals controlling the toggling of the first through m-th relays in response to respective ones of the first through m-th device test result signals.

A relay control method that can be used to control testing of a plurality of integrated circuit devices in a test system, each of the integrated circuit devices having first through n-th pins that output signals that are to be tested, the method comprising:

• generating first through n-th pin test result signals that indicate whether the first through n-th output signals from each of the integrated circuit devices are defective;
• generating a device test result signal for each of the integrated circuit devices, the device test result signal combining the first through n-th pin test result signals to indicate whether any of the first through n-th pins of the an integrated circuit device are providing a defective signal;
• and
• generating a relay control signal that isolates a first one of the integrated circuit devices from further testing when the device test result signal indicates that at least one of the first through n-th output signals of the first one of the integrated circuit devices is defective.

A method of determining whether or not first through m-th integrated circuit devices in a test system are defective, the test system including first through m-th relays, the method comprising:

• generating a test signal for testing the first through m-th integrated circuit devices;
• toggling the first through m-th relays between transferring the test signal and isolating the test signal, in response to first through m-th relay control signals;
• testing the first through m-th integrated circuit devices with the test signal from the first through m-th relays, to provide first through m-th test result signals having information on whether or not there is a defect in the first through m-th integrated circuit devices;
• and
• generating the first through m-th relay control signals to toggle the first through m-th relays in response to the first through m-th test result signals.