Arc suppression in a wafer testing environment
AssigneeCeladon Systems, Inc.
InventorsDalton Roehl, Garrett Tranquillo, Nicholas Schisel, Daniel Winship
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Testing performance of a semiconductor device includes redirecting a heated gas from an external source into a closed probe card assembly via a rigid gas manifold to create a pressurized region proximate to a device under test (DUT) and returning a sampling of the heated gas from the pressurized region to a controller device external to the closed probe assembly via a rigid return gas manifold. The heated gas is injected within a range of pressure and temperature to increase arc suppression on the DUT, and the pressure and the temperature of the heated gas is monitored at the controller.
Claims16
A wafer test assembly, comprising:
- a probe card assembly, comprising:
- a probe tile configured to accommodate a plurality of openings through which a plurality of voltage-charged probe wires extend;
- a seal disposed on a surface of the probe tile configured to form a pressurized area over at least the probe tile;
- a cap configured to securely cover the probe card assembly, the cap including:
- a gas inlet configured to conduit gas into the pressurized area via the plurality of openings of the probe tile, and
- a gas return outlet configured to conduit pressurized gas from the pressurized area;
- a rigid gas manifold configured to connect to the gas inlet to redirect gas from a gas heater assembly to the pressurized area;
- and
- a rigid return gas manifold configured to connect to the gas return outlet to return a sampling of the pressurized gas from the pressurized area to the gas heater assembly.
A method of testing performance of a semiconductor device, comprising:
- redirecting a heated gas from an external source into a closed probe card assembly via a rigid gas manifold to create a pressurized region proximate to a device under test (DUT),
- wherein the heated gas is injected within a range of pressure and temperature to increase arc suppression on the DUT;
- and
- returning a sampling of the heated gas from the pressurized region to a controller device external to the closed probe assembly via a rigid return gas manifold,
- wherein the pressure and the temperature of the heated gas is monitored at the controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.