US 4,374,317 AGranted

Burn-in chamber

AssigneeReliability Incorporated

InventorJames I. Bradshaw

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Abstract

An improved connection assembly for connecting a burn-in component board located within a burn-in chamber to control circuitry located outside the chamber is disclosed. The assembly includes a connecting device for connecting the component board to the control circuitry. The improvement includes an isolation apparatus for isolating the connecting device from the chamber, the isolation apparatus including (i) a cavity extending through at least a portion of the wall of the chamber and defining a cavity base disposed between the inner surface of such wall and the exterior of such chamber and (ii) a cavity cover disposed between the cavity base and the interior of the chamber such that contact between the air of the chamber and the connecting device is substantially reduced and the flow of air between the inside and outside of the chamber adjacent the connector is substantially inhibited.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An improved apparatus for stressing semiconductors disposed on a component unit having a component retaining portion and a coupling portion, said apparatus being of the type including (i) a chamber having an air space and a wall surrounding said air space, (ii) environment controlling means for maintaining said air space at a temperature substantially greater than that outside said chamber, and (ii) connection means for providing an electrical connection between the inside of said chamber and the outside of such chamber, said connection means including a connector having coupling means for releasably coupling with said coupling portion of said component unit while said component retaining portion of said component unit is disposed within said air space of such chamber, wherein the improvement comprises:

isolation means for isolating said connector from said air space such that contact between the air of said air space and the connector is substantially reduced and the flow of air between the inside and outside of said chamber adjacent said connector is substantially inhibited,
said isolation means including (i) a cavity extending from the inner surface of said wall of such chamber through at least a portion of said wall of said chamber, (ii) a cavity base disposed between the inner surface of said wall and the exterior of said chamber and (iii) a cavity cover disposed between said cavity base and said air space of said chamber,
said coupling means of said connector being disposed between said cavity cover and the exterior of said chamber and being spaced away from said cavity cover and means for supplying a cooling medium between said cavity cover and said cavity base.

An apparatus for stressing electronic components mounted on a circuit board having (i) a coupling edge by which such board can be releasably coupled with a card-edge connector and (ii) a component portion on which such electronic components are mounted, the apparatus comprising:

a chamber including an enclosed air space and a wall substantially surrounding said air space, said wall having (i) a cavity extending from the inner surface of said wall through at least a portion of said wall and (ii) a cavity base disposed between said cavity and the exterior of said chamber;
environment controlling means for maintaining the temperature of said air space at a value substantially greater than that of the ambient on the outside of said wall of said chamber;
connection means for providing an electrical connection between the inside of said chamber and the outside of said chamber, said connection means including a card-edge connector having a receptacle for releasably receiving at least a first portion of such coupling edge of such circuit board such that when such first portion of such coupling edge is received in said receptable of said card-edge connector, such component portion of such circuit board is disposed within said air space of said chamber, said card-edge connector being disposed in said cavity base such that the receptacle of said edge connector is disposed between the inner surface of said wall and the outside of such chamber;
and
a cavity cover disposed between the innermost portion of said edge connector and said air space for (i) substantially reducing contact between the environment of such air space and said card-edge connector and (ii) substantially inhibiting the flow of air between the inside and the outside of said chamber adjacent said card-edge connector.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.