Live component temperature conditioning device providing fast temperature variations

A temperature conditioning device adapted for thermally stressing an electronic component carried in a fixture with gas at a selected temperature other than ambient while obtaining the electrical characteristics of such component, said device receiving said gas from a source and comprising:

• A. a cabinet receiving said gas from said source;
• B. a nozzle assembly including a nozzle body and a shroud extending from said nozzle body, said nozzle body and shroud forming a chamber adapted to retain said gas of said selected temperature around said fixture carrying the component;
• C. a cold gas path capable of being in gaseous fluid communication with said source in said cabinet and extending to said nozzle assembly, said cold gas path including the evaporation coil of a mechanical refrigeration system capable of effecting the lowest selected temperature in said gas, a by-pass gas path that directly and continuously conveys said gas from said source to said cold gas path upstream of said evaporation coil to maintain said cold gas path at a cold temperature;
• D. a hot gas path capable of being in gaseous communication with said source in said cabinet, being separate from said cold air path and extending to said nozzle assembly, said hot gas path including a first heater capable of effecting the highest selected temperature in said gas;
• and,
• E. said cold gas path and hot gas path both being in gaseous fluid communication with said chamber of said nozzle assembly.

A temperature conditioning device adapted for thermally stressing an electronic component carried in a fixture with a gas from a source at a selected temperature while obtaining the electrical characteristics of such components, said device comprising:

• A. a cabinet;
• B. a two-way directing valve located in said cabinet and receiving said gas from said source, said valve directing said gas down one of a cold gas path and a hot gas path, which are separate and parallel one another;
• C. an evaporation coil of a mechanical refrigeration system contained in said cabinet, said evaporation coil being capable of effecting the lowest possible selected temperature in said gas and being downstream of said valve in said cold gas path;
• D. a by-pass path continuously conveying gas from said source to upstream said evaporation coil in said cold gas path around said valve so that there is a continuous flow of cold gas through said cold gas path;
• E. a pair of flexible tubes extending from interior said cabinet to exterior said cabinet, one cold gas tube receiving chilled gas from said evaporation coil and carrying said cold gas path and the other hot gas tube receiving gas from said two-way directing valve and carrying said hot gas path, said cold gas tube including a low wattage density heater capable of heating said gas from the lowest possible selected temperature to the selected temperature;
• F. a high wattage density heater receiving the gas from said hot gas tube carrying said hot gas path and capable of heating said gas to the highest possible selected temperature;
• and
• G. a nozzle assembly coupled to said one tube and said high wattage density heater, said nozzle assembly including a nozzle body and a shroud forming a chamber extending therefrom, said nozzle body having one port receiving said cold gas path, a second port receiving said hot gas path and a discharge throat for discharging gas from said two paths into said chamber, said chamber adapted to contain said gas at said selected temperature around said electronic component.