Thermal fixture for testing an integrated circuit
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorWalter T. Schneider
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for controlling the temperature of an integrated circuit. A thelly conductive block has a vacuum passage connected to a vacuum pump for clamping the block to the top of an integrated circuit housing without mechanical clamping structures. A closed fluid loop including a circulating pump, heater and chiller modulate the temperature of a fluid passing through the conductive block thereby to control its temperature and the temperature of the integrated circuit independently of any other integrated circuit.
Claims18
In apparatus for testing the operation of an assembled electronic circuit board having a plurality of electrically interconnected, physically spaced, integrated circuits with housings and other components mounted thereon, each housing having at least one accessible planar surface having a predetermined shape, the improvement of temperature control apparatus for varying the temperature of an individual integrated circuit independently of other integrated circuits and components on the circuit board, said temperature control apparatus comprising:
- a conductive block having a surface shaped to engage at least a portion of the accessible planar surface of one integrated circuit to be controlled and formed with a plurality of passageways therethrough,
- means for affixing said conductive block to the selected integrated circuit with said surface abutting the integrated circuit accessible planar surface,
- temperature sensing means disposed in a sensor passageway of said conductive block for monitoring the temperature of said conductive block,
- fluid delivery means for circulating a fluid through another of said passageways as a fluid passageway, and
- fluid temperature control means connected to said temperature sensing means and said fluid delivery means for adjusting the temperature of the fluid circulating through said fluid passageway thereby to control the temperature of said conductive block and the attached integrated circuit independently of the temperature of the other integrated circuits and other components on the circuit board.
In apparatus for testing the operation of an electronic circuit board having a plurality of electrically interconnected, physically spaced, integrated circuits with housings and other components mounted thereon, each housing having at least one accessible planar surface having a predetermined shape, the improvement of temperature control apparatus for varying the temperature of an individual integrated circuit independently of other integrated circuits and components on the circuit board, said temperature control apparatus comprising:
- conductive block having a first surface shaped to engage at least a portion of the accessible planar surface of an integrated circuit to be controlled and formed with a first passageway therethrough with a first end terminating at said first surface, sealing means at the first end of said first passageway for contacting the integrated circuit housing, and a second passageway formed therethrough spaced from said first passageway;
- vacuum means attached to said first passageway for generating a vacuum therein whereby said first surface of said conductive block is affixed to the integrated circuit housing,
- closed loop circulation means connected to the second passageway for circulating a fluid through said conductive block,
- temperature control means including temperature sensing means disposed in another passageway of said conductive block for monitoring the temperature of said conductive block and temperature establishment means for establishing the temperature of the fluid circulated through said second passageway, and
- means for monitoring the formation of condensation on said conductive block whereby said temperature control apparatus can control the temperature of an attached integrated circuit independently of the temperature of the other integrated circuits and other components on the circuit board without the formation of undue condensation on either of said conductive block or integrated circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.