# US 5,705,932 A · System for expanding space provided by test computer to test multiple integrated circuits simultaneously

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- Number: US 5,705,932 A
- Document ID: US5705932A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/541,567
- Filed: 1995-10-10
- Granted: 1998-01-06
- Earliest claimed: 1995-10-10
- Assignees: Xilinx, Inc.
- Inventors: Toby Alan Fredrickson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5705932A

## CPC

- H05K 1/0268: {for electrical inspection or testing}
- G01R 1/07307: {with individual probe elements, e.g. needles, cantilever beams or bump contacts, fixed in relation to each other, e.g. bed of nails fixture or probe card}
- G01R 31/2889: {Interfaces, e.g. between probe and tester (G01R31/31905 and G01R1/07364 take precedence)}
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)

## Abstract

A semiconductor device tester and handler interface includes a tester mother board and a handler board. The handler board includes a central area adapted to mount multiple semiconductor devices to be tested by a tester. The tester mother board has a central area, and first and second peripheral groupings of tester contacts fixed in location on the tester mother board. A ring of spaced electrical connectors such as compressible pogo pins on the tester mother board is positioned between the first and the second groupings of tester contacts such that the area of the handler boards available for mounting semiconductor devices is enhanced. This larger area permits testing in parallel of a plurality of semiconductor devices. A non-electrically conductive coplanarity plate is positioned between the tester and handler boards and forms a cavity inboard of the pogo pins for providing a stand-off to allow pogo pin compressions within a fixed range, to provide equal compression of all the pogo pins, to prevent bending or buckling of the boards, and allows dry gas to be flowed against the back side of the handler board during cold temperature testing.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor device tester and handler interface comprising a tester mother board and a handler board;
said tester mother board comprising:
a grouping of tester contacts positioned on the bottom side of said tester mother board so as to contact a tester, and surrounding a central area of said tester mother board;
a plurality of handler contact pins extending upward from the top side of said tester mother board and positioned farther from said central area of said tester mother board than said grouping of tester contacts;
a plurality of tester metallization lines, each metallization line connecting one of said tester contacts to one of said handler contact pins;
said handler board comprising:
a plurality of handler bottom side contacts each positioned to contact one of said handler contact pins in said tester mother board;
a work area defined by said handler contact pins including at least one test site for receiving a corresponding at least one semiconductor device, said work area being larger than said central area; and
a plurality of handler metallization lines, each handler metallization line connecting one of said handler bottom side contacts to a contact in said test site.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The interface of claim 1 wherein said grouping of tester contacts comprises a first grouping and further comprising a second grouping of tester contacts, wherein said first and second groupings of tester contacts are arranged as first and second concentric rings, and said handler contact pins are arranged in a ring between said first and second groupings of tester contacts.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The interface of claim 2 wherein said handler contact pins are spring-biased pogo pins,
said interface further including an annular non-electrically conductive coplanarity plate extending parallel to and between said tester mother board and said handler board, said coplanarity plate having an inner periphery bounding said central area of said tester mother board and an outer periphery adjacent to said pogo pins such that compression of said pogo pins is equalized without overstressing said pogo pins.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The interface of claim 3 wherein said plate is a plastic plate having a thickness about 5 mm to about 20 mm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The interface of claim 4 wherein said plate includes surface grooves extending from the inner periphery of the plate to the outer periphery of the plate for venting of gas from the interface.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The interface of claim 5 wherein said tester mother board, said handler board and said plate are circular.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The interface of claim 6 wherein said grooves are radial grooves.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The interface of claim 3 further including a series of a guide pins extending from said tester mother board between said first and second rings of tester contacts, said plate and said handler board having apertures alignable with respective ones of said guide pins upon assembly of said boards.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The interface of claim 8 wherein said guide pins have a distal end shaped to guide said plate and said handler board onto said tester mother board.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The interface of claim 2 wherein said handler board and said tester mother board are circular and said first and second rings of tester contacts and said ring of handler contact pins extend circumferentially around said tester mother board.

### Claim 11 (depends on 2)

The interface of claim 2 wherein one of said rings of tester contacts carries test signals and the other of said rings of tester contacts carries utility signals.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The interface of claim 11 wherein said tester utilities include a tester power supply, a relay control, an external relay power supply, a ground voltage supply, and a board status register.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The interface of claim 1 wherein said work area is larger than 25% of a total area of said tester mother board.