Teradyne, Inc.

Joseph Francis Wrinn

Peter A Reichert

Michael W Hamblin

Govindarajan T Srinivasan

Anthony J Suto

Philip Luke Campbell

Jiann-Neng Chen

John Joseph Arena

Timothy W Sheen

John P Toscano

Larry W Akers

Stephen A Cohen

Mark S Hoffman

David Graziose

Dennis R LaFosse

Jacqueline N Brenner

Michael A Baglino

Lawrence Heller

Disclosed herein are testing apparatus and methods to identify latent defects in IC devices based on capacitive coupling between bond wires. Bond wires may have latent defects that do not appear as hard shorts or hard opens at the time of testing, but may pose a high risk of developing into hard shorts or hard opens over time. A latent defect may form when two adjacent bond wires are disturbed to become close to each other. According to some embodiments, capacitive coupling between a pair of pins may be used to provide an indication of a near-short latent defect between bond wires connected to the pair of pins.

Method and apparatus for bond wire testing in an integrated circuit

An example test system includes: a test slot to hold a device under test (DUT); a temperature control system comprising a phase-change material, with the temperature control system for maintaining a temperature of the phase-change material in a steady-state condition, with the phase-change material changing phase during a transient condition to affect a temperature of a thermally-conductive structure, and with the steady-state condition being longer in duration than the transient condition; and an air mover to direct air over the thermally-conductive structure and towards the DUT in the test slot in order to affect a temperature of the DUT.

Thermal control using phase-change material

An example test fixture, which interfaces a tester and a unit under test (UUT), includes the following: first electrical contacts that face the tester; second electrical contacts that face the UUT; a substrate made of sections of printed first material, with the first material being electrically non-conductive, and with the substrate being between the first electrical contacts and the second electrical contacts; and structures through the substrate, with the structures including sections of second material, with the second material being electrically conductive, and with at least one of the structures electrically connecting a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact.

Test fixture

In general, a test slot is engaged with automated machinery to inhibit movement of the test slot, thereby inhibiting transmission of vibration from the test slot to its surroundings. While the automated machinery is engaged with the test slot, the automated machinery is actuated to insert a storage device into the test slot, or remove the storage device from the test slot.

Engaging test slots

According to one embodiment, a method for processing one or more X-ray images includes: receiving at least one image of the one or more X-ray images, the one or more X-ray images being of an assembly extending along a plane; based on the at least one image, autonomously determining a respective displacement value for each of portions of the assembly with respect to one or more directions of the plane, each of the displacement values being determined relative to a respective actual value; storing the displacement values; and applying a rule to the stored displacement values, the rule being for determining a defect status of the assembly.

X-ray inspection of solder reflow in high-density printed circuit board applications

According to one embodiment, a calibration system for calibrating image data produced by an imaging system is provided. The calibration system includes a processor configured for: receiving the image data from the imaging system; receiving a plurality of reference values from the imaging system; and calibrating the image data using the reference values. The reference values correspond to air image data produced by the imaging system.

Method of and system for calibration of inspection systems producing X-ray images

According to one embodiment, a system for linearizing image data corresponding to one or more objects and output by an imaging device is provided. The system includes a processor configured for: receiving the image data from the imaging device; and producing a generally linear relationship between the image data and a thickness of the one or more objects. The generally linear relationship is produced according to the equation I is an intensity of the image data, Iis an intensity of energy produced by the imaging device for outputting the image data, &#x3bc; is an attenuation coefficient of the one or more objects, and l is the thickness of the one or more objects.

Method of and system for obtaining linear data for object scanned using non-collimated, poly-energetic X-rays

An apparatus and method are disclosed for testing connections between printed circuit boards and components mounted thereon. A conductive loop is formed by forward biasing a parasitic diode that is inherently present between an integrated circuit (IC) lead and the ground plane of the IC. A magnetic field is created by an antenna mounted above the component to be tested. When the antenna is energized by an RF source, a voltage is induced in the conductive loop if the loop is continuous, i.e., if all of the connections are properly made. The voltage in the loop is measured and compared to a selected threshold to produce a pass/fail indication. This tester may be implemented as an improvement to a standard type of 'bed-of-nails' printed circuit board tester. The antenna may be implemented as an array of spiral loop antennas, with adjacent antennas producing magnetic fields that are 90 degrees out of phase with each other.

Printed circuit board tester using magnetic induction

Relay multiplexer circuitry for making a limited number of test channels connectable to a large number of test pins through relays connected to selected test channel nodes and test pin nodes, each test pin node being connectable to a unique combination of test channel nodes within a group of pin nodes, channel nodes and relays.

Relay multiplexing for circuit testers

Quickly synchronizing adjustable delay circuits for a multiple channel tester by using a timing pulse that has reached the end of a given path in the tester to trigger the following timing pulse of a timing generator, thereby providing oscillating timing pulses having an associated frequency related to the propagation delay associated with the particular path, comparing the associated frequency with a reference frequency and adjusting a delay provided in the path until the associated frequency matches a desired frequency.

Circuitry for synchronizing a multiple channel circuit tester

Circuit board analysis system, featuring, in various aspects, a probe having three equally spaced tips to simultaneously contact a straight portion of a mounted IC lead, circuitry to monitor contact between the tips and the lead, use of very low level test signals while the board is powered up, and test signal injection to determine the absolute values of internal IC resistance.

Analyzing electrical circuit boards

System for analyzing electrical circuit boards, featuring, in various aspects, determining first whether there is an active driver IC on a node by examining absolute values of internal IC resistance; second, if there is an active driver, whether there is an input circuit to internal supply voltage shorting resistance, by examining the ratio of the resistance R.sub.1 of one IC to the combined resistance R.sub.2 of the other ICs on the node; and third, if that type of shorting resistance is not found, whether other shorting resistances are present, by examining the difference between actual and expected node voltage.

Electrical circuitry for measuring low level signals comprising a source of ac signals to be measured, a synchronous detector clocked at the frequency of said ac, and a transformer coupling the source to the detector, improved in that, between the transformer and the detector, there are provided a wideband amplifier for amplifying both the information signal and noise present in the transformer output, followed by a filter having a passband of width intermediate those of the amplifier and the detector and centered on the clock frequency of the detector.

Growing community of inventors

Winchester, MA, United States of America

Joseph Francis Wrinn