Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Seok Hiong Tan

Siew May Fong

Chew Hsia Fung

Zhihong Mai

Chee Keong Tan

Boon Hee Wee

Thean Loy Yap

Yiak Khian Heng

Seck June Foo

Zheng Zhu

Jong Yong Foo

The present invention provides test contact systems and associated integrated circuit device testing systems, and integrated circuit device testing methods that reduce the number of integrated circuit devices that are lost through handler mishap. The invention provides a test contact system in which a contacting force, or a substantial portion thereof, is exert against the substrate of a device under test, rather than exerting the entire force against the die. The invention also provides a system for adjusting the distribution of the contacting force between the substrate and the die. This mechanism allow the force against the die to be kept within a range that provides good thermal contact between the die and the test contact mechanism without damaging the die. The balance of the contacting force can be transmitted to the substrate of the device under test through a resilient member, thereby further reducing the risk of damage to the device under test. The invention further provides a vacuum seal comprising a foam type material to which devices under test do not stick, which substantially eliminates handler jambs resulting from devices under test sticking to the vacuum seal. The test contact systems of the invention, and associated testing systems and methods, significantly reduce the number of integrated circuit devices damaged during testing.

Test contact mechanism

A test circuit for and method of testing integrated circuit packages can be utilized to determine the existence of one or more short circuits between adjacent connectors. The system includes an interface configured to electrically connect the conductors of the integrated circuit package. The interface groups the conductors into a plurality of nodes. The number of nodes is no more than one-half the number of conductors. A control circuit is coupled to the interface. The control circuit determines the existence of one or more short circuits between adjacent conductors in response to signals on the nodes.

Method of and apparatus for testing an integrated circuit package

The present invention is a method and apparatus for efficiently placing a respective fuzz button into each of a high number of button holes on a fuzz button contactor while also efficiently filtering out defectively shaped fuzz buttons. The fuzz buttons are placed into rows of a predetermined number of button holes on the fuzz button contactor. A slot plate has the predetermined number of slots aligned as a row of slots, and fuzz buttons are placed into each of the slots of the slot plate. The present invention also includes a contactor jig having at least one row of the predetermined number of jig holes. These jig holes are disposed on the contactor jig as a mirror image of the at least one row of the predetermined number of button holes on the fuzz button contactor when the contactor jig is properly aligned with the fuzz button contactor. The slots of the slot plate are aligned with a row of jig holes, and the slot plate is tilted such that a respective fuzz button slides from a respective slot of the slot plate into each empty jig hole of the row of jig holes. The transfer of a respective fuzz button from a respective slot of the slot plate into each empty jig hole of a row of jig holes is repeated for each of the rows of the predetermined number of jig holes on the contactor jig. The contactor jig having completely filled jig holes is properly aligned with the fuzz button contactor having empty button holes. A dummy integrated circuit package is pushed into the contactor jig after the fuzz button contactor has been properly aligned with the contactor jig. The dummy integrated circuit package has a respective pin that pushes out a respective fuzz button within each jig hole on the contactor jig into a respective button hole on the fuzz button contactor such that a respective fuzz button is placed into each of the button holes on the fuzz button contactor.

Mechanism for loading a respective fuzz button into each of a high number of button holes within an IC contactor

An integrated circuit sorter automatically prevents the binning of a tested integrated circuit into a wrong container, such as a wrong tube, depending on the results of testing the integrated circuit. The automated integrated circuit sorter includes a respective switch for indicating that each output carries one of good or bad integrated circuits. A container identifier at each output identifies the type of container placed at the output. The container is determined to be for carrying good integrated circuits or bad integrated circuits. If the type of container placed at the output does not correspond to the type of integrated circuits at the output, then an integrated circuit stopper automatically blocks the admission of those integrated circuits into that container. The container identifier includes a light emitter and an optical sensor. A data processor determines whether a correct container or a wrong container is at the output. The data processor communicates with the integrated circuit sorter for affecting action of the integrated circuit stopper via the integrated circuit sorter. A data processor disable jumper may be coupled to the integrated circuit sorter to allow manual control of the integrated circuit stopper. Such a data processor disable jumper is especially advantageous in the event any component of the present invention is inoperative when the integrated circuit sorter may advantageously be manually controlled.

Integrated circuit sorter that automatically prevents binning of

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Singapore, Singapore

Seok Hiong Tan