The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 05, 1998
Filed:
Apr. 26, 1996
Kazunari Suga, Goyoda, JP;
Advantest Corp., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A board exchange mechanism for a self-diagnosis process excludes the need of disconnecting a test head from a wafer prober for installing a self-diagnosis board. The board exchange mechanism for a semiconductor test system having a plurality of test channels includes: a test head connected to the semiconductor test system and having a plurality of print circuit boards corresponding to the plurality of test channels; a wafer prober having a pin card for electrically contacting a semiconductor wafer to be tested for supplying test signals to the semiconductor wafer; a performance board for interfacing the plurality of print circuit boards and the pin card when the test head and the wafer prober are mechanically connected with each other; a self-diagnosis board which is sized equal to the size of the pin card of the wafer prober; wherein the pin card is replaced with the self-diagnosis board prior to a self-diagnosis test while the test head and the wafer prober remain mechanically connected and wherein the performance board interfaces the plurality of print circuit boards and the self-diagnosis board.