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:
Jul. 27, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 18, 1996
James Marc Leas, South Burlington, VT (US);
Robert William Koss, Burlington, VT (US);
Jody John Van Horn, Underhill, VT (US);
George Frederick Walker, New York, NY (US);
Charles Hampton Perry, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
David Lewis Gardell, Fairfax, VT (US);
Steve Leo Dingle, Jericho, VT (US);
Ronald Prilik, Chesterfield, VA (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for simultaneously testing or burning in all the integrated circuit chips on a product wafer. The apparatus comprises a glass ceramic carrier having test chips and means for connection to pads of a large number of chips on a product wafer. Voltage regulators on the test chips provide an interface between a power supply and power pads on the product chips, at least one voltage regulator for each product chip. The voltage regulators provide a specified Vdd voltage to the product chips, whereby the Vdd voltage is substantially independent of current drawn by the product chips. The voltage regulators or other electronic means limit current to any product chip if it has a short. The voltage regulator circuit may be gated and variable and it may have sensor lines extending to the product chip. The test chips can also provide test functions such as test patterns and registers for storing test results.