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:
Nov. 30, 1999
Filed:
Sep. 24, 1998
Francis Joseph Downes, Jr, Vestal, NY (US);
Anthony Paul Ingraham, Endicott, NY (US);
Jaynal Abedin Molla, Endicott, NY (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
An apparatus, and a corresponding method, for stress-testing wire bond-type semiconductor chips is disclosed. The apparatus includes a clamp housing, with a spring-loaded screw extending through the top end of the housing. Contained within the clamp housing is a substantially rigid, electrically insulating base plate positioned at a lower end of the clamp housing. The upper surface of the base plate includes a depression which contains an insert fabricated either from an elastomeric material or a semiconductor material, such as silicon. A flexible, electrically insulating layer made from, for example, polyimide, overlies the base plate and insert. Significantly, the upper surface of the flexible, electrically insulating layer includes a plurality of dendritic contacts. It is through these dendritic contacts that electrical contact is made to the contact pads of a wire bond-type semiconductor chip.