阅读说明：本技术 无套件取放处理机 (Non-kit pick-and-place processor ) 是由 拉里·斯塔基 伊戈尔·谢克曼 约翰·里维斯 肯特·布鲁门辛 科林·斯科菲尔德 于 2018-12-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供了一种无套件取放处理机,其进行至少一个设备的热测试。示例性处理机包括均热板、第一原动机、第二原动机、测试站点致动器和测试接触器。均热板可接收设备并使用均热板与设备之间的摩擦来维持设备的精确位置。测试接触器可电接触设备。第一原动机可将设备放置在均热板上。第二原动机可将设备运送至测试接触器,在热测试期间保持该设备,并且从测试接触器移动该设备。测试站点致动器可在热测试期间在第二原动机上施加力。(The present disclosure provides a kit-less pick and place handler that performs thermal testing of at least one device. An exemplary handler includes a thermal spreader plate, a first prime mover, a second prime mover, a test station actuator, and a test contactor. The thermal spreader can receive the device and use friction between the thermal spreader and the device to maintain an accurate position of the device. The test contactor may electrically contact the device. The first prime mover may place the apparatus on the soaking plate. The second prime mover may transport the equipment to the test contactor, hold the equipment during the thermal test, and move the equipment from the test contactor. The test station actuator may exert a force on the second prime mover during the thermal test.)

1. A test handler system for thermally testing a device, comprising:

a non-kit tool processing system comprising a thermal spreader configured to receive the tool and maintain a precise position of the tool;

a test contactor in electrical contact with the device;

a first prime mover for placing the apparatus on the soaking plate;

a second prime mover for transporting the equipment to the test contactor, holding the equipment during thermal testing, and moving the equipment from the test contactor; and

a test station actuator to exert a force on the second prime mover during thermal testing.

2. The test handler system according to claim 1, wherein the first prime mover includes a gantry and an XYZ head.

3. The test handler of claim 2, wherein the XYZ heads further comprise one or more pick-and-place heads, wherein each of the pick-and-place heads comprises a vacuum tip for picking up the device under constant or intermittent vacuum, and a removal element for separating the vacuum tip from the device.

4. The test handler of claim 3, wherein each of the one or more pick-and-place heads is connected to the same vacuum source.

5. The test handler of claim 3, wherein each of the one or more pick-and-place heads is connected to a different vacuum source.

6. The test handler of claim 2, wherein the XYZ head is configured to rotate the device in a single pick and place motion before and after a test, wherein the XYZ head performs a theta correction on the device before and after a test, and wherein the theta correction is performed during the pick and place motion.

7. The test handler system of claim 2, wherein the rack and the XYZ head are configured to transfer the devices between the thermal soak plate and a Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) tray.

8. The test handler system of claim 7, further comprising a tray frame for holding the JEDEC tray, wherein the tray frame biases the JEDEC tray into an unbuckled configuration.

9. The test handler system of claim 1, further comprising a heat transfer system for the heat spreader plate.

10. The test handler system of claim 9, wherein the heat transfer system uses pressurized helium as a heat transfer medium to heat and cool the equipment.

11. The test handler system of claim 9, wherein the heat transfer system uses pressurized gas or liquid as a heat transfer medium to heat and cool the equipment.

12. The test handler system of claim 1, wherein the device is an integrated circuit.

13. The test handler system of claim 1, wherein the heat spreader includes a surface for maintaining a position of the equipment without mechanical structures.

14. The test handler system of claim 1, wherein the heat spreader includes a tacky surface to maintain a position of the device based on friction between the device and the heat spreader.

15. The test handler system of claim 1, wherein the test handler system is further configured to visually verify the location of the equipment by using a camera prior to placing the equipment on the heat spreader plate.

16. The test handler system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of tray separators, each tray separator associated with a bin, and wherein the test handler system is configured to separate the equipment into bins and to convey the boxed equipment into a respective one of the plurality of tray separators.

17. The test handler system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of tray separators separate a plurality of trays, wherein the separation is based on whether each tray contains tested devices, untested devices, or no devices.

18. The test handler system of claim 1, wherein the test handler system is configured to perform thermal testing of a plurality of devices.

19. The test handler system of claim 1, wherein the test handler system is further configured to learn locations of pick-and-place points in the test handler system based on at least one of fiducial points or image recognition.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a non-kit pick-and-place handler.

Background

Integrated Circuits (ICs) require quality and performance verification before shipment from the manufacturer. ICs need to operate in extreme temperature environments and must be tested under these conditions to verify proper function. The purpose of the test handler is to present the thermally conditioned IC at the appropriate test temperature to a contactor that is capable of electrically connecting the IC to a tester. The IC handler receives binning information from the tester and uses this information to correctly sort ICs into the correct bins/categories after testing.

An IC test handler is required to move ICs into and out of the transport medium (i.e., Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) trays). JEDEC trays have common external dimensions and include pockets for ICs, the number, matrix and X, Y spacing (pitch) of which vary depending on the size of the IC.

Prior to testing, the ICs must be properly positioned so that the electrical contacts of each IC contact the contact surfaces. Typically, this requires separate alignment of the X, Y and θ positions of the ICs relative to the electrical contacts of the contacts. This operation of picking up an IC from a tray and putting it down is called PnP (or Pick and Place). To facilitate PnP operation, conventional IC test handlers typically rely on trays and thermal plates with pockets, slots, or other predefined locations for ICs. However, the use of such trays and thermal spreaders is not only expensive (since each type of IC requires a custom thermal spreader and mechanical alignment plate), but also requires many mechanical alignment operations to be performed.

Meanwhile, throughput (units processed per hour (UPH)) requirements of conventional IC test handlers continue to increase. However, attempts to increase UPH are generally limited by the time required to thermally adjust the ICs to the proper temperature, the time required to place each IC individually to the corrected X, Y, theta position, and the time required to correct any accuracy issues after each PnP operation.

Disclosure of Invention

Various examples of the present disclosure are directed to a test handler system for performing a thermal test of at least one device. The test handler system may include a non-kit equipment handling system, a first prime mover, a second prime mover, a test contactor, and a test station actuator. The untethered tool processing system may include a thermal spreader configured to receive the tool and maintain an accurate position of the tool. The test contactor may electrically contact the device. The first prime mover may place the apparatus on the soaking plate. The second prime mover may transport the equipment to the test contactor, hold the equipment during thermal testing, and move the equipment from the test contactor. The test station actuator may apply a force to the second prime mover during the thermal test. In some examples, the device may be an integrated circuit. In some examples, the test handler system may thermally test multiple devices.

In some examples, there may be more than one second prime mover.

In some examples, the first prime mover may include a gantry and an XYZ head. The XYZ head may comprise one or more pick and place heads. Each of the pick-and-place heads may comprise a vacuum head under constant or variable (intermittent) vacuum for picking up the device. Each of the pick-and-place heads may further comprise a removal element for separating the vacuum cleaner head from the device for placing the device. The removal element may be a peel detector or a sprayer. In some examples, each of the one or more pick-and-place heads may be connected to the same vacuum source. In other examples, each of the one or more pick-and-place heads may be connected to a different vacuum source.

In some examples, the XYZ head may rotate the device in a unified pick and place motion before and/or after testing. The XYZ head can also perform theta corrections to the device before and after testing. In some examples, theta correction may occur during pick and place motion.

In some examples, the rack and test handler head may transfer the device between the thermal spreader and the JEDEC tray. In some examples, the tray frame can receive and bias the JEDEC tray into an unbuckled configuration.

In some examples, the thermal spreader may include a surface for maintaining the position of the equipment without mechanical structures. For example, the thermal spreader may include a tacky surface for maintaining the position of the tool based on friction between the tool and the thermal spreader.

In some examples, the test handler system may visually verify the location of the device by using a camera. The camera may be used prior to placing the device on the vapor chamber.

In some examples, the test handler system may further include a plurality of tray separators, wherein each tray separator is associated with a bin. The test handler system may separate each device into bins and deliver the boxed devices to respective tray separators.

In some examples, the plurality of tray separators may separate a plurality of trays. The separation of the plurality of trays may be performed based on whether each tray contains a device under test, a device not under test, or no device.

In some examples, the present disclosure may provide a heat transfer system for a thermal soak plate. The heat transfer system may use pressurized helium as a heat transfer medium to heat and cool the equipment. In some examples, the heat transfer system may use a pressurized gas or liquid as a heat transfer medium to heat and cool the device.

In some examples, the test handler system may learn the location of pick-and-place points in the test handler system based on at least one of fiducial points or image recognition. The pick-and-place point may include the location of the first prime mover and second prime mover pick-and-place device(s).

The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment, or every aspect, of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing summary merely provides examples of some of the novel aspects and features described herein. The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present disclosure are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the representative embodiments and modes for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain and illustrate the principles of the invention. The drawings are intended to illustrate major features of exemplary embodiments in a diagrammatic manner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of actual implementations nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and are not drawn to scale.

FIG. 1A shows an exemplary layout of a conventional test handler system according to the prior art.

FIG. 1B shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary path of travel through a conventional test handler system according to the prior art.

Fig. 2 shows a conventional test handler head and thermal spreader according to the prior art.

Fig. 3A illustrates a top-down perspective view of an exemplary non-kit pick and place handler, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary kit-less pick and place handler, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3C illustrates another cross-sectional view of an exemplary kit-less pick and place handler, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3D illustrates a rear perspective view of an exemplary non-kit pick and place handler, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary path of movement through a hitless pick-and-place handler in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5A illustrates an exemplary XYZ head for a pick and place device according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5B shows a side view of an exemplary XYZ head, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5C illustrates a front view of an exemplary XYZ head, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6A shows a cross-sectional view of a pick-and-place head picking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6B shows a cross-sectional view of a pick-and-place head placement device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary soaking and desuperheating plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8A illustrates an exemplary tray frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8B illustrates an exemplary tray separator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary processor having a thermal fluid circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10A illustrates an exemplary compact design of a package-less pick and place handler according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10B illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional view of a compact, non-kit pick and place handler according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example computer system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present invention is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to similar or equivalent elements throughout the several views. The drawings are not to scale and are provided solely for the purpose of illustrating the invention. Several aspects of the invention are described below with reference to exemplary applications for illustration. It should be understood that numerous specific details, relationships, and methods are set forth to provide a full understanding of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will readily recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods. In other instances, well-known structures or operations are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the invention. The present invention is not limited by the illustrated ordering of acts or events, as some acts may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts or events. Moreover, not all illustrated acts or events are required to implement a methodology in accordance with the present invention.

The present disclosure provides a package-less pick and place handler that can perform thermal testing on a plurality of devices. An exemplary handler may include a thermal spreader plate, a first prime mover, a second prime mover, a test station actuator, and a test station. The vapor chamber can receive the equipment and maintain the precise position of the equipment due to friction between the vapor chamber and the equipment. Thus, no mechanical separation between the devices is required, allowing different sized devices to be tested on the same thermal spreader or even simultaneously. The first prime mover may place the apparatus on the soaking plate. The second prime mover may move the equipment to and from a thermal testing station where the equipment may be thermally tested.

Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a package-less pick and place handler that maintains the position and orientation of the device during testing with greater accuracy, while requiring fewer device corrections than conventional designs. This design minimizes movement of the device during thermal testing so that the device is only handled by the system in three cases, whereas conventional handlers require more frequent contact and movement of the device. Additional features and embodiments of an exemplary non-kit pick-and-place handler are discussed herein.

Fig. 1A, 1B, and 2 illustrate conventional layouts and components of an exemplary conventional test handler. For example, FIG. 1A shows a system 100A for a conventional test handler layout. System 100 may include a load stacker 101, a load tray 102, a load transfer 103, an IC rotor load (operation) 104, a first preheat 105, a second preheat (operation) 106, a shuttle F load 107, a shuttle B load 108, a shuttle F unload 109, a shuttle B unload 110, a contactor F111, a contactor B112, a socket area 113, an unload transfer 114, an IC rotor unload (operation) 115, a tray transfer 116, a first tray buffer stacker 117, a second tray buffer stacker (operation) 118, a TB1 tray 119, a TB2 tray (operation) 120, a first unload tray 121, a second unload tray 122, a third unload tray 123, a fourth unload tray (single tray) 124, a fifth unload tray (single tray 125), a sixth unload tray (single tray) 126, a first unload stacker 127, a second unload stacker 128, and a third unload stack 129. The device must follow the dashed path 130 to complete the thermal test according to system 100A.

FIG. 1B shows another conventional test handler system 100B. System 100B may include device motions 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, and 157 and mechanism motions 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, and 166. Thus, system 100B provides for moving the device from the input tray to the thermal spreader in motion 151; move from the soak plate to the test station and then to the rotor in motion 152; move from the rotor to the load shuttle in motion 153; move from the loaded upper shuttle to the test station in motion 154; move from the test station to load the lower shuttle in motion 155; move from the loaded lower shuttle to the rotor in motion 156; and from the rotor to the sorting tray in motion 157.

System 100B provides all of the device motions 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, and 157 through a series of mechanism motions 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, and 166. For example, system 100B loads a tray at motion 161; operating the right X/Y mover track and the soak plate test station shuttle at motion 162; operating the shuttle on the test station at 163; operating the under test station shuttle at 164; operating the left X/Y mover track and the thermal soak test station shuttle at motion 165; and unloading the tray at motion 166.

Thus, fig. 1A-1B illustrate the continuous motion experienced by a device when interacting with various components in the system 100. Such conventional systems expose the device to a number of movements, stops, and contacts (i.e., when the device is physically contacted by the system 100) as the device passes through the testing process. The equipment must move through a number of stations to ensure that they are loaded, have been soaked at the desired temperature, are tested, cooled or de-soaked, and unloaded.

Each movement and contact may change the position or directional orientation of the device and, in some cases, completely move the device (discussed further with respect to fig. 2) or damage the device. An incorrect position or orientation of a single device may result in stopping testing of the entire system (such as system 100A or system 100B) when the device is repositioned. Furthermore, when repositioning, there is an opportunity for the equipment temperature to be different from the soaking temperature. Varying the soak temperature results in inaccurate testing of the device. In the event that the device cannot be repositioned, the device may not be properly tested.

Fig. 2 shows a conventional test handler head 210, a conventional JEDEC tray 220, and a conventional thermal spreader 230. Test handler head 210 may include vacuum mechanism 240, theta motor 242, z motor 244, x-spacing bearing 246, y-spacing motor 248, x-spacing motor 250, z bearing 252, y-axis 254, x-axis 256, and x-spacing 260. JEDEC tray 220 also shows pocket 222 in fill position 222b and unfilled position 222 a.

Typically, the device is placed in JEDEC tray 220 in a known pin-one position. The device is then transferred to the soak plate 230 by the test handler head 210. In some cases, the spacing between the soaking plate 230 and the JEDEC 220 tray may vary. Thus, X/Y motion (e.g., by X-pitch motor 250 or Y-pitch motor 248) is required to properly position the device in the thermal spreader 230. Further, the pin-one position of the device may need to be rotated between the tray 220 and the test station position to match the electrical interconnect orientation of the contactor. This is accomplished by a z motor 244. Finally, conventional thermal soaking plates 230 similar to JEDEC trays 220 typically "loosen" or unfixed the device on a flat plate or in a pocket. Thus, even if placed precisely in the thermal spreader 230, downstream alignment for testing is almost always required, even if the thermal spreader 230 provides overall alignment.

The test handler head 210 may have pitch change capability. As shown in the figures, a conventional model may have eight PnP tips divided into two rows, where each PnP tip has a separate Z actuator 252 and vacuum 240. Each vacuum 240 may include a vacuum generator for device attachment, a vacuum switch for device attachment confirmation, and a vacuum ejector for device blow-off. In addition, for each PnP tip, a theta actuator may be required for device rotation. These additional components in the PnP head add complexity, weight, cost, conversion time, and placement errors.

Fig. 2 also shows that each JEDEC tray 220 and thermal spreader 230 includes a separate, mechanically separate pocket 222 for each device. The pocket 222 helps to fix the apparatus for heat soaking, or the size of the pocket 222 must be determined according to the size of the apparatus when the apparatus moves. However, the thermal spreader 220 cannot be used with different sized equipment because each thermal spreader 220 must have a mechanical separation for each pocket 222. Therefore, different soaking plates 220 must be used for different facilities. This helps to increase the cost and complexity of the pick-and-place handler system, as with the systems 100A and 100B of fig. 1 and 1B. In addition, the most common problem in conventional processors is when the equipment is outside its pocket. Conventional test handler heads 210 may have difficulty placing devices in their corresponding pockets 222 or picking devices from their corresponding pockets 222. In some conventional handlers, the equipment drops into their pockets 222, rather than being placed into the pockets 222. Dropping the device can cause the device to bounce and/or the device to improperly rest against the edge of its pocket.

Although not all conventional pick-and-place systems, processor heads, and thermal spreaders are exactly as provided in fig. 1A-2, all conventional systems encounter similar design difficulties in aligning and securing the device through thermal testing. Various embodiments of the present disclosure address the limitations of conventional pick and place systems, processing heads, and thermal spreaders.

Fig. 3A-3D and 4 illustrate various perspective views of an exemplary kit-less pick and place handler according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An exemplary pick and place handler according to the present disclosure may include some or all of the features shown in fig. 3A-3D, in any combination.

The system 300A in fig. 3A may include prime movers 302a and 302 b; vapor chambers 304a and 304 b; removing the soaking plate 306; trays 308a, 308b, 308c, 308d, 308e, and 308 f; a test station camera 310; prime mover cameras 312a and 312 b; a processor camera 314; a first reticle 316; a loading tray 318; an upper tray stack 320; a tray shuttle 322; a tray module 326; and a test station 380. The system 300B of fig. 3B may include many components and similar labels as the system 300A of fig. 3A. The system 300C of fig. 3C may include many components and similar labels as the systems 300A and 300B, and the system 300C may additionally include a gantry 330, an access head 500, and a gantry camera 390. The system 300D of fig. 3D may include many components and indicia similar to the systems 300A, 300B, and 300C, and the system 300D may additionally include windows 340, 342, and 344. The system 400 of fig. 4 may include many components and labels similar to the systems 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D, and the system 400 may additionally include motions 402, 404, and 406.

Fig. 3A-3D provide for efficient movement of the trays according to the tray module 326. The tray module 326 may include an upper set of trays 320 and a lower set of trays 324. The trays may be moved from the tray module 326 via the tray shuttle 322. The tray shuttle 322 may additionally house a load tray 318. Fig. 3B illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which handler 300B can process large stacks of trays 320 and 324 and maintain the trays in isolation between tested devices and untested devices. For example, at 320, tested devices may be sorted into an upper stack and untested devices may be sorted into a lower stack 324. The module 326 may allow for multiple inputs and multiple sort bins of the same category while allowing for a single load and unload point at a convenient ergonomic height. Thus, the module 326 allows any number of sort bins without the need for conversion or rework. The module 326 may hold additional trays already in the transport in memory so that the trays can be quickly changed to present additional sort bins to be used in the system. Thus, the module 326 allows dynamic assignment of input and sort tray locations while allowing multiple inputs and multiple sort bins of the same category. By effectively running the module backwards, the tray can be unloaded.

The non-kit pick and place handler according to fig. 3A-3D may pick a device from an input tray (e.g., tray 308a or 308b) via the XYZ head 500 on the stage 330. The device may then be placed on the untethered thermal spreader 304a or 304b (the untethered thermal spreader will be discussed further below with reference to fig. 7). The sequence may constitute a first motion 402 of the device (as shown in fig. 4). The device may then be soaked at the soaking plates 304a and 304b (soaking includes setting the device to a desired temperature). Prime mover 302a or 302b may then move the equipment from the thermal soak plate (e.g., plate 304a or 304b) through test station 380 to thermal soak plate 306. This may constitute a second motion 404 of the device (as shown in fig. 4). The gantry 330 may then move the equipment from the de-soaking platen 306 to a sorting pallet (e.g., pallet 308e or 308 f). This may constitute a third motion 406 of the device (as shown in fig. 4).

In further describing the motion 404, the second prime mover 302b may hold the equipment at the test station 380 while performing a thermal test. Testing may be performed via a test contactor of the electrical contact apparatus and a test station actuator that exerts a force on second prime mover 302b during thermal testing.

Thus, the present disclosure provides a handler that can effectively move a device through a thermal test with only three "touches" or stops. This has significant advantages over conventional handlers that have much more complex motions and more frequent device contacts (e.g., a conventional handler such as handler 100 of fig. 1B contacts the device at least 7 times). Exemplary systems of the present disclosure minimize the need to reposition the equipment and better maintain the soaking temperature of the equipment.

Additionally, the present disclosure may provide for the use of cameras (e.g., test station camera 310, prime mover cameras 312a and 312b, handler camera 314, and gantry camera 390) that may be used to verify the alignment, orientation, and position of each device. Cameras 310, 312a, 312b, 314, and 390 may coordinate to visually align the devices and perform visual alignment of the handler system as a whole. In some examples, cameras 310, 312a, 312b, 314, and 390 may include lighting or receive light from nearby lighting fixtures (not shown).

In an exemplary vision alignment strategy, the handler camera 314 and the gantry camera 390 may be positioned relative to each other by imaging the cameras 314 and 390 with the first reticle 316. This may create a base reference coordinate system. The gantry camera 390 can then position the thermal soak plates 304a and 304b, the desoak plate 306, and the pallets 308a, 308b, 308c, 308d, 308e, and 308 f. The prime mover cameras 312a and 312b may be positioned and planarized relative to the test station camera 310 by using a second reticle (not shown). The second reticle may be mounted manually or actuated by a mechanism in close proximity to the camera 310. In some examples, the prime mover cameras 312a and 312b may be planarized via a laser (not shown) looking up. The prime mover cameras 312a and 312b may additionally position the thermal soaking plates 304a and 304b, contactor reference points (not shown). The gantry camera 390 can verify the locations of the devices in the trays 308a, 308b, 308c, 308d, 308e, and 308f and identify the locations of the trays 308a, 308b, 308c, 308d, 308e, and 308 f. After the device is picked up by the XYZ head 500, the processor camera 314 may be used to locate X, Y and θ of the device. Such a visual alignment protocol may also allow the device to move according to the motions 402, 404, and 406 while the exact location of the device is known.

Thus, an exemplary visual alignment process in a system such as systems 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D may directly correct the X, Y and θ positions of the device prior to entering the testing station 380. Conventional systems have loose equipment during all movements before entering the test station and require very fast calibration due to timing requirements of the test station and the processing system as a whole. The efficiency of the handler of the present disclosure allows for corrections without timing requirements.

This visual alignment process reduces alignment requirements by performing good initial alignment using the untethered thermal soak plates 304a and 304b and transferring the untethered thermal soak plates 304a and 304b to the test area 380. Thus, the only critical subsequent motion required is placement in the test station 380. Therefore, if good alignment is performed on the thermal soak plates 304a and 304b, little or no alignment correction is needed during testing. Thus, device movement is minimized and the throughput of the system is increased.

Furthermore, since the system is two sided, with two soaking plates 304a and 304b and two prime movers 302a and 302b, this means that the test station 380 can be used continuously. Thus, when one thermal spreader 304a or 304b is loaded, the device on the other thermal spreader can be tested. Thus, the test station 380 is not idle during normal operation.

The example test handler shown in fig. 3A-3D and 4 may align the device according to a visual alignment strategy and reduce the likelihood of damage to the device during movement. The test handler also provides a non-kit device handling system that reduces induced PNP position errors, eliminates process transfer, and reduces the complexity/cost of the mechanisms involved, while allowing high throughput.

As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the present disclosure contemplates various modifications. For example, although six trays 308a, 308b, 308c, 308D, 308e, and 308f are shown in fig. 3A-3D and 4, the present disclosure contemplates that any number of trays may be used. Similarly, although two vapor chambers 30A and 304B and two prime movers 302a and 302B are shown in fig. 3A-3D and 4, the present disclosure contemplates that any number of vapor chambers and prime movers may be used, as long as there is at least one of each (as described below with reference to fig. 10A-10B). Although the transport of devices via the prime movers 302a and 302b is primarily described with respect to a gantry system or a robotic system in the exemplary embodiment, this is for ease of explanation only. In various embodiments, any type of prime mover system may be used. These systems may include gantry systems, robotic systems, or a combination of both, etc., as is known in the art.

Fig. 5A-5C illustrate various views of an exemplary XYZ head 500 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the XYZ head may be the XYZ head 500 as shown in fig. 3C, or the XYZ head 500A as shown in fig. 5A. The XYZ head may include a gantry mount 502, a rolling cam 504, and an actuator 507. The XYZ head 500B (as shown in fig. 5B) and the XYZ head 500C (as shown in fig. 5C) may include many components and similar labels as the XYZ head 500A of fig. 5A, and may additionally include a pick-up head 506 (e.g., 506a to 506B in fig. 5B, or 506a to 506i in fig. 5C). The gantry mount 502 can secure the XYZ head 500 to a gantry (e.g., the gantry 330 as in the system 300C of fig. 3C).

In this example, the rolling cam 504 may be operable to change the pitch of the heads 506 on the x-axis of a handler (e.g., the example handlers 300A, 300B, 300C, or 300D of fig. 3A-3D, respectively). This change in spacing may also occur during the motion of the XYZ head 500 to reduce the overall dwell time between pick and place devices. The rolling cam 504 may be driven by the actuator 507 or another prime mover. The pickup head 506 may be raised, lowered, moved separately with and/or mounted to a linear actuator or motor to move between several positions. For example, such movement is demonstrated at different positions of heads 506f, 506g, and 506 h.

In some examples of the present disclosure, XYZ head 500 may have a θ position that is changed with rotation mechanism 507. In another example, the theta rotation may occur via a linear actuator or motor that simultaneously changes the theta position of all devices picked up by the head 506 on the XYZ head 500.

In some examples of the disclosure, the XYZ head 500 may include X/Y pitch variation, with a complex mechanism on the XYZ head 500 to perform theta corrections at a later time (possibly even just prior to testing).

Another alternative method may include operating all of the pick-and-place heads 506 by a prime mover (e.g., the prime mover 302a or 302b of fig. 3A-3D). The pick-and-place head 506 may be operated on the XYZ head 500 alone or simultaneously with one prime mover for the entire XYZ head 500.

In some examples, the XYZ head 500 may be a turntable.

Fig. 6A-6B illustrate exemplary pick-and-place head systems 600A and 600B using vacuum pick-and-place equipment, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Each pick-and-place head system 600A and 600B may be, for example, the pick-up head 506 of fig. 5A-5C. Referring back to fig. 6A, an exemplary pick-and-place head system 600A may include a z-linear bearing 602, a pick-and-place (PNP) tip 604, a tray 606, a z-axis 608, a peel detector 610, an apparatus 612, a tray opening 614, and a lever 623. The pick-and-place head system 600B may include many components and labels similar to those of the pick-and-place head system 600A of fig. 6A. Fig. 6A-6B also illustrate an improved device sensing strategy by which each device is digitally sensed via a proximity sensor (not shown) rather than via a vacuum.

The systems 600A and 600B may reduce the time required for sensing the devices and reduce the volume of hardware and piping/wiring that needs to be moved by the X/Y gantry (e.g., gantry 330 of fig. 3A-3D) or prime mover (e.g., prime movers 302a and 302B of fig. 3A-3D). The lever 623 is operable within the z-axis 608 and is movable independently of the linear bearing 602. The Z-axis 608 moves vertically up and down to properly position the height of the device 612. The Z-axis 608 may also operate as a vacuum and detect whether the device 612 has been picked or placed based on the vacuum level of the Z-axis 608. For example, when the device 612 is picked (e.g., as shown in fig. 6A), the vacuum level increases, and when the device 612 is placed (e.g., as shown in fig. 6B), the vacuum level decreases. In addition, the device 612 can be removed from the peel detector 610 by actuating the lever 623 to shear the device 612 from the PNP tip 604 (such as at location 618). The stationary peel detector 610 may sense the downward position of the pick-and-place head (e.g., positions 618 or 620) by measuring the force change in the actuator that moves the pick-and-place head up and down (e.g., between positions 616 and 618). The method also allows the pick-and-place head to be recalibrated for each pick-and-place operation to further improve the reliability and accuracy of the pick-and-place operation.

In one example, the vacuum is always on, and the device 612 is peeled away from the PNP tip 604 when the vacuum is on. The z-position of each PNP tip 604 of the peel detector 610 is known as the "DOWNfinal" value, as shown at position 620. The "DOWNfinal" value is the learned movement that the tip must move to pick and place the device 612. During operation, the low quality peel detector 610 first contacts the device 612 to measure the relative z-position of the device 612. The z-shift can then be completed using the learned "DOWNfinal" value.

Fig. 6A illustrates exemplary motion of the pick-and-place head 600A as the pick-and-place head 600A is aligned and moved down to pick up the device 612. Although the pick-and-place head 600A subsequently picks up the device at location 622, in some cases the pick-and-place head 600A may subsequently peel off the device 612. The PNP tip 604 can have a force sensor at the bottom of the pick-up head that moves with the PNP tip 604, detects relative movement, and detects the end of travel when the PNP tip 604 is in contact with the tray 606. For example, the tray 606 may be a calibration block. In some cases, the peel detector 610 may be in contact with the tray 606, as at position 618, and then the force sensor will move downward to detect the end of travel, as at position 620.

Fig. 6A also shows an exemplary motion of the pick-up device 612 of the pick-and-place head 600B. The PNP head 604 moves downward at location 616 toward the tray 606 and the force sensor moves while detecting relative motion of the pick-and-place head 600B. For example, the tray 606 may be a JEDEC tray. The peel detector 610 first makes contact with the tray 606, as at location 618, and then the force sensor is moved a distance "DOWNfinal" toward the device 612, as at location 620. The force sensor may verify the presence of the device 612 and then move upward, such as at location 622.

Fig. 6B also shows an exemplary stripping operation for PNP tip 604, where PNP tip 604 can be moved downward, such as from location 622 to location 620, and then upward from location 618 to location 616, while stripping device 612 from the force sensor in a single movement. This provides a digital method of sensing the presence of the device 612 without using vacuum and allows more pick-and-place heads 600B and more devices 612 to be located in a smaller overall area. The z-height can be automatically set by determining the force difference seen by the stationary z-linear bearing 602 in the pick-and-place head. Mechanical methods may remove the apparatus 612 from the vacuum cup by holding the apparatus 612 in place and removing the vacuum cup from the apparatus 612.

In some examples of fig. 6A and 6B, the peel detector 610 may be a sprayer or any other device that mechanically removes equipment from the pick-and-place head.

Method for processing equipment without kit

An important feature of various embodiments of the present disclosure is the use of a kit-less operation. As described above, conventional test handling systems utilize a thermal spreader (e.g., plate 230 of fig. 2) having a machined pocket 222 for the equipment. These pockets 222 have positional errors and clearances for the device. This therefore prevents the pocket 222 from serving to facilitate accurate alignment of the device, as the position of the device is at least partially determined by the shape of the pocket 222. An additional requirement for accurate device alignment is that the device must be placed in a position that matches the test station contactor position and matrix. Conventional vapor chambers have a tool pocket arrangement to maximize the number of tools used to heat UPH. This prevents direct transfer to the test station contactor in the desired pattern when properly aligned.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a sleeveless component, as shown in an exemplary heat soak and de-soak plate 700 in fig. 7. The plate 700 may include thermal soaking plates 702a and 702b, a de-thermal soaking plate 704, a substrate 706, first alignment plates 708a and 708b, and a second alignment plate 710. For example, the plate 700, including the vapor soak plates 304a and 304b and the desmear plate 306 of fig. 3A-3D, may be used according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Due to friction between the plates 702a, 702b, and 704 and the equipment, the heat spreader plates 702a and 702b and the de-heat spreader plate 704 may include adhesive surfaces configured to hold the equipment in place. Viscous or high coefficient of friction materials may hold or align them in place while the apparatus is soaking. When using such materials, no additional custom tools are needed to realign or hold the device in place. The top plate (e.g., 702a, 702b, 704) can be easily replaced and held in place by vacuum or other means. The top plate (e.g., 702a, 702b, 704) may be aligned with the thermal control substrate 706 by alignment plates 708a, 708b, and 710. The present disclosure contemplates that more or fewer alignment plates 708a, 708b, and 710 may be used. Another method may provide for positioning the thermal soaking plates 702a and 70b relative to the thermally controlled substrate 706 using alignment pins.

The thermal soaking plates 702a and 702b may be used to thermally condition the device prior to testing. The desoak board 704 may be used to cool or heat the equipment after testing. Although both the desmear plate 704 and the thermal soak plates 702a and 702b use different heating and/or cooling methods, they may be similarly configured. The adhesive surfaces on the plates 702a, 702b, and 704 can withstand the extreme temperatures required by the test handler, for example, between-80 degrees celsius and 200 degrees celsius. The tacky surface can have antistatic and static dissipative properties. The adhesive surface may also be non-silicone, have elasticity to dampen normal handler vibrations, and have thermal conductivity to allow thermal conditioning of the device. In accordance with the present disclosure, an exemplary thermal plate 702a or 702b having adhesive and non-nested properties may be maintained at a constant temperature, which eliminates any induced errors caused by thermal expansion. For the required thermal conditioning/soaking, normal soaking plate function is maintained.

Thus, the adhesive heat spreader plates 702a and 702b without a kit can hold the equipment in place for heat spreading. The device may then be picked up by another mechanism and inserted into a test station contactor (e.g., as provided in fig. 3A-3D). The priority in the handler is to keep the test stations fed without any induced delays caused by equipment transport or other problems. Thus, the heat soak and de-soak plate 700 may hold the device in place rather than loosely in place in the pocket, prevent the device from shifting or bouncing, and ensure that only the static dissipative surface is in contact with the device leads. This prevents electrostatic discharge from occurring in the device leads due to contact with electrically insulating or conductive surfaces.

The vapor chambers 702a and 702b can be positioned as shown in vapor chambers 304a and 304b in fig. 3A through 3D; that is, the thermal soak may be primarily located between the tray 308 and the test station 380 and may be accessed by the prime movers 302a and 302b and the gantry 330. The thermal soaking plates 702a and 702b can raise and lower the temperature of the device so that the device reaches the appropriate test temperature. The desoak 704 may be used to bring the device from a selected test temperature to room temperature or above. As further shown in fig. 3D, the area around the vapor chamber is generally enclosed by doors 340, 342, and 344. The zone may be purged with dry air (e.g., Clean Dry Air (CDA)) or nitrogen or another gas to keep the zone dry when the soaking plate is operated below the dew point of the air in the enclosed zone. Thus, the configuration as shown in fig. 3D may eliminate frost within the area enclosed by windows 340, 342, and 344.

However, other means of holding the device in place are also contemplated for various embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, the vapor chamber may be porous or have a large number of holes in the vacuum chamber. Vacuum may then be used to hold the device in place. An exemplary embodiment of the method may be a porous metal that is evacuated to hold the device in place. Another exemplary embodiment may be a powered metal that is porous and allows a vacuum to be drawn to hold the device in place. In another exemplary embodiment, the pocket holds different sized devices based on a funnel or step machined in the pocket. The machined pocket will enable precise positioning of the device.

The soaking and soaking plate 700 allows the precise position of the tool to be maintained without any errors caused by gaps or tool motion. In some embodiments, this may be accomplished by using a vapor chamber 700 with a sufficiently viscous surface material. The tack may temporarily fix the device placed by the PnP head and prevent further movement of the device until the test station is reached. I.e. neither a pocket is required nor desired. As described above, machined "change kit" specific components, such as machined pocketed heat spreader plates, add cost and lead time to new equipment kits on a system. In contrast, the adhesive surface of the proposed soaking and desoak plate 700 is sleeveless and universal. Thus, any matrix placed by the PnP head to match the test site pattern can be provided, and more importantly, the position of the device in the matrix can be maintained throughout the test.

The versatility of the non-kit platen eliminates the changeover that is typically necessary to handle new or different sized devices. In addition, by ensuring that the devices are accurately positioned during soaking, the number of device switches in the test handler is limited and the device placement accuracy at the test station is improved.

Use of pallet frame by pallet module

A tray module (e.g., module 326 of fig. 3B) may place individual trays into a tray frame to facilitate positioning of individual trays in the system without the need for additional tray actuators or sensors. Fig. 8A shows an exemplary tray frame 800A, and fig. 8B shows an exemplary tray separator 800B. Exemplary tray frame 800A may include latch actuator 802, positioning features 803, and latches 806. The latches 806 may be actuated simultaneously, separately, at one end, or one side at a time, according to various examples of the present disclosure. In some cases, the latches 806 may be coupled together to enable different actuations. The identification tracker 804 may be used as a stand-alone verification that the pallet frame 800A is moved to the correct position in the rack assembly (e.g., module 326). In some examples, the identification tracker 804 may be a series of holes, RFID tags, bar codes, 2D matrix codes, magnets, or any other mechanism that allows individual identification of the tray frame, as is common in the art.

In some embodiments, tray frame 800A can be used with JEDEC trays (e.g., trays 308a, 308b, 308c, 308D, 308e, and 308f of fig. 3A-3D) to improve throughput of the processing system. In certain embodiments, the exemplary module may use tray frame 800A for each individual tray to align the tray in X, Y, Z and theta directions and flatten the tray to improve the Z-access height of the individual device. The trays (e.g., trays 308a, 308b, 308c, 308D, 308e, and 308f of fig. 3A-3D) may warp during heating and cooling; such warping may affect pick and place motion of the device. The module may use the tray frame 800A to bend the tray back to an unbuckled or "flat" position. Therefore, by not warping the tray with the tray frame 800A, the apparatus can be more easily picked up from the tray and put into the tray.

Further, the tray frame 800A simplifies positioning of the trays without the need for air-driven or mechanical position assistance. The tray frame 800A also eliminates the need for sensors to detect the presence or absence of a tray. The tray frame 800A can be used in loading and unloading positions that allow the same configuration in the handler. The tray frame 800A will also add mass to the tray to improve stability during movement of the tray, allowing lighter equipment to be handled.

In some embodiments, a tray separator may be used. Fig. 8B illustrates an exemplary tray separator 800B, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Tray separator 800B may be placed on top of the trays loaded into tray frame 800A and provide mechanical separation between the device and the adjacent tray frame when the tray frames are stacked on top of each other. Tray separator 800B may be used in a tray module (e.g., tray module 326 of fig. 3A) to separate untested devices from tested devices and to separate groups of tested devices from unique binning categories.

Tray separator 800B can be sensed independently in a tray module (e.g., tray module 326 of fig. 3A) to allow for faster and accurate movement of the tray frame 800A and the stack of separators 800B. When separating groups of trays (e.g., trays delivered to/from 308a, 308B, 308c, 308D, 308e, and 308f of fig. 3A-3D), tray separator 800B ensures consistent mechanical plate positioning and lifting from the stack below to ensure separation between trays occurs. The set of trays may then be unloaded from the system, or a new tray may be placed on the tray stack by the tray robot.

Accordingly, the tray separator may facilitate automatic loading and unloading of trays to a handler system (e.g., systems 300A, 300B, 300C, or 300D of fig. 3A-3D), and may allow dynamic reassignment of tray placement locations between input locations and sort locations. Multiple trays may also be assigned at a time as input or sort locations. Tray separator 800B may keep the tested and untested devices separated. When tray separator 800B is used, the tested devices may be separated by bin category. These tray separators 800B can separate and reduce the footprint with large stacks of trays including tested and untested equipment. Visual or other machine-readable indicia may be used to track the movement of the tray carrier and tray separator 800B.

In an alternative embodiment, the system may maintain a stack of trays and build or decrement the stack one tray at a time. Once the tray is full, an empty tray may be placed on top of it. Alternatively, once the tray is emptied, it may be removed, revealing a new device tray to be emptied. However, this type of system would not allow for dynamic reassignment of input locations and binning categories. Another embodiment of the system may use manual pallet positions loaded with individual pallets and require more frequent maintenance. Other systems may use a combination of stacked trays and manual tray positions. These systems typically use mechanical positioning actuators to register the topmost tray to a reference position, and sensors to sense the presence or absence of the tray. Any equipment misalignment tends to cause the stack of trays to sway and tilt as the stack builds. Furthermore, these systems maintain a significantly smaller stack of pallets at the input and require the operator to perform maintenance at an increased frequency.

Thermal ATC

It is also contemplated that in some embodiments, an improved heating and cooling system may be provided. Fig. 9 shows an exemplary diagram of a modified processor thermal fluid circuit. Exemplary handler 900 may include equipment handling portion 902, test station 904, thermal soak plate 906, internal heat exchanger 908, external heat exchanger 910, and thermal loop 912.

The fluid may be used to heat and cool the equipment during soaking and testing. Conventional systems have used non-conductive circulating fluids to add or remove heat from the device. These fluids have specific thermal limitations based on the freezing and boiling points of the fluids. Active thermal control cannot be achieved using a single fluid at both the cold and hot ends of the spectrum. In some embodiments, the same fluid must be operated at-80 ℃ or colder and up to 200 ℃.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a pressurized gas or fluid may be circulated in the handler 902 to heat and cool the equipment. For such pressurized gases or fluids, the pressure may be selected to adjust their freezing and boiling points and thus provide the temperature range required for testing. Any single non-conductive or conductive fluid or gas can be used at temperatures in the range of-80 c or colder to 200 c without causing viscosity or boiling problems. However, non-conductive fluids or gases have the advantage that they are less likely to damage the device in the event of a leak. Fluids that may be significantly cooler during cold testing allow for a larger temperature difference from the actual test temperature. If the fluid or gas is cooler than the desired test temperature, a pulse heater may be used to heat the pick-and-place head to the precise test temperature. This allows the device to dissipate more power during testing.

Other embodiments of the invention may use a peltier device or an inert fluid to heat or cool the device while pulsing the heater to heat the pick-and-place head to the correct temperature. These systems have limited thermal performance. Additionally, some systems may use air as a heating and cooling method; these systems may operate with or without a heat sink attached to the device.

In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor may use helium as its heat transfer medium. Helium does not have a high viscosity at low temperatures and does not boil at high temperatures. This means that helium can operate at and above the temperatures required for testing, unlike methoxy-nonafluorobutane (C4F9OCH2) and other fluids commonly used to heat equipment in conventional testing systems. Helium may be pressurized in a closed thermal loop 912 within the handler 902 around the test station 904 and the thermal spreader 906. The helium gas may then be circulated and recirculated through the internal heat exchanger 908. The internal heat exchanger 908 may be connected to an external heat exchanger 910 that controls the temperature of the internal thermal circuit 912. The external heat exchanger may be any of a refrigeration chiller, an LN2 chiller, a fin fan, a peltier device, or a thermal forcer.

Alternative embodiments

Integrated Circuits (ICs) are sometimes tested in a laboratory or small volume production environment for long periods of time before, during, and after the IC enters full volume production. Conventional testing must be performed manually by manually inserting one or more devices into the contactor and using heat flow or similar devices to bring the devices to temperature before and during device testing. The personnel must manually perform the product transfer. This can be very inefficient because the test can be lengthy and if the personnel are dealing with other tasks, the test will not be performed. Furthermore, the equipment is susceptible to damage due to the mechanical handling involved. Other conventional methods require large automatic test handlers; this is a poor use of the system and is very inefficient because large handlers are designed for larger jobs. Furthermore, laboratories typically do not have access to a full production test system.

Thus, fig. 10A-10B provide a compact handler 1000 that can automatically handle and test equipment, and that can be placed in a laboratory or on a production test floor.

Fig. 10A is a perspective view illustrating a test handler 1000A according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to the embodiment of fig. 3A-4, the embodiment of fig. 10A also employs a visual alignment strategy to align the device, and may reduce the likelihood of device damage. Further, also similar to the handlers of fig. 3A-4, the handler of fig. 10A also utilizes a non-kit device handling system, which reduces the induced PNP position error, eliminates processing transfers, and reduces the complexity/cost of the mechanisms involved, while allowing high throughput.

The system 1000A of fig. 10A and the system 1000B of fig. 10B may include an upward facing camera 1002, a prime mover camera 1004, trays 1006a and 1006B, a prime mover 1008, a contact head 1012, a thermal chamber 1014, a desoak 1016, a test station 1018, a fixed reference point 1020, and an XYZ head 1022. At 1006a, the systems 1000A and 1000B may provide a tray to load untested devices. An empty tray may be loaded at 1006 b. The XYZ head 1022 on the prime mover 1008 can pick up the devices from 1006a and move them over the upward facing camera 1002 so that the devices image at the upward facing camera 1002. The device may be placed on the thermal soak plate 1014 based on imaging at the upward facing camera 1002. The device may then be picked up by the contact head 1012 and placed into a contactor. The contactor head 1012 may be a self-contained high force mechanism configured to provide the necessary force to ensure a secure connection between the device and the test contactor. The device may then be removed from the contactor by the contactor head 1012 and placed into a desoak 1016. The equipment may be removed from the de-soaking platen 1016 and placed into the tray 1006 b. In some examples of fig. 10A-10B, systems 1000A and 1000B may run in reverse, such that untested devices begin at 1006B and move through the system toward 1006 a. In other examples of fig. 10A-10B, the devices may be placed back in the same tray they picked up.

The system 1000A of FIG. 10A and the system 1000B of FIG. 10B may also provide several cameras to image the device during processing. For example, the prime mover camera 1004 may be a downward looking camera attached to the prime mover 1008. The upward facing camera 1002 may be an upward looking stationary camera that images the device before it is placed into the thermal soak plate 1014. The fixed fiducial 1020 may be a fixed fiducial that moves over the prime mover camera 1004 and is simultaneously imaged by the prime mover camera 1004 and the face-up camera 1002 to define 0,0 in the world coordinate system in the handler. Upward facing camera 1002 may also image other locations in the handler to define other mechanisms and fixed locations.

Thus, the system as provided in fig. 10A-10B can be easily relocated, have a small storage footprint, have a lower cost than conventional test handlers, and can be heated/cooled using a hot gas stream that is already typically available in IC manufacturing and testing equipment. The devices can be handled in existing JEDEC trays and can be mechanically picked and placed to reduce device damage and eliminate operator error so that the system can be operated unattended. In some examples, the system may use existing load board docking and load boards, and may also be configured to handle multi-point testing.

In some examples of fig. 10A-10B, 90 degree device rotation may be achieved by rotating the tray 90 degrees while placing in 1006a or 1006B.

Thermal testing can be accomplished in several other ways, including: (1) a thermal head; (2) a conventional head having a heater; or (3) liquid cooled or heated heads. The thermal head may allow both vacuum and air impingement via a fan or compressed air from a temperature forcer to pick up and control the temperature of the equipment. A liquid cooled or heated head as described in fig. 9 may also be used to provide active or passive temperature testing. In some examples of fig. 10A-10B, there is a device temperature of a Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) located in the conduction/convection mixing head. Alternative forms of thermal feedback directly from the device may also be used. As will be readily understood by one skilled in the art, the thermal test as described above may also be used in any embodiment of the present disclosure, in addition to the embodiments discussed with respect to fig. 10A-10B.

Similar to the embodiment of fig. 3A-4, the embodiment of fig. 10A-10B also reduces alignment requirements by using a non-nested thermal spreader for good initial alignment and transferring the non-nested thermal spreader to a test area. Thus, the only critical subsequent movement required is placement at the test station. Thus, device movement is minimized and the throughput of the system may be increased. Furthermore, the chance of damage to the device is reduced.

As described above, the embodiment of fig. 10A-10B is just one possible embodiment, similar to the embodiment of fig. 3A-4. Thus, other embodiments according to various embodiments may have more or fewer features than shown in the embodiments of fig. 3A-4 and 10A-10B. Furthermore, some embodiments may have a mix of features from the embodiments of fig. 3A-4 and 10A-10B.

Improved visual alignment method

As described above, the handler operates using a visual alignment strategy. According to various embodiments, visual alignment requires a camera and appropriate lighting to capture the appropriate features on the device and their positions relative to a known reference point. Balls, pads, leads, mechanical features or fiducials on the device are often used for this purpose. The position error is calculated relative to the X, Y and theta reference positions. These error values are added to or subtracted from the nominal or theoretical positions when the placement is made. However, the PnP head has only an X-axis and a Y-axis. To achieve theta error correction, the PnP tip can utilize a theta rotor actuator at the Z actuator position, or the Z rotation can be provided by the pick-up head itself. An alternative approach is to use the theta error and add or subtract it to the turntable rotation for placement of the device. Additional errors must be added to the X-axis and Y-axis positions to account for the theta error position. This function does not require additional mechanisms or sensors.

Such visual alignment would provide a method for aligning equipment and/or inspecting them and passing the alignment accuracy through a test station prior to the soaking process. By aligning/inspecting the equipment earlier in the process and using non-bundled hardware, multiple pick and place occurrences can be eliminated. In addition, the visual alignment process is outside of the critical motion path to the test station and can avoid strict timing requirements as in conventional systems.

By aligning/inspecting the device prior to thermal conditioning, the camera is not subjected to a hot/cold environment and does not have to be used through a window. A single upward looking camera may be used to image the device before and after testing. The device can then be realigned or rechecked, if necessary, after testing, before being placed back into the tray. A smaller number of cameras is required to accomplish the task of performing visual alignment and inspection.

By aligning or inspecting the device prior to testing and controlling the position of the device at all times through the test, mechanical contactors are not required to align fixtures and the number of mechanical axes of motion is significantly reduced. As an example, if there are 2 x and y axes of motion for each touchdown station, and there are 32 touchdown stations, then 64 axes of motion are required to test 32 devices in parallel. If the x and y motion axes are not capable of producing theta rotation, then a total of 96 motion axes would require an additional 32 axes in order to test 32 devices in parallel.

In an alternative approach, more than one upward and downward camera may be used to achieve visual alignment, and the cameras may be positioned just prior to inserting the device into the test station. This position typically requires a mechanical alignment fixture at or near the contactor.

Exemplary computer System

Fig. 11 shows an exemplary system 1100 including a general purpose computing device 1100, the general purpose computing device 1100 including a processing unit (CPU or processor) 1120 and a system bus 1110 that couples various system components including the system memory 1130, such as a Read Only Memory (ROM)1140 and a Random Access Memory (RAM)1150, to the processor 1120. System 1100 can include a cache of high-speed memory directly connected to processor 1120, in close proximity to processor 1120, or integrated as part of processor 1120. The system 1100 copies data from the memory 1130 and/or storage 1160 into cache for quick access by the processor 1120. In this manner, the cache provides performance enhancements that avoid processor 1120 delays while waiting for data. These and other modules may control or be configured to control processor 1120 to perform various actions. Other system memory 1130 may also be used. The memory 1130 may include a variety of different types of memory having different performance characteristics. It is to be appreciated that the present disclosure may operate on a computing device 1100 having more than one processor 1120, or on a group or cluster of computing devices networked together to provide greater processing power. The processor 1120 may include any general purpose processor and hardware modules or software modules, such as module 11162, module 21164, and module 31166 stored in the storage 1160, configured to control the processor 1120, as well as special purpose processors, with software instructions incorporated into the actual processor design. The processor 1120 may be a substantially entirely self-contained computing system including multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, and the like. The multi-core processor may be symmetric or asymmetric.

The system bus 1110 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. A basic input/output (BIOS) stored in ROM 1140 or the like, may provide the basic routine that helps to transfer information between elements within the computing device 1100, such as during start-up. The computing device 1100 also includes storage 1160, such as hard disk drives, magnetic disk drives, optical disk drives, tape drives, etc. The memory device 1160 may include software modules MOD 11162, MOD21164, MOD 31166 for controlling the processor 1120. Other hardware or software modules are also contemplated. The memory device 1160 is connected to the system bus 1110 through a drive interface. The drives and associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computing device 1100. In one aspect, hardware modules that perform particular functions include software components stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium that interface with necessary hardware components (such as processor 1120, bus 1110, output device 1170, etc.) to perform the functions. The basic components are known to those skilled in the art, and appropriate variations are contemplated depending on the type of device, such as whether device 1100 is a small handheld computing device, a desktop computer, or a computer server.

Although the exemplary embodiment described herein employs a hard disk as the storage device 1160, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of computer readable media which can store data that is accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, magnetic cassettes, Random Access Memories (RAMs) 1150, Read Only Memories (ROMs) 1140, cables containing a bit stream, or wireless signals, may also be used in the exemplary operating environment. Non-transitory computer readable storage media expressly exclude media such as energy, carrier wave signals, electromagnetic waves and signals per se. However, non-transitory computer-readable storage media do include computer-readable storage media (e.g., register memory, processor cache, and Random Access Memory (RAM) devices) that store data only for short periods of time and/or only in the presence of power.

To enable user interaction with the computing device 1100, the input device 1190 represents any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for voice, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, a keyboard, a mouse, motion input, voice, or the like. The output device 1170 may also be one or more of a number of output mechanisms known to those skilled in the art. In some instances, multimodal systems enable a user to provide multiple types of input to communicate with the computing device 1100. The communication interface 1180 generally governs and manages user input and system output. There is no limitation on the operation on any particular hardware arrangement, and thus, when an improved hardware or firmware arrangement is developed, the basic features herein may be readily substituted for the improved hardware or firmware arrangement.

For clarity of explanation, the illustrative system embodiments are presented as including individual functional blocks including functional blocks labeled as a "processor" or processor 1120. The functions represented by these blocks may be provided through the use of shared or dedicated hardware, including, but not limited to, hardware capable of executing software and hardware, such as processor 1120, which is purposely constructed to operate as an equivalent to software executing on a general-purpose processor. For example, the functionality of one or more of the processors presented in FIG. 11 may be provided by a single shared processor or multiple processors. (the use of the term "processor" should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software.) illustrative embodiments may include microprocessor and/or Digital Signal Processor (DSP) hardware, a Read Only Memory (ROM)1140 for storing software to perform the operations discussed below, and a Random Access Memory (RAM)1150 for storing results. Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) hardware implementations, as well as custom VLSI circuitry in combination with a general purpose DSP circuit, may also be provided.

The logical operations of the various embodiments are implemented as: (1) a sequence of computer implemented steps, operations, or processes running on programmable circuitry within a general purpose computer, (2) a sequence of computer implemented steps, operations, or processes running on special purpose programmable circuitry; and/or (3) interconnected machine modules or program engines within the programmable circuits. The system 1100 shown in fig. 11 can practice all or a portion of the enumerated method, can be a part of the enumerated system, and/or can operate according to instructions in the enumerated non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Such logical operations may be implemented as modules configured to control the processor 1120 to perform particular functions in accordance with the programming of the modules. For example, fig. 11 shows three modules MOD 11162, MOD21164, and MOD 31166, which are modules configured to control the processor 1120. These modules may be stored on the storage 1160 and loaded into the RAM 1150 or the memory 1130 at run-time, or may be stored in other computer readable memory locations as is known in the art.

While various examples of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Many variations of the disclosed examples can be made in light of the disclosure herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments. Rather, the scope of the invention should be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "includes," including, "" has, "" with, "or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description and/or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term" comprising.

Unless otherwise new, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Furthermore, terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.