Test configuration and test method for testing a plurality of integrated circuits in parallel

{
  "publication_number": "US6762611B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Test configuration and test method for testing a plurality of integrated circuits in parallel",
  "abstract": "A test configuration for testing a plurality of integrated circuits, in particular fast semiconductor memory modules located on a wafer, in parallel. The test configuration includes a carrier board for bringing up electrical signal lines belonging to a test system, contact-making needles for producing electrical connections with contact areas on the circuits to be tested, and a plurality of active modules that are arranged on the carrier board. The active modules are each assigned to one of the circuits to be tested in parallel, and are each case inserted into the signal path between the test system and the associated circuit to be tested. In a preferred embodiment, the active modules are arranged at least partly overlapping, based on a direction at right angles to the plane of the carrier board.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A probe card configuration for testing a plurality of integrated circuits in parallel, the probe card configuration comprising: a test system having electrical signal lines; a carrier board for receiving said electrical signal lines of said test system, said carrier board defining a plane; a carrier mounted to said carrier board forming an interspace between said carrier and said carrier board; contact-making needles for producing electrical connections with contact areas on the integrate circuits to be tested, said contact-making needles for connection to said electrical signal lines of said test system to produce signal paths between said test system and the integrated circuits to be tested, said contact-making needle being disposed on said carrier; and a plurality of active modules configured on said carrier board, each one of said plurality of said active modules being assigned to one of the integrated circuits to be tested in parallel, each one of said plurality of said active modules being inserted into ones of the signal paths that are between said test system and the assigned one of the integrated circuits to be tested; at least two of said plurality of said active modules being disposed within said interspace overlapping each other vertically, at least one of said plurality of said active modules being disposed on said carrier.",
    "2. The probe card configuration according to claim 1, in combination with the plurality of the integrated circuits, wherein: the plurality of the integrated circuits are a plurality of fast semiconductor memory modules that are located on a wafer.",
    "3. The probe card configuration according to claim 1, in combination with the plurality of the integrated circuits, wherein: each one of the plurality of the integrated circuits has a longest extent; each one of said plurality of said active modules has a longest extent; and said longest extent of each one of said plurality of said active modules is greater than the longest extent of the assigned one of the integrated circuits to be tested.",
    "4. A configuration for testing a plurality of integrated circuits in parallel, comprising: a test system having electrical signal lines; a carrier board receiving said electrical signal lines of said test system, said carrier board defining a plane; a carrier mounted to said carrier board forming an interspace between said carrier and said carrier board; a plurality of mounts for accommodating the plurality of the modules to be tested, said plurality of said mounts receiving said electrical signal lines of said test system, said plurality of said mounts connected to said electrical signal lines of said test system for producing signal paths between said test system and the modules to be tested; and a plurality of active modules configured on said carrier board, each one of said plurality of said active modules being assigned to one of the modules to be tested in parallel, each one of said plurality of said active modules being inserted into ones of the signal paths that are between said test system and the assigned one of the modules to be tested; at least two of said plurality of said active modules being disposed within said interspace overlapping each other vertically, at least one of said plurality of said active modules being disposed on said carrier.",
    "5. The probe card configuration according to claim 4, in combination with the plurality of the integrated circuits, wherein: the plurality of the integrated circuits are a plurality of fast semiconductor memory modules that are located on a wafer.",
    "6. The probe card configuration according to claim 1, wherein said carrier is a ceramic carrier.",
    "7. A method for testing a plurality of integrated circuits on a wafer in parallel, which comprises: providing the probe card configuration according to claim 1; making contact between a first group of the integrated circuits to be tested on the wafer and said contact-making needles; performing a test routine with the first group of the integrated circuits to be tested; making contact between a second group of the integrated circuits to be tested on the wafer and said contact-making needles, the second group of the integrated circuits being located disjunct with respect to the first group of the integrated circuits; performing a test routine with the second group of the integrated circuits to be tested; configuring the integrated circuits to be tested on the wafer in a regular rectangular grid form having main directions at right angles to one another; configuring the first group of the integrated circuits and the second group of the integrated circuits to extend along the main directions of the grid; performing the step of making contact between the first group of the integrated circuits and said contact-making needles such that a given one of the integrated circuits is located between two of the integrated circuits of the first group in one of the main directions, and the given one of the integrated circuits is not tested in parallel with the first group of the integrated circuits; and performing the step of making contact between the second group of the integrated circuits and said contact-making needles such that another given one of the integrated circuits is located between two of the integrated circuits of the second group in one of the main directions, and the other given one of the integrated circuits is not tested in parallel with the second group of the integrated circuits.",
    "8. A method for testing a plurality of integrated circuits on a wafer in parallel, which comprises: providing the probe card configuration according to claim 1; making contact between a first group of the integrated circuits to be tested on the wafer and said contact-making needles; performing a test routine with the first group of the integrated circuits to be tested; making contact between a second group of the integrated circuits to be tested on the wafer and said contact-making needles, the second group of the integrated circuits being located disjunct with respect to the first group of the integrated circuits; performing a test routine with the second group of the integrated circuits to be tested; configuring the integrated circuits to be tested on the wafer in a regular rectangular grid form having diagonals; configuring the first group of the integrated circuits and the second group of the integrated circuits to extend along the diagonals of the grid."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a probe card configuration for testing a plurality of integrated circuits, in particular fast semiconductor memory components located on a wafer, in parallel. The probe card configuration has a carrier board for bringing up electric signal lines from a test system and has contact-making needles for producing electrical connections with contact areas on the circuits to be tested.\n\nCurrent DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) chips are tested with expensive memory test systems. Test programs for checking the functional suitability of the memory chips are used on these testers. In this case, signals with exactly defined voltage levels are applied to the semiconductor circuits to be tested at exactly defined times. During the checking of the read function of the DUT (Device Under Test), it is also possible to read signals coming into the test instrument from the DUT at precisely defined times and to compare them with expected signal values.\n\nBecause of the high frequencies at which current memory modules operate, for example 200 to 300 MHz in the case of DDR (Double Data Rate) DRAMs and 400 to 800 MHz in the case of Rambus DRAMs, the these chips specify highly accurate signals. For example, in the case of DDR memories, signal specifications of the order of magnitude of 500 ps are common. The production or memory test systems that are used therefore have to meet extremely high technical requirements, which leads to correspondingly high production and testing costs. At present, DRAM test instruments that meet the aforementioned conditions cost several millions of dollars each.",
  "cpc": [
    "G01R 31/319",
    "G01R 31/318505",
    "G01R 31/318511",
    "G01R 31/31905",
    "G11C 29/006",
    "G11C 29/48"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G01R 31/319",
    "G11C 29/00",
    "G11C 29/48"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Infineon Technologies AG"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Michael Hübner",
    "Gunnar Krause",
    "Justus Kuhn",
    "Jochen Müller",
    "Peter Pöchmüller",
    "Jürgen Weidenhöfer"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2001-12-05",
  "publication_date": "2004-07-13",
  "grant_date": "2004-07-13",
  "priority_date": "2000-12-05",
  "application_number": "US-1050401-A",
  "family_id": "7665880",
  "cited_by_count": 18,
  "citations": [
    "US4585991A",
    "US5070297A",
    "US5497079A",
    "US6205654B1",
    "US6064213A",
    "US5929651A",
    "DE19826314A1"
  ]
}