JP3009115B2 - IC test equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an IC test apparatus which can automatically test ICs having various pin structures and can automatically switch to an IC having a different pin structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As the degree of integration increases, the number of pins (terminals) led out of a package of an IC increases, and the lead-out structure changes from DIP (dual line type) to QFP and SO.
J, PLCC and other diversification. In order to test ICs having these various pin lead-out structures, an IC test apparatus for exploring a horizontal transfer system having a vacuum suction means has been put to practical use.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic structure of an IC test apparatus for searching for a conventional horizontal transfer system. In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes an I for carrying an IC.
3 shows a C transport head. The IC transport head 100 can move in the XY directions by an X rail 101 and a Y rail 102 and is mounted on a horizontal transport mechanism. IC
In this example, the transport head 100 has two IC suction means 1
00A and 100B, and these two IC suction means 1
00A, 100B absorbs two ICs at a time,
From the loader tray storage section 200 to the hot plate 210
The IC is conveyed from the hot plate 210 to the contact buffer in 220 and from the contact buffer out 230 to the sort tray 240 or 250 or 260.

That is, a plurality of loader trays are stacked and stored in the loader tray storage section 200. Each loader tray has an IC receiving recess formed in a grid pattern.
The ICs to be tested are inserted and stored one by one in the C storage recess. The IC under test is transferred from the uppermost loader tray stored in the loader tray storage section 200 to the IC transport head 10.
By 0, it is carried to the hot plate 210 two by two.
The hot plate 210 is heated to a desired temperature,
The IC under test is heated to a predetermined temperature.

The IC under test heated to a predetermined temperature by the hot plate 210 is transferred to the contact buffer 220 by the IC transport head 100. The contact buffer 220 is guided by the rail 221 and moves to a position XX indicated by a dotted line. A Y rail 222 is provided along the position XX. A transport head 223 is provided on the Y rail 222. The transport head 223 can move in the Y direction by the Y rail 222. The transport head 223 takes out the IC under test from the contact buffer 220 and sends the IC under test to the IC test section 224.

The tested IC that has been tested by the IC test section 224 is transferred to the contact buffer out 230, which moves the rail 221 in the direction of the arrow and delivers the tested IC to the IC transport head 100. The IC transport head 100 sorts the tested ICs into the sort tray 240 or 25 according to whether the test result is good or bad.
The tested IC is stored at 0,260. That is, for example, the sort tray 240 stores a non-defective product, the sort tray 250 stores a tested IC for which retest is specified, and the sort tray 260 stores an IC determined to be defective.

Reference numeral 270 denotes an empty tray buffer. In other words, when the uppermost tray is full of ICs, the tray transport head 103 transports empty trays from the empty tray buffer 270 and sorts empty trays into the respective tray storage units that are full of ICs. Supply. Each sort tray 240 or 250, 26 supplied with an empty tray
0 submerges the tray stack by one tray. When the uppermost tray in the loader tray storage unit 200 becomes empty, the empty tray is conveyed to the empty tray buffer 270, and the stacked portion of the trays rises by one tray.

[0008]

In the IC testing apparatus, at least the hot plate 210, the contact buffer in 220, and the contact buffer out 221 are different for each type of IC to be tested.
The ones having different concave shapes for accommodating C are prepared, and when changing the type of IC, they have to be replaced. In other words, when searching for the horizontal transport method, the IC is sucked and transported by the IC suction means, so that the position of the IC must be accurately defined when the IC is sucked. For this reason, the IC must be positioned with high precision at the hot plate 210, the contact buffer in 220, and the contact buffer out 230. For this reason, each part must have a concave shape that matches the shape of the IC, and must be replaced for each type of IC.

[0009] Since this replacement operation is performed manually, manual operation is required every time the type of IC is changed, and there is a disadvantage that complete automation cannot be achieved. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an IC test apparatus for searching for a horizontal transfer system capable of automatically responding to a change in the type of IC.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an annular transport rail formed on a horizontal surface, and a plurality of ICs to be tested which are held in a predetermined posture and guided along the annular transport rail. An IC carrier, a driving means for moving the plurality of IC carriers in one direction along the annular transport rail, and an IC carrier provided adjacent to a part of the annular transport rail and moved by being guided by the annular transport rail A loader unit for loading the IC under test to the IC carrier, a first suction and transport unit provided at a position where the IC carrier has moved from the loader unit by a predetermined amount, picking up the IC under test held by the IC carrier, and transporting the IC test unit A second suction / conveyance means for picking up the tested IC tested by the IC test section from the test section and discharging the IC to a predetermined position; and discharging the IC to a predetermined position by the second suction / conveyance means. An unloader unit that sorts and stores the tested ICs according to the test results, an IC carrier storage unit provided adjacent to the annular transport rail, and an IC carrier stored in the IC carrier storage unit that is selected by type. An IC testing device is constituted by a selecting device to be taken out and stored in the annular transport rail.

Further, in the second invention of this application, the selection device for selecting the type of the IC carrier is constituted by a storage unit having a multilayer structure capable of moving up and down with respect to the transport surface of the annular transport rail. The present invention proposes an IC test apparatus having a structure in which a set of IC carriers housed in a layer selected on the same plane as a surface is taken out and housed in an annular transport rail.

Further, in the third invention of this application, heating or heat absorbing means is provided along an annular transfer rail from the loader section to a position where the first suction transfer means is provided, and the IC under test is heated to a desired temperature. IC configured to test under
A test device is proposed. According to the first invention of this application, the IC under test is mounted on the IC carrier at the loader section. The IC carrier is guided and transported by the driving means on the annular transport rail. When the IC carrier is transferred by a predetermined amount, the first
It reaches the position of the suction conveyance means. The first suction conveyance means is I
The IC mounted on the C carrier is sucked and moved, and the IC that has been sucked and held is transported to the test section and mounted on the test section.

When the test is completed in the test section, the second suction and conveyance means sucks the tested IC, discharges the tested IC from the test section, and conveys the IC to another predetermined position. At this time,
The IC to be tested next is attached to the test section by the first suction and transport means. The tested IC discharged to a predetermined position by the second suction / conveyance means is moved to the unloader section, where it is classified and stored according to the result of the test.

A plurality of IC carriers are prepared for each type of IC. The plurality of sets of IC carriers are sorted and stored in the IC carrier storage section, and are taken out to the annular transport rail by the selection device as needed. Therefore, the IC carrier can be selected according to the type of the IC to be tested and taken out to the annular transport rail, and the jig exchange can be automated without relying on humans.

According to the second invention of this application, a multi-layered I
Since the selection device for selecting the type of the IC carrier by moving the C carrier storage unit up and down is configured, a selection device that operates reliably with a simple configuration can be obtained. Further, according to the third invention of this application, a desired temperature can be tested by applying a desired temperature to the IC under test.

[0016]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. 10 in the figure
Indicates an annular transfer rail. The annular transport rail 10 is formed horizontally, and guides a square IC carrier 20 in this example by guide rails 11 provided on both sides. That is, this example shows a case where the annular transport rail 10 is formed in a square shape. At each corner of the annular transfer rail 10, a driving device 12A, 1
2B, 12C and 12D are provided.

The driving devices 12A, 12B and 12D move the IC carrier 20 by one stroke, and the driving device 12C drives the IC carrier 20 by two strokes. In this example, two empty spaces are provided in the annular transport rail 10 as an example of a driving method, and the driving device 12
When C operates, two empty spaces are formed on this side. When the driving devices 12B, 12A, and 12D are operated in this order, the IC carrier 20 in the annular transfer rail 10 moves clockwise by one pitch. Here, when the drive device 12C is operated again by two strokes, the state returns to a state where two empty spaces (the illustrated state) are formed in a portion facing the drive device 12C.

In this way, the IC carrier 20 is moved along the annular transport rail 10, and the projecting position of the extrusion driving device 12E described later is maintained in an empty space. A loader section 30 and an unloader section 40 are provided along one side of the rectangular annular transfer rail 10. The loader unit 30 is provided with a loading suction transfer unit 31, and the unloader unit 40 is provided with a sorting suction transfer unit 41. The suction conveyance means is such that the suction head is made of a sucker-shaped rubber, has a suction hole inside the suction-hole-shaped rubber, sucks air from the suction hole, and uses the suction force of the air to generate I.
It refers to a structure that adsorbs and transports C. The loading suction transfer means 31 is supported by the rail 32 so as to be able to reciprocate between the loader section 30 and the annular transfer rail 10, and loads an IC on the IC carrier 20 located on the annular transfer rail 10 in contact with the loader section 30. Perform IC carrier 20
When one IC is loaded into the IC, the driving means 12D is driven to move the IC carrier 20 by one IC. With this movement, the empty IC carrier 20 is placed in front of the loading suction conveyance means 31.
Is supplied. The loading suction conveyance means 31 loads one IC from the loader unit 30 into the empty IC carrier 20.
In this way, the IC under test is mounted on the IC carrier 20 that has passed the position of the loading suction conveyance means 31.

The direction of the IC carrier 20 on which the IC is mounted is changed by the drive of the driving device 12A, further changed by the driving device 12B, and conveyed to the position of the first suction conveyance means 50. In this example, two first suction conveyance means 50 are provided at intervals of the arrangement pitch of the IC carriers 20. The two first suction conveyance means 50 are supported on the ends of the conveyance frames 51 and 52 which can operate independently.
Each of the transfer frames 51 and 52 is movably supported by a rail 53, and a second suction transfer means 60 is attached to the other end. When the first suction conveyance unit 50 is located above the annular conveyance rail 10, the second suction conveyance unit 60 is located above the test unit 70. Therefore, when the first suction / conveyance unit 50 suctions the IC from the IC carrier 20, the second suction / conveyance unit 60 sends the tested IC
To adsorb. The first suction conveyance means 50 is an IC carrier 20
The IC is sucked from the test section, and the second suction conveyance means 60
When the tested IC is sucked from 0, the pedestals 51 and 52 move along the rail 53, the first suction and conveyance means 50 reaches the upper part of the test section 70, and the second suction and conveyance means 60 is moved to the end of the rail 53. Is mounted on the relay stand 71 prepared in the above.

The suction conveyance means 4 provided in the unloader section 40
1 moves by the rail 43 passed between the relay board 71 and the unloader section 40, and transports the tested IC from the relay board 71 to the unloader section 40. Unloader section 40
The tested ICs conveyed to are classified according to the test results and stored in a magazine or the like. First suction conveyance means 5
The IC carrier 20 that has passed through the position 0 is empty. In the test mode, the emptied IC carrier 20 is turned by the driving devices 12C and 12D, transported again before the loader unit 30, and enters the next circulation operation.

On the other hand, the IC carrier 20 is driven by the driving device 12B.
The IC carrier storage section 80 is provided on an extension of the side where is driven. The IC carrier storage section 80 has a U-shaped conveyance path 81, and driving devices 82 and 83 are provided at two corners of the conveyance path 81. The transport passage 81 is provided for one set of IC carriers 20 (for example, 5
0 to 100 pieces as one set), and a U-shaped transfer path 81 for storing each IC carrier 20 is arranged in a multilayer structure as shown in FIG. The plurality of transport paths 81 moved up and down, and the IC carrier 2
0 types are selected.

That is, in order to change the type of the IC carrier 20, in the IC carrier storage section 80, the layer storing the type of IC carrier 20 to be called on the annular transport rail 10 is located at a position on the same plane as the annular transport rail 10. Move. In this state, the operation of the driving device 12C is stopped.
At the same time, the set cylinder 84 causes the rod 85 to protrude from the outside of the annular transport rail 10, and the pushing drive device 12 </ b> E provided at the tip of the rod 85 is arranged on the annular transport rail 10 (see FIG. 2).

When the operation of the driving device 12C is stopped, the IC carrier 20 circulating on the annular transport rail 10
U-shaped transfer rail 81 provided in C carrier storage section 80
One by one. That is, when one IC carrier 20 is pushed in from the annular transport rail 10, the driving device 8
2 and 83 are driven, and one new IC carrier 20 is discharged from the IC carrier storage section 80 to the annular transport rail 10.

When one new IC carrier 20 is ejected from the IC carrier storage section 80, the driving device 12E pushes the ejected IC carrier 20 along the annular transport rail 10. Thereafter, the driving devices 83, 82, 12B, 12
A, 12D, 12E, 83, and 82 are driven in this order.
Is stored in the IC carrier storage unit 80, and the IC carrier 20 stored in the IC carrier storage unit 80 is discharged to the annular transport rail 10, and the I
The C carrier 20 is replaced.

FIG. 4 can be used in the present invention.
An example of the IC carrier 20 is shown. FIG. 4 shows the internal structure of an IC carrier 20 for a dual-line type IC. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a frame. O-ring 2 on the bottom inside the frame 21
2 is embedded in the annular groove, and a spiral disk 23 is mounted on the upper surface side of the O-ring 22. As shown in FIG. 5, the spiral disk 23 includes a disk 23A and the disk 23A.
A can be constituted by a ridge 23B spirally wound on the upper surface of A.

An IC support 24 is mounted on the upper surface of the spiral disk 23. The support stand 24 is supported in the frame 21 with its peripheral edge held down by the cover 26. IC support 2
Reference numeral 4 in this example shows a case of a support base for supporting a dual line type IC. That is, the support base 24 is divided into two parts, and the projections 24A are engaged with the elongated holes 25A formed in the guide plate 25 to be guided and supported so as to be movable in two directions. The teeth formed on the projections 24A engage with the spiral ridges 23B of the spiral disk 23, and the spiral disk 23
Is rotated, the projections 24B, 2 formed on the support base 24 are rotated.
The distance between each of the 4C and 24D is changed, so that a dual line type IC having a different number of mills can be supported. In the state of FIG. 4, a 300 mil standard IC is provided on the protrusion 24B.
If the interval is set so that the
C can support an IC of 600 mil standard.
At this time, the projection 24D can support an IC of 900 mil standard. There are 400 mil and 750 mil standards in addition to the 300 mil, 600 mil and 900 mil standards in the dual line IC standard. Therefore, to support 400 mil and 750 mil ICs, see FIG.
From the state described above, the distance between the supports may be increased. In other words, by moving the support 24 outward by 50 mils,
The protrusion 24B can support a 400 mil standard IC, and the protrusion 24C can support a 750 mil standard IC. To move the support 24 outward by 50 mils, the spiral disk 23 may be rotated.
The O-ring 22 is provided to prevent the spiral disk 23 from rotating due to vibration or the like. The spiral disk 23 is formed with two small holes 23C, and the two small holes 23C are engaged with pins 28B attached to the drive shaft 25 shown in FIG. 4, and the drive shaft 28A is driven to rotate by, for example, a stepping motor. Thus, a desired interval can be set. The drive shaft 28A is the annular transfer rail 1 shown in FIG.
0, when the type of the IC carrier 20 is changed, or when the standard of the IC to be transported is changed, the spiral disk 23 of the IC carrier 20 is rotated at this position 10A, It can automatically respond to standard changes.

In order to automate the operation of changing the standard of the IC carrier 20, the interval data currently set for each IC carrier 20 is required. For this purpose, for example, the rotation angle position of the spiral disk 23 is indicated by a black and white stripe or the like attached to the back side, and this can be obtained by optically reading through a hole formed in the bottom plate of the frame 21. As another method, an identification number may be assigned to each IC carrier by, for example, a bar code, and the previously set value for each identification number may be stored in a memory and managed.

FIG. 6 shows an IC carrier for an IC having another pin structure. In the example of FIG.
2 shows the structure of a C carrier. In the case of a PLCC IC, the pins are led out to four sides of the package. Therefore, in this case, four movable projections 27 are provided as shown in FIG. This 4
The movable protruding pieces 27 engage with the cross-shaped holes formed in the guide plate 25, and when the spiral disk 23 is rotated, the four protruding pieces 27 move in the radial direction with respect to each other. The structure allows the square dimensions of the enclosed portion to be variable. With this structure, an IC carrier that accommodates PLCC-type ICs having different dimensions and transports the ICs in a positioned state can be structured.

In FIG. 1, a temperature control means 90 is provided between the loader section 30 of the annular transfer rail 10 and the installation position of the first suction transfer means 50. The temperature control unit 90 is provided with a heating unit and a heat absorbing unit, and is configured to be able to perform a high temperature test and a low temperature test.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, an IC carrier is prepared for each type of IC under test, and
A carrier is selected from the IC carrier storage section 80, taken out to the annular transport rail 10, and the IC carrier is
Because it is designed to transport C, ICs can be used without relying on manual labor.
Can be changed. Therefore, the IC test apparatus can be automated.

Further, since the IC carrier 20 has a structure in which the dimensions of the portion supporting the IC can be changed, it is sufficient to prepare a set of IC carriers corresponding to the type of the IC. It is possible to correspond only by rotating. In particular, when the drive shaft 28A for rotating the spiral disk 23 is provided, it is possible to completely automate the change of the type of the IC and the change of the dimensions of the IC.

As described above, according to the present invention, a fully-automated IC test apparatus can be configured, and the advantage that the cost required for IC test can be reduced can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining an IC carrier exchanging operation of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view for explaining an example of the structure of a selection device used in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an example of the structure of an IC carrier used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of the IC carrier described in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another example of the IC carrier.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Annular conveyance rail 12A-12D Drive device 20 IC carrier 30 Loader part 40 Unloader part 50 1st suction conveyance means 60 2nd suction conveyance means 70 Test part 80 IC carrier storage part 90 Temperature control means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-60-206096 (JP, A) JP-A-2-311773 (JP, A) JP-A-1-272127 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01R 31/26 G01R 31/28 H01L 21/66

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A. First Embodiment B. an annular transport rail formed on a horizontal surface; B. a plurality of IC carriers that hold the IC under test in a predetermined posture and are guided along the annular transport rail; D. driving means for moving the plurality of IC carriers in one direction along the annular transfer rail; B. a loader unit provided adjacent to a part of the annular transport rail and for loading the IC under test on the IC carrier guided and moved by the annular transport rail; The IC carrier is provided at a position where the IC carrier has moved by a predetermined amount from the loader unit, and
C. a first suction conveyance means for picking up C and conveying it to the test section; G. a second suction / conveyance means for picking up the tested IC tested by the test unit from the test unit and discharging the IC to a predetermined position; H. an unloader section for classifying and storing the tested ICs discharged to a predetermined position by the second suction conveyance means according to the test result; An IC carrier storage unit provided adjacent to the annular transfer rail; A selection device for selectively taking out and storing the IC carriers stored in the IC carrier storage section on the annular transport rail by type, and for storing the IC carriers. 2. The selecting device according to claim 1, wherein said selecting device is constituted by a storage unit having a multilayer structure capable of moving up and down with respect to the transport surface of said annular transport rail, and a layer selected on the same plane as the transport surface of said annular transport rail. An IC test apparatus configured to take out a set of IC carriers stored in a circular transport rail and store the set. 3. The IC test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a heating or heat absorbing means is provided along an annular transport rail from the loader section to a position where the first suction transport means is provided. An IC test apparatus configured to perform a test at a desired temperature.