Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05F—SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G05F1/00—Automatic systems in which deviations of an electric quantity from one or more predetermined values are detected at the output of the system and fed back to a device within the system to restore the detected quantity to its predetermined value or values, i.e. retroactive systems
  • G05F1/10—Regulating voltage or current
  • G05F1/46—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is dc
  • G05F1/56—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is dc using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices
  • G05F1/59—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is dc using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a supply circuit for an electronic component in a test machine.
• the invention finds a particularly advantageous application in the field of tests, in production or in characterization, of mixed CMOS components.
• an electronic components testing machine essentially consists of three elements: a computer which is the workstation allowing an operator to prepare, using appropriate software, the test sequences which he intends to perform on electronic components, for example at the end of a production line, in order to check their correct functioning.
• a computer which is the workstation allowing an operator to prepare, using appropriate software, the test sequences which he intends to perform on electronic components, for example at the end of a production line, in order to check their correct functioning.
• an electronic bay connected to the computer by a central unit, which comprises a certain number of organs aiming to generate the test sequence prepared by the operator and to compare the responses obtained with the responses provided in advance in the component proper operation.
• a measuring head in which the electronic components to be tested are arranged.
• the electronic bay comprises a DC power supply sub-assembly made up of as many supply circuits as necessary to supply the components under test.
• Each supply circuit is intended to supply the electronic component considered with a direct supply current in a given range under a nominal bias voltage, + 5V for example.
• a nominal bias voltage + 5V for example.
• circuits are known to very low current up to 0.5A, low current up to 4A, high current up to 30A.
• Power supply circuits currently used consist of two identical elementary circuits capable of supplying, under the same nominal polarization voltage, a direct supply current in a half range, the output terminals of said elementary circuits being connected in parallel on the electronic component to test.
• a supply circuit in a range 8A two elementary circuits in the range 4A can be paralleled in this way.
• each elementary supply circuit comprises, on the one hand, a regulation circuit intended to ensure that the voltage actually applied to the component is always equal to the nominal bias voltage, and, on the other hand, a circuit for power, controlled by said regulation circuit, the function of which is to supply a direct supply current in the half range, the total supply current being the sum of the currents supplied by the two elementary circuits, ie in principle twice the current supplied by each of them.
• the two elementary circuits have independent regulation circuits which, due to dispersions of various origins (components, cable length to the measuring head), do not regulate the voltage of polarization in an identical way until causing an erratic functioning of a circuit compared to the other which can lead to the situation where an elementary circuit delivers a current in the other elementary circuit with the risk of destroying the corresponding power circuit by thermal runaway, and this without this malfunction can be perceived by the user.
• the present invention consists of a supply circuit for an electronic component in a test machine, intended to supply to said component a direct supply current in a given range under a nominal bias voltage, said circuit d power supply comprising two identical elementary power supply circuits, each capable of supplying on a output terminal a direct supply current in a range half under said nominal bias voltage, said output terminals being connected in parallel at the level of the electronic component under test, said elementary supply circuits each comprising: a regulation circuit intended to maintain on the electronic component a bias voltage equal to the nominal bias voltage, - a power circuit, capable of being controlled by said regulating circuit, and intended to supply said direct supply current in said g half amme, remarkable in that the regulating circuit of a first elementary supply circuit, said master circuit, also controls the power circuit of the second elementary supply circuit, said slave circuit
• the regulation of the bias voltage is ensured by a single regulation circuit, that of the master circuit.
• the causes of static and dynamic instability mentioned above are therefore eliminated.
• the power circuits must be as identical as possible and therefore the gain, offset and thermal drift dispersions between the two circuits are very small compared to the balance sought between the currents. Note that if a significant variation, of current for example, occurs at a given time, this would be supported equally by the two circuits. It should also be noted that even if the two elementary circuits do not play a symmetrical role, they are nevertheless identical, which allows standardization in the manufacture of the corresponding cards, which can be either master or slave circuits.
• each elementary supply circuit comprising at least one circuit for measuring the direct supply current in the half range, the current measured by the slave circuit is added to the current measured by the master circuit by means of an adder of the master circuit.
• Figure 1 is a diagram of a supply circuit according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 is a diagram of a power circuit and of a measurement circuit of the supply circuit of FIG. 1.
• the diagram in FIG. 1 represents a supply circuit for an electronic component 1 in a testing machine. Said component 1 is placed on the measuring head of the machine, which is connected to the electronic bay by cables whose length is of the order of 6m for example.
• the supply circuit of FIG. 1 is intended to apply to a supply pin 2 a bias voltage Vcc which must be kept equal to a nominal bias voltage Vcco, equal for example to + 5V.
• said supply circuit must be able to supply component 1 with a direct supply current I whose value depends on the operating mode of the component, such as standby mode, of low consumption, or working mode in which the current can reach very high values, up to 60A, which defines the current range of the supply circuit.
• the supply circuit according to the invention comprises two identical elementary supply circuits 10, 10 ′, provided for supplying a DC current 1/2 d on a respective output terminal 20, 20 ′ power in a range of half, 30A for example, under said nominal bias voltage Vcco.
• each elementary supply circuit 10, 10 ′ comprises a regulation circuit 1 1, 1 1 ′ intended to maintain on the component 1 under test a bias voltage Vcc equal to the voltage Vcco. It is understood that taking into account the length, approximately 6m, of the supply cables 3, 3 ′, the voltage Vcc actually applied to the pin 2 may vary, in particular as a function of the value of the current I.
• the voltage regulation is generally performs by applying to a terminal 30, 30 'input circuits 10, 10' the voltage Vcc taken from the electronic component 1 by a measurement line 4, 4 ', the terminals 30, 30' being connected to an input of the regulating circuit 11, 11 ′ to which the nominal bias voltage Vcco supplied by a voltage generator 12, 12 is applied. Note on the circuits 1 1, 11 ′ for regulating the presence of a network 13, 13 ′ for compensating for the decoupling capacity C placed in parallel on the supply pin 2 of the component 1.
• the regulating circuit 11 controls both the power circuit 14 of the master circuit 10 and the power circuit 14 'of the second elementary circuit 10', called the slave circuit.
• switches 15, 15 ' electronically controlled, are interposed between the circuits 11, 1' of regulation and the power circuits 14, 14 'so that the output of the regulation circuit 1 1 is connected simultaneously to the inputs of the two power circuits 14, 14', the power circuit 14 'of the slave circuit 10' being disconnected from the corresponding regulation circuit 11 '. Since the regulating circuit 1 ′ is out of operation, the measurement line 4 ′ may not be connected to the supply pin 2 of the electronic component 1 under test.
• FIG. 1 also shows that the master 10 and slave 10 ′ circuits are provided with circuits 16, 16 ′ for measuring the supply current 1/2 in the half range. The measured value of this current is available in an analog / digital converter 17, 17 'of each circuit. However, rather than successively reading the values in each converter and then summing them by the computer of the test machine, it is preferable, as shown in Figure 1, than the current measured by the slave circuit 10 'is added to the current measured by the master circuit 10 by means of an adder 18 of the master circuit 10.
• the slave circuit 10' also includes an adder 18 ', not used, this by virtue of the principle that even if they do not play a symmetrical role, the master and slave circuits are perfectly identical for reasons of standardization.
• the assembly in FIG. 1 is particularly advantageous for producing a supply circuit in the range 60A from power circuits 14, 14 ′ in the range 30A, which in turn can be produced by paralleling two amplifiers 14a, 14b in the range 15A, shown in FIG. 2 for circuit 14.
• these two power amplifiers must have identical characteristics (gain, offset) as must their identical possible temperature drifts, this is why it is expected that the amplifiers 14a, 14b are mounted on the same heat sink.
• FIG. 2 shows that in this case the measurement circuit 16 consists of two measurement circuits 16a, 16b partial whose outputs are added by an adder 16c.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Electromagnetism (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• Tests Of Electronic Circuits (AREA)
• Testing Of Individual Semiconductor Devices (AREA)
• Testing Electric Properties And Detecting Electric Faults (AREA)
• Control Of Voltage And Current In General (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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• 1997
  • 1997-02-13 FR FR9701695A patent/FR2759460B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1998
  • 1998-02-09 WO PCT/FR1998/000245 patent/WO1998036340A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-02-09 JP JP53541298A patent/JP2001513229A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-02-09 US US09/367,376 patent/US6181117B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-02-09 KR KR1019997006327A patent/KR20000070104A/ko active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-02-09 EP EP98908151A patent/EP1023652A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 1998-03-03 TW TW087102050A patent/TW364062B/zh active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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