JPH0150872B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a device for measuring the electrical characteristics of circuit components such as semiconductor devices, and more specifically, to a device for measuring the electrical characteristics of circuit components such as semiconductor devices, and more specifically, to a device for measuring the electrical characteristics of circuit components such as semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to change,
The present invention relates to a circuit component measuring device that measures the circuit characteristics at that time and is capable of cooling the measuring device itself to prevent a rise in temperature.

[Background of the invention]

Semiconductor devices (hereinafter referred to as ICs) need to be subjected to various tests in order to improve their reliability. Generally, this type of measuring device is called an IC tester, and is a measuring device for checking the electrical characteristics of an IC under actual operating conditions. This IC tester is
The circuit configuration is complex because it measures various ICs.
The number of ICs is large, and the amount of heat generated is large. In other words, IC testers that have a large number of printed circuit boards and circuit elements generate a significant amount of internal heat, so a configuration is used in which the heat generating parts are forcibly cooled using a fan.
Even so, the internal temperature rise may exceed the allowable range. Despite the increase in the number of printed circuit boards, not only for IC testers, the housing case, which is the storage part, must be made smaller. However, if the main body case is made smaller, the cooling conditions will become even worse, and the internal temperature will increase. continues to rise, reaching a dangerous range.

Therefore, as a cooling measure, measures such as installing an air conditioner to cool the entire room where the IC tester is installed are taken, but the cooling effect of the IC tester itself is not improved, and the cost of cooling equipment and electricity costs are increased. It would also be a huge expense, so it's not a good idea.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable and inexpensive circuit component measuring device that can cool a circuit component measuring device with high efficiency. .

[Summary of the invention]

A feature of the present invention is that when testing the characteristics of circuit components, the cooling medium prepared for supplying into the thermostatic chamber to change the temperature conditions is also supplied to the measuring instrument for the circuit components. The point is that the temperature rise was prevented by cooling.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a measuring device for integrated circuit components, in which 1 is an IC tester that measures the characteristics of integrated circuit components, and 2 is the IC tester 1.
A fan 3 for cooling the inside of the main body case is a high-temperature handler, which has a constant temperature bath 4 built into the upper part of the inside, and a liquid nitrogen cylinder 5 on the side of the lower part. A switching valve 6 is used to switch the supply of nitrogen from the liquid nitrogen cylinder 5 to the thermostatic chamber 4 and the IC tester 1. 7 is a solenoid valve attached to the mouth of the liquid nitrogen cylinder 5, and 8, 9, 10, and 11 are gas pipes.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main structure of FIG. 1 in more detail and for explaining its operation, and the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 indicate the same parts. In FIG. 2, 12 is a temperature detection element installed inside the main body case of the IC tester 1, 13 is a temperature detection element installed inside the thermostatic oven 4, and 14 is a fan for circulating the air inside the thermostatic oven 4. , 15 is a heater that raises the temperature inside the thermostatic chamber 4, and 16 is a measuring section for the IC element. Although not shown, the input/output terminals of the IC element and the IC tester 1 are connected by wiring, and It is possible to measure the characteristics of 17 is a temperature controller for adjusting the temperature inside the constant temperature bath 4, and the temperature detecting element 1
The temperature detection signal from 2 and 13 is inputted, and the heater 15 is turned on and off, and the electromagnetic valve 7 is controlled on and off, so that the temperature inside the thermostatic oven 4 can be changed.

According to the apparatus configured as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when testing an IC element placed in the measuring section 16, which is a handler, in a low temperature state, an output signal from the temperature controller 17 is used to conduct an electromagnetic test. Valve 7 is opened and liquid nitrogen is supplied. The liquid nitrogen is fed to the constant temperature bath 4 via the switching valve 6 which is switched to the solid line state, and is circulated by the fan 14 while being vaporized. The nitrogen gas cools the IC element in the measuring section 16, and appropriate measurements are performed by the IC tester 1 via a wiring path (not shown).

At the same time, the nitrogen gas circulated by the fan 14 is suctioned by the fan 2 inside the IC tester 1 and guided to the IC tester 1 via the pipe 11, the switching valve 6, and the pipe 8, and the nitrogen gas circulates inside the IC tester 1. Cool down. The electromagnetic valve 7 is controlled to open and close by the temperature detecting elements 12 and 13 and the temperature regulator 17, so that the measuring section in the thermostatic chamber 4 is maintained at a predetermined low temperature. Furthermore, the connecting part of the thermostatic chamber 4 to the pipe 11 is longer than a predetermined length, so that when nitrogen gas is supplied to the IC tester 1 side, water vapor (dew gas) is generated in that part due to supercooling. It is designed so that they do not occur together.

As a result, the inside of the constant temperature chamber 4 can be cooled for testing purposes, and the inside of the IC tester can be cooled using the cold air, thereby protecting the circuit elements inside the IC tester from high temperature damage.

In addition, when increasing the temperature of the constant temperature chamber 4 to test the IC element in the measuring section 16 in a high temperature state, rotate the switching valve 6, connect the pipes 8 and 9 as shown in the broken line, and adjust the temperature. The output signal from the heater 17 closes the power supply circuit of the heater 15 and supplies power to the heater 15. As a result, the temperature inside the thermostatic chamber 4 becomes high, and the IC element in the measuring section 16 is heated, and an appropriate test is performed via a wiring path (not shown). In that case, the signal from the temperature controller 17 also causes the solenoid valve 7 to
is opened and liquid nitrogen is sent out, but it is also supplied through the switching valve 6 through the path shown by the broken line, and only the IC tester 1 side is cooled to protect the circuit elements inside the IC tester 1 from being damaged by high temperatures. and again,
By detecting the internal temperature with the temperature detection element in the IC tester 1, sending the detection signal to the temperature controller 17, and controlling the opening of the solenoid valve 7 as appropriate,
In the IC tester 1, no water vapor is generated by introducing nitrogen gas.

In addition to manual control, the rotation of the switching valve 6 can also be controlled automatically by a solenoid driven according to the temperature control in the thermostatic chamber.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above-mentioned embodiments, according to the present invention, a medium for lowering the temperature of the inside of a thermostatic chamber is used to cool the inside of a measuring device for testing the characteristics of a part to be measured. With this configuration, circuit components such as integrated circuit elements constituting the measuring device can be protected from high-temperature damage, and cold air can be used effectively, contributing to energy saving.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The attached drawings are diagrams for explaining one embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a measuring device for integrated circuit components, and Fig. 2 shows the main parts of Fig. 1 in more detail. FIG. 1... IC tester, 2, 14... Juan, 3
...High temperature and low temperature handler, 4 ... Constant temperature bath, 5 ... Liquid nitrogen cylinder, 6 ... Switching valve, 7 ... Solenoid valve, 8 to 11 ... Pipe, 12, 13 ... Temperature detection element, 15 ... Heater, 16...Measurement section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A constant temperature chamber that accommodates circuit components such as semiconductor elements as components to be measured and keeps the components to be measured at a high temperature using a heater and a cooling medium, and electrically connected to the components to be measured within the constant temperature chamber; A circuit component measuring device comprising a circuit component measuring device for inspecting the characteristics of the component to be measured under high and low temperature conditions, the cooling medium being supplied to the constant temperature oven,
A circuit component measuring device characterized in that the circuit component measuring device is configured to discharge the coolant from the constant temperature chamber and supply the coolant to a circuit component measuring device via a valve that switches the cooling medium supply route when the temperature inside the constant temperature chamber is raised to a high temperature. .