JPH10185993A - Ic testing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate treating by automatically operating only a Z-axis drive means plurality of times and fitting a guide pin and a guide hole, and storing the position information in an X-axis drive means and a Y-axis drive means in the fitted state of each shaft axis. SOLUTION: Excitation of drive sources 17A and 18A is released in teaching mode, a vacuum sucking head 11 is made freely movable in X-Y directions and by manually positioning to the IC socket 14 for testing, a guide pin 25 is made capable of inserting in a guide hole. The X-Y positions are stored in an X-axis position memory means 33A and a Y-axis position memory means 33B. Z-axis drive means is driven with a Z-axis automatic operation means 33D and a vacuum sucking head 11 is lowered with an air cylinder 15A. The vacuum sucking head 11 slightly moves according to the fitting state of the guide pin 25 and the guide hole and the guide pin converges in the least resistance state when the guide pin 25 fits in the guide hole. Therefore, at the ending of automatic operation, exact position information can be stored in the X-axis position memory means 33A and the Y-axis position memory means 33B.

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 of the type in which an IC is sucked and conveyed by a vacuum suction head mounted on an XY transfer head and is brought into contact with a test IC socket to perform a test.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of IC carriers (called handlers) used in IC testing apparatuses are put into practical use in accordance with the structure of the package of an IC under test. When the package of the IC under test has terminals protruding in four directions, or in an IC test apparatus for testing an IC having a package structure in which the terminals are led out over the entire mounting surface, the IC under test is
One to four Cs are sucked by a vacuum suction head, and the vacuum suction head is carried to a test IC socket position by an XY transfer device, and the vacuum suction head is lowered at the test IC socket position. Then, a handler having a structure in which an IC under test is brought into contact with a test IC socket to perform a test is used.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration thereof. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes an IC under test. This IC under test 10 is in a state of being sucked and conveyed by the vacuum suction head 11. The vacuum suction head 11 is supported by a Z-axis guide 12 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). Further, the vacuum suction head 11 receives an upward biasing force by the spring 13 and is constantly elastically biased away from the test IC socket 14.

[0004] A Z-axis driving means 15 is provided opposite to the upper position of the test IC socket 14. Z axis driving means 15
In this example, the case where the air cylinder 15A is used is shown. A case is shown in which the air cylinder 15A, a Z-axis guide 15B, and a push rod 15C supported movably in the Z-axis direction by the Z-axis guide 15B. When the air cylinder 15A extends the rod downward, the push rod 15C moves downward, whereby the vacuum suction head 11 is pushed downward and the IC under test 10 comes into contact with the test IC socket 14.

On the other hand, the Z-axis guide 12 is supported by an XY drive head 16 and supports the vacuum suction head 11 movably in the XY directions. Reference numeral 17 denotes an X-axis driving unit configured to move the XY drive head 16 in the X-axis direction, for example, a ball screw. Reference numeral 18 denotes a Y configured to move the XY drive head 16 in the Y-axis direction, similarly to a ball screw.
3 shows a shaft driving means.

The test IC socket 14 is mounted on an insulating board 21 called a performance board or the like, and a contact 14A of the socket is electrically connected to a test head 23 through a printed wiring pattern formed on the insulating board 21 and a coaxial cable 22 or the like. Connected. A frame-shaped abutment block 24 is provided on the periphery of the test IC socket 14. The lower surface of the vacuum suction head 11 is abutted against the surface 24A of the abutment block 24 to receive the downward impact of the vacuum suction head 11. Further, a guide pin 25 is provided on the butting block 24 so as to protrude upward. A guide hole 26 provided in the vacuum suction head 11 is engaged with the guide pin 25, and the vacuum suction head 11 is guided by the engagement between the guide pin 25 and the guide hole 26, and each terminal of the IC under test 10 is connected to the test IC. Socket 14
The contact with each of the contacts is surely performed.

In order to change the type of the IC under test to a type having a different number of terminals, the test IC socket 14 must be replaced. For this purpose, a large number of insulating boards 21 having sockets corresponding to the ICs of each type are prepared, and the insulating boards 21 are completely replaced or only the test IC sockets 14 mounted on the insulating boards 21 are used. Either exchange is taken.

Regardless of which method is adopted, the position (XY coordinate position) of the IC socket 14 to be tested is shifted each time the type of the IC to be tested is changed, though the position is slight. The X-axis driving means 17 and the Y-axis driving means 18 store the position of the test IC socket as the XY coordinate position, and from the position for receiving the IC under test to the position of this test IC socket 14, And stopped at the upper position of the test IC socket 14 to drive the Z-axis driving means 1.
5, the vacuum suction means 11 is moved downward. Therefore, even if the position of the test IC socket 14 is slightly displaced, the IC under test 10 and the test IC socket 14
The inconvenience of not being able to reach contact occurs.

Therefore, when the test IC socket 14 is replaced, it is necessary to update the position information of the test IC socket 14 stored in the X-axis driving means 17 and the Y-axis driving means 18 to new position information. For this reason, when the test IC socket 14 is replaced conventionally, the XY driving means updates the storage of the position of the test IC socket 14 in the teaching mode. In the teaching mode, the vacuum suction head 11 is disposed so as to face the position of the test IC socket 14, and in this state, the vacuum suction head 1 is manually operated.
1 is lowered, and the guide pin 25 is engaged with the guide hole 26. At this time, the X-axis driving means 17 and the Y-axis driving means 18
By setting a drive motor (not shown) in a non-excited state, the XY drive head 16 can move in the XY direction with a small force. That is, the X-axis driving means 17 and Y
Ball drive (screws driven by bearings)
And the XY drive head 16 is driven by the ball screw. Therefore, if the motor for rotating the ball screw is set to a non-excited state, the ball screw rotates freely and the XY drive head 16 moves lightly. You can do it.

Therefore, the vacuum suction head 11 can be manually lowered so that the guide holes 25 are engaged with the guide holes 26 so as to be manually positioned. Thus, the position of the XY drive head 16 is manually changed to the new test I
The position of the C socket can be matched. The new position is stored in the X-axis driving means 17 and the Y-axis driving means 18 at that position (the X-axis driving means 17 and the Y-axis driving means 18 are provided with a position information transmitter such as a rotary encoder which is rotationally connected to a ball screw. The position information transmitter generates a number of pulses corresponding to a distance during which the XY drive head 16 is moved from the origin position of the XY coordinates to a desired position, and the number of pulses is determined by the number of pulses. Y coordinate is specified).

[0011]

As described above, when the test IC socket 14 is replaced, the X-axis driving means 1
7 and the position information stored in the position storage means of the Y-axis drive means 18 is updated to the new position of the test IC socket. However, conventionally, since the operation of engaging the guide hole 26 with the guide pin 25 is performed manually, there is an individual difference in the manual operation when the operator moves the vacuum suction head 11 up and down. In some cases, the XY position may be updated in a state where the engagement state with the position 26 is offset. If the engagement between the guide pin 25 and the guide hole 26 is slightly deviated, the guide pin 25 and the guide hole 26 are engaged a great number of times when the test is started thereafter.
In addition, there is a disadvantage that the guide hole 26 is worn and deformed due to friction, so that it does not serve as a guide.

An object of the present invention is to provide an IC test apparatus which does not cause such inconveniences.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided an IC test apparatus for updating the position information stored in the position storage means of the X-axis drive means and the Y-axis drive means to a new test IC socket position by manual operation. After the updating of the position information, only the Z-axis driving means is automatically operated a plurality of times. By automatically operating only the Z-axis driving means, the engagement between the guide pin and the guide hole is stabilized in a natural state (a state in which the axis of the guide pin coincides with the axis of the guide hole) without being affected by manual operation. . When the automatic operation of the Z-axis drive unit is performed, the position information is written in the position storage units of the X-axis drive unit and the Y-axis drive unit, and the position information is stored.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the position of the X-axis driving means and the position of the Y-axis driving means are stored in a state where the engagement between the guide pin and the guide hole is natural, eliminating individual differences due to manual operation. Can be. Therefore, even if the inspection is performed an enormous number of times, there is no possibility of causing an accident that the guide pin and the guide hole are deformed by wear,
An easy-to-handle IC test apparatus can be provided.

[0015]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the handler viewed from above.
Reference numeral 17 denotes X-axis driving means, and 18 denotes Y-axis driving means. 17
A and 18A denote these X-axis driving means 17 and Y-axis driving means 1
A driving source such as a servomotor for driving the rotation of the motor 8;
Reference numerals 17B and 18B denote position information transmitters such as rotary encoders. These position information transmitters 17B and 18B are provided with respective X-axis driving means 17 and Y-axis driving means 1.
8, the X-axis driving means 17 and the Y-axis driving means 1
During a single rotation of the ball screw constituting the head 8, for example, several tens of pulses are transmitted at a phase corresponding to the rotation direction, and the vacuum suction head 1 mounted on the XY drive head 16
1 defines the XY coordinate position.

The pulses output from the position information transmitters 17B and 18B are input to a controller 30, where the number of generated pulses is counted, and the number of generated pulses is added or subtracted according to the phase corresponding to the rotation direction. Axis position storage means 33A and Y
The XY coordinate position is stored in the axis position storage means 33B. The illustrated point P is defined as the origin of the XY coordinates.
Each position of the -Y driving means in the XY conveyance area A can be managed by the number of pulses transmitted by the position information transmitters 17B and 18B.

The controller 30 can be constituted by using a microcomputer generally called a well-known processor or the like. The microcomputer includes a central processing unit 31, a ROM 32 storing a special program and the like, and a RAM 33 temporarily storing position information and the like.
And an input port 34, an output port 35, and the like.

The RAM 33 has an X-axis position storage means 33A, a Y-axis position storage means 33B, and a teaching execution means 33C.
And a Z-axis automatic driving means 33D storing a program for automatically operating only the Z-axis driving means 15 added in the present invention.
Are provided. The central processing unit 31 operates, for example, according to a program written in a ROM, sucks the IC to be tested on the vacuum suction head 11 in the vicinity of the origin position P, and places the sucked IC on the test IC socket 14.
Carry out the test.

If the test IC socket 14 is replaced, the vacuum suction head 11 is moved to the test IC socket using the position information previously stored in the X-axis position storage means 33A and the Y-axis position storage means 33B. Move to position 14. In this state, the teaching execution means 33C is driven,
Operate in teaching mode.

In the teaching mode, the driving sources 17A and 18
Excitation to A is released, and the state is controlled to a non-excitation state. Therefore, the vacuum suction head 11 can be freely moved manually in the XY directions. Therefore, the vacuum suction head 11 is previously adjusted to the position of the test IC socket 14 by manual operation, and the guide pin 25 shown in FIG.
6. Positioning is performed so that it can be inserted into 6.

With the position of the vacuum suction head 11 manually adjusted to the position of the test IC socket 14, the XY position is stored in the X-axis position storage means 33A and the Y-axis position storage means 33B. The storage operation is executed, for example, by operating the storage command switch 36 provided at the input port 34 to a temporarily ON state. When the approximate position of the vacuum suction head 11 is determined, the Z-axis automatic operation means 33D is started, and the Z-axis drive means 15 is automatically operated. That is, the vacuum suction head 11 is lowered by the driving force of the air cylinder 15A shown in FIG. When the vacuum suction head 11 is moved down by the air cylinder 15A, the Z-axis drive means 15 has no biasing force with respect to the vacuum suction head 11 in the XY directions. Therefore,
The vacuum suction head 11 slightly moves in the X-Y direction according to the engagement state between the guide pin 25 and the guide hole 26, and the guide pin 2
When 5 engages with the guide hole 26, it converges to the state having the least resistance. Therefore, when terminating the automatic operation of the Z-axis driving unit 15, the corrected correct position information can be stored in the position storage units 33A and 33B of the X-axis driving unit 17 and the Y-axis driving unit 18.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the stop position of the vacuum suction head 11 (the test IC socket 1)
4), the Z-axis driving means 15 is automatically operated, and only the force in the Z-axis direction is applied to the vacuum suction head 11.
In this state, the guide hole 25 is engaged with the guide pin 25 to determine the position.
The engagement state with 6 is stabilized to a natural state. Therefore, the test is not performed in a state where the guide pin 25 and the guide hole 26 slide sideways. Therefore, the guide pin 25 and the guide hole 26 are not deformed, and can be operated stably for a long time. Further, since the vacuum suction head 11 does not have a slight displacement, the IC under test
Can be accurately brought into contact with the test IC socket 14. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a contact error and to obtain an advantage that a highly reliable IC test apparatus can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view for explaining a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 IC under test 11 Vacuum suction head 12 Z-axis guide 14 Test IC socket 15 Z-axis driving means 16 XY driving head 17 X-axis driving means 18 Y-axis driving means 17A, 18A Driving source 17B, 18B Position information transmitter DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Insulation board 23 Test head 24 Butting block 25 Guide pin 26 Guide hole 30 Controller 33A X-axis position storage means 33B Y-axis position storage means 33C Teaching execution means 33D Z-axis automatic operation means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A guide pin and a guide hole provided between a vacuum suction head and a test IC socket are engaged with each other,
The IC under test adsorbed on the vacuum suction head is guided to the test IC socket, and the IC under test is accurately tested.
In an IC test apparatus having a configuration for connecting to a C socket, the XY driving means for moving the vacuum suction head in the XY directions is set to a free state in which it is manually moved, and only the Z-axis driving means is set in this free state. The guide pin and the guide hole are engaged by this drive, and the engagement is corrected to an engagement state in which the axes coincide with each other, and the position of the test IC socket is moved to the XY drive means. An IC test apparatus characterized in that it is configured to be stored.