KR100713945B1 - System to control temperature of handler chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a temperature control system of a handler chamber that provides an environment for testing semiconductor devices (memory and non-memory ICs). The present invention provides a plurality of independent low capacity after-heat heaters in order to eliminate heat distribution unevenness of the main heater. The purpose is to precisely control the accuracy of the temperature distribution by compensating the temperature of the air heated in the main heater.

To this end, the present invention provides a handler chamber for providing an environment for testing a semiconductor device, the handler chamber comprising: a main heater configured to primarily heat air in the handler chamber; A plurality of after-heat heaters for heating the heated air passing through the main heaters to compensate for the difference in temperature distribution inside the handler chamber; And a plurality of temperature sensors configured to sense temperatures of the air passing through the plurality of after-heat heaters.

Description

System to control temperature of handler chamber

1 is a cross-sectional view of a test handler chamber according to the present invention;

2 is a device heating method of the handler chamber using a post-heater of the present invention,

3 is a conceptual diagram of a post heat heater method according to the present invention;

4 is a configuration diagram of a temperature control system of a handler chamber using a post heat heater according to the present invention;

5 is a temperature distribution compensation graph of the handler chamber using the after-heat heater of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: handler chamber 20: heater assembly

21: air duct 22: main heater

24: after-heat heater 25: device

120: temperature input unit 130, 140: temperature comparison unit

150, 160: control unit

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a handler chamber that provides an environment for testing semiconductor devices (memory, non-memory ICs), and more particularly to a temperature control system of a handler chamber that enables to maintain a uniform temperature distribution inside the handler chamber.

In general, in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a device for testing a finally manufactured device is required. As a kind of such test device, a plurality of devices (about 4 to about 4 ~) may be used in a temperature environment (thermal stress condition) higher than room temperature. Devices for testing more than 512 at a time are known.

There is a test handler that provides an environment for testing the performance (characteristics) of the device with such a device is Korea Patent Publication No. 2004-0015337.

The handler proposed in this publication configures the dual-chamber dual-chamber chamber to control the temperature to reach the set temperature of the test for which the device is intended, and the first contact with the heating air using different sized fins. The size of is small and the size of the fins in contact with the heating air is increased to keep the temperature of the entire device fixing unit uniform.

However, the method of maintaining the temperature distribution by changing the size of the fins as described above ensures the accuracy at the same temperature distribution at various set temperatures when the variables such as the area where the heated air contacts the fin, the flow velocity of the fluid, and the temperature are linear. In practice, however, the relationship between these variables is nonlinear, which makes it difficult to maintain the accuracy of the temperature distribution at temperatures other than the main set temperature.

In addition, as device integration and performance have been recently improved, it has been required to develop a chamber with a more severe and precise temperature range than a conventional test environment.However, in the method of the publication in which the air passing through the heater directly heats the device, Since performance directly affects the temperature distribution accuracy of the final device, it is difficult to maintain the temperature distribution accuracy when the device generates heat.

Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the above conventional problems, an object of the present invention by heating the air heated primarily in the main heater through a plurality of after-heat heaters for a second due to the uneven distribution of the heat generated by the main heater The present invention provides a temperature control system of a handler chamber capable of maintaining a uniform temperature distribution inside a handler chamber when compensating for a difference in distribution.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a temperature control system of a handler chamber capable of precisely controlling the temperature distribution accuracy by providing a plurality of independent low capacity after-heat heaters to compensate for the temperature of the air heated in the main heater.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a handler chamber that provides an environment for testing a semiconductor device, the handler chamber comprising: a main heater configured to primarily heat air in the handler chamber; A plurality of after-heat heaters for heating the heated air passing through the main heaters to compensate for the difference in temperature distribution inside the handler chamber; And a plurality of temperature sensors for sensing the temperatures of the air passing through the plurality of after-heat heaters.

The present invention may further include a controller configured to compensate the temperature of the air heated in the main heater to a target set temperature by controlling the plurality of after-heat heaters according to the air temperatures of the respective after-heat heaters sensed by the plurality of temperature sensors. It is characterized by.

The main heater is characterized in that for heating the air to a temperature lower than the target set temperature.

The plurality of after-heat heaters are characterized in that for precisely heating the air heated in the main heater to the target set temperature to deliver to the device.

In addition, the present invention provides a handler chamber for providing an environment for testing a semiconductor device, the handler chamber having a plurality of post heat heaters for maintaining a uniform temperature distribution of the device, and air passing through the plurality of post heat heaters. Characterized in that a plurality of temperature sensors are installed to detect the temperature of the.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a test handler chamber according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a heat insulating wall 12 for insulating the handler chamber 10 is installed at one side of the handler chamber 10, and a test tray containing and carrying a semiconductor device to be tested in the handler chamber 10 ( 14 is installed, and a heater assembly 20 is installed above the test tray 14 to control the temperature inside the handler chamber 10 to reach a target set temperature of a test for which the device is intended.

The heater assembly 20 includes an air duct 21 for uniformly developing a flow rate distribution of air passing through a fan unit (not shown) and air passing through the air duct 21 at a target set temperature. In the main heater 22, which is primarily heated before, the guide base 23 for preventing a sudden temperature change of the handler chamber 10 due to the heating of the main heater 22, and in the main heater 22, After heating the secondary heated air to compensate for the difference in the temperature distribution in the handler chamber 10 due to the heat distribution unevenness of the main heater 22 is configured to include an After Heater (24).

A device heating method of the heater assembly 20, which is a main component of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG.

Figure 2 is a device heating method of the handler chamber using a post-heater of the present invention, the thick arrows show the air flow in the handler chamber (10).

In FIG. 2, the main heater 22 is composed of two heaters that are respectively heated to two target set temperature (Test1, Test2) conditions, and the after-heat heater 24 is primary in each main heater 22. An independent plurality (about 4 to 512 or more) to precisely heat the heated air to the target set temperature and finally deliver it to the device 25; In the present invention, a small heater of 4x4 (a structure in which four rows and four columns of rear row heaters are arranged on a plane) is provided per main heater.

The afterheater 24 is installed at the rear end of the main heater 22 in order to provide a thermal environment necessary for the test of the device 25 by overcoming the limitation of temperature distribution due to the uneven distribution of the heating of the main heater 22 itself. By doing so, the heat capacity of the afterheater 24 is about 10% of the main heater 22.

3 is a conceptual view of the post-heater method according to the present invention, in which the thick arrows show the air flow inside the handler chamber 10.

In FIG. 3, the post-heat heater 24 method of the present invention is a pair of the temperature of the air heated first in the main heater 22 installed in the box portion (for example, two) of the main heater 22, respectively The temperature sensor 22a, 22b is detected as an average value, and since the temperature distribution of the air passing through the main heater 22 is different, the temperature distribution of the primary heated air in the main heater 22 is precisely adjusted at different positions. In order to detect the temperature of the air heated secondarily in the plurality of after-heat heaters 24 by the plurality of temperature sensors 24a respectively installed at the rear end of the after-heat heater 24, and precisely up to the target set temperatures (Test1, Test2) Conceptually, the afterheater 24 method of controlling and finally delivering to the device 25 is illustrated.

4 is a configuration diagram of a temperature control system of a handler chamber using a postheater heater according to the present invention. The temperature setting unit 100, the offset setting unit 110, the temperature input unit 120, and the primary and secondary temperature comparison units 130 are described. , 140), the primary and secondary controllers 150 and 160, the primary and secondary temperature sensors 170 and 180, and the MUX 190.

The temperature setting unit 100 sets a target set temperature for providing a condition for a test of the semiconductor device 25 (memory and non-memory IC). Set the target set temperature (Test1, Test2).

The offset setting unit 110 sets offset values (2 to 5%) of two target setting temperatures Test1 and Test2.

The temperature input unit 120 adds the offset value set by the offset setting unit 110 to the target set temperatures Test1 and Test2 set by the temperature setting unit 100 to set the target of the test targeted by the device 25. The temperatures Test1 and Test2 are input to the primary and secondary temperature comparison units 130 and 140.

The primary temperature comparison unit 130 compares the target set temperatures Test1 and Test2 input from the temperature input unit 120 with the exothermic temperature of the main heater 22 detected by the primary temperature detection unit 170. The difference is output to the primary controller 150.

The primary controller 150 controls the heating of the main heater 22 according to the temperature input from the primary temperature comparator 130, and the temperature of the main heater 22 is the target set temperature (Test1, Test2) Primary control to lower temperature (about ± 1.5 ~ 2 ℃).

This is because the temperature of the air passing through the main heater 22 can be adjusted to be close to the target set temperatures (Test1, Test2), but the target set temperatures (Test1, Test2) can not be adjusted at different positions. It is controlled at a temperature lower than (about ± 1.5 ~ 2 ℃).

The secondary temperature comparison unit 140 compares the target set temperatures Test1 and Test2 input from the temperature input unit 120 with the exothermic temperature of the after-heat heater 24 detected by the secondary temperature sensing unit 180. The difference is output to the secondary control unit 160.

The secondary control unit 160 controls the heating of the plurality of after-heat heaters 24 in accordance with the temperature input from the secondary temperature comparison unit 140, the target temperature (Test1, 2nd control precisely up to Test2) and finally transfer to device 25.

This is because the overall temperature distribution cannot be maintained uniformly due to the uneven heating distribution of the main heater 22 itself because the temperature of the air heated first in the main heater 22 to compensate for the limitation of this temperature distribution Through a plurality of post-heat heaters 22 provided at the rear end of the heater 22, the temperature distribution accuracy required in the test process of the device 25 is precisely controlled to the target set temperatures Test1 and Test2.

The primary temperature sensing unit 170 is composed of a pair of temperature sensors 22a and 22b to sense the temperature of the air heated primary in the main heater 22, the secondary temperature sensing unit 180 is a plurality It consists of a plurality of temperature sensors 24a separately installed for each after-heat heater 24 to detect the temperature of the secondary heated air in each of the after-heat heaters 24.

The MUX 190 is a multiplexer that selectively generates a plurality of after-heat heaters 24 under the control of the secondary controller 160.

Hereinafter, an operation process and an effect of the temperature control system of the handler chamber configured as described above will be described.

The present invention improves the overall temperature distribution accuracy inside the handler chamber 10 for testing the semiconductor device 25 to maintain the temperature distribution accuracy required in the test process.

First, the air passing through the fan unit (not shown) passes through the air duct 21 while the flow velocity is uniformly developed, and the air passing through the air duct 21 passes through the nozzle distributed in the two-dimensional plane to the main heater 22. Sprayed).

The air passing through the main heater 22 is primarily heated to a temperature lower than a target set temperature (Test1, Test2), the air primarily heated in the main heater 22 passes through a plurality of after-heat heaters (24). While precisely heated to the target set temperature (Test1, Test2) is delivered to the final device (25).

Recently, the test handler chamber 10 is required to be more harsh environment and temperature distribution accuracy than conventional. However, since the limit of the temperature distribution accuracy of the heating element of the main heater 22 is larger than the limit required in the recent test process, a single heating method using only the existing main heater 22 may satisfy the temperature distribution accuracy required in the recent test process. Can't.

Accordingly, the present invention improves the overall temperature distribution accuracy inside the handler chamber 10 by compensating the limit of the temperature distribution by using the plurality of after-heat heaters 24 to satisfy the temperature distribution accuracy required in the recent test process. To make it work.

In addition, the present invention, in addition to improving the temperature distribution accuracy, when the temperature distribution inside the handler chamber 10 becomes uneven due to the heat generation or sudden external air inflow of the device 25 during the test, a plurality of after-heat heaters 24 are shown in FIG. By dynamically controlling through the system configuration shown in the drawing, it is possible to quickly compensate the temperature distribution with the target set temperatures (Test1, Test2). The heat capacity of the after-heat heater 24 is about 10% of the main heater 22, so the system response is fast, compared to the method using only the plurality of main heaters 22, there is an advantage that the response speed during the dynamic control.

In the conventional single heating method, when the target set temperature (Test1, Test2) is changed, the temperature distribution accuracy is also changed, and the target set temperature (Test1, Test2) area is provided to ensure the temperature distribution accuracy for each handler chamber 10. Although fixed to the specification, when the temperature control system of the handler chamber 10 using the afterheater heater 24 of the present invention is applied, the same temperature distribution accuracy can be guaranteed in any target set temperature (Test1, Test2) region. Will be.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the compensation of the temperature distribution accuracy when the temperature control system of the handler chamber using the afterheater of the present invention is applied. It is noted that all the devices 25 maintain the same temperature distribution accuracy at any temperature distribution. Able to know.

As described above, according to the temperature control system of the handler chamber according to the present invention, the heat distribution of the main heater is uneven when only the main heater is used by heating the air heated primarily in the main heater through a plurality of post-heat heaters. By compensating for the difference in temperature distribution due to this, the temperature distribution inside the handler chamber can be kept uniform during device testing.

In addition, the present invention has the effect of precisely controlling the temperature distribution accuracy by providing a plurality of independent low capacity after-heat heaters to compensate for the heat distribution unevenness of the main heater to compensate the temperature of the air heated in the main heater. .

What has been described above is only one embodiment for implementing the temperature control system of the handler chamber according to the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the technical features of the present invention in the art Of course, various modifications are possible by those who have knowledge.

Claims (5)

In the handler chamber 10 which provides an environment for testing of the semiconductor device 25, A main heater 22 for first heating the air in the handler chamber 10; A plurality of after-heat heaters 24 for heating the heated air passing through the main heaters 22 to compensate for the difference in temperature distribution inside the handler chamber 10; And A plurality of temperature sensors 24a for sensing the temperature of the air passing through the plurality of after-heat heaters 24; Temperature control system of the handler chamber comprising a. The method of claim 1, The temperature of the air heated by the main heater 22 is controlled by controlling the plurality of after-heat heaters 24 according to the air temperatures of the respective after-heat heaters 24 detected by the plurality of temperature sensors 24a. , The control unit 160 to compensate with Test2) Temperature control system of the handler chamber further comprises. The method of claim 1, The main heater (22) is a temperature control system of the handler chamber, characterized in that for heating the air to a temperature lower than the target set temperature (Test1, Test2). The method according to claim 1 or 3, The plurality of after-heat heaters 24, the temperature control system of the handler chamber, characterized in that to precisely heat the air heated in the main heater 22 to the target set temperature (Test1, Test2) to the device 25 . In the handler chamber 10 which provides an environment for testing of the semiconductor device 25, In the handler chamber 10, a plurality of post heat heaters 24 for maintaining a uniform temperature distribution of the device 25 and a plurality of temperatures for sensing temperatures of air passing through the plurality of post heat heaters 24. Temperature control system of the handler chamber, characterized in that the sensor (24a) is installed.

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