KR100789292B1 - Semiconductior test handler and tray transferring method - Google Patents

Abstract

A semiconductor test handler and a tray transferring method are provided to hold simultaneously two trays and to reduce a tray supplying time by using a tray gripper. A semiconductor test handler includes a base(152), a plurality of holders(154,158) extended and contracted to both sides of the base in order to hold selectively a tray, and a gripper having a driving unit for driving the holders. The holders are composed of a first holder and a second holder. The driving unit includes an actuator for driving the first holder and the second holder. The first holder is positioned at the outside of the base in comparison with the second holder. An end part extended from the first holder is positioned at a lower part of the base in comparison with an end part extended from the second holder. The first and second holders are used for holding by stacking trays. Further, a sensor unit is installed in order to sense existence the trays along a movement of the base at one side of the base.

Description

Semiconductor Test Handler and Tray Transferring Method

1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a conventional semiconductor device test handler;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the handler in FIG. 1 viewed from the front;

3 is a perspective view showing a tray gripper provided in the handler according to the present invention;

4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which the tray gripper of FIG. 3 is disassembled;

5 is a flowchart illustrating a tray transfer method of supplying a tray to a loading unit of a handler according to the present invention;

6 is a flowchart illustrating a tray conveying method of supplying a tray to an unloading part of a handler according to the present invention;

7 to 11 are schematic views sequentially illustrating a process of supplying a tray to a loading unit of a handler according to the flowchart of FIG. 5, and

12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a case where a tray is supplied to an unloading part of a handler according to the flowchart of FIG. 6.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

2 ... loading part 6 ... unloading part

10 ... 1st lifting plate 12 ... 2nd lifting plate

30 ... First Stacker 40 ... Second Stacker

50 Sorter section 150 Loading section Tray gripper

154 ... first holder 158 ... second holder

The present invention relates to a handler for a semiconductor device test having a gripper capable of holding a plurality of trays and a tray transfer method using the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device test handler and a tray transfer method capable of supplying a tray more quickly. It is about.

In general, memory or non-memory semiconductor devices are manufactured and shipped after various tests. The handler is a device that is used to automatically test such semiconductor devices. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a conventional handler.

In the handler of FIG. 1, the semiconductor elements 4 on the customer tray 3 located in the loading unit 2 are picked up by the picker 72 and transferred to the test tray 74 of the exchange unit 70. The test tray 74 equipped with is preheated in the preheating chamber 20 and transferred to the test site 22 to perform a test. The tested semiconductor devices are transferred to the exchange unit 70 through the heat removal chamber 24 by the test tray 74, sorted according to the test result, and mounted on the customer tray 3 on the unloading unit 6. do.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a part of the front of the handler of FIG. 1. FIG.

Referring to Figure 2, look at in detail with respect to the method for supplying the customer tray in the conventional handler as follows.

First, a customer stack 3 equipped with a semiconductor device to be tested is loaded on the first stacker 30 installed below the upper plate 1 of the handler, and the sorter 50 is equipped with a tested semiconductor device. The trays 3 are loaded according to the test result, and all the semiconductor elements are transferred from the loading unit 2 so that the empty trays 3 are loaded on the second stacker 40 provided on one side of the first stacker 30. do. Meanwhile, a loading part tray gripper 60 and an unloading part tray gripper 62 for picking up and transporting the trays 3 are installed directly above the first stacker 30 and the sorter part 50 of the handler. have.

When the handler is operated, the loading part tray gripper 60 picks up the tray 3 from the first stacker 30, supplies it to the lifting plates 10 and 12 of the loading part 2, and the lifting plate ( As the 10 and 12 rise, the tray 3 is positioned above the loading unit 2. Subsequently, the semiconductor element picker 72 picks up the semiconductor elements mounted in the tray 3 located in the loading unit 2 and supplies them to the test tray (see FIG. 1, 74) of the exchange unit (see FIG. 1, 70). Done.

Meanwhile, the semiconductor devices tested at the test site (refer to FIG. 1 and 22) are picked up by the picker 73 and sorted by the test results in the tray 3 located in the unloading unit 6 for re-storage. When the trays of the unloading part 6 are all filled by the tested semiconductor device, the unloading part tray gripper 62 transfers the trays to the lower sorter part 50 according to the test result, and the second stacker The empty tray loaded in the 40 is supplied to the unloading part 6 again.

Meanwhile, the conventional loading unit and the unloading unit tray grippers 60 and 62 move vertically and horizontally to pick up the trays 3 of the first stacker 30 and the sorter unit 50 so that the upper loading unit ( 2) and the lifting plates 10, 12, and 14 installed in the unloading portion 6, and all the semiconductor elements are transferred from the loading portion 2 to transfer the empty trays 3 to the first stacker 30. The second stacker 40 provided on one side serves to transfer and load.

However, the conventional tray grippers 60 and 62 pick up and transfer only one tray at a time. Therefore, when the empty tray is generated in the loading unit 2 in the conventional handler, first, the loading unit tray gripper 60 picks up the empty tray and transfers it to the second stacker 40 for loading. Subsequently, the gripper 60 moves back to the first stacker 30 to pick up the tray on which the semiconductor device is mounted and to supply it to the loading unit 2.

In this case, when the gripper 60 supplies the tray to the first lifting plate 10 of the loading unit 2, the gripper 60 moves to the first stacker 30 after processing the empty tray. In order to do so, the first lifting plate 10 must rise again. When the gripper 60 moves along the upper portion of the first stacker 30 and the sorter 50, the gripper 60 moves when the first lifting plate 10 of the loading unit 2 is lowered. This is because the path and the lifting plate 10 will interfere.

Therefore, after the first elevating plate 10 is raised, the gripper 60 is transported and lowered to the upper portion of the first stacker 30 to pick up the tray 3, and then the first elevated plate is raised. The steel sheet 10 should be moved to avoid the upper portion of the second stacker 40 so that it can be lowered. Subsequently, as the first lifting plate 10 descends, the gripper 60 moves to mount the tray 3 on the first lifting plate 10.

However, referring to the conventional tray transfer method using the gripper, since only one tray can be picked up, an empty tray is generated in the loading unit, the empty tray is transferred to the second stacker, and the tray on which the semiconductor device is mounted is supplied. In order to do this, first, after processing the empty tray, it must go to the first stacker to pick up the tray on which the semiconductor device is mounted. Therefore, since the gripper takes time to move to the first stacker to pick up and transport the tray, it takes a long time to supply the tray to the loading unit, thus reducing the test efficiency of the entire handler.

On the other hand, the above problem occurs even when the bin tray is mounted on the unloading unit. That is, when the semiconductor devices are all sorted according to the test result in the unloading unit and mounted in the tray, the gripper first transfers the tray to the sorter unit 50 and then moves to the second stacker 40 to move the empty tray. The pick-up is mounted again on the lifting plate 14 of the unloading part. Accordingly, it takes a long time for the unloading unit tray gripper 62 to move to the second stacker 40 to pick up and transfer the empty tray, thereby reducing the efficiency of the entire handler.

In addition, as the picker for transferring semiconductor devices increases the speed at which the semiconductor elements are transferred from the loading unit and the unloading unit to the exchange unit, the bottleneck that reduces the efficiency of the entire equipment in the tray supply method of supplying the trays to the loading and unloading units It acts as a section.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a gripper capable of picking up a plurality of trays in a handler for a semiconductor device test, and supplying trays to a loading unit and an unloading unit using the same. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tray feed method for improving the index time of the entire handler by improving the speed.

An object of the present invention as described above, characterized in that it comprises a gripper including a base, a plurality of holders extending and contracted to both sides of the base to selectively hold the tray, and a drive unit for driving the holder; Achieved by a handler for testing semiconductor devices.

On the other hand, the tray transfer method for supplying the tray to the loading unit in the handler, the gripper capable of holding N (N≥2) trays N trays from the first stacker is loaded with trays on which semiconductor elements are mounted Holding a; Loading trays of the gripper one by one into a loading unit; Transferring the semiconductor elements of the tray loaded in the loading unit to empty the tray and simultaneously holding the N-1 trays from the first stacker by the gripper; Transferring the tray emptied by the gripper to a second stacker on which empty trays are loaded; And transferring the tray on which the semiconductor device held by the gripper is mounted to the loading unit.

Here, when N is 2, the transfer method may include: holding two trays from a first stacker on which trays on which semiconductor elements are mounted are loaded by a gripper capable of holding two trays; Sequentially loading trays of the gripper one by one with a first and a second loading section; Transferring the semiconductor elements from the trays loaded in the first and second loading units to empty the trays in sequence and simultaneously holding the one tray from the first stacker by the gripper; Transferring the empty tray of the first loading unit to a second stacker on which the empty trays are loaded while the gripper holds the tray on which the semiconductor element is mounted; Transferring the tray on which the semiconductor device held by the gripper is mounted to the first loading unit from which the empty tray is removed; The gripper holding one tray from the first stacker; Transferring the empty tray of the second loading unit to a second stacker on which the empty trays are loaded while the gripper holds the tray on which the semiconductor element is mounted; And transferring the tray on which the semiconductor device held by the gripper is mounted to the second loading unit from which the empty tray is removed.

In addition, the tray transfer method for supplying the tray to the unloading portion of the handler in the handler, the gripper for holding the N trays holding the N-1 trays from the second stacker is loaded with empty trays ; Transferring the tray on which the semiconductor device, in which the gripper is tested, is mounted, from the unloading part to the sorter part classified according to the class; And loading the empty tray by the gripper on the unloading unit from which the tray is removed.

Hereinafter, a handler for a semiconductor device test having a tray gripper and a tray transfer method using the same according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the structure of the tray gripper included in the handler for testing semiconductor elements according to the present invention will be described, and then the tray transfer method using the tray gripper will be described.

3 is a perspective view illustrating a tray gripper capable of holding a plurality of trays provided in a handler for testing a semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 3.

3 and 4, the tray gripper 150 according to the present invention is provided at both sides of the base 152 and the base 152 which are horizontally and vertically movable along the upper side of the first stacker and the sorter. And a plurality of holders 154 and 158 extending and contracting to selectively hold the tray, and a driving unit 162 to move the holders 154 and 158.

The base 152 is installed to be horizontally and vertically movable along the space between the top plate (see FIG. 1, 1) of the handler and the first stacker and the sorter portion. The base 152 is provided with various components of the gripper 150, which will be described later, and is formed in a shape corresponding to a tray (see FIGS. 1 and 3) to pick up, that is, a rectangular parallelepiped plate, but is not limited thereto. It is possible to have various shapes.

The plurality of holders installed on both sides of the base 152 includes a pair of first and second holders 154 and 158 for selectively picking up the tray 3. The first and second holders 154 and 158 are installed to be movable at predetermined intervals along the upper portion of the base 152. Therefore, when the first holder 154, which is installed on both sides of the base 152, moves toward the center of the base 152, the distance between the distal ends of the first holders 154 is closer, so that the tray 3 is moved. Will be held. On the contrary, when the first holder 154 moves toward the outside of the base 152, the distance between the distal ends of the first holder 154 is increased, thereby separating the tray 3 without holding it.

The first holder 154 includes a body 155 moving along the upper portion of the base 152, and a first grip 156 extending from both ends of the body 155 to hold the tray 3. Here, the first grip 156 is bent toward the bottom of the base 152, so that the distal end of the first grip 156 is located below the base 152.

The second holder 158 has a structure similar to that of the first holder 154, and the second holder 158 is positioned inside the first holder 154 at the top of the base 152. Meanwhile, since the first holder 154 and the second holder 158 hold different trays, the first grip 156 of the first holder 154 and the second grip 160 of the second holder 158. ) Have different lengths. That is, as shown in the figure, the distal end of the first grip 156 is formed to extend further to the lower portion of the base 152 as compared to the distal end of the second grip 160. Therefore, even if the second grip 160 holds the tray as the second holder 158 moves, the first grip 156 may hold another tray under the tray held by the second grip 160. Will be. On the other hand, the protruding portion 161 is preferably formed at the end portions of the first grip 156 and the second grip 160 to easily hold the tray when holding the tray.

An actuator is provided at the center of the upper part of the base 152 as the driving unit 162 for moving the first and second holders 154 and 158. The actuator 162 according to the present invention has four driving bars 163 and 164 for driving the first and second holders 154 and 158 on both sides. Accordingly, each of the driving bars 163 and 164 moves the first and second holders 154 and 158, and the pair of first driving bars 163 or the second driving bars 164 are moved. Working together to move the first holder 154 or the second holder 158.

On the other hand, the upper portion of the base 152 is further provided with a guide unit for guiding movement when the first holder 154 and the second holder 158 is moved. The guide unit includes a fixing block 151 formed on the base 152, and a guide bar 165 penetrating the fixing block 151 and connected to the first and second holders 154 and 158. Only one fixing block 151 may be formed, but in the present invention, two fixing blocks 151 are installed on the base 152 to guide the movement of the first and second holders 154 and 158 more stably.

Furthermore, one side of the base 152 is provided with a sensor unit for detecting the presence of the tray. In the present invention, the sensor unit includes a light emitting unit 166 installed at one side of the base 152 and a light receiving unit 169 provided at the other side of the base 152 to correspond to the light emitting unit 166. When the base 152 is moved to hold the tray, when the light is emitted from the light emitter 166 and the light is detected by the light receiver, it is determined that there is no tray between the light emitter 166 and the light receiver. If the light emitted from 166 is not detected by the light receiving unit, it is determined that a tray exists between the light emitting unit 166 and the light receiving unit, thereby detecting and holding the tray.

Specifically, when the base 152 moves to the first stacker (see FIGS. 2 and 30) to hold the tray (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the base 152 descends along the first stacker 30. In this case, the position of the base 152 is lowered until the tray 3 is sensed by the sensor unit, and the tray 3 is held by the first and second holders 154 and 158.

Meanwhile, since the gripper 150 according to the present invention includes a pair of first holders 154 and second holders 158 to hold two trays 3, the sensor unit is also disposed up and down. It is preferable to include a pair of first and second light emitting parts 168 and 167 and first and second light receiving parts (not shown). In addition, the first light emitting portion 168 and the first light receiving portion are installed to have a height corresponding to the tray held at the distal end of the first holder 154, and the second light emitting portion 167 and the second light receiving portion are second It is installed to have a height corresponding to the tray held at the distal end of the holder 158. Therefore, when the tray is held by the first holder 154, the tray is sensed by the first light emitting unit 168 and the first light receiver, and when the tray is held by the second holder 158, the second light is emitted. The tray 167 is detected by the unit 167 and the light receiver.

Meanwhile, in the above embodiment, a description has been mainly given of a handler for testing a semiconductor device including a tray gripper having first and second holders capable of holding two trays, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It also includes the case where the number of is three or more. When the number of holders is three or more, the additional holder may be installed to be movable inside the second holder, or may be installed along the side of the base on which the first and second holders are not installed.

Hereinafter, a tray transfer method in a handler for a semiconductor device test having a tray gripper capable of holding a plurality of trays having the above configuration will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The tray transfer method according to the present invention may be divided into a method of supplying a tray on which a semiconductor device to be largely tested is loaded to a loading unit, and a method of removing a tray on which a test completed semiconductor device is mounted from an unloading unit and supplying an empty tray. .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of supplying a tray on which a semiconductor device to be tested is loaded to a loading unit, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of removing a tray on which a tested semiconductor device is mounted from an unloading unit and supplying an empty tray. to be. First, a method of supplying a tray on which a semiconductor element to be tested to a loading unit is mounted will be described. Next, a transfer method of supplying an empty tray to the unloading unit will be described.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the method of supplying a tray to a loading unit, a plurality of trays in which a semiconductor device to be tested is mounted in the first stacker 30 are previously held (S510). Step S530, transferring the tray on which the semiconductor device to be tested to the loading unit is loaded (S550), and determining whether the handler continues to operate, and repeating the above steps (S570).

First, referring to FIG. 7, the loading part tray gripper 150 according to the present invention is used for a customer equipped with a semiconductor element to be tested while the semiconductor element is transferred to the test tray by the picker 72 from the loading part 2. The tray 3 is previously held in the first stacker 30 (S510). Although the drawing shows only one tray 3, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the tray gripper is provided with three or more holders to hold three or more trays, for example, N (N) When ≥2) trays can be held, the N-1 trays are held in the first stacker 30. In FIG. 7, only the loading part tray gripper 150 is illustrated for convenience of description, and the unloading part tray gripper 150 (see FIG. 12) is not shown.

In detail, the loading unit gripper 150 moves horizontally to the top of the first stacker 30, and then vertically moves downward along the inside of the first stacker 30. In this case, the second light emitting unit (refer to FIG. 3, 167) and the light receiving unit of the sensor unit are lowered until the tray is detected, thereby holding the tray by the second holder 158. After holding the tray, the loading part tray gripper 150 is raised again, and is positioned on the lower side of the elevating plate 10 of the loading part 2 to supply the tray. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the tray is to be supplied to the first lifting plate 10, the loading part tray gripper 150 holding the tray may have a lower side surface of the first lifting plate 10. That is, the lower portion of the second elevating plate 12 is located. This is because the interference with the movement path of the loading tray gripper 150 occurs when the first lifting plate 10 is lowered.

Subsequently, when all of the semiconductor elements are transferred to the test tray and emptied, the lifting plate, for example, the first lifting plate 10, on which the empty tray is mounted, moves downward as shown in FIG. 8, and the loading unit tray The gripper 150 moves to the upper portion of the first lifting plate 10 which is lowered. The loading tray gripper 150 moved to the upper part of the first lifting plate 10 holds the empty tray 3 'by the first holder 154 while holding the tray 3 on which the semiconductor device is mounted. And it moves to the upper portion of the second stacker 40 (S530).

In this case, the loading tray gripper 150 of the present invention includes a pair of first holders 154 and second holders 158, thus holding the tray 3 on which the semiconductor element to be tested is mounted. The first tray 154 may hold the empty tray 3 ′ under the second holder 158. Meanwhile, in the case of holding the empty tray 3 ', the process of holding the tray by the first holder 154 until the tray is detected by the first light emitting unit 168 and the light receiving unit of the sensor unit is described above. Since it is similar to the holding process of one second holder 158, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The loading tray gripper 150 moved to the upper portion of the second stacker 40 descends, and as shown in FIG. 9, the empty tray 3 ′ held in the first holder 154 is moved to the second stacker ( 40) and ascend again.

The raised loading part tray gripper 150 moves to the upper part of the first lifting plate 10 again to mount the tray 3 on which the semiconductor element to be tested held in the second holder 158 is mounted as shown in FIG. 10. The first lifting plate 10 is placed on the top (S550).

Subsequently, the loading part tray gripper 150 moves on the upper part of the first lifting plate 10 to be positioned below the second lifting plate 12, for example, as shown in FIG. 11. The steel plate 10 rises to supply the tray to the loading unit 2.

Subsequently, when the operation command of the handler is continuously issued (S570), the loading unit gripper 150 moves to the first stacker 30 again as shown by an arrow in FIG. 11 to mount the semiconductor device to be tested. The tray 3 is held by the second holder 158, and the trays are repeatedly supplied to supply the tray when the tray of the second lifting plate 12 of the loading unit 2 becomes empty.

According to the tray supply method as described above, it is possible to omit the process of holding the tray by moving the empty tray to the second stacker 40 and then moving to the first stacker 30 again. That is, in the present invention, it is possible to hold the tray on which the semiconductor device to be tested in advance is loaded on the loading part tray gripper 150 before all the semiconductor elements are transferred to the test tray in the tray of the loading part 2. This is because the loading part tray gripper 150 of the present invention includes a pair of first holder 154 and second holder 158 to hold two trays.

Therefore, in the present invention, when the empty tray occurs in the loading section 2, after loading the empty tray to the second stacker 40 by the loading section tray gripper 150, immediately loading section tray gripper 150 It is possible to supply a tray on which the semiconductor device to be tested, which is held by the wafer, is mounted to an empty loading section. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to omit the process of loading the tray gripper after processing the empty tray and then moving to the first stacker to hold the tray, thereby significantly reducing the time for supplying the tray. Applicant's experiment confirmed that the tray supply time can be reduced by 20 to 30% when the tray is supplied by the present invention.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 7, when the tray of the second lifting plate 12 of the loading unit 2 becomes empty, the empty tray is loaded on the second stacker 40, and the method of supplying the tray on which the semiconductor device is mounted is provided. Since similar to the case of the first elevating plate 10, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, by using the handler for testing a semiconductor device having a tray gripper according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the time for supplying the tray to the loading unit 2 even at the beginning of operation. That is, referring to the method of supplying the tray at the initial operation of the handler by the tray gripper of the present invention, first, the tray gripper 150 is the number corresponding to the lifting plate of the loading part 2 in the first stacker 30 ( N, where N≥2) is held in the tray. Subsequently, the tray gripper 150 sequentially supplies the holding tray to the lifting plate of the loading unit 2. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the time for feeding the tray at the beginning of the operation of the handler as compared to the case of holding the trays one by one.

Subsequently, a method of processing a tray on which the tested semiconductor device is mounted in the unloading unit and supplying an empty tray will be described.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the method of removing the tray on which the tested semiconductor device is mounted from the unloading unit and supplying the empty tray, a plurality of empty trays are previously held by the second stacker 40 (S610). The step of transferring the tray equipped with the semiconductor device, the test is completed in the loading unit for each grade according to the test result (S630), supplying the empty tray to the unloading unit (S650) and determining whether the handler continues to operate the step Repeating these steps (S670).

12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a case where a tray is supplied to an unloading part of a handler according to the flowchart of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 12, first, the unloading unit tray gripper 170 according to the present invention may have a second stacker 40 before the tray 14 of the unloading unit 6 is completely filled by the tested semiconductor device. ) And to hold the empty tray 3 ′ by the second holder 178 and wait at the lower side of the unloading part 6 (S610). In this case, similar to the method of supplying the tray to the loading unit 2, although only one tray 3 'is shown in the drawing, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the unloading unit tray gripper is set as described above. When it is possible to hold three or more trays with the above holders, for example, when N (N≥2) trays can be held, the second stacker 30 holds N-1 empty trays. . Meanwhile, in FIG. 12, only the unloading unit tray gripper 170 is illustrated for convenience of description, and the loading unit tray gripper (see FIG. 7 and 150) is not illustrated.

Subsequently, although not shown in the drawing, the tray of the unloading portion 6, for example, the tray 3 of the seventh elevating plate 14 at the distal end of the unloading portion 6, is completely filled by the tested semiconductor device. If it loses, the seventh elevating plate 14 is lowered. The unloading part tray gripper 170 moves to the upper portion of the seventh elevating plate 14 which is lowered, and holds the tray on which the tested semiconductor device is mounted by the first holder 174, and the test result of the semiconductor device is controlled. Accordingly, the stacker moves to the corresponding stacker for each grade and loads the tray on which the tested semiconductor device is mounted (S630).

After loading the tray on which the tested semiconductor device is mounted in a stacker corresponding to the test result by grade, the unloading part tray gripper 170 is moved to the upper part of the seventh lifting plate 14 again to the second holder 178. The empty tray 3 'which is held by) is mounted on the seventh elevating plate 14 (S650). On the other hand, the specific process of holding or loading the tray by the unloading unit tray gripper 170 as described above is similar to the case of the loading unit tray gripper 150, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Subsequently, when the operation command of the handler is continuously issued (S670), the unloading unit tray gripper 170 moves to the second stacker 40 again to pre-hold the empty tray 3 ′ and to unload the unloading unit ( 6) Waiting on one side of the lower part.

According to the tray supply method as described above, the unloading unit tray gripper loads the tray on which the tested semiconductor device is mounted in the stacker corresponding to the test result, and then moves to the second stacker 40 to hold the empty tray. It is possible to omit the process. That is, in the present invention, it is possible to hold the empty tray in the unloading unit tray gripper 170 before the trays are completely filled by the semiconductor element tested in the tray of the unloading unit 6.

Therefore, in the present invention, when the trays are all filled by the tested semiconductor device in the unloading unit 6, the trays are loaded by the unloading unit tray gripper 170 in the stacker corresponding to the test result, It is possible to immediately supply the empty tray held by the unloading unit tray gripper 170 to the unloading unit. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to omit the process of moving the unloading unit tray gripper back to the second stacker to hold the empty tray, thereby significantly reducing the time for supplying the empty tray to the unloading unit.

In particular, when processing the tray of the seventh elevating plate 14 at the distal end of the unloading portion 6 and supplying an empty tray, as shown in FIG. 12, according to the conventional tray gripper, the seventh elevating plate 14 first. ) Transfer the tray of the stacker to the corresponding stacker, and then move the distance corresponding to the maximum A to hold the empty tray 3 'in the second stacker 40, and then move the distance corresponding to the A again. To supply the empty tray to the seventh elevating plate 14. However, in the present invention, since the unloading part tray gripper 170 holds the empty tray in advance, the empty tray is supplied to the seventh lifting plate 14 immediately after the tray is processed by the seventh lifting plate 14. Since it becomes possible, the time which supplies a tray to the unloading part 6 can be remarkably shortened.

Applicant's experiment confirmed that the tray supply time can be reduced by up to 20 to 30% when the empty tray is supplied by the present invention.

As described above, the handler having a tray gripper capable of holding a plurality of trays according to the present invention can hold the two trays simultaneously, thereby significantly reducing the time for feeding the tray.

That is, in the case of supplying a tray on which a semiconductor element to be tested is loaded, it is possible to hold a plurality of trays in advance, and to supply a tray on which the semiconductor element to be tested is directly processed after the empty tray is processed by the loading unit. As a result, since the loading unit processes the empty tray and then moves to the first stacker to hold and transfer the tray, the time for feeding the tray to the loading unit can be significantly reduced. In addition, by reducing the time for supplying the tray to the loading unit as described above, it is possible to improve the overall test efficiency of the handler for testing semiconductor devices.

On the other hand, even when the tray loaded with the semiconductor element tested in the unloading unit is transferred to the corresponding stacker according to the test result and the empty tray is supplied, the empty tray is held by the unloading unit tray gripper in advance. It is possible to supply an empty tray immediately after processing the tray on which the completed semiconductor element is mounted. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time for processing the tray on which the tested semiconductor device is mounted and then moving to the second stacker to hold the empty tray, thereby improving the efficiency of the entire handler.

Claims (14)

And a gripper including a base, a plurality of holders extending and contracted to both sides of the base to selectively hold the tray, and a drive unit for driving the holder. The method of claim 1, And the plurality of holders comprises a first holder and a second holder each configured as a pair. The method of claim 2, The driving unit includes a single actuator for driving the first and second holders, respectively. The method of claim 3,  A distal end extending from the first holder positioned outside the base relative to the second holder is positioned below the base relative to the distal end extended from the second holder, And the first holder and the second holder stack and hold the tray up and down. The method of claim 1, One side of the base is a semiconductor device test handler, characterized in that the sensor unit for detecting the presence of the tray in accordance with the movement of the base is installed. Holding a plurality of trays from a first stacker on which trays on which semiconductor elements are mounted are loaded, the gripper capable of holding the plurality of trays; Loading one of the plurality of trays of the gripper into a loading unit; Transferring the semiconductor elements of the tray loaded in the loading unit to empty the tray; The gripper transferring the empty tray of the loading unit to a second stacker on which the empty trays are loaded; And And transferring one of the trays, on which the semiconductor device held by the gripper, is mounted, to the loading unit. A gripper capable of holding N (N ≧ 2) trays, holding the N trays from a first stacker on which trays on which semiconductor elements are mounted are loaded; Loading trays of the gripper one by one into a loading unit; Holding, by the gripper, the N-1 trays from the first stacker while transferring the semiconductor elements of the tray loaded in the loading unit to empty the tray; Transferring the tray emptied by the gripper to a second stacker on which empty trays are loaded; And And transporting the tray on which the semiconductor device held by the gripper is mounted to the loading unit. The method according to claim 6 or 7, And each step is repeated. The method according to claim 6 or 7, The tray is a tray transfer method of the handler for a semiconductor device test, characterized in that consisting of a customer tray on which the semiconductor device is mounted. The method of claim 7, wherein When N is 2, A gripper capable of holding two trays, holding the two trays from the first stacker on which the trays on which the semiconductor elements are mounted are loaded; Sequentially loading the trays of the gripper one by one on the first and second loading sections; Transferring the semiconductor elements from the trays loaded in the first and second loading units to empty the trays in sequence and simultaneously holding the one tray from the first stacker by the gripper; Transferring the empty tray of the first loading unit to a second stacker on which the empty trays are loaded while the gripper holds the tray on which the semiconductor element is mounted; Transferring the tray on which the semiconductor device held by the gripper is mounted to the first loading unit from which the empty tray is removed; The gripper holding one tray from the first stacker; Transferring the empty tray of the second loading unit to a second stacker on which the empty trays are loaded while the gripper holds the tray on which the semiconductor element is mounted; And And transferring the tray on which the semiconductor device held by the gripper is mounted to the second loading unit from which the empty tray is removed. The method according to claim 6 or 7, The tray transfer method is a tray transfer method of the handler for a semiconductor device test, characterized in that it further comprises the step of raising and lowering the loading unit. Holding the N-1 trays from a second stacker on which empty trays are loaded, the gripper capable of holding N trays; Transferring the tray on which the gripper is tested, on which the semiconductor device is mounted, from the unloading unit to the sorter unit classified by grade; And And loading the empty tray by the gripper on the unloading unit from which the tray is removed. A sorter unit including a first stacker on which a plurality of trays in which semiconductor devices to be tested are stored are loaded, a second stacker on which a plurality of empty trays are loaded, a stacker in which the tested semiconductor devices are classified according to grades, and a semiconductor A handler for testing semiconductor devices comprising a loading unit for transferring an element from the tray, and an unloading unit for storing the tested semiconductor element in an empty tray. A gripper capable of holding a plurality of trays holds a plurality of trays from the first stacker, transfers the trays to the loading unit, and then transfers the trays empty by the loading process. Transfers the tray of the gripper from the second stacker to the loading unit, and then the gripper holds a plurality of empty trays from the second stacker, and then transfers the tray of the unloading unit to the sorter unit. And subsequently transferring the empty tray of the gripper to the unloading unit. The method of claim 13, The tray is a tray transfer method of the handler for a semiconductor device test, characterized in that consisting of a customer tray on which the semiconductor device is mounted.

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