JP2010202392A - Ic automatic handler - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To disperse dirt attached to a socket and to replace the socket easily. <P>SOLUTION: The IC automatic handler can hold two or more sockets and includes a contact press for electrically connecting one of the holding sockets with a measuring part of an inspection device, a socket buffer part capable of storing the two or more sockets and a socket conveyance mechanism for conveying the sockets between the contact press and the socket buffer part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC auto handler.

  The IC auto handler inserts a device assembled in a BGA (Ball Grid Array) package or LGA (Land Grid Array) package into a tool called a socket and electrically connects it to an inspection device. This is a device that is removed from the socket (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The socket is responsible for electrical connection between the device and the inspection apparatus. For this reason, the connection failure of the socket may be determined as a device failure. Therefore, in order to maintain the contact performance of the socket and stabilize the yield, cleaning of the socket is indispensable.

  In a mass production test using an IC auto handler, the high frequency of socket cleaning may become a bottleneck in continuous operation without assistance. For example, in a single-chip test system, “the number of sockets that can be continuously contacted = the number of system-assisted operation starts”.

  By using multiple sockets, multiple devices can be tested simultaneously. By doing so, the throughput can be increased even when the cleaning frequency is the same (see, for example, Patent Document 2). However, such a method requires that the entire system be stopped only when a failure occurs in one socket.

  As a conventional IC auto handler that suppresses a reduction in operating rate due to cleaning of a socket, there is one provided with a rotary table having a plurality of sockets (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP-A-9-263326 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-30641 JP 7-5229 A

  The IC auto handler described in Patent Document 3 can replace the socket without stopping its operation. However, because of the configuration that uses one socket continuously, if a failure occurs in the socket before reaching the preset number of continuous use, the failure is detected until a measurement failure occurs continuously. I can't.

  An IC auto handler according to an embodiment of the present invention can hold two or more sockets, and a contact press that electrically contacts one of the held sockets with a measurement unit of an inspection apparatus; And a socket transport mechanism for transporting the socket between the contact press and the socket buffer section.

  According to the present invention, the socket is transported between the contact press capable of holding two or more sockets and the socket buffer unit capable of accommodating the two or more sockets, whereby two or more sockets are provided. Can be used by circulating. Thereby, when a measurement failure occurs, the socket can be quickly inspected and replaced without stopping the operation.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the IC auto handler which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line in FIG. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing and a top view which show schematic structure of the socket used for the IC auto handler of FIG. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the IC auto handler of FIG. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the process following the process of FIG. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the process following the process of FIG. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the process following the process of FIG. It is an enlarged view for demonstrating the electrical connection between a device, a socket, and a test board. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of an IC auto handler in the case of replacing | exchanging a socket following the process of FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a process following the process of FIG. 9. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the process following the process of FIG.

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

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the IC auto handler according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the IC auto handler 10 according to the present embodiment includes a socket transport unit 11, a loader unit 12, an unloader unit 13, a device transport unit 14, a test board (measurement unit) 15, a contact press 16, and A socket buffer unit 17 is provided.

  Further, the IC auto handler 10 has a control unit 20 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus.

  The socket transport unit 11 is configured to circulate and transport the socket 18 between the test board 15 and the socket buffer unit 17 together with the contact press 16.

  More specifically, the socket transport unit 11 is located substantially at the center of the IC auto handler 10. The socket transport unit 11 includes a socket transport stage 111 and defines a stage stop position where the socket transport stage 111 stops. The stage stop position includes an IC attachment / detachment position 112 for inserting / removing the device 19 to / from the socket 18 being transferred, a socket supply position 113 for transferring the socket 18 to / from the contact press 16, and a socket buffer unit 17. It includes at least a socket exchange position 114 for transferring the socket 18 therebetween. The socket transport stage 111 moves between the IC attachment / detachment position 112, the socket supply position 113, and the socket replacement position 114.

  As is understood from FIG. 2, the socket transport stage 111 has a socket accommodating portion 21 that accommodates the socket 18. A concave portion 22 for receiving the test board side plunger 181 protruding from the lower surface of the socket 18 is formed at a substantially central position of the socket accommodating portion 21. The recess 22 has a depth that does not contact the test board side plunger 181 when the socket 18 is accommodated in the socket accommodating portion 21.

  The socket transport stage 111 also includes socket positioning pins 23 in the vicinity of the four corners inside the socket accommodating portion 21, and further includes positioning holes (not shown) for receiving the positioning pins 182 included in the socket 18. Yes. When the socket 18 is accommodated in the socket accommodating portion 21, the socket positioning pin 23 is inserted into the positioning hole of the socket 18. Further, the positioning pin 182 of the socket 18 is inserted into the positioning hole of the socket transport stage 111. Thereby, the socket conveyance stage 111 holds the socket 18 and fixes the position. Thus, the socket transport stage 111 can transport the socket 18 in a stable state.

  In addition, by arranging a brush or the like in the concave portion 22 of the socket accommodating portion 21, the foreign matter attached to the tip of the test board side plunger 181 is cleaned when the socket 18 is accommodated in the socket accommodating portion 21. May be.

  The socket transport unit 11 also includes a socket exchanging unit 115 including a hand 24 that transfers the socket 18 to and from the socket buffer unit 17. And the socket conveyance part 11 comprises a socket conveyance mechanism with the socket exchange part 115. FIG.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, the loader unit 12 and the unloader unit 13 are arranged so as to sandwich the IC attachment / detachment position 112 of the socket transport unit 11. Further, the device transport unit 14 is disposed so as to pass over the IC attachment / detachment position 112 and connect the loader unit 12 and the unloader unit 13.

  The loader unit 12 has an XY stage (not shown). On the XY stage, a tray 121 containing a plurality of uninspected devices 19 is set. The XY stage of the loader unit 12 moves the tray 121 so that the plurality of devices 19 accommodated in the tray 121 sequentially move to a predetermined pickup position.

  The unloader unit 13 has a plurality of XY stages (not shown), here, two XY stages for good products and defective products. On these XY stages, trays 131 and 132 for storing devices after completion of the inspection are respectively set. The XY stage of the unloader unit 13 moves the trays 131 and 132 so as to accommodate the devices 19 after completion of the inspection at predetermined positions.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the device transport unit 14 includes a suction unit 25. Referring again to FIG. 1, the suction unit 25 is an untested device 19 accommodated in the tray 121, holds the device 19 located at the pickup position by vacuum suction, and the IC transport position of the socket transport unit 11. Insert into the socket 18 held by the socket transport stage 111 stopped at 112. Further, the suction unit 25 vacuum-sucks and extracts the device 19 after completion of the inspection from the socket 18 held by the socket transport stage 111 stopped at the IC attachment / detachment position 112, and according to the inspection result, the unloader unit 13 It is stored in the tray 131 or 132. In this way, the device transport unit 14 functions as a device transport mechanism.

  The test board 15 is disposed in the vicinity of the socket supply position 113 of the socket transport unit 11.

  The test board 15 includes a land pattern 151 that is electrically connected to the device 19 via the socket 18 in order to perform electrical inspection of the device 19. Further, the test board 15 has a pair of positioning holes 152 that are formed in positions near the outside of the corners of the land pattern 151 and receive the positioning pins 182 of the socket 18.

  The land pattern 151 is formed in a lattice shape so as to correspond to the pogo pin arrangement of the socket 18, and is connected to a measurement device (inspection device) (not shown) via a wiring 26 as shown in FIG. 2. The configuration of the socket 18 will be described later.

  When the socket 18 is set on the test board 15, the positioning pins 182 on the lower surface of the socket 18 and the positioning holes of the test board 15 are engaged, and the socket 18 is positioned. Further, the pogo pin of the socket 18 and the land pattern 151 are electrically connected, whereby the device 19 inserted in the socket 18 and the measurement circuit are electrically connected.

  The contact press 16 is disposed from above the socket supply position 113 of the socket transport unit 11 to above the land pattern 151 of the test board 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the contact press 16 has a plurality of (in this case, two) hands 27 that hold the socket 18.

  The contact press 16 grips the socket 18 held on the socket transport stage 111 stopped at the socket supply position 113 with one hand 27 and transports it to the test board 15. Then, the contact press 16 lowers the hand 27 downward, sets the socket 18 on the test board 15, and presses the device 19 inserted into the socket 18 by the pressing portion 28 of the hand 27. Thereby, the device 19 is electrically connected to the measuring apparatus via the socket 18 and the land pattern 151. As a result, the device can be electrically inspected by the measuring apparatus.

  Further, during the above operation, the contact press 16 transports the socket 18 in which the device 19 that has been inspected is inserted to the socket supply position 113 using the other hand 27 and stores it in the socket transport stage 111.

  The socket buffer unit 17 is disposed in the vicinity of the socket replacement position 114 of the socket transport unit 11. The socket buffer unit 17 includes, for example, a disk-shaped stage configured to be rotatable. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of socket housing portions 29 (here, six as shown in FIG. 1) are formed on the stage. The socket housing part 29 is configured in the same manner as the socket housing part 21 formed on the socket transport stage 111.

  The socket buffer unit 17 keeps at least one socket accommodating unit 29 in an empty state while the IC auto handler 10 is operating normally. The socket transport unit 11 transports the socket 18 that satisfies the arbitrarily settable predetermined condition to the socket replacement position 114, and the socket 18 is transferred to the vacant socket accommodating unit 29 of the socket buffer unit 17 by the hand 24 of the socket replacement unit 115. To accommodate. Further, the socket exchange unit 115 takes out the new socket 18 accommodated in the socket buffer unit 17 and accommodates it in the socket transport stage 111. The socket transport unit 11 transports the new socket 18 accommodated in the socket transport stage 111 to the IC attachment / detachment position 112.

  The predetermined condition that can be arbitrarily set can be determined when it is determined that there is a defect based on the maximum number of measurements (maximum number of contacts) or the inspection result.

  3A and 3B are a sectional view and a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the socket 18 used in the IC auto handler 10 shown in FIGS.

  The illustrated socket 18 is a pogo pin type IC socket. The socket 18 includes a base portion 31, a plurality of pogo pins 32, and the positioning pins 182 described above.

  An inclined surface 35 that defines a positioning pocket 34 for mounting the device 19 is formed on the upper surface of the base portion 31. The inclined surface 35 is formed so that the opening side (upper side) is wide so as to guide the device 19 to a predetermined position.

  Further, positioning holes 36 are formed on the upper surface of the base portion 31 at positions near the four corners.

  The plurality of pogo pins 32 are respectively inserted and arranged in a plurality of through holes arranged in a portion corresponding to the bottom of the positioning pocket 34 of the base portion 31. The arrangement of the pogo pins 32 corresponds to the arrangement of the external connection terminals of the device 19. For example, if the device 19 is a BGA (Ball Grid Array) package, the pogo pins 32 are arranged in a grid corresponding to the ball arrangement of the BGA package. The same applies when the device 19 is an LGA (Land Grid Array).

  As described above, the pogo pin 32 has the test board side plunger 181 that projects to the lower surface side of the base portion 31. Further, the pogo pin 32 includes a device terminal side plunger 321 on the upper surface side of the base portion 31. The distal end position of the device terminal side plunger 321 is determined so as to protrude into the positioning pocket 34 or to be positioned in the through hole that accommodates the pogo pin 32 so as to appropriately contact the external connection terminal of the device 19. .

  The positioning pin 182 is formed to protrude in the vicinity of two opposing corners on the lower surface of the base portion 31.

  Further, a positioning hole (not shown) for receiving the socket positioning pin 23 formed on the socket transport stage 111 is formed on the lower surface of the base portion 31.

  Such a socket 18 is circulated and conveyed flexibly on the route of the IC auto handler 10. In addition, the positioning pocket may be configured so as to be floated on the base portion 31.

  Next, the operation of the IC auto handler 10 (inspection processing of the device 19) will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 together with FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows a state where the electrical inspection of the device 19 is performed on the test board 15. At this time, the socket transport stage 111 can be moved to any of the IC attachment / detachment position 112, the socket supply position 113, and the socket replacement position 114. Here, it is assumed that the socket transport stage 111 is stopped at the IC attachment / detachment position 112 with the socket 18 positioned and held.

  The suction unit 25 of the device transport unit 14 sucks and holds the uninspected device 19 from the tray 121 set in the loader unit 12 and transports it onto the socket transport stage 111. Then, the suction unit 25 descends to insert the device 19 into the socket transport stage 111 and opens the device 19. As a result, the device 19 is inserted into the socket 18.

  Next, the socket transfer stage 111 moves to the socket supply position 113. Thereby, the socket 18 in which the device 19 is inserted moves to the socket supply position 113. The state after movement is shown in FIG. Even when the device 19 is misaligned with respect to the socket 18, the movement to the socket supply position 113 is caused by vibrations caused by the movement of the inclined surface 35 of the socket 18 and the socket transport stage 111. The position is corrected.

  If the inspection of the device 19 that has been inspected by the test board 15 has been completed when the socket transport stage 111 reaches the socket supply position 113, the contact press 16 may check the device 19 that has been inspected as shown in FIG. Is moved upward and pulled away from the test board 15. On the other hand, the contact press 16 holds the socket 18 on the socket transport stage 111 with the hand 27 and takes out the socket 18 from the socket transport stage 111. This state is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the pressing portion 28 of the contact press is positioned above the device 19 mounted on the socket 18 in a state where the socket 18 is gripped by the hand 27.

  Next, the contact press 16 rotates as indicated by the broken line arrow in FIG. As a result, the position of the socket 18 on which the inspected device 19 is mounted and the position of the socket 18 on which the uninspected device 19 is mounted are switched. That is, the socket 18 on which the inspected device 19 is mounted moves on the socket transport stage 111, and the socket 18 on which the uninspected device 19 is mounted moves on the test board 15.

  Next, the hand 27 that holds the socket 18 on which the untested device 19 is mounted is lowered, and the socket 18 is positioned and mounted on the test board 15. Further, the contact press 16 presses the device 19 downward by the pressing portion 28 to contact (contact) the external connection terminal (BGA ball in this case) of the device 19 and the device side terminal plunger 321 of the pogo pin 32. At the same time, the test board side plunger 181 of the pogo pin 32 and the land pattern 151 of the test board 15 are brought into contact with each other. FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the contact between them.

  As described above, the device 19 and the measuring apparatus are electrically connected. In a state where the device 19 is in contact with the land pattern 151 of the test board 15 through the socket 18, predetermined inspection and measurement are performed.

  The socket 18 on which the device 19 that has been inspected is mounted is transferred onto the socket transfer stage 111 of the socket transfer unit 11 as described above.

  The hand 27 moved onto the socket transport stage 111 lowers the socket 18 mounted on the inspected device 19 and accommodates the socket 18 in the socket transport stage 111. The state is shown in FIG. Then, the socket transport stage 111 that accommodates the socket 18 on which the device 19 that has been inspected is mounted moves to the IC attachment / detachment position 112 as indicated by a broken line arrow in FIG. The state after movement is shown in FIG.

  Next, the suction unit 25 of the device transport unit 14 sucks and holds the inspected device 19 inserted into the socket 18 accommodated in the socket transport stage 111 by vacuum suction, and transports the device 19 to the unloader unit 13.

  In the unloader unit 13, the device transport unit 14 and an XY stage (not shown) cooperate to house the device 19 sucked and held by the suction unit 25 in the tray 131 or 132 according to the inspection result. For example, a device determined to be a non-defective product by inspection is stored in the tray 131, and a device determined to be defective is stored in the tray 132.

  Thereafter, the above-described operation (test rotation) is repeated until a predetermined condition that can be arbitrarily set is satisfied.

  As described above, the IC auto handler according to the present embodiment is configured to circulate the socket 18 that is larger (two here) than the number of devices (DUT (Device Under Test)) that can be tested. Therefore, dirt on pogo pins attached by contact with the device, for example, dirt such as solder, resin waste, oxide film, dust, etc., can be dispersed in the plurality of sockets. Thereby, the handler assist space | interval for socket cleaning can be extended, and the continuous operation time of a socket can be increased.

  If a predetermined condition is satisfied while repeating the test rotation described above, the socket transport stage 111 moves from the state shown in FIG. 9 (IC attachment / detachment position 112) to the socket replacement position 114. Here, the predetermined condition is, for example, whether or not the number of times of measurement (or the number of contacts) using the target socket has reached 1000 times, or it is determined that there is a defect from the inspection result using the target socket. Or not.

  When the socket transport stage 111 stops at the socket replacement position 114, the hand 24 of the socket replacement unit 115 grips the socket 18 accommodated in the socket transport stage 111, and the socket buffer unit 17 is free as shown in FIG. It is accommodated in the socket accommodating portion 29.

  The socket buffer unit 17 in which the socket 18 is accommodated in the empty socket accommodating unit 29 is rotated by a predetermined angle as shown by a broken line arrow in FIG. 10 to position the new socket 18 on the socket transport unit 11 side. The new socket 18 may be unused or may be cleaned and maintained after use.

  The hand 24 of the socket exchanging unit 115 holds the new socket 18 accommodated in the socket buffer unit 17 and removes it from the socket buffer unit 17. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the hand 24 stores the taken-out socket 18 in the socket transport stage 111 that stops at the socket replacement position 114.

  The socket transport stage 111 containing the new socket 18 moves to the IC attachment / detachment position 112, and then mounts the uninspected device 19 as described above. Thereafter, the above-described inspection operation (test rotation) is repeated again.

  As described above, in the IC auto handler according to the present embodiment, the socket buffer unit 17 is provided, and the socket 18 that satisfies a predetermined condition that can be arbitrarily set can be removed from the test rotation. For example, the contact status of each socket used for test rotation is monitored based on the device inspection result (specific sort, etc.), and the socket whose contact performance has deteriorated or failed due to contamination is removed from the test rotation. Can do. Further, when the inspection result of the device is defective, the socket used for the inspection can be immediately removed from the test rotation for maintenance. As a result, the test yield is not lowered or the throughput is not lowered due to a failure of some sockets. That is, the socket 18 can be replaced or cleaned without hindering the operation of the IC auto handler 10. As a result, the operating rate of the IC auto handler 10 can be improved.

  In addition, the IC auto handler according to the present embodiment has the same basic transport mechanism as the conventional one except that the socket is individually transported, and therefore does not require a large substrate transport mechanism such as a substrate circulation type. .

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. .

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the contact press 16 grips at most two sockets 18 has been described, but three or more sockets may be gripped. By doing so, it is possible to replace the socket while continuing the device inspection operation. Further, even when a plurality of sockets have problems simultaneously, the inspection can be continued.

  In the above-described embodiment, the test rotation and the socket replacement are separate operations. However, the socket accommodated in the socket buffer unit may be included in the test rotation and circulated. This corresponds to a case where the maximum number of times of measurement (contact) is one. In this case, the socket buffer unit may perform a cleaning process such as immersing the socket in a chemical solution.

  Further, a part of the socket accommodated in the socket buffer unit may be included in the test rotation and circulated. In that case, the number to participate in the test rotation may be automatically adjusted according to the number of sockets accommodated in the socket buffer unit.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the device is a BGA type or an LGA type has been described. However, even if the device is a WLCSP (Wafer-Level Chip Size Package), a TCP (Tape Carrier Package), or a lead frame type device. Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 IC auto handler 11 Socket conveyance part 12 Loader part 13 Unloader part 14 Device conveyance part 15 Test board 16 Contact press 17 Socket buffer part 18 Socket 19 Device 20 Control part 21 Socket accommodating part 22 Recessed part 23 Socket positioning pin 24 Hand 25 Adsorption part 26 Wiring 27 Hand 28 Pressing portion 29 Socket accommodating portion 31 Base portion 32 Pogo pin 34 Positioning pocket 35 Inclined surface 36 Hole portion 111 Socket transport stage 112 IC attaching / detaching position 113 Socket supplying position 114 Socket replacing position 115 Socket replacing portion 121 Tray 131 Tray 132 Tray 151 Land pattern 152 Positioning hole 181 Test board side plunger 182 Positioning pin 321 Device terminal side plunger

Claims (4)

A contact press capable of holding two or more sockets and electrically contacting one of the held sockets with a measuring unit of the inspection device;
A socket buffer that can accommodate two or more sockets;
A socket transport mechanism for transporting a socket between the contact press and the socket buffer unit;
An IC auto handler characterized by comprising:   2. The IC auto handler according to claim 1, further comprising a device transport mechanism for inserting and removing a device to be inspected at an IC exchange position with respect to the socket transported by the socket transport mechanism. The socket transport mechanism is
Transport the socket with the uninspected device inserted from the IC exchange position to the contact press,
Transport the socket in which the inspected device is inserted from the contact press to the IC exchange position,
A socket from which an inspected device has been removed, and a socket that satisfies a preset condition is transported from the IC replacement position to the socket buffer unit,
Transporting a new socket in place of the socket satisfying the preset condition from the socket buffer unit to the IC exchange position;
The IC auto handler according to claim 2.   4. The IC auto handler according to claim 3, wherein the preset condition is at least one of the number of times of contact with the measurement unit and defect detection.

Images