Abstract: A multimeter having an elongated housing with a fixed recess for receiving a current-carrying conductor is provided. The multimeter is adapted to measure various parameters including a.c. and d.c. voltage, resistance, and a.c. current. On one end of the elongated housing of the multimeter is a C-shaped current sensor mounted around the fixed recess for measuring a.c. current in the current-carrying conductor and on the other end is a pair of test leads for measuring resistance, a.c. voltage, and d.c. voltage. The current sensor and the test leads provide input signals to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to obtain digital samples which are displayed as measurement results according to the selected measurement mode.

Abstract: A semiconductor inspection device and a method of controlling the same are obtained which are capable of preventing any positional displacement of a probe needle of the semiconductor inspection device relative to an electrode of a semiconductor device to be inspected and thus ensuring that the semiconductor device is inspected. The semiconductor inspection device provided with a probe needle for a probe card and a guide plate for positioning the probe needle employs a temperature sensor provided on the probe needle positioning guide plate, a heater for heating the positioning guide plate and a cooling fan for cooling the positioning guide plate and refers to the temperature of the positioning guide plate measured by the temperature sensor to provide ON/OFF control of the heater and the cooling fan by means of a control device.

Abstract: A replaceable roller turns on an axle supported at the end of a cantilever arm. The roller is preferably brass or other highly conductive, durable material for making electrical contact with a terminal of an electrical device, e.g. a ceramic capacitor. The arm is made from a highly conductive, resilient material. There are a plurality of such arms with rollers connected in parallel to a holding module, preferably with the rollers aligned. The holding module is secured to a structure, e.g. a component test handler jig, and provides a conductive path between each roller/cantilever arm assembly and the test jig. In operation a stream of components are indexed to the rollers such that their terminals are aligned with the rollers. The rollers intrude slightly into the path of the compnents so that as they are indexed to the rollers, the components deflect the rollers causing them to roll across the components' terminals.

Abstract: An object is to obtain a semiconductor device testing apparatus that can improve the contact characteristic between probe needles and power-supply terminals and signal terminals while ensuring efficiency of product utilization of a tested wafer. Provided on a probe wafer (4) are bumps (5) formed in the same positions in mirror symmetry as the positions of pads (3) formed in individual chips (2) on a tested wafer (1), a common interconnection (6) for interconnecting bumps (5) to be supplied with the same power supplies and signals, and terminals (7) connected to the common interconnection (6) to supply power supplies and signals to the common interconnection (6) from the outside. The bumps (5) come in contact with the pads (3) in the chips (2) when the probe wafer (4) and the tested wafer (1) are put together. The common interconnection (6) supplies the power supplies and signals for a burn-in test to the pads (3) in the chips (2).

Abstract: A communication bus test tool for motor vehicles having a plurality of electronic modules connected to a common communication bus in a body controller by a wiring harness. The wiring harness has an individual bus signal wire for the bus signal for each electronic module and at least one connector for connecting to a corresponding connector of the body controller. The wiring harness's connector has an individual terminal connected to each individual bus signal wire and the body controller's connector has terminals corresponding to the wiring harness' connector terminals. The bus test tool has a first connector for connecting to the wiring harness's connector with individual terminals corresponding to the individual terminals in the wiring harness connector including individual bus terminals corresponding to the terminals in the wiring harness connector connected to the bus signal wires.

Abstract: The method of monitoring the wear of at least one sliding electrical contact of a brush, sliding over a track which can move with respect to the brush, comprises the measurement of the electrical resistance of this contact, the delivery of an image signal corresponding to this resistance, the following of its variations, the construction of a reference signal indicative of a state of wear of the contact, the comparison of the image signal with the reference signal and the derivation of a signal, resulting from this comparison, corresponding to the state of wear of the contact. The resistance is measured by the ratio of the variations in the voltage across the terminals of the contact to the variations in the current flowing through this contact.

Abstract: Two contact heads are used to convey IC devices between an IC device testing part E and a contact arm operating stage ST3 and a buffer stage ST4 is interposed between the contact arm operating stage ST3, a loader arm operating stage ST1 and an unloader arm operating stage ST2 and is movable in X-direction. On the buffer stage ST2 are disposed a loader buffer carrier and an unloader buffer carrier, the former transfers untested IC devices from the loader arm operating stage ST1 to the contact arm operating stage ST3 and the latter transfers tested IC devices from the contact arm operating stage ST3 to the unloader arm operating stage ST3.

Abstract: A board wiring fault detection device has an analog-to-digital converter for receiving an optionally set test signal output from a peripheral device, a first memory for storing the test signal, a second memory for storing a predicted data item to be compared to the test signal stored in the first memory, the predicted data item being indicative of a no fault state of a board wiring, and a comparator for comparing test signal to the predicted data item in the first and second memories. The comparator outputs a comparison result to the outside. The peripheral device outputs the test signal upon every release of a reset signal and performs processing.

Abstract: An interconnect apparatus for testing bare semiconductor dice comprises raised contact members on a semiconductive substrate. The contact members are covered with an insulation layer and a conductive cap connected by a conductive trace to a testing circuit. The trace is covered with coaxial layers of a silicon containing insulation and a metal for shielding the trace from "cross-talk" and other interference. An apparatus for simultaneous testing of multiple dies on a wafer has thermal expansion characteristics matching those of the semiconductor die or wafer and provides clean signals.

Abstract: A reusable carrier 10 for temporarily holding an integrated circuit 12 during burn-in and electrical test includes a base 14 and a lid 16 attached to the base 14 by hinges 18. A flexible substrate 19 is attached to the base 14. Alignment posts 20 have tapered surfaces 22 that engage corners 24 of the integrated circuit 12 to position the integrated circuit 12 precisely on upper surface 26 of the substrate 19. A spring-loaded latch 28 engages projection 30 in aperture 32 of the base 14 to hold the lid 16 closed over the integrated circuit 12. Electrically conductive traces 34 on the surface 26 have contact bumps which engage contact pads on the underside of the integrated circuit 12 to connect the integrated circuit 12 to peripheral contact pads 38 around edges 40 of the substrate 19.

Abstract: A test fixture for a printed circuit board having a pattern of test probes and a fixed probe plate and a top plate adapted for movement toward and away from the probe plate. The probe plate and the top plate have selected patterns of holes for passage of the test probes through the probe plate and the top plate for contacting test points on the printed circuit board which is supported at one end of the test fixture. A probe retention sheet is positioned below the probe plate in an area of the test pins so that the test probes that extend through the probe plate also extends through the probe retention sheet, the probe retention sheet includes a preformed pattern of openings which are undersized with respect to an outside diameter of the test probes which extend through the pin retention sheet so that the retention sheet naturally applies a compression force around a circumference of the test probes extending through the sheet at a level sufficient to retain the test probes within the test fixture.

Abstract: A probe card analyzer includes a table or jig for securing a probe card, a light source for producing at least a first beam of collimated light, and at least a first positioning mechanism for positioning the first beam at a predefined desired probe tip location. A second beam of collimated light and a second positioning mechanism may be provided for positioning the second beam such that it intersects the first beam at the desired probe tip location for visually identifying the desired probe tip location. The first and the second beams may be successively adjusted through a set of desired probe tip location coordinates, the position of each of a set of probe tips being adjusted to the respective desired probe tip location, to which point the probe tip may be adjusted.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an electrical contact probe, comprising at least one fiber mounted in a holder, the at least one fiber having high electrical conductivity and high mechanical strength and made from a material selected from the group consisting of a conductive organic material and a conductive glass, the at least one fiber having a diameter in the range from 5 nanometers to 20 micrometers. The present invention is also directed to a device to measure various electrical parameters of a circuit.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for probing signals from an integrated circuit through the back side of an integrated circuit die. In one embodiment, a passive diffusion is disposed in a semiconductor substrate of a flip-chip mounted integrated circuit die. The passive diffusion is coupled to a signal line through a contact. The signal line carries the integrated circuit signal of interest. In one embodiment, the disclosed passive diffusion is oversized to reduce attenuation of a signal acquired from the passive diffusion. In addition, the disclosed passive diffusion is laterally spaced from nearby diffusions in the semiconductor substrate of the integrated circuit to enable exposure of the passive diffusion with a reduced risk of damaging nearby structures in the integrated circuit die, such as for example other diffusions, during the exposing process. Moreover, the disclosed passive diffusion is laterally spaced from nearby diffusions to reduce crosstalk interference from the nearby diffusions.

Abstract: The voltage transformer has a measuring element in the electrical field between an internal conductor and an external conductor of a metal-encapsulated, gas-insulated switchgear. The measuring element includes a Pockels crystal, a crystal of transparent material which, under the influence of the electric field, influences polarized light that is radiated through on account of the Pockels effect. The Pockels crystal has two parallel walls transverse with respect to the field lines. A first deflection prism, which deflects a light beam through 180.degree., is disposed on the crystal face at the high-voltage end. Several optical elements are disposed at the face on the low-voltage side. The optical elements include a light input coupler for polarized light and two light output couplers. The reflected light beam impinges on a beam splitter, which splits the light beam into two partial beams. The first partial beam radiates firstly through a quarter-wave plate and then through a first analyzer.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system for, and method of, determining a non-contact, near-surface generation and recombination lifetimes and near surface doping of a semiconductor material. The system includes: (1) a radiation pulse source that biases a dielectric on top of the semiconductor material, (2) a voltage sensor to sense the surface voltage, and (3) a photon source to create carriers. For lifetime measurements both the excitation and measurement signals are time dependent and may be probed near the surface of the semiconductor to obtain various electrical properties. For high-field tunneling and leakage characteristics of a thin dielectric (<15 nm) on top of the semiconductor, a high bias charge density is used to induce tunneling, from which tunneling fields and charge-fluence to tunneling of the dielectric are determined.

Abstract: An ion current detection device of an internal combustion engine includes a detection voltage generation device which applies a voltage to an ignition plug to generate an ion current in a cylinder of the engine. A current to voltage conversion circuit detects and converts the generated ion current to a voltage signal. A bandpass filter extracts an ac component within a specified frequency range from the voltage signal produced by the current to voltage conversion circuit. An ion current threshold detection portion produces an ion current detection signal when the detected ion current exceeds a predetermined threshold current. A filter characteristic control circuit controls the characteristic of the bandpass filter to suppress the sensitivity of the filter for a predetermined period of time right after the ion current detection signal is detected and, after the predetermined period of time, increase the sensitivity of the filter for detection of the ac signal with the specific frequency.

Abstract: An electrical junction box includes an electrical circuit, a current sensor having a ferrite bead ring for generating a magnetic field according to a current flow in the electrical circuit and also having a Hall element for outputting a signal based on the magnetic field of the ferrite bead ring, and a connector section for mounting both the ferrite bead ring and the Hall element. The electrical circuit has a terminal inserted through the ferrite bead ring to extend toward an opposing connector associated with the connector section. Furthermore, the Hall element has an output terminal extending toward the opposing connector.

Abstract: For testing a frequency divider, oscillations are produced and wave-shaped into a series of dock pulses. The dock pulses are supplied to a frequency divider under test. A window pulse of duration equal to one cycle of the output pulses of the frequency divider is used to sample the clock pulses. The sampled clock pulses are counted and compared with a reference value. Depending on the number of the sampled clock pulses relative to the reference value, an output voltage at one of two discrete values is produced to indicate the result of the test.

Abstract: A test pad is formed outside an array of pads included in connection structures such as pin mounting pads to which connection pins may be brazed in, for example, bottom side metallurgy of a multi-layer modular electronic package. In-line voltage plane testing may then be accomplished through temporary connections to the test pads for any desired layer, such as top side metallurgy distribution layers, while protecting the pin-mounting pads from physical and/or chemical damage or contamination during manufacturing processes for addition of layers to the electrical interconnection structure of the multi-layer module.