Abstract: A probe card fixture (20) precisely controls the movement of a probe card (44) relative to a circuit (30) to be tested. The fixture (20) includes a carriage (42) movable to and from the circuit by four lead screws (237) all simultaneously driven by a rigid drive link (300). The probe card (44) is mounted to the carriage (42) by mechanisms that provide for adjustment of the orientation of the probe card (44) to correspond to the orientation of the particular batch of circuits (30) to be tested. A programmable control system (350) controls the lead screw drive to minimize travel of the carriage (42), thereby increasing throughput.

Abstract: A combined current and voltage measuring sensor for measuring voltage and current on a primary conductor, the sensor including a cast resin body having therein a aluminum support, the support having an aluminum encasement mounted thereto. An open air coil is located in the encasement adjacent a grooved portion in the cast resin body for maintaining the primary conductor in the top of the cast resin body. The groove and the aluminum encasement cooperate to precisely located the primary conductor with respect to the open air coil. A keeper assembly mechanically maintains and locates the primary conductor in the groove and further provides an electrical connection from the primary conductor to the voltage measuring apparatus of the sensor.

Abstract: Apparatus for testing the electrical integrity of printed circuit boards under test (BUTs), each BUT having a plurality of downwardly directed accessible nodes, the apparatus including support apparatus for removably supporting the BUT, test circuitry including a plurality of upwardly directed channel nodes below the support apparatus, connection apparatus for electrically connecting the channel nodes to the BUT nodes, the connection apparatus comprising a universal board carrying probes in a universal grid pattern, means to activate selective probes, and a translator board to make electrical connection between upper and lower conductors in different patterns.

Abstract: Apparatus for monitoring and displaying energy consumption which comprises at least one communications channel, at least one group of remote stations each comprising a plurality of information channels and connected to a respective communication channel, and a central station connected to the communication channels and capable of addressing the information channels at the remote stations. The central station addresses an energy consumption sensor connected to an information channel at a remote station, and receives energy consumption data from the sensor, computes an energy consumption, and sends a signal representative of the computed energy consumption to a display device connected to an information channel of a remote station to display the same.

Abstract: A circuit for providing a scaled sinusoidal voltage proportional to a sinusoidal current referenced to a first reference potential. The scaled sinusoidal voltage is referenced to a second reference potential. A scaling resistor is connected between an operational amplifier inverting input terminal and the operational amplifier output terminal. A transformer has a primary winding in series with the sinusoidal current. A secondary winding has a first terminal coupled to the second reference potential and a second terminal coupled to the operational amplifier inverting input terminal. An integrator has an inverting input terminal coupled to the operational amplifier output terminal, a noninverting input terminal coupled to the second reference potential and an output terminal coupled to the operational amplifier noninverting input terminal.

Abstract: An interconnection device is disclosed that is connected between a semiconductor device to be tested and the tester to match the device output impedance with the load applied to the semiconductor device and to prevent reflection on input waveforms in propagation delay measurements.

Abstract: A non-contacting electrostatic voltage follower comprising a detector electrode sensitive to electrostatic quantities such as electrostatic fields, voltages, charges and the like, a modular coupled to the electrode for modulating the capacitance coupling between the electrode and a surface bearing an electrostatic quantity to which the electrode is exposed, a detector amplifier of the current summing type having the summing input thereof connected to the detector electrode, and a high bandwidth amplifier having an input connected to the output of the detector amplifier. A probe comprises a transparent carrier element coupled to the modulator, a first conductive and transparent film on a surface of the carrier and defining the detector electrode, and a second film of conductive and transparent material on the remainder of the surface of the carrier and spaced from the first film.

Abstract: A novel thin, three-terminal capacitive transducer which is positioned in a clearance gap to be measured is presented. This transducer comprises an insulated assembly having three parallel conductive planes with the first and second plane each containing a single electrode and the third plane containing a pair of spaced electrodes. Preferably, each electrode is composed of a thin layer of copper mounted on an insulated substrate such as an epoxy-glass composite. An air space is provided between each of the pair of electrodes in the third plane and the single electrode in the second plane. Another important feature of the present invention is a novel electronic circuit for use in conjunction with the novel three terminal capacitive transducer. This circuit provides a means of "synthetic resonance" whereby a small capacitance (such as generated by the three-terminal capacitive sensor of this invention) functions as if it were at or near series resonance with a synthesized large inductance.

Abstract: An electric power measuring device wherein input analog signals representative of instantaneous values of current and voltage are applied to a multiplier (23) and the product applied to a converter (35, 37, 41, 43, 45, 47) to provide a pulse output signal having a frequency representative of the product and hence of the level of power consumption. Compensation for offset errors in the multiplier is effected by periodically reversing the polarity of one of the inputs to the multiplier and effecting corresponding reversals at the input to the converter to avoid irregularities in the output pulse rate when the level of power consumed is low.

Abstract: An electron-beam scanning device (10) includes two pairs of plates (22 and 24, 64 and 66) that are oriented at right angles to each other. The plates cause electric fields oriented at right angles in a deflection region (68) through which an electron beam passes. Each pair of plates comprises the inner conductor and one of the outer conductors of a stripline section that conducts a deflection signal. The stripline section is matched in characteristic impedance to the coaxial cable by which the deflection signal is transmitted to the plates. A stop plate (28) ordinarily prevents the electron beam from reaching its target (30) but has an aperture (26) into which the beam can be momentarily deflected to cause a pulse of beam current to hit the target (30).

Abstract: An apparatus for simultaneously testing multiple integrated circuits includes a sensing circuit associated with each of the tested circuits. Each sensing circuit includes a differential amplifier with its positive input connected to the input of the test circuit, and its inversion input connected to the test circuit output. The test circuit input and positive amplifier input are biased to a selected voltage, and the voltage drop across the test circuit is provided to the amplifier inversion input. Whenever the test circuit is open, intermittently open or highly resistive, the voltage drop across the test circuit exceeds the threshold voltage of the differential amplifier, causing the amplifier to generate a high level logic output representing an open circuit condition. The outputs of the various sensing circuits together form a digital word representative of the condition of all of the test circuits.

Abstract: An electro-mechanical probe is comprised of a thin flat ring-shaped frame, and an elastic transparent membrane which is attached to a downward-facing surface of the ring-shaped frame and which traverses the aperture of the ring. On this membrane are a plurality of microscopic conductive bumps which are aligned with and which are outside of the aperture of the ring. Also integrated into the membrane are a plurality of microscopic conductors, and they serve as a means for sending electrical signals to and receiving electrical signals from the bumps. In operation, the probe frame is fitted with a cover which overlies the elastic membrane to thereby form an enclosed chamber. Both the cover and the elastic membrane are transparent so that the bumps on the membrane can be aligned with corresponding contacts on a semiconductor chip or interconnect module which is to be tested.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and circuit useful in the testing of integrated circuit chips. On-chip test circuitry is provided at a selected location on an IC chip and energized while the chips are still mounted on a lead frame member, wound on reels and heated in an oven. Advantageously, the continuous lead frame member may be a tape automated bond (TAB bond) flexible circuit which is adapted for gang bonding to a large plurality of ICs before being wound on reels. In a preferred test circuit embodiment, the conductive on-off state of digital address circuity is controlled by applying a test signal potential to an input test pad and through a fuse to a common test circuit junction. This junction is in turn connected between a transistor and diode in a series control network which is operative to control the conductive state of the address circuitry. This network enables the input test pad to be used as both a test signal input connection and a ground connection for the IC test circuit.

Abstract: A microwave oven wattage detector having a visually and microwave transparent container holding a thermally homogeneous fluid having a wattage-indicating strip contained in the fluid with a plurality of different temperature-sensitive areas on the strip with indicia associated with each of the areas to indicate power levels when such container is heated within a microwave oven for a set time and one of such temperature-sensitive areas changes color to denote the indicia indicating the power level of the microwave oven.

Abstract: A current detector comprises a primary current transformer (21) having a core made of silicon steel sheets and permalloy sheets overlapping each other, together with secondary current transformers (22) and (23) having cores made, respectively, of silicon steel and permalloy sheets. As a result, the detector exhibits linear current transformation throughout any current range, so that current detection errors are minimized.

Abstract: A probe assembly for use in conveying signals between cables from test apparatus and contact areas on a contact face of an integrated circuit includes a support member having an aperture therein and a dielectric membrane clamped over the aperture such that conductive bumps mounted on the underside of the periphery of the membrane engage corresponding contact areas on an upper surface of the support member surrounding the aperture. A central area of the membrane extends downward through the aperture such that conductive bumps on the under side of the central area of the membrane engage contact areas on the contact face of an integrated circuit situated below the aperture. A plurality of conductor runs supported by the membrane extend from the conductive bumps in the central area of the membrane to the conductive bumps in the periphery of the membrane.

Abstract: A fixture for measuring the static characteristics of microwave active components has mechanical devices for supporting two dielectric substrates. Two terminals of the components under test are separately connected to electrical circuits constructed on said dielectric substrates. This fixture can be adapted to geometric sizes of component case and allows it to be submitted to thermal tests, without mechanical stresses due to expansion. The electrical circuits constructed on the dielectric substrates ensure circuit stability avoiding spurious oscillations during static characteristic measurement.

Abstract: A current measuring circuit for an integrated circuit comprises an operational amplifier (22), the non-inverting input terminal of which is grounded through a first resistor (23) having a value R.sub.B and a second resistor (21) having a value R.sub.2, the junction of those two resistors receiving the current (I.sub.NL) to be measured, and the output of which is connected by an inverter (26) to a MOS transistor (27). The biasing voltage of the operational amplifier and the characteristics of the inverter are chosen so that the MOS transistor is biased at its threshold in the absence of a current to be measured, whereby the output voltage V.sub.s is correlated with the current to be measured by a linear relation independent of the temperature.

Abstract: A method is described for measuring the noise parameters of field effect transistors (FETs) while still in the wafer stage. Instead of conducting lengthy testing of each individual device at the operating frequency of interest after the devices have been diced, mounted and bonded, each of the devices on a wafer is automatically probed to obtain the standard S-parameters and also the FET's output noise power P.sub.n at a frequency at which parasitic probe effects are avoided. The various noise parameters can then be calculated for higher operating frequencies of interest from FET equivalent circuit parameters derived from the S-parameters, and from P.sub.n, either before or after dicing.

Abstract: The voltage between two objects is measured utilizing an electro-optic crystal exhibiting birefringence in two axes (slow and fast) mutually orthogonal to an optic axis extending between the two objects. Two collimated light beams polarized at an angle to the slow and fast axes is passed through the crystal parallel to the optic axis with one of the collimated light beams retarded relative to the other by about 1/4 wave. The two beams emerging from the crystal are passed through a polarizer and converted to phase shifted electrical signals by photo diodes in electric circuits which regulate the sources of the light beams to maintain the peak magnitudes of the two electric signals constant and equal.