Patents by Inventor Peter Douglas Andrews

Peter Douglas Andrews has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10365323
    Abstract: Probe systems and methods for automatically maintaining alignment between a probe and a device under test (DUT) during a temperature change. The methods include collecting an initial image of a planar offset fiducial and determining an initial height reference of a height offset fiducial. The methods further include changing a temperature of the DUT, automatically maintaining a planar alignment between a probe and the DUT during the changing, and automatically maintaining a height alignment between the probe and the BUT during the changing. The probe systems include a chuck, which defines a support surface configured to support a substrate that includes the DUT, and a probe head assembly, which includes a probe configured to contact a corresponding contact pad of the DUT. The probe systems further include a substrate thermal module, which is configured to regulate a temperature of the DUT, and a controller programmed to execute the methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: FormFactor Beaverton, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Douglas Andrews, David Michael Newton, David Randle Hess
  • Publication number: 20170146594
    Abstract: Probe systems and methods for automatically maintaining alignment between a probe and a device under test (DUT) during a temperature change. The methods include collecting an initial image of a planar offset fiducial and determining an initial height reference of a height offset fiducial. The methods further include changing a temperature of the DUT, automatically maintaining a planar alignment between a probe and the DUT during the changing, and automatically maintaining a height alignment between the probe and the BUT during the changing. The probe systems include a chuck, which defines a support surface configured to support a substrate that includes the DUT, and a probe head assembly, which includes a probe configured to contact a corresponding contact pad of the DUT. The probe systems further include a substrate thermal module, which is configured to regulate a temperature of the DUT, and a controller programmed to execute the methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Inventors: Peter Douglas Andrews, David Michael Newton, David Randle Hess