Non-contact Probe Patents (Class 324/754.21)
  • Patent number: 8253431
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for testing non-contact pads of a semiconductor device to be tested. The apparatus includes an insulating body, at least one testing module and a plurality of probes. The insulating body includes an accommodating cavity, a lower opening and at least one side opening. The side opening communicates with the accommodating cavity and the lower opening. The testing module is disposed in the side opening, and each testing module includes a circuit board and an active chip. The active chip is disposed on and electrically connected to the circuit board. The active chip has a plurality of testing pads exposed to the accommodating cavity. The probes are disposed in the lower opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi-Shao Lai, Tsung-Yueh Tsai, Ming-Kun Chen, I. L. Lin, Ken Juang, Ming-Hsiang Cheng
  • Patent number: 8093920
    Abstract: Surface photo-voltage measurements are used to accurately determine very long steady state diffusion length of minority carriers and to determine iron contaminant concentrations and other recombination centers in very pure wafers. Disclosed methods use multiple (e.g., at least two) non-steady state surface photovoltage measurements of diffusion length done at multiple (e.g., at least two) modulation frequencies. The measured diffusion lengths are then used to obtain a steady state diffusion length with an algorithm extrapolating diffusion length to zero frequency. The iron contaminant concentration is obtained from near steady state measurement of diffusion length at elevated frequency before and after iron activation. The concentration of other recombination centers can then be determined from the steady state diffusion length and the iron concentration measured at elevated frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Diagnostics, Inc.
    Inventors: Jacek Lagowski, Alexandre Savtchouk, Marshall D. Wilson
  • Publication number: 20110267086
    Abstract: A test circuit is described of a circuit integrated on wafer of the type comprising at least one antenna of the embedded type comprising at least one test antenna associated with said at least one embedded antenna that realizes its connection of the wireless loopback type creating a wireless channel for said at least one embedded antenna and allows its electric test, transforming an electromagnetic signal of communication between said at least one embedded antenna and said at least one test antenna into an electric signal that can be read by a test apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventor: Alberto Pagani
  • Patent number: 8026736
    Abstract: A charged device model (CDM) electrostatic discharge (ESD) testing is carried out at wafer level. Wafer CDM pulses are repeatedly applied and monitored. The wafer CDM (WCDM) pulses are accomplished with a probe-mounted printed-circuit board and a high-frequency transformer that captures fast CDM pulses. Modeling of CDM and WCDM in the time and frequency domain illustrates the dominant effects, and shows that WCDM can reproduce all the major phenomena of package-level CDM testing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy J. Maloney, Bruce Chou
  • Patent number: 8022718
    Abstract: A method of inspecting an electrostatic chuck (ESC) is provided. The ESC has a dielectric support surface for a semiconductor wafer. The dielectric support surface is scanned with a Kelvin probe to obtain a surface potential map. The surface potential map is compared with a reference Kelvin probe surface potential map to determine if the ESC passes inspection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Armen Avoyan, Hong Shih, John Daugherty
  • Patent number: 7990167
    Abstract: An apparatus for providing modulation mapping is disclosed. The apparatus includes a laser source, a motion mechanism providing relative motion between the laser beam and the DUT, signal collection mechanism, which include a photodetector and appropriate electronics for collecting modulated laser light reflected from the DUT, and a display mechanism for displaying a spatial modulation map which consists of the collected modulated laser light over a selected time period and a selected area of the IC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: DCG Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven Kasapi
  • Patent number: 7982479
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for inspection of defects in an electrophoretic display and related devices. The method may be carried out with one or more testing electrodes. The method comprises applying a voltage difference to two testing electrodes which are in contact with the display panel, or applying a voltage difference to a testing electrode and a electrode layer. The methods may be applied in in-line or off-line inspection of a display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: SiPix Imaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Wanheng Wang, Yi-Shung Chaug, Yajuan Chen, Gary Yih-Ming Kang, Jimmy Yen
  • Patent number: 7982457
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and an eddy current system for non-contact determination of the resistance between the current lead stripe and the coating during continuous fabrication of chemical power sources such as batteries, supercapacitors, photovoltaic modules and the like. Both the method and the non-destructive test system for practicing the method are described. The method includes placing of an integrated measuring transducer containing two strap-type eddy current probes above the surface of the coating applied to the metallic current lead stripe in the region of the shaft guiding the stripe movement, so that all the points of the operating surface of the transducer being at an equal distance from the stripe surface coating so that the two probes would take measurements on the same area of the coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Enerize Corporation
    Inventors: Volodymyr I. Redko, Volodymyr Khandetskyy, Elena M. Shembel, Oxana V. Redko, Peter Novak
  • Publication number: 20110163773
    Abstract: A measuring probe, particularly for a non-contacting vector network analysis system, having a housing and at least one coupling structure disposed on the housing and designed for coupling an HF signal from a signal line, such that at least one additional signal probe is disposed on the housing for coupling an electrical signal into the signal line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2009
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: ROSENBERGER HOCHFREQUENZTECHNIK GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Thomas Zelder, Bernd Geck
  • Patent number: 7973546
    Abstract: A method for testing a plurality of electronic devices formed on a large area substrate is described. In one embodiment, the method includes transferring a substrate on an end effector relative to a testing platform having a plurality of testing columns coupled thereto, the substrate having a plurality of electronic devices located thereon, and moving the substrate in a single directional axis relative to an optical axis of each of the plurality of testing columns, the single directional axis being substantially orthogonal to the optical axis to define a test area on the substrate, wherein the test area is configured to cover an entire length or an entire width of the substrate such that the testing columns are capable of testing the entire substrate as the substrate is moved through the test area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Fayez E. Abboud, Sriram Krishnaswami, Benjamin M. Johnston, Hung T. Nguyen, Matthias Brunner, Ralf Schmid, John M. White, Shinichi Kurita, James C. Hunter
  • Patent number: 7960993
    Abstract: Each sensor of a linear array of sensors includes, in part, a sensing electrode and an associated feedback circuit. The sensing electrodes are adapted to be brought in proximity to a flat panel having formed thereon a multitude of pixel electrodes in order to capacitively measure the voltage of the pixel electrodes. Each feedback circuit is adapted to actively drive its associated electrode via a feedback signal so as to maintain the voltage of its associated electrode at a substantially fixed bias. Each feedback circuit may include an amplifier having a first input terminal coupled to the sensing electrode and a second input terminal coupled to receive a biasing voltage. The output signal of the amplification circuit is used to generate the feedback signal that actively drives the sensing electrode. The biasing voltage may be the ground potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Photon Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Gardner, Andrew M. Hawryluk
  • Publication number: 20110089962
    Abstract: An embodiment of a test apparatus for executing a test of a set of electronic devices having a plurality of electrically conductive terminals, the test apparatus including a plurality of electrically conductive test probes for exchanging electrical signals with the terminals, and coupling means for mechanically coupling the test probes with the electronic devices. In an embodiment, the coupling means includes insulating means for keeping each one of at least part of the test probes electrically insulated from at least one corresponding terminal during the execution of the test. Each test probe and the corresponding terminal form a capacitor for electro-magnetically coupling the test probe with the terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventor: Alberto PAGANI
  • Patent number: 7928750
    Abstract: An interface device receives test data from a tester. A signal representing the test data is transmitted to a device under test through electromagnetically coupled structures on the interface device and the device under test. The device under test processes the test data and generates response data. A signal representing the response data is transmitted to the interface device through electromagnetically coupled structures on the device under test and the interface device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: FormFactor, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles A. Miller
  • Patent number: 7920265
    Abstract: In a modulated optical reflectance (MOR) system, a laser noise suppression technique utilizes a reference beam split optically from a probe laser prior to injection of a beam from the probe laser into an MOR signal path. The reference beam and a probe beam reflected from the sample are sent to first and second detectors, which produce first and second signals. A signal combiner receives the second signal at a first input and produces a combiner signal that corresponds to a difference between signals applied to the first and a second input. A level balancer receives the first signal and a signal derived from the combiner signal and produces a balancer output that is coupled to the second input of the signal combiner. The combination of the balancer output and the second signal tends to cancel out an average value of the second signal from the combiner signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventor: Alan George
  • Patent number: 7919972
    Abstract: A system and method for supporting and transferring a substrate relative to a plurality of testing columns are provided. The system includes a testing table adapted to support and move the substrate relative to the plurality of testing columns. The testing table may include an end effector disposed therein to transfer the substrate relative to an upper surface of the testing table. The method includes transferring the substrate to the testing table and moving the substrate relative to the plurality of testing columns. Signals indicative of electronic device performance are sensed to determine operability of the devices on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinichi Kurita, Emanuel Beer, Hung T. Nguyen, Benjamin Johnston, Fayez E. Abboud
  • Publication number: 20110074456
    Abstract: A probe apparatus exchanging signals with a target device, includes: a contact section electrically connected to the target device by contacting a terminal of the target device; a non-contact section that exchanges signals with the target device in a state not contacting the terminal of the target device; and a retaining section that retains the contact section and the non-contact section, in such a manner that a relative position between the contact section and the non-contact section in a connection direction connecting the non-contact section and a region corresponding to the target device is displaceable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: ADVANTEST CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshio KOMOTO
  • Patent number: 7902849
    Abstract: Herein are described layouts of test structures and scanning methodologies that allow large probe currents to be used so as to allow the detection of resistive defects with a resistance lower than 1 M? while at the same time allowing a sufficient degree of localization to be obtained for root cause failure analysis. The detection of resistances lower than 1 M? nominally requires a probe current greater than 1 micro ampere for detection on an electron beam inspection system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Applied Materials Israel, Ltd.
    Inventor: Eugene T. Bullock
  • Patent number: 7872485
    Abstract: A scanning/imaging system wherein an external stimulus is used for exciting a device under test (DUT). A stimulus source is included for providing a stationary stimulus with a controllable spot size to a device under test (DUT), the controllable spot size covering a portion of the DUT for excitation by the stationary stimulus. A sensor is operable for capturing at least one of a functional response signal and an optical image signal emanating from the DUT portion. A linear positioning device is operable to facilitate scanning of remaining portions of the DUT until a predetermined area thereof has been traversed. A controller is operably coupled to the linear positioning device, stimulus source and the sensor for providing the overall control thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Inventor: James B. Colvin