Thermal solution for massively parallel testing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11940487-B2
Application number	US-202318094899-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2023
Priority date	Oct 1, 2020
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

An apparatus for thermal control of a device under test (DUT) includes a cooling structure operable to provide cooling, the cooling structure operable to inlet cooling material via an inlet port thereof and operable to outlet cooling material via an outlet port thereof, a variable thermal conductance material (VTCM) layer disposed on a surface of the cooling structure, and a heater layer operable to generate heat based on an electronic control, and wherein the VTCM layer is operable to transfer cooling from the cooling structure to the heater layer. A thermal interface material layer is disposed on the heater layer. The thermal interface material layer is operable to provide thermal coupling and mechanical compliance with respect to the DUT. The apparatus includes a compression mechanism for providing compression to the VTCM layer to vary a thermal conductance of the VTCM layer. The compression mechanism is also for decoupling the VTCM layer from the heater layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for thermal control of a device under test (DUT), the apparatus comprising:
a cooling structure operable to provide cooling, said cooling structure operable to inlet cooling material via an inlet port thereof and operable to outlet cooling material via an outlet port thereof;
a variable thermal conductance material (VTCM) layer disposed on a surface of said cooling structure;
a heater layer operable to generate heat based on an electronic control, and wherein said VTCM layer is operable to transfer cooling from said cooling structure to said heater layer;
a thermal interface material layer disposed on said heater layer, and operable to provide thermal coupling and mechanical compliance with respect to said DUT; and
a compression mechanism for providing compression to said VTCM layer to vary a thermal conductance of said VTCM layer.

2. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein a temperature of said thermal interface material layer is controlled by varying said electronic control to said heater layer and further by varying an amount of compression applied to said VTCM layer from said compression mechanism.

3. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said compression mechanism comprises a plunger that is pneumatically controlled.

4. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said VTCM layer comprises a material that varies in thermal conductance responsive to compression thereof.

5. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said cooling material is a cooling liquid.

6. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said heater layer comprises a ceramic heater layer.

7. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said heater layer comprises an aluminum nitride layer.

8. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said thermal interface material layer comprises one of: indium; and graphite.

9. An apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein said thermal interface material layer comprises an integrated temperature sensor.

10. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said DUT is a packaged memory device.

11. An apparatus for thermal control of an electronic device under test (DUT), the apparatus comprising:
a cooling structure operable to provide cooling and comprising an inlet port and an outlet port, said cooling structure operable to inlet cooling liquid via the inlet port thereof and operable to outlet cooling liquid via the outlet port;
a variable thermal conductance material (VTCM) layer disposed on a surface of said cooling structure, wherein a thermal conductance characteristic of said VTCM varies with compression thereof;
a heater layer operable to generate heat based on an electronic control signal, and wherein said VTCM layer is operable to transfer cooling from said cooling structure to said heater layer;
a thermal interface material layer disposed on said heater layer, wherein said thermal interface material layer is operable to provide thermal coupling and mechanical compliance with respect to said DUT; and
a compression mechanism for providing compression to said VTCM layer to vary said thermal conductance characteristic thereof.

12. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein a temperature of said thermal interface material layer is controlled by varying said electronic control to said heater layer and further by varying an amount of compression applied to said VTCM layer from said compression mechanism.

13. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said compression mechanism is a plunger that is pneumatically controlled.

14. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said heater layer comprises a ceramic heater layer.

15. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said heater layer comprises an aluminum nitride layer.

16. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said thermal interface material layer comprises one of: indium; and graphite.

17. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said thermal interface material layer comprises an integrated temperature sensor.

18. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said DUT is a packaged memory device.

19. An apparatus for performing thermal control and testing of a device under test (DUT), the apparatus comprising:
a cooling structure operable to provide cooling;
a variable thermal conductance material (VTCM) layer disposed on a surface of said cooling structure, wherein a thermal conductance characteristic of said VTCM varies with compression thereof;
a heater layer operable to generate heat based on an electronic control, and wherein said VTCM layer is operable to transfer cooling from said cooling structure to said heater layer;
a thermal interface material layer disposed on said heater layer, wherein said thermal interface material layer is operable to provide thermal coupling and mechanical compliance with respect to said DUT;
a computer system for implementing a method of testing said DUT, said method comprising:
applying input test signals to DUT; and
retrieving output signals from said DUT responsive to said input test signals.

20. An apparatus as described in claim 19 wherein said thermal interface material layer further comprises an integrated temperature sensor; and
the method further comprises varying a temperature of said DUT by varying said electronic control to said heater layer and further by varying an amount of compression applied to said VTCM layer, both responsive to said integrated temperature sensor.

Assignees

• Advantest Test Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Kabbani Samer
• Yamashita Kazuyuki
• Hiroki Ikeda
• Leventhal Ira
• Ghazvini Mohammad
• Ferrari Paul
• Ranganathan Karthik
• Cruzan Gregory
• Oseguera Gilberto

Classifications

• G01R31/2891 Primary

  related to sensing or controlling of force, position, temperature (G01R31/2874 takes precedence; sensing of force G01L; sensing of position G01B, G01D; sensing of temperature G01K; controlling in general G05) · CPC title

• G01R31/2875

  related to heating · CPC title

• G01R31/2877 Primary

  related to cooling · CPC title

• G01R31/2889

  Interfaces, e.g. between probe and tester (G01R31/31905 and G01R1/07364 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01R31/2868

  Complete testing stations; systems; procedures; software aspects · CPC title