System for selecting high-reliability integrated circuits

Claim 1

A system for selecting high-reliabilit.y integrated circuits by thermal and dynamic treatment, comprising: means for receiving the integrated circuits to be selected wherein said integrated circuits are constructed of P different types with respect to the number of terminal pins and wherein said integrated circuits are accordingly arranged in P separate groups on said means for receiving; heat treatment means comprising a heat chamber in which said receiving means are disposed to provide a thermal treatment to said integrated circuits; dynamic treatment means for generating dynamic signals to be applied to said integrated circuits, said dynamic signals consisting of P distributions of dynamic signals for exciting separately said P groups by signals conventional to the types of integrated circuits of each of said groups respectively, said P distributions being provided successively such that only one group of integrated circuits is excited at each instant considered, said P distributions being repeated periodically so that each of said groups receives sequentially its distribution of dynamic signals at the rate of said periodic repetition, said dynamic treatment means comprising a power amplifier assembly having first inputs for receiving digital control signals, second inputs for receiving enabling signals and outputs connected to said P groups of integrated circuits respectively for transmitting said P distributions and said dynamic treatment further comprising a programmable processing unit PPU for generating said control signals and a demultiplexing circuit for generating said enabling signals wherein said programmable processing unit has first outputs connected to said first inputs of said amplifier assembly and second outputs connected to said demultiplexing circuit to address said demultiplexing circuit by address signals, said control and address signals being determined to provide said P successive distributions at said outputs during the length of each of said periods; direct current supplying means for producing a plurality of different d.c. supply of voltages for each of said P different types of integrated circuits, said voltages being transmitted periodically to each of said integrated circuits at the same rate as said dynamic signals in order to supply the type of integrated circuits excited at the instant considered with the voltage specified for said type and during a interval slightly longer and overlapping the time of application of the dynamic signal supplied to said type, and further wherein said supply means comprises a programmable supply which is addressed from the programming processing unit and having an output connected to a switching matrix also addressed from said programming processing unit and said supply further having outputs connected respectively to each of said integrated circuits of said different groups so as to distribute the corresponding voltages to each of said groups successively; and further wherein said integrated circuits have at least one of said terminal pins for receiving said supply voltage and a plurality of other terminal pins for receiving said dynamic signals with the maximum number N of said other of said pins determining the minimum number of said first inputs of said power amplifier assembly according to the different types of integrated circuits wherein said assembly comprises at least one set of N power amplifiers.

Claim 2

A system for selecting high-reliabilit.y integrated circuits by thermal and dynamic treatment, comprising: means for receiving the integrated circuits to be selected wherein said integrated circuits are constructed of P different types with respect to the number of terminal pins and wherein said integrated circuits are accordingly arranged in P separate groups on said means for receiving; heat treatment means comprising a heat chamber in which said receiving means are disposed to provide a thermal treatment to said integrated circuits; dynamic treatment means for generating dynamic signals to be applied to said integrated circuits, said dynamic signals consisting of P distributions of dynamic signals for exciting separately said P groups by signals conventional to the types of integrated circuits of each of said groups respectively, said P distributions being provided successively such that only one group of integrated circuits is excited at each instant considered, said P distributions being repeated periodically so that each of said groups receives sequentially its distribution of dynamic signals at the rate of said periodic repetition, said dynamic treatment means comprising a power amplifier assembly having first inputs for receiving digital control signals, second inputs for receiving enabling signals and outputs connected to said P groups of integrated circuits respectively for transmitting said P distributions and said dynamic treatment further comprising a programmable processing unit PPU for generating said control signals and a demultiplexing circuit for generating said enabling signals wherein said programmable processing unit has first outputs connected to said first inputs of said amplifier assembly and second outputs connected to said demultiplexing circuit to address said demultiplexing circuit by address signals, said control and address signals being determined to provide said P successive distributions at said outputs during the length of each of said periods; direct current supplying means for producing a plurality of different d.c. supply of voltages for each of said P different types of integrated circuits, said voltages being transmitted periodically to each of said integrated circuits at the same rate as said dynamic signals in order to supply the type of integrated circuits excited at the instant considered with the voltage specified for said type and during a interval slightly longer and overlapping the time of application of the dynamic signal supplied to said type, and further wherein said supply means comprises a programmable supply which is addressed from the programming processing unit and having an output connected to a switching matrix also addressed from said programming processing unit and said supply further having outputs connected respectively to each of said integrated circuits of said different groups so as to distribute the corresponding voltages to each of said groups successively; and further wherein said integrated circuits have at least one of said terminal pins for receiving said supply voltage and a plurality of other terminal pins for receiving said dynamic signals with the maximum number N of said other of said pins determining the minimum number of said first inputs of said power amplifier assembly according to the different types of integrated circuits wherein said assembly comprises at least one set of N power amplifiers.

Claim 11

A system according to any one of claims 1, 4, 7 wherein the processing unit is connected to the amplifiers by means of a high memory-capacity process for carrying out the generation of sequences of stimuli during burn-in testing of the integrated circuits wherein said stimuli is programmed by said processing unit prior to the process of burn-in testing of said integrated circuits.