Radio frequency probing apparatus for surface acoustic wave devices

Claim 2

Radio frequency wafer probe card apparatus for surface acoustic wave device die having a plurality of radio frequency input and output port pads of differing time delay value comprising: electrode means, including a plurality of spring loaded die contact fingers suspended on individual mounting arms around an aperture in said probe card and having coplanar contact ends located in coincidence with the distribution of said pads on said die, said contact fingers including ground connected fingers for each of said radio frequency ports and ground connected intermediate members located between adjacent radio frequency port fingers, for conducting radio frequency signals into and away from said surface acoustic wave device die with minimal stray radio frequency coupling; radio freqeuncy switching means, including a plurality of semiconductor elements located adjacent said mounting arms and responsive to a plurality of external control signals, said semiconductor element being connected between each of said radio frequency output port mounting arms and an adjacent output bus, for selectively connecting one of said surface acoustic wave device output ports of selected time delay value with said output bus; radio frequency conductor means, including transmission lines connecting said output bus and said input port with external signal apparatus and also including transmission line terminating and impedance matching elements located adjacent said mounting arms, for conveying radio frequency signals to and away from probed surface acoustic wave die.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said semiconductor elements comprise semiconductor diodes and wherein said apparatus includes binary signal means for forward biasing a selected one of said diodes and conducting radio frequency signal from a selected output port to said output bus.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 further including a plurality of ground connected fingers connectable with a common ground bar on said surface acoustic wave die.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 further including mechanical drive means for positioning said surface acoustic wave die along x, y and z axes with respect to said contact ends.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said transmission lines are of the coaxial line type and wherein the exterior conductors of said coaxial lines are connected with said ground connected fingers.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said transmission line terminating and matching elements include inductive and capacitative reactive elements.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said drive means includes means for driving said die pads against said spring loaded contact ends for a distance exceeding three milli-inches.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said distance is four milli-inches.

Claim 10

Apparatus for testing wafers containing a plurality of wafer mounted surface acoustic wave delay line circuits each having a plurality of output signal ports comprising: signal source means for supplying pulse modulated radio frequency electrical signals capable of delay evaluation and amplitude evaluation of said delay line circuits; means, synchronized with said signal source means, for measuring radio frequency electrical output signals received from a tested surface acoustic wave delay line circuit for predetermined signal magnitude and signal delay time characteristics; probe contactor means for communicating radio frequency input and output signals between said source and measuring means and a sequential plurality of said delay line circuits on a tested wafer; signal commutating means located adjacent said wafer and said contactor means for connecting said means for measuring with a sequential plurality of said output signal ports on a tested delay line circuit; and control means for initiating test events in said apparatus and communicating predetermined test parameters to said means for measuring.

Claim 11

Apparatus for testing wafers containing a plurality of wafer mounted surface acoustic wave delay line circuits each having a plurality of output signal ports comprising: signal source means for supplying pulse modulated radio frequency electrical signals capable of delay evaluation and amplitude evaluation of said delay line circuits; means, synchronized with said signal source means, for measuring radio frequency electrical output signals received from a tested surface acoustic wave delay line circuit for predetermined signal magnitude and signal delay time characteristics; probe contactor means for communicating radio frequency input and output signals between said source and measuring means and a sequential plurality of said delay line circuits on a tested wafer; signal commutating means located adjacent said wafer and said contactor means for connecting said means for measuring with a sequential plurality of said output signal ports on a tested delay line circuit; and control means for initiating test events in said apparatus and communicating predetermined test parameters to said means for measuring.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said probe contactor means further includes means for connecting a plurality of ground connected electrodes to a tested delay line circuit.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said probe contactor means includes drive means capable of positioning tested delay line circuits on said wafer with respect to a set of probe contact fingers by movements along a plurality of coordinate axes.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said signal commutating means includes a plurality of semiconductor switching elements connected between said output signal ports and a signal bus.

Claim 15

The apparaus of claim 12 wherein said signal measuring means includes an oscilloscope having a programmable measurement limit input.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said control means includes means for supplying predetermined limit value data to said programmable measurement input of said oscilloscope.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said control means includes a programmed digital computer.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 15 further including inking means for marking defective circuits on a tested wafer with visually discernible indicia.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said controlled carrier radio frequency signals are swept in carrier frequency about a predetermined center frequency.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said controlled carrier radio frequency signal and discrete carrier frequencies are within a predetermined band of frequencies.

Claim 21

Apparatus for the radio frequency testing of wafer mounted surface acoustic wave delay line circuit die each having a radio frequency input port and a plurality of radio frequency output ports which include a grounded port pad and an active port pad for each port, comprising: signal source means for supplying pulsed swept carrier radio frequency electrical signals capable of delay characterization and frequency response characterizations of said delay line circuits; a probe card member including a plurality of spring loaded pad contacting fingers suspended on individual mounting arms through an aperture in said probe card, said contact fingers including signal conducting fingers for each of said active pads and ground connected fingers for each of said grounded pads and ground connected shield members located between adjacent active pad arms; radio frequency switching means including a plurality of semiconductor switching elements responsive to switching control signals and connected between each of said output port active pad signal conducting fingers and an output signal bus for selectively connecting one of said output ports with said signal bus; means for measuring radio frequency output signals received from the output ports of a tested die and comparing said signals with predetermined limit values; signal transmission means including terminating and matching elements connected with said input port active pad finger and with said signal bus for communicating radio frequency signals with said tested die from said signal source means and said means for measuring respectively; control means for generating said output port selecting switching control signals and for initiating measuring events in said means for measuring.

Claim 22

Apparatus for the radio frequency testing of wafer mounted surface acoustic wave delay line circuit die each having a radio frequency input port and a plurality of radio frequency output ports which include a grounded port pad and an active port pad for each port, comprising: signal source means for supplying pulsed swept carrier radio frequency electrical signals capable of delay characterization and frequency response characterizations of said delay line circuits; a probe card member including a plurality of spring loaded pad contacting fingers suspended on individual mounting arms through an aperture in said probe card, said contact fingers including signal conducting fingers for each of said active pads and ground connected fingers for each of said grounded pads and ground connected shield members located between adjacent active pad arms; radio frequency switching means including a plurality of semiconductor switching elements responsive to switching control signals and connected between each of said output port active pad signal conducting fingers and an output signal bus for selectively connecting one of said output ports with said signal bus; means for measuring radio frequency output signals received from the output ports of a tested die and comparing said signals with predetermined limit values; signal transmission means including terminating and matching elements connected with said input port active pad finger and with said signal bus for communicating radio frequency signals with said tested die from said signal source means and said means for measuring respectively; control means for generating said output port selecting switching control signals and for initiating measuring events in said means for measuring.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said control means further includes means for communicating said predetermined limit values to said means for measuring.