High performance active temperature control of a device under test (DUT)

Semiconductor devices typically are tested a number of times during the manufacturing process. Temperature control of the devices under test (DUTs) is critical since the manufacturer needs to ensure the functionality and switching speed of a device over a specified temperature range. An additional challenge is posed in the burn-in portion of semiconductor test, where voltage acceleration dramatically increases device power dissipation. In this paper we describe an active thermal control system which is capable of controlling DUTs with very high power dissipation and has a fast dynamic response. Also described in this paper are a technique to control DUTs that do not have a temperature sensor and a method to determine the quality of the thermal interface between the test head and the DUT.