Thermal Control of Electronics Testing Environments
Electronic components are performance tested after they are manufactured, often at high or low temperatures that represent the extremes of actual operating conditions. Packaged devices may be tested at temperatures as high as 150C and as low as -50C. These test conditions are established within a chip handling machine, which presents the component under test to an automatic tester that is itself at a temperature near ambient. The tolerance on the test temperature is tight, roughly 1C, and, moreover, it must be maintained while the component under test is in thermal communication with the tester. This project was aimed at developing design strategies for high accuracy thermal control of the components being tested. Sponsor: Teradyne and its subsidiaries.
Publications
M. Sweetland, J.H. Lienhard V, and A.H. Slocum, “A Convection/Radiation Temperature Control System for High Power Density Electronic Device Testings,” ASME J. Electronic Packaging, Vol.130, 2008, pg.0310123 (PDF file) (DOI)
C.C. Ritcher and J.H. Lienhard V, “Active Thermal Control of Distributed Parameter Systems Excited at Multiple Frequencies,” J. Heat Transfer, 128:93-99, 2006. (pdf) (DSPACE)
M. Sweetland and J.H. Lienhard V, “Active Thermal Control of Distributed Parameter Systems with Application to Testing of Packaged IC Devices,” J. Heat Transfer, Vol.125, No.1, pp. 164-174, 2003. (DOI) (DSPACE)
M. Sweetland and J.H. Lienhard V, “Rapid IR Heating of Electronic Components in the Test Cycle,” Proc. 35th Natl. Heat Transfer Conf., Anaheim CA, 10-12 June 2001. (preprint)
A.C. Pfahnl, J.H. Lienhard V, and A.H. Slocum, “Thermal Management and Control in Testing Integrated Circuit Devices,” Proc. 34th Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Vancouver BC, August 1999. (PDF file)
A.C. Pfahnl, J.H. Lienhard V, and A.H. Slocum, “Heat Transfer Enhancing Features for Handler Tray-type Device Carriers,” IEEE Trans. Components, Manufacturing, and Packaging, Part C: Manufacturing, Vol.120, No.4, 1998, pp.302-310. (open access)
A.C. Pfahnl, J.H. Lienhard V, and A.H. Slocum, “Temperature Control of a Handler Test Interface,” Proc. 1998 IEEE Intl. Test Conf., Washington DC, Oct.20-22, 1998, pp.114-118.
A.C. Pfahnl, J.H. Lienhard V, and A.H. Slocum, “Maximizing Handler Throughput with a Rib-Roughened Test Tray,” Proc. 1998 IEEE Intl. Test Conf., Washington DC, Oct.20-22, 1998, pp.109-113.
A.C. Pfahnl, J.H. Lienhard V, and A.H. Slocum, “Heat Transfer Enhancing Features for Semiconductor Carriers and Devices,” Intl. Patent #WO99/03130A1, 21 Jan. 1999; U.S. Patent #6036023, 14 March 2000; European Patent #EP00995226A1, 26 April 2000.
A.C. Pfahnl, J.H. Lienhard V, and D.J. Watson, “Method and Apparatus for Temperature Control of Semiconductor Electrical-Test Contactor Assembly,” U.S. Patent #6091062, 18 July 2000; Intl. Patents #WO99/382090A2, 29 July 1999, #WO99/382090A3, 23 Sept. 1999.
Spray Cooling for Glass Fiber Drawing
Glass fibers are used as reinforcement in structural plastics, fabrics, printed circuit boards, and many other products. Such fibers typically have diameters in the range of 10 to 50 µm. These fibers are manufactured by drawing them in bundles of several hundred from a pool of molten glass at fiber speeds of up to 100 m/s. The fibers are sprayed with water to enhance their cooling rates and impart desirable physical properties. This project was aimed at characterizing the spray cooling process. The performance of the spray nozzles was one issue. Another was the interaction of the sprays with the airflow induced by the fiber bundle. The effect of spray on the temperature profile of the fiber boundary layer, and thus the fiber cooling rate, is of ultimate importance. Experimental studies of these processes were used in the development of analytical models that predict the fiber temperature. These results can be used to optimize fiber cooling and drying. This work was sponsored by PPG Industries, Inc.
D. Xiong and J.H. Lienhard V, “An Experimental Study of the Cooling of a Thin Glass Fiber During the Formation Process” Expt. Heat Transfer, 17(1):31–46, 2004. (doi)(preprint)
M. Sweetland and J.H. Lienhard V, “Evaporative Cooling of Continuously Drawn Fibers by Water Sprays,” Intl. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 43:777-790, 2000. (doi)(DSPACE)
Thermal Control of a Planetary and Lunar Surface Exploration Micro-robot
A thermal control architecture design study was conducted for a novel robotic planetary and lunar surface exploration concept. The concept is based on the deployment of a large number of small spherical mobile robots over large areas, which employ hopping, bouncing and rolling as means of locomotion. The aim of the research is to prevent freezing and overheating of the robots, without compromising their mechanical and thermal reliability and stability. The proposed thermal control architecture relies on a low emissive silver surface coating and a low conductive silica aerogel insulation layer. This enables a single design to be used for several important potential explorations. The effects of a thermal control heat rejection mechanism, composed of a variable emittance coating and heat switch, are also studied in order to increase mission flexibility.
B.R. Burg, S. Dubowsky, J.H. Lienhard V, and D. Poulikakos, “Thermal Control Architecture for a Planetary and Lunar Surface Exploration Micro-robot,” 11th Conf. on Thermophysics Applications in Microgravity, Space Technology and Applications International Forum, Albuquerque, 11-15 Feb. 2007. (doi)(DSPACE)