Patent ID: 6480013
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
A method for calibrating an RF integrated circuit probe which comprises test tips laid out to correspond in their position to RF connection pads of integrated circuits to be tested comprising the steps of:providing standard circuits on a silicon wafer, said standard circuit comprising contact pads corresponding in die layout position to the RF connection pads of the integrated circuit to be tested so as to be compatible with the RF integrated circuit probe, said standard circuits having different characteristic impedances measurable from their contact pads; providing a measurement device for measuring the values of the characteristic impedances of said standard circuits; calibrating the measurement device by means of certified reference loads; measuring the values of the characteristic impedances of said standard circuits with the calibrated measurement device; recording the characteristic impedances of said standard circuits on a data recording medium; and then, later, calibrating the RF integrated circuit probe, the calibrating of the RF integrated circuit probe comprising a step of determining characteristics of RF transmission lines of the probe by means of a vector network analyzer and standard circuits and their characteristic impedances recorded on a data-recording medium.