Patent ID: 8368413

Claim:
A method for testing a plurality of electronic components ( 1 ) of a repetitive pattern under defined thermal conditions in a prober, which has a chuck ( 10 ) for holding the plurality of electronic components ( 1 ) and probe holders ( 15 ) for holding individual probes ( 12 ) having corresponding probe tips ( 13 ), wherein the plurality of electronic components ( 1 ) have contact islands ( 3 ) for contacting the plurality of electronic components by means of the probes ( 12 ), the method comprising: setting the plurality of the electronic components ( 1 ) to a defined temperature; positioning the probes ( 12 ) and a first electronic component ( 1 ) of the plurality of electronic components relative to one another by means of at least one positioning apparatus; subsequently contacting the contact islands ( 3 ) of the first electronic component ( 1 ) by the probes ( 12 ); testing the first electronic component ( 1 ); and following this, repeating the positioning and the contacting of the plurality of electronic components of the repetitive pattern and testing for a second electronic component ( 1 ) of the plurality of electronic components, wherein the repeating is characterized in that positioning and contacting of the second electronic component ( 1 ) is conducted by: conducting a first positioning step, which jointly relates to all of the probes ( 12 ), into an intermediate position, as a result of which the second electronic component ( 1 ) is situated in a work region ( 4 ), in which the contacting will take place, and is situated at a defined distance below probe tips ( 13 ); correcting a position of each individual probe tip ( 13 ) to a position of a corresponding contact island ( 3 ) of the second electronic component ( 1 ) to be contacted by the respective probe tip ( 13 ) by means of separate manipulators that are associated with each probe ( 12 ) such that each probe tip ( 13 ) is situated over the corresponding contact island ( 3 ) of the second electronic component ( 1 ); and contacting the probe tips ( 13 ) with the contact islands ( 3 ) of the second electronic component by means of a feed motion between all of the probe tips ( 13 ) and the second electronic component.