Patent ID: 7723981

Claim:
A method for transferring test trays in a side-docking type test handler, the method comprising the steps of: (a) transferring a test tray in a horizontal posture from a loading unit to a test chamber via a soak chamber after semiconductor devices are loaded there on, wherein the horizontal posture of the test tray is changed to a vertical posture at a point while it is transferred; (b) vertically arranging in three rows three test trays sequentially transferred to the test chamber in the step (a); (c) transferring the three test trays vertically arranged in the three rows in the step (b) to a test position; (d) transferring each of the three test trays from the test chamber to an unloading unit via a desoak chamber after a test for semiconductor devices loaded on the three test trays is completed, wherein the vertical posture of the test tray is changed to the horizontal posture at a point while it is transferred; and (e) transferring each of the test trays transferred to the unloading unit in the step (d) to the loading unit after the semiconductor devices are unloaded therefrom, wherein the step (a) includes the steps of: (a1) transferring the test tray in the horizontal posture from the loading unit into the soak chamber; (a2) changing the horizontal posture of the test tray transferred into the soak chamber in the step (a1) to the vertical posture; (a3) lowering the test tray in the vertical posture obtained in the step (a2) downward to a predetermined position; and (a4) translating the test tray moved downward to the predetermined position in the step (a3) to the test chamber; and wherein in the step (a4), the test tray is translated to a middle position of the test chamber, and in the step (b), the three test trays sequentially translated to the test chamber in the step (a4) are arranged at an upper, a lower and the middle position in that order or at the lower, the upper and the middle position in that order.