Patent ID: 8314626

Claim:
A cartridge for testing integrated circuits on a wafer, the wafer having a wafer front surface with a plurality of terminals of the integrated circuits, wherein the cartridge includes a probe card having a card front surface with a plurality of probes for contacting the terminals of the integrated circuits electrically and a card back surface opposite the card front surface, and locking means for locking the wafer on the probe card, the locking means including at least one through-hole crossing the probe card from the card front surface to the card back surface, sealing means arranged on the card front surface around the probes and the at least one through-hole, a substantially airtight chamber being defined by the probe card, the sealing means and the wafer when the wafer front surface abuts against the sealing means, and coupling means arranged on the card back surface for coupling the cartridge with pneumatic means for creating a depression in the chamber by removing air from the chamber through the at least one through-hole and for sealing the airtight chamber when the cartridge is decoupled from the pneumatic means.