Quartus Engineering

Motivation

Delta Design manufactures and runs "pick-and-place" handlers that test large volumes of semiconductor devices ("devices under test," or DUTs) for failure at hot and cold temperature extremes. These machines, like the MATRiX handler, very efficiently arrange, heat (or chill), test and then sort up to sixteen thousand DUTs per hour. The devices are moved around within the machine on aluminum plates, called kit plates, which are designed to fit a specific arrangement and type of DUT. These kit plates can be removed and replaced with another plate which handles a different DUT size and configuration. All these plates secure to a permanent plate, called the shuttle, which transfers heat to or from the kit plate before testing. Certain DUTs are incompatible with the testing device inside the MATRiX, and a new shuttle is required that can rotate each of the DUTs so each will match its designated testing site. Due to the volume of devices to be tested and because of the temperature extremes inside the MATRiX, the rotator kit plate must be designed with precision and finesse. Delta Design has previously contracted Quartus Engineering to create the initial prototype and continues to work in parallel with the UCSD design team to come up with new solutions. The initial prototype had a robust design in terms of getting each puck to the right angle, but its shortcomings included poor heat conduction to the top surface of the plate and significant mechanical wear. The results of the original prototype, good and bad, have been considered and have helped inspire the next iteration of the 90° MATRiX Part Rotator!