Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080252325 | Vertical probe array arranged to provide space transformation - Improved probing of closely spaced contact pads is provided by an array of vertical probes having all of the probe tips aligned along a single contact line, while the probe bases are arranged in an array having two or more rows parallel to the contact line. With this arrangement of probes, the probe base thickness can be made greater than the contact pad spacing along the contact line, thereby advantageously increasing the lateral stiffness of the probes. The probe tip thickness is less than the contact pad spacing, so probes suitable for practicing the invention have a wide base section and a narrow tip section. | 10-16-2008 |
20080265873 | Low profile probe having improved mechanical scrub and reduced contact inductance - A vertically folded probe is provided that can provide improved scrub performance in cases where the probe height is limited. More specifically, such a probe includes a base and a tip, and an arm extending from the base to the tip as a single continuous member. The probe arm is vertically folded, such that it includes three or more vertical arm portions. The vertical arm portions have substantial vertical overlap, and are laterally displaced from each other. When such a probe is vertically brought down onto a device under test, the probe deforms. During probe deformation, at least two of the vertical arm portions come into contact with each other. Such contact between the arm portions can advantageously increase the lateral scrub motion at the probe tip, and can also advantageously reduce the probe inductance. | 10-30-2008 |
20090102495 | Vertical guided probe array providing sideways scrub motion - Improved probing of closely spaced contact pads is provided by an array of guided vertical probes that has a sideways scrub relative to the line of contact pads. With this orientation of scrub motion, the probes can be relatively thin along the contact line, and relatively thick perpendicular to the contact line. The thin dimension of the probes allows for probing closely spaced contact pads, while the thick dimension of the probes provides mechanical robustness and current carrying capacity. The probes have a predetermined curvature in a plane including the contact line, to help determine the amount of scrub motion during contact. In a preferred embodiment, an array of probes is provided for probing two closely spaced and parallel rows of contact pads, offset from each other by half the contact pad pitch. | 04-23-2009 |
20090201041 | Vertical Probe Array Arranged to Provide Space Transformation - Improved probing of closely spaced contact pads is provided by an array of vertical probes having all of the probe tips aligned along a single contact line, while the probe bases are arranged in an array having two or more rows parallel to the contact line. With this arrangement of probes, the probe base thickness can be made greater than the contact pad spacing along the contact line, thereby advantageously increasing the lateral stiffness of the probes. The probe tip thickness is less than the contact pad spacing, so probes suitable for practicing the invention have a wide base section and a narrow tip section. | 08-13-2009 |
20090293274 | Probe bonding method having improved control of bonding material - In assembly of probe arrays for electrical test, a problem can arise where a bonding agent undesirably wicks between probes. According to embodiments of the invention, this wicking problem is alleviated by disposing an anti-wicking agent on a surface of the probe assembly such that wicking of the bonding agent along the probes toward the probe tips is hindered. The anti-wicking agent can be a solid powder, a liquid, or a gel. Once probe assembly fabrication is complete, the anti-wicking agent is removed. In preferred embodiments, a template plate is employed to hold the probe tips in proper position during fabrication. In this manner, undesirable bending of probes caused by introduction or removal of the anti-wicking agent can be reduced or eliminated. | 12-03-2009 |
20100109691 | Low Profile Probe Having Improved Mechanical Scrub and Reduced Contact Inductance - A vertically folded probe is provided that can provide improved scrub performance in cases where the probe height is limited. More specifically, such a probe includes a base and a tip, and an arm extending from the base to the tip as a single continuous member. The probe arm is vertically folded, such that it includes three or more vertical arm portions. The vertical arm portions have substantial vertical overlap, and are laterally displaced from each other. When such a probe is vertically brought down onto a device under test, the probe deforms. During probe deformation, at least two of the vertical arm portions come into contact with each other. Such contact between the arm portions can advantageously increase the lateral scrub motion at the probe tip, and can also advantageously reduce the probe inductance. | 05-06-2010 |
20100176832 | Vertical Guided Layered Probe - The present invention is a set of layered probes that make electrical contact to a device under test. The layered probes are disposed within openings of at least one guide plate. The guide plate surrounds the probes via the openings. | 07-15-2010 |
20100182030 | Knee Probe Having Reduced Thickness Section for Control of Scrub Motion - An improved knee probe for probing electrical devices and circuits is provided. The improved knee probe has a reduced thickness section to alter the mechanical behavior of the probe when contact is made. The reduced thickness section of the probe makes it easier to deflect the probe vertically when contact is made. This increased ease of vertical deflection tends to reduce the horizontal contact force component responsible for the scrub motion, thereby decreasing scrub length. Here “thickness” is the probe thickness in the deflection plane of the probe (i.e., the plane in which the probe knee lies). The reduced thickness probe section provides increased design flexibility for controlling scrub motion, especially in combination with other probe parameters affecting the scrub motion. | 07-22-2010 |
20100182031 | Layered Probes With Core - The present invention is a probe for testing an electrical device under test comprising a core layer that is highly conductive. | 07-22-2010 |
20100289512 | PROBES WITH OFFSET ARM AND SUSPENSION STRUCTURE - A probe having a conductive body and a contacting tip that is terminated by one or more blunt skates for engaging a conductive pad of a device under test (DUT) for performing electrical testing. The contacting tip has a certain width and the blunt skate is narrower than the tip width. The skate is aligned along a scrub direction and also has a certain curvature along the scrub direction such that it may undergo both a scrub motion and a self-cleaning rotation upon application of a contact force between the skate and the conductive pad. While the scrub motion clears oxide from the pad to establish electrical contact, the rotation removes debris from the skate and thus preserves a low contact resistance between the skate and the pad. The use of probes with one or more blunt skates and methods of using such self-cleaning probes are especially advantageous when testing DUTs with low-K conductive pads or other mechanically fragile pads that tend to be damaged by large contact force concentration. | 11-18-2010 |
20110006796 | PROBE RETENTION ARRANGEMENT - A retention arrangement that includes one or more templates for securing and aligning probes for testing a device under test. | 01-13-2011 |
20110062978 | MULTIPLE CONTACT PROBES - The present invention is a probe array for testing an electrical device under test comprising one or more ground/power probes and one or more signal probes and optionally a gas flow apparatus. | 03-17-2011 |
20110273198 | LOW PROFILE PROBE HAVING IMPROVED MECHANICAL SCRUB AND REDUCED CONTACT INDUCTANCE - A vertically folded probe is provided that can provide improved scrub performance in cases where the probe height is limited. More specifically, such a probe includes a base and a tip, and an arm extending from the base to the tip as a single continuous member. The probe arm is vertically folded, such that it includes three or more vertical arm portions. The vertical arm portions have substantial vertical overlap, and are laterally displaced from each other. When such a probe is vertically brought down onto a device under test, the probe deforms. During probe deformation, at least two of the vertical arm portions come into contact with each other. Such contact between the arm portions can advantageously increase the lateral scrub motion at the probe tip, and can also advantageously reduce the probe inductance. | 11-10-2011 |
20110273199 | VERTICAL PROBE ARRAY ARRANGED TO PROVIDE SPACE TRANSFORMATION - Improved probing of closely spaced contact pads is provided by an array of vertical probes having all of the probe tips aligned along a single contact line, while the probe bases are arranged in an array having two or more rows parallel to the contact line. With this arrangement of probes, the probe base thickness can be made greater than the contact pad spacing along the contact line, thereby advantageously increasing the lateral stiffness of the probes. The probe tip thickness is less than the contact pad spacing, so probes suitable for practicing the invention have a wide base section and a narrow tip section. | 11-10-2011 |
20120194212 | Fine pitch guided vertical probe array having enclosed probe flexures - Probes suitable for use with densely packed fine-pitch 2-D contact arrays are provided by use of an electrically insulating guide plate in connection with vertical probes, where the vertical probes have probe flexures that are either vertically folded sections, or coils having a horizontal axis. Preferably, the probes are configured such that the probe flexures are inside the guide plate holes, and the parts of the probes extending past the guide plate are relatively rigid. This configuration alleviates problems associate with probe shorting, because the probe flexures are enclosed by the guide plate holes, and are therefore unable to come into contact with flexures from other probes during probing. | 08-02-2012 |
20120286816 | PROBES WITH HIGH CURRENT CARRYING CAPABILITY AND LASER MACHINING METHODS - The present invention is a probe having a distal end made of one material, a tip and a portion disposed between the distal end and the tip that is a different second material. The probe is laser machined manufactured using a nanosecond or picosecond laser. | 11-15-2012 |
20120313621 | PROBE BONDING METHOD HAVING IMPROVED CONTROL OF BONDING MATERIAL - In assembly of probe arrays for electrical test, a problem can arise where a bonding agent undesirably wicks between probes. According to embodiments of the invention, this wicking problem is alleviated by disposing an anti-wicking agent on a surface of the probe assembly such that wicking of the bonding agent along the probes toward the probe tips is hindered. The anti-wicking agent can be a solid powder, a liquid, or a gel. Once probe assembly fabrication is complete, the anti-wicking agent is removed. In preferred embodiments, a template plate is employed to hold the probe tips in proper position during fabrication. In this manner, undesirable bending of probes caused by introduction or removal of the anti-wicking agent can be reduced or eliminated. | 12-13-2012 |
20120313660 | PROBES WITH OFFSET ARM AND SUSPENSION STRUCTURE - A probe having a conductive body and a contacting tip that is terminated by one or more blunt skates for engaging a conductive pad of a device under test (DUT) for performing electrical testing. The contacting tip has a certain width and the blunt skate is narrower than the tip width. The skate is aligned along a scrub direction and also has a certain curvature along the scrub direction such that it may undergo both a scrub motion and a self-cleaning rotation upon application of a contact force between the skate and the conductive pad. While the scrub motion clears oxide from the pad to establish electrical contact, the rotation removes debris from the skate and thus preserves a low contact resistance between the skate and the pad. The use of probes with one or more blunt skates and methods of using such self-cleaning probes are especially advantageous when testing DUTs with low-K conductive pads or other mechanically fragile pads that tend to be damaged by large contact force concentration. | 12-13-2012 |
20130093450 | VERTICAL PROBE ARRAY ARRANGED TO PROVIDE SPACE TRANSFORMATION - Improved probing of closely spaced contact pads is provided by an array of vertical probes having all of the probe tips aligned along a single contact line, while the probe bases are arranged in an array having two or more rows parallel to the contact line. With this arrangement of probes, the probe base thickness can be made greater than the contact pad spacing along the contact line, thereby advantageously increasing the lateral stiffness of the probes. The probe tip thickness is less than the contact pad spacing, so probes suitable for practicing the invention have a wide base section and a narrow tip section. | 04-18-2013 |
20140043054 | VERTICAL PROBES FOR MULTI-PITCH FULL GRID CONTACT ARRAY - A testing method (and the probes used) comprising providing one or more probes each comprising: a body portion which is substantially straight; an extended portion extending from the body portion and comprising at least two separate probe portions; and a tip portion at the opposite end of the extended portion; and contacting an object to be tested with the one or more probes. | 02-13-2014 |
20140044985 | PROBE FABRICATION USING COMBINED LASER AND MICRO-FABRICATION TECHNOLOGIES - A method of making a probe (and the resulting probe) comprising providing a metal foil, creating a tip on an edge of the foil, and laser cutting a body of the probe from the foil with one or more tips at an end of the body. | 02-13-2014 |