International Business Machines Corporation

Atg Test Systems Gmbh & Co. Kg

Roland R Stoehr

Johann Greschner

Thomas Bayer

Johann W Bartha

Dieter P Kern

Gerhard Elsner

Volker Mattern

Klaus Meissner

Manfred Prokopp

Frank Druschke

Werner Steiner

Bernd Marquart

Rudolf Kratt

Wolfram Brandt

The invention relates to a contact probe arrangement for electrically connecting a test system with contact pads of a device to be tested. The contact probes are located in guide grooves. The guide grooves as well as areas are provided in a plane parallel to the surface of a guide plate and are covered by a protective plate. The contact probes may bend out laterally into the respective areas. This assures a very dense contact probe array. Contact probe arrays of this type may be used, for example, for detecting opens and shorts in integrated circuits or semiconductor chips. The invention overcomes the problem of adjusting for height differences in the contact pads caused by an uneven surface of the device to be tested.

Contact probe arrangement

The invention relates to a finger tester probe including a probe element for electrically contacting a contact point of a circuit board under test, an actuator including a permanently premagnetized core and a solenoid element. The solenoid element is shiftingly arranged on the permanently premagnetized core and is mechanically connected to the probe element. Upon being energized, the solenoid element is moved together with the probe element. Since in accordance with the invention a movable part of the actuator is not mechanically connected to a fixed part of the actuator, the test probe which is attached to the movable part is able to bring the probe element into contact with a contact point of a circuit board under test at high speed.

Finger tester probe

A contact probe arrangement for electrical functional testing, including a first stack of perforated plates, a second stack of perforated plates and a plurality of contact probes. The probes are in contact with the second stack of perforated plates, and in communication with the first stack, the probes are arranged and dimensioned such that the probes are capable of lateral buckling and capable of being guided through the first stack. The contact probe arrangement also includes a test card, a counterholding piece attached to the test card, and a pressure plate, the pressure plate movably connected to the test card. The first perforated plate is connected to the second perforated plate such that the first perforated plate is capable of movement toward and away from the second perforated plate and the second perforated plate is connected to the first perforated plate such that the second perforated plate is capable of movement toward and away from the first perforated plate.

Contact probe arrangement for functional electrical testing

The invention relates to an adhesive bond 1 for a plurality of densely packed elements 4a, 4b, 4c guided into a plate pack 3. At the plate surface 2 with the adhesive bond 1 the guidance holes 5a are made larger than the guidance holes 5b in the remainder of the plate pack (3) and the adhesive bond is effected by means of a highly viscous adhesive. Because of the larger opening 5a, an adhesive reservoir 10 is formed at the plate surface 2. This makes it possible to use high viscosity adhesives. The geometric features and the use of a highly viscous adhesive make it possible to manufacture durable and heat-resistant adhesive bonds for elements such as wires, glass fibers or micromechanical components.

Adhesive bond for densely ordered elements

Disclosed is a high speed coaxial contact and signal transmission element which comprises an inner conductor element 1, an outer conductor element 6 and a dielectric area 4 between the inner conductor element 1 and the outer conductor element 6. The inner conductor element 1 is a continuous element and consists of a core 2 of hardened conductive material exhibiting good elastic properties surrounded by a metal shell 3. A filament 5 of low dielectric constant material is wrapped around the inner conductor element 1 and fixed on the surface of the inner conductor element 1. The outer conductor element 6 consists of a metal shield. These high speed coaxial contact and signal transmission elements are used for the transmission of high speed electrical signals in high density fashion and for contacting and testing electrical devices with minimal dimensions.

High speed coaxial contact and signal transmission element

A buckling beam test probe assembly for the electrical test of integrated circuit devices is provided having contact probes made of a composite material and a stripper plate constructed so as to allow scrubbing and controllable wiping of the contact probe on the surface of the device to be tested. The assembly is designed for the maximum number of expected contact probes. Only the contact probe compartments which are needed for testing the devices are populated.

Buckling beam test probe assembly

Disclosed is a vacuum reactor for etching substrates having a low thermal conductivity to a high degree of etch rate uniformity, wherein the substrates to be etched are arranged in a holder at a predetermined spacing from the cathode to which RF energy is applied. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cathode is raised in the area of the substrate to be etched to within a spacing of about 0.2 mm from the bottom side of the substrate. The cathode is made of aluminium, and is provided in the area of the substrate to be etched with a layer which acts as a black radiator. The heat formed during RIE is removed by radiation, and the radiation reflected from the cathode to the substrate is absorbed by the layer. Also disclosed is a method of etching substrates having a low thermal conductivity, in particular plastic substrates.

Apparatus for plasma or reactive ion etching and method of etching

Method of etching substrates having a low thermal conductivity

A contact probe assembly is described comprising a motor-driven fine positioning means. The fine positioning means permits the contact probe assembly to move in two directions X and Y which are perpendicular to each other. For positioning several contact probe assemblies, provided with fine positioning means, closely adjacent to each other, the longitudinal axis of each fine positioning means extends perpendicularly to the plane defined by the X and the Y direction. An electromotor is provided for either direction of movement. In one embodiment, fine positioning in either direction is effected by a perpendicularly arranged hollow shaft, the lower end of which is eccentrically shaped, reciprocally moving a carrier slide which is permanently connected to the contact probe assembly. The hollow shaft for moving the contact probe assembly in the Y direction is arranged inside the hollow shaft for movement in the X direction. The travel performed is detected by sensors. In a second embodiment, the contact probe assembly is fine positioned by means of wedges, two of which connected to each other by a seesaw, rest on opposite surfaces of a quadrangular pyramid frustrum which is permanently connected to the contact probe assembly. The up and down movement of the wedges fine positions the contact probe assembly in the X and the Y direction, respectively.

Growing community of inventors

Nufringen, Germany

Roland R Stoehr