The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 19, 1996
Filed:
Jul. 15, 1994
David B Swarbrick, Mission Viejo, CA (US);
Jack H Pike, Dana Point, CA (US);
Hughes Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A membrane test probe (10) for use in testing integrated circuit chips (50) has a thin flexible membrane (30) bearing test contacts (40,42) that is stretched across an opening of a rigid-flex substrate (12). The membrane is manufactured with uniform radial tension by a lamination fixture having a steel pressure plate (76) that includes an annular groove (78). A high temperature O-ring (80) is positioned in the groove against the radially inner wall (82) of the groove with the radially outer wall of the groove being displaced from the outer part of the O-ring. The O-ring has a thickness greater than the depth of the groove and when the steel pressure plate is pressed against the membrane to press it against its substrate the O-ring pushes a portion (92) of the membrane into a shallow groove (16) in the substrate and deforms radially outwardly. As the O-ring deforms radially outwardly, it exerts a radially outwardly directed tension on the membrane which is cured in this radially stretched condition.