Method of making spring probe with piloted and headed contact

Abstract

Testing probes in a testing apparatus are supported in a unitary structure to provide rigidity of the supports for the probes in testing. The spring probes have a contact head at the distal end from the probe tip with a set of antirotation tabs which lock in a cooperating antirotation slot in the probe guide. The contact head has a cone-shaped pilot at its tip which is engaged with a gold-plated contact spring. The inner diameter is integrally in contact with the pilot by mechanical engagement or bonding by soldering or laser welding or the like. A method of forming a probe tip on an array of test probes in a support member of a test apparatus includes inserting a plurality of probes into an array of probe cylinders in the member with the ends of the probes extending below the ends of the cylinders, the probes being retained by fixturing means at a predetermined position in the cylinders, the ends of the probes are planarized to provide a smooth surface of the member with the probes flush therewith, apply a layer of resist to the lower surface of the member covering the guide plate and the newly planarized lower ends of the probes, after the resist has been exposed to a pattern through a high precision mask, a set of rings at the base of the planarized probes is formed in the resist by etching the tips through the resist, and then remove the fixturing means.