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:
Dec. 14, 1999
Filed:
Jul. 02, 1997
Gerald W Back, Tempe, AZ (US);
Joseph A Mirowski, Tempe, AZ (US);
Cerprobe Corporation, Gilbert, AZ (US);
Abstract
A probe needle alignment device supports a probe card assembly with probe needles extending upward. A microscope includes a first eyepiece aligned with the probe needles in its field of view. A first video camera is positioned in optical alignment with the first eyepiece to view probe needles through the first eyepiece. An overdriver includes a transparent planar plate movably disposed between the microscope and the probe needles to displace contact tips of the probe needles through an overdrive distance. A mask plate has a plurality of spots located at positions corresponding precisely to positions of contact pads of an integrated circuit to be probe tested. A second video camera includes the spots within its field of view. Video signals produced by the first and second video cameras are combined to simultaneously represent images of the probe needles and the spots on the probe plate are converted to video images and overlapping images of the probe needles and the spots are simultaneously displayed in a virtual reality headset to aid in alignment of contact tips of probe needles with corresponding spots of the mask plate.