The terminals of a device under test (DUT) are temporarily electrically connected to corresponding contact pads on a load board by a series of electrically conductive pin pairs. The pin pairs are held in place by an interposer membrane with a top facing the device under test, a bottom facing the load board, and a vertically resilient, non-conductive member between the top and bottom contact plates. Each pin pair includes a top and bottom pin, which extend beyond the top and bottom contact plates, respectively, toward the device under test and the load board, respectively. The bottom pins has a lower contact surface which includes an arcuate portion or ridge which increases contact pressure and ablates oxides by the rocking action of ridge when the DUT in inserted.

The terminals of a device under test (DUT) are temporarily electrically connected to corresponding contact pads on a load board by a series of electrically conductive pin pairs. The pin pairs are held in place by an interposer membrane with a top facing the device under test, a bottom facing the load board, and a vertically resilient, non-conductive member between the top and bottom contact plates. Each pin pair includes a top and bottom pin, which extend beyond the top and bottom contact plates, respectively, toward the device under test and the load board, respectively. The bottom pins has a lower contact surface which includes an arcuate portion or ridge which increases contact pressure and ablates oxides by the rocking action of ridge when the DUT in inserted.

Coated probe tips are described for plunger pins of an integrated circuit package tests system. One example has a plunger having a tip to contact a solder ball of an integrated circuit package, a sleeve to hold the plunger and allow the plunger to move toward and away from the package, the sleeve being held in a socket, a spring within the sleeve to drive the plunger toward the package, and a coating over the tip, the coating being harder than a solder ball.

There is provided a wafer inspection device that is capable of bringing a polishing wafer into proper contact with probes without lowering throughput. The total value T of a thickness t.sub.1 of a polishing plate, a thickness t.sub.2 of a polishing wafer and a magnitude t.sub.3 extending from a lower surface of a main body of a pogo frame to a lower end of each probe of a probe card is set to be larger than a magnitude t.sub.4 of a lip seal protruding from an upper surface of a chuck top.

The present invention provides an electrically conductive contact pin formed by laminating a plurality of metal layers, wherein the electrically conductive contact pin has improved physical or electrical properties.

Probes for contacting electronic components include a plurality of compliant modules stacked in a serial configuration, which are supported by an exoskeleton or an endoskeleton which allows for linear longitudinal compression of probe ends toward one another wherein the compliant elements within the compliant modules include planar springs (when unbiased). Other probes are formed from single compliant modules or pairs of back-to-back modules that may share a common base. Module bases may include configurations that allow for one or both lateral alignment and longitudinal alignment of probes relative to array structures (e.g., array substrates, guide plates) or other modules they contact or to which they adhere.

Probes for contacting electronic components include a plurality of compliant modules stacked in a serial configuration, which are supported by an exoskeleton or an endoskeleton which allows for linear longitudinal compression of probe ends toward one another wherein the compliant elements within the compliant modules include planar springs (when unbiased). Other probes are formed from single compliant modules or pairs of back-to-back modules that may share a common base. Module bases may include configurations that allow for one or both lateral alignment and longitudinal alignment of probes relative to array structures (e.g., array substrates, guide plates) or other modules they contact or to which they adhere.

A method of manufacturing a contact probe includes: forming external shapes of a plurality of main body part base materials on a plate material, each of the plurality of main body part base materials being connected to a base part via a connection part and used for forming a main body part of a pipe member; forming a plurality of protrusions on each of the plurality of main body part base materials; forming the pipe member by bending each of the plurality of main body part base materials into a C-shape such that the protrusions protrude toward an inner side of the pipe member; assembling the contact probe by inserting first and second plungers and a coil spring into the pipe member connected to the connection part; and cutting the pipe member from the connection part.

A method of manufacturing a contact probe includes: forming external shapes of a plurality of main body part base materials on a plate material, each of the plurality of main body part base materials being connected to a base part via a connection part and used for forming a main body part of a pipe member; forming a plurality of protrusions on each of the plurality of main body part base materials; forming the pipe member by bending each of the plurality of main body part base materials into a C-shape such that the protrusions protrude toward an inner side of the pipe member; assembling the contact probe by inserting first and second plungers and a coil spring into the pipe member connected to the connection part; and cutting the pipe member from the connection part.

A probe card for use in circuit probe testing and methods of fabrication thereof. The probe card includes a circuit board, an interposer structure that is mounted to the circuit board, and a probe structure mounted to the interposer structure and including a probe substrate, a redistribution layer over the probe substrate, and a plurality of probe pins over the redistribution layer. The interposer structure may include a plurality of elastically-deformable interposer pins electrically connecting the circuit board to the probe substrate. The center-to-center spacing (i.e., pin pitch) between the interposer pins may be greater than the center-to-center spacing (i.e., a second pin pitch) between the probe pins. A probe card in accordance with various embodiments may enable circuit probe testing of a device-under-test with a pitch between adjacent probe pins that is less than 50 ?m.