An electrical contact assembly that uses an elastomer strip for each row of individual contacts. Each contact comprises a rigid bottom pin and a flexible top pin with a pair of arms which extend over and slide along sloped surfaces of the bottom contact. The elastomer strip is located between rows of the bottom and top pins. A bottom socket housing is provided with grooves which receive each elastomer strip. A row of top pins is then placed over each elastomer strip, and through ducts in the bottom socket housing. Bottom pins are then snapped into place in between the pair of arms.

The terminals of a device under test 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 that includes a top contact plate facing the device under test, a bottom contact plate 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 top and bottom pins contact each other at an interface that is inclined with respect to the membrane surface normal. When compressed longitudinally, the pins translate toward each other by sliding along the interface. The sliding is largely longitudinal, with a small and desirable lateral component determined by the inclination of the interface.

A fluid pressure actuated device for establishing electrical contact includes a first side and a second side each defining a respective cavity. A respective flexible membrane is positioned across each cavity. Each membrane has an outer side that carries an electrically conducting contactor. The contactors are electrically connected to a conducting connector that extends at least partially through the device. Each flexible membrane extends and withdraws moving the associated electrically conducting contactor in opposing directions when fluid pressure is increased and decreased in the associated cavity. Each membrane may have an undulating shape by including concentric frustum portions that narrow in opposite directions. The contacts may have neutral positions that are internal relative to outer surfaces of the device until fluid pressure is increased in the respective cavities causing extension by movement of the membranes.

A flexible probe card according to the present invention includes a compression layer; a transport layer coupled to the compression layer; and a contact layer coupled to the transport layer. The compression layer is formed of encapsulated closed cell polyurethane foam. The transport layer includes connectors for coupling the flexible probe card to a tester. The contact interface layer includes embedded conductive wires placed in a fixed grid pattern in a silicon rubber layer without a specific connector pattern associated either with the transport layer or a device under test.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a gimbal assembly test system including: a protective cover affixed to a test surface of a wafer probe card mounted within a gimbal bearing, wherein the protective cover includes an exterior surface oriented outward from the test surface of the wafer probe card; and a recess extending into the exterior surface of the protective cover and shaped to matingly engage a load cell tip therein.

An inspection apparatus includes: a probe card having a probe to be in contact with an object to be inspected; an upper module having a mounting portion on which the object to be inspected is mounted; a movement mechanism that is configured to support the upper module to be liftable and lowerable and that is able to move the upper module in a horizontal direction; and a lifting and lowering mechanism that is provided under the movement mechanism and that is able to push up the upper module toward the probe card, wherein an axis passing through a point of action of a pushing force when the lifting and lowering mechanism pushes up the upper module and an axis passing through a point of action of a load received by the probe card are arranged at positions to be common.

An electrical contact assembly that uses an elastomer strip for each row of individual contacts. Each contact comprises a rigid bottom pin and a flexible top pin with a pair of arms which extend over and slide along sloped surfaces of the bottom contact. The elastomer strip is located between rows of the bottom and top pins. A bottom socket housing is provided with grooves which receive each elastomer strip. A row of top pins is then placed over each elastomer strip, and through ducts in the bottom socket housing. Bottom pins are then snapped into place in between the pair of arms.

This anisotropic conductive sheet includes: a plurality of conductive paths; and an insulation layer which is disposed to fill the space between the plurality of conductive paths and has a first surface and a second surface. Each of the conductive path extends in a thickness direction of the insulation layer and has a first end part on the first surface side and a second end part on the second surface side. When the conductive paths are seen through so that the center of the first end part overlaps the center of the second end part, at least a portion of the conductive paths does not overlap the first end part and the second end part.

A method for electrically contacting components in a semiconductor wafer includes providing a flexible board comprising a first main surface on which a plurality of conductor tracks are arranged, positioning the board with respect to a semiconductor wafer such that the first main surface of the board faces the semiconductor wafer, the board is bent and pressed onto the semiconductor wafer in such a way that contact elements of a plurality of components arranged in a row in the semiconductor wafer come into contact with the conductor tracks, and electrical signals are applied to the components through the conductor tracks.

A flexible electric probe can include: a flexible substrate; and probe line conductors on the flexible substrate, the probe line conductors being essentially parallel to each other and having separations of about 5-50 microns. The flexible electric probe can further include connection conductors on the flexible substrate, the connection conductors and the probe line conductors electrically connected to each other, the probe line conductors positioned in first and second offset patterns with regard to the connection conductors.