Vertical probe heads having a space transformer laterally tiled into several sections are provided. This change relative to conventional approaches improves manufacturing yield. These probe heads can include metal ground planes, and in embodiments where the ground planes are provided as separate metal plates parallel to the guide plates, the metal plates can also be laterally tiled into several sections. Such tiling of metal plates improves manufacturing yield and alleviates thermal mismatch issues. Probes are not mechanically connected to the space transformer, which facilitates replacement of individual probes of an array.

A probe card board in the present disclosure includes a plurality of through holes designed to receive a probe brought into contact with a measurement object. The probe card board is composed of silicon nitride based ceramics. The probe card board includes a first surface opposed to the measurement object and a second surface located opposite to the first surface. The probe card board contains a plurality of crystal phases of metal silicide. Metal constituting the metal silicide is at least one kind selected from among molybdenum, chrome, iron, nickel, manganese, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, cobalt and tungsten.

A probe includes: a probe base body having a first end as a portion that contacts a test object in an inspection and a second end that contacts a contact point member; a covering member that covers the probe base body between the first end and the second end; and an enlarged diameter portion 6 provided at an exposed portion on the second end side of the probe base body. The probe is attached in a bent-deformed state by pressing a terminal portion on the first end side of the covering member against a base portion of the contact inspection device. The second end of the probe base body is pressed against a contact point of the contact point member by opposing force due to the pressing.

Examples of the present disclosure generally relate to a probe head assembly having modular interposer and a test system having the same. In one example, a probe head assembly includes a rigid stiffener plate, a PIB substrate, a bracket, a plurality of interposers disposed in the bracket, a probe card board electrically coupled by a plurality of contact pins disposed through the interposers to the PIB substrate, and a probe card electrically coupled to the probe card board. The PIB substrate, the interposers and the probe card board are sandwiched between the stiffener plate and the probe card.

An apparatus for electrically testing a semiconductor device comprises a probe card comprising a probe, wherein the probe comprises a probe tip. Further, the probe tip comprises a foot with an arbitrarily sized cross-section and an apex with an arbitrarily sized cross-section, wherein the cross-section of the foot is wider than the cross-section of the apex.

A probe seat of a vertical probe device includes a lower die, a middle die fixed on the lower die, at least one upper die fixed on the middle die, and at least one reinforcing die fixedly disposed in at least one through trough of the middle die. The lower die has lower probe holes located below the through trough, such that probes are be inserted through the lower probe holes respectively and inserted through the through trough. The at least one upper die has upper probe holes located above the through trough for the probes to be inserted therethrough. The at least one reinforcing die has middle probe holes for the probes to be inserted therethrough. As a result, the probe seat has improved rigidity to avoid bending.

A reduced pin count (RPC) device includes an electrical circuitry in a package with uniformly distributed leads, a subset of the leads being electrically disconnected form the circuitry. A contactor pin block with sockets corresponding to the uniformly distributed leads has the sockets corresponding to the leads with electrical connections filled with test pins suitable for contacting respective leads, and the sockets corresponding to the electrically disconnected leads voided of test pins. Dummy plugs are inserted into the voided sockets to block the sockets and prevent accidental insertions of test pins.

An electric connection device includes: a probe (11); a probe head (12) that holds the probe (11); and an electrode substrate (13) on which an electrode pad (131) to be connected to a proximal end of the probe (11) is provided. The probe head (12) is provided with a guide pin (14) for alignment of the probe head (12) and the electrode substrate (13), and the electrode substrate (13) is provided with a guide hole group composed of a plurality of guide holes corresponding to the guide pin (14).

Improved impedance matching is provided in vertical probe arrays having conductive guide plates by providing ground pins connecting the guide plates that do not mechanically touch the device under test or the input test apparatus. Such ground pins can be disposed in predetermined patterns around corresponding signal probes to improve an impedance match between the probes and the test apparatus and/or the device under test. Preferably all impedances are matched to 50 as is customary for high frequency work.

A ceramic according to the present invention includes, in mass %, BN: 20.0 to 55.0%, SiC: 5.0 to 40.0%, ZrO.sub.2 and/or Si.sub.3N.sub.4: 3.0 to 60.0%. The ceramic has a coefficient of thermal expansion at ?50 to 500? C. of 1.0?10.sup.?6 to 5.0?10.sup.?6/? C., is excellent in low electrostatic properties (10.sup.6 to 10.sup.14 ?.Math.cm in volume resistivity) and free-machining properties, and is thus suitable to be used for, for example, a probe guiding member for guiding probes of a probe card, and a socket for package inspection.