METHOD FOR ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING A TEST PIECE TO AN ELECTRICAL TEST DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a test card (1) for electrically connecting a test piece (2) to an electrical test device (3), having at least one holding element (4, 5) and having a plurality of electrically conductive contact devices (9) which are guided and supported by the holding element (4, 5), wherein the holding element (4, 5) has a plurality of openings (8) for guiding and/or supporting the contact devices (9) through which openings in each case one of the contact devices (9) extends. According to the invention, the holding element (4, 5) has a three-dimensional structure.

Claims

1. A test card (1) for electrically connecting a test piece (2) to an electrical test device (3), having at least one holding element (4, 5) and having a plurality of electrically conductive contact devices (9) guided and/or supported by the holding element (4, 5), the holding element (4, 5) for guiding and/or supporting the contact devices (9) having a plurality of openings (8) through which one of the contact devices (9) extends, characterized in that the holding element (4, 5) has a three-dimensional structure.

2. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding element (4, 5) is a three-dimensionally structured glass, in particular a quartz glass.

3. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding element (4, 5) is a three-dimensionally structured ceramic element.

4. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that the respective contact device (9) is designed as a needle-shaped contact element, in particular a contact needle or bendable needle, or as a spring contact pin.

5. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding element (4, 5) is designed as a guide plate (6, 7) for the contact devices (9), the openings (8) being designed as microbores (17) having a course deviating from a cylinder in their longitudinal extent.

6. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the microbores (17) has an opening inlet (18) which differs in shape from an opening outlet (19) of the same microbore.

7. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening inlet (18) and the opening outlet (19) of the same microbore (17) have a different size and/or a different contour.

8. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one microbore (17) has an undercut in its longitudinal extension, in particular through a narrowing or widening of the cross section.

9. The test card according to claim 8, characterized in that the at least one microbore (17) in the region of the opening inlet (18) and opening outlet (19) each has a guide cross section for a contact element (9), and in the region between the opening inlet (18) and opening outlet (19) has a cross section that is larger than the respective guide cross section.

10. (canceled)

11. The test card according to claim 1, characterized by a contact head (11) which has guide means (29) for alignment with the test device (3) and supports at least the one guide plate (6, 7).

12. The test card according to claim 11, characterized in that the contact head (11) is designed in one piece with the guide plate (7).

13. The test card according to claim 12, characterized in that the contact head (11) carries at least one further guide plate (6) which in particular has a coefficient of thermal expansion different from the contact head (11).

14. The test card according to claim 13, characterized in that the contact head (11) has at least one spacer (31) between the guide plates (6, 7).

15. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact head (11) is designed in particular by means of at least one bevel (34) in such a way that the test-piece-side guide plate (7) protrudes from the contact head (11).

16. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one guide plate (6, 7) has at least one integral stiffening rib (30).

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that the test card (1), in addition to the holding element (4, 5) with the contact devices (9), has at least one contact distance conversion device (12) which has an electrically non-conductive plate (38) having a test-piece-side first surface (16) and a test-device-side second surface (14), a plurality of contact points (13, 15) being distributed on both surfaces (14, 16), and the contact points (15) being arranged closer to one another on the first surface than the contact devices (13) arranged on the second surface, and having electrical conductors (33, 36) passing through the plate (38), each of which electrically connects a contact element (15) on the first surface (16) to a contact element (13) on the second surface (14).

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. The test card according to claim 19, characterized in that the conductors (33) are designed as a coating or filling in the channels (39).

23. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two of the channels (39) are brought together in the direction of one of the surfaces of the plate (38).

24. (canceled)

25. The test card according to claim 1, characterized in that the three-dimensionally structured glass has an electrically non-conductive wear protection layer (37).

26. A method for producing a test card (1), in particular according to claim 1, at least one holding element (4, 5) and a plurality of electrically conductive contact devices (9) being provided, the holding element for guiding and/or supporting the contact devices (9) has a plurality of openings (8) through which one of the contact devices (9) is guided, characterized in that the holding element (4, 5) has a three-dimensional structure.

Description

[0039] FIG. 1 shows, in a simplified representation, a test card 1 for making electrical contact with a test piece 2. The test card 1 can be arranged between the test piece 2 and a test device 3 and can be electrically connected to the two by touch contact.

[0040] For this purpose, the test card 1 has two holding elements 4 and 5, which are designed respectively as an upper guide plate 6 and a lower guide plate 7 and each have a plurality of openings 8, a contact element 9 each extending through at least some of the openings 8. In the present case, the contact devices 9 are designed as contact needles, in particular as bendable needles, which have a touch contact tip 10 at both ends. Each contact needle 9 extends through an opening 8 of the two guide plates 6, 7.

[0041] The guide plates 6, 7 are held on a contact head 11 to which a contact distance conversion device 12 (space transformer) is optionally assigned, which has contact points 13 facing the test device 3 on a first upper side 14 and second contact points 15 facing the contact needles 9 on a second upper side 16. The contact points 13 are spaced further apart on the upper side 14 than the contact points 15 on the upper side 16 and are each connected to one of the contact points 15, so that there is a higher contact point density on upper side 16 than on upper side 14. In this way, the distances between adjacent electrical contact points are increased or disentangled by the contact distance conversion device 12 in the direction of the test device 3, so that simple and reliable touch contacting of the individual contact needles is possible. The arrangement and number of contact points 15 on the upper side 16 facing the contact devices 9 corresponds, for example, to the number and arrangement of the contact devices 9, so that each contact element 9 can be brought into physical contact with one of the contact points 15.

[0042] The contact points 13 of the contact distance conversion device 12 are electrically connected to a printed circuit board 43 having a plurality of electrical contact tracks 42, the printed circuit board 43 being part of the test device 3 or the test card 1, as shown in the present embodiment in FIG. 1. The contact tracks 42 of the printed circuit board 43 are then correspondingly electrically contacted with contact connections of the test device 3, such as spring contact pins. Optionally, an interposer 44 for electrically connecting the contact points 13 to the electrical conductor tracks/contact tracks 42 of the circuit board 43 is arranged between the circuit board 43 and the contact distance conversion device 12 or the test card 1.

[0043] In particular, the contact needles are axially displaceably mounted in the guide plates 6, 7, so that the touch contact is established automatically when the contact head 11 as a whole is placed on the test piece 2. Because the contact needles are displaceable and, in particular, also elastically deformable, they can buckle or bulge out laterally in order to adapt their axial length to the contacts of the test piece 2 and thereby ensure overall that all contact points of the test piece 2 are electrically connected to the test device 3.

[0044] According to the present embodiment, the holding elements 4, 5 or the guide plates 6, 7 are made of three-dimensionally structured glass, in particular quartz glass, the openings 8 in particular having a three-dimensional structure.

[0045] All openings 8 are designed in particular as microbores 17 which deviate in the direction of their longitudinal extension from the shape of a cylinder, that is to say, for example, they have undercuts, bevels or the like.

[0046] FIGS. 2A and 2B are detailed views of the guide plate 7 according to the dashed circle A from FIG. 1.

[0047] FIG. 2A shows a sectional view of the guide plate 7 and FIG. 2B shows a plan view of he guide plate 7.

[0048] The opening 8 shown is, as already mentioned, designed as a three-dimensionally structured microbore 17 which has a changing cross section in the longitudinal extension of the opening 8. The opening 8 has an opening inlet 18 and an opening outlet 19, the opening outlet 19 being assigned, according to the present embodiment, to the test piece 2 and the opening inlet 18 being assigned to the guide plate 6.

[0049] The opening 8 thus extends in the form of a channel from the opening inlet 18 to the opening outlet 19, the cross section of the microbore 17 tapering in the direction of the opening outlet 19. It is also provided here that the opening inlet 18 has the contour of an elongated hole 20, while the opening outlet 19 has the contour of a conventional circular bore 21. The opening 8 thus transitions from an elongated hole opening into a circular hole opening. In particular, this results in a forced guidance for the contact element 9 inserted into the opening 8, which, according to the elongated hole 20, can move in only one direction, which is transverse to its axial extension. With such a configuration, for example, a preferred direction of movement can be specified for all contact devices 9, in particular bendable needles, and prevents adjacent contact needles from coming into contact with one another in the event of greater stress.

[0050] The particular shape of the bore 8 or microbore 17 is produced in particular by an etching method or laser cutting method or 3D lithography method.

[0051] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the guide plate 7 in a further sectional view in region A from FIG. 1. In contrast to the previous embodiment in FIG. 2, the bore 8 is designed as a microbore 17, symmetrical in its longitudinal extension. The microbore 17 in the region of the opening outlet 19 and the opening inlet 18 in each case has a narrowed guide cross section 22 and 23, which serves to guide the inserted contact element 9. In the region between the guide cross sections 22 and 23, the microbore 17 has an enlarged cross section 24 in which the contact element 9 rests in the guide plate 7, in particular without contact. This reduces the wear between the contact element 9 and the guide plate 7 and still ensures reliable guidance.

[0052] Optionally, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the opening inlet 18 and/or opening outlet 19 also have insertion bevels (opening outlet 19) or insertion rounded portions 26 (opening inlet 18), which further reduce wear and ensure simple assembly.

[0053] FIGS. 4A and 4B show a further embodiment of the configuration of the openings 8. According to this embodiment, the microbores 17 are designed in such a way that both the opening inlet 18 and the opening outlet 19 have the contour of a rectangle 27, the rectangles 27 being oriented rotated by 90 with respect to one another, as can be seen in particular in the top view of FIG. 4B. This also results in advantageous guiding of the respective contact element 9 in the opening 8.

[0054] FIG. 5 shows an advantageous embodiment of the contact head 11 in a further sectional view. In this case, the contact head 11 is formed in one piece with the guide plate 7 and has a support surface 28 for the guide plate 6. The support surface 28 is designed as a step-shaped recess on the contact head 11. The guide plate 6 is preferably aligned on the contact head 11 by centering. For this purpose, the contact head 11 and the guide plate 6 have suitable guide elements for centering the guide plate 6 on the contact head 11. Alternatively or additionally, the guide plate 6 is guided and aligned on its outer circumference by the contact head 11 in the step-shaped recess. This ensures simple assembly of the contact head 11 as a whole. By manufacturing the guide plate 7 from three-dimensionally structured quartz glass, the rest of the contact head 11 is also manufactured from the same material and in the same way, whereby the desired shapes can be produced in a simple and reliable manner.

[0055] In particular, the contact head 11 and/or one of the guide plates 7, 6 has integrated guide elements 29, which in particular allow the contact head 11 and/or the guide plate 6, 7 to be guided and aligned, in particular on the contact distance conversion device 12 and/or the test piece 2. According to the present embodiment, the guide means 29 of the contact head 11 are designed as guide webs which allow simple alignment and arrangement on the test device 3. The step-shaped recess with the support surface 28 also represents a guide means, but in this case for the guide plate 6.

[0056] The contact head 11 and/or one of the guide plates 6, 7 preferably also has stiffening ribs 30, which increase the robustness of the contact head 11 and thus the robustness and rigidity of the test card 1 in a simple manner. Furthermore, one of the guide plates 6, 7 preferably has spacers 31 which are integrated or formed in one piece therewith and in particular determine the distance between the two guide plates 6, 7. For this purpose, the spacers 31 extend, for example, in one piece from guide plate 7 toward guide plate 6, so that guide plate 6 comes to rest on the spacer 31 and the support surface 28, whereby guide plate 6 is also held particularly rigidly and robustly in the contact head 11.

[0057] The contact head 11 thus has both the guide means 29 for guiding the contact head 11 itself and the guide plate 6, as well as the guide means for guiding the contact devices 9, namely in the form of the openings 8. Contact head 11, guide means 29, guide plates 6, 7, stiffening ribs 30 and spacers 31 can be formed in one piece with one another in pairs or in larger groups. Some of these elements can also be manufactured conventionally. In addition, the contact head 11 has stiffening and force-absorbing elements, in particular analogous to contact distance converters. A combination of such a one-piece contact head 11 with a guide plate 6 made of a material that has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the contact head 11 itself is preferred in order to provide better interaction in terms of its temperature expansion with the elements above it, in particular the test device 3 or the contact distance conversion device 12.

[0058] Optionally, the contact head 11 also preferably has bevels 34 at its end facing the test piece 2 next to the guide plate 7, so that the guide plate 7 is the furthest protruding part of the contact head 11, and a collision with the test piece is reliably avoided by virtue of the bevels 34.

[0059] FIG. 6 shows an advantageous embodiment of the contact distance conversion device 12, which has a plate 38, which, like the guide plates 6, 7, is preferably made of three-dimensionally structured quartz glass and has a plurality of channels 39 which run obliquely with respect to the plate plane or test plane. In particular, the channels 39, which are produced like the microbores 17, run in such a way that the channel inlets 40 on the side facing the test device 3 are farther apart than the channel outlets 41 on the side facing the guide plate 6. The course of the channels 39 is not necessarily straight, but rather is designed in a channel-shaped manner, avoiding one another in such a way that an overlapping or crossing of channels 39 is prevented. In this regard, FIG. 6 shows, by way of example, the non-intersecting overlapping of two adjacent microbores at a point 32, which is identified by an arrow in FIG. 6.

[0060] Alternatively or in addition, at least two channels 39 can be brought together by guiding the channels 39, so that the electrical connections are joined and/or disentangled, or at least this is possible.

[0061] In particular, the channels 39 are coated with an electrically conductive material on their upper side, so that they have an electrical conductor 33, which is designed as a coating 33. For this purpose, the conductor connects one of the contact points 13 on the upper side 14 facing the test device 3 to one of the contact points 15 on the surface 16 facing the test piece 2 or the guide plate 6. This ensures that the contact points are easily disentangled, as described above.