Force Absorption Patents (Class 324/755.04)
  • Patent number: 10545174
    Abstract: A Kelvin socket 10 comprising a housing 1 having a recess, a plurality of socket pin slots or partitions 11 resided in the recess, and a cooling medium pass 7; a plurality of self-cooling force contact fingers 2 arranged into an array and disposed into the plurality of socket pin slots or partitions 11 of the housing 1; wherein each of the plurality of self-cooling force contact fingers 2 has a force contact finger pin 21 and a heat sink base 22 being attached to a portion away from tip of the force contact finger pin 21 for dissipating heat from the force contact finger pin 21; an elastomer 3 disposed on the self-cooling force contact fingers 2; a plurality of sense contact fingers 4 having a plurality of sense contact finger pins 41, and being arranged into an array; wherein each of the plurality of sense contact fingers has a sense contact finger pin 41; wherein the plurality of sense contact fingers 5 are disposed into the elastomer 3, resulting in that the plurality of sense contact finger pins 41 are ar
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Inventors: Natali Tan, Melisa Tan
  • Patent number: 9267968
    Abstract: A probe card assembly for testing circuit boards is disclosed. In some embodiments, the assembly includes the following: a multi-layered dielectric plate aligned with an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit having on its surface a first plurality of electrical contacts arranged in a pattern, the dielectric plate having arrayed upon its surface a second plurality of electrical contacts arranged in a pattern substantially matching the first plurality of electrical contacts; a nanotube interposer interposed between the dielectric plate and the integrated circuit, the nanotube interposer having compliant carbon nanotubes that are arranged to match the pattern of electrical contacts on the integrated circuit and the dielectric plate; and a plurality of vertical probes arrayed upon the nanotube interposer and joined with the nanotubes, the vertical probes making electrical contact with the first plurality of electrical contacts and the second plurality of electrical contacts via the nanotubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Wentworth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Alexander Brandorff
  • Patent number: 9146270
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the chip testing field. A method for testing a plurality of transistors in a target chip is provided, characterized by automatically selecting a plurality of pre-defined transistors on the target chip and adding a connection layer to the key layers of each transistor such that the transistor to be tested is connected with and measured by an outside tester. Through automatic generation of the test structures and automatic wiring, the present invention greatly shortens the design cycle of test chips for target transistor testing, and greatly reduces the error probability in the process of designing test chips for target transistor testing, and improves the testing relevancy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: SEMITRONIX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kangpeng Shao, Yongjun Zheng, Xu Ouyang
  • Patent number: 8988094
    Abstract: The invention relates to a test contact arrangement (15) for testing semiconductor components, comprising at least one test contact (10) which is arranged in a test contact frame (13) and is designed in the type of a cantilever arm and which has a fastening base (12) and a contact arm (30) which is provided with a contact tip (11) and which is connected to the fastening base, wherein the fastening base is inserted with a fastening projection (16) thereof into a frame opening (14) of the test contact frame in such a manner that a lower edge (17) of the fastening projection is essentially aligned flush with a lower side (18) of the test contact frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Pac Tech-Packaging Technologies GmbH
    Inventor: Ghassem Azdasht
  • Publication number: 20140340105
    Abstract: A test assembly adapted to test a semiconductor device is provided. The test assembly includes a main circuit board, an intermediate dielectric board, an intermediate circuit board, a plurality of intermediate conductive elements and a plurality of test probes. The main circuit board includes a surface and a plurality of pads disposed on the surface. The intermediate dielectric board is detachably disposed on the surface of the main circuit board and includes a plurality of through holes. The intermediate circuit board is disposed on the intermediated dielectric board and includes a plurality of first pads, a plurality of second pads, a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The intermediate conductive elements are disposed in the through holes, respectively. Each of the intermediate conductive elements electrically connects one of the pads of the main circuit board and one of the first pads of the intermediate circuit board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: STAr TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Choon Leong LOU, Hsiao Ting TSENG, Ho Yeh CHEN, Li Min WANG
  • Patent number: 8890558
    Abstract: Providing a test head capable of suppressing a probe card from bending. The test head 40 comprises: a test head main body 51 having a frame 51; an interface apparatus 60 electrically connecting a probe card 20 and the test head main body 50 with each other; and a brake unit 80 positioned between the probe card 20 and the frame 51 to transmit a pressing force F applied to the probe card 20 to the frame 51.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventor: Atsuyuki Doi
  • Publication number: 20140333337
    Abstract: A current applying device in which a contact electrode is destroyed firstly when a large current is applied in the event of failure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeto Akahori, Nobuo Kambara
  • Publication number: 20140333336
    Abstract: An embodiment of a test apparatus for executing a test of a set of electronic devices having a plurality of electrically conductive terminals, the test apparatus including a plurality of electrically conductive test probes for exchanging electrical signals with the terminals, and coupling means for mechanically coupling the test probes with the electronic devices. In an embodiment, the coupling means includes insulating means for keeping each one of at least part of the test probes electrically insulated from at least one corresponding terminal during the execution of the test. Each test probe and the corresponding terminal form a capacitor for electro-magnetically coupling the test probe with the terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventor: Alberto PAGANI
  • Publication number: 20140327461
    Abstract: A probe card assembly can comprise a guide plate comprising probe guides for holding probes in predetermined positions. The probe card assembly can also comprise a wiring structure attached to the guide plate so that connection tips of the probes are positioned against and attached to contacts on the wiring structure. The attachment of the guide plate to the wiring structure can allow the wiring structure to expand or contract at a greater rate than the guide plate. The probes can include compliant elements that fail upon high electrical current and thermal stresses located away from the contact tips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Publication date: November 6, 2014
    Applicant: FormFactor, Inc.
    Inventors: Li Fan, Darcy K. Kelly-Greene, Edward J. Milovic, Gensaku Nagai, Mukesh K. Selvaraj, Jim Zhang
  • Patent number: 8860449
    Abstract: A dual probing tip system uses a slot and rail system to provide variable spacing and lateral and axial compliance of the probing tips mounted on first and second support members. A movable base member is secured on a frame with the base member having a rack of linear teeth and a pair of rails angled toward the front. First and second intermediate carriers each have a slot that engages one of the angled rails. Each of the carriers has stanchions that receive a thumb wheel pinion gear mounted on a shaft. The pinion gear mates with the teeth on the base member for movement of the carriers. Each support member has an axial slot that mated with an axial slot on each one of the carriers. Each support member has a compression spring which allows axial compliance of the support members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Spinar, Richard R. Lynn
  • Publication number: 20140225638
    Abstract: A contactor including a bellows body, a fixed portion connected to one end of the bellows body, and a movable portion connected to the other end of the bellows body, where the bellows body, the fixed portion and the movable portion are integrally molded by electroforming, and the movable portion is configured to be depressed to compress the bellows body, so that adjacent arc portions of the bellows body are brought into contact with each other to cause a short circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Sakai, Yoshinobu Hemmi
  • Publication number: 20140218062
    Abstract: A contactor including a bellows body, a fixed portion connected to one end of the bellows body, a movable portion connected to the other end of the bellows body, and a movable touch piece that extending from at least one side edge along the bellows body, where the movable portion is configured to be depressed to compress the bellows body and to bring a movable contact point, located at a free end of the movable touch piece, into contact with the fixed portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Sakai, Yoshinobu Hemmi
  • Patent number: 8779791
    Abstract: A probe includes a plurality of boards each of which has a plurality of magnets, a plurality of the boards include a first board and a second board laid on the first board, a plurality of the magnets include a plurality of first magnets provided with the first board and a plurality of second magnets provided with the second board and arranged so as to respectively face a plurality of the first magnets, and the first magnet and the second magnet facing each other are provided so that mutually different magnetic poles face each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Umemura, Katsushi Sugai
  • Patent number: 8723541
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a vertical micro contact probe that includes a column formed by longitudinally continuously stacking a plurality of basic units and a front end formed at the front end of the column and contacting an electrode pad of a semiconductor chip. The basic unit includes a probe body alternately bending to the left and right and protrusions protruding from the probe body at the left and right sides from the center of the width direction, and contacting the adjacent probe body to support the probe body under compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials
    Inventors: Jung-Yup Kim, Hak-Joo Lee, Kyung-Shik Kim
  • Publication number: 20140043055
    Abstract: A contact probe electrically connects the tester side and an electrode pad of a circuit to be tested. This contact probe has a mounting portion on a base end portion mounted on a probe card, a contact portion on a distal end portion brought into contact with the electrode pad, and an arm portion between them elastically supporting the contact portion. The contact portion is provided on a lower end portion of a base portion integrally mounted on a distal end portion of the arm portion. The arm portion has a one-side arm piece supporting the base portion and allowing vertical movement of the base portion and the other-side arm piece supporting the base portion and adjusting an inclination angle of the base portion to reduce a scrub amount of the contact portion. The probe card uses the above-described contact probe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2013
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Nihon Micronics
    Inventors: Masatomo UEBAYASHI, Akira SOUMA
  • Publication number: 20130265075
    Abstract: A contact for electrically connecting two electric components, includes a first end portion which contacts an object to be contacted; a second end portion for passing a signal from the first end portion; an elastic portion which connects the first end portion with the second end portion while pushing the first end portion and the second end portion in an opposing direction, the elastic portion having a meandering shape from the first end portion to the second end portion and having a curved/bent structure provided with an open portion where a width of the open portion is different from the maximum inner width of the curved/bent structure of the elastic portion when seen from the opposing direction; and a housing portion which surrounds the elastic portion, wherein the first end portion, the second end portion, the elastic portion and the housing are formed by bending a single conductive plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: FUJITSU COMPONENT LIMITED
    Inventors: Tetsugaku Tanaka, Koki Sato, Mitsuru Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20130249583
    Abstract: A chip testing solution having two separate contacts: one to provide current and one to measure voltage. One contact acts as the force and other as sense, and with its unique short wipe stroke technology enables the electrical connection from the contact terminal of the device under test (DUT) to the loadboard without fail even after prolonged insertion/testing of the devices. The two contacts are in close proximity, but electrically isolated from each other. Each contact is made to electrically touch a single conductive lead/pad on the DUT thus forming a test connection. The two contacts; one on front and other on back, wiping on the lead/pads will generally be a “sense” probe, and a “force” used for making a Kelvin connection. The short contact is connected to the loadboard by means of an additional contact known as “interposer” extending through and top of the tall contact base body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: JF Microtechnology Sdn. Bhd.
    Inventors: Foong Wei KUONG, Goh Kok SING, Shamal MUNDIYATH, Muhamad Izzat BIN ROSLEE
  • Patent number: 8536891
    Abstract: An inspection method for inspecting electric characteristics of devices formed on a target object using an apparatus including a vertical drive mechanism for lifting and lowering a movable mounting table and a control unit for controlling the vertical drive mechanism. The vertical drive mechanism includes an elevation shaft connected to the mounting table and a servo motor for driving the elevation shaft to lift and lower the mounting table. The control unit has a servo driver including a position control part for controlling a position of the motor, a torque control part for controlling a torque of the motor as a probe card is expanded or contracted by a change in temperature and a switching part for switching the position control part and the torque control part. The method includes heating or cooling the target object, controlling a position of the motor, and controlling a torque of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuhito Yamamoto, Isamu Inomata
  • Patent number: 8427186
    Abstract: A microelectronic probe element can include a base, a tip, and a spring assembly coupled between the tip and the base. The spring assembly can include a first spring and a second spring, wherein the first spring has a negative stiffness over a predefined displacement range and the second spring has a positive stiffness over the predefined displacement range. The first spring and second spring can be coupled so that the negative stiffness and positive stiffness substantially cancel to produce a net stiffness of the tip relative to the base over the predefined displacement range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: FormFactor, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew W. McFarland
  • Patent number: 8344748
    Abstract: A novel hybrid probe design is presented that comprises a torsion element and a bending element. These elements allow the probe to store the displacement energy as torsion or as bending. The novel hybrid probe comprises a probe base, a torsion element, a bending element, and a probe tip. The probe elastically deforms to absorb the displacement energy as the probe tip contacts the DUT contact pad. The bending element absorbs some of the displacement energy through bending. Because the torsion element and the bending element join at an angle between ?90 degrees and 90 degrees, a portion of the displacement energy is transferred to the torsion element causing it to twist (torque). The torsion element can also bend to accommodate the storage of energy through torsion and bending. Also, adjusting the position of a pivot can be manipulated to alter the energy absorption characteristics of the probe. One or more additional angular elements may be added to change the energy absorption characteristics of the probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Advantest America, Inc.
    Inventors: Melvin Khoo, Ting Hu, Matthew Losey
  • Patent number: 8314624
    Abstract: A frame bonded and fixed to a back face of a probe sheet so as to surround a group of pyramid-shaped or truncated pyramid-shaped contact terminals collectively formed at a central region portion of the probe sheet on a probing side thereof is protruded from a multi-layered wiring board, and pressing force is imparted to the frame and a pressing piece at a central portion by a plurality of guide pins having spring property so as to tilt finely.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Kasukabe, Naoki Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8305102
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a probe card in which the positional shift of the tip of a probe can be compensated for in response to a change in the temperature, and a wafer test in a wide range of temperatures can be performed. More specifically, the probe card includes a substrate, a probe composed of a first metallic material having a first thermal expansion coefficient, a base of the probe being joined to the substrate, a tip of the probe coming into contact with a connection terminal of an electronic device, and a thermal compensation member composed of a second metallic material having a second thermal expansion coefficient that is higher than the first thermal expansion coefficient, a base of the thermal compensation member being fixed to the substrate, a tip of the thermal compensation member coming into contact with the probe at an intermediate portion between the base of the probe and the tip of the probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Takahashi, Hiroshi Ban
  • Patent number: 8248092
    Abstract: A conductivity measurement device comprises a first body, a second body, a baseplate, a extension rod and a contact pad. The extension rod is positioned inside the first body, the baseplate is positioned on one end of the extension rod, and the contact pad is positioned on the other end of the extension rod. The contact pad contacts the surface to be tested and measures the electrical conductivity thereof with no resulting damage to the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wen-Kai Chiang
  • Publication number: 20120105090
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a probe device for testing a semiconductor chip, and has the aim of providing a probe device for testing with higher test reliability through an improved structure that enables test current to flow safely, the probe device including a barrel open at the top and bottom thereof and a probe projection formed on a top end to contact a connection terminal of a semiconductor chip, an upper plunger having a lower portion housed in an upper portion of the barrel, and a lower plunger having an upper portion housed in a lower portion of the barrel, wherein a metal ball contained in cylindrical silicon to form a conductive silicon portion that exhibits conductivity and housed inside the band electrically connects the upper plunger and the lower plunger and resiliently supports the downward pressure transferred to the upper plunger during the testing of a semiconductor chip, such that the conductive silicon portion containing the metal ball for exhibiting conductivity and inserted in the
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: LEENO INDUSTRIAL INC.
    Inventor: Chae Yoon Lee
  • Patent number: 8124429
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system that programmably interconnects integrated circuit chips and other components at near-intra-chip density. The system's contact structure allows it to adapt to components with a wide variety of contact spacings and interconnection requirements, the use of releasable attachment means allows component placement to be modified as needed, the system identifies the contacts and the components to facilitate specifying the inter-component connections, and the system provides signal conditioning and retiming to minimize issues with signal integrity and signal skew.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Inventor: Richard Norman
  • Publication number: 20120038382
    Abstract: A probe includes a plurality of boards each of which has a plurality of magnets, a plurality of the boards include a first board and a second board laid on the first board, a plurality of the magnets include a plurality of first magnets provided with the first board and a plurality of second magnets provided with the second board and arranged so as to respectively face a plurality of the first magnets, and the first magnet and the second magnet facing each other are provided so that mutually different magnetic poles face each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: ADVANTEST CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Umemura, Katsushi Sugai
  • Patent number: 8030957
    Abstract: A method of testing an integrated circuit of a device is described. Air is allowed through a fluid line to modify a size of a volume defined between the first and second components of an actuator to move a contactor support structure relative to the apparatus and urge terminals on the contactor support structure against contacts on the device. Air is automatically released from the fluid line through a pressure relief valve when a pressure of the air in the fluid line reaches a predetermined value. The holder is moved relative to the apparatus frame to disengage the terminals from the contacts while maintaining the first and second components of the actuator in a substantially stationary relationship with one another. A connecting arrangement is provided including first and second connecting pieces with complementary interengaging formations that restricts movement of the contactor substrate relative to the distribution board substrate in a tangential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Aehr Test Systems
    Inventors: Scott E. Lindsey, Junyje Yeh, Jovan Jovanovic, Seang P. Malathong
  • Publication number: 20110128026
    Abstract: A sensor is provided for testing a composite medium. The sensor includes a tube and three or more conductors which are wound in a continuously parallel helix around the tube such that the conductors are interleaved. The tube is non-porous and electrically insulative. Both the proximal end and the distal end of the tube are open. Each turn of each conductor is equally spaced from the adjoining turns of the other conductors, and the conductors have a common helical length. The sensor can also include a first cap which seals the proximal end of the tube and a second cap which seals the distal end of the tube such that the interior of the tube is always filled with air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Publication date: June 2, 2011
    Applicant: Soilmoisture Equipment Corp.
    Inventor: Whitney Skaling
  • Patent number: 7952377
    Abstract: Improved probing of closely spaced contact pads is provided by an array of vertical probes having all of the probe tips aligned along a single contact line, while the probe bases are arranged in an array having two or more rows parallel to the contact line. With this arrangement of probes, the probe base thickness can be made greater than the contact pad spacing along the contact line, thereby advantageously increasing the lateral stiffness of the probes. The probe tip thickness is less than the contact pad spacing, so probes suitable for practicing the invention have a wide base section and a narrow tip section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: MicroProbe, Inc.
    Inventor: January Kister