Abstract: A flexible membrane adapted to carry high-frequency power signals is described having a plurality of contact pads in a central portion of the flexible membrane connected to a plurality of micro contact probes and a plurality of contact structures connected to a support plate in a peripheral portion of the flexible membrane, as well as a plurality of conductive tracks connecting the contact pads with the contact structures. The flexible membrane further includes an intermediate portion between the central and peripheral portions. The elastic membrane is divided into a first area having a first total thickness and into a second area having a second total thickness. The first area is contiguous and adjacent to the second area. The first total thickness is less than or equal to 75 ?m and the second total thickness is greater than the first total thickness.

Abstract: A contact probe having a first end portion adapted to abut onto a contact pad of a device under test and a second end portion adapted to abut onto a contact pad of a PCB board of a testing apparatus, as well as a rod-shaped probe body extended between the end portions along a longitudinal development direction is provided with an opening extending along the longitudinal development direction and defines at least one pair of arms in the probe body. Suitably, each arm of the at least one pair of arms has a not constant transversal section, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal development direction, having different areas in correspondence of different points along the probe body and ensures a distribution of the stress along the probe body during bending thereof during testing operation of the device under test performed by means of the contact probe.

Abstract: A contact probe is disclosed having a first end portion which ends with a contact tip configured to abut onto a contact pad of a device under test and a second end portion which ends with a contact head configured to abut onto a contact pad of a board of a testing apparatus, as well as a probe body extended between the first end portion and the second end portion along with a longitudinal development axis The first end portion includes a first support part, interposed between the probe body and the contact tip. Suitably, the first support part includes at least one contact pin and one probe length which extend parallel to each other along the longitudinal development axis and are separated by an air gap.

Abstract: A testing head for testing the functionality of an electronic device is disclosed having a plurality of contact probes including a probe body extended between respective end portions adapted to contact respective contact pads, a lower guide provided with guide holes for housing the contact probes, and a conductive portion in the lower guide. The conductive portion includes a group of the guide holes and is adapted to contact and short-circuit a corresponding group of contact probes housed in the group of holes. The contact probes housed in the group of holes include a deformable portion adapted to be partially inserted into the guide holes of the group. The deformable portion, when housed in the guide holes, is in a configuration in which it is deformed by the contact with a wall of the guide holes and exerts on the wall a reaction force ensuring a sliding contact during testing of the electronic device.

Abstract: A probe head for testing a device under test includes an upper guide and a lower guide parallel to each other and spaced apart. Each of the guides is provided with a respective plurality of guide holes, a plurality of contact probes housed in the guide holes and provided each with a first end and with a second end, the first end being adapted to contact pads of a device under test. At least one additional guide is associated with one of the guides. The additional guide includes first guide holes, housing a first group of the contact probes, and second guide holes, housing a second group of the contact probes. The first and second guide holes are shifted with respect to the guide holes of the guide which said additional guide is associated with, and the shift of the first guide holes is in a direction opposite the shift of the second guide holes.

Abstract: A contact probe having a first end portion and a second end portion, a probe body extended along a longitudinal development direction between the first end portion and the second end portion is disclosed. The probe body has a pair of arms separated by a slot and extending according to the longitudinal development direction and a conductive insert extended along the longitudinal development direction, in a bending plane of the contact probe. The conductive insert is made of a first material and the contact probe is made of a second material and the first material has a lower electrical resistivity than an electrical resistivity of the second material. The conductive insert is a power transmission element of the contact probe and the arms are structural support elements of the contact probe during a deformation of the probe body.

Abstract: A probe head for a test equipment of electronic devices comprises a plurality of contact probes inserted in guide holes provided in at least one upper guide and one lower guide, a bending area for the contact probes being defined between the upper and lower guides, each contact probe having at least one first terminal portion which protrudes of a first length from the lower guide and ends with a contact tip (22A) adapted to abut onto a respective contact pad of a device to be tested, as well as a second terminal portion which protrudes of a second length from the upper guide and ends with a contact head adapted to abut onto a contact pad of a board for connecting or interfacing with the test equipment, suitably comprising at least one protection structure projecting from the upper guide in direction of a longitudinal development axis of the contact probes towards the board, the protection structure thus extending in correspondence of the contact heads of the contact probes.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a multi-layer for a probe card comprises providing first contact pads on an exposed face of a first dielectric layer and second contact pads on an exposed face of a last dielectric layer. Each dielectric layer is laser ablated to realize pass-through structures and the pass-through structures are conductively filled to realize conductive structures. The dielectric layers are superimposed in a way that each conductive structure contacts a corresponding conductive structure of a contiguous dielectric layer in the multi-layer and forms conductive paths electrically connected the first and second contact pads. The second contact pads having a greater distance between its symmetry centers than the first contact pads, the multi-layer thus performing a spatial transformation between the first and second contact pads connected through the connective paths.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automated assembly of a probe head for testing electronic devices integrated on a semiconductor wafer, includes a support adapted to support at least two parallel guides, which are provided with a plurality of respective guides holes, and at least one holding means adapted to hold a contact probe to be housed in the guides holes, of the guides. Suitably, the support is a movable support adapted to be moved according to a preset trajectory between a first position, wherein the contact probe is held by the holding means at a predetermined position outside the guides holes, and a second position wherein the contact probe, which is held at the predetermined position, is housed in a set of guides holes that are substantially concentric to each other.

Abstract: A testing head apt to verify the operation of a device under test integrated on a semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of contact elements, each including a body that extends between a first end portion and a second end portion, and a guide provided with a plurality of guide holes apt to house the contact elements. The guide includes a conductive portion that includes and electrically connects the holes of a group of guide holes to each other and is apt to contact a corresponding group of contact elements apt to carry a same type of signal.

Abstract: A probe head comprises a plate-shaped support including respective pluralities of guide holes, a plurality of contact probes being slidingly housed in the respective pluralities of guide holes and including at least a first group of contact probes being apt to carry only one type of signal chosen between ground and power supply signals, a conductive portion realized on the support and including a plurality of the guide holes housing the contact probes of the first group, and at least one filtering capacitor having at least one capacitor plate being electrically connected to the conductive portion, the conductive portion electrically connecting the contact probes of the first group.

Abstract: A probe head for a testing apparatus integrated on a semiconductor wafer is disclosed having a first plurality of contact probes having a first transversal diameter, a second plurality of micro contact probes having a second transversal diameter, smaller than the first transversal diameter, and a flexible membrane having conductive tracks for connecting a first plurality contact probe with a corresponding second plurality micro contact probe. The second plurality contact probes are arranged between the testing apparatus and the flexible membrane, and the second plurality micro contact probes are arranged between the flexible membrane and a semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: A testing head apt to verify the operation of a device under test integrated on a semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of contact elements, each including a body that extends between a first end portion and a second end portion, and a guide provided with a plurality of guide holes apt to house the contact elements. The guide includes a conductive portion that includes and electrically connects the holes of a group of guide holes to each other and is apt to contact a corresponding group of contact elements apt to carry a same type of signal.

Abstract: A contact probe is disclosed having a first contact end portion adapted to abut onto a contact pad of a device under test, a second contact end portion adapted to abut onto a contact pad of a PCB board of a testing apparatus, and a rod-shaped probe body extended between the first and second contact end portions according to a longitudinal direction. The contact probe also includes an opening that extends along the probe body and along at least one contact end portion, a first opening part defining a pair of arms in the probe body and a second opening part defining a pair of end sections in the contact end portion.

Abstract: A contact probe is disclosed having a first end portion with a contact tip adapted to abut onto a contact pad of a device under test, a second end portion with a contact head adapted to abut onto a contact pad of a board of a test equipment, a probe body extended between the first and the second end portions according to a longitudinal development axis, and an elastic stopper provided in an elastic portion of the probe body arranged contiguous to the second end portion. The elastic stopper is deformable between a first working condition, in which it has a transversal diameter greater than a transversal diameter of the probe body, and a second working condition in which it has a transversal diameter corresponding to the transversal diameter of the probe body.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a probe card for functionality testing of devices under test (DUT) is disclosed having the steps of providing an interface board configured for interfacing the probe card to a testing apparatus, providing a stiffener, connecting an interposer in the shape of a monobloc of material to the stiffener, cutting the monobloc according to a predetermined pattern after connecting it to the stiffener, thereby defining a plurality of modules which are independent and separated from each other, associating the interface board with the stiffener, and associating a probe head with the interposer. The probe head includes a plurality of contact elements adapted to electrically connect the interposer to contact pads of the devices under test. A probe card obtained by the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A probe head for testing the operation of a device under test is disclosed. The probe head has a plurality of contact probes including a body extending along a longitudinal axis adapted to contact respective contact pads and having a substantially square or rectangular-shaped cross section, and a guide lying in a plane and provided with guide holes having a substantially square or rectangular-shaped cross section for slidingly housing the contact probes. In the plane of the guide the cross section of the guide holes and the cross section of the contact probes are rotated relative to each other around the longitudinal axis and have respective different orientations with respect to a reference system in the plane, so that an edge of the body is mechanically interfering with a corresponding wall of the guide holes The probe head also has a conductive portion formed at the guide and/or formed at another guide of the probe head being adapted to contact and short-circuit a corresponding group of contact probes.

Abstract: A contact element for a probe head for an electronic device test apparatus is disclosed, having a body extending along a longitudinal axis between a first and a second opposite contact end, each made of electrically conductive material. The body includes a first section which extends over a distance less than 1000 ?m along the longitudinal axis starting from the first contact end towards the second contact end, a second section which extends along the longitudinal axis starting from the second contact end towards the first contact end, and a third section, interposed between the first and second sections, made of an electrically insulating material. The sections follow each other along the longitudinal axis so that the first contact end is included only in the first section, the second contact end is included only in the second section, and the third section electrically insulates the first section from the second section.

Abstract: A probe head for testing a device under test integrated on a semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of contact probes, each having a first end and a second end, and at least one first lower guide and one second lower guide at the first end. The guides are parallel to each other and have a respective plurality of first and second guide holes for slidingly housing the contact probes. At least one third lower guide is substantially parallel to the first lower guide and to the second lower guide and includes a plurality of third guide holes for slidingly housing the contact probes. The guide holes are disposed in a shifted arrangement to eliminate a scrub movement of the first ends of each contact probe of the probe head.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a probe head for the functionality testing of devices under test (DUT) is disclosed. The method includes providing a containment element, arranging a lower guide at a lower face of the containment element which faces toward the devices under test during the test, and arranging an upper guide at an upper face of the containment element. The containment element is interposed between the lower and upper guides which are initially in the shape of a single plate connected to the containment element. The method further includes cutting the lower and/or upper guide thereby defining a plurality of guide portions that are independent and separated from each other, and inserting a plurality of contact elements into respective guide holes formed in the guides. The contact elements are adapted to contact pads of the devices under test. A probe head obtained by the method is also disclosed.