Patents by Inventor William F. Thiessen

William F. Thiessen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7392563
    Abstract: An improved device for cleaning probe pins of a probe head assembly is presented. The device includes a first holding plate, a second holding plate and a cleaning cartridge. The first holding plate secures the probe head assembly. The second holding plate secures the cleaning cartridge in proximity to the first holding plate. The cleaning cartridge has a chamber. The chamber includes a cleaning solution and an absorbent pad located therein. The absorbent pad is saturated with the cleaning solution and prevents leakage of the cleaning solution out of the chamber. During cleaning operations, the first holding plate is positioned about the second holding plate such that the probe pins of a probe head extend into and contact the absorbent pad in the chamber. Once contact is established, the cleaning solution acts upon the probe pin tips to remove unwanted debris. A depth of penetration of the pins into the pad is controlled by a surface of the cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Wentworth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: William H. Fulton, William F. Thiessen
  • Patent number: 6927586
    Abstract: An improved vertical pin probing device is constructed with a housing with spaced upper and lower spacers of a metal alloy, each having a thin sheet of silicon nitride ceramic material held in a window in the spacer of adhesive. The spacers may be composed of foils adhered to one another in a laminated structure. The sheets of silicon nitride have laser-drilled matching patterns of holes supporting probe pins and insulating the probe pins from the housing. The spacers and silicon nitride ceramic sheets have coefficients of thermal expansion closely matching that of the silicon chip being probed, so that the probing device compensates for temperature variations over a large range of probing temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Wentworth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: William F. Thiessen
  • Publication number: 20040134516
    Abstract: An improved device for cleaning probe pins of a probe head assembly is presented. The device includes a first holding plate, a second holding plate and a cleaning cartridge. The first holding plate secures the probe head assembly. The second holding plate secures the cleaning cartridge in proximity to the first holding plate. The cleaning cartridge has a chamber. The chamber includes a cleaning solution and an absorbent pad located therein. The absorbent pad is saturated with the cleaning solution and prevents leakage of the cleaning solution out of the chamber. During cleaning operations, the first holding plate is positioned about the second holding plate such that the probe pins of a probe head extend into and contact the absorbent pad in the chamber. Once contact is established, the cleaning solution acts upon the probe pin tips to remove unwanted debris. A depth of penetration of the pins into the pad is controlled by a surface of the cartridge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2004
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Applicant: Wentworth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: William H. Fulton, William F. Thiessen
  • Publication number: 20040051546
    Abstract: An improved vertical pin probing device is constructed with a housing with spaced upper and lower spacers of Invar®, each having a thin sheet of silicon nitride ceramic material held in a window in the spacer of adhesive. The Invar spacers may be composed of Invar foils adhered to one another in a laminated structure. The sheets of silicon nitride have laser-drilled matching patterns of holes supporting probe pins and insulating the probe pins from the housing. The Invar spacers and silicon nitride ceramic sheets have coefficients of thermal expansion closely matching that of the silicon chip being probed, so that the probing device compensates for temperature variations over a large range of probing temperatures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Applicant: Wentworth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: William F. Thiessen
  • Patent number: 6661244
    Abstract: A probe head assembly for use in a vertical pin probing device of the type used to electrically test integrated circuit devices has a metallic spacer portion formed from a plurality of laminated metallic layers. The laminated metallic layers are formed from a low coefficient of thermal expansion metal, such as Invar, a 36% nickel—64% iron alloy. By orienting the metallic grains of the laminated metal layers to be off-set from the orientation of metallic grains of adjacent metallic foil layers, increased strength and flatness is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Wentworth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Francis T. McQuade, Zbigniew Kukielka, William F. Thiessen, Stephen Evans
  • Publication number: 20030146769
    Abstract: A probe head assembly for use in a vertical pin probing device of the type used to electrically test integrated circuit devices has a metallic spacer portion formed from a plurality of laminated metallic layers. The laminated metallic layers are formed from a low coefficient of thermal expansion metal, such as Invar, a 36% nickel-64% iron alloy. By orienting the metallic grains of the laminated metal layers to be off-set from the orientation of metallic grains of adjacent metallic foil layers, increased strength and flatness is achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2002
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Inventors: Francis T. McQuade, Zbigniew Kukielka, William F. Thiessen, Stephen Evans
  • Patent number: 6297657
    Abstract: An improved vertical pin probing device is constructed using Invar, which substantially matches the coefficient of thermal expansion of the silicon wafer being probed. Spaced dies with Invar foils supporting the probe pins are coated with wear-resistant dielectric materials having lubricity to permit the probe pins to slide in the holes during probing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Wentworth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: William F. Thiessen, Francis T. McQuade
  • Patent number: 6163162
    Abstract: An improved vertical pin probing device is constructed with a housing spaced upper and lower dies of Invar.RTM., which substantially matches the coefficient of thermal expansion of the silicon wafer being probed. Spaced slots in the top and bottom dies of the housing contain inserts of Vespel.RTM.. The inserts are provided with matching patterns of holes supporting probe pins and insulating the probe pins from the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Wentworth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: William F. Thiessen, Arthur Evans