Contact carriers (tiles) for populating larger substrates with spring contacts
AssigneeFormFactor, Inc.
InventorsIgor Y. Khandros, Benjamin N. Eldridge, Gaetan L. Mathieu, Thomas H. Dozier II, William D. Smith
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Abstract
An interconnection apparatus and a method of forming an interconnection apparatus. Contact structures are attached to or formed on a first substrate. The first substrate is attached to a second substrate, which is larger than the first substrate. Multiple such first substrates may be attached to the second substrate in order to create an array of contact structures. Each contact structure may be elongate and resilient and may comprise a core that is over coated with a material that imparts desired structural properties to the contact structure.
Claims21
Method of probing an electronic component, the method comprising contacting the electronic component with a plurality of spring contact elements, characterized in that:
- providing a relatively large substrate which is as large as a testable area of the electronic component desired to be probed, said large substrate having a front surface;
- and
- mounting and connecting a plurality of at least two contact carriers to the front surface of the large substrate, each contact carrier having a plurality of spring contact elements extending from a surface thereof;
- and
- urging the large substrate and the electronic component towards one another so that the spring contact elements make contact with the electronic component.
Probe card assembly comprising a probe card and a plurality of probe elements, characterized by:
- a space transformer substrate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a first plurality of terminals disposed on the top surface, and a second plurality of terminals disposed on the bottom surface;
- at least two tile substrates, each having a top surface, a bottom surface;
- means for effecting electrical connections between the tile substrates and the space transformer substrate;
- and
- a plurality of probe elements disposed on the top surface of the tile substrates.
A tile, adapted in use to be mounted as one of a plurality of tiles to a larger substrate, comprising:
- a tile substrate having two opposite surfaces;
- spring contacts extending from a one of the two surfaces;
- solderable terminals on an other of the two opposite surfaces;
- and
- means, within the tile substrate, for connecting the solderable terminals to the spring contacts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.