System and method for cleaning contact elements and support hardware using functionalized surface microfeatures

A method for cleaning contact elements and support structures of a testing interface used for wafer level or package level IC semiconductor device testing, the method comprising:

• performing a testing operation of the wafer level or package level IC semiconductor devices;
• and
• performing a cleaning operation using a cleaning device that has a cleaning media having a plurality of functionalized microfeatures that each have a body with a width a height, a spacing between each body and dimensional properties that optimize the cleaning media so that the contact area and surrounding support hardware are cleaned without modification or damage, each microfeature extending away from a top surface of the cleaning media and the cleaning media having a plurality of abrasive particles having a Mohs Hardness of 7 or greater uniformly distributed within the body of each microfeature, a cleaning layer applied across the top surface of the cleaning media having predetermined characteristics that clean contaminants from the pin contact elements and support hardware and one or more intermediate rigid or compliant underlayers underneath the cleaning media, wherein each underlayer has a modulus of elasticity range between more than 40-MPa to 600-MPa, each layer has a thickness between 25-um and 300-um and each layer has a hardness between 30 Shore A and 90 Shore A.