US 4,284,314 A · Test heads having contact pairs

Abstract

A test head 90 having a plurality of contact pairs 81 is formed in a simple monolithic manner. A plurality of first conductors 74 are aligned in a first row and, spaced therefrom, a plurality of second conductors 80 are aligned in a second row. Each conductor has a circuit end and a contact end and each first conductor 74 registers with a mating second conductor 80 to form a plurality of contact pairs 81 at the contact ends. A common base insulator 88 is formed transversely of the conductors 74 and 80 at the circuit ends to maintain conductor spacing in an electrically insulated manner. A common bar insulator 86 is formed transversely of the second conductors 80 to maintain the contact spacing within the pairs 81 when the conductors are flexed toward a device 27 to be tested. In a method of making a test head 90, the conductors are made in patterns 56 from sheet 55 having a substantially uniform metallurgical composition and each pattern 56 includes a member 72 connected to the circuit ends of the conductors. After assembly, the connective member 72 is removed; therefore the position of each conductor relative to other conductors in a pattern 56 is maintained constant from the sheet 55 to the test head 90. The sheet 55 is advantageously made from a beryllium copper alloy which is susceptible to precipitation aging for hardness to obtain spring temper.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A unitary test head having a plurality of uniformly flexible conductors ending in probe-contact pairs such that the contact spacing in one pair is mantained substantially the same as the contact spacing in each of the other pairs, comprising:

a plurality of spaced first conductors formed in one or more groups and aligned in a first row;
a plurality of spaced second conductors formed in one or more groups and aligned in a second row, each of said first and second conductors having a contact end and a circuit end and said second row being spaced from the first row such that each first conductor registers with a mating second conductor, thereby forming a plurality of contact pairs at the contact ends of the conductors;
a common base insulator formed transversely of and bonded to each of the first and second conductors at the circuit ends thereof such that said conductors and said rows are maintained in the aformentioned spaced relationships in an electrically insulated manner;
and
a common bar insulator formed transversely of and bonded to each of the second conductors along a corresponding portion of each of said second conductors, said portion being located between the base insulator and the contact ends of the second conductors, such that the said bar insulator is separate from but bears upon the first conductors and maintains the contact spacing within the contact pairs and between each pair substantially uniform when the conductors are flexed toward a device to be tested.

2 more elements

A method of making a test head in a substantially unitary manner having a plurality of uniformly flexible conductors ending in probe-contact pairs such that the contact spacing in one pair is maintained substantially the same as the contact spacing in each of the other pairs, comprising:

forming a first pattern and a second, mating pattern from electrically conductive sheet material such that each pattern includes a plurality of spaced conductors, each having a contact end and a circuit end;
forming a common bar insulator transversely of and bonded to each of the conductors in the second pattern along a corresponding portion of each of said conductors, said portion being located between the circuit ends and the contact ends of the said conductors;
positioning the first pattern in a spaced relationship with the second pattern such that each conductor of the first pattern touches the bar insulator and registers with a mating conductor in the second pattern, thereby forming a plurality of contact pairs at the contact ends of the conductors;
and
forming a common base insulator transversely of and bonded to each of the conductors at the circuit ends thereof to maintain the aforementioned spaced relationships in the test head.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Test heads having contact pairs

Life of this patent

Test heads having contact pairs

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12