Testing head having cantilever probes

Testing head having cantilever probes and comprising:

• a holder;
• and
• a plurality of contact probes held by the holder and formed with respective contact tips arranged to mechanically and electrically contact a plurality of contact pads of at least one device to be tested,
• wherein the holder is structured to hold said contact probes, holder including a plurality of steps to allow a plurality of probe rows to emerge in a cantilever manner, the plurality of steps including first and second steps each with first and second surfaces, the first surface of the first step extending directly from a first end of the second surface of the first step in a first direction, and the first surface of the second step extending directly from a second end of the second surface of the first step in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

A method for creating an electro/mechanical connection between a testing head and a test device, the method comprising:

• and
• holding a plurality of contact probes in the testing head in a cantilever manner, the contact probes having contact tips bent through suitable angles from the contact probes to contact a plurality of contact pads on a test device;
• establishing a common level of emergence for the contact probes from an holder of the testing head, the points of emergence of the contact probes lying on a parallel plane to the plane of the test device, and being shifted in position from one another in order to reach different contact pads, wherein establishing a common level of emergence for the contact probes from an holder of the testing head comprises providing a holder having a shaped outline that includes a plurality of steps, connected to each other by a support portion of the holder, to allow probe rows to emerge in a cantilever manner, the holder being a unitary piece of material such that the steps and the support portion are of the same unitary piece of material;
• causing the contacting tips of the contact probes to abut against the contact pads as the test device is pressed against the contacting tips;
• causing the contact probes to vertically flexing in the opposite direction from the device direction of advance toward the testing head.

A method for creating an electro/mechanical connection between a testing head and a plurality of test devices, the method comprising:

• holding a plurality of contact probes in the testing head in a cantilever manner, the contact probes having contact tips bent through suitable angles from the contact probes to contact a plurality of contact pads on the plane containing the plurality of test devices;
• establishing a common level of emergence for the contact probes from a holder of the testing head, the points of emergence of the contact probes lying on a parallel plane to the plane containing the plurality of test devices, and being shifted in position from one another in order to reach contact pads of different test devices, the holder including a shaped outline that includes a plurality of steps to allow a plurality of probe rows to emerge in a cantilever manner, the plurality of steps including first and second steps each with first and second surfaces, the first surface of the first step extending directly from a first end of the second surface of the first step in a first direction, and the first surface of the second step extending directly from a second end of the second surface of the first step in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
• causing the contacting tips of the contact probes to abut against the contact pads as the plurality of test devices is pressed against the contacting tips;
• and
• causing the contact probes to vertically flexing in the opposite direction from the devices direction of advance toward the testing head.