Contact device for touch contacting an electrical test specimen, and corresponding method

A method for touch contacting an electrical test specimen, comprising:

• providing a contacting device having a contact head and a connecting device, said contact head with said test specimen having electrically touch contactable test contacts, the positions of which are distributed across a testing surface and are determined by at least one guide element that belongs to said contact head and that is fastened to a holding device of said contact head, and wherein said test contacts, on their side facing away from said test specimen, are to be brought into electrical touch contact with contact surfaces of said connecting device, wherein said guide element includes individual segments moveable relative to each other that each have a part of said testing surface;
• connecting each said individual segment with at least one of said holding device and said connecting device by at least one fixed bearing;
• connecting each said individual segment with a floating bearing that permits movement of said individual segment along an axis;
• and
• contacting the electrically touch contactable test contacts with the electrical test specimen.

A guide element of a contacting device for touch contacting an electrical test specimen, the guide element comprising:

• a plurality of individual segments cooperating to define a test surface, the plurality of individual segments including an inner segment and a plurality of outer segments;
• a holding device circumferentially surrounding the plurality of outer segments, each outer segment of the plurality of outer segments connected to the holding device at a fixed bearing;
• and
• a floating bearing disposed between at least one of said plurality of outer segments and said inner segment to permit relative movement between said at least one outer segment and said inner segment along an axis.