Microcircuit tester with slideable electrically conductive pins

A test fixture for forming a plurality of temporary mechanical and electrical connections between a device under test having a plurality of terminals and a load board having a plurality of contact pads, the terminals and contact pads being arranged in correspondence with said terminals, comprising:

• a interposer membrane disposed generally parallel to and adjacent to the load board, the interposer membrane including a plurality of pin pairs arranged in correspondence with the plurality of terminals, each pin pair including a top pin adjacent to the corresponding terminal and extending into the interposer membrane, and a bottom pin adjacent to the corresponding contact pad and extending into the interposer membrane;
• said interposer including a resilient grid matrix of interconnected cells formed of an elastomeric material, each cell including longitudinal holes therethrough having a predetermined cross sectional extent;
• and wherein the pin pairs together generally fill the entire cross sectional extent when sliding past each other, so that the pin pairs remain substantially vertical when sliding by each other,
• wherein each contact pad corresponding to a particular pin pair is configured to mechanically and electrically receive the terminal on the device under test corresponding to the particular pin pair;
• and
• wherein when the device under test is attached to the test fixture,
• the top pins contact the corresponding terminals on the device under test, the bottom pins contact the corresponding contact pads on the load board,
• each top pin contacts the corresponding bottom pin along a virtual interface surface that is inclined with respect to a surface normal of the interposer membrane, and
• the plurality of terminals on the device under test are electrically connected to the plurality of contact pads on the board.

A test fixture for forming a plurality of temporary mechanical and electrical connections between a device under test having a plurality of terminals and a load board having a plurality of contact pads, the terminals and contact pads being arranged in correspondence with said terminals, comprising:

• a resilient interposer disposed generally parallel to and adjacent to the load board, the interposer including a plurality of pin pairs arranged in correspondence with the plurality of terminals, each pin pair including a top pin adjacent to the corresponding terminal and extending into the interposer, and a bottom pin adjacent to the corresponding contact pad and extending into the interposer;
• said interposer including a resilient grid matrix of interconnected cells formed of an elastomeric material, each cell including longitudinal holes therethrough having a predetermined cross sectional extent;
• and wherein the pin pairs, when in a uncompressed state together generally fill the entire cross sectional extent when sliding past each other, so that the pin pairs remain substantially vertical when sliding by each other,
• each top pin contacts the corresponding bottom pin along a virtual interface surface that is inclined with respect to a surface normal of the interposer membrane.