Patent ID: 6275056
Filing Date: 2001-08-14
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
A method of making and maintaining a plurality of electrical connections to an object having a plurality of conductive pads, comprising the steps of:fixing said object to a base;placing a prober device in close proximity to said object, said prober device having an insulating substrate having a linear expansion coefficient that is greater than and up to about five times a linear expansion coefficient of said object, and a plurality of conductive probes attached to said insulating substrate and said conductive probes having a pitch substantially the same as, or slightly smaller than a pitch of said conductive pads;detecting a difference between said pitch of said conductive probes and said pitch of said conductive pads;determining a temperature T to which said prober device is to be heated in order to reduce said pitch difference, thereby permitting electrical connections to be made between a desired plurality of said probes and said pads corresponding thereto;heating said prober device to said temperature T to compensate for said pitch difference between said conductive probes and said conductive pads; andapplying pressure to interfaces between said conductive probes and said conductive pads to effect electrical connections.