Patent ID: 8536889

Claim:
A replaceable, longitudinally compressible membrane ( 10 ) for forming a plurality of temporary mechanical and electrical connections between a device under test ( 1 ) having a plurality of terminals ( 2 ) and a load board ( 3 ) having a plurality of contact pads ( 4 ), each contact pad ( 4 ) being laterally arranged to correspond to exactly one terminal ( 2 ), comprising: a flexible, electrically insulating top contact plate ( 40 ) longitudinally adjacent to the terminals ( 2 ) on the device under test ( 1 ); a flexible, electrically insulating bottom contact plate ( 60 ) longitudinally adjacent to the contact pads ( 4 ) on the load board ( 3 ); a longitudinally resilient, electrically insulating interposer ( 50 ) between the top and bottom contact plates ( 40 , 60 ); a plurality of longitudinally compressible, electrically conductive pin pairs ( 20 , 30 ) extending through longitudinal holes in the top contact plate ( 40 ), the interposer ( 50 ) and the bottom contact plate ( 60 ), each pin pair in the plurality being laterally arranged to correspond to exactly one terminal ( 2 ) on the device under test ( 1 ); wherein when a particular pin pair ( 20 , 30 ) is longitudinally compressed, the pins ( 20 , 30 ) in the pair slide past each other along a virtual interface surface ( 70 ) that is inclined with respect to a surface normal of the interposer ( 50 ).