Patent ID: 8383958

Claim:
A probe card comprising: a substrate; an electrical contact pad disposed on the substrate, the contact pad comprising an outer surface; a reinforcing layer disposed on the substrate and directly on a peripheral portion of the outer surface of the contact pad, the reinforcing layer comprising an opening through the reinforcing layer to an inner portion of the outer surface of the electrical contact pad; a conductive foundation disposed within the opening on the inner portion of the outer surface of the contact pad, wherein the conductive foundation is electrically coupled to the electrical contact pad, wherein the reinforcing layer surrounds and contacts sidewalls of the conductive foundation that extend substantially perpendicularly from the outer surface of the contact pad, the reinforcing layer thereby encasing the conductive foundation around the sidewalls; and a spring probe disposed on an outer surface of the conductive foundation, wherein the sidewalls of the conductive foundation are substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the conductive foundation.