Patent ID: 7898276

Claim:
A probe card comprising: a printed circuit board having, a plurality of electrical contacts disposed thereon; a stacked substrate assembly comprising: a first substrate having a first face with a first plurality of electrical contacts and a second face with a second plurality of electrical contacts; a second substrate having a first face with a first plurality of electrical contacts, a second face with a second plurality of electrical contacts and a central slot disposed through the second substrate, and a plurality of conductive wires attached between the first plurality of electrical contacts on the first face of the second substrate and the first plurality of electrical contacts on the first face of the first substrate, wherein the plurality of conductive wires are disposed through the second substrate in the central slot disposed through the second substrate; and a plurality of probe elements for making contact with a device under test, the plurality of probe elements being supported on the first face of the second substrate and in electrical contact with at least a portion of the first plurality of electrical contacts on the first face of the second substrate and wherein: each probe element in the plurality of probe elements includes a base end and a tip end, the plurality of probe elements includes a first subset of probe elements and a second subset of probe elements, and the first subset of probe elements is arranged so that the base ends of the probe elements in the first subset of probe elements are disposed adjacent a first side of the central slot, and the second subset of probe elements is arranged so that the base ends of the probe elements in the second subset of probe elements are disposed adjacent a second side of the central slot that is opposite the first side of the central slot.