Patent ID: 8790466

Claim:
A method for cleaning one or more pin contact elements and support hardware in a semiconductor testing apparatus, the method comprising: loading a cleaning device, into the semiconductor testing apparatus that has one or more pin contact elements and support hardware, the cleaning device having a same physical configuration as IC semiconductor devices tested by the semiconductor testing apparatus, the cleaning device having a top surface with predetermined properties that clean the one or more pin contact elements, and one or more intermediate layers underneath the top surface, the one or more intermediate layers having a set of predetermined characteristics that are selected to optimize the cleaning device for one or more pin contact elements and support structures of testing interfaces, wherein the one or more intermediate layers have a modulus of elasticity range between more than 40-MPa to 600-MPa, each layer has a thickness between 25-um and 300-um and each layer has a hardness between 30 Shore A and 90 Shore A; and contacting the one or more pin contact elements and support hardware with the cleaning device during a normal testing operation of the semiconductor testing apparatus so that any debris is removed from the one or more pin contact elements and support hardware.