Patent ID: 7382142

Claim:
A probe card interface assembly for establishing connections to one or more bonding pads on at least one integrated circuit device located on a semiconductor wafer, comprising: a motherboard having an upper surface, a lower planar mounting surface opposite the upper surface and parallel to the semiconductor wafer, and a plurality of electrical connections extending between the lower planar mounting surface opposite the upper surface; a reference plane defined by at least three points located between the lower planar mounting surface of the motherboard and the semiconductor wafer; a probe chip assembly mounting system comprising at least one component having an upper mounting surface and a probe chip assembly mounting surface opposite the upper mounting surface; a mechanism for adjusting the planarity of the reference plane with respect to the semiconductor wafer; and at least one probe chip comprising a probe chip substrate having a probing surface and a mounting surface opposite the probing surface, the mounting surface attached to the probe chip assembly mounting surface of the probe chip assembly mounting system, a plurality of spring probes on the probing surface extending from the probing surface to define a plurality of probe tips arranged to correspond to the bonding pads, a corresponding second plurality of electrical contacts located on the mounting surface, and electrical connections extending from each of the spring probes to each of the corresponding second plurality of electrical contacts; wherein planarity of any of the probing surface and the mounting surface of the probe chip is adjustable through the planarity mechanism.