Probes for fixed point probe cards

Claim 1

In a probe card apparatus for providing access to an integrated circuit pattern having contacts deployed thereon including, a printed circuit card having an opening therein, spaced conductive pads surrounding the opening wherein the pads are connected by the printed circuit to terminals, and probes each having tips and each having a lower edge soldered to respective pads in a position slightly raised above a respective pad and oriented with respect to a respective pad to position the tips of the probes at a predetermined location with respect to a respective pad, the improvement wherein each probe comprises: (A) a rigid needle-holding unitary blade having a substantially uniform thickness formed of a strip of metal which is contoured to define an arm whose lower edge is solderable at an oriented position to the selected pad to maintain the position thereof, and a downwardly extending tooth at the free end of the arm disposed within said opening, said blade being relatively thin, whereby a group of probes may be set up on said board in a high density arrangement; and (B) a resilient metal needle whose shank has a thickness which is close in value to the thickness of the blade, said shank being directly attached to the tooth of the blade and extending forwardly therefrom, whereby the point of the needle which serves as a probe tip is adapted to engage one of said contacts and to be deflected thereby without displacing the blade.