§
Luxuse
Patent Intelligence
Sign In
← Back to Patent Explorer
US4894612A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Soft probe for providing high speed on-wafer connections to a circuit

Assignee: Hypres Inc
•
Filing: 1988-09-23
•
Granted: 1990-01-16
•
Expires: 2008-09-23
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract Miniature soft probes are used to provide a high speed connection to circuits on a wafer. The probe contains a co-planar line on a soft substrate which provides a flexibility for secure contacts. A miniature coaxial line is directly connected to the coplanar line with a zero degree angle. This configuration makes the probe very small and result in high performance. A planar link between two ground planes eliminates any unwanted odd mode. The probes have high speed and wideband transmission lines with interfaces which have speed in the picoseconds and bandwidths in the hundreds of gigahertz. The probes have multi-functional capabilities, such as high impedance buffering and DC blocking, due to printed circuits which constitute a portion of the probe. The printed circuits are produced by a thin film photolithic process. These probes are best suited for on-wafer tests, diagnostics and measurements as well as interfacing on-wafer circuits with other electronic or electro-optical systems.

Inventors

  • 👤 Robert E. Drake
  • 👤 Sadeg M. Faris
  • 👤 Roy M. Patt
  • 👤 Zhi-Yuan Shen

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 06:41
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01R; G01R1/00; G01R1/02; G01R1/06; G01R1/067; G01R1/06772; G01R1/073; G01R1/07307; G01R1/07342

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim 142 words
A soft miniaturized probe for providing a connection to an on-wafer circuit comprising: a soft flexible substrate; a center strip line disposed on a first surface of said substrate; first and second ground planes, each disposed on said first surface of said substrate, one ground plane disposed on either side of said center strip line; a plurality of contacts, one contact disposed on said center strip line and one contact disposed on said first ground plane, said contacts providing a conductive path between said on-wafer circuit and said strip line and between said on wafer circuit and said first ground plane; and a metallic bridge disposed on said first surface of said soft flexible substrate in close proximity to said plurality of contacts electrically connecting said first and second ground planes which are disposed on either side of said center strip line.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 142 words
A soft miniaturized probe for providing a connection to an on-wafer circuit comprising: a soft flexible substrate; a center strip line disposed on a first surface of said substrate; first and second ground planes, each disposed on said first surface of said substrate, one ground plane disposed on either side of said center strip line; a plurality of contacts, one contact disposed on said center strip line and one contact disposed on said first ground plane, said contacts providing a conductive path between said on-wafer circuit and said strip line and between said on wafer circuit and said first ground plane; and a metallic bridge disposed on said first surface of said soft flexible substrate in close proximity to said plurality of contacts electrically connecting said first and second ground planes which are disposed on either side of said center strip line.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 30 words
The soft wafer probe of claim 1, further comprising a passive electrical circuit disposed on a second surface of said soft flexible substrate and connected to said center strip line.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 30 words
The soft wafer probe of claim 1, further comprising an active electrical circuit disposed on a second surface of said soft flexible substrate and connected to said center strip line.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 33 words
The soft wafer probe of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of contacts has its own independent flexibility and freedom of movement to adapt to variations in the surface of a wafer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 18 words
The soft wafer probe of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of contacts is a cantilever contact.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 46 words
The soft wafer probe of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of transmission strip lines disposed on said soft flexible substrate together with a plurality of ground planes said plurality of transmission lines and said plurality of ground planes being disposed in a one-by-one alternating arrangement.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 34 words
The soft wafer probe of claim 6 wherein ground planes on either side of a transmission strip line are connected by a metallic bridge disposed on the first surface of said soft flexible substrate.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3596228A Cited
US4422088A Cited
US4697143A Cited
US4593243A Cited
US4749942A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1993-01-15 1993-07-17 1994-01-16 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1997-01-15 1997-07-17 1998-01-16 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2001-01-15 2001-07-17 2002-01-16 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag