CONTACTOR FOR ELECTRICAL TEST, ELECTRICAL CONNECTING APPARATUS USING THE SAME, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING CONTACTOR

• US 20090160473A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Nihon Micronics
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Nihon Micronics
• Inventors: FUKAMI, Yoshiyuki, Hirakawa, Hideki, Arai, Osamu, Numajiri, Kazuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,960,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/754.70
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06727 Cantilever beams
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 Contact or terminal manufacturing

Abstract

An electrical test contactor comprises a contactor main body including a plate-shaped attachment portion extending in the up-down direction, a plate-shaped arm portion extending from the lower end portion of the attachment portion at least to one side in the right-left direction, and a plate-shaped pedestal portion projecting downward from the tip end portion of the arm portion, a contact portion projecting downward from the lower end of the pedestal portion and having the lower end of the contact portion acting as a probe tip, and a resistor having a higher resistance value than the contactor main body and the contact portion and arranged at the contactor main body so as to heighten the resistance value of the contactor.

Claims

1. An electrical test contactor comprising:

a contactor main body including a plate-shaped attachment portion extending in the up-down direction, a plate-shaped arm portion extending from the lower end portion of said attachment portion at least to one side in the right-left direction, and a plate-shaped pedestal portion projecting downward from the tip end portion of said arm portion;

a contact portion projecting downward from the lower end of said pedestal portion and having the lower end of said contact portion acting as a probe tip; and

a resistor having a higher resistance value than said contactor main body and said contact portion and arranged at said contactor main body so as to heighten the resistance value of said contactor.

2. The contactor according to claim 1, wherein said resistor is arranged at said contactor main body and electrically connects said contactor main body to said contact portion.

3. The contactor according to claim 2, wherein said resistor is arranged at least at said pedestal portion and electrically connects said pedestal portion to said contact portion.

4. The contactor according to claim 3, wherein said contact portion and a part of said contactor main body are made of a same metal, and said metal comprises a first portion located at said pedestal portion and acting as a part of said pedestal portion and a second portion projecting downward from the lower end of said pedestal portion and acting as said contact portion.

5. The contactor according to claim 4, wherein said first portion is electrically connected at its part to the other part of said pedestal portion except at least said first portion.

6. The contactor according to claim 4, wherein said contactor main body, except at least said first portion, is made of a first metal material having higher resiliency than said metal, and said metal is made of a second metal material having higher hardness than said first metal material.

7. The contactor according to claim 4, wherein at least said first portion is exposed at its part to one side surface of said pedestal portion in the thickness direction.

8. The contactor according to claim 1, wherein said resistor is formed by at least one selected from a group comprising an electroplating technique, a sputtering technique, and a deposition technique.

9. The contactor according to claim 4, further comprising an electrical insulating layer arranged at least between said pedestal portion and said resistor so as to allow a part of said resistor to be electrically connected at least to the remaining portion of said pedestal portion except said first portion of said metal.

10. An electrical connecting apparatus comprising:

a plate-shaped or sheet-like board; and

a plurality of electrical test contactors supported in a cantilevered manner on the lower surface of said board.

11. A method for manufacturing an electrical test contactor having a contactor main body and a contact portion projecting from said contactor main body and having the tip end acting as a probe tip, said method comprising:

a first step of forming on the upper surface of a plate-shaped base member a resistor layer made of a highly-resistive conductive material having a higher resistance value than said contactor main body and said contact portion and taking the form of a resistor being as a part of a pedestal portion of said contactor;

a second step of forming on said base member and said resistor layer a metal layer made of a highly-hard conductive material having higher hardness than the remaining portion of said pedestal portion and taking the form of another part of said pedestal portion and said contact portion; and

a third step of forming on said resistor layer and said metal layer a highly-resilient conductive layer made of a highly-resilient conductive material having higher resiliency than said metal layer and taking the form of the remaining portion of said contactor main body.

12. A method for manufacturing an electrical test contactor having a contactor main body and a contact portion projecting from said contactor main body and having the tip end acting as a probe tip, said method comprising:

a first step of forming on the upper surface of a plate-shaped base member a resistor layer made of a highly-resistive conductive material having a higher resistance value than said contactor main body and said contact portion and taking the form of a resistor being as a part of a pedestal portion of said contactor;

a second step of forming on said base member and said resistor layer a metal layer made of a highly-hard conductive material having higher hardness than the remaining portion of said pedestal portion and taking the form of another part of said pedestal portion and said contact portion;

a third step of forming on said base member, a part of said metal layer, and said resistor layer an electrical insulating layer made of an electrical insulating material and taking the form of a portion of said metal layer located in said pedestal portion and a part of said resistor layer; and

a fourth step of forming on said resistor layer and said metal layer a highly-resilient conductive layer made of a highly-resilient conductive material having higher resiliency than said metal layer and taking the form of the remaining portion of said contactor main body.

13. A method for manufacturing an electrical test contactor having a contactor main body and a contact portion projecting from said contactor main body and having the tip end acting as a probe tip, said method comprising:

a first step of forming on the upper surface of a plate-shaped base member a resistor layer made of a highly-resistive conductive material having a higher resistance value than said contactor main body and said contact portion and taking the form of a resistor being as a part of a pedestal portion of said contactor;

a second step of forming on said base member and said resistor layer a metal layer made of a highly-hard conductive material having higher hardness than the remaining portion of said pedestal portion and taking the form of another part of said pedestal portion and said contact portion;

a third step of forming on a part of said metal layer and said resistor layer an electrical insulating layer made of an electrical insulating material and taking the form of a portion of said metal layer located in said pedestal portion and a part of said resistor layer;

a fourth step of forming on a part of said resistor layer and said electrical insulating layer a conductive layer made of a conductive material and taking the form of a portion of said metal layer located in said pedestal portion and a part of said resistor layer; and

a fifth step of forming on said conductive layer a highly-resilient conductive layer made of a highly-resilient conductive material having higher resiliency than said metal layer and taking the form of the remaining portion of said contactor main body.