Probe station with low noise characteristics

• US 7,138,810 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cascade Microtech Incorporated (FormFactor Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cascade Microtech Incorporated (FormFactor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Simmons, Michael, Miller, Brad, Lesher, Timothy, McDonald, Cynthia L., Cowan, Clarence E., Gray, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vinh P.
• Application Number:
  US10/986,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20050104610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 324754-755, 324761-762, 174 32- 36, 333/243, 439/275
• US Class Current: 324/750.26
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/18 Screening arrangements against electric or magnetic fields, e.g. against earth's field
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0053 Noise discrimination; Analog sampling; Measuring transients measuring characteristics of individual pulses G01R29/02; digital sampling G01R19/2509; measuring noise figure G01R29/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2886 Features relating to contacting the IC under test, e.g. probe heads; chucks G01R31/2865 takes precedence, test connections, e.g. test sockets, or probes per se, G01R1/04 or G01R1/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2889 Interfaces, e.g. between probe and tester G01R31/31905 and G01R1/07364 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/206 Tri-conductor coaxial cables

Abstract

A cable includes an inner conductor, an inner dielectric, and a guard conductor, where the inner dielectric is between the inner conductor and the guard conductor. The cable also includes an outer dielectric, and a shield conductor, where the outer dielectric is between the guard conductor and the shield conductor. The cable further includes an additional layer of material between the outer dielectric and the shield conductor of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between the outer dielectric and the shield conductor to less than that which would occur were the outer dielectric and the shield conductor to directly adjoin each other.

Claims

1. A probe station for probing a device under test comprising:

(a) a probing device for testing said device under test;

(b) a cable connecting said probing device to a test instrument, said cable including;

(i) a first conductor, a first dielectric, and a second conductor, where said first dielectric is between said first conductor and said second conductor;

(ii) a second dielectric, and a third conductor, where said second dielectric is between said second conductor and said third conductor;

(iii) further including a first layer of material between said second dielectric and said third conductor of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between said second dielectric and said third conductor to less than that which would occur were said second dielectric and said third conductor to directly adjoin each other.

2. The probe station of claim 1 further comprising a second layer of material between said first dielectric and said second conductor of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between said first dielectric and said second conductor to less than that which would occur were said first dielectric and said second conductor to directly adjoin each other.

3. A probe station for probing a device under test comprising:

(a) a probing device for testing said device under test;

(b) a cable connecting said probing device to a test instrument, said cable including;

(i) a first conductor, a first dielectric, and a second conductor, where said first dielectric is between said first conductor and said second conductor;

(ii) a second dielectric, and a third conductor, where said second dielectric is between said second conductor and said third conductor;

(iii) further including a first layer of material between said second dielectric and said second conductor of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between said second dielectric and said second conductor to less than that which would occur were said second dielectric and said second conductor to directly adjoin each other.

4. The probe station of claim 3 further comprising a second layer of material between said first dielectric and said second conductor of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between said first dielectric and said second conductor to less than that which would occur were said first dielectric and said second conductor to directly adjoin each other.

5. A probe station for probing a device under test comprising:

(a) a probing device for testing a device under test;

(b) a cable connecting said probing device to a test instrument, said cable including;

(i) a triaxial cable;

(ii) further including a first layer of material between a dielectric and a conductor of said cable of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between said dielectric and said conductor to less than that which would occur were said dielectric and said conductor to directly adjoin each other.

6. A cable comprising

(a) a first central conductor, a first dielectric, a second conductor, a second dielectric, a third conductor, where said first dielectric is between said first conductor and said second conductor and where said second dielectric is between said second conductor and said third conductor, and where at least two of said first, second, and third conductors are coaxial;

and

(b) further including a layer of material between said second dielectric and said third conductor of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between said second dielectric and said third conductor to less than that which would occur were said second dielectric and said third conductor to directly adjoin each other.

7. The cable of claim 6 further comprising a second layer of material between said first dielectric and said second conductor of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between said first dielectric and said second conductor to less than that which would occur were said first dielectric and said second conductor to directly adjoin each other.

8. A cable comprising:

(a) a first central conductor, a first dielectric, a second conductor, a second dielectric, a third conductor, where said first dielectric is between said first conductor and said second conductor and where said second dielectric is between said second conductor and said third conductor, and where at least two of said first, second, and third conductors are coaxial; and

(b) further including a first layer of material between said first dielectric and one of said first and second conductors of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between said first dielectric and said one of first and second conductors to less than that which would occur were said first dielectric and said one of first and second conductors to directly adjoin each other.

9. The probe station of claim 8 further comprising a second layer of material between said first dielectric and said second conductor of suitable composition for reducing triboelectric current generation between said first dielectric and said second conductor to less than that which would occur were said first dielectric and said second conductor to directly adjoin each other.