US Patent 7924036 Contactor assembly for integrated circuit testing

The present invention provides a contactor assembly (100,200,300) for testing of semiconductor devices (DUT). The contactor assembly (100,200,300) includes a plurality of probes (20,22,24), a contactor holder (150,350) and a cover (180,280) shaped and dimensioned to fit on the contactor holder (150,350). The contactor holder (150,350) is a stack of laminates. A top laminate (156,256) of the contactor holder (150,350) has apertures (158,258). A contact probe (22) is seen through one aperture (158,258). On a rear face of the cover (180,280), there is at least one conductive pad (186) in register with an aperture (158,258). Each aperture (158,258) is operable to house a surface-mount electric component (160), such as a resistor, capacitor or inductor, and a conductive compressive element (162). In another embodiment, a front side of a cover (280) has a connector (285) in electrical communication with a conductive pad (186). In use, a signal in one probe (22) is operable to be: coupled to a signal in another probe; filtered from a separate probe; or compensated for impedance, capacitance or inductance; such coupling, filtering or compensating is made possible by series and/or parallel connection of the electric component (160).