The technology's great freedom of design, combined with the LigaFlex© material's excellent electrical conductivity, pushes back the limits of miniaturization, offering a clear competitive advantage over traditional methods.
Test probes can have complex geometries with some very fine elastic structures. Our technology not only allows great freedom of design, but also guarantees high precision in geometry. Mimotec adapts to customer requirements in terms of shape and thickness.
MEMS probes come in a wide range of sizes, generally in the form of flat parts. The most common geometries are “cantilever” or “vertical buckling beam”. They are supplied either as individual parts or in sheets, to facilitate handling and avoid accidental bending. Indeed, these test tips are often extremely thin, in the order of 50 to 70µm, corresponding to the thickness of a human hair.
Material is a key factor in test tip applications. It must combine low electrical resistivity, good wear resistance as well as high elastic properties. To date, the material closest to these characteristics is LigaFlex™, which is a NiFe alloy. Other materials are being studied to reduce electrical resistivity.