Micropositioners | Probe Positioners | Manipulators | Micromanipulators

The task of picking-up (mostly) electrical signals from a circuitry and taking it safely to an instrument for analysis and visualization is best done with the aid of a fine-mechanical implement for precise positioning and maintaining of the contact.

Applications for such implements can be found in the testing of modern PCBs as well as R&D of circuits on semiconductor wafers. If you happen to have a steady hand it may be (just about) feasible to place a solitary probe on some common place of an electronic circuit board. Due to the smaller scale of circuits on-wafer it is not only advisable but a necessity to contact with the aid of a mechanical positioner.

In the industry such accessories are called :

• Micropositioners
• Probe-Positioners
• Manipulators or sometimes
• Micro-Manipulators

We will call them Micropositioners.

They can be categorized as follows:

• Cost-effective Micropositioners for everyday tasks in waferprobing as well as electronics
• Mid-Range Micropositioners offering precision and versatility
• High performance Micropositioners for highest precision in demanding on-wafer applications
• RF and uW Micropositioner are used in specialized applications with co-planar probes

A complete micropositioner consists of three elements:

• The micropositioner

You have the choice between three different models offering different levels of precision and flexibility: The Entry Level Micropositioners, the General Purpose Micropositioners and the Performance Micropositioners.

• The Base

The base fixes the micropositioner to a Mounting Plate (Platen) of your prober. There are magnetic or vacuum bases.

A magnetic base does not require anything additional. It mounts on top of a magnetized steel platen.

A vacuum base uses a slight vacuum to fix the micropositioner on a platen. It requires a local vacuum supply provided either via a utility supply or a small local vacuum pump available as an accessory. Each micropositioner needs to be connected by a tube to a vacuum valve on the prober.

• The probearms

The probearm is the interface to your measurement tool. To make you an offer, we need you to tell us as much as possible about your requirements.

We can offer a broad range of probearms starting with simple connections up to versions with coaxial or even triaxial shielding. For measurements of capacitances or very small currents we suggest to use AP&T style probearms. Measurements with high currents or voltages require their own dedicated probearms.

To read more about probearms, click here.

Do you have more questions concerning micropositioners?

Please contact us...

Norbert Bauer
mail: norbert.bauer@bsw-ag.com
Tel.:   +49 (0) 7032 / 895 93-1