New Probing Technology Now Enables Impedance Controlled On-Wafer Probing

The development of coaxial and planar RF measurement systems demands a completely different approach as currently used in the low frequency field. In order to achieve minimum reflections in an RF cable, a defined wave resistance must be kept up along its whole length. It is therefore of primary importance to choose appropriate manufacturing techniques, in this case micromachining, after a thorough analysis of all possibilities for HF transmission. We will show that applying these principles to the tips used to contact planar circuits results in the smallest possible impairment to the signals to be transferred.