Utilization of a laser-induced plasma as a conductive pathway

Summary form only given. The current method of testing the printed wiring boards (PWBs) in electronic equipment requires physical contact with the desired lead. This potentially damaging contact is made with one or more metal pins. The ongoing decrease in the feature size of new PWBs has made it more difficult to test these boards with conventional methods. We have developed a laser-induced, plasma-based noncontact test method. This new method utilizes a small volume of highly-ionized air, commonly referred to as a plasma, as a conductive pathway. The pathway is capable of conducting both AC and DC signals with negligible distortion.