A compliant contact pin assembly and a contactor card system are provided.
The compliant contact pin assembly includes a contact pin formed from a
portion of a substrate with the contact pin compliantly held suspended
within the substrate by a compliant coupling structure. The suspension
within the substrate results in a compliant deflection orthogonal to the
plane of the substrate. The contact pin assembly is formed by generally
thinning the substrate around the contact pin location and then
specifically thinning the substrate immediately around the contact pin
location for forming a void. The contact pin is compliantly coupled, in
one embodiment by compliant coupling material, and in another embodiment
by compliantly flexible portions of the substrate.