Unitized probe tip assemblies of
reduced size for a micro-browser use surface
mount components in an isolation /
coupling network that may include a parallel RC combination in series with a damping
resistor. These surface
mount components are soldered directly to one another without the use of a substrate. A pointed contact tip is soldered directly to one end of the surface
mount components, and at the other end of those components is soldered the center conductor of a
coaxial transmission line leading to a replication
amplifier. A portion of the isolation /
coupling network is enclosed within a supporting conductive shield that is also soldered to the outer conductive shield of the
coaxial cable, which may be a semi-rigid micro coax (which might also be of a memory
metal, such as Nitinol) that transitions into a flexible
coaxial cable after leaving a slot in a sleeve that carries stationary and rotating rods (which might also be of a memory
metal) to which the unitized probe tip assemblies are attached. In an alternate embodiment the isolation /
coupling network may be a shaft of resistive
diamond having a sharp tip at one end where it has a low
bulk resistance the functions as a series damping resistance, which shaft also has toward the other end a much higher
bulk resistance that functions as an isolation resistance that is also shunted by a coupling
capacitance formed of a conductive pattern printed on the outside of the region of higher
bulk resistance.