Attachment structure of semiconductor device socket

Details Attachment structure of semiconductor device socket Attachment structure of semiconductor device socket

1999-12-16

2001-03-20

Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...

With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...

C439S067000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06203332

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to attachment structures of semiconductor device sockets, and, more particularly, to an attachment structure of a semiconductor device socket attached to a test circuit substrate.
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for lighter and smaller portable terminals and portable equipment such as portable telephones. Therefore, semiconductor devices mounted on such terminals and equipment need to be lighter and smaller accordingly. Also, as semiconductor devices are becoming smaller, the pitch of bumps is becoming extremely small.
When a reliability test is conducted on a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device is mounted on a semiconductor device socket. Therefore, semiconductor device sockets are also required to have very small pitch.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1A
to
1
C show a conventional semiconductor device socket (hereinafter referred to as “socket”). A socket
10
A is used for a test, such as a burn-in test for reliability, of a semiconductor device
1
having a BGA (Ball Grid Array) package structure, for instance.
As shown in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, the socket
10
A comprises a socket body
11
, a lid body
12
, and contacts
13
. The socket body
11
accommodates the contacts
13
, and is provided with a seat member
14
. The seat member
14
has insertion holes
25
formed in positions corresponding to the positions of bumps
2
as shown in FIG.
1
C. The upper ends of the contacts
13
are inserted into the insertion holes
25
. The lower ends of the contacts
13
extend outwardly from the bottom surface of the socket body
11
, and are soldered to a test circuit substrate (not shown). The seat member
14
is provided with guides
15
for guiding the mounting of the semiconductor device
1
.
The lid body
12
is attached to the socket body
11
, and can be freely opened and closed. The lid body
12
is closed after the semiconductor device
1
is set in the socket body
11
. By closing the lid body
12
, a presser portion
16
attached to the lid body
12
presses the semiconductor device
1
against the contacts
13
. By doing so, the bumps
2
formed on the semiconductor device
1
can be surely connected to the contacts
13
, so that the semiconductor device
1
can be electrically connected to the contacts
13
. Reference numeral
17
indicates a latch which is engaged with the socket body
11
when the lid body
12
is closed, so as to prevent the lid body
12
from opening during a test of the semiconductor
1
.
The conventional contacts
13
provided to the socket
10
A are flat spring-type contacts formed by press molding. However, it is difficult to form very small flat spring-type contacts. As a result, the flat spring-type contacts are becoming less suitable for the semiconductor device
1
having the extremely small bump pitch.
In place of sockets having such flat spring-type contacts, contact film-type sockets have been suggested.
FIGS. 2A and 2B
show a socket
10
B of a conventional contact film type.
FIG. 2A
shows the entire view of the socket
10
B, and
FIG. 2B
shows the connection structure between contacts
20
and a test circuit substrate
25
. In these figures, the socket
10
B is a socket for BGA packaging.
A contact film
18
comprises a base film
26
made of polyimide or the like, and extension conductive wires
19
formed on the base film
26
. The extension conductive wires
19
have the contacts
20
on their inner side, and a connection portion
27
on their outer side. The contacts
20
are connected to the bumps
2
of the semiconductor device
1
, and therefore protrude upward penetrating the base film
26
. The connection portion
27
is connected to flat spring contacts
22
. Accordingly, the contacts
20
are connected to the connection portion
27
via the extension conductive wires
19
. The contact film
18
is first fixed to a package guide
21
, and then attached to the socket body
11
. The contact film
18
has the same structure as TAB (Tape Automated Bonding) tape having a wiring pattern formed on a resin film. With this contact film
18
, the extension conductive wires
19
and the contacts
20
can be made very small. Accordingly, the socket
10
B can be used for the semiconductor device
1
having very small bump pitch.
With the socket
10
B shown in
FIGS. 2A and 2B
, however, the connection structure between the contact film
18
and the test circuit substrate
25
is a problem. Generally, the flat spring contacts
22
are disposed in the socket body
11
, and the contact film
18
and the test circuit substrate
25
are connected by the flat spring contacts
22
. In this connection structure, the upper ends of the flat spring contacts
22
are connected to the connection portion
27
of the extension conductive wires
19
, and the lower ends of the flat spring contacts
22
are soldered to the test circuit substrate
25
. Thus, the contact film
18
and the test circuit substrate
25
are connected via the flat spring contacts
22
.
When connecting the socket
10
B to the test circuit substrate
25
, it is necessary to make the flat spring contacts
22
elastic. Accordingly, the flat spring contacts
22
become long, and the wiring distance from the contacts
20
to the test circuit substrate
25
also becomes long. As a result, the electric characteristics, especially high-frequency characteristics, deteriorate due to the long wiring distance.
When the lid body
12
is closed with the semiconductor device
1
inside, the presser portion
16
presses the contacts
20
via the semiconductor device
1
, a package guide presser portion
23
presses the package guide
21
, and the flat spring contacts
22
press the connection portion
27
. As a result, a very heavy load is applied to the socket
10
B, which needs to have great strength.
For this reason, the conventional socket
10
B has the socket body
11
and the lid body
12
that are thick enough to endure the heavy load. With such a structure, the socket
10
B becomes larger in size, and the number of sockets
10
B that can be mounted on one test circuit substrate
25
(a burn-in board, for instance) becomes smaller accordingly. Also, as one socket
10
B becomes larger in size, it becomes more expensive.
FIGS. 3A and 3B
show a socket
10
C of another contact film type. This socket
10
C has spring probes
24
, instead of the flat spring contacts
22
, for connecting the contact film
18
and the test circuit substrate
25
. Each of the spring probes
24
has a spring inside, and the top end thereof is elastically pushed outward. Compared with the flat spring contacts
22
, the spring probes
24
can be made small enough to be compatible with the minutely patterned contact film
18
. However, because of the minuteness, the spring probes
24
are expensive, and result in high production costs when combined with the minutely patterned film contact
18
.
Another problem with the socket
10
C is that since the built-in spring pushes the contact portion
27
, the load applied to the socket
10
C is heavy. To endure such a heavy load, the socket
10
C needs to be made large in size.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A general object of the present invention is to provide an attachment structure of a semiconductor device socket in which the above disadvantages are eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an attachment structure of a semiconductor device socket which can be made smaller and thinner, and can be produced at lower production costs.
The above objects of the present invention are achieved by an attachment structure of a semiconductor device socket comprising: a socket body; a circuit substrate to which the semiconductor device socket is attached; a contact film formed in the socket body and provided with conductive wires and a contact portion to which a semiconductor device is connected; socket connectors connected to the conductive wires formed on the contact film; and circuit substrate connectors formed on th

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