Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-25
2001-04-03
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
C439S074000, C439S086000, C439S091000, C439S591000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210173
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector structure for electrically connecting electronic parts for testing the electronic parts, and more particularly to a connector structure for connecting an integrated circuit and an electronic circuit for testing the integrated circuit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The connector structure of this type is utilized to connect an integrated circuit having a plurality of IC terminals with an electronic circuit having a plurality of electronic pads respectively paired with the IC terminals of the integrated circuit to test the electronic performances of the integrated circuit before it is put on the market. The word “an integrated circuit” refers here to a semiconductor chip wafer, a semiconductor integrated circuit chip, and a semiconductor integrated circuit chip package. In order to test the integrated circuit, IC terminals of the integrated circuit are to be electrically connected with the electronic pads of the electronic circuit, respectively.
There have been provided various types of integrated circuits such as ball grid array types or fine-pitch ball grid array types. The IC terminals of such integrated circuit are formed with solder bumps and arrayed at one side of the integrated circuit. Because of the fact that the IC terminals of the integrated circuits are formed with solder bumps, the IC terminals of the integrated circuit may have different heights. This may cause some problems that the IC terminals of the integrated circuit partially cannot be electrically connected with the electronic pads of the electronic circuit when the integrated circuit is put on the electronic circuit to have each of the IC terminals face each of the electronic pads. The connector structure such as an IC socket, therefore, is utilized to connect the integrated circuit and the electronic circuit.
There is shown in
FIGS. 10 and 11
a primary example of a conventional IC socket
1
designed to connect an integrated circuit
6
and an electronic circuit
7
. The integrated circuit
6
has a plurality of IC terminals
6
a
while the electronic circuit
7
has a plurality of electronic pads
7
a
each paired with the IC terminals
6
a
of the integrated circuit
6
. As shown in
FIG. 10
, the IC socket
1
comprises a support portion
2
and a plurality of probe pins
3
each having first and second electrically conductive terminals
3
a
and
3
b
at its respective longitudinal ends. The support portion
2
of the IC socket
1
is formed with a plurality of through bores
2
a
having each of the probe pins
3
respectively received therein. The IC socket
1
is positioned between the integrated circuit
6
and the electronic circuit
7
to electrically connect the integrated circuit
6
and the electronic circuit
7
. Under these conditions, the integrated circuit
6
is urged toward the electronic circuit
7
by urging means (not shown in the drawings), to ensure the connections between the integrated circuit
6
and the electronic circuit
7
by way of the IC socket
1
.
FIG. 11
shows one of the probe pins
3
in detail. The probe pin
3
herein shown comprises a coil spring
4
having first and second contact balls
4
a
and
4
b
at its both ends to be respectively held in contact with the first and second terminals
3
a
and
3
b
of the probe pin
3
. The first and second terminals
3
a
and
3
b
of the probe pins
3
are respectively held in contact with the IC terminals
6
a
of the integrated circuit
6
and the electronic pads
7
a
of the electronic circuit
7
. The coil spring
4
enables to withstand the force generated on the IC socket
1
by the urging means which is urging the integrated circuit
6
toward the electronic circuit
7
.
The conventional IC socket
1
, however, cannot meet requirements of recently designed integrated circuits to the effect that each of the integrated circuits should have terminals arranged at an extremely short interval.
Moreover, the curved line distance between the integrated circuit
6
and the electronic circuit
7
caused by the coil spring
4
is much longer than the straight line distance between the integrated circuit
6
and the electronic circuit
7
. This difference in distance may bring about errors on the results of the test especially when the electronic performances of the integrated circuit are tested.
Furthermore, the coil spring
4
to generate electromagnetic induction is liable to cause an undesirable effect on the results of the test.
Another example of a conventional IC socket
11
designed to connect an IC
16
and an electronic circuit
17
is shown in
FIGS. 12 and 13
. The IC socket
11
comprises a support portion
12
having a predetermined thickness and formed with upper and lower surfaces
12
a
and
12
b
substantially extending in parallel relationship with each other, and a plurality of first and second terminals
13
a
and
13
b.
FIG. 13
partly shows the IC socket
11
. The support portion
12
is made of an insulating rubber such as a silicon rubber and has a plurality of electrically conductive wires
15
each embedded in the support portion
12
in inclined relationship to the upper and lower surfaces
12
a
and
12
b
to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined small pitch. The first and second terminals
13
a
and
13
b
are respectively positioned on upper and lower surfaces
12
a
and
12
b
of the support portion
12
with their center axes dislocated from each other to have received therebetween some of the electrically conductive wires
15
. The electrically conductive wires
15
spaced apart from each other at the predetermined small pitch results in each of the first and second terminals
13
a
and
13
b
of the IC socket
11
being kept insulated from the adjacent first and second terminals
13
a
and
13
b
, respectively.
The IC socket
11
shown in
FIG. 13
is positioned between an integrated circuit
16
and an electronic circuit
17
to electrically connect the integrated circuit
16
and the electronic circuit
17
. Under these conditions, the integrated circuit
16
is urged toward the electronic circuit
17
by urging means (not shown in the drawings), to ensure the connection between the integrated circuit
16
and the electronic circuit
17
by way of the IC socket
11
. The support portion
12
and each of the electrically conductive wires
15
embedded in the support portion
12
in inclined relationship with the upper and lower surfaces
12
a
and
12
b
of the support portion
12
enables the IC socket
11
to withstand the force generated by the urging means which is urging the integrated circuit
16
toward the electronic circuit
17
.
The conventional IC socket
11
, however, cannot meet the requirements of recently designed integrated circuits to the effect that each of the integrated circuits should have terminals arranged at an extremely short interval.
Moreover, the first and second terminals
13
a
and
13
b
respectively positioned on upper and lower surfaces
12
a
and
12
b
of the support portion
12
with their center axes dislocated from each other to have some of the electrically conductive wires
15
which are in inclined relationship with the upper and lower surfaces
12
a
and
12
b
of the support portion
12
received therebetween. This structure of the IC socket
11
is complex in structure and thus makes it difficult to have a number of terminals in a small space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector structure, such as an IC socket, for connecting electronic parts, particularly an integrated circuit and an electronic circuit, for testing the electronic parts.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector structure for electrically connecting a pair of electric parts each having a plurality of terminals which can be electrically connected when the electric parts are arranged with the terminals facing and spaced apart from each other, comprising: an electrically insulating elastic sheet made of
Bradley Paula
Nguyen Truc
Ratner & Prestia
Unitechno Inc.
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