Electronic package and contact therefor

Details Electronic package and contact therefor Electronic package and contact therefor

1999-05-27

2001-10-16

Clark, Jhihan B (Department: 2815)

Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode

Combined with electrical contact or lead

C257S693000, C257S737000, C257S738000, C257S778000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06303991

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic package and a contact for use in connection with such electronic package. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a contact wherein contact density on the electronic package may be increased and profile height may be decreased, thereby improving electrical performance by decreasing inductance and allowing higher speed operation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typically, a microprocessor, controller, or other micro-electronic device is mounted or housed within an electronic package. Typically, such electronic package also includes contacts for coupling such package to a corresponding connector or connection area on a substrate, as well as leads coupling the contacts to the electronic device mounted or housed within such package. As may often be the case, the micro-electronic device within the package requires a relatively high number of connections to the outside world, and therefore a relatively high number of contacts on the package.
In one type of prior art electronic package, a plurality of pads are arranged on one planar side of the package into an array, and a pin contact is solder- or braze-coupled to each pad. Accordingly, the package with the pin contacts is appropriately mated to a corresponding connector or connection area on a substrate, where such connector or connection area has pin-receiving contacts arranged into a corresponding array. As should be understood, each pin may be removably inserted into a corresponding pin-receiving contact, or may be secured to such corresponding pin-receiving contact by way of a solder or the like.
Typically, each pin extends a certain length and has a relatively smaller pin-size cross-section. Also typically, each pin has a connecting base for being coupled to a pad on the package, where the connecting base has a relatively larger cross-section. Importantly, the relatively smaller pin-size cross-section of each pin must be large enough to provide structural integrity and resist crumpling when all of such pins are inserted into such corresponding pin-receiving contacts. Also importantly, the relatively larger cross-section of each contact base must be large enough, especially at the longitudinal end thereof, to provide a sufficient coupling area and a minimum surface area contact between such contact base and its corresponding pad on the package. For these and other known reasons, contact pins arranged into an array on one planar side of the base of an electronic package must be spaced with a minimum distance of about 0.1 inches.
As should be understood, though, such minimum spacing requirement results in a rather substantial use of real estate by the electronic package on the substrate. Accordingly, a need exists for an electronic package and a contact therefor, wherein the minimum spacing requirement for each contact is smaller than that for the aforementioned contact pins. Accordingly, the density of contacts on such electronic package may be increased, and real estate usage on the substrate may be reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies the aforementioned need by providing an electronic package comprising a generally planar base and a plurality of conductive pads positioned on one planar side of the base. The electronic package also has a plurality of contacts, where each contact is formed as a generally unitary body from a conductive material, and is conductively coupled to a respective one of the pads. Each contact has a coupling tab extending generally along the respective pad, where the tab is coupled to the respective pad, and a generally longitudinally extending blade coupled to the tab and extending generally perpendicularly with respect to the one planar side of the base.


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patent: 5768770 (1998-07-01), Horton et al.

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