Electrical connectors – Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-22
2003-12-02
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move...
C439S266000, C439S268000, C439S330000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06655974
ABSTRACT:
This application is based on Patent Application No. 2001-154313 filed May 23, 2001 in Japan, the content of which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device-socket used for testing the semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices mounted on an electronic equipment or others are subjected to various tests at a stage prior to being actually mounted so that latent defects therein are removed. The test is performed nondestructively through application of voltage stress, high-temperature operation, and high-temperature storage corresponding to thermal and mechanical environment tests or the like. Among these tests, there is a burn-in test effective for removing initial-inoperable integrated circuits, in which an operation test is performed under a high temperature condition for a predetermined time.
A semiconductor device-socket subjected to such a test disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 10-302925 (1998) and 2000-009752, is disposed on a printed circuit board (a printed board) having an input/output section through which a predetermined test voltage is supplied to and an abnormality-detection signal representing a short-circuit or others is returned from the semiconductor device as an object to be tested and the abnormality-detection signal is transmitted.
Such a semiconductor device-socket comprises a socket body that is fixed onto the printed circuit board and accommodates a contact deviation member described later relatively movably with respect to a pair of movable contact portions of each contact terminal, a positioning member including an accommodation portion in which a semiconductor device of a BGA (Ball Grid Array)-type, for example, is loaded, a contact deviation member disposed in the socket body movably in a reciprocating manner in a predetermined direction to support a bottom of the positioning member and bringing the one of movable contact portion of the contact terminal described later in close proximity to the other of movable contact or keeping the one away from the other, and a frame member for transmitting operating force acting on itself to the contact deviation member as driving force through a driving mechanism (not shown) of the contact deviation member.
Each contact terminal includes a terminal on the side of a proximal end provided on the socket body corresponding to each electrode portion of the loaded semiconductor device, and a pair of movable contact portions coupled to the foregoing terminal for selectively pinching each electrode portion of the semiconductor device. The pair of the oppositely disposed movable contact portion are brought in close proximity to each other in response to the movement of the contact deviation member to pinch each electrode portion of the semiconductor device, or are kept away from each other by a predetermined distance to release each electrode portion of the semiconductor device. The distance (the amount of opening) between the pair of the movable contact portions is set to a value that is obtained by adding the diameter of each electrode portion of the semiconductor device and a predetermined gap such that loading and unloading of the semiconductor device are possible, for the example.
The contact deviation member is movably arranged in an accommodation portion of the socket body in the movement direction of the movable contact portion of each contact terminal, and includes a plurality of openings from which the pair of the movable contact portions of each contact terminal are protruded, respectively. Adjacent each opening is divided between a partition wall.
At peripheral edges of the respective openings in the contact deviation member from which the movable contact portions of the respective contact terminals are protruded (between the openings), there is provided the partition wall portion as a movable contact pressing portion. The partition wall portion is formed to divide a space between the one of the movable contact portion and the other.
In such a construction, when a semiconductor device is accommodated in the accommodation portion of a positioning member, first the aforementioned frame member is made to lower to move the contact deviation member in one direction. Then, in the situation where the partition wall member as the movable contact pressing portion is moved and held such that the one movable contact portion of each contact terminal is spaced with respect to the other movable contact portion, the semiconductor device is placed on a bottom of the accommodation portion of the positioning member, which permits each electrode portion of the semiconductor device to be positioned between the movable contact portions of the respective electrode portions.
When the frame member is moved upward, the contact deviation member is moved in the opposite direction to the one direction by restoring force of the movable contact up to an initial position to permit the partition wall portion to be separated from the one of the movable contact and brought into contact with the other. The pair of the movable contact portions of each contact terminal are thereupon brought in close proximity to each other.
Accordingly, each electrode portion of the semiconductor device is pinched by the pair of the movable contact portions of each contact terminal to electrically connect each electrode portion of the semiconductor device with each contact terminal.
Thereafter, a predetermined inspection signal is supplied to the printed circuit board to enable the aforementioned burn-in test to be performed.
For removing the semiconductor device from the bottom of the accommodation portion in the positioning member after the completion of the aforementioned burn-in test, the foregoing frame member is again moved downward, causing the partition wall portion of the contact deviation member to be moved such that the one of the movable contact of each contact terminal is spaced with respect to the other.
There is however a situation where the other of the movable contact in the contact terminals among the plurality of the contact terminals bites the electrode portion of the semiconductor device formed of solder, etc. on the temperature condition of the burn-in test, and hence it may be difficult to remove the semiconductor device from the bottom of the accommodation portion in the positioning member.
Further, for example, as illustrated in
FIG. 18
, the respective contact terminals
6
each including the movable contact portions
6
A,
6
B may be arranged in a line corresponding to the respective electrode portions
10
of the semiconductor device. Further,
FIG. 18
illustrates a situation where the partition wall portions
4
A,
4
B of the contact deviation member
2
disposed between the movable contact portions
6
A and
6
B are moved in one direction, and the movable contact portion
6
A of the contact terminal
6
is separated from the movable contact portion
6
B.
The respective electrode portions
10
of the semiconductor device are positioned between the movable contact portions
6
A and
6
B. An opening portion
8
, from which the movable contact portions
6
A and
6
B are protruded, is formed between the partition wall portion
4
A and the partition wall portion
4
B.
The amount L of the opening of each contact terminal
6
has a predetermined limitation owing to a mutual distance between the electrode portions
10
of the semiconductor device. There might therefore happen the possibility that the amount L of the opening of each contact terminal
6
is not enough as each electrode portion
10
of the semiconductor device become ever-denser.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned problems with the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device-socket for use in a test for the semiconductor device, wherein the amount of the opening of the contact terminal is enough ensured without being influenced by the density
Ichihara Kenji
Nakano Kazunori
Ujike Ryo
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP
Harvey James R.
Ta Tho D.
Yamaichi Electronics Co. Ltd.
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