Socket for measuring a ball grid array semiconductor

Details Socket for measuring a ball grid array semiconductor Socket for measuring a ball grid array semiconductor

1998-01-21

2000-05-30

Karlsen, Ernest

Electricity: measuring and testing

Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components

Of individual circuit component or element

324761, G01R 3102, G01R 1073

Patent

active

060694815

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a socket for measuring a semiconductor device received in a package of Ball Grid Array structure (a package having a substrate on the surface of which a semiconductor device is mounted and on the opposite surface of which solder balls are formed in the form of grating). More particularly, the present invention relates to a socket for a Ball Grid Array structure package (hereinafter referred to as BGA package) which is applied to a semiconductor integrated circuit testing apparatus (commonly called an IC tester) for testing a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) in order to electrically connect between the solder balls of the BGA package which are terminals or electrodes thereof and the IC tester side, though the present invention is not limited thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
With ICs formed in high density, many leads are required for leading out the internal circuits of an IC, and it is difficult to arrange these many leads in straight lines on a package in which the IC is accommodated because the leads are too much to put thereon.
From the above reason, recently, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), there is being put to practical use an IC package 10 having a substrate 13 made of, for example, a ceramic or plastic material in which an IC (not shown) is mounted on the surface of the substrate 13 and minute balls 12 each made of a solder functioning as terminals or electrodes are two-dimensionally arranged in the form of a matrix on the bottom surface of the substrate 13. Such IC package is called a BGA package as stated above. The internal circuits, i.e., IC of this BGA package are sealed by a mold denoted by a reference numeral 11 and the wiring of the IC is electrically connected to the solder balls 12 via printed circuits formed on the substrate 13.
In order to test the BGA package 10 mentioned above by the IC tester, it is necessary to electrically connect between the solder balls 12 which are the terminals or the electrodes of the BGA package 10 and the IC tester side. This electrical connection is achieved by interposing a socket for measuring a BGA package between the BGA package 10 and the IC tester.
An example of a conventional BGA package measuring socket is shown in FIG. 6(a). This BGA package measuring socket as generally indicated by a reference numeral 30 is mounted on a printed circuit board 20 which is a part of the IC tester side. This printed circuit board 20 has apertures (through-holes) 21 pierced at the positions thereof corresponding to the respective solder balls 12 arranged in a matrix on the bottom surface of the BGA package 10. A terminal portion 34.sub.3 of each of contact pins 34, described later in detail, is inserted into each of the through-holes 21. Therefore, the solder balls 12 of the BGA package 10 are electrically interconnected to a measuring circuit of the IC tester via the contact pins 34 of the BGA package measuring socket 30, respectively.
The BGA package measuring socket 30 includes a housing 31. This housing 31 is formed by working a thick plate-like body of an insulating material and has a mounting recess 32 formed on the upper surface of the housing 31, on which a BGA package 10 is mounted for testing. In addition, many pockets 33 extending from the position of the mounting recess 32 to the proximity of the bottom of the housing 31 are formed in the housing. These pockets 33 are provided to accommodate the contact pins 34 therein, respectively. Therefore, these pockets 33 are formed at the positions of the housing corresponding to the solder balls 12 arranged in a matrix on the bottom surface of the BGA package 10 mounted on the mounting recess 32 and are arranged in the form of a matrix as with the solder balls 12.
Each of the contact pins 34 is fabricated from a sheet metal having a resilience such as beryllium copper, phosphor bronze or the like by forming a strip from such sheet metal as the raw material and bending and deforming the strip by press working so a

REFERENCES:
patent: 3286220 (1966-11-01), Marley et al.
patent: 3359533 (1967-12-01), Barry
patent: 3596234 (1971-07-01), Sapienza et al.
patent: 5498970 (1996-03-01), Petersen
patent: 5518410 (1996-05-01), Masami

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