Test socket, method of manufacturing the test socket, test...

Details Test socket, method of manufacturing the test socket, test... Test socket, method of manufacturing the test socket, test...

2000-07-24

2004-09-21

Karlsen, Ernest (Department: 2829)

Electricity: measuring and testing

Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components

Of individual circuit component or element

C324S757020

Reexamination Certificate

active

06794890

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a test socket for use in testing the electrical characteristics of an electronic device or a semiconductor package, and more particularly, to the structure of a contact for use in establishing electrical connection when the contact is brought into contact with an external connection terminal of an electronic device or a semiconductor package.
As shown in
FIG. 19
, a known test socket for use in testing an electronic device, such as an IC or a bare chip, or a semiconductor package, comprises a contact
1
which is formed by means of punching a member having the property of a spring into a predetermined shape, and a housing
11
which fixedly retains the contact
1
and is formed from an insulating material. In order to test a semiconductor package
14
, the semiconductor package
14
is placed on a seat
13
, and the tip end of the contact
1
is brought into contact with external connection terminals
14
a
extending from the semiconductor package
14
. A press jig
12
is pressed against the external connection terminals
14
a
, to thereby establish electrical connection between the external connection terminals
14
a
and the contact
1
. A predetermined test signal is transmitted to and received from electrical circuits provided within the semiconductor package
14
, by way of the contact
1
and the external connection terminals
14
a.
FIG. 20
is a plan view showing the contact
1
provided in the known test socket shown in FIG.
19
. In the drawing, reference numeral
1
designates a contact;
2
designates a resilient section;
3
designates a tip end which is to be brought into contact with external connection terminals of an electronic device or a semiconductor package;
4
designates a base; and
5
designates a terminal. The terminal
5
to be connected to a test circuit board protrudes downwardly from the base
4
, which is provided for positioning the test socket and extends horizontally. The resilient section
2
protrudes from the base
4
upwardly while being bent horizontally. The tip end
3
is provided at the free end of the resilient section
2
and is imparted with elasticity with respect to the vertical direction. The press jig
12
is pressed against the external connection terminals
14
a
while the external connection terminals
14
a
of an electronic device or the semiconductor package
14
are placed on the tip end
3
. As indicated by a dotted line shown in
FIG. 20
, the tip end
3
is displaced downwardly while involving horizontal movement and deflecting the U-shaped resilient section
2
. By means of the restoration force of the deflected resilient section
2
, the tip end
3
is brought into pressing contact with the external connection terminals
14
a.
FIG. 21
is a plan view showing the shape of a contact described in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 5-104856. In the drawing, reference numeral
1
designates a contact;
2
a
and
2
b
designate resilient sections;
3
designates a tip end;
4
designates a base;
5
designates a terminal; and
6
designates a support section. In the contact
1
, the terminal
5
protrudes downwardly from the horizontally-extending base
1
, and the support section
6
protrudes upward from the base
4
. The base end of a first resilient section
2
a
and the base end of a second resilient section
2
b
are connected to the support section
6
such that the first and second resilient sections
2
a
and
2
b
extend horizontally while being spaced a certain distance apart from each other in the vertical direction. The tip end
3
to be brought into contact with the external connection terminals
14
a
of an electronic device or the semiconductor package
14
is connected to the free end of the first resilient section
2
a
and the free end of the second resilient section
2
b
. Vertical elasticity is imparted to the tip end
3
. The contact
1
can retard horizontal movement of the tip end
3
, which would otherwise be involved at the time of downward movement of the tip end
3
, by means of the first resilient section
2
a
and the second resilient section
2
b
. As a result, there can be prevented disengagement of the external connection terminals
14
a
of an electronic device or the semiconductor package
14
from the tip end
3
, or deformation of the external connection terminals
14
a
, which would otherwise be caused when the semiconductor package
14
is displaced while the external connection terminals
14
a
are disengaged from the tip end
3
.
FIG. 22
is a plan view showing the shape of a contact described in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 4-34380. In the drawing, reference numeral
1
designates a contact;
2
a
and
2
b
designate resilient sections;
3
designates a tip end; and
5
designates a terminal. The contact
1
is formed by means of vertically stacking two hair-pin-like resilient sections
2
a
and
2
b
so as to constitute an S-shaped geometry, and attaching the tip end
3
to an upper free end of the two resilient sections
2
a
and
2
b
. The terminal
5
is attached to a lower free end of the two resilient sections
2
a
and
2
b
. The two resilient sections
2
a
and
2
b
are bent in opposite directions, and hence the contact
1
having the resilient sections
2
a
and
2
b
has the function of retarding horizontal movement, which would otherwise be involved by vertical movement of the tip end
3
.
The surfaces of the external connection terminals
14
a
of an electronic device or the semiconductor package
14
are usually plated, and an oxide film is formed on the surface of the external connection terminals
14
a
. Hence, the external connection terminals
14
a
have high electrical resistance. There is a necessity for establishing good electrical contact between the external connection terminals
14
a
and the tip end
3
of the contact
1
by means of removing the oxide film and increasing the area of contact between the external connection terminals
14
a
and the tip end
3
.
FIG. 23
is a perspective view showing the shape of a contact
1
which is to realize good electrical contact and is described in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Sho 58-199545. In the drawing, reference numeral
1
designates a contact;
2
designates a resilient section;
3
designates a tip end;
3
a
designates a protuberance; and
5
designates a terminal. In the contact
1
having such a structure, a plurality of protuberances
3
a
are formed in the tip end
3
with which the external connection terminals
14
a
are to be brought into contact. Even in a case where an oxide film is formed on the surface of the external connection terminals
14
a
, the contact
1
has the function of breaking the oxide film, to thereby ensure electrical contact with the external connection terminals
14
a.
In the known contact shown in
FIG. 20
, external connection terminals are moved horizontally by several hundreds of micrometers when contact pressure is applied to the external connection terminals, as a result of which the external connection terminals are disengaged from the tip end. Use of either one of the contacts shown in
FIGS. 21 and 22
prevents disengagement of the external connection terminals from the contact, which would otherwise be caused by horizontal movement of the external connection terminals. Such a known contact involves external connection terminals being moved about 50 &mgr;m horizontally and fails to eliminate relative sliding movement, which would arise between the tip end
3
of the contact and the external connection terminals
14
a
. The external connection terminal
14
a
is formed from a
42
-alloy, and-solder plating having a thickness of about 10 &mgr;m is formed on the surface of the external connection terminal
14
a
. Since the surface of the solder plating is naturally oxidized, the surface of the external connection terminal
14
a
is coated with an oxide. In a case where relative sliding movement arises between the exter

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