Semiconductor device-socket

Details Semiconductor device-socket Semiconductor device-socket

2002-06-26

2003-08-26

Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move...

C439S268000, C439S266000, C439S264000, C439S330000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06609923

ABSTRACT:

This application is based on Patent Application No. 2001-195418 filed Jun. 27, 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 a 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 as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3059946 and as illustrated in
FIG. 7
, for example, is disposed on a printed circuit board
2
that includes an input/output portion, to which portion a predetermined test voltage is supplied and which portion outputs 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.
The semiconductor device-socket comprises a positioning member
10
including a accommodation portion
10
a
in which a BGA-type (Ball Grid Array) semiconductor device is loaded as the semiconductor device for example; a contact deviation member
8
for supporting the positioning member
10
arranged in a socket body movably as described later in a reciprocating fashion in a predetermined direction and bringing one of contact portion of a contact terminal
16
ai
described later into close proximity to the other of contact or keeping the one away from the other; a socket body
4
for accommodating the contact deviation member
8
relatively movably with respect to a pair of the contact portion of the contact terminal
16
ai
; and a frame member
12
for transmitting operation force acting on itself to the contact deviation member
8
through a driving mechanism of the contact deviation member
8
(not shown).
At a predetermined position on the printed circuit board
2
are formed a group of electrodes connected electrically to the input/output portion through a conductor layer. To the electrode group is connected a terminal
16
B on a proximal end side of a plurality of the contact terminals (i=1 to n, n is a positive integer.) provided on the socket body
4
disposed on the printed circuit board
2
. Each contact terminal
16
ai
, which is provided corresponding to each electrode portion
6
a
of a mounted semiconductor device
6
, comprises a terminal
16
B on the side of the proximal end and a pair of movable contact portions
16
A
1
and
16
A
2
that are coupled with the just-mentioned terminal
16
B for selectively supporting each electrode portion
6
a
of the semiconductor device
6
. The pair of the movable contact portions
16
A
1
and
16
A
2
approach each other in response to the movement of the contact deviation member
8
to pinch each electrode portion
6
a
of the semiconductor device
6
or are separated from each other to release each electrode portion
6
a
of the semiconductor device
6
.
The contact deviation member
8
is disposed movably along the movement direction of the movable contact portions
16
A
1
and
16
A
2
of each contact terminal
16
ai
in the accommodation portion
4
a
of the socket body
4
. The contact deviation member
8
is coupled to a driving mechanism composed of a pin and a lever as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3059946. One end of the lever of the driving mechanism makes contact with an end of the frame member
12
. A partition wall portion
8
P is provided as a movable contact pressing portion inside of each opening portion where the movable contact portions
16
A
1
and
16
A
2
of each contact terminal
16
ai
in the contact deviation member
8
are protruded, which portion
8
P is formed so as to divide portion between the movable contact portion
16
A
1
and the movable contact portion
16
A
2
of each contact terminal
16
ai
. Further, between the one end of the contact deviation member
8
and an inner peripheral portion of the accommodation portion
4
a
of the socket body
4
is provided a coiled spring
14
as an urging member for urging the contact deviation member
8
oppositely to a direction indicated by an arrow Mo in
FIG. 7
to return the contact deviation member
8
to an initial position.
As shown
FIG. 8
, when the contact deviation member
8
is moved against the urging force of the coiled spring
14
in the direction indicated by the arrow Mo in response to the lowering operation of the frame member
12
, the partition wall portion
8
P is moved so as to separate the movable contact portion
16
A
2
of each contact terminal
16
ai
from the movable contact portion
16
A
1
. In contrast, referring to
FIG. 9
, the contact deviation member
8
is moved owing to the urging force of the coiled spring
14
and the restoring force of the movable contact portion
16
A
2
oppositely to the direction indicated by the arrow Mo in response to rising operation of the frame member
12
.
In such a structure, when the semiconductor device
6
is accommodated in the accommodation portion
10
a
of the positioning member
10
as indicated by a chain double-dashed line in
FIG. 7
, the frame member
12
is first moved downward. Accordingly, the contact deviation member
8
is moved against the urging force of the coiled spring
14
. As shown further in
FIG. 8
, when the partition wall portion
8
P is moved and held such that the movable contact portion
16
A
2
of each contact terminal
16
ai
is kept away from the movable contact portion
16
A
1
, the electrode portion
6
a
of the semiconductor device
6
is positioned between the movable contact portion
16
A
1
of each contact terminal
16
ai
and the movable contact portion
16
A
2
of the same by placing the semiconductor device
6
on the accommodation portion
10
a
of the positioning member
10
.
When the frame member
12
is raised as indicated by a solid line in
FIG. 7
, the contact deviation member
8
is moved to an initial position with the aid of the urging force of the coiled spring
14
and the restoring force of the movable contact
16
A
2
, so that the partition wall portion
8
P is separated from the movable contact portion
16
A
2
and brought into contact with the movable contact portion
16
A
1
.
Accordingly, as shown in
FIG. 9
, each electrode portion
6
a
of the semiconductor device
6
is pinched with the movable contact portion
16
A
1
of each contact terminal
16
ai
and the movable contact portion
16
A
2
of the same to permit each electrode portion
6
a
of the semiconductor device
6
to be electrically connected with each contact terminal
16
ai.
However, the contact deviation member
8
is moved with the aid of the urging force of the coiled spring
14
and the restoring force of the movable contact portion
16
A
2
as described above, whereby three partition wall portions
8
p
are separated from the movable portion
16
A
2
, respectively and make contact with the movable contact portion
16
A
1
for movement to the initial position for example, whereby there happens a situation where some of the movable contacts
16
A
1
are separated from the electrode portion
6
a
, as illustrated in FIG.
10
. There is therefore a possibility that contact pressure between the movable contact portion
16
A
1
of the contact terminal
16
ai
and the movable contact portion
16
A
2
of the same is deteriorated and electrical connection is incomplete.
It is contemplated as the cause of the foregoing possibility that a variation in the distance between some of the electrode portions
6
a
of the semiconductor device
6
re

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