Molex Corporation

Texas Instruments Corporation

Kiyoshi Adachi

Tomohiro Nakano

Masanori Yagi

Akira Kaneshige

Kiyokazu Ikeya

Masao Tohyama

A substrate connector utilizes a plurality of conductive terminals, each of which are held in a single terminal-receiving cavity of a substrate. The terminals of the connector have a hook-shape with a retention portions in the form of a fork having a central slot and two free ends spaced apart from the retention portion and which protrude out of their cavities for contacting contact pads on opposing circuit boards. The retention portions engage abutments formed in the cavities to hold the terminals in place but do so in a manner that permits the terminals to move in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

Substrate connector

A socket () for a semiconductor package having a plurality of solder balls () at its bottom surface. The socket () includes a socket body having a plurality of contacts () arranged in a shape to correspond in arrangement to the solder balls () of the semiconductor package. Each of the contacts () has a first and second contact piece contactable with the corresponding solder ball () while clamping the corresponding solder ball () from both side. The socket () includes a placing plate () capable of moving between a first position and a second position. The first, or semiconductor placing, position is where the semiconductor package is placed on the placing plate () without contact of the solder balls () of the semiconductor package with the first and second contact pieces, and the second, or contact, position is where the solder balls () of the placed semiconductor package are contactable with the corresponding first and second contact pieces.

Socket for semiconductor package

The present invention is directed to a socket connector having a plurality of contacts for contacting with a plurality of solder balls arranged on one of the surface of a semiconductor package, and a socket body in which a plurality of mounting holes are provided for mounting respective contacts. The mounting hole is provided with a through-hole pierced in a height direction of the socket body and a contact support hole of the contact. Each contact is provided with an upright piece extending through the through-hole, and a support piece extending from the upright piece to be inserted into the support hole. A contact portion for contacting with the solder ball is formed at a tip end portion of the upright piece. The support piece extends from the proximal end portion of the upright piece.

Socket and contact of semiconductor package

The present invention is directed to a socket connector (TS) having a plurality of contacts to be brought into contact with a plurality of solder balls (S) of a semiconductor package, a socket body () in which a mounting hole () is provided for each contact (), a through-hole pierced in a height direction of the socket body and a contact support hole () are provided. Each contact () is provided with an upright piece () extending through the through-hole, a support piece extending from a proximal end side of the upright piece to be inserted into the through-hole and a contact portion () formed at a free end portion of the upright piece to be brought into contact with the solder ball. Each contact portion is arranged at a height level such that it projects from the surface of the socket body. A guide projection () is provided at a position to face an associated contact portion of each contact. These contact portion and guide projection are set at an interval such that the solder ball may be brought into contact with the both.

An IC socket has a socket body with a plurality of terminal mounting holes, and terminals of electrical connector mounted in the terminal mounting holes and each of the terminals of electrical connector having a contact portion, a spring portion and a tail portion for performing a burn-in test of an IC package by mounting the IC package on the socket body so as to place a solder ball as a contact of the IC package corresponding to the contact portion and contacting the contact portion with the solder ball. The spring portion of each of the terminals of electrical connector is formed into meandering shape as a whole by stacking a plurality of r-shaped portions in series with alternately orienting each r-surface thereof in the opposite direction from the contact portion toward the tail portion. The contact portion of each of the terminals of electrical connector has a pair of contact pieces on both sides of a recess portion, and horizontal stepped portions projected from opposite sides at generally intermediate portion of generally V-shaped portion formed by oblique contact end faces of the pair of contact pieces and formed with edged portions at the tip end thereof, the lower portion of the solder ball being supported in contact by the horizontal stepped portions and the edge portions.

IC socket

A socket having a structure which is suitable for electrical connection with ball-shaped lead terminals of an IC package is shown. When a cover (12) is pushed down, a latch (70) moves away, a slide plate (40) slides toward the positive side in an X direction through levers (52) and (50) and movable shaft (58) and both arms of each contact maker (30) open. Each lead terminal (solder ball) (32a) of the BGA package (32) is freely inserted between both arms of a respective contact maker (30) when in the open state. When cover (12) rises to its highest position, slide plate (40) slides in the reverse direction by the spring force of a compression coil spring, thereby returning to the its original position and both arms of each contact (32) engage each lead terminal (32a) in such a way as to hold it from opposite sides with a result that an electrical connection based on compressive engagement is obtained between each contact element (30) and each respective terminal (32a).

Growing community of inventors

Hiratsuka, Japan

Kiyoshi Adachi