Texas Instruments Corporation

Masao Tohyama

Kiyokazu Ikeya

Hideki Sano

Takashi Tonooka

Kiyoshi Adachi

Tomohiro Nakano

A socket (1) for burn-in tests of IC packages employs rack and pinion gears to drive contact makers (6). As a cover (3) is depressed against coil springs (38), a slide actuator member (4) with sliding portions (30, 32) is raised by rack (3b, 26a, 27a, 28a, 29a) and pinion gears (34, 35). Slide actuator member 4 includes grid members (4b) which bias the contact makers (6) into an open position when the actuator member is raised and allows the contact makers to close when the slide actuator member is lowered. Supporting surfaces (30d, 32d) of the sliding parts (30, 32) of the slide actuator member are raised higher than interdigitated loading surfaces (20a, 21a) of guide elements (20, 21) of the base (2) so that the IC package (5) can be easily positioned by the supporting surfaces (30d, 32d) without engaging the ball terminals (5b) with arms (6a, 6b) of contact makers (6). Cover (3) begins to move upwardly when the downward force on the cover is released, while the slide actuator member (4) moves downwardly. Subsequently, the IC package (5) is precisely positioned on loading surfaces (20a, 21a) by the guiding surfaces (20b, 21b) since the supporting surfaces (30d, 32d) are lowered below the loading surfaces (20a, 21a), simultaneously the ball terminals (5b) are clamped by the arms (6a, 6b). In a second embodiment the contact makers (6) of socket (1A) are arranged obliquely relative to the sides of the slide actuator member allowing a contact arrangement having a finer pitch. In a third embodiment the slide actuator member (4') is formed integrally with the cover (3'). A modified embodiment shows a modified contact maker (60) formed with a constriction and with a grid member (4b'') of the slide actuator member received in between respective arms (60a, 60b) for controlling the open and closed position of the contact maker.

Socket apparatus

An IC seating portion (14) of a socket (2) for a semiconductor device (300) is arranged so that the IC terminal leads can engage with contact heads (22) of contact pins (20) mounted in the socket. Each contact pin (20) is arranged in a respective slit (8) formed by partition members (7) providing electrically isolation of the contact pins from one another. Socket (2) has a blocking member (3) which blocks the gaps or slits at their top to prevent IC terminal leads from becoming entangled with the slits or contact pins (20). A stop member (4) is formed in the IC seating portion (14) to facilitate positioning of a semiconductor device (300) on the seating portion and to prevent the IC terminal leads from interfering with contact pins (20).

Socket apparatus for IC packages

A socket for removably mounting an electric part such as an IC package (30) has a cover (14) which when pushed down from a raised at rest position causes a drive shaft (26) fixed to the cover (14) to move down rotating a first lever (36) and actuating a second lever (38). Upon such rotation a latch (48) moves to a receded position which is obliquely above a plurality of contact elements (28) and, at the same time, vertically movable arms (50) rise to a selected vertical position from a cavity (52). The IC package (30) is then received on the vertically movable arms (50). When the downward force on the cover (14) is removed, cover (14) and the drive shaft (26) rise, first lever (36) and second lever (38) start moving in an opposite direction and the vertically movable arms (50) move down carrying the IC package (30), with a result that each terminal lead (32) of the IC package engages and rides on a contact portion (28f) of each contact element (28, 28') corresponding thereto and the latch (48) engages the terminal leads disposed on the contact portions (28f) in such a fashion as to sandwich the leads (32) and apply an additional contact force to the leads (32).

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).

A socket having contact elements (22, 22', 50, 89) movable into and out of engagement with terminal leads (14a, 87) of an electrical component has a connection assembly (28, 34; 28', 34'; 58, 60, 66; 90, 91, 95) rotatably mounted to the base (10, 52, 80) of the socket for moving the contact elements into and out of engagement with the terminal leads. The connection assembly is driven by a movable cover (12) or by a motor (46) through a shaft (26, 54) which may be interconnected with comparable shafts on other sockets.

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Gotemba, Japan

Masao Tohyama