Integrated circuit carrier

Abstract

A one-piece integrated circuit carrier includes a base having a central opening bounded at opposite ends by walls having a plurality of narrow, parallel elongated grooves for receiving the leads of an integrated circuit flat pack inserted in the opening of the carrier. A pair of elongated resilient retaining fingers extend along opposite edges of the opening for connecting to the four outermost leads of the flat pack to hold the integrated circuit in the carrier. A pair of retaining fingers on each side of the carrier are supported from a narrow central support web, and the fingers extend in opposite directions from the support web generally parallel to the leads of the flat pack. The fingers terminate in free ends near the corners of the central opening in the carrier. Flanged tips at the free ends of the retaining fingers fit over the outermost leads of the flat pack to retain it. The flat pack is inserted into the carrier by pushing generally horizontally outwardly on the tips of the retaining fingers to spread them apart sufficiently to allow the body of the flat pack to be inserted in the opening of the carrier. The outermost leads of the flat pack bypass the spaced apart fingers so the leads can be inserted into the grooves at opposite ends of the opening. Upon release of the applied horizontal force the fingers return to normal positions in which the flanged tips of the fingers extend over and frictionally contact the tops of the outermost leads to retain the flat pack in the carrier. Advantages are that the flat pack is retained in the carrier by connection to leads instead of the flat pack body and the retaining fingers have improved resiliency and memory with reduced stress when connecting them to the leads, making continued reuse of the integrated circuit carrier possible.