KR200281259Y1 - Test socket - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a test socket, and a socket housing having an opening in which a test element can be seated in an inner center thereof; A seating groove is formed on the lower surface, a protrusion is formed around the seating recess, and a fixing part having a through hole formed in the center thereof; A groove is formed at the center of the upper surface, and a protrusion is formed at the lower surface of the upper surface, the nest being fixed to the lower portion of the fixing portion to apply pressure at the upper portion of the test device; A support shaft and a rigid body connected to the end of the supporting shaft, wherein the supporting shaft is fitted into a through hole of the fixing part, and the rigid body is inserted into a groove of the nest; And an elastic member for fixing the nest to the protrusion of the fixing part.

Description

Test socket {TEST SOCKET}

The present invention relates to a test socket, and to a socket for electrically connecting a PCB substrate and a test device to test the operation and performance of the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor devices, such as integrated circuits, go through a test process to classify whether they are good or defective in a package. A socket is often used to electrically connect a circuit portion of a test printed circuit board (PCB) installed in a test device of a semiconductor device and an external terminal (lead wire or ball) of the semiconductor device. The test socket serves as a medium for providing an electrical path between the electrical signal generator of the test equipment and the semiconductor device, and the basic component is composed of a socket pin (PIN) serving as an electrical path and a fixing part for fixing it.

The socket pins consist of several parts with the same characteristics and shapes, which act as electrical pathways by making direct contact with leads or balls, which are external contact terminals of the device. And it is absolutely necessary to maintain proper tension for repetitive electrical contact, which is the core technology of the socket. The fixing part serves to fix the socket pin and to secure it so that the tension of the socket pin can be maintained well.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional socket structure with a state of use.

The semiconductor device has a configuration in which an integrated circuit is accommodated in a package P1 and a plurality of leads L1 are exposed to the outside, and are classified into various names according to the shape or arrangement of the leads L1. The package P1 of the device shown in FIG. 1 is electrically connected to the test board B through its socket L1 via the socket 11 for inspection of the device.

At this time, the through pin 12 of the socket 11 has a curved portion 12a in the center to apply an appropriate contact pressure, the curved portion 12a to reduce the characteristics by lengthening the electrical path. Therefore, it becomes difficult to secure the reliability of the result value in the inspection of the device through the test board B.

2 is a block diagram showing another example of a conventional socket structure together with a use state.

The socket 11 as shown in FIG. 1 is called a through hole type, whereas the socket 21 as shown in FIG. 2 is a BGA type package P2 having a ball-shaped lead L2 instead of the conventional lead L1. Used to apply to). The socket 21 of this type omits the curved portion 12a of FIG. 1 so as to compensate for the disadvantage, the pipe 25 arranging and guiding the upper head 22, the lower head 23, and the spring 24 in a line. Form.

However, when the socket 21 is used, electrical contact is made between a relatively large number of parts. Therefore, the accuracy of the contact is not guaranteed and the contact characteristics are likely to change over time. Can not be resolved.

On the other hand, in the case of a high-frequency device, if the length of the electrical contact means of the test socket becomes longer, the test itself becomes difficult. It is also very important that the external leads of the device are connected to the test socket on the same plane. For correct electrical contact between the device and the socket, the flatness of the device within the socket must be maintained within a certain range. The error should be within 0.5 mm, and in recent years increasingly higher flatness is required within 0.3 mm.

The reason why electrical contact and device flatness are important for the device test is that the size of the semiconductor device is getting smaller and the capacity is doubled with the development of technology. In particular, in the case of BGA package devices, flatness is more important in device testing.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a test socket in which electrical contact is accurately maintained when testing a semiconductor device.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a test socket that can maintain the flatness of the device under test seated in the test socket.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a test socket that can be easily produced at low cost in various structures regardless of the size or shape of the device.

In addition, the object and features of the present invention will be clearly presented in the configuration and claims of the invention to be described later.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional test socket.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing another conventional test socket.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4a is an enlarged perspective view of the nest of the present invention.

Figure 4b is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the nest of the present invention.

Figure 5a is a perspective view showing the connection state of the rigid body and the support shaft.

Figure 5b is a perspective view showing the movement of the rigid body and the support shaft.

Figure 5c is a perspective view showing the movement of the rigid body and the support shaft.

6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure in which a fixing part and a socket housing are connected.

*** Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing ***

30: Government 32: Socket housing

33: rigid body 34: nest

35: support shaft 38: test element

39: External lead

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a socket housing having an opening in which an element for testing can be seated in an inner center thereof; A seating groove is formed on the lower surface, a protrusion is formed around the seating recess, and a fixing part having a through hole formed in the center thereof; A groove is formed at the center of the upper surface, and a protrusion is formed at the lower surface thereof, the nest being fixed to the lower portion of the fixing part to apply pressure to the upper portion of the test device; Comprising a support shaft and a rigid body connected to the end of the support shaft, the support shaft is fitted into the through hole of the fixed portion, the rigid body is fitted into the groove of the nest; And an elastic member for fixing the nest to the protrusion of the fixing part.

The vertical position of the support shaft can be adjusted by forming a screw thread inside the center through hole of the fixing portion and an outer circumferential surface of the support shaft. In addition, a bolt may be further included as a fastening means on the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft to fix the vertical position of the support shaft.

The groove and the rigid body of the nest are preferably the same in cross-sectional shape, and the groove and the cross section of the nest are preferably formed larger than the cross-sectional area of the rigid body.

A lower surface of the inner mounting groove of the housing is equipped with a contact array for electrically connecting the conductor pattern on the PCB and the external contact means of the test device. The contact array may be a pin array or a ball array.

The present invention can more easily and accurately make electrical contact when testing the device. In particular, it can be applied not only in the case of manual test but also in a batch system, and the test socket can be easily manufactured, allowing mass production at low cost.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 3 shows a cross section of the test socket according to the present invention. A seating groove 31a is formed on the lower surface of the fixing part 30 so that the nest 34 is seated there. The protrusion 31b formed around the seating groove serves as a locking jaw of an elastic member (not shown) to fix the nest to the bottom of the fixing part. The shape of the protrusions can vary depending on the shape of the nest.

A through hole is formed in the center of the fixing part, and an auxiliary part 30a having a thread formed therein is inserted into the through hole in the drawing. Unlike shown, it is also possible to form a thread on the inner surface of the through hole itself. The support is inserted into the through hole, the support is composed of a support shaft 35 and the rigid body 33 is connected to the end of the support shaft. In the drawing, the end of the support shaft is formed in a spherical shape, and a spherical groove of the same shape is formed in the upper portion of the rigid body so that the end is inserted. Since the fixing portion 30 and the support shaft 35 of the support are screwed together, it is possible to freely adjust the vertical position of the support shaft, and to couple the bolt 35a on the support shaft as shown in order to fix the vertical position. You can also The operation of the support shaft and the rigid body in the support will be described later.

The nest 34 seated in the center of the lower surface of the fixture allows the external lead (or ball) of the device to contact the contact array accurately by pressing the test device from above. A groove 34a is formed at the center of the upper surface of the nest so that the rigid body of the support is seated there. In addition, a protrusion 34b is formed on the bottom surface of the nest so that the external lead 39 of the test element 38 is in contact with the contact array 37.

The socket housing 32 has an opening 32a in which a test element 38 can be seated at an inner center thereof, and a connection pin (not shown) to be fixed to the printed circuit board 40 around the opening. This insertion hole 32b is formed. A contact array 37 is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the lower portion of the opening, and a conductor pattern 41 is formed on the upper surface of the PCB corresponding to the lower portion of the contact array. The lead 39, the contact array 37 and the conductor pattern 41 of the test device are in contact with each other and electrically connected to each other to test the operation of the device 38.

Although the contact array is shown as a pin array in the drawing, when the external lead of the test device is a ball grid array (BGA), the contact array also has a corresponding shape. That is, in the case of the BGA device, the contact array has the same shape as the ball arrangement of the device so that a plurality of balls formed on the bottom surface of the device can be electrically connected to the pattern on the PCB.

In the present invention, the nest is supported on the support to maintain a flat balance of the test device while maintaining a balance of forces. For example, when the test device is mounted in contact with the contact array of the socket housing, the flatness is not constant so that some leads (balls in the case of BGA devices) do not come into contact with the contact array. The flatness is maintained so that the lead of the device contacts the contact array while applying a constant force at the top.

This action of the nest is made possible by the rigid body of the support that is inserted into the groove of the upper surface of the nest. The rigid body is placed in the center of the upper surface of the nest and applies a constant pressure to the nest while maintaining the balance of power. A force is applied at the top to allow the device to be electrically connected to the bottom contact means (ie, the contact array) in a flat state.

4a and 4b shows the nest in more detail in the test socket of the present invention. In the figure, it can be seen that the groove 34a into which the rigid body 33 of the support is inserted is formed on the upper surface of the nest 34. The cross-sectional shape of the groove may be circular, but may also be formed in a square, a hexagon, or the like in some cases. In either case, it is preferable that the cross-sectional shape of the rigid body and the cross-sectional shape of the groove are the same. If the shape is not the same, the force applied to the nest from the support may be out of balance. For example, when the rigid body is in the form of a cylinder as shown in the figure or otherwise hemispherical, it is preferable that the nest upper surface forms a cylindrical groove.

For margins in the manufacturing process of each part, it is not necessary to make the groove on the upper surface of the nest larger than the size of the rigid body. For example, if the diameter on the plane of the groove is 8 mm, it is preferable to design the diameter on the plane of the rigid body to about 7.5 mm. Through such a design, when the grooves of the rigid body and the upper surface of the nest are manufactured or manufactured by a mold, even if a tolerance occurs, the balance of the force by the rigid body is maintained so that the nest does not cause a problem of maintaining the overall flatness.

It can be seen that the elastic member 50 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the nest. This elastic member not only serves to fix the fixing portion and the nest, but also provides elasticity so that the edge of the nest can move up, down, left, and right while the center of the nest is in close contact with the rigid body fixed to the fixing portion, and the edge of the nest is moved. Even if it plays a role to restore to the original. Elastomers are suitable as elastic members. In one embodiment of the present invention, the elastic member is coupled to both the protrusions on the lower surface of the fixing portion and the outer peripheral surface of the nest upper, but may be coupled in other ways.

On the other hand, the protruding portion 34b at the bottom of the nest is in contact with the upper surface of the test element, so that the external contact means (lead wire or ball, lead 39 in FIG. 4B) of the test element 38 and the contact array of the socket housing are exactly Make contact. In FIG. 4B, the periphery of the protrusion corresponding to the position of the external lead is further protruded to ensure electrical contact of the external lead of the device. In the case where the test device is a BGA, it may be preferable to form the protrusion to be the same as the planar shape of the device.

5A to 5C are perspective views for explaining the operation of the support shaft and the rigid body. 5A, the end of the support shaft 35 is spherical, the circular groove of the same shape is formed in the upper part of the rigid body 33, and the end of the support shaft is inserted in the groove of the upper part of a rigid body. Since the end of the support shaft is spherical, the rigid body and the support shaft can move freely while being connected to each other. 5B and 5C show examples of such various movements. If the body can move, the nest into which the body is inserted can also move.

As described above, since the support shaft is fixedly coupled to the fixing unit, only the rigid body can move relative to the support shaft. Therefore, the nest can also move according to the movement of the rigid body. The nest is rigidly inserted into the center of the upper surface is fixed in the center position, the outer periphery of the nest is elastically coupled by the fixing portion and the elastic member. Therefore, the center of the nest is always fixed at a fixed position, but the outer periphery of the nest can be moved up and down. Overall, the bottom of the nest can move up, down, left and right.

This movement allows the nest to properly control the flatness of the device as it presses against the top of the test device. For example, when the flatness of the test device is not constant with respect to the contact array, even if there is a slight difference, the nest may change its posture according to the flatness of the top surface of the device to maintain flatness and contact of the device may be desired. Will be done. Thus, electrical contact of the test device is more securely ensured. This guarantee of electrical contact is more and more required, especially in the case of high-frequency devices.

On the other hand, in Figure 3 is fixed body 30 is a separate body away from the socket housing 32. In this case, the fixture may correspond to a fixture installed on top of the PCB in an automated test system. On the other hand, the fixing portion may be connected to one side by the socket housing and the connecting means may serve as a cover of the housing. In this case, it is easy to test the device manually, and it is easy to carry because the fixing part and the socket housing are integrally connected. 6 shows one embodiment of such an integrated test socket.

The fixing part 30 is connected to one side by the socket housing 32 and the connecting portion 61 is fixed. In addition, the clasp 62 is formed on the other side of the fixing part to further secure the coupling with the socket housing during the device test.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately maintain electrical contact when testing a semiconductor device, and in particular, maintain flatness of a device under test seated in a test socket. In addition, the test socket of the present invention can be modified into various structures according to the size or shape of the device, it can be easily produced at low cost.

Claims (11)

A socket housing having an opening in which a test element can be seated in an inner center thereof; A seating groove is formed on the lower surface, a protrusion is formed around the seating recess, and a fixing part having a through hole formed in the center thereof; A groove is formed at the center of the upper surface, and a protrusion is formed at the lower surface of the upper surface, the nest being fixed to the lower portion of the fixing portion to apply pressure at the upper portion of the test device; A support shaft and a rigid body connected to the end of the supporting shaft, wherein the supporting shaft is fitted into a through hole of the fixing part, and the rigid body is inserted into a groove of the nest; And An elastic member for fixing the nest to the protrusion of the fixing part; The test socket is configured to include. The test socket according to claim 1, wherein a thread is formed in the center passage hole of the fixing part and an outer circumferential surface of the support shaft. The test socket according to claim 1, wherein the groove and the rigid body of the nest have the same cross-sectional shape. The test socket according to claim 3, wherein the grooves of the nest and the cross section of the rigid body are circular. The test socket according to claim 3, wherein the groove and the cross section of the nest are formed larger than the cross-sectional area of the rigid body. The test socket of claim 1, further comprising a contact array mounted on a lower surface of the inner seating groove of the housing. The test socket according to claim 6, wherein the contact array is a pin array. 7. The test socket of claim 6 wherein said contact array is a ball grid array. The test socket according to claim 1, wherein the socket housing is provided with a pupil for fixing the housing to the PCB. The test socket according to claim 1, wherein the housing and the fixing part are fixed at one side by a connecting means. According to claim 1, wherein the test socket further comprises a bolt coupled to the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft.