Signal transmission connector and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

According to the signal transmission connector of the rubber seat type, the signal transmission connector is formed by combining a lower cover in a state that a conductive electrode supported by a cover hole of the lower cover is inserted into a frame hole of an upper frame bonded with a ball guide film, therefore, the conductive electrode can be replaced independently, and the conductive electrode can work independently and is beneficial to high-speed signal transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a signal transmission connector, and more particularly, to a signal transmission connector connected to an electronic device such as a semiconductor package to be used in transmitting an electrical signal, and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Currently, various connectors for transmitting electrical signals are used in various fields such as the electronics industry and the semiconductor industry.

[0003] Semiconductor devices are manufactured through front-end processes, back-end processes, and testing processes, wherein the testing process is a process for testing whether the semiconductor devices are working properly, thereby screening out qualified products and defective products.

[0004] One of the core components used in the testing process is the signal transmission connector of the so-called test socket. The test socket is mounted on a printed circuit board electrically connected to a tester for integrated circuit testing, and is used in the detection of semiconductor devices. The test socket has a contact pin that electrically connects the terminal (lead) of the semiconductor device to the terminal of the printed circuit board. The tester generates an electrical signal for testing the semiconductor device to be connected to the test socket, and after outputting it to the semiconductor device, the electrical signal input through the semiconductor device is used to test whether the semiconductor device is working normally, and based on the result, the semiconductor device is determined to be a qualified product or a defective product.

[0005] Typical test seats include spring seats and rubber seats.

[0006] The spring seat is composed of a spring pin separately manufactured and assembled on an upper frame. Due to problems such as damage to package balls and cost increases, the demand for rubber seats is increasing in semiconductor test processes in comparison with spring seats.

[0007] The rubber seat has a structure in which the conductive part is insulated from each other inside the insulating part, wherein the conductive part is in the form of a plurality of conductive particles inside a material having elastic force such as silicone, and the insulating part is formed of a material having elastic force such as silicone. This rubber seat has the characteristic of showing conductivity only in the thickness direction, and does not use mechanical units such as soldering or springs, so it has the advantages of excellent durability and simple electrical connection. In addition, since it can absorb mechanical shock or deformation, it has the advantage of being able to flexibly connect with semiconductor devices, etc.

[0008] Figure 1 This is a diagram schematically showing a conventional rubber seat type signal transmission connector used in a test process of a semiconductor device.

[0009] Figure 1The signal transmission connector 20 shown in the figure includes: a plurality of conductive parts 22 contacting the terminals 11 of the device under test 10; and an insulating part 21 supporting the plurality of conductive parts 22 and separating them from each other. The conductive part 22 is formed in the form of a plurality of conductive particles included in an elastic insulating material, and the insulating part 21 is formed of an elastic insulating material. The existing signal transmission connector 20 is arranged on a tester 30, and when the device under test 10 is pressurized by a pressurizing unit (not shown), the terminal 11 of the device under test presses the upper end of the elastic conductive part 22, so that the conductive part 22 becomes conductive and energized, and the lower end of the conductive part 22 contacts the pad 31 of the tester 30, so that the pad 31 of the tester 30 and the terminal 11 of the device under test 10 are electrically connected.

[0010] As described above, the existing signal transmission connector 20 composed of a rubber seat has a conductive part 22 and an adjacent conductive part 22 structurally connected to each other through an insulating part 21. Therefore, during the manufacturing process, as long as one of the conductive parts does not normally display electrical characteristics, the entire socket is judged to be defective rather than one conductive part being defective, so a new socket needs to be manufactured. In addition, during repeated testing, even if one of the conductive parts is damaged, the entire socket needs to be replaced, so there are problems of longer delivery time and increased cost.

[0011] In addition, the conventional signal transmission connector 20 formed of a rubber seat has each element structurally connected to each other, so that the pressure (or stroke) applied to one conductive portion 22 also affects other adjacent conductive portions 22 through the insulating portion 21 .

[0012] However, the height of the terminal 11 of the device under test 10 has a tolerance and a height difference, and the device under test 10 with a relatively wide width or a relatively thin package body is as follows. Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , after manufacturing, the central portion may be raised upward compared to the edge, or the warpage may be slightly twisted in other forms.

[0013] As described above, in the process of testing the device under test 10 having a height difference between the terminals 11 of the device under test, when the device under test 10 applies pressure to the signal transmission connector 20, although the conductive portion 22 in contact with the terminal 11 of the device under test is partially compressed, the other portions are not compressed but maintain the existing height or want to expand. Therefore, the degree of compression between the conductive portions is different depending on the height of the terminal 11, thereby generating concentrated stress at the upper end of the conductive portion 22 which is subjected to a relatively large pressure. When this phenomenon is repeated, the conductive portion 22 where the stress is concentrated is damaged, resulting in a problem of shortening the life of the signal transmission connector 20.

[0014] In addition, when the warpage phenomenon of the detected device is large, it is difficult to adjust the degree of compression of the conductive portion 22 according to the height difference between the terminals 11. Figure 1 In the example shown in (b), although the terminal 11 and the conductive part 22 are in contact in the "A" portion where the terminal 11 and the conductive part 22 first contact, there is a problem of poor contact in the "B" portion because the terminal 11 and the conductive part 22 are not in contact.

[0015] In addition, in the existing signal transmission connector 20 composed of a rubber seat, as the signal is transmitted at a high speed, an electromagnetic wavelength is formed in the conductive part 22, and an insulating part formed of an elastic insulating material such as silicone with a relative dielectric constant of 4 to 9 is formed between the conductive parts 22. Therefore, the signal generated in the conductive part 22 affects other adjacent conductive parts 22 through the elastic insulating material such as silicone with a relatively high relative dielectric constant, so that the electromagnetic wavelengths interfere with each other (crosstalk), which has the problem of deterioration of signal transmission characteristics.

[0016] [Prior art literature]

[0017] [Patent Literature]

[0018] (Patent Document 1) Patent Publication No. 2006-0062824 (2006.06.12) Summary of the invention

[0019] Technical issues to be solved

[0020] The present invention is proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a signal transmission connector and a manufacturing method thereof, which can replace the conductive electrodes individually and increase the degree of freedom between the conductive electrodes, thereby stabilizing the effect on the detected device with warping and facilitating the transmission of high-speed signals.

[0021] Solution to the problem

[0022] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, it may be that, according to the signal transmission connector of the present invention, the terminal of the device to be tested is connected to the pad of the tester that generates the test signal, so as to perform electrical testing on the device to be tested, wherein the signal transmission connector comprises: an upper frame, in which a frame hole is formed through the thickness direction at each position corresponding to the terminal of the device to be tested; a plurality of conductive electrodes, which are formed in the form of a plurality of conductive particles included in an elastic insulating material, and have an electrode body with an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the frame hole and an electrode bump connected to the electrode body and with an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the electrode body; a ball guide A membrane, which is combined on the upper side of the upper frame and has a guide hole with an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the electrode body at each position corresponding to the frame hole; and a lower cover, which is combined on the lower side of the upper frame and has a cover hole with an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the electrode body and larger than the outer diameter of the electrode bump at the center of each position corresponding to the frame hole, wherein the lower cover can be detachably combined on the upper frame so that the electrode body connected to the terminal of the device under test is arranged in the frame hole, and the electrode bump connected to the pad of the tester is arranged in the cover hole.

[0023] The lower cover may be separated so as to replace at least one of the conductive electrodes with another conductive electrode.

[0024] A space formed by a gap between an inner side surface of the frame hole and an outer side surface of the electrode body may be filled with air.

[0025] The lower cover and the upper frame may be connected by screws.

[0026] The ball guide film may be bonded to the upper frame by an adhesive.

[0027] The upper frame may be formed of a non-elastic insulating material.

[0028] The upper frame may be formed of a conductive material, and an insulating layer may be formed on an inner side surface of the frame hole.

[0029] In addition, the signal transmission connector for performing electrical testing on the device to be tested according to the present invention may be manufactured by a manufacturing method comprising the following steps: a) preparing a bump mold having a plurality of bump mold holes, and stacking a main body mold having a main body mold hole having an outer diameter larger than the bump mold hole at a position corresponding to the bump mold hole on the upper side of the bump mold; b) filling the bump mold hole and the main body mold hole with a conductive particle mixture including conductive particles in an elastic insulating material and curing the mixture; c) removing the bump mold, thereby preparing an electrode casting mold in which a plurality of conductive electrodes having an electrode body and an electrode bump are arranged in the main body mold; d) forming a frame hole through the thickness direction, thereby preparing an upper The steps of: a) forming a conductive electrode and a conductive member on the upper side of the upper frame; b) bonding a ball guide film having a guide hole whose outer diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the electrode body at each position corresponding to the frame hole in the upper side of the upper frame; e) overturning the upper frame so that the ball guide film is located on the lower side, and arranging a latch on the upper side of the upper frame; g) overturning the electrode mold so that the conductive electrode is placed at the position corresponding to the frame hole; h) pressurizing the conductive electrode so as to arrange the conductive electrode toward the frame hole; i) coupling a lower covering member having a covering member hole whose outer diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the electrode body and larger than the outer diameter of the electrode bump at each position corresponding to the frame hole in the upper side of the overturned upper frame.

[0030] It may be that the step d) and the step e) are performed before the step a).

[0031] It may be that, before solidification in the step b), the step further includes: configuring an upper mold and a lower mold with magnetic poles at positions corresponding to the main mold hole and the bump mold hole, and applying a magnetic field to the conductive particle mixture in the upward and downward directions.

[0032] Effects of the Invention

[0033] According to the signal transmission connector of the present invention, when only a part of the conductive electrode is defective or damaged, there is no need to replace the entire socket but only the defective or damaged conductive electrode can be replaced separately, thereby shortening the socket manufacturing time and greatly reducing the socket manufacturing and maintenance costs.

[0034] In addition, according to the signal transmission connector of the present invention, conductive electrodes are separated and arranged on the upper frame of non-elastic material, so that each conductive electrode can move independently and freely in the upward and downward directions, and the upper frame of non-elastic material acts as a hard stop to prevent excessive stroke from being applied to the signal transmission connector. Therefore, even if the height difference of the terminals of the detected device is large, it can be handled without poor contact and a stable stroke can be ensured.

[0035] In addition, according to the signal transmission connector of the present invention, a space formed by a gap is provided between the inner side surface of the frame hole and the outer side surface of the electrode body, thereby allowing the conductive electrode to expand in the space, thereby avoiding the problem that the pressure transmitted by the detected device is concentrated on the upper end portion of the conductive electrode, causing the conductive electrode to be easily damaged and the life of the signal transmission connector to be shortened.

[0036] In addition, according to the signal transmission connector of the present invention, the overall dielectric constant of the dielectric between the conductive electrodes is reduced by the upper frame of the insulating material and the air layer of air with a relative dielectric constant of 1 filled in the space formed by the gap, thereby greatly reducing the signal interference between the conductive electrodes and increasing the range of the characteristic impedance value, thereby having a beneficial effect on high-speed signal transmission.

[0037] In addition, according to the signal transmission connector of the present invention, when using an upper frame formed of a conductive material, it is possible to form an air layer and an insulating layer with a relative dielectric constant of 1 surrounding the conductive electrode, and a coaxial cable structure in which the upper frame of the conductive material surrounds the air layer. Therefore, it can also be used in a test device for semiconductor packaging that requires high-speed signal transmission. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a test process using a conventional signal transmission connector.

[0039] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing a process of manufacturing a conductive electrode of a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing a process of assembling a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a modified example of the signal transmission connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a process of replacing a damaged conductive electrode in a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a test process using a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Description of reference numerals:

[0046] 10: device to be tested, 11: terminal, 30: tester, 31: pad, 100: signal transmission connector, 110: conductive electrode, 111: electrode body, 112: electrode bump, 113: outer side of electrode body, 115: cover insert, 116: protrusion, 120: upper frame, 121: frame hole, 122: inner side of frame hole, 130: lower cover, 131: cover hole, 140: ball guide film, 141: guide hole, 142: guide part, 150: insulating layer, 210: bump mold, 211: bump mold hole, 220: main body mold, 221: main body mold hole, 230: upper mold, 240: lower mold, 250: electrode casting mold DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Hereinafter, a signal transmission connector and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] In the present invention, the device under test is located on the upper side of the test device, and the tester is located on the lower side of the test device. Therefore, the "upper side", "upper end", "lower side", "lower end", etc. of a certain component are described based on this. In addition, the same symbols are used for the same components, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0049] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a diagram showing a process of manufacturing a conductive electrode, Figure 4 is a diagram showing a process of assembling a signal transmission connector, Figure 5 It is a diagram showing a modified example of the signal transmission connector.

[0050] As shown in the figure, a signal transmission connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a signal transmission connector that connects the terminal 11 of the detected device 10 with the pad 31 of the tester 30 that generates the test signal, thereby performing electrical testing on the detected device, and is characterized in that the signal transmission connector includes: an upper frame 120, in which a frame hole 121 is formed through the thickness direction at each position corresponding to the terminal of the detected device; a plurality of conductive electrodes 110, which are formed in the form of a plurality of conductive particles included in an elastic insulating material, and have an electrode body 111 with an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the frame hole and an outer diameter connected to the electrode body and smaller than the outer diameter of the electrode body. an electrode bump 112 of a certain diameter; a ball guide membrane 140, which is combined on the upper side of the upper frame and has a guide hole 141 with an outer diameter smaller than that of the electrode body at each position corresponding to the frame hole; and a lower cover 130, which is combined on the lower side of the upper frame and has a cover hole 131 with an outer diameter smaller than that of the electrode body and larger than that of the electrode bump at the center of each position corresponding to the frame hole, wherein the lower cover 130 can be detachably combined on the upper frame 120 so that the electrode body 111 connected to the terminal of the device under test is arranged in the frame hole 121, and the electrode bump 112 connected to the pad of the tester is arranged in the cover hole 131.

[0051] The signal transmission connector 100 is a connector in which the electrode body is connected to the terminal of the device under test placed on the upper side of the upper frame, and the electrode bump is connected to the pad of the tester placed on the lower side of the upper frame, thereby transmitting an electrical signal, so that it can be used in the detection of the device under test by the tester or in the electrical connection between the device under test and various electronic devices, thereby transmitting an electrical signal. The following is an example of a signal transmission connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention being arranged on a tester 30, thereby performing the function of transmitting an electrical signal between the tester 30 and the device under test 10.

[0052] The upper frame 120 , the conductive electrode 110 , the ball guide film 140 , and the lower cover 130 are each manufactured through a separate manufacturing process and assembled to constitute the signal transmission connector 100 .

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the upper frame 120 constitutes the main body of the signal transmission connector 100, and the upper frame 120 is formed by drilling a plurality of frame holes 121 in the up-down direction, i.e., the thickness direction, of the upper frame 120 at each position corresponding to the terminal 11 of the detected device 10 by means of a drill, a laser, etc. The outer diameter of such frame hole 121 has a diameter of "D".

[0054] The upper frame 120 can be formed of an inelastic insulating material or a conductive material. As the inelastic insulating material, engineering plastics such as polyimide or various other inelastic insulating materials can be used, and as the inelastic conductive material, conductive metals such as aluminum, copper, brass, SUS, iron, nickel, etc. or various materials that have both conductivity and inelastic properties can be used. The upper frame 120 of such inelastic material has a hardness that does not cause compression deformation due to the maximum pressure applied by the device 10 to be tested during the test process, and has the characteristic of not being easily elastically deformed like the elastic insulating part of the existing rubber seat.

[0055] Assuming that the upper frame 120 is formed of a conductive material, Figure 5 As shown in (b), it is preferred that an insulating layer 150 is formed on the entire inner side surface 122 of the frame hole to prevent the conductive electrode from directly contacting the upper frame of the conductive material and causing an electrical short circuit.

[0056] You can Figure 3 The conductive electrode 110 is manufactured according to the exemplary illustration in FIG.

[0057] like Figure 3 As shown in (a), a lower mold 240 is prepared, a bump mold 210 having a plurality of bump mold holes 211 is arranged on the upper surface of the lower mold 240, and a main mold 220 having main mold holes 221 having an outer diameter larger than that of the bump mold holes is stacked at positions corresponding to the bump mold holes on the upper surface of the bump mold. The bump mold 210 is used to form the electrode bump 112 of the conductive electrode, and the main mold 220 is used to form the electrode main body 111 of the conductive electrode.

[0058] The bump mold 210 may be in the form of a stacked upper bump mold and a lower bump mold, wherein the upper bump mold has an upper hole 212 for forming a cover inserting portion 115 inserted into the lower cover, and the lower bump mold has a lower hole 213 having an outer diameter smaller than the upper hole 212 to form a protrusion 116 protruding toward the pad side of the tester. The outer diameter of the upper hole 212 has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cover hole 131 of the lower cover. The electrode bump 112 may variously deform the bump mold hole 211 formed on the bump mold 210 to form a desired shape. For example, when the bump mold hole is formed only by the upper hole, a cylindrical electrode bump may be formed, and when the bump mold hole is formed by an inverted conical hole, an inverted conical electrode bump may be formed. In the present invention, a case where the bump mold hole 211 has the upper hole 212 and the lower hole 213 and the electrode bump 112 has the cover member insertion portion 115 and the protrusion 116 is described.

[0059] Then, if Figure 3 As shown in (b), the conductive particle mixture C including conductive particles in the elastic insulating material is filled into the bump mold hole 211 and the main mold hole 221, and a curing process is performed. The curing process can be completed in the upper mold 230 and the lower mold 240 as shown in the figure. As a method for curing the conductive particle compound C, various methods such as a method of heating to a certain temperature and then cooling to room temperature can be used according to the characteristics of the conductive particle mixture C.

[0060] As the elastic insulating material constituting the conductive particle mixture C, a heat-resistant polymer material having a cross-linked structure, such as silica gel, can be used.

[0061] In addition, as the conductive particles included in the conductive particle mixture C, particles having magnetism so as to react to a magnetic field can be used. For example, as the conductive particles, metal particles showing magnetism such as iron, nickel, and cobalt, or alloy particles thereof, or particles containing these metals, or particles of a metal having excellent conductivity such as gold, silver, palladium, and radium, etc., which are plated on the surface of the core particles with these particles as core particles, can be used.

[0062] Then, before the conductive particle mixture C filled in the bump mold hole 211 and the main mold hole 221 are solidified as a whole, the method may also include: configuring an upper mold 230 and a lower mold 240 with magnetic poles at positions corresponding to the main mold hole 221 and the bump mold hole 211, and applying a magnetic field to the conductive particle mixture C in the upward and downward directions through the magnetic poles, so that the conductive particles dispersed in the elastic insulating material are oriented in the thickness direction of the upper frame 120 due to the influence of the magnetic field, and at the same time, an electrical channel is formed.

[0063] When the upper mold 230, the main mold 220, the bump mold 210, and the lower mold 240 used in the manufacture of the conductive electrode 110 are all removed, a plurality of individual conductive electrodes 110 according to the present invention are completed. Such a conductive electrode 110 may be composed of an electrode main body 111 having an outer diameter "d1" and an electrode bump 112 connected to the electrode main body and having an outer diameter "d2" smaller than the outer diameter of the electrode main body. The outer diameter d1 of the electrode main body is formed to have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter D of the frame hole.

[0064] Although the conductive electrode 110 is manufactured by the above-described method, Figure 3As shown in (c), only the upper mold 230, the lower mold 240 and the bump mold 210 can be removed, leaving the main mold 220, thereby maintaining the electrode mold 250 with the conductive electrode 110 arranged in the main mold 220. The electrode mold 250 with the conductive electrode 110 arranged in the main mold 220 is to insert the fine conductive electrode 110 into each frame hole 121 of the upper frame at one time by using a jig, etc., so as to simplify the assembly process, which will be described later.

[0065] In the signal transmission connector 100, multiple conductive electrodes 110 can be configured at positions corresponding to the terminals 11 provided in the device under test 10 to be connected, so that the upper end of the conductive electrode can be connected to the terminal 11 of the device under test 10, and the lower end can be connected to the pad 31 of the tester 30.

[0066] The ball guide film 140 serves to insulate the conductive electrodes 110 , prevent the terminals 11 of the detected device from contacting the upper frame 120 , and guide the terminals 11 of the detected device toward the conductive electrodes 110 . The ball guide film 140 is combined on the upper side of the upper frame 120 .

[0067] The ball guide film 140 is formed by drilling a plurality of guide holes 141 in the thickness direction of the ball guide film at each position corresponding to the frame hole 121 of the upper frame by means of a drill, a laser, or the like. Preferably, the outer diameter d3 of the guide hole 141 is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter d1 of the electrode body. The ball guide film having the guide hole whose outer diameter is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter of the electrode body also performs the function of supporting the conductive electrode 110 from being separated from the outside of the frame hole 121.

[0068] The material of the ball guide film 140 can be a synthetic resin such as polyimide which has insulation properties and has rigidity to stably fix the electrode body 111 .

[0069] The ball guide film 140 may be bonded to the upper side of the upper frame 120 by using an adhesive or the like, thereby being coupled to the upper frame. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the ball guide film 140 may be coupled to the upper frame by means of screw coupling or the like.

[0070] like Figure 5As shown in (a), a guide portion 142 whose width gradually decreases from the side of the guide hole 141 to the electrode body 111 side can be formed on the ball guide film 140, so as to more easily guide the terminal 11 of the device under test to the conductive electrode 110 side. When the guide portion 142 approaches the terminal 11 of the device under test in a state where the terminal 11 of the device under test is offset from the center of the conductive electrode 110 during the test process of the device under test, the terminal 11 of the device under test contacts the guide portion 142 and moves toward the center side of the conductive electrode 110 along the inclined surface of the guide portion 142, thereby achieving the effect of aligning the terminal of the device under test and the conductive electrode and stably connecting.

[0071] The lower cover 130 cooperates with the ball guide membrane 140 and the upper frame 120 to support the conductive electrode 110, thereby forming a signal transmission connector 100. The conductive electrode 110 can be replaced individually, and the conductive electrode 110 is supported to be located in the center of the frame hole 121 of the upper frame to insulate the conductive electrodes 110, thereby preventing the pad 31 of the tester from contacting the upper frame 120.

[0072] The lower cover 130 is formed by penetrating the cover hole 131 in the center of each position corresponding to the frame hole 121 of the upper frame in the thickness direction of the lower cover. The cover hole 131 of the lower cover can be formed by drilling with a drill, laser or the like.

[0073] The outer diameter d4 of the cover hole 131 is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter d1 of the electrode body, but larger than the outer diameter d2 of the electrode bump. Therefore, the electrode bump 112 can move in the cover hole 131, but the electrode body 111 cannot pass through the cover hole 131. In addition, the cover hole 131 is combined to be located at the center of the frame hole 121, so that the electrode bump 112 of the conductive electrode can be configured to be aligned in the cover hole 131 at the right position, and the electrode body 111 connected to the electrode bump 112 is located in the center of the frame hole 121 of the upper frame.

[0074] The lower cover 130 may be made of a synthetic resin material such as polyimide that has insulation properties and has rigidity to stably fix the electrode bumps 112 .

[0075] The lower cover 130 is combined at the lower side of the upper frame 120 so as to be detachable from the upper frame. Therefore, when a part of the conductive electrode is damaged, the lower cover can be detached, so that the damaged conductive electrode can be easily replaced with a normal conductive electrode. Preferably, the combination of the lower cover 130 and the upper frame 120 is formed by a structure that can be easily separated, for example, it can be combined by various methods such as screw combination, snap-fit ​​or insertion combination, which is a general method, so its specific illustration is omitted.

[0076] like Figure 4 As shown, the upper frame 120, the conductive electrode 110, the ball guide film 140 and the lower cover 130, which are separately manufactured, are assembled with each other to constitute the signal transmission connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] like Figure 4 As shown in (a), the ball guide film 140 can be bonded to the upper side of the upper frame 120 using an adhesive or the like. At this time, the guide hole 141 of the ball guide film is located at the central portion of the frame hole 121 of the upper frame, so the ball guide film can be configured to cover a portion of the outline of the frame hole.

[0078] Then, if Figure 4 As shown in (b), the upper frame 120 combined with the ball guide film 140 is turned over to be configured so that the ball guide film is located at the lower side and the upper frame is located at the upper side. Then, a shim 260 is arranged in the contour area of ​​the upper frame 120 where the frame hole 121 is not formed, so that the electrode mold 250 is located on the upper side of the shim 260. At this time, as far as the electrode mold 250 is concerned, the electrode mold 250 is arranged in such a manner that the conductive electrode 110 is placed at a position corresponding to the frame hole 121 of the upper frame. Among them, the shim 260 sets a gap between the upper frame and the electrode mold, thereby performing the role of a space that can separate the conductive electrode from the electrode mold.

[0079] In this state, when the conductive electrode 110 is pressed from the upper side to the lower side using a jig or the like, thereby pushing the conductive electrode 110 away from the electrode mold 250, the conductive electrode can be arranged in each frame hole 121 of the upper frame. It is not necessary to insert the very small conductive electrodes 110 into the frame holes one by one, but the conductive electrodes can be arranged in each frame hole at once using a jig in a state where the conductive electrodes are arranged on the electrode mold, so the working process can be greatly shortened.

[0080] Then, if Figure 4 As shown in (c), the lower cover 130 is coupled. The lower cover 130 is arranged on the upper side of the turned upper frame 120 in a state where the electrode bump 112 of the conductive electrode is located in the cover hole 131 of the lower cover, and the lower cover 130 is coupled to the upper frame 120 using screws (not shown) or the like. At this time, it should be noted that the cover hole 131 of the lower cover is placed so as to be located at the center of the frame hole 121 before coupling the lower cover to the upper frame.

[0081] The lower cover 130 coupled in this way is that the cover hole 131 of the lower cover is located at the center of the frame hole 121 of the upper frame, so that the electrode protrusion 112 located in the cover hole can be aligned so that the electrode body 111 is located at the center of the frame hole 121 of the upper frame. In addition, the outer diameter d1 of the electrode body 111 is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter D of the frame hole 121, so that the electrode body 111 has a gap G of a certain pitch on the inner side surface 122 of the frame hole 121, and is arranged in the frame hole in a state of being separated from the inner side surface of the frame hole. However, as Figure 5 As shown in (b), when the upper frame is formed of a metal material and an insulating layer 150 is formed on the inner side of the frame hole, it is understood that the gap G exists between the inner side of the insulating layer and the outer side of the electrode body.

[0082] In the present invention, the space formed by the gap between the inner side surface 122 of the frame hole and the outer side surface 113 of the electrode body is filled with air having a relative dielectric constant of 1.

[0083] Then, the space between the frame hole and the electrode body formed by the gap G can also be used as a space to absorb the portion that bulges out from the middle portion of the electrode body 111 when the electrode body 111 is compressed by the terminal 11 of the device to be detected. Therefore, considering the degree of expansion caused by the compression of the conductive electrode, the size of the space formed by the gap G can also be formed to be different in each frame hole 121. That is, for the electrode body portion that is greatly compressed by the terminal 11 of the device to be detected, the interval of the gap G is widened, thereby making the space formed by the gap larger, thereby making it easier to compress and expand.

[0084] Figure 4 (d) shows a signal transmission connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the signal transmission connector 100 is in a state where the upper frame coupled with the lower cover is turned over to its original state so as to be usable.

[0085] Figure 6 The present invention shows a process of individually replacing the defective or damaged conductive electrodes when the characteristics of one or more conductive electrodes are poor during the manufacturing process of the signal transmission connector or when one or more conductive electrodes are damaged during repeated tests.

[0086] Figure 6 (a) exemplarily illustrates a case where, in a signal transmission connector, for example, the conductive electrode 110 located on the left side is defective or damaged.

[0087] like Figure 6As shown in (b), first, the signal transmission connector is flipped over. The signal transmission connector is flipped over to prevent the conductive electrode from being separated when the lower cover is separated. In the state of flipping the signal transmission connector, the lower cover 130 is separated by loosening the screws that couple the lower cover 130 to the upper frame 120, and the damaged or defective conductive electrode 110 is separated from the frame hole. Then, the normally working conductive electrode 110 to be replaced is inserted into the frame hole 121.

[0088] Then, if Figure 6 As shown in (c), the lower cover 130 is coupled to the upper side of the turned-over upper frame 120 using screws or the like, so that defective or damaged conductive electrodes can be easily replaced individually.

[0089] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a test process using the signal transmission connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] As shown in the figure, when the terminal 11 of the detected device has a height difference or the pressing unit (not shown) presses the detected device 10 to the upper side of the signal transmission connector 100 installed with the tester 30 in order to test the warped detected device 10, as shown in the figure, Figure 7 As shown in (b), the upper end of the electrode body 111 is contacted from the terminal 11 of the device under test at the lowest position, and the electrode body 111 is pressed. At this time, the adjacent electrode bodies 111 are structurally separated from each other, so they are compressed independently of each other, and the middle part of the electrode body 111 expands as a space in which an air layer is formed in the frame hole 121. The electrode bodies on the far left and the far right that are in contact with the terminal 11 of the device under test at the lowest position can be further compressed and expanded compared to the electrode body in the central part, but since the electrode bodies are separated from each other, their compression force does not affect other electrode bodies.

[0091] When the electrode body 111 is compressed, its compression force is also transmitted to the electrode bump 112, so that the electrode body 111 and the electrode bump 112 become conductive and energized, and are connected to the pad 31 of the tester, so that the tester 30 and the device under test 10 are electrically connected through the signal transmission connector 100 for testing.

[0092] Therefore, when only a part of the conductive electrode of the signal transmission connector 100 of the present invention is defective or damaged, there is no need to replace the entire socket but only the defective or damaged conductive electrode can be replaced separately, thereby shortening the socket manufacturing time and significantly reducing the socket manufacturing and maintenance costs.

[0093] The signal transmission connector 100 of the present invention has conductive electrodes separated from each other on an upper frame of non-elastic material, so that each conductive electrode can move independently and freely in the upward and downward directions, and the upper frame of the non-elastic material acts as a hard stop to prevent excessive stroke from being applied to the signal transmission connector. Therefore, it has the advantages of being able to cope with semiconductor packages with large height differences of terminals of the detected device without poor contact and ensuring a stable stroke.

[0094] In addition, the signal transmission connector 100 of the present invention has a space formed by a gap between the inner side of the frame hole and the outer side of the electrode body, so that the conductive electrode can expand in the space, thereby avoiding the problem that the pressure transmitted by the detected device is concentrated on the upper end of the conductive electrode, which makes the conductive electrode easy to be damaged and the life of the signal transmission connector is shortened.

[0095] In addition, the signal transmission connector 100 of the present invention fills the upper frame of the insulating material and the space formed by the gap with air having a relative dielectric constant of 1, thereby reducing the overall dielectric constant of the dielectric between the conductive electrodes, thereby greatly reducing signal interference between the conductive electrodes and increasing the range of characteristic impedance values, thereby having a beneficial effect on high-speed signal transmission.

[0096] In addition, the signal transmission connector 100 of the present invention, when using an upper frame formed of a conductive material, can form an air layer and an insulating layer with a relative dielectric constant of 1 surrounding the conductive electrode, and a coaxial cable structure in which the upper frame of the conductive material surrounds the air layer, and therefore can also be used in semiconductor packaging test devices that require high-speed signal transmission.

[0097] As mentioned above, although the present invention was described by giving preferred examples, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned and illustrated embodiments.

[0098] For example, the figure shows that all the multiple conductive electrodes have the same shape and the same width, but at least one of the multiple conductive electrodes can be designed to have a different width for characteristic impedance matching according to signal characteristics and the type of associated detected device.

[0099] Above, the present invention is illustrated and described with respect to the preferred embodiment for illustrating the principle of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the structure and function as illustrated and described above. On the contrary, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the concept and scope of the attached claims.

Claims

1. A signal transmission connector, which connects the terminal of the device to be tested with the pad of a tester that generates a test signal, thereby performing electrical testing on the device to be tested, characterized in that: include: The upper frame has a frame hole formed through the frame in the thickness direction at each position corresponding to the terminal of the device to be detected; A plurality of conductive electrodes, which are formed in the form of a plurality of conductive particles in an elastic insulating material, and have an electrode body whose outer diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the frame hole and an electrode protrusion connected to the electrode body and whose outer diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the electrode body; a ball guide film, coupled to the upper side of the upper frame, having a guide hole having an outer diameter smaller than that of the electrode body at each position corresponding to the frame hole; and a lower cover member, coupled to the lower side of the upper frame, having a cover member hole having an outer diameter smaller than that of the electrode body and larger than that of the electrode bump at a center portion of each position corresponding to the frame hole, The lower cover is detachably coupled to the upper frame so that the electrode body connected to the terminal of the device under test is arranged in the frame hole, and the electrode bump connected to the pad of the tester is arranged in the cover hole.

2. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower cover is separated so that at least one of the conductive electrodes can be replaced with another conductive electrode.

3. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: A space formed by a gap between an inner side surface of the frame hole and an outer side surface of the electrode body is filled with air.

4. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower cover and the upper frame are screwed together.

5. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ball guide film is bonded to the upper frame by an adhesive.

6. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper frame is formed of a non-elastic insulating material.

7. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper frame is formed of a conductive material, and an insulating layer is formed on the inner side surface of the frame hole.

8. A method for manufacturing a signal transmission connector, performing electrical testing on a device to be tested, characterized in that: The method comprises: a) preparing a bump mold having a plurality of bump mold holes, and stacking a main body mold having main body mold holes having an outer diameter larger than the bump mold holes at positions corresponding to the bump mold holes on the upper side of the bump mold; b) a step of filling the bump mold hole and the main body mold hole with a conductive particle mixture including conductive particles in an elastic insulating material and curing the mixture; c) removing the bump mold to prepare an electrode casting mold in which a plurality of conductive electrodes having electrode bodies and electrode bumps are arranged in the body mold; d) a step of forming a frame hole through the thickness direction to prepare an upper frame; e) a step of bonding a ball guide film having a guide hole having an outer diameter smaller than that of the electrode body at each position corresponding to the frame hole in the upper side of the upper frame; f) the step of flipping and disposing the upper frame so that the ball guide film is located at the lower side, and disposing a latch on the upper side of the upper frame; g) a step of flipping the electrode mold so as to configure the conductive electrode to be placed at a position corresponding to the frame hole; h) a step of pressurizing the conductive electrode to configure the conductive electrode to the frame hole; i) A step of coupling a lower cover having a cover hole having an outer diameter smaller than that of the electrode body and larger than that of the electrode bump at each position corresponding to the frame hole in the upper side of the turned upper frame.

9. The method for manufacturing a signal transmission connector according to claim 8, characterized in that: The step d) and the step e) are performed before the step a).

10. The method for manufacturing a signal transmission connector according to claim 8, characterized in that: Before curing in the step b), the method further includes: configuring an upper mold and a lower mold with magnetic poles at positions corresponding to the main mold hole and the bump mold hole, and applying a magnetic field to the conductive particle mixture in the upward and downward directions.

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