Crimping adapter

Abstract

An adapter, such as a compressible adapter, may include a spring, such as a coil spring, which may at least partially surround the compressible dielectric core. The adapter may be used in place of or as a replacement of solder balls or solder bodies for solder-based surface mount technology (SMT). The adapter may be attached to a carrier together with other adapters to form an adapter of the land grid array to land grid array (LGA-LGA) type.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 359,635, filed on July 8, 2022. The entire contents of that application are incorporated herein by reference. Background of the Invention Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to adapters. More particularly, the present invention relates to crimp adapters that can be made using additive manufacturing processes. Background Art

[0003] Figure 1 A known ZRAY brand interconnect 100 is shown, available from Samtec, Inc. of New Albany, Indiana. The interconnect 100 is a low profile, high density, one-piece array with crimp contacts 101 on both sides. The crimp contacts 101 can be made of beryllium copper (BeCu), but other suitable materials are also possible. In an alternative arrangement, the contacts 101 can be replaced by solder balls on both sides, or can be replaced by solder balls on only one side while still using crimp contacts 101 on the other side. The crimp contacts 101 are set in two arrays, although any number of arrays and any size of arrays are possible. The high-speed interconnect 100 includes an optional substrate with crimp contacts 101 embedded therein. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present invention, as described herein, the adapter may include a first contact surface and a second contact surface opposite to the first surface. A plurality of teeth may be set on the first contact surface and / or the second contact surface. A spring may be connected or connected to the first contact surface and the second contact surface. A compressible core may be located within the spring so that the compressible core is at least partially surrounded by the spring.

[0005] The adapter may include a first disk that can set the first contact surface. The adapter may include a second disk that can set the second contact surface. Within the manufacturing and / or measurement tolerance range, the height of the adapter is about 1 mm or less than 1 mm, for example, about 1 mm, about 0.9 mm, about 0.8 mm, about 0.7 mm, about 0.6 mm, about 0.5 mm, about 0.4 mm, about 0.3 mm, about 0.2 mm, about 0.1 mm, about 0.01 mm and / or about 0.001 mm. The height of each of the plurality of teeth is about 10 microns or less than 10 microns, for example, between greater than zero microns and about 10 microns. The diameter of the spring wire of the spring is about 7 microns to 18 microns. The height of each of the plurality of teeth is about 1% to about 2% of the height of the adapter.

[0006] Each tooth may have or may be set to a conical shape. The adapter may include a fully metallized or selectively metallized photocurable photopolymer. The adapter may include a conductive additive. The spring may be a helical spring. The diameter of the spring may increase from the top of the spring to the middle of the spring and may decrease from the middle of the spring to the bottom of the spring. The first diameter of the first portion of the compressible core connected to the first contact surface is smaller than the second diameter of the second portion of the compressible core connected to the second contact surface. The compressible core may include a solid body. The compressible core may include a hollow cylinder having a plurality of strips and a plurality of slits between the plurality of strips. The spring and / or the compressible core may be conductive. The adapter may be a 3D printed adapter. The spring may be configured to rotate the first contact surface and / or the second contact surface when the adapter is compressed.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an interconnect system may include a carrier having an array of transponders according to various other embodiments of the present invention located therein.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the adapter may include a first contact surface and a second contact surface opposite to the first surface. A spring may be connected between the first contact surface and the second contact surface, or may connect the first contact surface and the second contact surface. The compressible core may be at least partially surrounded by the spring.

[0009] The spring may be a compression spring. The spring may be a cartridge spring or a honeycomb spring. The adapter may be printed using a photopolymer, or printed using a metal or a metal alloy, or printed using both a photopolymer and a metal or a metal alloy. The adapter may be printed during a single printing operation. The first contact surface may also include a first plurality of teeth. The second contact surface may also include a second plurality of teeth. The compressible core may define at least one slit. The carrier and the adapter may define an interconnection system, the adapter being included in the carrier with an array of other adapters. The spring may be configured to cause the first contact surface and / or the second contact surface to rotate when the adapter is compressed.

[0010] The electrical connector, such as a press-fit connector, may not have solder balls and / or press-fit tails and / or SMT J-pins. The contact piece may be carried by the electrical connector. The adapter may be in physical contact, electrical contact, or both with the contact piece. The adapter may be in physical contact, electrical contact, or both with the corresponding contact piece.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an interconnection system includes an integrated circuit or a processor connected to a transceiver of one of the various other embodiments of the present invention.

[0012] The integrated circuit or processor may include a contact pad. The adapter may be in physical contact, electrical contact, or both physical contact and electrical contact with the contact pad. The interconnect system may also include a carrier, the carrier including the adapter and additional adapters arranged in an array.

[0013] The chip or CPU may not have solder balls and / or press-fit tails and / or SMT J-pins. The chip or CPU may also include a contact sheet carried by the chip or CPU. The chip or CPU may also include an adapter that is in physical contact, electrical contact, or both physical and electrical contact with the contact sheet.

[0014] The interconnect system may include a carrier and a longitudinally compressible transition that is free of one or more of a stamped electrical conductor, a solid wire pressed into a cylindrical shape, a cantilevered docking conductor, and a cantilevered mounting conductor.

[0015] The longitudinally compressible transition piece may be made of a cured polymer or a cured photopolymer.

[0016] The interconnect system may include a carrier and a longitudinally compressible cured polymer or cured photopolymer transition, the cross-section of the transition defining at least one circular shape or an elliptical shape.

[0017] The longitudinally compressible transition piece may be made of an electrically insulating material. The longitudinally compressible transition piece may also include an electrically conductive material.

[0018] The above and other features, elements, characteristics, steps and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A known interconnect having crimp contacts on opposing surfaces is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 An adapter with a spiral spring and a compressible center is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A close up view of one end of the adapter is shown.

[0022] Figure 4 and Figure 5 yes Figure 2 Cross-sectional view of the adapter shown.

[0023] Figure 6 Shown without coil spring Figure 2 Adapter shown.

[0024] Figure 7 A carrier with an array of adapters is shown.

[0025] Figure 8 Show that it can be Figure 7 The carrier shown is commonly used with an integrated circuit or processor.

[0026] Fig. 9 Shown attached to Figure 7 The vector shown, Figure 8 The integrated circuit or processor shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Figures 2 to 6 An adapter 10 is shown, which may include a first disk 11, a second disk 12, a spring 13 connecting the first disk 11 and the second disk 12, and a compressible or flexible core 14. The first disk 11 may include a contact surface 11a, and the second disk 12 may include a contact surface 12a. A plurality of teeth 15 may be included on the first contact surface 11a and / or on the second contact surface 12a. Within the manufacturing and / or measurement tolerance range, the height of the adapter 10 may be about 1 mm or less than 1 mm (but greater than zero mm), at least about 1 mm, greater than 1 mm, etc., and the height of the plurality of teeth 15 may be about 10 microns or less than 10 microns, and the diameter of a coil of the spring may be about 7 microns to about 18 microns. The height of the teeth may be about 1% to about 2% of the height of the adapter 10. The height of the teeth may be selected to provide sufficient penetration into the mating surface, thereby providing sufficient or good signal characteristics and / or conductive characteristics. For example, if the mating surface includes a base layer, a plating layer and an undesirable oxide layer or debris layer, the height of the teeth can be selected to penetrate into the plating layer or only penetrate the undesirable oxide layer or debris layer, but penetrate to the plating layer and / or penetrate the plating layer and / or do not penetrate into the base layer. Alternatively or additionally to including teeth, the spring 13 can be arranged to rotate the first disk 11 and / or the second disk 12 when the adapter 10 is compressed.

[0028] The adapter 10 can be made of a material that can be deposited by an additive manufacturing process, such as a three-dimensional (3D) printing process. The adapter 10 can be made by a single 3D printing process or multiple processes, one of which is a 3D printing process. The deposited material can be a metal or a metal alloy, or it can be a polymer that is subsequently fully metallized or selectively metallized. The material can be accurately deposited layer by layer using a nozzle or a printhead, or a layer of powdered material can be selectively melted or partially melted using a laser or electron beam to deposit a metal material or a metal alloy material. It is also feasible to use binder jetting, in which a printhead selectively deposits a liquid binder on a thinner layer of powder particles. When the material cools or solidifies, the material forms a three-dimensional object.

[0029] The adapter 10 may include a photocurable photopolymer resin that can be used in a photopolymer process, including stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP) process, two-photon process (2-photon processes) and holographic process (holographic process). The adapter 10 may include additives, such as particle additives, fiber additives, reactive metal precursors or conductive polymers. The additives can make the adapter 10 conductive. For example, the adapter 10 may include graphene as an additive. The photopolymer resin includes a photoinitiator that reacts with light to induce polymerization and / or crosslinking. The adapter 10 can be made by an additive manufacturing process, such as three-dimensional (3D) printing, which can be implemented by a high-resolution 3D printer such as the MICROARCH S230 model manufactured by BOSTONMICRO FABRICATION with a resolution of about 2 microns. Alternatively, 3D printers with other resolutions can also be used, such as resolutions of about 200 nanometers.

[0030] The first plate 11 and the second plate 12 may have Figure 2 The first plate 11 and the second plate 12 may have the same shape as the circular shape shown, or may have other suitable shapes. Figure 2 The shapes shown may be the same shape, or may have different shapes.

[0031] The first disk 11 and / or the second disk 12 may have a plurality of teeth 15. Any number, arrangement and shape of teeth 15 may be used. The number, arrangement and shape of teeth 15 on the first disk 11 and the second disk 12 may be the same or may be different. Figure 3 1 and 2. The plurality of teeth 15 are shown arranged along the first surface 11a of the first disk 11. The plurality of teeth 15 may be as follows: Figure 2 The teeth 15 may be arranged in a radial pattern as shown, or may have a different arrangement. Figure 1 The adapter 10 may have a conical shape as shown, or may have any other suitable shape, including, for example, a pyramidal shape. If teeth 15 are included in the adapter 10, the teeth 15 may be only on the first contact surface 11a of the first disk 11, only on the second contact surface 12a of the second disk 12, or on both the first contact surface 11a of the first disk 11 and the second contact surface 12a of the second disk 12. The teeth 15 may be used to pierce any oxide layer and / or any debris layer on the mating surface to which the adapter 10 is mated, which may eliminate or significantly reduce the need to provide a contact wipe between the adapter 10 and the mating surface to ensure sufficient electrical contact between the adapter 10 and the mating surface. The teeth may be long enough to pierce any oxide layer and / or any debris layer, but short enough not to penetrate the core of the surface being plated.

[0032] The spring 13 may extend between the first disk 11 and the second disk 12 and may surround the compressible core 14 . Figure 4 and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter 10 showing the manner in which the spring 13 is wound around the compressible core 14. Only the spring 13 may be conductive, only the compressible core 14 may be conductive, or both the spring 13 and the compressible core 14 may be conductive.

[0033] The spring 13 may be a coil spring, such as a cartridge spring (as shown), a honeycomb spring or any other spring that can be repeatedly compressed and extended. Figure 2 As shown, the spring 13 can have a diameter that changes along the length of the spring 13. For example, the diameter of the spring 13 can increase from the top of the spring 13 toward the middle of the spring 13, and can decrease from the middle of the spring 13 toward the bottom of the spring 13. Alternatively, the diameter of the spring 13 can increase from the top to the bottom of the spring 13, or can be other suitable shapes. If the diameter of the spring 13 is the largest at the bottom of the spring, the adapter 13. The spring 13 can constrain the expansion or expansion of the compressible core 14. If the spring 13 is conductive, when the spring 13 is fully compressed, adjacent windings of the spring 13 are in physical contact with each other and in electrical contact with each other, which can reduce the resistance of the adapter 10.

[0034] like Figure 6 For clarity, Figure 6 Without the spring 13, the compressible core 14 may include a hollow cylindrical body having a plurality of slits 14a that allow the plurality of strips 14b between the plurality of slits 14a to expand or open when the adapter 10 is compressed, like a banana adapter. Figure 2 , when the adapter 10 is compressed in the vertical direction, the multiple slits 14a can expand or open in the horizontal direction. When the adapter 10 is compressed, the multiple strips 14b can contact the spring 13, and if both the spring 13 and the compressible core 14 are conductive, the multiple contact points between the spring 13 and the multiple strips 14b of the compressible core 14 establish multiple electrical paths, which can reduce the resistance of the adapter 10. Alternatively, the compressible core 14 can include a compressible solid body so that when the adapter 10 is compressed in the vertical direction, the solid body expands, similar to a pencil eraser. The bottom of the compressible core 14 can be wider than the top, which can improve the stability of the compressible core 14. For example, the diameter of the top portion of the compressible core 14 connected to the first disk 11 or the first contact surface 11a can be smaller than the diameter of the bottom portion of the compressible core 14 connected to the second disk 12 or the second contact surface 12a. The spring 13 may be arranged to constrain the expansion, eg non-plastic deformation, of the solid body or compressible core 14 when the photopolymer is compressed.

[0035] The adapter 10 may be included in a carrier 20, such as Figure 7 As shown, the carrier 20 includes an array of adapters 10 to set up an interconnection system. Both the carrier 20 and the adapter 10 can be manufactured using an additive manufacturing process including, for example, 3D printing. Both the carrier 20 and the adapter 10 can be printed using additive manufacturing in the same printing cycle or during a printing or printing operation. A printing cycle can include a time period that begins at the moment when printing begins and ends at the moment when printing is completed, such as the moment when printing of a component or object of the carrier 20 having the array of adapters 10 is completed. Alternatively, the carrier 30 and the adapter 10 can be manufactured separately in different steps and then combined. In Figure 7 In FIG. 1 , sixteen adapters 10 are included in a 4×4 array, but any number and arrangement of adapters 10 may be used.

[0036] The adapter 10 may be an alternative to solder balls. An array of adapters 10 may improve the coplanarity of the connection compared to solder balls due to any one or more of the following reasons: the adapters 10 may be repeatedly maintained within tolerance during the manufacturing process; each adapter 10 compresses and does not melt / wick; and each adapter 10 independently compresses an appropriate amount to fill a corresponding gap or space between a component such as a chip or die package or interconnect and a mating component such as a printed circuit board, a socket, a mating interconnect, etc. If a corresponding first gap or first space spanned by one adapter is 1 mm, and an adjacent second gap or second space is 1.5 mm, the second gap or second space being spanned by another adapter, the one adapter will compress more and the other adapter will compress less, thereby maintaining the coplanarity of the connection. In other words, unlike solder balls, each adapter 10 may automatically adjust its overall length to compensate for longer or shorter gaps or spaces. Thus, the adapter 10 can be used in any application of a ball grid array (BGA) using solder balls. Although not shown in the figures, the adapter 10 can be included in a connector to provide an electrical connection and a physical connection between the connector and a substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB) or between the substrate and an integrated chip or another similar device. Thus, an electrical connector without using solder balls and / or press-fit tails and / or J-type pins of surface mount technology (SMT) can be provided.

[0037] In addition to being used in place of solder balls, the adapter 10 can also function as a "hard ball" BGA by setting the crimp distance through the coil bind of the spring 13 or through the rigid contact of the compressible core 14 with the spring 13. The reproducibility / precision of the additive manufacturing process, such as a DLP printer, can achieve coplanarity with extremely large tolerances while being less sensitive to variability due to the presence of the spring 13.

[0038] Figure 8 An integrated circuit (IC) or processor 30 is shown, and Fig. 9 Attached to the carrier 20, Figure 8 Any IC or processor 30 may be used. For simplicity, Figure 8 An IC or processor 30 is shown having only sixteen contact pads 31 arranged in a 4×4 array, but any number and arrangement of contact pads 31 may be used. Fig. 9An interconnect system is shown in which an adapter 10 in a carrier 20 connects the contact pads 31 of an IC or processor 30 to a substrate 50. By using the adapter 10, the IC or processor 30 can be connected to a substrate without using solder balls and / or press-fit tails and / or J-type pins of SMT. In some applications, the carrier 20 can be omitted. Any suitable substrate 50 can be used, including, for example, a printed circuit board.

[0039] In another embodiment, the interconnect system may include a carrier 20. The interconnect system may also include a longitudinally compressible transition 10, the longitudinally compressible transition 10 being free of one or more of a stamped electrical conductor, a single strand pressed into a cylindrical shape, a cantilevered docking conductor, and a cantilevered mounting conductor. The longitudinally compressible transition 10 may be made of a cured polymer or a cured photopolymer.

[0040] In another embodiment, the interconnection system may include a carrier 20. The interconnection system may also include a longitudinally compressible cured polymer or cured photopolymer transition 10, whose cross section may be set to at least one of a circular shape, an elliptical shape, an oblong shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, or another other suitable shape. The longitudinally compressible transition 10 may be made of an electrically insulating material. The longitudinally compressible transition 10 may also include a conductive material.

[0041] It should be understood that the above description is only an illustration of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may conceive of different substitutions and modifications without departing from the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications and changes that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. Adapter, including: a first contact surface; a second contact surface, the second contact surface being opposite to the first surface; a plurality of teeth on the first contact surface and / or the second contact surface; a spring connected to the first contact surface and the second contact surface; as well as A compressible core is positioned within the spring.

2. The adapter according to claim 1, further comprising: a first disk, the first disk defining the first contact surface; as well as A second disk defines the second contact surface. 3 . The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein a height of the adapter is about 1 mm or less but greater than 0 mm. 4 . The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein a height of the plurality of teeth is about 10 microns or less but greater than 0 microns.

5. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the diameter of the spring wire of the spring is about 7 microns to about 18 microns.

6. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5, wherein the height of the plurality of teeth may be about 1% to about 2% of the height of the adapter.

7. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each tooth of the plurality of teeth has a conical shape.

8. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the adapter comprises a fully metallized or selectively metallized light-cured photopolymer.

9. The transition piece of claim 8, wherein the transition piece comprises a conductive additive.

10. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the spring is a helical spring.

11. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the diameter of the spring increases from the top of the spring to the middle of the spring, and decreases from the middle of the spring to the bottom of the spring.

12. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a first diameter of a first portion of the compressible core connected to the first contact surface is smaller than a second diameter of a second portion of the compressible core connected to the second contact surface.

13. The adapter of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the compressible core comprises a solid body.

14. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the compressible core comprises a hollow cylinder having a plurality of strips and a plurality of slits between the plurality of strips.

15. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the spring and / or the compressible core is electrically conductive.

16. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the adapter is a 3D printed adapter.

17. Interconnection systems, including: Carrier; as well as An array of adapters according to any one of claims 1 to 16 located in the carrier.

18. Adapter, including: a first contact surface; a second contact surface, the second contact surface being opposite to the first surface; a spring connecting the first contact surface and the second contact surface; as well as A compressible core is at least partially surrounded by the spring.

19. The adapter of claim 18, wherein the spring is a compression spring.

20. The adapter according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the spring is a cartridge spring or a honeycomb spring.

21. An adapter according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the adapter is printed using a photopolymer, or is printed using a metal or metal alloy, or is printed using one of a photopolymer and a metal or metal alloy.

22. An adapter according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the adapter is printed during a single printing operation.

23. The adapter of any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the first contact surface further comprises a first plurality of teeth.

24. The adapter of any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the second contact surface further comprises a second plurality of teeth.

25. The adapter of any one of claims 18 to 25, wherein the compressible core defines at least one slit.

26. An adapter as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 25, further comprising a carrier, and the adapter is included in the carrier with an array of other adapters to set up an interconnection system.

27. An electrical connector without solder balls and / or press-fit tails and / or surface mount technology J-type pins.

28. The electrical connector of claim 27, further comprising a contact sheet carried by the electrical connector.

29. The electrical connector according to claim 28, further comprising a transition piece in physical contact, electrical contact, or both physical and electrical contact with the contact piece.

30. The electrical connector according to claim 28, further comprising a transition piece according to any one of claims 18 to 26, which is in physical contact, electrical contact, or both physical contact and electrical contact with the contact piece.

31. An interconnect system comprising an integrated circuit or a processor connected to an adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 16 and 18 to 26.

32. The interconnect system of claim 31, wherein the integrated circuit or processor comprises contact pads.

33. The interconnect system of claim 32, wherein the transition piece is in physical contact, electrical contact, or both physical contact and electrical contact with the contact pad.

34. The interconnect system of any one of claims 31 to 33, further comprising a carrier comprising the transitions and additional transitions arranged in an array.

35. An adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 16 and 18 to 25, wherein the spring is arranged to cause the first contact surface and / or the second contact surface to rotate when the adapter is compressed.

36. Interconnection systems, including: Carrier; as well as A longitudinally compressible transition piece is free of one or more of a stamped electrical conductor, a single strand wire pressed into a cylindrical shape, a cantilevered butt conductor, and a cantilevered mounting conductor.

37. The interconnect system of claim 36, wherein the longitudinally compressible transition is made of a cured polymer or a cured photopolymer.

38. Interconnection systems, including: Carrier; as well as A longitudinally compressible cured polymer or cured photopolymer adapter having a cross-section defining at least one circular shape or an elliptical shape.

39. The interconnect system of any one of claims 36 to 38, wherein the longitudinally compressible transition is made of an electrically insulating material.

40. The interconnect system of any one of claims 36 to 39, wherein the longitudinally compressible transition further comprises a conductive material.

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