Signal transmission connector

Abstract

The structure of the signal transmission connector is as follows: a plurality of conductive parts with elasticity are arranged on a supporting part, an upper cover and a lower cover which are made of non-elastic materials are arranged on the upper side and the lower side of the supporting part, and the conductive parts are surrounded by cover holes formed in the upper cover and the lower cover at intervals. Therefore, the conductive part can be replaced, and the to-be-detected equipment with large warping can be easily handled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a signal transmission connector, and more particularly to a signal transmission connector for transmitting an electrical signal by being coupled to an electronic component such as a semiconductor package and a method of manufacturing the same. Background Art

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

[0003] A semiconductor device is manufactured through a pre-process, a post-process, and a test process. Among them, the test process is a process of screening qualified products and defective products by testing whether the semiconductor device operates normally.

[0004] One of the core components for the test process is a signal transmission connector called a test socket. The test socket is used for inspecting a semiconductor device by being mounted on a printed circuit board electrically connected to a tester for integrated circuit testing. The test socket includes contact pins that electrically connect the terminals (pins) of the semiconductor device and the terminals of the printed circuit board. The tester generates an electrical signal for testing the semiconductor device to be coupled to the test socket, outputs it to the semiconductor device, and then tests whether the semiconductor device operates normally using the electrical signal input through the semiconductor device, and thus determines the semiconductor device as a qualified product or a defective product according to the test result.

[0005] Representative test sockets are a spring test socket and a conductive adhesive test socket.

[0006] The spring test socket is formed by assembling separately manufactured spring pins in a cover. However, due to problems such as damage to the package ball or cost increase, in the semiconductor test process, a conductive adhesive test socket is more required than the spring test socket.

[0007] The conductive adhesive test socket has a structure in which conductive portions are disposed inside an insulating portion in a mutually insulated manner. The conductive portions are formed in a form in which a plurality of conductive particles are included inside an elastic material such as silicon, and the insulating portion is formed of an elastic material such as silicon. Such a conductive adhesive test socket has a characteristic of presenting conductivity only in the thickness direction. Since mechanical units such as soldering or springs are not used, 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 achieve a soft connection with a semiconductor device or the like.

[0008] Since a general signal transmission connector formed by a conductive adhesive test socket forms a structure in which a plurality of conductive parts are structurally connected to each other through an insulating part, a structure is formed in which the pressing force (or stroke) applied to one conductive part affects adjacent other conductive parts through the insulating part. Therefore, if there is a tolerance in the height of the semiconductor package terminals or the semiconductor package has warpage, there will be a difference in the degree of compression applied to each conductive part, resulting in problems such as breakage of the conductive part that is concentratedly stressed or poor contact where the terminal does not contact the conductive part.

[0009] Therefore, recently, a conductive adhesive test socket that allows the conductive parts to work independently has been developed. As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, a signal transmission connector 20 composed of a conductive adhesive test socket having conductive parts that work independently includes: a cover 21 made of an inelastic material; a conductive part body 23 formed in a form in which a plurality of conductive particles are contained in an elastic insulating substance; a conductive part 25 having a conductive part lower pump 24; and an upper insulating gasket 28 and a lower insulating gasket 26, which are respectively attached to the upper surface and the lower surface of the cover so that the conductive part body 23 is disposed at intervals in the cover hole 22 of the cover 21, forming a structure in which the conductive part body 23 is connected to the conductive part lower pump 24 through the lower gasket hole 27 of the lower insulating gasket 26.

[0010] If a pressing unit (not shown) of such a signal transmission connector applies pressure to the device under test 10 for testing, the terminals 11 of the device under test contact the upper end of the conductive part body 23 through the upper gasket hole 29 of the upper insulating gasket 28 and apply pressure to the conductive part body. In this case, since a plurality of adjacent conductive part bodies 23 are structurally separated from each other, they will be independently compressed, and the middle part of the conductive part body 23 will expand into the space in the cover hole 22. If the conductive part body 23 is compressed, its compressive force is also transmitted to the conductive part lower pump 24, causing the conductive part body 23 and the conductive part lower pump 24 to be in an electrically connected state and connected to the gasket 31 of the tester, so that the tester 30 and the device under test 10 are electrically connected through the signal transmission connector 20 for testing.

[0011] Therefore, the existing signal transmission connector can respond to a certain extent to the situation where there is a slight tolerance in the height of the semiconductor package terminals or the semiconductor package has a small amount of warpage by allowing the conductive parts to work independently.

[0012] However, since the existing signal transmission connector is manufactured such that the lower part of the conductive part lower pump 24 and the conductive part main body 23 with a diameter larger than the lower gasket hole 27 of the lower insulating gasket 26 are integrally connected at the lower gasket hole 27 of the lower insulating gasket 26, there is a problem of replacing the entire signal transmission connector when one of the conductive parts in the signal transmission connector is damaged.

[0013] Moreover, in the existing signal transmission connector, the thickness of the lower pump of the conductive part in contact with the gasket of the tester is limited to a specified thickness range where fine adjustment is possible without deteriorating durability. To increase the thickness of the signal transmission connector, only the thickness of the conductive part main body side other than the lower pump of the conductive part can be increased. However, the conductive part main body with a larger aspect ratio will result in deteriorated durability and difficulty in aligning conductive particles along the thickness direction in the elastic insulating material, thus having a high resistance characteristic, which will cause a problem of deteriorated reliability of the product.

[0014] Furthermore, since the existing signal transmission connector with conductive parts of the same thickness can make the cover made of an inelastic material function as a hard-stop to limit pressurization when pressure is applied to the device under test for testing, for a device under test with a large warp, there is a problem that the conductive part that is concentratedly stressed is damaged or there is still a poor contact problem where the terminal does not contact the conductive part due to differences in the degree of compression applied to the conductive part.

[0015] Prior Art Documents

[0016] Patent Document 1

[0017] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2211358 (February 3, 2021) Summary of the Invention

[0018] Technical Problem

[0019] The present invention is proposed in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a signal transmission connector that can replace conductive components and can easily handle a device under test with a large warp.

[0020] Technical Solution

[0021] The signal transmission connector of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose performs an electrical inspection on the device under test by connecting the terminals of the device under test to the pads of a tester that generates test signals, and is characterized in that it includes: a plurality of conductive components, in which a plurality of conductive particles are aligned in the thickness direction within an elastic insulating material, and are composed of an upper pump in the shape of a frustum of a cone, a lower pump in the shape of an inverted frustum of a cone, and a connecting pump in the shape of a cylinder. The upper pump can contact the terminals of the device under test, the lower pump can contact the pads of the tester, and the connecting pump extends between the upper pump and the lower pump; a support component, having insulation, with an upper surface and a lower surface facing the upper surface, and having a support hole combined with the connecting pump; an upper cover, formed of a non-elastic material, attached to the upper surface of the support component, and having upper cover holes surrounding the upper pump at intervals; and a lower cover, formed of a non-elastic material, attached to the lower surface of the support component, and having lower cover holes surrounding the lower pump at intervals. The width of the connecting pump is not less than the width of the lower surface of the upper pump and the width of the upper surface of the lower pump, and the thickness of the lower pump is not less than the thickness of the lower cover.

[0022] The thickness of the upper pump of at least one of the plurality of conductive components may be different from the thickness of the upper pumps of other conductive components.

[0023] The thickness of the upper pump may not be less than the thickness of the upper cover.

[0024] The thickness of the upper pump may be less than the thickness of the upper cover.

[0025] The thickness of the upper cover may be the same as the thickness of the lower cover.

[0026] The thickness of the upper cover may be different from the thickness of the lower cover.

[0027] The plurality of conductive components may be attached and combined to the substrate holes of the support component by curing the elastic insulating material.

[0028] At least one of the plurality of conductive components may be attached and combined to the substrate holes of the support component by curing the silicone adhesive coated on the side of the connecting pump.

[0029] The upper cover and the lower cover may be formed of an insulating material.

[0030] The upper cover and the lower cover may be formed of a conductive material, and an insulating layer may be formed on the inner walls of the upper cover holes and the lower cover holes.

[0031] Effects of the invention

[0032] The signal transmission connector of the present invention can replace only the defective or damaged conductive component when a part of the conductive components is defective or damaged, without the need to replace the entire signal transmission connector, thereby shortening the manufacturing time of the signal transmission connector and significantly reducing the manufacturing cost and maintenance cost of the signal transmission connector.

[0033] Moreover, the signal transmission connector of the present invention can transfer a specified stroke to each conductive component by providing a conductive component including an upper pump with different thicknesses according to the warpage amount of the device to be inspected, preventing damage to the conductive components caused by concentrated stress applied to the conductive components or contact failure caused by failure to transfer the stroke normally, thereby improving the durability of the signal transmission connector and improving the test efficiency due to stable signal transmission.

[0034] Furthermore, since the signal transmission connector of the present invention has conductive components disposed between an upper cover and a lower cover made of an inelastic material, each conductive component can be compressed or collided independently and freely, thereby minimizing the influence caused by adjacent conductive components during testing and minimizing the influence caused by electrical short circuit or leakage due to contact between conductive components.

[0035] In addition, the signal transmission connector of the present invention is formed such that the upper cover and the lower cover surround the conductive components at intervals, and the signal interference between the conductive components can be minimized by filling the space formed by the intervals with an air layer having a relative permittivity of 1 to reduce the total dielectric constant, so that it can also be effectively used for high-speed signal transmission.

[0036] Also, the signal transmission connector of the present invention can disperse the pressure applied to the conductive components due to the provision of a separate space for expanding the conductive components, thereby extending the life of the signal transmission connector by preventing damage to the conductive components.

[0037] Moreover, the signal transmission connector of the present invention connects the upper pump and the lower pump of the conductive component to the upper side and the lower side of the connecting pump respectively. When the thickness of the signal transmission connector is increased, it is only necessary to increase the thickness of both sides of the upper pump and the lower pump of the conductive component, thereby significantly reducing the possibility of occurrence of durability problems or high-resistance problems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 Shows an existing signal transmission connector.

[0039] Figure 2 Shows a test process using an existing signal transmission connector.

[0040] Figure 3 Shows a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 4 Partial perspective view of a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 5 Illustrates a modified example of a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 6 Illustrates a test process using a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Illustrates a process of manufacturing a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 9 Illustrates an upper pump die in which the thicknesses of the upper pumps of the conductive members are different.

[0046] Figure 10 Illustrates the process of replacing a damaged conductive member in a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 11 Illustrates the situation where a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a device under test with a large degree of warpage.

[0048] Description of reference numerals

[0049] 10: Device under test 11: Terminal

[0050] 30: Tester 31: Gasket

[0051] 100: Signal transmission connector 110: Conductive member

[0052] 111: Upper pump 112: Lower pump

[0053] 113: Connecting pump 120: Support member

[0054] 121: Support hole 122: Upper surface

[0055] 123: Lower surface 130: Upper cover

[0056] 131: Upper cover hole 140: Lower cover

[0057] 141: Lower cover hole Detailed description of the specific embodiment

[0058] Hereinafter, the signal transmission connector of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] In the present invention, a device to be inspected is disposed on the upper side of a signal transmission connector, and a tester is disposed on the lower side. Thus, the "upper surface", "upper portion surface", "upper side", "upper end", "lower surface", "lower portion surface", "lower side", "lower end", etc. of a certain structural element will be described based on this. Also, the same reference numerals are used for the same structural elements, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0060] Figure 3 A signal transmission connector showing an embodiment of the present invention Figure 4 A partial perspective view of a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention Figure 5 A modified example of a signal transmission connector showing an embodiment of the present invention Figure 6 A test process using a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0061] As shown in the figure, a signal transmission connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can perform an electrical inspection on a device to be inspected by connecting a terminal 11 of the device to be inspected 10 to a gasket 31 of a tester 30 that generates a test signal. The signal transmission connector 100 is characterized by including: a plurality of conductive members 110, formed by aligning a plurality of conductive particles in an elastic insulating material along the thickness direction, and composed of an upper pump 111 in a frustum of a cone shape, a lower pump 112 in an inverted frustum of a cone shape, and a connecting pump 113 in a cylindrical shape. The upper pump 111 can contact the terminal of the device to be inspected, the lower pump 112 can contact the gasket of the tester, and the connecting pump 113 extends between the upper pump and the lower pump; a support member 120, having insulation, including an upper surface 122 and a lower surface 123 facing the upper surface 122, and including a support hole 121 combined with the connecting pump; an upper cover 130, formed of a non-elastic material, attached to the upper surface of the support member, and including an upper cover hole 131 surrounding the upper pump at an interval; and a lower cover 140, formed of a non-elastic material, attached to the lower surface of the support member, and including a lower cover hole 141 surrounding the lower pump at an interval. The width of the connecting pump is not less than the width of the lower surface of the upper pump and the width of the upper surface of the lower pump, and the thickness of the lower pump is not less than the thickness of the lower cover.

[0062] In this signal transmission connector 100, the upper pump 111 of the conductive member 110 is connected to the terminal of the device to be inspected placed on the upper side of the upper cover 130, and the lower pump 112 of the conductive member transmits an electrical signal by being connected to the gasket of the tester placed on the lower side of the lower cover 140. The device to be inspected can be inspected by the tester, or an electrical signal can be transmitted by electrically connecting the device to be inspected and various electronic devices. Hereinafter, taking the example of disposing the signal transmission connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention on the tester 30 to perform the function of transmitting an electrical signal between the tester 30 and the device to be inspected 10 will be described.

[0063] In one embodiment of the present invention, the signal transmission connector 100 is formed in such a manner that the upper end of the conductive member 110 can be connected to the terminal 11 of the device under test 10 and the lower end can be connected to the gasket 31 of the tester 30, with a plurality of conductive particles aligned in the thickness direction (i.e., the vertical direction) of the conductive member within the elastic insulating material. Therefore, the conductive member can have elasticity and can elastically contact the terminal 11 of the device under test and the gasket 31 of the tester. A plurality of conductive members 110 are respectively formed at positions corresponding to the terminals 11 provided on the device under test 10 to be connected.

[0064] The conductive member 110 includes: an upper pump 111 that can contact the terminal 11 of the device under test; a lower pump 112 that can contact the gasket 31 of the tester; and a connecting pump 113 that extends between the upper pump 111 and the lower pump 112.

[0065] The upper pump 111 of the conductive member 110 can be formed in a frustum of a cone shape, the lower pump 112 can be formed in an inverted frustum of a cone shape, and the connecting pump 113 can be formed in a cylindrical shape with a width equal to the width of the lower surface of the upper pump and the width of the upper surface of the lower pump. However, as shown in part (d) of Figure 5 , the width of the connecting pump 113 can also be made larger than the width of the lower surface of the upper pump and the width of the upper surface of the lower pump. If the width of the connecting pump 113 is made larger, it is convenient to align it in the support hole 121 of the support member 120 when replacing the conductive member 110 alone, and it can be attached and combined at a more accurate position. As described above, the conductive member 110 is formed in a shape with the largest width at the connecting pump 113 portion.

[0066] The elastic insulating material constituting the conductive member 110 can use a heat-resistant polymer material having a crosslinked structure. For example, silicone rubber, polybutadiene rubber, natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber, styrene-butadiene-diene block copolymer rubber, styrene-isoprene block copolymer rubber, polyurethane rubber, polyester rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer rubber, soft liquid epoxy rubber, etc. can be used.

[0067] Moreover, the conductive particles constituting the conductive member 110 can use conductive particles having magnetism so as to generate a reaction through a magnetic field. For example, the conductive particles can use magnetic metal particles such as iron, nickel, and cobalt, or alloy particles thereof, or particles containing these, or particles having these as core particles and coating the surface of the core particles with metals having good conductivity such as gold, silver, palladium, and radium, or non-magnetic metal particles, inorganic substance particles such as glass beads, using polymer particles as core particles and coating the surface of the core particles with conductive magnetic substances such as nickel and cobalt, or coating the core particles with conductive magnetic substances and metals having good conductivity, etc.

[0068] The support member 120 has a lower surface 123 facing the upper surface 122, and support holes 121 are provided at each position corresponding to the conductive member 110. Multiple conductive members 110 can be supported by combining the support holes 121 of the support member with the connection pumps 113 of the conductive members.

[0069] The support member 120 is formed of an insulating material. It is preferable to use a polyimide sheet as the insulating material, but other insulators can also be used as long as they can support the conductive members. The manner in which the support holes 121 of the support member are combined with the connection pumps 113 of the conductive members will be described later.

[0070] An upper cover 130 is attached to the upper surface 122 of the support member 120, and a lower cover 140 is attached to the lower surface 123 of the support member 120. The upper cover 130 and the lower cover 140 can be attached to the support member 120 by an adhesive, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and they can also be fastened by screws or the like.

[0071] The upper cover 130 and the lower cover 140 form the body of the signal transmission connector 100, and upper cover holes 131 and lower cover holes 141 having a diameter larger than that of the conductive member are provided at each position corresponding to the conductive member 110.

[0072] The upper cover 130 and the lower cover 140 can be formed of a non-elastic insulating material or a conductive material. As the non-elastic insulating material, engineering plastics such as polyimide or various other non-elastic insulating materials can be used. As the non-elastic conductive material, conductive metals such as aluminum, copper, brass, stainless steel (SUS), iron, nickel, or various materials having conductivity and non-elastic characteristics can be used. The upper cover 130 and the lower cover 140 made of such non-elastic materials have a hardness such that they will not be deformed by the maximum pressing force applied by the device under test 10 during the test process, just like the elastic insulating portion of the existing conductive adhesive test socket, and have the characteristic of not being easily elastically deformed.

[0073] When the upper cover 130 and the lower cover 140 are formed of a conductive material, as shown in part a of Figure 5 , it is preferable to form an insulating layer 160 on the inner walls of the upper cover holes 131 and the lower cover holes 141. This is to prevent electrical short circuits caused by direct contact between the upper and lower covers made of conductive materials and the conductive members. Such an insulating layer 160 is not only formed on the inner walls of the upper cover holes 131 and the lower cover holes 141, but can also be formed on the upper surface of the upper cover 130 and the lower surface of the lower cover 140, which can prevent the terminals 11 of the device under test or the gaskets 31 of the tester from contacting the upper or lower covers made of conductive materials.

[0074] The upper cover 130 is disposed on the upper surface 122 of the support member in such a manner that the upper cover holes 131 surround the upper pump 111 of the conductive member at intervals, and the lower cover 140 is disposed on the lower surface 123 of the support member in such a manner that the lower cover holes 141 surround the lower pump 112 of the conductive member at intervals.

[0075] Therefore, the space formed by the intervals between the upper cover 130 and the upper pump 111 and between the lower cover 140 and the lower pump 112 can be filled with an air layer having a relative dielectric constant of 1, and the space formed by the intervals can also be used as a space for absorbing the expanded portions of the upper pump 111 and the lower pump 112 of the conductive member when the upper pump 111 and the lower pump 112 of the conductive member are compressed by the terminals 11 of the device under test.

[0076] The thickness of the upper cover 130 may be not greater than the thickness of the upper pump 111, or may be greater than the thickness of the upper pump 111. And preferably, the thickness of the lower cover 140 can be not greater than the thickness of the lower pump 112 in such a manner that it can be stably connected to the gasket 31 of the tester. In Figure 3 and Figure 4 the thickness of the upper pump 111 of the conductive member is the same as the thickness of the upper cover, and the thickness of the lower pump of the conductive member is the same as the thickness of the lower cover. In Figure 5 the (b) part, the thickness of the upper pump of the conductive member is the same as the thickness of the upper cover, and the thickness of the lower pump of the conductive member is greater than the thickness of the lower cover. In Figure 5 the (c) part, the thickness of the upper pump of the conductive member is greater than the thickness of the upper cover, and the thickness of the lower pump of the conductive member is greater than the thickness of the lower cover.

[0077] As shown in the above drawings, the thickness of the upper pump 111 of the conductive member is not less than the thickness of the upper cover 130. That is, the thickness of the upper pump 111 of the conductive member may be greater than or equal to the thickness of the upper cover 130. A protruding form in which the thickness of the upper pump 111 is greater than the thickness of the upper cover 130 can make it easier to connect to the land grid array terminals in a flat form with the upper pump in the case where the device under test is a land grid array (LGA) terminal.

[0078] And, as Figure 5 shown in the (d) part, the thickness of the upper pump 111 of the conductive member may also be less than the thickness of the upper cover 130. A form in which the upper cover 130 protrudes more than the upper pump 111 of the conductive member can function as a spherical guide for guiding the terminals 11 of the device under test in a ball grid array (BGA) form of the protruding portion of the upper cover 130 toward the upper pump 111 side of the conductive member, and can be effectively applied especially when it is necessary to align the terminals 11 of the device under test and the conductive member 110.

[0079] The thickness of the lower pump 112 of the conductive part may not be less than the thickness of the lower cover 140. That is, the thickness of the lower pump 112 of the conductive component may be greater than or equal to the thickness of the lower cover 140. More preferably, the thickness of the lower pump 112 of the conductive part is greater than the thickness of the lower cover 140 in a manner that can be firmly connected to the gasket 31 of the tester.

[0080] Moreover, the thicknesses of the upper cover 130 and the lower cover 140 may be different from or the same as each other. Since the size of the lower pump 112 of the conductive component protruding toward the lower side of the lower cover 140 can also be adjusted by the thickness of the lower cover 140, the thickness of the lower cover 140 may be different from the thickness of the upper cover 130. And, the upper cover 130 and the lower cover 140 can be made to have the same shape by making the thicknesses of the upper cover 130 and the lower cover 140 the same and making the widths of the upper cover hole 131 and the lower cover hole 141 the same. If upper covers and lower covers with the same shape are used, the manufacturing cost of the signal transmission connector can be reduced.

[0081] Figure 6 Shows a test process of the signal transmission connector 100 using an embodiment of the present invention.

[0082] As shown in the figure, if a pressurizing unit (not shown) applies pressure to the device under test 10 in order to test the device under test 10, the terminals 11 of the device under test will compress the conductive component 110 of the signal transmission connector 100 of the tester 30 while testing is being performed.

[0083] If the upper pump 111 of the conductive component is compressed due to the pressure applied by the terminal 11 of the device under test, the space formed within the interval between the upper cover hole and the conductive component causes the upper pump 111 to expand, and its compressive force is also transmitted through the connection pump 113 to the lower pump 112 of the conductive component, so that the upper pump 111, the connection pump 113, and the lower pump 112 of the conductive component will form an energized state. Moreover, adjacent conductive components 110 are structurally separated from each other by the upper cover and the lower cover, and each conductive component can be independently compressed without affecting each other. Since the signal transmission connector 100 is in an energized state as the conductive component 110 is compressed, the test signal of the tester 30 is transmitted to the device under test 10 through the signal transmission connector, thereby testing the device under test.

[0084] Therefore, the signal transmission connector of an embodiment of the present invention separates the conductive components and disposes them in the upper cover and the lower cover made of an inelastic material, and each conductive component can be independently and freely compressed or expanded, so that the influence based on adjacent conductive components can be minimized during testing, and the influence caused by electrical short circuit or leakage due to contact between conductive components can be minimized.

[0085] Moreover, a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed such that an upper cover and a lower cover surround a conductive component with a gap therebetween, and by filling the space formed by the gap with an air layer having a relative dielectric constant of 1, the total relative dielectric constant is reduced, thereby minimizing signal interference between the conductive components and effectively enabling high-speed signal transmission.

[0086] In addition, a signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with a separate space that allows the conductive components to collide, which can disperse the pressure applied to the conductive components, thereby extending the lifespan of the signal transmission connector by preventing damage to the conductive components.

[0087] Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 7 and Figure 8 a manufacturing method of the signal transmission connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0088] Figure 7 A process of combining the conductive component 110 with the support component 120 is shown. First, as shown in part (a) of Figure 7 it includes: an upper pump mold 210 provided with an upper mold hole 211 having a shape corresponding to the upper pump of the conductive component; a lower pump mold 220 provided with a lower mold hole 221 having a shape corresponding to the lower pump of the conductive component; and a support component 120 provided with a support hole 121. In this case, the upper mold hole 211, the lower mold hole 221, and the support hole 121 are respectively formed at positions corresponding to the terminals of the device under test.

[0089] Next, as shown in part (b) of Figure 7 a conductive particle mixture C containing a plurality of conductive particles in an elastic insulating material is filled into the upper mold hole 211 of the upper pump mold, the lower mold hole 221 of the lower pump mold, and the support hole 121 of the support component.

[0090] Next, Figure 7As shown in part (c), the upper pump mold 210 filled with the conductive particle mixture, the support member 120, and the lower pump mold 220 are combined and can be arranged between the upper magnetic mold 230 and the lower magnetic mold 240. In the upper magnetic mold 230 and the lower magnetic mold 240, magnetic poles (not shown) are formed at positions corresponding to the upper mold hole 211, the lower mold hole 221, and the support hole 121. If a magnetic field in the vertical direction is applied to the conductive particle mixture C through the magnetic poles, a plurality of conductive particles dispersed in the elastic insulating material are aligned in the vertical direction due to the influence of the magnetic field and form an electrical path. Then, a curing process is performed. The curing process can be performed within the upper magnetic mold 230 and the lower magnetic mold 240 as described above. The method of curing the conductive particle mixture C can use methods such as heating at a specified temperature and then cooling to room temperature, and various methods can be used according to the characteristics of the conductive particle mixture C. The connection pump 113 of the conductive component can cause the elastic insulating material to be cured and adhered and combined with the support hole 121 of the support member during the curing process.

[0091] Next, as Figure 7 shown in part (d), if the upper pump mold 210 and the lower pump mold 220 are removed after removing the upper magnetic mold 230 and the lower magnetic mold 240, the manufacturing of the form in which the conductive component 110 is combined with the support member 120 will be completed. That is, the connection pump 113 of the conductive component 110 is attached to the support hole 121 of the support member 120, and the upper pump 111 and the lower pump 112 are formed integrally with the connection pump on the upper side and the lower side of the connection pump.

[0092] Figure 8 The process of combining the upper cover and the lower cover with the support member is shown. As Figure 8 shown in part (a), the upper cover 130 having an upper cover hole 131 with an outer diameter larger than that of the upper pump at a position corresponding to the upper pump 111 is attached to the upper surface of the support member 120. In this case, the upper cover 130 is attached to the upper surface of the support member 120 in a form such that the upper cover hole 131 surrounds the upper pump 111 of the conductive component at an interval.

[0093] Next, as Figure 8 shown in part (b), the lower cover 140 having a lower cover hole 141 with an outer diameter larger than that of the lower pump at a position corresponding to the lower pump 112 of the conductive component is attached to the lower surface of the support member 120. In this case, the lower cover 140 is attached to the lower surface of the support member 120 in a form such that the lower cover hole 141 surrounds the lower pump 112 of the conductive component at an interval. By this method, the manufacturing of the signal transmission connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be completed.

[0094] Therefore, in the signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, the conductive member is connected to the upper pump and the lower pump on the upper side and the lower side of the connection pump respectively. When the thickness of the signal transmission connector is increased, the thickness on both sides of the upper pump and the lower pump of the conductive member can be increased, thereby significantly reducing the possibility of durability problems or high resistance problems.

[0095] Moreover, the conductive member 110 constituting the signal transmission connector can also be manufactured separately. For example, in Figure 7 , a support mold having the same shape as the support member is used instead of the support member 120. In the step shown in the (d) part of Figure 7 , if the support mold is also removed, a plurality of separately manufactured conductive members that are not attached to the support member can be manufactured.

[0096] Furthermore, a signal transmission connector with different thicknesses of the upper pump 111 of the conductive member can also be manufactured. As shown in Figure 9 , by making the thickness (i.e., the depth of the upper die hole) of some of the plurality of upper die holes 211 in the upper pump mold 210 different, the thickness of the upper pump can be adjusted. For example, as shown in the (a) part of Figure 9 , to increase the thickness of the upper pump in the central part, the thickness of the 2 upper die holes located in the center is increased. As shown in the (b) part of Figure 9 , to increase the thickness of the upper pump in the edge part, the thickness of the 2 upper die holes located in the edge is increased. If the above-mentioned upper pump mold is used to perform the processes in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , a signal transmission connector with different thicknesses of the upper pump can be manufactured.

[0097] Figure 10 Illustrates the process of separately replacing a defective or damaged conductive member in the case where one or more conductive members have poor characteristics or one or more conductive members are damaged during repeated testing in the process of manufacturing the signal transmission connector.

[0098] Figure 10 The (a) part of

[0099] exemplarily shows an example of the case where the second conductive member 110 from the right in the signal transmission connector is defective or damaged. Figure 10As shown in part (b), if pressure is applied to a defective or damaged conductive component from the upper side towards the lower side, the conductive component can be removed from the support hole 121 of the support member 120. That is, the conductive component 110 is formed in a shape with the maximum width connecting the pump portion. Thus, when the conductive component is removed from the support hole of the support member, the shape of the conductive component does not affect the removal. Also, the side surface of the connecting pump adheres to the support hole of the support member during the curing step of the elastic insulating material. Since the adhesion to the support member is not large, if a specified pressure is applied, the defective or damaged conductive component can be removed from the support hole of the support member.

[0100] Next, as Figure 10 shown in part (c), a separately manufactured conductive component can be inserted and attached to the support member. That is, in the separately manufactured conductive component, a silicon binder is coated on the side surface of the connecting pump. After the connecting pump coated with the silicon binder is placed in the support hole of the support member, the silicon binder is cured through a curing process, so that the connecting pump of the conductive component adheres and binds to the support hole of the support member. Through this step, the defective or damaged conductive component can be easily replaced separately.

[0101] Therefore, the signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention can replace only the defective or damaged conductive component separately in the case where a part of the conductive component is defective or damaged, without replacing the entire signal transmission connector, can shorten the manufacturing time of the signal transmission connector, and can significantly reduce the manufacturing cost and maintenance cost of the signal transmission connector.

[0102] The signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention can also be used for a device under test with large warpage.

[0103] Figure 11 Part (a) shows an example of being stably coupled to large warpage by the thickness of the upper pump of different signal transmission connectors corresponding to a device under test having warpage in which the edge portion is lowered compared to the central portion in terms of morphology. As shown in the figure, using the signal transmission connector 100 including the conductive component 110 having an upper pump corresponding to the height of the terminal of the device under test where the thickness protrudes more upward compared to the edge than the central portion, the test can be performed by simultaneously contacting the conductive component 110 and the terminal 11 of the device under test 10.

[0104] Figure 11Part (b) of FIG. shows an example in which, corresponding to a device under test having a warp in which an edge portion rises relative to a central portion, stable connection can be achieved even for a large warp by the thickness of an upper pump of different signal transmission connectors. As shown in the figure, for a device under test in which the edge protrudes more upward than the central portion morphologically, the signal transmission connector 100 including the conductive member 110 having an upper pump with a thickness corresponding to the height of the terminal can also be used to bring the conductive member 110 and the terminal 11 of the device under test 10 into contact simultaneously, so that testing can be performed.

[0105] Although Figure 11 the device under test bent with a specified curvature has been described as an example, it is natural that it can also be applied to a device under test having a different curvature. That is, by measuring the warp of the device under test, a conductive member including an upper pump that compensates for the height deviation of each terminal with a thickness is respectively provided, so that stable testing can be performed by compressing the conductive member of the signal transmission connector with the terminals of the device under test by a specified stroke. Also, instead of corresponding to the height of the terminals respectively, a conductive member including an upper pump with a large thickness only in a specified portion where the height deviation of the terminals is large can be provided.

[0106] Therefore, the signal transmission connector according to an embodiment of the present invention can transfer a specified stroke to each conductive member by providing a conductive member including an upper pump having different thicknesses according to the warp amount of the device under test, and can prevent damage to the conductive member caused by concentrated stress applied to the conductive member by the terminals of the warped device under test or poor contact caused by failure to transfer the stroke normally, thereby improving the durability of the signal transmission connector and improving the test efficiency because the signal can be stably transmitted.

[0107] As described above, the present invention has been illustrated by preferred examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the forms illustrated and described above.

[0108] For example, in the drawings, in each signal transmission connector, although it is shown in a form in which the intervals between the upper cover and the lower cover and the conductive member are all the same, a design in which the intervals between the upper cover and the lower cover and the conductive member are different from each other can also be adopted. For example, considering the degree of expansion based on the compression of the conductive member, the interval of the portion with a large expansion amount can be made larger.

[0109] As described above, the present invention has been illustrated and described by preferred embodiments for exemplifying the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the structures and operations thus illustrated and described. On the contrary, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can clearly understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A signal transmission connector for performing an electrical inspection on a device under test by connecting a terminal of the device under test to a gasket of a tester that generates a test signal, characterized in that it includes: a plurality of conductive components, in which a plurality of conductive particles are aligned along the thickness direction within an elastic insulating material, and are composed of an upper pump in the shape of a frustum of a cone, a lower pump in the shape of an inverted frustum of a cone, and a connecting pump in the shape of a cylinder. The upper pump can contact the terminal of the device under test, the lower pump can contact the gasket of the tester, and the connecting pump extends between the upper pump and the lower pump; a support component, having insulation properties, with an upper surface and a lower surface facing the upper surface, and having a support hole combined with the connecting pump; an upper cover, formed of a non-elastic material, attached to the upper surface of the support component, and having upper cover holes that surround the upper pump at intervals; and a lower cover, formed of a non-elastic material, attached to the lower surface of the support component, and having lower cover holes that surround the lower pump at intervals, the width of the connecting pump is not less than the width of the lower surface of the upper pump and the width of the upper surface of the lower pump, the thickness of the lower pump is not less than the thickness of the lower cover.

2. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the upper pump of at least one of the plurality of conductive components is different from the thickness of the upper pumps of other conductive components.

3. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the upper pump is not less than the thickness of the upper cover.

4. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the upper pump is less than the thickness of the upper cover.

5. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the upper cover is the same as the thickness of the lower cover.

6. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the upper cover is different from the thickness of the lower cover.

7. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of conductive components are attached and combined with the substrate holes of the support component by curing the elastic insulating material.

8. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the plurality of conductive components is attached and combined with the substrate holes of the support component by curing a silicone adhesive coated on the side surface of the connecting pump.

9. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, wherein The upper cover and the lower cover are formed of an insulating material.

10. The signal transmission connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper cover and the lower cover are formed of a conductive material, an insulating layer is formed on the inner walls of the upper cover holes and the lower cover holes.

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