Test socket

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention discloses a hybrid test socket comprising a body having a hole formed through a first surface facing a terminal of a semiconductor device and a second surface facing a pad of a test device, a contact inserted into the hole having one end in contact with the terminal of the semiconductor device and the other end in contact with the pad of the test device and having elastic force in the pressing direction, and a first member attached to one end of the contact.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hybrid test socket comprising a socket body made of an elastic insulator and a contact pin having elasticity. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, BGA (ball grid array) or LGA (land grid array) type semiconductor ICs are ultimately subjected to characteristic measurement or defect inspection through various electrical tests by a test device. At this time, a test socket is used to electrically connect the circuit pattern of a test printed circuit board installed in the test device with the contact balls or lands of the BGA or LGA type semiconductor IC.

[0003] The contacts used in test sockets must apply sufficient pressure to ensure reliable contact with the IC leads (terminals); therefore, the contacts must possess sufficient elastic contact force within an appropriate range, and various types of contacts are available to meet these conditions.

[0004] Meanwhile, multiple spring contacts are installed in the housing of the test socket according to a predetermined rule. With the recent development of various semiconductor devices, customer demand for spring contacts of various lengths is increasing; however, conventional pogo pin type spring contacts often fail to meet the performance requirements of customers.

[0005] For example, when manufacturing a conventional pogo pin type spring contact with an extended length to meet customer requirements, the length of the contact pin constituting the spring contact must be increased. At the same time, when designing the test socket, the depth of the pin hole into which the spring contact is inserted must be machined to accommodate the width of the tip of the contact pin, taking into account the length of the contact pin.

[0006] As spring contact pins are becoming increasingly miniaturized for faster data processing and lower power consumption, it is difficult to machine long pin holes with a diameter that accommodates the width of the contact pin tip. Furthermore, even if it is possible to machine long pin holes with a relatively small diameter that accommodates the width of the contact pin tip, the machining costs are high and it is difficult to guarantee quality.

[0007] In other words, conventional spring contacts are currently unable to meet the requirements of customers demanding spring contacts of various lengths.

[0008] Meanwhile, another conventional technology includes a rubber-type socket, which is composed of an insulating body made of solidified insulating silicone that has elasticity, and a conductive silicone part formed by penetrating the insulating body vertically to correspond to a terminal of a device.

[0009] In this type of rubber socket, a silicone mixture in which insulating silicone and conductive powder are mixed in a predetermined ratio is placed into a mold, and when a strong magnetic field is applied at the location where the conductive silicone part is to be formed, the conductive powder of the silicone mixture gathers at the magnetic field application location and finally solidifies the molten silicone mixture, thereby forming a certain arrangement of conductive silicone parts on the insulating body.

[0010] These rubber-type sockets have the disadvantage of a slower elastic response speed compared to pin-type contacts (spring contacts), and a significantly reduced service life due to the loss of elasticity during repetitive testing. Consequently, they have a short usage cycle and result in increased costs due to frequent replacements. Furthermore, due to the characteristic of elasticity persistence decreasing over time, the elastic rebound force drops to zero or becomes significantly low during continuous compression tests for extended periods (more than one week), causing a short circuit; thus, they are difficult to use for long-term testing.

[0011] In addition, rubber-type sockets have the problem that their elastic properties are significantly affected by temperature, and the uniformity of resistance may be reduced due to the mixed insulating silicone or elastomer. The problem to be solved

[0012] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a hybrid test socket that combines the advantages of a pogo pin type and a rubber type to solve the aforementioned problem.

[0013] One of the various objectives of the present invention is to provide a test socket suitable for testing semiconductor devices with high-speed signals. Additionally, the invention aims to provide a test socket with improved noise shielding performance between adjacent contact pins and improved coaxial alignment performance of the contact pins.

[0014] In addition, one of the various objectives of the present invention is to provide a test socket capable of minimizing the effects of temperature changes (high temperature stability).

[0015] One of the various objectives of the present invention is to provide a hybrid test socket equipped with various types of contact pins to meet the performance requirements of customers. means of solving the problem

[0016] Various embodiments for solving the problem of the present invention may disclose a hybrid test socket comprising a body having a hole formed through a first surface facing a terminal of a semiconductor device and a second surface facing a pad of a test device, a contact inserted into the hole having one end in contact with the terminal of the semiconductor device and the other end in contact with the pad of the test device and having elastic force in the pressing direction, and a first member attached to one end of the contact.

[0017] The first member may be characterized by being provided between the inner surface of the first face-side hole and the circumference of one end of the contact.

[0018] The above body may be characterized by including a base that forms the outer shape of a test socket and an elastic insulator that is filled inside the base and then hardened to form elasticity, and the hole is formed by penetrating the elastic insulator.

[0019] The above contact may be characterized by including a pair of contact pins and a spring coupled between the pair of contact pins to provide elastic force.

[0020] The above pair of contact pins may be characterized by having the same shape and being joined in directions that intersect each other.

[0021] The above contact pin may be characterized by comprising a body portion forming a predetermined width and thickness, a head portion formed at one end of the body portion and in contact with an object to be inspected, and a leg portion extending in a direction opposite to the head portion along the longitudinal direction of the body portion.

[0022] The head portion may be characterized by being formed by rolling a plate-shaped strip that is integrally molded with the body portion.

[0023] The head portion may be characterized by having a plurality of tip portions formed at the top.

[0024] The first member may be characterized by being provided between at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the head portion and the inner surface of the hole.

[0025] The second surface may be characterized by having a step hole formed to form a step toward the first surface.

[0026] The above step hole may be characterized by being formed with a diameter larger than the diameter of the hole.

[0027] The first member may be characterized by being attached while provided on one end surface of the contact, pushed into the perimeter of one end of the contact and the hole, and hardened.

[0028] The above contact may be characterized by comprising a contact pin and an elastic member comprising conductive particles filled between the contact pin and the hole.

[0029] The above contact pin may be characterized by being formed by rolling a plate-shaped strip.

[0030] The conductive particles may be characterized by being aligned by applying magnetic force to the elastic member simultaneously with the adhesion of the first member.

[0031] Each of the features of the above-described embodiments may be implemented in combination in other embodiments, provided that such features do not contradict or are not exclusive of other embodiments. Effects of the invention

[0032] According to various embodiments of the present invention, upper contraction control of a socket body made of an elastic insulator can be facilitated.

[0033] In addition, the position alignment of the contact pin contact portion provided inside the socket body is easy, which can improve the coaxial alignment of the contact pin.

[0034] In addition, the insulation between fine pitches is improved, which can reduce noise during testing of high-speed signal semiconductor devices.

[0035] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly recognized by a person skilled in the art from the description below. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0036] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a hybrid test socket, which is an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a drawing showing the spring contact pin of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 2. Figures 4 to 8 are drawings showing the contact pin of Figure 2. Figure 9 is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the hybrid test socket of Figure 1. FIG. 10 is a drawing showing a hybrid test socket, which is another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 is a drawing showing the contact pin of Figure 10. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0037] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following detailed description is provided to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatuses, and / or systems described herein. However, this is merely illustrative and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0038] In describing the embodiments of the present invention, detailed descriptions of known technologies related to the present invention are omitted if it is determined that such descriptions may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention. Furthermore, the terms described below are defined considering their functions in the present invention, and these definitions may vary depending on the intentions or practices of the user or operator. Therefore, their definitions should be based on the content throughout this specification.

[0039] The terms used in the detailed description are merely for describing embodiments of the invention and should not be limiting in any way. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, expressions in the singular form include the meaning of the plural form.

[0040] In this description, expressions such as “include” or “equipped” are intended to refer to certain characteristics, numbers, steps, actions, elements, parts or combinations thereof, and should not be interpreted to exclude the existence or possibility of one or more other characteristics, numbers, steps, actions, elements, parts or combinations thereof other than those described.

[0041] In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used when describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention. These terms are used merely to distinguish the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components is not limited by the terms.

[0042] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a hybrid test socket, which is an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] A hybrid test socket, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described below with reference to FIG. 1.

[0044] A hybrid test socket may include a body (10) and a contact (30). The body (10) may be formed from a material having elasticity when pressed by a semiconductor device, and the contact (30) may be provided with a physically elastic component (e.g., a spring) or formed from a material having elasticity (e.g., silicon powder mixed with conductive particles).

[0045] More specifically, the body (10) may have a hole formed through a first surface (11) facing a terminal of a semiconductor device and a second surface (12) facing a pad of a test device. The diameter (d1) of the hole may be formed to be equal to or larger than the maximum diameter of the contact (30) so that the contact (30) can be inserted into the hole.

[0046] That is, the contact (30) is inserted into the hole, with one end contacting the terminal of the semiconductor device and the other end contacting the pad of the test device, so that it may have elastic force in the pressing direction. The detailed configuration of the contact (30) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8.

[0047] Meanwhile, the body (10) may include a base (11, 12) that forms the outer shape of the test socket and an elastic insulator (13) that is filled inside the base (11, 12) and then hardened to form elasticity.

[0048] The base (11, 12) can be formed by the first surface (11) and the second surface (12), and the hole can be formed by penetrating the first surface (11) and the second surface (12) and penetrating the elastic insulator filled inside the base (11, 12).

[0049] Meanwhile, a first member (50) may be attached to one end of the contact (30). The one end of the contact (30) may refer to the contact end of the contact (30) located on the first surface (11) side that contacts the terminal of the semiconductor device while the contact (30) is inserted into the hole.

[0050] The first member (50) may be provided between the inner surface of the hole formed on the first surface (11) side and the circumference of one end of the contact (30). The first member (50) may be made of a flexible material and bonded while provided on one end surface of the contact (30), so that it is rolled into the circumference of one end of the contact (30) and the hole and hardened, thereby being provided between the inner surface of the hole formed on the first surface (11) side and the circumference of one end of the contact (30). Accordingly, the first member (50) may be provided with a silicone-based material whose properties change due to heat.

[0051] With the first member (50) provided, upper contraction control of the socket body (10) including the elastic insulator (13) can be facilitated.

[0052] If the socket body (10) is made of a material that does not have elasticity, unlike the present embodiment, such as a general spring contact pin type socket, then the first member (50) may act as a factor that hinders the contraction force of the spring contact pin because the socket body does not contract. However, since the present embodiment is a hybrid test socket that combines the advantages of a general spring contact pin type socket (Poco pin type socket) and a silicone rubber type socket as described above, the durability can be increased by controlling the upper contraction of the socket body (10) through the first member (50).

[0053] In addition, the coaxial alignment of the contact (30) within the body (10) containing the elastic material can be improved by the first member (50), thereby improving the positional alignment of the contact portion of the contact (30).

[0054] In addition, since the first member (50) is formed from a silicon-based material, the insulation between fine pitches is improved, which can reduce noise during high-speed signal semiconductor device testing.

[0055] This first member (50) can be appropriately selected to suit customer needs with a shore hardness between 20A and 80A. If the hardness of the first member (50) is outside the above range, it may be difficult to achieve the above-described effect.

[0056] For example, if the hardness of the first member (50) is higher than the above range, it acts as a factor that impedes the elasticity of the contact (30), and a greater load may be required during testing. In such cases, it may not meet the load-related performance conditions requested by the customer, or the durability of the test socket may be reduced.

[0057] Meanwhile, a step hole (h2) may be formed in the second surface (12). The step hole (h2) may be provided by forming a step in the direction from the second surface (12) toward the first surface (11). In the shape of such a step hole (h2), the diameter (d2) of the step hole (h2) may be formed to be larger than the diameter (d1) of the hole.

[0058] These step holes (h2) can increase the durability of the hybrid test socket, which is an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, by distributing the load of the test socket that is repeatedly pressed between the terminal of the semiconductor device and the pad of the test device. If step holes (h2) as in this embodiment are not provided, the body must absorb the entire load around the contact, so the durability may be reduced.

[0060] FIG. 2 is a drawing showing the spring contact pin of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 to 8 are drawings showing the contact pin of FIG. 2.

[0061] Hereinafter, a hybrid test socket and a contact applied to the hybrid test socket, which are embodiments of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

[0062] The contact (30) of the present embodiment may include a spring contact pin configuration. That is, it may include two contact pins (31, 35) and a spring (33) that provides physical elastic force to the contact (30).

[0063] More specifically, the contact (30) may include a pair of contact pins (31, 35) and a spring (33), and the spring (33) may be coupled between the pair of contact pins (31, 35) to provide elastic force to the contact (30).

[0064] The spring (33) may be a coiled compression spring having a predetermined length along the longitudinal direction of the contact (30), and may be positioned between the first contact pin (31) and the second contact pin (35) in the contact (30) to provide a restoring force to return each contact pin (31, 35) to its position before compression based on the spring (33) when the first contact pin (31) and the second contact pin (35) are compressed in the longitudinal direction.

[0065] In this embodiment, a pair of contact pins (31, 35) may be provided with the same shape and joined in a direction that intersects each other. Additionally, they may be provided with different shapes and joined with a spring in between.

[0066] The following pair of contact pins are referred to as the first contact pin (31) and the second contact pin (35). In this embodiment, since the pair of contact pins (31, 35) are provided with the same shape, the configuration of the contact pins is described based on the first contact pin (31).

[0067] The contact pin (31) may include a body portion (312), a head portion (311), and a leg portion (313).

[0068] The body portion (312) has a space (S1) formed in the center of each side with a certain width and length in the longitudinal direction, and the lower end of the space (S1) may have a stopper (not shown) with a step formed therein, and the upper end of the space (S1) extends to the upper end of the head portion (311). The stopper (not shown) is configured such that when the second contact pin (35) is joined in a direction intersecting the first contact pin (31), the end of the leg portion (353) of the second contact pin (35) is caught.

[0069] The head portion (311) may be composed of a plate-shaped strip having equal lengths on the left and right sides relative to the center of the body portion (312) at the top of the body portion (312) and an upper tip portion (3110) formed along the upper tip portion, and the plate-shaped strip may include a first strip section (311a) and a second strip section (311b) having equal distances on the left and right sides from the center portion (3111) of the body portion (312).

[0070] That is, the head portion (311) may be provided in a cylindrical shape having an overall diameter (d3) by rolling the first strip section (311a) and the second strip section (311b) into a semicircular shape based on the center portion (3111), respectively. Furthermore, it is preferable that the width (W1) of the center portion (3111), which forms the reference for rolling each strip, corresponds to the width of the space (S1). This is because if the width (W1) of the center portion (3111) is smaller or larger than the width of the space (S1), the defect rate may increase during the stamping of the contact pin.

[0071] Meanwhile, the head portion (311) may be provided in a cylindrical crown shape by the tip portion (3110). In this shape or configuration of the head portion (311), the ball portion of the BGA can be stably grounded to press the test socket, thereby improving the accuracy of the test.

[0072] Meanwhile, the leg portion (313) may be composed of a pair of legs that are symmetrically extended from the body portion (312), and a predetermined space (S2) is formed between the pair of leg portions so as to guide each leg portion when the first contact pin (31) and the second contact pin (35) are combined in a mutually intersecting direction.

[0073] Additionally, when assembling the contact (30), in order for the second contact pin (35) to be easily assembled in a direction that intersects the first contact pin (31), an inclined surface (3120) may be formed on the part where a pair of leg portions (313) extend from the body portion (312).

[0074] More specifically, the leg portion (313) may have a catch member formed at its end, and the catch member may include a corner portion (3131) that is located on the same plane as the tip portion (3110) and electrically contacts the terminals when the contact (30) is compressed in the pressing direction, a guide surface (3133) that extends from the corner portion (3131) with a predetermined slope and faces each other, and an inflection point (3132) that forms a step from the guide surface (3133) toward the outside of the space (S2).

[0075] In this structure, the guide surface (3131) contacts and joins with the inclined surface (3120) when each contact pin is assembled, so that a pair of contact pins can be easily assembled, and the inflection end (3132) catches on a stopper (not shown) when each contact pin is assembled, thereby preventing the pair of contact pins from being unintentionally separated after being joined.

[0077] Figure 9 is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the hybrid test socket of Figure 1.

[0078] The manufacturing process of a hybrid test socket, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described below with reference to FIG. 9.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 9(a), the body of the test socket may have a hole (h1) formed in an elastic insulator (13) that has been hardened by a jig operation or laser processing. The formed hole may have a diameter (d1) equal to or greater than the diameter (d3) of the head portion of the contact pin.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 9(b) and FIG. 9(c), after the contact (30) is inserted into the hole (h1), a film (51) on which the first member (50) is laminated is adhered to the upper surface (11) so that the first member (50) can be provided between the inner surface of the hole on the first surface (11) side and the circumference of one end of the contact (30).

[0081] More specifically, the film (51) can be heat-pressed so that the first member (50) is well rolled between the inner surface of the first surface (11) side hole and the perimeter of the contact (30). The first member (50) thus heat-pressed can be provided between at least a portion of the perimeter surface of the head portion (311) and the inner surface of the hole (h1). And the tip portion (3111) can be exposed to the outside by piercing through the first member (50) due to its shape when the first member (50) is pressed.

[0082] In this state, the first member (50) is cured, and the manufacturing process of the hybrid test socket, which is an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, can be completed as shown in FIG. 9(d).

[0084] FIG. 10 is a drawing showing a hybrid test socket, which is another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a drawing showing a contact pin of FIG. 10.

[0085] FIGS. 10 and 11 below are hybrid test sockets with contacts of a different form from FIGS. 1 to 9, and will be explained mainly in terms of the differences from the above-described embodiments.

[0086] The contact (70) applied to the hybrid test socket of the present embodiment is formed by rolling a contact pin (71) that is manufactured in the form of a sheet metal, and the contact pin (71) is formed in a shape similar to a coiled compression spring, and the end can be formed in a crown shape by a plurality of tip portions (711).

[0087] In this shape or structure, the contact (70) of the present embodiment may perform the role of a spring applied to a spring contact pin by the contact pin (71).

[0088] And as the plate material is rolled and formed, a space may be formed inside the contact (50), and an elastic member (73) containing conductive particles may be filled into this space. More specifically, the elastic member (73) may be formed by filling and hardening silicon containing metal conductive particles between the contact pin (71) and the hole.

[0089] Meanwhile, the first member (50) may be provided between the end of the contact (50) including the tip portion (711) and the hole. For this structure, the first member (50) may be heat-pressed on the first surface (11) as described above.

[0090] However, since the contact (50) of the present embodiment is filled with an elastic member (73) containing conductive particles inside, it is necessary to align the conductive particles by magnetism to improve the electrical contact capability of the contact (50).

[0091] Accordingly, in order to simplify the process and allow the first member (50) to be easily pushed into the hole between the end of the contact (50), the conductive particles can be aligned by applying magnetic force to the elastic member (73) simultaneously with the adhesion of the first member (50). That is, the process of heat-pressing the film and the process of applying magnetic force to the conductive particles can be performed simultaneously.

[0092] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims set forth below as well as equivalents thereof. Explanation of the symbols

[0093] 10: Body 11: Page 1 12: Page 2 13: Elastic insulator 30,70: Contact 50: First absence

Claims

Claim 1 A hybrid test socket comprising: a base forming the outer shape of a test socket with a first surface member having a hole formed therein where one side of a contact is located and facing a terminal of a semiconductor device, and a second surface member having a hole formed therein where the other side of a contact is located and facing a pad of a test device; an elastic insulator having a hole formed therein that penetrates the interior in a vertical direction and is filled and hardened inside the base; a contact having elastic force in a pressing direction, with one end in contact with a terminal of the semiconductor device and the other end in contact with a pad of the test device; and a first member attached to one end of the contact; wherein, on the vertical cross-section, the width of the hole formed in the first surface member is formed to be larger than the width of the hole formed in the second surface member, and thereby the elastic insulator is exposed toward the semiconductor device. Claim 2 A hybrid test socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the first member is bonded while provided on one end surface of the contact, pushed into the hole formed between the circumference of one end of the contact and the elastic insulator, and hardens. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 A hybrid test socket according to claim 1, wherein the contact comprises: a pair of contact pins; and a spring coupled between the pair of contact pins to provide elastic force. Claim 5 A hybrid test socket according to claim 4, characterized in that the pair of contact pins are provided with the same shape and are joined in a direction intersecting each other. Claim 6 A hybrid test socket according to claim 5, wherein the contact pin comprises: a body portion forming a predetermined width and thickness; a head portion formed at one end of the body portion and contacting a terminal of the semiconductor device or a pad of the test device; and a leg portion extending in a direction opposite to the head portion along the longitudinal direction of the body portion. Claim 7 A hybrid test socket according to claim 6, wherein the head portion is formed by rolling a plate-shaped strip that is integrally molded with the body portion. Claim 8 A hybrid test socket according to claim 7, wherein the head portion is characterized by having a plurality of tip portions formed at the top. Claim 9 A hybrid test socket according to claim 8, wherein the first member is provided between at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the head portion and the inner surface of a hole formed in the elastic insulator. Claim 10 A hybrid test socket according to claim 1, wherein the second surface member has a step hole formed to form a step toward the first surface member, and the diameter of the step hole is larger than the diameter of the hole formed in the elastic insulator. Claim 11 delete Claim 12 delete Claim 13 A hybrid test socket according to claim 1, wherein the contact comprises: a contact pin; and an elastic member comprising conductive particles filled between the contact pin and a hole formed in the elastic insulator. Claim 14 A hybrid test socket according to claim 13, wherein the contact pin is formed by rolling a plate-shaped strip. Claim 15 A hybrid test socket according to claim 13, characterized in that the conductive particles are aligned by applying magnetic force to the elastic member simultaneously with the adhesion of the first member. Claim 16 A hybrid test socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the Shore hardness of the first member is between 20A and 80A.

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