Electric contact and socket for electric component

Abstract

To provide an electric contact, as well as a socket for an electric component, in which the number of components in the electric contact can be reduced, and the resistance value of the electric contact when a first electric component and a second electric component are electrically connected can be reduced. Disclosed is an electric contact

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical contact that is electrically connected to an electrical component such as a semiconductor device (hereinafter referred to as "IC package"), and a socket for an electrical component provided with the electrical contact. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as such electrical contacts, contact pins provided in IC sockets, which are sockets for electrical components, are known. These IC sockets are disposed on a wiring board and house an IC package to be inspected. The terminals of the IC package and the electrodes of the wiring board are electrically connected through the contact pins for conducting tests such as continuity tests.

[0003] As such contact pins, there are known types that integrate a contact portion that contacts a folded plate-shaped member and a contact portion that contacts the IC package, and a spring portion that pushes the contact portions apart in a separation direction, and are disposed inside a cylindrical member formed from the folded plate-shaped member (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-31648 [Summary of the Invention] Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, for the contact pins of the aforementioned Patent Document 1, it is required that the number of parts be small and that the resistance value of the contact pin be reduced.

[0006] Therefore, the problem of the present invention is to provide an electrical contact and a socket (IC socket) for electrical components that can reduce the number of parts of the electrical contact (contact pin) and reduce the resistance value of the electrical contact when the first electrical component (wiring board) and the second electrical component (IC package) are electrically connected. Means for solving the problem

[0007] In order to achieve the problem, the invention described in claim 1 is characterized by an electrical contact disposed between a first electrical component and a second electrical component to electrically connect the two. The electrical contact is configured such that a first component in contact with the first electrical component and a second component in contact with the second electrical component are mutually retractable. The first component is formed into a cylindrical shape by a conductive material having a corrugated portion formed on a part of a plate-shaped portion, and has a first contact portion in contact with the first electrical component and a spring portion formed by the corrugated portion. The second component is made of a rod-shaped component and has a second contact portion in contact with the second electrical component and an insertion portion inserted into the spring portion. By the first component and the second component retracting against the spring force of the spring portion, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are pushed in a direction separating from each other.

[0008] Furthermore, the invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, as an electrical contact, in addition to the invention described in claim 1, the aforementioned insertion portion inserted into the aforementioned spring portion contacts the aforementioned first contact portion to make the aforementioned first member and the aforementioned second member conductive.

[0009] Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, as a socket for an electrical component, it comprises: a socket body disposed on a second electrical component and having a receiving portion that houses the first electrical component, and an electrical contact described in claim 1 or 2 disposed on the socket body to contact the terminals provided on the aforementioned first electrical component and the terminals provided on the aforementioned second electrical component. Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the invention described in claim 1, the electrical contact is constructed of two components, a first component and a second component, thus allowing for a smaller number of parts used in the electrical contact. Furthermore, since the insertion part of the second component is inserted inside the spring part of the first component, the first component and the second component are electrically connected. Therefore, the electrical distance traveled from the first electrical component (contacting the first contact part) to the second electrical component (contacting the second contact part) becomes shorter than in conventional electrical contacts where electricity travels from the first component through the entire spring part to the second component. As a result, the resistance value of the electrical contacts can be reduced.

[0011] According to claim 2, the insertion part, which is inserted into the inside of the spring part, contacts the first contact part. Therefore, compared to the case where the insertion part only contacts the spring part, the electrical transmission distance can be shortened, and as a result, the resistance value of the electrical contact can be further reduced.

[0012] According to claim 3, the invention has the electrical contact described in claim 1 or 2, and can therefore be used as an electrical component socket with a small number of electrical contact components. Furthermore, since it has the electrical contact described in claim 1 or 2, the electrical transmission distance from the first electrical component that contacts the first contact part to the second electrical component that contacts the second contact part is shorter than before, and can be used as an electrical component socket with reduced resistance value of the electrical contact.

Implementation Method

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

[0015] Figures 1 to 11 show embodiments of the present invention.

[0016] The IC socket 10, which is a "socket for electrical components" in this embodiment, is configured as shown in Figures 1, 4, and 5, to be disposed on a wiring board 1, which is a "first electrical component," and to house an IC package 2, which is a "second electrical component," by contacting the electrodes (not shown) of the wiring board 1, which are "terminals," with the solder balls (not shown) of the IC package 2, which are "terminals," to make them electrically connected. Moreover, the IC socket 10 is used in a test apparatus for conducting continuity tests, such as burn-in tests, on the IC package 2.

[0017] The IC package 2 in this embodiment (see Figure 5) has a plurality of spherical solder balls arranged in a matrix within a generally square area below a generally square package body 3.

[0018] Furthermore, the IC socket 10, as shown in FIG1, includes: a socket body 20, which is disposed on the wiring board 1 and configured to house the IC package 2; a pair of shielding members (not shown), which are configured to be rotatably opened and closed relative to the socket body 20; and a frame-shaped operating member (not shown), which is used to operate the rotation of the shielding members. Detailed descriptions of the shielding members and the operating member are omitted.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the socket body 20 has a frame member 22 formed in the shape of a quadrangular frame, which is configured to support the shielding members or the operating member, within a support member 21. Furthermore, a contact module 30 is disposed within this frame member 22. In this contact module 30, contact pins 60 (see FIG. 5, etc.), which are a plurality of "electrical contacts," are arranged in a matrix, and a floating plate 40, which houses the IC package 2, is configured on its upper side as a "housing portion."

[0020] The contact module 30, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, includes an upper retaining member 31, a central retaining member 32, a lower retaining member 33, and a floating plate 40. The upper retaining member 31, the central retaining member 32, and the lower retaining member 33 are held at predetermined intervals. Above the upper retaining member 31, the floating plate 40 is pushed upwards by a spring (not shown) towards the socket body 20, allowing for vertical movement of the upper retaining member 31, the central retaining member 32, and the lower retaining member 33, which are held at predetermined intervals.

[0021] Furthermore, a contact pin 60 is inserted through a through hole (not shown) that extends vertically through the upper retaining member 31, the central retaining member 32, the lower retaining member 33, and the floating plate 40, and is configured to extend and retract freely in the vertical direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as mentioned above, the contact module 30 is configured with a plurality of contact pins 60 in a matrix, but for convenience, only 3 contact pins 60 are shown in Figure 5.

[0022] Each contact pin 60, as shown in Figures 6 to 10, is composed of two components: a first component 70 that forms a conductive cylindrical shape and contacts the electrodes of the wiring substrate 1, and a second component 80 that forms a conductive rod shape (here, a hollow rod shape) and contacts the solder balls of the IC package 2.

[0023] The first component 70 is a cylindrical component formed along the axis L, and has: a first contact portion 71, and a spring portion 75 connected thereto to push the first contact portion 71 of the first component 70 and the second contact portion 81 of the second component 80 (described later) in a separating direction along the axis L. The first contact portion 71 has: a first front portion 72 with a narrow diameter that contacts the wiring substrate 1 below, and an insertion portion 73 with a larger diameter that connects to the upper side of the first front portion 72. The interior of the insertion portion 73 is the size and shape for the insertion portion 85 of the second component 80 (described later) to slide and be inserted.

[0024] Furthermore, the spring portion 75 is configured such that, with an axis L extending from the first contact portion 71 toward the spring portion 75 along its length, wave-shaped portions 76 protruding equidistantly in a direction orthogonal to the axis L are continuously formed on both sides of the axis L, and these are bent or folded into a cylindrical shape. This allows the protrusions 77 of the wave-shaped portions 76 to be continuously intermittently formed on one side and the other side of the axis L. Furthermore, the protrusions 77 of the wave-shaped portions 76 that protrude from the axis L to one side to form a semi-cylindrical shape are opposite to the recesses 78 between the protrusions 77 of the wave-shaped portions 76 that protrude from the axis L to the other side.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in FIG10, at the apex of each protrusion 77 of the wave-shaped portions 76, a protrusion 79 protruding in a direction orthogonal to the axis L is further formed. Moreover, this protrusion 79 is configured to enter between the opposing recesses 78. As described above, the protrusion 79 is inserted into the recess 78, thereby causing the sidewalls 77a of the protrusions 77 on both sides of the recess 78 into which the protrusion 79 is inserted to abut against the spring portion 79 when the spring portion 75 resists its elastic thrust and acts forcefully in the direction of contraction along the axis L. This provides a stop, preventing the spring portion 75 from contracting further. As a result, the spring portion 75 will not contract beyond a predetermined amount, preventing the spring portion 75 from exceeding the range of elastic deformation and causing undesirable plastic deformation.

[0026] Furthermore, at approximately the middle position of the spring portion 75, there is a non-spring-shaped intermediate portion 74, through which the spring portion 75 is divided into two parts.

[0027] Furthermore, the first member 70 is formed of the first member conductive material 70A shown in FIG11. The first conductive material 70A is composed of a plate-shaped component, with a corrugated portion 70C formed on a part of the plate-shaped portion 70B. Here, the plate-shaped portion 70B is formed at one end, and the corrugated portion 70C is formed at the other end connected to the plate-shaped portion 70B. Furthermore, another plate-shaped portion 70D is formed approximately in the middle of the corrugated portion 70C.

[0028] Furthermore, the plate-shaped portion 70B is bent or folded into a cylindrical shape along the axis L from the plate-shaped portion 70B toward the corrugated portion 70C, thereby forming a cylindrical first contact portion 71. The corrugated portion 70C is bent or folded into a cylindrical shape along the axis L, thereby forming a cylindrical spring portion 75 continuous with the first contact portion 71. The other plate-shaped portions 70D are bent or folded into cylindrical shapes along the axis L, thereby forming a cylindrical intermediate portion 74 at approximately the middle position of the spring portion 75. The first member 70 is thus constructed having the first contact portion 71, the intermediate portion 74, and the spring portion 75 divided into two parts.

[0029] Furthermore, the second member 80 is a rod-shaped member formed along the axis L. Here, it is formed as a hollow rod. Alternatively, it can be formed as a solid rod. The second component 80 has a second contact portion 81 and an insertion portion 85 associated therewith. The second contact portion 81 is the portion that contacts the upper IC package 2, and has a narrow-diameter second front end portion 82 and a wide-diameter locking portion 83 associated with the lower side of the second front end portion 82. The locking portion 83 is formed to have a diameter larger than the diameter of the spring portion 75 of the first component 70, and abuts against the end of the spring portion 75.

[0030] Furthermore, the insertion portion 85 is narrower than the locking portion 83 of the second contact portion 81, and is inserted into the interior of the spring portion 75 of the first component 70, becoming the size and shape of being inserted into the first contact portion 71 of the first component 70 while sliding inside the inserted portion 73. Furthermore, the length of the insertion portion 85 is formed such that, when inserted into the interior of the spring portion 75 without applying force in the contraction direction, it can be inserted into the interior of the inserted portion 73 of the first contact portion 71, and when the spring portion 75 is contracted in the contraction direction and stopped by the protrusion 79, the front end of the insertion portion 85 does not reach the boundary portion between the inserted portion 73 and the first front end portion 72.

[0031] Furthermore, on the wall surface near the locking portion 83 of the second contact portion 81 of the insertion portion 85, a protrusion 86 is formed in a predetermined protruding state. Here, at two opposite positions on the wall surface at the same position in the axial L direction of the insertion portion 85, a hemispherical protrusion 86 is provided. In this way, the spring portion 75 can be held in a state where it abuts against the locking portion 83 without detachment.

[0032] Furthermore, the second member 80 is formed of the conductive material 80A of the second member shown in FIG11. The second component conductive material 80A is composed of a plate-shaped component with a slender shape. Furthermore, the second component conductive material 80A is bent or folded into a cylindrical shape along the axis L in the length direction, and only a portion of it (which becomes the locking portion 83 of the second contact portion 81) is bent or folded into a cylindrical shape with an increased diameter, thereby forming a cylindrical second contact portion 81, which has a second front end portion 82 and a locking portion 83, and a cylindrical insertion portion 85 that is continuous with the second contact portion 81.The second member 80, having a second contact portion 81 and an insertion portion 85, is thus constructed.

[0033] The contact pin 60 thus formed has a through hole in the lower side retaining member 33 of the contact module 30, through which the first front end portion 72 of the first contact portion 71 of the first member 70 is inserted and protrudes downward toward the lower side retaining member 33. Furthermore, the second front end portion 82 of the second contact portion 81 of the second member 80 is inserted into the through hole of the floating plate 40. Furthermore, the middle portion 74 of the spring portion 75 of the first member 70 is inserted into the through hole of the central retaining member 32 of the contact module 30. In this way, the contact pin 60 is held in the contact module 30.

[0034] Next, the function of the IC socket 10 having the contact pin 60 having the first member 70 and the second member 80 will be explained.

[0035] When using this IC socket 10, a plurality of contact pins 60 are respectively installed on the contact module 30 of the socket body 20, such that the first front end 72 of the first contact portion 71 of the first member 70 protrudes downwards from the lower side of the retaining member 33, and the second front end 82 of the second contact portion 81 of the second member 80 is inserted into the floating plate 40, and the middle portion 74 of the first member 70 is inserted into the central retaining member 32.

[0036] Furthermore, this IC socket 10 is positioned and fixed on the wiring board 1, such that the first front end 72 of the first contact portion 71 contacts the electrode of the wiring board 1. At this time, the first front end 72 is pushed upwards by the wiring board 1, thereby pushing the entire first member 70 upwards, and the second member 80 is also pushed upwards by the locking portion 83 of the second contact portion 81 of the second member 80, which is abutted by the end of the spring portion 75.

[0037] Next, the IC package 2 is housed on the floating plate 40, and the solder ball contacts the second front end portion 82 of the second contact portion 81. In this state, the operating member is operated to press the IC package 2 downward with the shielding member, thereby causing the floating plate 40 to descend against the upward pushing force together with the IC package 2. The solder ball presses the second front end portion 82, resisting the pushing force of the spring portion 75 of the second member 80 and pressing it downward. Moreover, the spring portion 75 is compressed as described above, thereby using the spring portion 75 to push the first contact portion 71 of the first member 70 and the second contact portion 81 of the second member 80 in a direction of separation from each other. With the electrodes of the wiring board 1 and the solder ball of the IC package 2 in electrical connection with appropriate contact pressure, a continuity test such as a burn-in test of the IC package 2 is performed.

[0038] At this time, the insertion portion 85 of the second member 80 is slidably inserted into the insertion portion 73 of the first contact portion 71 of the first member 70. This allows the electrodes of the wiring board 1 and the solder balls of the IC package 2 to be electrically connected with a shorter distance through the second contact portion 81 and the insertion portion 85 of the second member 80 and the insertion portion 73 and the first contact portion 71 of the first member 70. Therefore, a lower resistance value can be used to electrically connect the two.

[0039] Furthermore, at this time, the protrusion 79 is inserted into the recess 78. When the spring portion 75 resists its spring force and acts forcefully in the direction of contraction along the axis L, the sidewalls 77a of the protrusions 77 on both sides of the recess 78 into which the protrusion 79 enters abut against the protrusion 79 at a predetermined amount of contraction. This provides a stop, preventing the spring portion 75 from contracting further. As a result, the spring portion 75 will not shrink beyond a predetermined amount, preventing the spring portion 75 from exceeding the range of elastic deformation and causing undesirable plastic deformation.

[0040] Furthermore, at this time, the spring portion 75, which is integral with the first contact portion 71, is connected to the second contact portion 81 at its upper end, and the spring portion 75 is compressed so that the wave-shaped portions 76 of the spring portion 75 abut against each other. This allows for electrical connection between the first contact portion 71 and the second contact portion 81 with a relatively short distance. Similarly, as with the connection through the aforementioned insertion portion 85, the wiring board 1 and the IC package 2 can be electrically connected with a lower resistance value.

[0041] As described above, the contact pin 60 of this embodiment is composed of two components, the first component 70 and the second component 80, thus reducing the number of parts used in the contact pin 60 compared to the past. Furthermore, since the insertion portion 85 of the second component 80 is inserted inside the spring portion 75 of the first component 70, the first component 70 and the second component 80 are electrically connected. Therefore, the electrical passage distance from the wiring board 1 that contacts the first contact portion 71 to the IC package 2 that contacts the second contact portion 81 becomes shorter than that of the conventional contact pin where the electrical current travels from the first component through the entire spring portion to the second component. As a result, the resistance value of the contact pin 60 can be reduced.

[0042] Moreover, in this embodiment, the contact pin 60 is such that the insertion portion 85 inserted into the spring portion 75 contacts the first contact portion 71. Therefore, compared to the case where the insertion portion 85 only contacts the spring portion 75, the electrical passage distance can be shortened, and as a result, the resistance value of the contact pin 60 can be further reduced.

[0043] Furthermore, the IC socket 10 of this embodiment has the aforementioned contact pin 60, thus it can be an IC socket 10 that reduces the number of parts used in the contact pin 60 compared to the past. Also, because it has the aforementioned contact pin 60, the electrical passage distance from the wiring board 1 that contacts the first contact portion 71 to the IC package 2 that contacts the second contact portion 81 is shorter than before, thus it can be an IC socket 10 that reduces the resistance value of the contact pin 60.

[0044] Furthermore, the "electrical contact" of the present invention is not limited to the contact pin 60 with the structure described in the aforementioned embodiment, and can also be applied to other structures. Moreover, although the "electrical component socket" of the present invention is applied to IC sockets 10 of the type having a shielding member or an operating member in the aforementioned embodiment, it is not limited to this, and can also be applied to IC sockets without shields, or other devices other than IC sockets. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0013] FIG1 is a perspective view of the socket body of the IC socket according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG2 is an exploded perspective view of the socket body of the IC socket according to the embodiment. FIG3 is an exploded perspective view of the socket body of the IC socket according to the embodiment from a different angle than FIG2. FIG4 is a front view of the contact module of the socket body of the IC socket according to the embodiment. FIG5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the contact module of the socket body of the IC socket according to the embodiment. FIG6 is a front view of the contact pin of the IC socket according to the embodiment. FIG7 is a rear view of the contact pin of the IC socket according to the embodiment. FIG8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the contact pin of the IC socket according to the embodiment. FIG9 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the contact pin of the IC socket according to the embodiment in FIG8. FIG10 is a partially enlarged front view of the contact pin of the IC socket according to the embodiment in FIG6. FIG11 is an unfolded view of the contact pin of the IC socket according to the embodiment.

Claims

1. An electrical contact element disposed between a first electrical component and a second electrical component to electrically connect the two, characterized in that a first member contacting the first electrical component and a second member contacting the second electrical component are configured to be retractable to each other; the first member is formed into a cylindrical shape by a conductive material having a corrugated portion formed on a part of a plate-shaped portion, and has a first contact portion contacting the first electrical component and a spring portion formed by the corrugated portion; the second member is constructed of a rod-shaped member and has a second contact portion contacting the second electrical component and an insertion portion inserted into the spring portion; by the first member and the second member retracting against the spring force of the spring portion, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are pushed in a direction separating from each other.

2. The electrical contacts as described in claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned insertion portion, inserted into the interior of the aforementioned spring portion, contacts the aforementioned first contact portion to make the aforementioned first member and the aforementioned second member conduct.

3. A socket for an electrical component, characterized in that it comprises: a socket body disposed on a second electrical component and having a receiving portion thereon housing a first electrical component, and an electrical contact element disposed on the socket body for contacting a terminal of the first electrical component and a terminal of the second electrical component as described in claim 1 or 2.

Images