Vacuum test socket

Abstract

The present invention relates to a test socket and, more specifically, to a vacuum test socket comprising a socket main body having an inspection target containing groove formed to be indented from the upper surface thereof such that an inspection target having a terminal formed on the bottom surface thereof is contained therein, and having a plunger of a pogo pin protruding from the bottom surface of the inspection target containing groove such that same can be elastically pressurized and electrically connected to the terminal of the inspection target. Accordingly, even if an inspection target (e.g., a semiconductor package) is not pressurized from above, the terminal of the inspection target and the pogo pin can stably contact each other, thereby improving the test reliability and preventing the inspection target from being damaged. The socket body has a suction channel formed from the lower side of the inspection target containing groove toward the outside. The inspection target containing groove and the suction channel communicate with each other such that, if the terminal of the inspection target contained in the inspection target containing groove contacts the plunger, air is suctioned to the outside through the suction channel. As a result, the inspection target is forced against the bottom surface of the inspection target containing groove while elastically pressurizing the plunger.

Description

Vacuum test socket

[0001] The present invention relates to a test socket used to test the electrical characteristics of an object to be tested, such as a semiconductor package, and in particular to a vacuum test socket capable of stably performing a test without applying pressure to the object to be tested from above.

[0002] Generally, a semiconductor package is formed by creating multiple chips and devices on a wafer and undergoing a test process to inspect for defects in the chips and devices formed on the wafer. This test process is carried out using a test socket composed of a socket body and pogo pins elastically embedded in the socket body to make physical contact with the terminals of the semiconductor package.

[0003] During the testing process, if a contact failure occurs between the terminals of the semiconductor package and the pogo pins, the reliability of the test results is reduced, leading to product defects and decreased productivity due to re-inspection; therefore, after mounting the semiconductor package in the test socket, the test is performed by applying downward pressure to the semiconductor package using a pusher or picker.

[0004] However, among the semiconductor packages produced recently, there are semiconductor packages in which components or wafer dies are mounted on the upper surface and cannot be pressed by a pusher or picker when power is applied, and even in semiconductor packages in which pressurization by a pusher or picker is possible, the semiconductor package may be damaged depending on the degree of pressurization.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the aforementioned problems by providing a vacuum test socket that allows the terminals of an object to be tested, such as a semiconductor package, to make stable contact with the pogo pins without applying pressure from above, thereby increasing the reliability of the test and preventing damage to the object to be tested.

[0006] The vacuum test socket of the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises: a socket body having an inspection target receiving groove formed inwardly from the upper surface for receiving an inspection target having a terminal formed on the lower surface, and a plunger of a pogo pin capable of being elastically pressed and electrically connected to the terminal of the inspection target being provided to protrude from the bottom surface of the inspection target receiving groove; wherein the socket body has a suction channel formed from the lower side of the inspection target receiving groove toward the outside, and the inspection target receiving groove and the suction channel are in communication, so that when the terminal of the inspection target received in the inspection target receiving groove comes into contact with the plunger, air is sucked outward through the suction channel, causing the inspection target to elastically press the plunger and come into close contact with the bottom surface of the inspection target receiving groove.

[0007] Additionally, the suction channel may be formed toward one side wall of the socket body, wherein the socket body comprises: a guide plate in which the inspection target receiving groove is formed inwardly, a first suction hole is formed through the bottom surface of the inspection target receiving groove in a direction parallel to the suction channel, and pin passage holes through which a plunger can pass are formed through both sides of the first suction hole; and a socket body in which a plate receiving groove in which the guide plate is received is formed inwardly from the upper surface, a suction channel is formed on the lower side of the plate receiving groove, a second suction hole is formed on the bottom surface of the plate receiving groove so that one end of the suction channel is exposed to the outside through the second suction hole, and pogo pins are installed on both sides of the second suction hole so that a plunger protrudes upward.

[0008] In addition, a ring-shaped groove is formed on the bottom surface of the guide plate so that a groove for receiving an inspection target can be positioned on the inside, and the socket body further includes a sealing O-ring installed in the groove, thereby preventing air from flowing in or out through the gap between the mutually coupled guide plate and the socket body.

[0009] Additionally, the first suction hole may include a first-1 suction hole formed offset toward one side in the direction of air intake, and a first-2 suction hole formed toward the other side from the center of the inspection target receiving groove and having a larger size than the first-1 suction hole.

[0010] In addition, one end of the suction channel has a rectangular cross-section, and the remaining part of the suction channel excluding the one end has a circular cross-section, and a concave guide groove may be formed in the part corresponding to the first suction hole on the bottom surface forming the one end of the suction channel.

[0011] In addition, the second suction hole may be formed such that the length in the direction parallel to the suction path is longer than the length of the inspection target receiving groove.

[0012] In addition, the socket body has an air inlet / outlet guide groove formed by extending from the inspection target receiving groove toward the outer side of the inspection target received in the inspection target receiving groove, and the air inlet / outlet guide groove may be formed at a portion corresponding to the longitudinal center of the inspection target, a portion corresponding to the widthwise center of the inspection target, and a portion corresponding to each corner of the inspection target.

[0013] Additionally, it may further include a fitting connector that forms a tube shape, with one end connected to a suction channel on the outer side of the socket body and the other end connected directly or indirectly to a vacuum suction device.

[0014] According to the present invention, even without applying downward pressure to the upper surface of an object to be tested, such as a semiconductor package, the object to be tested can be vacuum-suctioned to achieve a state where the terminal of the object to be tested and the plunger of the pogo pin are in stable contact, and a test can be performed on the object to be tested in this state, thereby increasing the reliability of the test and preventing damage to the object to be tested.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vacuum test socket according to the present invention,

[0016] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an object to be tested is mounted in a vacuum test socket according to the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a vacuum test socket according to the present invention,

[0018] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a vacuum test socket according to the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the vacuum test socket of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram showing the process of a test process being performed on an object to be inspected using the vacuum test socket of the present invention.

[0021] The present invention proposes a vacuum test socket comprising: a socket body having a test object receiving groove formed indented from the upper surface to accommodate a test object having a terminal formed on its lower surface, and a plunger of a pogo pin capable of being elastically pressed and electrically connected to the terminal of the test object, so as to be provided to protrude from the bottom surface of the test object receiving groove, so as to increase the reliability of the test and prevent damage to the test object by ensuring stable contact between the terminal of the test object and the pogo pin even without applying pressure from the upper side of the test object, such as a semiconductor package; wherein the socket body is characterized by having a suction channel formed from the lower side of the test object receiving groove toward the outside, and the test object receiving groove and the suction channel are in communication, so that when the terminal of the test object received in the test object receiving groove comes into contact with the plunger, the test object elastically presses the plunger as it comes into contact with the bottom surface of the test object receiving groove.

[0022] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical essence of the present invention.

[0023] Hereinafter, the vacuum test socket of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0024] The vacuum test socket of the present invention includes a socket body (A) capable of testing the electrical characteristics of an object to be tested (10) having terminals formed on its bottom surface, such as a semiconductor package, and the socket body (A) is formed in a block shape having a predetermined thickness, and it is preferable that the socket body (A) be formed in a block shape with a square cross section, taking into consideration the shape of the object to be tested (10) and the convenience of manufacturing and installation.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the socket body (A) has an inspection object receiving groove (110) formed inwardly from the upper surface so that an inspection object (10) is received inside with the terminal facing downward, and it is preferable that the inspection object receiving groove (110) be formed in the central part of the socket body (A). The inspection object receiving groove (110) is formed to have a shape and size corresponding to the inspection object (10) whose lower part is placed on the bottom surface, and is formed so that its width gradually increases from a point corresponding to the upper surface of the inspection object (10) placed on the bottom surface to the top, thereby preventing damage to the inspection object (10) during the process of moving in and out.

[0026] Additionally, when the object to be inspected (10) is moved into and out of the inspection receiving groove (110), a picker (20) that vacuum-adsorbs the object to be inspected (10) is mainly used. After the object to be inspected (10) is moved into the inspection receiving groove (110) by the picker (20), the vacuum adsorption is released, and a test can be performed on the object to be inspected (10) separated from the picker (20). Additionally, after the test is completed, the object to be inspected (10) can be vacuum-adsorbed through the picker (20) and then moved from the inspection receiving groove (110) to the outside. In this way, when vacuum suction is applied through the picker (20) and vacuum suction is released, air flow is generated around the object to be inspected (10) seated in the inspection object receiving groove (110), and to prevent the object to be inspected (10) from being affected by the generated air flow, an air inlet / outlet guiding groove (150) may be formed indented from the upper surface of the socket body (A).

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the air inflow / outflow guiding groove (150) may be formed extending from the inspection target receiving groove (110) toward the outer side of the inspection target (10) received in the inspection target receiving groove (110), and may be formed at a portion corresponding to the longitudinal center of the inspection target (10) and at a portion corresponding to the widthwise center of the inspection target (10). In addition, it is preferable that the air inflow / outflow guiding groove (150) be formed at portions corresponding to each corner of the inspection target (10) so that when the inspection target (10) is received in the inspection target receiving groove (110), the corners of the inspection target (10) are not damaged, and air can be smoothly flowed in and out during vacuum suction and release of vacuum suction through the picker (20).

[0028] And the socket body (A) is provided with a pogo pin that can be electrically connected to a terminal of the object to be inspected (10), and the pogo pin may include a barrel fixed to the socket body (A) and a plunger (300) that is provided with a portion inserted into the inner side of the barrel and moves elastically in the up and down direction. The plunger (300) may form the upper part of the pogo pin and is a part that substantially contacts the terminal of the object to be inspected (10). As the pogo pin is provided in the socket body (A), the plunger (300) is provided to protrude from the bottom surface of the object to be inspected receiving groove (110), as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Accordingly, when the object to be inspected (10) is placed on the bottom surface of the inspection target receiving groove (110), the terminal of the object to be inspected (10) comes into contact with the plunger (300), and it is desirable to maintain a state in which the object to be inspected (10) elastically presses the plunger (300) so that the terminal of the object to be inspected (10) and the plunger (300) can be maintained in a stable contact state during the test process.

[0029] In order to maintain the state in which the object to be inspected (10) elastically pressurizes the plunger (300) during the test process, vacuum suction is used in the present invention. For this purpose, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a suction channel (210) is formed in the socket body (A) from the lower side of the object to be inspected receiving groove (110) toward the outside. The suction channel (210) is formed such that one end is connected to the object to be inspected receiving groove (110) and the other end is connected to the outside, and may be formed toward one side wall of the socket body (A). A vacuum suction device may be directly connected to the other end of the suction channel (210), but it is preferable to connect a fitting connector (B) that is directly or indirectly connected to the vacuum suction device so that a single vacuum suction device can be used to create a vacuum state for a plurality of test sockets. The fitting connector (B) can be formed in various tubular shapes, such as an L-shape or a straight line, and one end is connected to the suction passage (210) on the outside of the socket body (A), and the other end can be connected directly or indirectly to the vacuum suction device.

[0030] As a specific example, the socket body (A) may be configured to include a guide plate (100) in which an inspection target receiving groove (110) is formed as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 for ease of manufacturing, and a socket body (200) in which the guide plate (100) is received inside, a suction channel (210) is formed toward one side wall, and a pogo pin is installed inside.

[0031] The guide plate (100) may be formed in the shape of a plate that is smaller and thinner than the socket body (200), and may have an inspection target receiving groove (110) and an air inlet / outlet guiding groove (150) formed in the center. Additionally, a first suction hole (120) may be formed through the bottom surface of the inspection target receiving groove (110) in the guide plate (100) in a direction parallel to the suction channel (210), and pin passage holes (130) through which a plunger (300) can pass may be formed through both sides of the first suction hole (120). At this time, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5, the first suction hole (120) may include a first suction hole (120a) formed so as to be offset toward one side in the direction in which air is sucked, and a second suction hole (120b) formed toward the other side from the center of the inspection target receiving groove (110) and having a larger size than the first suction hole (120a). Accordingly, the vacuum suction area for the inspection target (10) through the second suction hole (120b), which is relatively farther from the direction in which air is sucked compared to the first suction hole (120a), is larger, so the inspection target (10) can be vacuum-suctioned in a balanced manner overall.

[0032] The socket body (200) is formed in a block shape having a predetermined thickness, and a plate receiving groove (220) is formed in the central part, and a suction channel (210) may be formed on the lower side of the plate receiving groove (220). In addition, on the bottom surface of the plate receiving groove (220), as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a second suction hole (230) is formed in a direction parallel to the suction channel (210), so that one end of the suction channel (210) may be exposed to the outside through the second suction hole (230). At this time, the second suction hole (230) may be formed such that the length in a direction parallel to the suction channel (210) is longer than the length of the inspection target receiving groove (10), thereby preventing the air sucked in and passed through the first suction hole (120) from escaping along the suction channel (210) while being interfered with or vortexed by the part forming the second suction hole (230).

[0033] As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, one end of the suction channel (210) may have a rectangular cross-section to ensure stable vacuum suction of the entire object to be inspected (10), and the remaining part of the suction channel (210), excluding the one end, may have a circular cross-section to facilitate the discharge of the sucked air. At this time, a concave guide groove (211) may be formed in the bottom surface portion corresponding to the first suction hole (120a) at the end of the suction channel (210) that has a rectangular cross-section. The portion where the guide groove (211) is formed is the point where the air vacuum-suctioned through the first suction hole (120a) and the air vacuum-suctioned through the first suction hole (120b) meet, and due to the guide groove (211), the air can move smoothly along the suction channel (210) without the occurrence of a vortex phenomenon.

[0034] And the pogo pin can be installed in the socket body (200) so that the plunger (300) protrudes upward on both sides of the second suction hole (230).

[0035] Meanwhile, when the guide plate (100) is received in the plate receiving groove (220) of the socket body (200) and the socket body (200) is coupled with the guide plate (100) and the socket body (200), air may flow in and out through the gap between the guide plate (100) and the socket body (200), and thus the vacuum suction power of the object to be inspected (10) through the suction passage (210) may be reduced. To prevent this, the socket body (A) may further include a sealing O-ring (400). For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a fitting groove (140) may be formed in a ring shape on the bottom surface of the guide plate (100) so that the object to be inspected receiving groove (110) may be positioned on the inside, and the sealing O-ring (40)) may be installed in the fitting groove (140) to seal the gap between the guide plate (100) and the socket body (200).

[0036] When examining the test process of an object to be inspected (10) using the vacuum test socket of the present invention as described above, as shown in FIG. 6, first, the object to be inspected (10) is vacuum-adsorbed through a picker (20) and the object to be inspected (10) is received in the receiving groove (110). When the object to be inspected (10) is received in the receiving groove (110), the terminal of the object to be inspected (10) comes into contact with the plunger (300), and in this state, air is sucked out through the suction channel (210). As a result, the object to be inspected (10) elastically presses the plunger (300) and adheres to the bottom surface of the receiving groove (110), and the terminal of the object to be inspected (10) and the plunger (300) are in a stable contact state, and a test of the object to be inspected (10) is performed. After the test is completed, vacuum suction is stopped, and the object to be inspected (10) is separated from the socket body (A) through the picker (20).

[0037] Thus, through the present invention, even without applying downward pressure to the upper surface of the object to be inspected (10) through a pusher or picker (20), the object to be inspected (10) does not lift due to the repulsive force of the plunger (300), and the test can be conducted in a state where the terminal of the object to be inspected (10) and the plunger (300) are in stable contact, thereby increasing the reliability of the test and preventing damage to the object to be inspected (10).

Claims

1. A socket body comprising: a test object receiving groove formed indented from the upper surface for receiving a test object having a terminal formed on the lower surface, wherein a plunger of a pogo pin capable of being elastically pressed and electrically connected to the terminal of the test object is provided to protrude from the bottom surface of the test object receiving groove; wherein The above socket body has a suction channel formed from the lower side of the inspection target receiving groove toward the outside, and the inspection target receiving groove and the suction channel are connected. A vacuum test socket characterized by the fact that when a terminal of an object to be tested, which is housed in the above-mentioned inspection target receiving groove, comes into contact with a plunger, air is sucked out through a suction channel, causing the object to be tested to elastically press against the plunger and adhere to the bottom surface of the inspection target receiving groove.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above suction channel is formed toward one side wall of the socket body, and The above socket body is, A guide plate having a groove for receiving an inspection target formed indented therein, a first suction hole formed through the bottom surface of the groove for receiving an inspection target in a direction parallel to the suction channel, and pin passage holes formed through both sides of the first suction hole through which a plunger can pass; and A vacuum test socket characterized by comprising: a socket body having a plate receiving groove formed indented from the upper surface to accommodate the guide plate on the inside, a suction passage formed on the lower side of the plate receiving groove, a second suction hole formed on the bottom surface of the plate receiving groove so that one end of the suction passage is exposed to the outside through the second suction hole, and pogo pins installed on both sides of the second suction hole so that a plunger protrudes upward.

3. In Paragraph 2, On the bottom surface of the above guide plate, a ring-shaped groove is formed so that a groove for receiving an inspection target can be positioned on the inside, and A vacuum test socket characterized in that the above-described socket body further includes a sealing O-ring installed in a fitting groove, thereby preventing air from flowing in or out through the gap between the mutually coupled guide plate and the socket body.

4. In Paragraph 2, A vacuum test socket characterized in that the first suction hole comprises a first-1 suction hole formed offset toward one side in the direction of air suction, and a first-2 suction hole formed toward the other side from the center of the inspection target receiving groove and having a larger size than the first-1 suction hole.

5. In Paragraph 4, One end of the above suction channel has a longitudinal cross-section in the shape of a square, and The portion of the above suction channel, excluding one end, has a circular cross-section, and A vacuum test socket characterized by having a concave guide groove formed in the portion corresponding to the first suction hole on the bottom surface forming one end of the suction channel.

6. In Paragraph 2, A vacuum test socket characterized in that the second suction hole is formed such that the length in a direction parallel to the suction path is longer than the length of the inspection target receiving groove.

7. In Paragraph 1, The above socket body has an air inlet / outlet guide groove formed indented from the upper surface, extending from the inspection target receiving groove toward the outer side of the inspection target received in the inspection target receiving groove, A vacuum test socket characterized in that the above air inlet / outlet guide groove is formed in a portion corresponding to the longitudinal center of the object to be inspected, a portion corresponding to the widthwise center of the object to be inspected, and a portion corresponding to each corner of the object to be inspected.

8. In Paragraph 1, A vacuum test socket characterized by further including a fitting connector that forms a tubular shape, with one end connected to a suction channel on the outer side of the socket body and the other end connected directly or indirectly to a vacuum suction device.

Images