Electrical component socket

For an electrical component socket including a socket base having a frame shape to which a contact module is to be inserted and attached from below, an embodiment has an objective to allow contact pins to be in contact with a circuit board with stability. The electrical component socket is configured such that the upper-side plate is caused to ascend to an uppermost position by elastic force of urging means in a state where the contact module is not attached to the socket base. In a state where the contact module is attached to the socket base and disposed on the circuit board, the upper-side plate moves down toward a lower-side plate side against elastic force of the contact pins to be positioned at a predetermined base position, so that lower-side contact portions of the contact pins are brought into contact with the circuit board at a predetermined contact pressure.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2016/081499, filed Oct. 24, 2016, which claims the foreign priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-210718, filed Oct. 27, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electrical component socket arranged on a circuit board and configured to receive an electrical component such as a semiconductor device (hereafter, referred to as an “IC package”) for a burn-in test or the like of the electrical component.

BACKGROUND ART

As an “electrical component socket” of this type, there has been an IC socket configured to receive an IC package being an “electrical component” detachably.

As this IC socket, there is known an IC socket including a contact module that is configured to receive an electrical component and a socket base that has a frame shape and is configured to be disposed on a circuit board with this contact module inserted into and attached thereto from below. In this contact module, a plurality of contact pins are arranged in a vertical direction that are configured for electrically connecting terminals of an IC package and pads (electrodes) of the circuit board.

As these contact pins, there is proposed contact pins in each of which a barrel as an upper-side contact portion to come into contact with a terminal of an IC package and a plunger as a lower-side contact portion to come into contact with a pad of a circuit board are coupled to each other with an urging member such as coil spring or the like interposed therebetween, to retract and project freely in the vertical direction, and these barrel and plunger are both provided to move upward and downward freely relative to a socket body (e.g., see Patent Literature 1).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

An IC socket having such a structure needs to be designed to allow a contact module to be housed in a space between a circuit board and a socket base. Therefore, the height of the contact module has to be set as designed or set to be slightly less than a designed value. However, when the height of the contact module is less than the designed value, contact between contact pins and the circuit board may become unstable.

The present invention thus has an objective to provide an electrical component socket that can connect contact pins to pads of a circuit board with stability, that is, achieve stabilization of preloading the contact pins.

Solution to Problem

To achieve such an objective, the present invention is an electrical component socket including: a contact module that includes a module body in which a plurality of contact pins are arranged to elastically expand and contract freely in a vertical direction, the contact module being configured to receive an electrical component; and a socket base that has a frame shape and is configured to be disposed on a circuit board with the contact module attached to the socket base, the electrical component socket causing the electrical component and the circuit board to be electrically connected to each other by means of the contact pins by upper-side contact portions and lower-side contact portions of the contact pins being contact with the electrical component and the circuit board, respectively, wherein the module body includes a lower-side plate and an upper-side plate that is disposed to move upward and downward freely relative to the lower-side plate while being urged upward by urging means, the socket base includes a height-fixing portion that is configured to regulate a position of the upper-side plate, in a state where the contact module is not attached to the socket base, the upper-side plate is caused to ascend to an uppermost position by urging force of the urging means, and in a state where the contact module is attached to the socket base and disposed on the circuit board, this contact module is sandwiched in the vertical direction by the height-fixing portion of the socket base and the circuit board, and the upper-side plate moves down toward a lower-side plate side against the urging force of the urging means to be positioned at a predetermined base position, so that the lower-side contact portions of the plurality of contact pins are brought into contact with the circuit board at a predetermined contact pressure.

In addition, the present invention is desirably configured such that, urging the upper-side plate upward, the plurality of contact pins also serve as the urging means.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable that in a state where the contact module is not attached to the socket base, the height of this contact module is set to be greater than a base height of a time when the upper-side plate is positioned at the base position.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, in a state where the contact module is attached to the socket base and disposed on the circuit board, this contact module is sandwiched in the vertical direction by the height-fixing portions of the socket base and the circuit board, and the upper-side plate moves down toward a lower-side plate side against urging force of the urging means to be positioned at a predetermined base position. The lower-side contact portions of the plurality of contact pins are thereby brought into contact with the circuit board at a predetermined contact pressure, and thus it is possible to achieve stabilization of preloading the contact pins. As a result, it is possible to conduct a burn-in test or the like on the electrical component properly.

In addition, in the present invention, configuring the contact pins to serve also as the urging means dispenses with the need of providing other urging means in addition to the contact pins, which can simplify the configuration of the electrical component socket.

In addition, in the present invention, setting beforehand the height of the contact module to be greater than the base height of the time when the upper-side plate is positioned at the base position enables the upper-side plate to be positioned at the predetermined base position smoothly, which in turn enables the above-described stabilization of preloading the contact pins to be achieved easily.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Hereafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1toFIG. 4Billustrate an embodiment 1 of the present invention.

An IC socket11as an “electrical component socket” according to the present embodiment 1 is, as illustrated inFIGS. 4A and 4B, configured to be arranged on a circuit board13, and for conducting a burn-in test of an IC package12or the like as an “electrical component”, the IC socket11is intended to make an electrical connection between spherical terminals12aof this IC package12and pads13aof the circuit board13.

This IC package12is called a ball grid array (BGA), including a package body12bhaving a square shape in plan view, and on a lower surface of this package body12b, a plurality of spherical terminals12aare arranged in a grid pattern and formed protruding downward. Note thatFIGS. 4A and 4Billustrates only one of the plurality of spherical terminals12a.

In addition, the IC socket11includes, as illustrated inFIG. 1,FIG. 2A, andFIG. 2B, a contact module15that is configured to receive the IC package12, and a socket base20that has a substantially rectangular-frame shape and is configured to be arranged on the circuit board13with this contact module15attached thereto from below.

This contact module15includes, as illustrated inFIGS. 4A and 4B, a module body17in which a plurality of contact pins16are arranged to elastically expand and contract freely in the vertical direction. Note thatFIGS. 4A and 4Billustrates only one of the plurality of contact pins16. The contact pins16each includes a barrel25that has a stepped cylindrical shape, a plunger26that has a stepped cylindrical shape and is attached to this barrel25to be inserted freely therethrough, and a coil spring27that is housed in the barrel25to urge these barrel25and plunger26in a direction of separating them (vertical direction). In an upper-end portion of the barrel25, an upper-side contact portion28having a crown shape is integrally formed with the upper-end portion, and in a lower-end portion of the plunger26, a lower-side contact portion29having a cone shape is integrally formed with the lower-end portion.

In addition, the module body17includes, as illustrated inFIG. 1andFIGS. 4A and 4B, a lower-side plate21, a center plate22, an upper-side plate23, and a floating plate24. Here, the center plate22is fixed above the lower-side plate21with a predetermined gap. In addition, the upper-side plate23is arranged above the center plate22to move upward and downward freely. In addition, the floating plate24includes a package receiving portion24cconfigured to receive the IC package12and is supported above the upper-side plate23to move upward and downward freely relative to the lower-side plate21while being urged upward by a coil spring not illustrated. In a peripheral portion of the floating plate24, as illustrated inFIG. 1, a plurality of notch portions24bare formed to correspond to a plurality of height-fixing portions18of a base body19to be described later.

In addition, in the lower-side plate21, as illustrated inFIGS. 4A and 4B, a pin insertion hole21athat is stepped and has a round shape is formed extending through in the vertical direction, and a stepped portion21bof the lower-side plate21is configured to catch a stepped portion26aof the plunger26of the contact pin16, thereby regulating a descending motion of this plunger26. In the center plate22, a pin insertion hole22ahaving a round shape is formed extending therethrough in the vertical direction, the pin insertion hole22aallowing the barrel25of the contact pin16to be inserted in a freely, vertically movable manner. In the upper-side plate23, a pin insertion hole23athat is stepped and has a round shape is formed extending through in the vertical direction, and a stepped portion23bof the upper-side plate23is configured to catch a stepped portion25aof the barrel25of the contact pin16, thereby regulating an ascending motion of this barrel25. In the floating plate24, a floating plate24athat is stepped and has a round shape is formed extending therethrough in the vertical direction, the pin insertion hole24aallowing the barrel25of the contact pin16to be inserted in a freely, vertically movable manner.

In addition, the contact pin16is configured, as illustrated inFIG. 4A, to serve also as urging means for urging the upper-side plate23upward with elastic force of the coil spring27in a state where the stepped portion25aof the barrel25is caught by the stepped portion23bof the upper-side plate23.

Meanwhile, the socket base20includes, as illustrated inFIG. 1andFIG. 3, the base body19having a substantially rectangular-frame shape. On an inner circumferential surface of the base body19, the plurality of (10in the present embodiment 1) height-fixing portions18are formed protruding inward, and when the contact module15is inserted into and attached to the base body19from below, an upper surface of the upper-side plate23of the contact module15comes into contact with the height-fixing portions18to be positioned. In addition, to the base body19, as illustrated inFIGS. 2A and 2B, a pair of opening/closing bodies30(30A and30B) are attached to open and close freely, the opening/closing bodies30being configured to press the IC package12, and a handling portion31having a rectangular-frame shape is attached to ascend and descend freely, the handling portion31being configured to open and close these opening/closing bodies30by means of a link mechanism32. Of the pair of opening/closing bodies30, one opening/closing body30A (on the left side ofFIG. 3) of the opening/closing bodies30includes a pressing member33, and the other opening/closing body30B (on the right side ofFIG. 3) of the opening/closing bodies30includes a pressing member33and a heat sink34. When the handling portion31is put in its lowermost position, the pair of opening/closing bodies30is in an open state as illustrated inFIG. 2A, and when the handling portion31is caused to ascend from this state to be positioned in its uppermost position, the pair of opening/closing bodies30is brought into a close state as illustrated inFIG. 2B.

Furthermore, in this IC socket11, in a state where the contact module15is disposed on the circuit board13without being attached to the socket base20, the upper-side plate23ascends to an uppermost position P2by elastic force of the contact pin16as illustrated inFIG. 4A. In addition, in a state where the contact module15is attached to the socket base20and disposed on the circuit board13, this contact module15is sandwiched in the vertical direction by the height-fixing portions18of the socket base20and the circuit board13, and the upper-side plate23moves down toward a lower-side plate21side against elastic force of the contact pin16to be positioned at a predetermined base position P1as illustrated inFIG. 4B, so that the lower-side contact portions29of the plurality of contact pins16are brought into contact with the circuit board13at a predetermined contact pressure.

As illustrated inFIGS. 4A and 4B, in the state where the contact module15is not attached to the socket base20(seeFIG. 4A), a height H1of this contact module15(a distance in the vertical direction from a lower surface of the lower-side plate21to the upper surface of the upper-side plate23, of the contact module15) is set to be greater than a base height H2of a time when the upper-side plate23is positioned at the base position P1(seeFIG. 4B) (H1>H2).

FIGS. 5A and 5Bare schematic diagrams illustrating a use state of an IC socket according to a comparative example, whereFIG. 5Ais a diagram illustrating a case where the height of a contact module is as designed, andFIG. 5Bis a diagram illustrating a case where the height of the contact module is lower than its design value.

As illustrated inFIGS. 5A and 5B, an IC socket51according to this comparative example includes no height-fixing portions18.

As illustrated inFIG. 5A, if a height H1of a contact module15is as designed, a plunger26of the contact pin16is not caught by a stepped portion21bof a lower-side plate21of the contact module15when the contact module15is attached to the socket base20and disposed on the circuit board13, so that a lower-side contact portion29of the contact pin16can be in contact with the pad13aof the circuit board13at a predetermined contact pressure with stability.

However, as illustrated inFIG. 5B, if the height H1of the contact module15is lower than its designed value, the plunger26of the contact pin16is caught by the stepped portion21bof the lower-side plate21of the contact module15, so that the contact pressure of the contact pin16against the pad13aof the circuit board13may be lowered. As a result, contact between the lower-side contact portion29of the contact pin16and the pad13aof the circuit board13becomes unstable, which can hinder a proper conduct of a burn-in test or the like on an IC package.

Next, how to use the IC socket11according to the present embodiment 1 will be described.

First, as illustrated inFIG. 1, from a state where the contact module15and the socket base20are separated, the contact module15is inserted into and attached to the socket base20from below, and the IC socket11is assembled as illustrated inFIG. 2A.

At this point, as described above, since the notch portions24bcorresponding to the height-fixing portions18of the base body19are formed in the floating plate24laying at an uppermost portion of the contact module15, the height-fixing portions18of the base body19come into contact with the upper-side plate23lying below the floating plate24as illustrated inFIG. 4B.

Next, this IC socket11is disposed on the circuit board13. Then, in the contact pins16, the plungers26come into contact with the pads13aof the circuit board13to be lifted.

Thereafter, the IC package12is conveyed and mounted on the IC socket11by an automated machine not illustrated, with the pair of opening/closing bodies30of the socket base20opened. Then, as illustrated inFIG. 4B, the IC package12is arranged at a predetermined position on the floating plate24of the IC socket11, and the spherical terminals12afit into the pin insertion holes24aof the floating plate24.

Next, by causing the handling portion31of the socket base20to ascend to be positioned at its uppermost position, the pair of opening/closing bodies30is closed (seeFIG. 2B). Then, the IC package12is pressed downward, and the floating plate24of the IC socket11is pressed down toward an upper-side plate23side. As a result, the spherical terminals12aof the IC package12come into contact with and press down the barrels25of the contact pins16, and thus, in the contact pins16, the lower-side contact portions29are in contact with the pads13aof the circuit board13at a predetermined contact pressure, and the upper-side contact portions28are in contact with the spherical terminals12aof the IC package12at a predetermined contact pressure.

As described above, the contact module15is attached to the socket base20and disposed on the circuit board13, and in this state, as illustrated inFIG. 4B, this contact module15is sandwiched in the vertical direction by the height-fixing portions18of the socket base20and the circuit board13, and the upper-side plate23moves down toward the lower-side plate21side against the elastic force of the contact pins16to be positioned at a predetermined base position P1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent beforehand such a situation where the contact pressure of the plungers26against the pads13aof the circuit board13is lowered by the plunger26of the contact pins16being caught by the stepped portions21bof the lower-side plate21, thereby bringing the lower-side contact portions29of the contact pins16into contact with the pads13aof the circuit board13at the predetermined contact pressure. As a result, the stabilization of preloading the contact pins16can be achieved.

In this state, a burn-in test or the like is conducted by causing current to flow in the IC package12. At this point, as described above, since the stabilization of preloading the contact pins16is achieved, it is possible to conduct the burn-in test or the like on the IC package12properly. In addition, heat generated by the IC package12dissipates from the heat sink34in contact with the IC package12, and thus it is possible to prevent a malfunction due to the heat generation of the IC package12.

In addition, for this IC socket11, a configuration is employed that urges the upper-side plate23of the contact module15upward using elastic force of the coil springs27of the contact pins16. This dispenses with the need of providing other urge means in addition to the contact pins16, which can simplify the configuration of the IC socket11.

In addition, as described above, in this IC socket11, in a state where the contact module15is not attached to the socket base20, the height H1of this contact module15is set to be greater than the base height H2of the time where the upper-side plate23is positioned at the base position P1, and thus it is possible to position the upper-side plate23to the predetermined base position P1smoothly, which in turn enables the stabilization of preloading the contact pins16to be achieved easily.

Although in the above-described embodiment 1, the description is made about the IC socket11that urges the upper-side plate23of the contact module15upward using the elastic force of the coil springs27of the contact pins16, it is noted that alternative or additional urging means other than contact pins16can be used as the urging means for this upper-side plate23.

In addition, it is needless to say that the shape, the number, or the like of the height-fixing portions18of the socket base20is not limited to those described above.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment 1, the description is made about the module body17including the lower-side plate21, the center plate22, the upper-side plate23, and the floating plate24, but the present invention is applicable also to a module body without the center plate22and the floating plate24.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment 1, the description is made about the contact pins16in each of which the plunger26is attached to the barrel25to inserted freely therethrough, but the type of the contact pins is not limited to this type. For example, the present invention is applicable also to a contact pin of a double-slider type in which both of a lower-side contact member and an upper-side contact member are held slidably on both upper and lower sides of a tubular body, a contact pin of a single-slider type in which one of the lower-side contact member and the upper-side contact member is held slidably and the other one is fixed, and furthermore, a contact pin in which the lower-side contact member and the upper-side contact member are coupled to each other with a spring portion bent in an arc shaped interposed therebetween.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment 1, the present invention is applied to the IC socket11as the “electrical component socket”, but the application is not limited to this, and of course the present invention is applicable to other devices.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST