Source: http://patents.com/us-8051554.html
Timestamp: 2015-11-29 08:49:53
Document Index: 285277471

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 10', 'art 24', 'art 32', 'art 24', 'art 38', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 32', 'art 24', 'art 57', 'art 57', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art\n81', 'art 81', 'arts 85']

US Patent # 8,051,554. IC socket with attached electronic component - Patents.com
United States Patent 8,051,554
IC socket with attached electronic component
An IC socket in which an electronic component is attached to a
predetermined position of the IC socket, the IC socket including a fixed
part including a contact pin which is connected to a terminal of the
electronic component when a position of the electronic component is
aligned to the predetermined position of the IC socket using an
electronic component attaching tool, the contact pin including a pair of
end portions on an upper surface of the fixed part; a movable part that
is movable to the fixed part when the movable part is pushed down to
apply a force to the contact pin of the fixed part so as to separate the
pair of end portions of the contact pin from each other; and a standard
part that is formed on the movable part and engages with the electronic
component attaching tool to align a position of the electronic component
attaching tool to the standard part when a position of the electronic
component is aligned to the predetermined position of the IC socket using
the electronic attaching tool, the standard part having a shape which
does not substantially depend on an external shape of the electronic
12/104,038
Related U.S. Patent Documents Application NumberFiling DatePatent NumberIssue Date 11126246May., 20057430798 10655030Aug., 20056924174 Foreign Application Priority Data Sep 19, 2002
29/740 ; 29/739; 438/108
Field of Search: 29/874-876,884,729,739 438/106-125 257/778-783 439/65-66,70-74,526
2001264383
Other References Office Action dated May 26, 2009, issued in corresponding Korean Application No. 10-2003-0064903. cited by other. Primary Examiner: Trinh; Minh
This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 11/126,246,
filed May 11, 2005 which is a divisional of Ser. No. 10/655,030, filed
Sep. 5, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,924,174.
Claims What is claimed is: 1. An IC socket in which an electronic component is attached to a predetermined position of the IC socket, in combination with an electronic component attaching tool, the
electronic component attaching tool adapted to attach the electronic component to a predetermined position of an attachment object and comprising: a main body having an opening forming part; a first structure part formed on the main body; a second
structure part formed on an inner wall of the opening forming part of the main body in accordance with an external shape of the electronic component; the IC socket comprising: a fixed part including a contact pin which is connected to a terminal of the
electronic component when a position of the electronic component is aligned to the predetermined position of the IC socket using the electronic component attaching tool, the contact pin including a pair of end portions on an upper surface of the fixed
part; a movable part that is movable to the fixed part when the movable part is pushed down to apply a force to the contact pin of the fixed part to separate the pair of end portions of the contact pin from each other; and a standard part that is
formed on the movable part and engages with the first structure part of the electronic component attaching tool to align a position of the electronic component attaching tool to the standard part when the position of the electronic component is aligned
to the predetermined position of the IC socket using the electronic attaching tool, the standard part having a shape which does not substantially depend on the external shape of the electronic component, wherein the inner wall of the electronic component
attaching tool includes an inclination surface which is formed so that an inner diameter increases as a position in the inclination surface is close to the second structure part, and guiding the electronic component to the predetermined position of the
2. The IC socket according to claim 1, wherein the standard part of the IC socket includes a first inclination surface, the first structure part of the electronic component attaching tool includes a second inclination surface, and the first
inclination surface and the second inclination surface are in contact with each other when the electronic component attaching tool is mounted on the IC socket. Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a method of attaching an electronic component, and an electronic component attaching tool.
Specifically, the present invention relates to a method of attaching an electronic component such as a semiconductor device (whose representative is an LSI) and a ceramic condenser to an attachment object such as an IC socket while the position
electronic component is aligned to the attachment object, and relates to an electronic component attaching tool used in this method.
Fine-pitch Ball Grid Array FBGA, Fine-pitch Land Grid Array FLGA, and so on. Such a semiconductor device is made to be downsized, so that an external terminal of the semiconductor device is also made to have a minute size. Accordingly, when testing is
performed on the semiconductor device, when the semiconductor device is attached on a tray or the like, or when the semiconductor device is attached on a substrate or the like, the semiconductor device is aligned with high accuracy to the attachment
object such as an IC socket, an IC tray, and an attachment substrate to which the semiconductor device is attached.
This position alignment structure uses the external shape of the semiconductor devices (electronic components) to be generally attached in the package form. The position alignment using the external shape of the electronic components was
applied in order to simplify the position alignment structure, facilitate the position alignment, and improve the accuracy of the position alignment.
However, in the case of the CSP whose size is made to be near the smaller chip size, when the chip size is changed, the package size is inevitably changed. Furthermore, in the case of a memory device, the chip size shrinks every about six
months even for the same type memory device. Accompanying this chip size change, the package size of the memory device is also changed.
Accordingly, one position alignment structure of the attachment object such as the IC socket, the tray, and the attachment substrate no longer can cope with the downsized devices. For this reason, position alignment structures that correspond
to package sizes of the respective CSPs were developed and manufactured so as to be incorporated in the attachment object each time the package size is changed.
For this reason, conventionally, when the package size is changed from the semiconductor device 3A to the semiconductor device 3B, the IC socket 5A is replaced with an IC socket 5B suitable for the semiconductor device 3B, the tray 6A is
replaced with a tray 6B suitable for the semiconductor device 3B, and the attachment substrate 8A is replaced with an attachment substrate 8B suitable for the semiconductor device 3B.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of attaching to a predetermined attachment position of an attachment object a first electronic component and a second electronic component, an external size of the
first electronic component being different from an external size of the second electronic component, comprising the steps of:
a second structure part that is formed in accordance with the external shape of the electronic component so as to have a function of aligning a position of the electronic component to the predetermined position of the attachment object in a
state where the first structure part is aligned and attached to the standard part.
Accordingly, it is possible to promptly cope with the change of the electronic component to be attached to the attachment object, and therefore, it is possible to certainly cope with the short life cycle of the electronic component. In
addition, the serviceability ratio of the attachment object and the throughput by the attachment object can be improved, reducing a cost for the electronic component. Moreover, when the electronic component to be attached to the attachment object is
changed, it is not necessary to modify the attachment object, reducing an equipment cost required for the change of the electronic component.
Further, the electronic component attaching tool can be removed from the attachment object without adversely affecting the position of the electronic component attached to the attachment object and without adversely affect the condition of the
Furthermore, the electronic component attaching tool may include an opening for aligning the position of the electronic component to the attachment object. By dropping the electronic component free to the opening, the electronic component can
be automatically aligned and attached to the attachment object, so that it is possible to easily align and attach the electronic component to the attachment object.
FIGS. 4 through 10 show electronic component attaching tools 20A and 20B according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The electronic component attaching tools 20A and 20B have functions of aligning the positions of the
semiconductor devices 3A and 3B, respectively, to an IC socket 30 that is the attachment object at the time of mounting the semiconductor devices 3A and 3B on the IC socket 30. The semiconductor devices 3A and 3B are examples of electronic components.
The electronic component attaching tool 20A for the semiconductor device 3A differs only in a second structure part or the second structure part size (that is described later) from the electronic component attaching tool 20B for the
semiconductor device 3B. Accordingly, except for a necessity that the description be made by distinguishing the semiconductor device 3A from the semiconductor device 3B, only the electronic component attaching tool 20A suitable for the semiconductor
device 3A will be described in the following.
First, a structure of the IC socket 30 that functions as the attachment object for attaching the electronic component attaching tool 20A thereto will be described. The IC socket 30 is an open top type IC socket that dos not have a lid.
portions 33a and 33b is widened.
Accordingly, the bump 4 of the semiconductor device 3A or 3B can be easily inserted between the pair of the pin end portions 33a and 33b (refer to FIG. 6D).
larger than the external shape of the semiconductor device 3A within the range in which the position alignment of the semiconductor device 3A can be performed, and the semiconductor device 3A can be smoothly inserted into the opening 26 of the electronic
In the above-described structure of the electronic component attaching tool 20A, the opening 26 has an entrance shape (upper side shape) viewed from the direction of inserting the semiconductor device into the opening 26, the entrance shape
being larger than the external shape of the semiconductor device 3A. The opening 26 has an exit shape (lower side shape) whose size is approximately the same as the external size of the semiconductor device 3A. With this structure, at the entrance side
of the electronic component attaching tool 20A, the semiconductor device 3A can be easily inserted into the opening 26, and at the exit side of the electronic component attaching tool 20A, the position alignment of the semiconductor device 3A can be
firmly performed.
The electronic component attaching tool 20B also includes a position alignment surface 25. The position alignment surface 25 that is the second structure part includes an inclination surface 25A and a vertical surface 25B. The inclination
When the electronic component attaching tool 20A is mounted on the IC socket, the engaging surface 22 of the electronic component attaching tool 20A contacts with the standard surface 35 (or the engagement surface) of the IC socket 30 so that
the position of the electronic component attaching tool 20A to the IC socket can be determined. Furthermore, when the position of the electronic component attaching tool 20A to the IC socket 30 is determined, the attachment position where the
semiconductor device 3A can be attached to the IC socket 30 can be automatically determined by the vertical surface 23B of the electronic component attaching tool 20A. In this manner, it is possible to align the electronic component attaching tool 20A
to the IC socket 30 with great ease and good operationality.
After the electronic component attaching tool 20A is mounted on the IC socket 30, the brim part 24A is pushed in the direction F of FIG. 6C to move the movable part 32 in the direction Z1. As described above, the pair of pin end portions 33a
and 33b of the contact pin 33 are thereby moved in the direction of separating the pin end portions 33a and 33b from each other.
Then, while pushing the brim part 24A, the semiconductor device 3A is inserted into the opening 26 from the upper side of the electronic component attaching tool 20A. In the operation of inserting the semiconductor device 3A into the opening
26, holding of the semiconductor device 3A is released at the position above the opening 26. In this manner, by releasing the holding of the semiconductor device 3A, the semiconductor device 3A drops free toward and in the opening 26.
electronic component attaching tools 20A.
That is, one electronic component attaching tool 3A enables plural semiconductor devices 3A to be aligned and attached to the plural IC sockets 30-1 through 30-3, respectively.
Furthermore, when the electronic component to be attached to the IC socket 30 is changed from the semiconductor device 3A to the semiconductor device 3B, the electronic component attaching tool 20A is simply replaced with the electronic
component attaching tool 20B, and the design or the like of the IC socket 30 need not be changed. In other words, as shown in FIG. 11, when the semiconductor devices 3A and 3B whose shapes or sizes are different from each other are attached to the IC
socket 30, the tray 50, and the attachment substrate 90 that are the attachment objects, the electronic component attaching tools 20A and 20B are replaced with each other in accordance with the semiconductor devices 3A and 3B, and the modification need
not be applied to the IC socket 30, the tray 50, and the attachment substrate 90.
FIG. 13 shows an electronic component attaching tool 20D according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Similarly to the second embodiment, the electronic component attaching tool 20D also has a position alignment surface 23 that
is continuously formed such that there is no level difference within the range from the entrance position to the exit position.
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the inclination surface 37 has the same inclination angle .theta. throughout the inclination surface 37. Meanwhile, according to the third embodiment, the inclination surface 37 is basically
formed by the inclination surface 23A and the vertical surface 23B, and a curved part 38 is formed at the contact part between an upper surface of the electronic component attaching tool 20D and the inclination surface 23A, and at the contact part
between the inclination surface 23A and the vertical surface 23B, as shown in FIG. 13.
On the other hand, in the eighth embodiment, a brim part 24B extends in the side direction (the horizontal direction) to be longer such that the size of the brim part 24B in the plan view is larger than the size of the IC socket in the plan
view. In other words, the length W2 of the size of the brim part 24B is larger than the length W1 of one side of the IC socket 30, as shown in FIG. 21 (W2>W1).
With this structure, when the open top type IC socket 30 is operated, the IC socket 30 can be easily operated (the movable part 32 can be easily pushed) because the area of the brim part 24B is wide. Particularly when a plurality of IC sockets
FIGS. 24A through 28E show an electronic component attaching tool 20M according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. A holding mechanism 44 in this embodiment is shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B. FIG. 24B is an enlarged sectional
view of the part of the dashed circle indicated by the arrow A of FIG. 24A.
In the normal state of the holding mechanism 44, when the semiconductor device 3A is inserted into the electronic component attaching tool 20M, the semiconductor device 3A engages with the holding pin 45 that protrudes from the position
alignment surface 23, and is held in the electronic component attaching tool 20M. The semiconductor device 3A is thereby prevented from being detached from the electronic component attaching tool 20M.
When there is a defect or damage (in the example shown in FIG. 29C, a loss of the bump 4) on the semiconductor device 3A, the image recognition processing device causes an alarm to ring, for example, in order to make notification about the
defect or the damage of the semiconductor device 3A. Accordingly, it is possible to weed out the semiconductor device 3A having the defect or the damage that can be recognized from the appearance thereof, improving the efficiency of the testing.
The testing device 52A shown in FIG. 29B is structured such that the CCD camera 53 and the semiconductor device 3A directly face each other. However, it is not always necessary that the CCD camera 53 and the semiconductor device 3A directly
face each other, and the arrangement shown in FIG. 30 of the CCD camera 53 and the semiconductor device may be applied. As in an testing device 52B, by providing a mirror 55, it is possible to make the testing device 52B thinner.
In a normal state where the releasing lever 58 is not operated, the pressing contact part 57 engages (or contacts) with and holds the semiconductor device 3A (referred to as the second semiconductor device 3A) whose level is the second lowest
out of a plurality of the semiconductor devices 3A attached in the position alignment surface 23. To be specific, the pressing contact part 57 presses the outer circumferential part of the package of the second semiconductor device 3A so as to hold the
In the twelfth embodiment, the second holding mechanism 56 holds only the second semiconductor device 3A. However, the holding target of the second holding mechanism 56 is not limited to the second semiconductor device 3A, and the second
holding mechanism 56 may hold a plurality of the semiconductor devices 3A together including the second semiconductor device 3A that are arranged at the upper side of one another in the main body 21A.
FIG. 33 shows an electronic component attaching tool 20P according to the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. In the thirteenth embodiment, a plurality of position alignment pins 41B and 41C whose sizes are different from each
other, and position alignment holes 42B and 42C to which the position alignment pins 41B and 41C are inserted constitute a position alignment mechanism for aligning the position of the electronic component attaching tool 20P to the IC socket 30.
Further, as shown in FIG. 44, also when the tray 50 is used as the attachment object, the semiconductor device 3A can be automatically attached to the tray 50 by using the attachment handling device 65. Thereby, it is possible to further
improve the efficiency of attaching the semiconductor devices 3A to the tray 50.
FIGS. 45A through 51 show examples in which the electronic component attaching tool is applied to the tape 80. The tape 80 is used mainly at the time of the shipment of the semiconductor devices 3A. As shown in FIG. 46, the tape 80 is
generally wound around a reel 83. As shown in FIGS. 45A and 45B, an attachment depression part 81 for attaching the semiconductor device 3A is formed on the tape 80.
Also in the example of FIGS. 45A and 45B, a clearance required for attaching the electronic component attaching tool 20A to the attachment depression part 81 exists around the semiconductor device 3A attached to the attachment depression part
81. Accuracy of this clearance to the standard surface 82 is high. Accordingly, when the semiconductor device 3A is removed from the tape 80, the standard surface 82 becomes the standard position for removing the semiconductor device 3A.
In the tape 80 shown in FIGS. 47A and 47B, an adhesive sheet 70 is provided at the bottom of the attachment depression part 81. By providing the adhesive sheet 70 to the position of the tape 80 to which the semiconductor device 3A is aligned,
it is possible to hold the semiconductor device 3A at the position where the semiconductor device 3A is aligned by the electronic component attaching tool 20A. Therefore, even when the electronic component attaching tool 20A is removed from the tape 80,
or when the semiconductor device 3A is shipped after removing the electronic component attaching tool 20A from the tape 80, the semiconductor device 3A does not move from the aligned attached position on the tape 80.
Moreover, in the tape 80 shown in FIGS. 48A and 48B, an upper cover 84 is put on the tape 80. As shown in FIG. 48B, the upper cover 84 includes a plurality of protrusion parts 85, when the upper cover 84 is put on the tape 80, the protrusion
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