Patent ID: 7318736

Claim:
A socket for removably mounting an IC device having a plurality of ball-shaped terminals arranged in a selected matrix from the bottom surface of the IC device comprising: a base having a top surface, a plurality of elongated contact members mounted in the base, each contact member having first and second generally parallel flexible contact beams extending upwardly from the base and being movable relative to each other between open and closed positions, a slider having a top surface and a separate IC device seating surface, the slider being disposed on the top surface of the base for reciprocal sliding movement relative to the base, a cam follower surface formed on the slider, a slider return spring mounted in the base urging the slider in a first given direction, a cam movably mounted for vertical movement toward and away from the base, the cam being engageable with the cam follower surface for causing the slider to move in a second direction opposite to the first given direction to open the contact members in dependence on movement of the cam against the urging of the slider return spring, the slider having a plurality of apertures of a grid array formed by intersecting x-direction and y-direction extending ribs, a plurality of wall extension portions of the x-direction ribs extending upwardly beyond the top surface of the slider to a top end wall surface at a common distance from the top surface of the slider, the top end wall surfaces forming the IC device seating surface, the wall extension portions adapted for placement between rows of x-direction ball-shaped terminals of an IC device mounted thereon, and the free end of the contact beams extending through apertures of the slider to a location above the top surface of the slider but slightly below the IC device seating surface, each contact beam of a contact member disposed on opposite sides of a y-direction rib, an upwardly extending wall extension portion of a y-direction rib forming the outer y-dimension rib of the grid array in an x-direction in which a contact beam is received, the wall extension portion extending across a plurality of rows of apertures, an upwardly extending wall extension portion of an x-direction rib on one side of each of the said apertures and extending to an end at a distance of approximately one aperture in the x-direction length and extending at least partially over the respective apertures forming anti-stick fingers, a concave surface forming a concave profile in an x-y plane formed in each finger at the end thereof for receipt of a respective ball terminal, a concave surface formed in the top surface of each finger, the concave surface having a concave profile in an x-z plane facing the y-direction wall extension portion and the y-direction wall extension portion extending above the top surface of the slider to a location below the position of a solder ball of an IC device mounted on the slider to provide clearance for supplemental non terminal solder balls of an IC device.