JP2000082556A - Ic socket - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an IC socket capable of narrowing a pitch of probe pins. SOLUTION: In this IC socket 11, probe pins 17A, 17B for electrically connecting an IC package 12 and a circuit board P are adjacently arranged in a plurality. In this case, the probe pins 17A, 17B have a movable member 18 having the contact parts contacting with the IC package 12, a probe pin body 19 connected to the circuit board P and coil springs 20 for biasing the movable member 18 to the IC package 12 side by interposing between the probe pin body 19 and the movable member 18, and a position is dislocated in the probe pin lengthwise direction so that positions of the mutual coil springs 20 of the adjacent probe pins 17A, 17B are not adjacent to each other by making the lengths of the mutual respective contact parts 18a of the movable member 18 of the adjacent probe pins 17A, 17B different.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an IC socket for making an electrical connection between an IC package and a circuit board.
The present invention relates to an improvement of a probe pin or the like which comes into contact with an IC package and a circuit board to conduct between the two.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of IC socket is provided on a circuit board in advance, and by holding the IC package in the IC socket, the IC package is electrically connected to the circuit board. I have to.

[0003] As the IC package, for example, a BGA (Ball Grid Alle) in which solder balls as a large number of terminals protrude from the lower surface of a rectangular plate-shaped package body are provided.
y) There are types.

[0004] When the IC package is held in the IC socket, a large number of solder balls of the IC package are brought into contact with the contact portions of the IC socket with the probe pins. The circuit board is electrically connected to each of the probe pins.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional device, the terminals (solder balls) of the IC package tend to be narrow in pitch. There is also a demand for narrower probe pins.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an IC socket capable of reducing the pitch of probe pins.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an IC in which a plurality of probe pins for electrically connecting an IC package and a circuit board are arranged adjacent to each other. In the socket, the probe pin may include a movable member having a contact portion that contacts the IC package, a probe pin body connected to the circuit board, and the probe pin interposed between the probe pin body and the movable member. A coil spring for urging the movable member toward the IC package side, and by changing the length of each contact portion of the movable member of the adjacent probe pin, the position of the coil spring of the adjacent probe pin is changed. The IC socket is characterized in that the position is shifted in the probe pin longitudinal direction so as not to be adjacent to each other.

According to the invention described in claim 2, according to claim 1
In addition to the above configuration, an insulating portion is provided between the adjacent probe pins to insulate between the probe pins.

According to the invention described in claim 3, according to claim 1 of the present invention,
Or In addition to the configuration described in Item 2, the insulating portion includes first and second layers sequentially stacked from the circuit board side to the IC package side.
And a third insulating member, wherein the first insulating member is formed with a storage recess in which the second insulating member side is open and in which a coil spring at a position close to the circuit board side is stored. The third insulating member has an opening on the side of the second insulating member, and a storage recess for storing a coil spring at a position close to the side of the IC package. The second insulating member is in contact with the movable member. A through hole having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the coil spring through which the substrate or the board-side terminal of the probe pin main body is inserted is formed.

[0010] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
In addition to the configuration described in any one of (1) to (3), the probe pin main body is formed with a substantially cylindrical storage tube portion that stores the coil spring, and the movable member includes
A piston portion slidably disposed in the storage cylinder portion is formed, and the coil spring is interposed between the piston portion and a bottom portion of the storage cylinder portion, and the piston portion and the coil spring are stored. The storage cylinder portion is housed in the storage recess, and the second insulating member regulates the piston, the coil spring, and the storage cylinder from coming off from the storage recess.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the structure will be described. Reference numeral 11 in FIG. 1 denotes an IC socket. The IC socket 11 is connected to a solder ball 12 b which is a “terminal” of the IC package 12 in order to perform a performance test of the IC package 12. , For electrical connection with the circuit board P on the IC test apparatus side.

In this IC package 12, a large number of solder balls 12b project in a matrix at a predetermined pitch downward from the lower surface of a rectangular plate-shaped package body 12a.

On the other hand, in the IC socket 11, an intermediate plate 14 as a "second insulating member" and an upper plate 15 as a "third insulating member" are sequentially laminated on a socket body 13 as a "first insulating member". , This upper plate 1
The IC package 12 is placed on the socket 5, and a cover 16 for pressing the IC package 12 from above is rotatably attached to the socket body 13. A large number of probe pins 1 for electrically connecting the IC package 12 pressed by the cover 16 to a circuit board P disposed below the socket body 13.
7A and 17B are arranged adjacent to each other in a matrix so as to correspond to the large number of solder balls 12b.

The probe pins 17A and 17B are shown in FIG.
And the like, a movable member 18 having a contact portion 18a that comes into contact with the solder ball 12b of the IC package 12.
And a probe pin body 19 connected to the circuit board P
And a coil spring 20 interposed between the probe pin main body 19 and the movable member 18 to urge the movable member 18 toward the IC package 12.

More specifically, the probe pin body 19 is
A substantially cylindrical storage tube portion 19a in which the coil spring 20 is stored is formed, and a board-side terminal portion 19b is extended downward from the storage tube portion 19a. Are connected to the circuit board P.

The movable member 18 has a piston portion 18b slidably disposed in the storage tube portion 19a, and the contact portion 18a protrudes upward from the piston portion 18b. The upper end surface of the contact portion 18a comes into contact with the solder ball 12b of the IC package 12.

Further, in a state where the coil spring 20 is housed in the housing portion 19a of the probe pin main body 19, the coil spring 20 is located between the bottom portion 19c of the housing portion 19a and the piston portion 18b of the movable member 18. The movable member 18 is urged upward in FIG.

The adjacent probe pins 17A, 1
As shown in FIG. 4, one probe pin 17A of 7B has a length L1 of the contact portion 18a of the movable member 18 shorter than a length L2 of the contact portion 18a of the movable member 18 of the other probe pin 17B. The one probe pin 17A is connected to the board-side terminal portion 19b of the probe pin main body 19.
Is formed to be longer than the length L4 of the board-side terminal portion 19b of the probe pin body 19 of the other probe pin 17B. Of course, the total length of both probe pins 17A and 17B is the same.

As described above, the adjacent probe pins 17A,
The length L of the contact portion 18a of 17B, the terminal portion 19b on the substrate side, etc.
By making L1, L2, L3, and L4 different, the positions of the coil springs 20 of the adjacent probe pins 17A and 17B are shifted in the probe pin longitudinal direction so that they do not adjoin.

Each of the adjacent probe pins 17A, 1
7B is disposed while being held by the socket body 13, the intermediate plate 14, and the upper plate 15 which are sequentially stacked from the circuit board P side to the IC package 12 side. The socket body 13, the intermediate plate 14, and the upper plate 15 constitute an “insulating portion” that insulates the probe pins 17A, 17B from each other.

The socket body 13 is formed with a storage recess 13a which is open on the intermediate plate 14 side (upper side), while the upper plate 15 is provided with the intermediate plate 1
A storage recess 15a that is open on the fourth side (lower side) is formed.

In the housing recess 13a of the socket body 13, a housing cylinder portion 19a in which the coil spring 20 and the piston portion 18b of the probe pin 17B are located near the circuit board P side is arranged. The board-side terminal portion 19b of the probe pin main body 19 is inserted into an insertion hole 13c formed in the socket main body 13.

The storage recess 15a of the upper plate 15
The probe package 17A and the IC package 12
Spring 20 and piston part 1 near the side
A storage cylinder portion 19a in which 8b is stored is arranged,
The contact portion 18a of the movable member 18 is inserted through an insertion hole 15c formed in the upper plate 15.

Further, the intermediate plate 14 has a substrate-side terminal portion 19b of the probe pin body 19 of the probe pin 17A and a movable member 1 of the probe pin 17B.
8 are formed with through holes 14a through which the respective contact portions 18a are inserted.

The diameter of the through hole 14a is smaller than the diameter of the coil spring 20, and the diameter of the intermediate plate 14a is small.
Accordingly, the storage cylinder portion 19a of the probe pin main body 19 and the piston portion 18 of the movable member 18 from the storage recess 13a of the socket body 13 or the storage recess 15a of the upper plate 15
b, the coil springs 20 are prevented from coming off. In addition, the probe plate main body 19 of the adjacent probe pins 17A and 17B is formed by the intermediate plate 14.
Are prevented from contacting each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, the socket body 13, the intermediate plate 14, and the upper plate 15 are laminated and assembled by bolts 21 and nuts 22, and the upper plate 15 is attached to the lateral direction of the IC package 12. There are a total of four projecting portions 15b that correspond to the corners of the rectangular package body 12a.

Further, the cover 16 has a shaft 2
3 to be rotatably attached to the socket body 13,
In a closed state, the latch member 25 provided at the distal end portion is urged by the spring 24 in the opening direction (clockwise in FIG. 1), as shown in FIG. It is locked so that the closed state is maintained.

The cover 16 has a cover 16
A pressing portion 16a is formed to press the package body 12a in a state where is closed.

Next, the assembly of the probe pins 17A and 17B will be described.

Before the intermediate plate 14 and the upper plate 15 are assembled, the housing recess 13 of the socket body 13 is
a, the storage tube portion 19a of the probe pin main body 19 of the probe pin 17B is stored, and the coil spring 20 and the piston portion 18b of the movable member 18 are inserted into the storage tube portion 19a.

Next, the through hole 14a of the intermediate plate 14
The contact portion 1 of the movable member 18 of the probe pin 17B
This intermediate plate 14 is placed on the socket main body 13 while inserting 8a.

Thereafter, the board-side terminal portion 19b of the probe pin body 19 of the probe pin 17A is connected to the intermediate plate 14
The coil spring 20 and the piston portion 18b of the movable member 18 are inserted into the storage tube portion 19a of the probe pin body 19 through the through hole 14a and the insertion hole 13c of the socket body 13.

Then, the upper plate 15 is placed on the intermediate plate 14, and the storage recess 15 of the upper plate 15 is
The housing portion 19a of the probe pin 17A, the coil spring 20, and the piston portion 18b of the movable member 18 are inserted into a, and the contact portion 18a of the movable member 18 is inserted into the insertion hole 15c of the upper plate 15.

Thereafter, the socket body 13, the intermediate plate 14, and the upper plate 15 are laminated and assembled by the bolts 21 and the nuts 22, thereby completing the assembly of the probe pins 17A and 17B.

Next, a case where the IC socket 11 is used will be described.

Probe pin body 19 of IC socket 11
When the plurality of IC sockets 11 are arranged on the circuit board P, the IC package 12 is connected to each IC socket 1 by connecting the board-side terminal portion 19b of the IC socket 1 to the circuit board P.
1 to electrically connect the IC package 12 and the circuit board P in the following manner.

As shown in FIG. 1, with the cover 16 opened, the IC package 12 is conveyed by an automatic machine or the like, and guided on the upper plate 15 by the guide portion 15b to be placed at a predetermined position.

Thereafter, by closing the cover 16,
The IC package 12 is pressed by the pressing portion 16a. Thereby, each probe pin 17 is connected to each solder ball 12b.
A, the contact portion 18a of the movable member 18 of 17B is pressed,
The movable member 18 is displaced downward against the elastic force of the coil spring 20, and the electrical contact between each solder ball 12b and the contact portion 18a of the movable member 18 is secured.

As described above, by electrically connecting the IC package 12 and the circuit board P via the IC socket 11, a test or the like of the IC package 12 is performed.

In the IC socket 11 described above, the movable member 18 is urged upward by the coil spring 20 to displace the movable member 18 downward in a state of contact with the solder ball 12b, thereby making electrical contact. The coil spring 20 having a certain diameter is required. Therefore, if the coil springs 20 are positioned right beside each other, the pitch between the adjacent probe pins 17A and 17B cannot be reduced so much. On the other hand, as in the present invention, adjacent probe pins 17
In A and 17B, since the position of each coil spring 20 is shifted up and down, it is not necessary to consider the interference between the coil springs 20, so that the adjacent probe pins 17A and 17B can be made closer to each other, and the pitch can be reduced. Can be achieved.

If the parts of the probe pins 17A and 17B are damaged, the damaged parts can be easily replaced by removing the upper plate 15 or the intermediate plate 14.

Further, since the coil spring 20 and the movable member piston 18b are accommodated in the accommodating cylinder 19a of the probe pin main body 19 of each of the probe pins 17A and 17B, the assembling workability is good.

In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to the IC socket for the BGA type IC package 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an LGA (Land Glid Alley) may be used.
The present invention can be applied to an IC socket for an IC package of a type or the like. Also, in this embodiment,
A so-called clamshell type IC having a cover 16
The present invention is applied to the socket 11, but is not limited thereto.
Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a so-called open-top type IC socket.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, the positions of the coil springs of the adjacent probe pins are shifted in the longitudinal direction of the probe pins so that the positions of the coil springs are not adjacent to each other. Compared to the case where the coil springs are located right beside each other, there is no need to consider the interference between the coil springs, so that the adjacent probe pins can be made closer and the pitch can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described effects, the insulation between the adjacent probe pins is provided between the adjacent probe pins, so that the insulation of the adjacent probe pins is ensured. it can.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described effects, the first, second and third insulating members having the accommodating recesses for accommodating the coil springs are sequentially laminated, so that the component of the probe pin is provided. In the event that is damaged, the damaged parts can be easily replaced by removing each insulating member.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described effects, the coil spring and the movable member piston are housed in the housing cylinder of each probe pin main body of each probe pin. Practically useful effect that workability is good is exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which a cover of an IC socket according to an embodiment of the present invention is opened.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a cover of the IC socket according to the embodiment is closed.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the IC socket according to the embodiment with a cover closed.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an arrangement state of probe pins of the IC socket according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4, showing a state in which a solder ball is in contact with a probe pin of the IC socket according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 IC socket 12 IC package 12b Solder ball 13 Socket body (first insulating member) 13a Storage recess 14 Intermediate plate (second insulating member) 15 Upper plate (third insulating member) 15a Storage recess 17A, 17B Probe pin 18 Moving member 18a Contact part 18b Piston part 19 Probe pin body 19a Storage cylinder part 19b Board side terminal part 19c Bottom part 20 Coil spring L1, L2 Length of contact part of movable member L3, L4 Length of board side terminal part of probe pin body P circuit board

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An IC socket in which a plurality of probe pins for electrically connecting an IC package and a circuit board are arranged adjacent to each other, wherein the probe pins have a contact portion that comes into contact with the IC package. A probe pin main body connected to the circuit board, and a coil spring interposed between the probe pin main body and the movable member to urge the movable member toward the IC package. An IC socket characterized in that the length of each contact portion of a movable member of a pin is made different so that the position of the coil spring of the adjacent probe pin is shifted in the longitudinal direction of the probe pin so that the positions of the coil springs are not adjacent to each other. . 2. The IC socket according to claim 1, wherein an insulating portion is provided between the adjacent probe pins to insulate between the probe pins. 3. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the insulating portion is an IC from the circuit board side.
First, second, and third insulating members sequentially stacked on the package side; the second insulating member side is opened in the first insulating member;
A housing recess for housing the coil spring at a position near the circuit board side is formed, while the third insulating member has an opening at the second insulating member side and a coil spring at a position near the IC package side. A housing recess for housing is formed, and a through hole having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the coil spring through which the contact portion of the movable member or the substrate side terminal portion of the probe pin main body is inserted is formed in the second insulating member. 3. The IC socket according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The probe pin main body is formed with a substantially cylindrical storage tube portion for storing the coil spring, and the movable member is slidably disposed in the storage tube portion. A piston part is formed, and the coil spring is interposed between the piston part and a bottom part of the storage cylinder part. The storage cylinder part storing the piston part and the coil spring is stored in the storage recess. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second insulating member restricts the piston, the coil spring, and the storage cylinder from coming off from the storage recess. 5. IC socket.