TWI899705B - Electrical connection components - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connection assembly is used to provide electrical connection to the spherical contact blocks on the bottom surface of a ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component. The electrical connection assembly is to install conductive spring units in a plurality of horizontally linear through-holes of a carrier board. Each of the plurality of horizontally linear conductive spring units is limited in the through-hole of the carrier board by one or two limiting bars passing through. The ratio of the distance between the top ends of the two curved sections of the clamping portion on the upper section of the unit to the diameter of the spherical contact pad on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component is 1:5 to 4:5. When the spherical contact pad is pressed into contact with the conductive spring unit, the clamping portion can automatically expand horizontally, allowing the spherical contact pad to easily slide between the two curved sections of the clamping portion and be clamped and fixed, achieving good electrical contact performance.

Description

Electrical connection components

The present invention relates to an electrical connection assembly, particularly an electrical connection assembly used in a test fixture for ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit component testing equipment to provide electrical connections.

Currently, electrical connectors used in test fixtures for ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit components include either probe-type or conductive spring-type connectors. Probe-type connectors utilize a longitudinally extendable probe tip as a signal transmission path, while conductive spring-type connectors utilize a longitudinally arranged metal spring coil. Both types have their own advantages. Conductive spring-type connectors offer shorter signal transmission paths, making them suitable for testing ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit components.

However, because the spherical contacts on the bottom surface of ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit components are spherical, the gaps between the continuously wound coils of the conductive spring in existing conductive spring-type electrical connection components are too small. When the spherical contact is pressed against the top of the conductive spring, the coils of the conductive spring are difficult to be pushed open by the spherical contact. The coils of the conductive spring cannot easily clamp the spherical contact, and the spherical contact only contacts the conductive spring with its bottom surface, resulting in poor electrical contact performance.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an electrical connection assembly that solves the problem in existing conductive spring-type electrical connection assemblies where the coil of the conductive spring is difficult to be squeezed and expanded by the spherical contact pads of ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit components, resulting in poor electrical contact performance between the spherical contact pads and the conductive spring.

To achieve the aforementioned purpose, the electrical connection assembly proposed by the present invention is used to provide electrical connection to the spherical contact pads on the bottom surface of a ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component. The electrical connection assembly includes: a carrier board made of an insulating material, which is formed with a plurality of longitudinally penetrating through holes. The plurality of through holes are distributed in a plurality of horizontally straight lines in the carrier board. The carrier board is also formed with a plurality of long slots, and each of the plurality of horizontally straight lines through the plurality of through holes is a long slot or two of the long slots; a plurality of conductive spring units are respectively installed in the plurality of through holes of the carrier board, and each conductive spring unit includes a clamping portion located at the top and a clamping portion located at the bottom. The contact portion comprises two spaced-apart curved segments, and the ratio of the distance between the inner edges of the top ends of the two curved segments of the clamping portion to the diameter of the spherical contact pad on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component is 1:5 to 4:5. Furthermore, a plurality of retaining bars are respectively inserted and fixed in the long slots of the carrier and pass through the through holes. Each of the plurality of conductive spring units arranged in a horizontal straight line on the carrier has one or two retaining bars inserted therethrough, thereby retaining the conductive spring unit in the through hole of the carrier. The top end of the clamping portion of the upper section of each conductive spring unit is higher than the top surface of the carrier.

The aforementioned electrical connection assembly invention primarily utilizes the plurality of conductive spring units installed in the carrier and limited by limiting bars to have appropriate longitudinal compression and resilience, thereby providing good balancing elasticity when the spherical contacts on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit component are pressed and contact the conductive spring units. The present invention further utilizes a structure in which the ratio of the distance between the inner edges of the top ends of the two curved segments of the clamping portion of each conductive spring unit to the diameter of the spherical contact pad on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit component is 1:5 to 4:5. When the spherical contact pad on the bottom surface of the BGA packaged integrated circuit component is pressed against the top end of the conductive spring unit, the clamping portion of the conductive spring unit automatically expands laterally, allowing the spherical contact pad to slide easily between the two curved segments of the clamping portion and be clamped and fixed, achieving good electrical contact performance. Furthermore, after the spherical contact block is released from the clamping portion, the two curved sections of the clamping portion can return to their original position elastically.

Furthermore, the electrical connection assembly of the present invention can further utilize a structure in which each of the plurality of conductive spring units arranged in a horizontal linear pattern on the carrier board is penetrated by two limiting bars. This reduces the problem of excessive deflection angles of the conductive spring units and improves the stability of the conductive spring units during electrical contact.

10: Carrier board

11: Through hole

12: Long groove

10A: Carrier board

11A: Through hole

12A: Long groove

20: Conductive spring unit

21: Clamping part

211: Bend Section

22: Contact area

20A: Conductive spring unit

21A: Clamping section

211A: Bend

22A: Contact area

23A: Conductive spring

30: Limit bar

40: Ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit components

41: Spherical contact block

50: Circuit board

m: The distance between the inner edges of the top ends of the two curved sections of the clamping part

M: The diameter of the spherical contact pad on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component.

Figure 1 is a schematic top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the electrical connection assembly of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a partial perspective schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the electrical connection assembly shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the electrical connection assembly shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line A-A shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view taken along the B-B line shown in Figure 3.

FIG6 is a schematic plan view of the preferred embodiment of the electrical connection assembly shown in FIG1 and the corresponding ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component in a separated state.

Figure 7 is a schematic three-dimensional plan view of another preferred embodiment of the electrical connection assembly of the present invention.

FIG8 is a schematic top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the electrical connection assembly shown in FIG7.

Figure 9 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the section line C-C shown in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the section line D-D shown in Figure 8.

FIG11 is a reference diagram of the preferred embodiment of the electrical connection assembly shown in FIG1 being used in testing ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit components.

As shown in Figures 1 and 7, several preferred embodiments of the electrical connection assembly of the present invention are disclosed. These components are used to provide electrical connections to the ball contacts on the bottom surface of a ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit component. The electrical connection assembly includes a carrier 10, 10A, a plurality of conductive spring units 20, 20A, and a plurality of retaining bars 30.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, 7, and 8, the carrier board 10, 10A is a plate made of an insulating material. A plurality of through holes 11, 11A are formed in the carrier board 10, 10A, extending vertically from top to bottom. The plurality of through holes 11, 11A are distributed in the carrier board 10, 10A in a plurality of horizontal straight lines. The carrier board 10, 10A also has a plurality of long slots 12, 12A formed therein, and each of the plurality of through holes 11, 11A arranged in a horizontal straight line passes through one or two of the long slots 12, 12A. As shown in Figure 7, when each of the plurality of through-holes 11A arranged in a horizontal straight line in the carrier 10A is passed through by two of the elongated slots 12A, the two elongated slots 12A extend longitudinally from the top and bottom surfaces of the carrier 10A, respectively, toward the inside of the carrier 10A. As shown in Figures 1, 2, or 7, the shape of the carriers 10, 10A, and the number and distribution of through-holes 11, 11A, are determined based on product requirements.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5 or 7 to 10 , the plurality of conductive spring units 20 , 20A are respectively installed within the plurality of through-holes 11 , 11A of the carrier 10 , 10A. Specifically, one conductive spring unit 20 , 20A is installed within each through-hole 11 , 11A, forming a plurality of conductive spring units 20 , 20A arranged in a horizontal linear arrangement. Each conductive spring unit 20 , 20A includes a clamping portion 21 , 21A and a contact portion 22 , 22A. The clamping portion 21 , 21A is located at the upper portion of the conductive spring unit 20 , 20A, while the contact portion 22 , 22A is located at the lower portion of the conductive spring unit 20 , 20A. The clamping portions 21, 21A include two spaced-apart curved sections 211, 211A. As shown in Figure 6, the ratio (m:M) of the distance m between the inner edges of the top ends of the two curved sections 211 of the clamping portion 21 to the diameter M of the corresponding ball contact 41 on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component 40 is 1:5 to 4:5.

As shown in Figures 2 and 5 , the conductive spring unit 20 can be composed of a single conductive spring wound three times continuously. Alternatively, as shown in Figures 7 and 8 , the conductive spring unit 20A can be composed of two conductive springs 23A wound at least once in parallel, each having a curved section 211.

As shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5 or Figures 7, 9 and 10, the plurality of limit bars 30 are respectively fixed in the long slots 12 and 12A of the carriers 10 and 10A and pass through the through holes 11 and 11A, and each of the plurality of conductive spring units 20 and 20A arranged in a horizontal straight line on the carriers 10 and 10A has one or two limit bars 30 passing therethrough, so that the conductive springs The spring units 20, 20A are positioned within the through-holes 11, 11A of the carriers 10, 10A. The top of the clamping portion 21, 21A of each conductive spring unit 20, 20A is higher than the top of the carrier 10, 10A, while the bottom of the contact portion 22, 22A of the lower conductive spring unit 20, 20A is lower than or close to the bottom of the carrier 10, 10A.

When the electrical connection assembly of the present invention is used in a test fixture for ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit component testing equipment, the preferred embodiment of the electrical connection assembly shown in Figures 1 to 5 is used as an example. As shown in Figure 11, the electrical connection assembly is combined with a base to form a test fixture, which is then mounted on the circuit carrier 50 of the test equipment. The contact portion at the bottom of each conductive spring unit 20 of the electrical connection assembly electrically contacts the corresponding contact pad on the circuit carrier 50. When the BGA packaged integrated circuit component 40 to be tested is tested, the BGA packaged integrated circuit component 40 is moved into the test fixture, and the BGA packaged integrated circuit component 40 is subjected to the following pressure, so that the spherical contact blocks 41 at the bottom of the BGA packaged integrated circuit component 40 are respectively pressed against the top of the corresponding conductive spring unit 20, and the two clamping portions 21 of the conductive spring unit 20 are pressed against each other. The curved section 211 automatically expands laterally outward due to the push of the ball contact 41, allowing the ball contact 41 to slide between the two curved sections 211 of the clamping portion 21 and be held in place, achieving good electrical contact. Testing equipment then performs a functional test on the ball grid array (BGA) package integrated circuit component 40 via the circuit carrier 50 and the conductive spring unit 20 of the electrical connection assembly to determine whether the BGA package integrated circuit component 40 is functioning properly. After the BGA packaged integrated circuit component 40 is inspected and removed from the inspection fixture, the conductive spring unit 20 of the electrical connection assembly can return to its normal elastic position after the spherical contact block 41 is released from the clamping portion 21.

As can be seen from the above description, the electrical connection assembly of the present invention utilizes a plurality of conductive spring units mounted on a carrier board and restrained by a retaining bar, each having appropriate longitudinal compression and resilience. This provides good balancing resilience when the spherical contacts on the bottom surface of a ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit component are pressed into contact with the conductive spring units. At the same time, the present invention also utilizes a structure in which the ratio of the distance between the inner edges of the top of the two curved sections of the clamping portion of each conductive spring unit and the diameter of the ball contact block on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component is 1:5 to 4:5, and the ball contact block on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component is 1:5 to 4:5. When the contact block is pressed against the top of the conductive spring unit, the clamping portion of the conductive spring unit automatically expands horizontally, allowing the spherical contact block to easily slide between the two curved sections of the clamping portion and be clamped and fixed, achieving good electrical contact performance. After the spherical contact block is released from the clamping portion, the two curved sections of the clamping portion can elastically return to their normal position. Furthermore, the electrical connection assembly of the present invention utilizes a structure in which each of the multiple conductive spring units arranged in a horizontal linear pattern on the carrier board is penetrated by two limiting bars. This reduces the problem of excessive deflection angles of the conductive spring units and improves the stability of the conductive spring units during electrical contact.

10: Carrier 20: Conductive spring unit 21: Clamping section 211: Bend section 22: Contact section 30: Stop bar 40: Ball grid array (BGA) package integrated circuit component 41: Ball contact pad m: Distance between the inner edges of the top two bend sections of the clamping section M: Diameter of the ball contact pad on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) package integrated circuit component

Claims (3)

An electrical connection assembly is used to provide electrical connection to the ball contacts on the bottom surface of a ball grid array (BGA) packaged integrated circuit component. The electrical connection assembly comprises: A carrier board made of an insulating material having a plurality of longitudinally penetrating through-holes formed therein. The plurality of through-holes are arranged in a plurality of transversely linear rows within the carrier board. The carrier board also has a plurality of elongated slots formed therein, with each of the plurality of transversely linearly arranged through-holes passing through one or two of the elongated slots. A plurality of conductive spring units are respectively installed in the plurality of through-holes of the carrier board. Each conductive spring unit includes a clamping portion located at an upper position and a contact portion located at a lower position. The clamping portion includes two curved segments arranged at intervals relative to each other. The ratio of the distance between the inner edges of the top ends of the two curved segments of the clamping portion to the diameter of the spherical contact pad on the bottom surface of the ball grid array (BGA) package type integrated circuit component is 1:5 to 4:5; and Multiple limiting bars are respectively inserted and fixed in the elongated slots of the carrier and pass through the through-holes. Each of the plurality of conductive spring units arranged in a horizontal straight line on the carrier has one or two limiting bars inserted therethrough, thereby limiting the conductive spring units in position within the through-holes of the carrier. The top end of the clamping portion of the upper section of each conductive spring unit is higher than the top surface of the carrier. The electrical connection assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the conductive spring unit is composed of a single conductive spring wound three times continuously. The electrical connection assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the conductive spring unit is composed of two conductive springs that are wound at least one turn in parallel.