Socket for inspection of semiconductor device

• US 5,975,915 A
• Filed: 12/08/1997
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shin-Etsu Polymer Company Limited (Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Shin-Etsu Polymer Company Limited (Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Kouichi, Komatsu, Hiroto
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, TULSIDAS C
• Application Number:
  US08/987,071
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 439/72, 439/73, 439/331, 439/67, 439/66, 439/711, 439/526, 439/91
• US Class Current: 439/72
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/0433 Sockets for IC's or transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A socket for the inspection of semiconductor devices is disclosed which has laterally extended leads. The device is mounted in a mounting seat of the socket body and results in improvement of the inspection process because difficult steps such as soldering can be omitted. The socket is composed of a socket body which is mountable on a circuit board having a mounting seat therefor, a lead frame intervening between the socket body and the circuit board and an anisotropically electroconductive elastic connector sheet.

Claims

1. A socket for inspection of a semiconductor device having leads on an outer surface of the semiconductor device by electrically connecting the leads to electrode terminals of a circuit board for inspection, the socket for inspection comprising:

(a) a socket body mountable on the circuit board by positioning, the socket body having a mounting seat for mounting the body of the semiconductor device in a freely demountable fashion;

(b) a lead frame intervening between the socket body and the circuit board and having contacting shoes extended in an arch-wise bent form out of a surface facing the circuit board in the mounting seat of the socket body, the contacting shoes having a precious metal plated contacting surface which is brought into contact, when the semiconductor device is mounted on the mounting seat, with the leads of the semiconductor device; and

(c) an anisotropically electroconductive elastic connector sheet interposed between the lead frame and the circuit board to be in contact with the electrode terminals of the circuit board on one surface and with contacting points of the contacting shoes of the lead frame on the other surface wherein the anisotropically electroconductive elastic connector sheet is a sheet member consisting of a matrix of an electrically insulating rubbery elastomer and a multiplicity of electroconductive filamentous bodies embedded in parallel each to the others in the sheet and penetrating the matrix from one surface to the other.

2. The socket for inspection of a semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 in which the electrically insulating rubbery elastomer forming the matrix of the anisotropically electroconductive elastic connector sheet has a type A hardness specified in JIS K 6301 in the range from 20°

H to 60°

H.

3. The socket for inspection of a semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 in which the contacting point of the contacting shoe of the lead frame has a roughened surface or a sharpened point so as to be able to scratch off the surface film on the surface contacted therewith.

4. The socket for inspection of a semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a presser member mountable on the socket body to impart the leads of the semiconductor device mounted in the mounting seat of the socket body with a contacting load against the contacting shoes of the lead frame.

5. The socket for inspection of a semiconductor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the precious metal plated contacting surface of the shoe comprises a gold plating layer having a thickness of from about 0.03 μ

m to about 1.0 μ

m.

6. The socket for inspection of a semiconductor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the precious metal plated contacting surface of the shoe comprises a gold plating layer having a thickness of from about 0.03 μ

m to about 1.0 μ

m formed on an underplating layer of nickel having a thickness of from about 2 μ

m to about 6 μ

m.