Electrical connector with stepped housing

• US 20070202715A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCI Americas Technology Incorporated (FCI)
• Original Assignee: FCI Americas Technology Incorporated (FCI)
• Inventors: Johnescu, Douglas, Kolivoski, Christopher, Daily, Christopher, Stoner, Stuart
• Granted Patent: US 7,422,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/71
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/0256 for soldering or welding connectors to a printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10189 Non-printed connector
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10984 Component carrying a connection agent, e.g. solder, adhesive soldering leadless components having an array of bottom contacts H05K3/3436; BGA components H05K2201/10734
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/041 Solder preforms in the shape of solder balls soldering leadless components having an array of bottom contacts H05K3/3436
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3426 characterised by the leads
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1069 with spring contact pieces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A preferred embodiment of a ball-grid array connector includes a housing having a major surface with a first and a second portion. The housing has a first and a second penetration formed therein. The first and second penetrations adjoin the respective first and second portion of the major surface. The connector also includes a first and a second contact mounted on the housing and extending through the respective first and second penetrations. The connector further includes a first and a second fusible element attached to the respective first and second contacts. The first portion of the major surface is recessed so that the first fusible element is spaced apart from the housing.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for mounting on a substrate, comprising:

a housing having a major surface that faces the substrate when the connector is mounted on the substrate, the major surface having a first and a second portion, the first portion being recessed in relation to the second portion, the housing having a first and a second pocket formed therein, the first and second pockets extending inward from the respective first and second portions of the major surface;

a first contact and a second contact each having a tail extending into the respective first and second pockets; and

a first and a second fusible element attached to the respective first and second tails, wherein a portion of the first fusible element is positioned in the first pocket so that the portion of the first fusible element is spaced apart from surfaces of the housing that define the first pocket, and a portion of the second fusible element is positioned in the second pocket so that the portion of the second fusible element contacts surfaces of the housing that define the second pocket.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first fusible element is capable of forming a connection between the first contact and the substrate when the first fusible element is placed on the substrate and subjected to a reflow process, and the spacing between the first fusible element and the surfaces of the housing that define the first pocket facilitates relative movement between the housing and the connection.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the major surface is positioned outward of the second portion of the major surface.

4. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the major surface is positioned proximate an outer periphery of the major surface.

5. The connector of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the major surface is stepped in relation to the first portion of the major surface so that the second portion of the major surface is located closer to the substrate than the first portion of the major surface when the connector is mounted on the substrate.

6. The connector of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the major surface is offset from the first portion of the major surface by approximately 0.13 mm.

7. The connector of claim 6, wherein the portion of the first fusible element is spaced apart from surfaces of the housing that define the first pocket by a gap of approximately 0.065 mm.

8. The connector of claim 1, wherein the surfaces of the housing that define the first pocket comprise four adjoining surfaces each angled approximately thirty degrees in relation to an axis extending through the pocket and equally spaced from the four adjoining surfaces.

9. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first and second fusible elements are solder balls.

10. The connector of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the portion of the first fusible element and the surfaces of the housing that define the first pocket facilitates relative movement between the housing and the substrate when the connector is mounted on the substrate.

11. A ball-grid array connector, comprising:

a housing having one or more surfaces that define a pocket within the housing;

a contact mounted on the housing and comprising a tail that extends into the pocket; and

a fusible element attached to the tail and extending into the pocket, wherein the contact is positioned so that the fusible element is spaced apart from the one or more surfaces.

12. The connector of claim 11, wherein the housing includes a major surface having a recessed portion, and the one or more surfaces that define a pocket within the housing adjoin the recessed portion.

13. The connector of claim 11, wherein the fusible element is capable of forming a connection between the contact and a substrate when the fusible element is placed on the substrate and subjected to a reflow process, and the spacing between the fusible element and the one or more surfaces facilitates relative movement between the housing and the connection.

14. The connector of claim 12, wherein the major surface has a second portion offset from the recessed portion, the housing further comprises one or more surfaces that define a second pocket within the housing and adjoin the second portion of the major surface, and the connector further comprises a second of the contacts mounted on the housing and having a tail that extends into the second of the pockets, and a second of the fusible elements attached to the tail of the second of the contacts and extending into the second of the pockets, the second of the contacts being positioned so that the second of the fusible elements contacts the one or more surfaces that define a second pocket within the housing.

15. The connector of claim 14, wherein the recessed portion of the major surface is positioned outward of the second portion of the outer surface.

16. The connector of claim 11, wherein the one or more surfaces that define a pocket within the hosing comprise four adjoining surfaces each angled approximately thirty degrees in relation to an axis extending through the pocket and equally spaced from the four adjoining surfaces.

17. An electrical connector for mounting on a substrate, comprising:

a first and a second contact;

a first and a second fusible element for forming connections between the respective first and second connectors and the substrate; and

a housing having a major surface that faces the substrate when the connector is mounted on the substrate, the major surface having a first portion and a second portion, the first and second contacts being mounted on the housing so that the first and second contacts extend through penetrations associated within the respective first and second portions of the major surface, wherein the first portion of the major surface is recessed in relation to the second portion so that the connection formed by the first fusible element is spaced apart from the housing whereby the connection formed by the first fusible element can deflect in relation to the housing in response to relative movement between the housing and the substrate.

18. The connector of claim 17, wherein the penetrations are pockets formed in the housing, the connection formed by the first fusible element extends into the one of the pockets associated with the first portion of the major surface, and the connection formed by the second fusible element extends into the one of the pockets associated with the second portion of the major surface.

19. A ball-grid array connector, comprising:

a housing comprising a major surface having a first and a second portion, the housing having a first and a second penetration formed therein, the first and second penetrations adjoin the respective first and second portion of the major surface;

a first and a second contact mounted on the housing and extending through the respective first and second penetrations; and

a first and a second fusible element attached to the respective first and second contacts, wherein the first portion of the major surface is recessed so that the first fusible element is spaced apart from the housing.

20. The connector of claim 19, wherein the first penetration is a first pocket, the second penetration is a second pocket, the first fusible element extends into the first pocket and is spaced apart from surfaces of the housing that define the first pocket, and the second fusible element extends into the second pocket and contacts surfaces of the housing that define the second pocket.

21. A method of assembling an electrical connector, comprising:

inserting a contact into a housing of the connector;

attaching a fusible element to the contact and the housing; and

pushing the contact to separate the fusible element from the housing.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein attaching a fusible element to the contact and the housing comprises attaching the fusible element to the contact and the housing using a reflow process.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein attaching a fusible element to the contact and the housing comprises melting the fusible element so that a portion of the fusible element flows into a pocket formed in the housing.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein pushing the contact to separate the fusible element from the housing comprises pushing the contact to form a gap between the fusible element and surfaces of the housing that define the pocket whereby the fusible element can deflect in relation to the housing.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein pushing the contact to separate the fusible element from the housing comprises pushing the contact a distance approximately equal to an offset distance between a recessed portion of a major surface of the housing and a non-recessed portion of the major surface.

26. A method, comprising:

inserting a first contact to a first depth within in a housing of an electrical connector;

inserting a second contact to a second depth within the housing;

attaching a first and a second fusible element to the respective first and second contacts and to the housing; and

subsequently pushing the first contact to the second depth within the housing.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein subsequently pushing the first contact to the second depth within the housing comprises pushing the first contact to separate the first fusible element from the housing.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising placing the connector on a substrate and subjecting the first and second fusible elements to a reflow process to form connections between the substrate and the first and second contacts, the connection between the first contact and the substrate being spaced apart from the housing so that the connection between the first contact and the substrate can move in relation to the housing.