High density connector

• US 6,164,983 A
• Filed: 12/31/1996
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FCI Americas Technology Incorporated (FCI)
• Original Assignee: Berg Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Houtz, Timothy W., Lemke, Timothy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gilman, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US08/777,579
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 439/78, 439/83, 439/76.1, 439/682, 439/686, 439/689, 439/108, 439/70, 439/857, 439/29, 439/839
• US Class Current: 439/83
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/566 by welding, soldering or brazing
• 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: H01R 43/20 for assembling or disassembling contact members with insulating base, case or sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3426 characterised by the leads
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3478 Applying solder preforms; Transferring prefabricated solder patterns
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

Electrical connectors capable of being mounted on circuit substrates by BGA techniques are disclosed. Also disclosed is a method for manufacturing such connectors. There is at least one recess on the exterior side of the connector elements. A conductive contact extends from adjacent the interior side of the into the recess on the exterior side of the housing. A controlled volume of solder paste is introduced into the recess. A fusible conductive element, in the form of solder balls is positioned in the recess. The connector is subjected to a reflow process to fuse the solder ball to the portion of the contact extending into said recess. Contacts are secured in the insulative housing of the connector by deformable sections that minimize stress imposed on the housing, thereby reducing warpage. Solder resist areas are formed on central portions of the contacts to promote uniformity of solder volume. As a result of these features, substantial coplanarity of the BGA array along the mounting interface of the connector is achieved.

Claims

1. An electrical connector adapted to be mounted on a substrate having a conductive element, comprising:

an insulative housing, the housing having an exterior side adapted to face the substrate;

a stamped contact formed from a sheet of conductive material, adapted to mate with a mating component and extending substantially to the exterior side of the housing, the contact having an angled connection portion adapted to be electrically connected to said conductive element; and

a body of reflowable, electrically conductive material disposed on the connection portion adjacent the exterior side of the housing.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the reflowable material is also fused to the conductive element of the substrate.

3. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein said reflowable material body has a shape different than a shape of said connection portion to which said reflowable material secures.

4. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein said reflowable material is disposed on said connection portion of said contact prior to the connector mounting to the substrate.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein said exterior side has a recess, the connection portion of the contact is disposed within the recess, and the reflowable material is fused to the connection portion in said recess.

6. The electrical connector as recited in claim 5, wherein said connection portion of said contact resides entirely within said recess.

7. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein the reflowable material is a body of solder.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein the body of solder is a solder ball.

9. An electrical connector mountable to a substrate and comprising:

an insulative housing having a base wall with an interior side and an exterior side, a plurality of recesses on said exterior side;

a plurality of contact receiving slots, each of said slots extending from the interior side of said base wall to one of said recesses;

a contact extending through each of said slots and having a mounting end residing substantially within said recess, but not substantially beyond said recess in a direction towards the substrate; and

a plurality of bodies of reflowable, electrically conductive material, each body being associated with a recess and having a portion thereof disposed in the recess and fused to the contact.

10. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the reflowable elements are solder balls.

11. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the housing includes at least one contact support extension carried by the insulative housing for retaining at least one contact on the housing.

12. The electrical connector of claim 11, wherein the contact support extension extends into at least one of said contact receiving slots to bear against a contact inserted in the slot.

13. The electrical connector as recited in claim 9, wherein said mounting end of said contact resides entirely within said recess.

14. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the plurality of contacts are arranged in an array.

15. The electrical connector of claim 14, wherein the contacts are positioned in a staggered array.

16. The electrical connector of claim 14, wherein said contacts are aligned in a plurality of rows.

17. The electrical connector of claim 16, wherein at least one elongated power/ground contact is positioned along one side of the array of contacts.

18. The electrical connector of claim 16, wherein an elongated power/ground contact is positioned along each side of the array.

19. The electrical connector of claim 18, wherein the ground/power contact carries at least one solder ball.

20. The electrical connector of claim 16, wherein at least one elongated ground/power contact is disposed between two of said rows of contacts and at least one reflowable electrically conductive element is carried by the ground/power contact on the exterior side of the base wall.

21. The electrical connector of claim 20, wherein the at least one reflowable electrically conductive element comprises a solder ball.

22. The electrical connector of claim 21, in combination with a substrate having at least one conductive element, and wherein the solder balls are fused to the conductive element of the substrate.

23. The electrical connector as recited in claim 22, wherein said solder balls are fused to the conductive element of the substrate subsequent to said solder ball being fused to said contact.

24. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulative member having a mating side adapted to face a mating component, a mounting side adapted to face a substrate, and an opening extending from the mating side towards the mounting side, and a recess in said mounting side;

an electrical terminal insertable into the opening in the insulative member, the terminal having a contact portion disposed on the contact bearing side of the insulative member and a mounting portion, the mounting portion having a securing section extending at least partially through the insulative member and a distal region disposed in the recess; and

an electrically conductive heat fusible section secured to the distal region, extending from the securing section and adjacent the mounting side of the insulative body, with a portion of the fusible section disposed in the recess and a portion disposed outside the recess.

25. The electrical connector of claim 24, wherein the portion of the fusible member disposed outside the recess includes a substantially spherical surface.

26. The electrical connector as recited in claim 24, wherein the distal region of the terminal resides entirely within the recess.

27. An electrical connector as in claim 24, comprising a plurality of terminals insertable into a plurality of openings in the insulative member, said terminals being arranged in an array.

28. The electrical connector of claim 27, wherein the number of terminals in each dimension of the array exceeds 2.

29. The electrical connector of claim 24, wherein the fusible section comprises solder.

30. The electrical connector of claim 29, wherein the solder is substantially in the form of a ball.

31. The electrical connector as recited in claim 24, wherein an end of the distal region of the terminal resides within the recess.

32. The electrical connector as recited in claim 31, wherein the end of the terminal resides entirely within the recess.

33. An electrical component adapted to be surface mounted to a major surface of a circuit substrate, comprising:

a body formed of an insulative material, the body having a mounting surface adapted to be disposed in facing relationship to the circuit substrate and an opening therein extending toward said mounting surface;

an electrically conductive member insertable into the opening in the body, the conductive member including a terminal portion extending toward the mounting surface and adapted to be positioned adjacent the major surface of the circuit substrate, and

a mass of heat fusible material extending from the terminal portion to the mounting surface for establishing electrical continuity between the circuit substrate and the conductive member and adapted to secure to the major surface of the circuit substrate;

wherein, when the mass engages the circuit substrate, the body remains a distance away from the circuit substrate.

34. An electrical component as in claim 33, wherein the mass is substantially in the form of a ball.

35. An electrical component as in claim 33, wherein the mass comprises a plurality of solder bodies, each having an outermost surface that is presented substantially in a plane and have a coplanarity within about 0.004 inch.

36. The electrical component as recited in claim 33, wherein said conductive member is a stamped contact.

37. The electrical component as recited in claim 33, wherein said mass has a shape different than a shape of said terminal portion to which said mass secures.

38. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, wherein the body further comprises a recess in communication with the opening and the conductive member has an end residing within the recess.

39. The electrical connector as recited in claim 38, wherein the end resides entirely within the recess.

40. An electrical component as in claim 33, wherein the mass presents a curved surface.

41. An electrical component as in claim 40, wherein the curved surface comprises a plurality of curved surfaces presented substantially in a plane and having a coplanarity within about 0.004 inch.

42. An electrical component as in claim 40, wherein said curved surface is generally spherical.

43. An electrical component as in claim 42, wherein the curved surface comprises a plurality of generally spherical surfaces presented substantially in a plane and having a coplanarity within about 0.004 inch.

50. An electrical component as in claim 33, wherein the terminal portion of each conductive member includes a transversely extending part and the mass is secured on the transversely extending part.

51. An electrical component as in claim 50, wherein the body includes a mandrel surface adjacent each conductive member and the transversely extending part of the conductive member is a bent portion formed about the mandrel surface.

44. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulative housing having a mating interface for facing a mating component, a mounting interface for facing a substrate including conductive elements, and a plurality of openings extending from the mating interface towards the mounting interface;

a plurality of contacts, each insertable into a respective one of said openings in the housing from one of the mating interface and the mounting interface, each contact having a mating portion associated with the mating interface and adapted for engaging the mating component and a connector portion associated with the mounting interface, extending generally parallel to the opening and adapted to be secured to one of the conductive elements on the substrate, the connector portion having an end, and

a plurality of fusible elements, each fusible element secured to one of said contacts so that the ends reside within the fusible elements.

45. The electrical connector of claim 44, wherein the fusible elements are fused to the conductive elements on the substrate.

46. The electrical connector as recited in claim 44, wherein the ends of the contacts reside entirely within the fusible elements.

47. An electrical connector as in claim 44, wherein the contacts are arranged in a two dimensional array.

48. An electrical connector as in claim 44, wherein said connector portions of said contacts are spaced from the mounting interface, and the fusible elements form the mounting interface.

49. An electrical connector as in claim 48, wherein each fusible element is located to provide electrical continuity between the contact on which the fusible element is secured and a conductive element on the substrate.

52. The electrical connector of claim 44, wherein the fusible elements are substantially spherical.

53. The electrical connector of claim 52, wherein the fusible elements are soldered on the contacts.

54. The electrical connector as recited in claim 44, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of recesses at the mounting interface and in communication with respective openings, wherein the ends of the contacts reside within respective recesses.

55. The electrical connector as recited in claim 54, wherein the ends of the contacts reside entirely within the recesses.

56. The electrical connector of claim 44, wherein the melting temperature of the fusible elements is less than the melting temperature of the contacts.

57. The electrical connector of claim 56, wherein the fusible elements are a solder.

58. The electrical connector of claim 57, wherein the fusible elements are solder balls.