Abstract:
A method and apparatus are provided for mounting circuit elements on a printed wiring board, wherein an integrated circuit having terminals with a first interterminal pitch are mounted onto a first surface of a terminal density conversion board which converts the first interterminal pitch of the integrated circuit to terminals with a second interterminal pitch larger than the first interterminal pitch on a second surface of the terminal density conversion board; and the terminals on the second surface of the terminal density conversion board with the second interterminal pitch are mounted onto the printed wiring board.
Abstract:
An electronic socket adapter includes an insulative carrier and an array of a plurality of surface mount contacts carried on the base. The pins may be floatably mounted on the carrier. A plurality of relatively large openings are formed in the carrier between adjacent contacts in the array. The openings provide improved heat flow in the region of the surface mount portions of the contacts and also provide for visualization of the surface mount portions of the contacts during and after soldering.
Abstract:
An electronic assembly comprising an electronic substrate and a plurality of conductive interconnection elements. The substrate has a first side having a plurality of terminals. Each interconnection element has a base secured to a respective one of the terminals, a contact region distant from the electronic substrate, and an elongate freestanding section which can bend when pressure is applied to the contact region.
Abstract:
A probe card assembly includes a probe card, a space transformer having resilient contact structures (probe elements) mounted directly thereto (i.e., without the need for additional connecting wires or the like) and extending from terminals on a surface thereof, and an interposer disposed between the space transformer and the probe card. The space transformer and interposer are “stacked up” so that the orientation of the space transformer, hence the orientation of the tips of the probe elements, can be adjusted without changing the orientation of the probe card. Suitable mechanisms for adjusting the orientation of the space transformer, and for determining what adjustments to make, are disclosed. The interposer has resilient contact structures extending from both the top and bottom surfaces thereof, and ensures that electrical connections are maintained between the space transformer and the probe card throughout the space transformer's range of adjustment, by virtue of the interposer's inherent compliance. Multiple die sites on a semiconductor wafer are readily probed using the disclosed techniques, and the probe elements can be arranged to optimize probing of an entire wafer. Composite interconnection elements having a relatively soft core overcoated by a relatively hard shell, as the resilient contact structures are described.
Abstract:
An electronic assembly. The electronic assembly includes a first substrate which has a first set of contact pads and a second substrate which has a second set of contact pads. A plurality of elongate, springable interconnection elements are located between the first substrate and the second substrate. Each of the plurality of elongate, springable interconnect elements is free standing and has a portion permanently attached to a respective contact pad of the first set of contact pads and has a second portion contacting a respective contact pad of the second set of contact pads. The first and the second substrates are brought into a fixed relationship relative to one another.
Abstract:
An interconnection contact structure assembly including an electronic component having a surface and a conductive contact carried by the electronic component and accessible at the surface. The contact structure includes an internal flexible elongate member having first and second ends and with the first end forming a first intimate bond to the surface of said conductive contact terminal without the use of a separate bonding material. An electrically conductive shell is provided and is formed of at least one layer of a conductive material enveloping the elongate member and forming a second intimate bond with at least a portion of the conductive contact terminal immediately adjacent the first intimate bond.
Abstract:
The thin-film multi-layer substrate includes an insulating substrate base plate, and a thin-film structure including a plurality of conducting layers and a plurality of insulating layers formed on the substrate base plate. A via structure is formed in the thin-film structure and connected to one of the conducting layers of the thin-layer structure. Pins are connected to the via structure, such that the bottom of the via structure is directly laminated on the substrate base plate, and the pins are secured onto the via structure.
Abstract:
An electronic package assembly for being electrically connected to a conducting member (e.g., a printed circuit board) wherein the assembly includes a pair of substrates. The first substrate includes opposing circuit patterns, those on one surface being of higher density and thus adapted for having high density electronic devices mounted thereon. This high density pattern is electrically coupled to the lesser density second pattern which is connected to conductors of a second substrate. These conductors are of the lesser density also, and extend through a dielectric member for being coupled to conductors (e.g., copper circuit pads) on the conducting member. These conductors are in contact with the dielectric member at only three locations before the dielectric is connected to the electronic package assembly and the conducting member. Ready separability of various parts of the assembly is thus assured.
Abstract:
Interconnection elements for electronic components, exhibiting desirable mechanical characteristics (such as resiliency, for making pressure contacts) are formed by shaping an elongate element (core) of a soft material (such as gold) to have a springable shape (including cantilever beam, S-shape, U-shape), and overcoating the shaped elongate element with a hard material (such as nickel and its alloys), to impart a desired spring (resilient) characteristic to the resulting composite interconnection element. A final overcoat of a material having superior electrical qualities (e.g., electrical conductivity and/or solderability) may be applied to the composite interconnection element. The elongate element may be formed from a wire, or from a sheet (e.g., metal foil). The resulting interconnection elements may be mounted to a variety of electronic components, including directly to semiconductor dies and wafers (in which case the overcoat material anchors the composite interconnection element to a terminal (or the like) on the electronic component), may be mounted to support substrates for use as interposers and may be mounted to substrates for use as probe cards or probe card inserts. In one embodiment, a hybrid composite interconnection element is formed by mounting a core to an end of an flat elongate element formed from a sheet, and overcoating at least the core, the flat elongate element providing a "floating" support for the overcoated core, capable of absorbing non-planarities (tolerances) of an electronic component. Methods of fabricating interconnection elements on sacrificial substrates are described. Methods of fabricating tip structures and contact tips at the end of interconnection elements are described.
Abstract:
A surface mounting stress relief system for mounting a surface mount package such as a leadless ceramic chip carrier on a printed circuit board includes a printed circuit board having a top layer attached to a bottom layer. The top layer includes cavities for exposing top surface portion of the bottom layer which carry a plurality of solder pads. The surface mount package is positioned on the printed circuit board for placing the package bottom surface on a top surface of the printed circuit board between the cavities while positioning package contact pads in spaced relation above corresponding preselected solder pads. A solder column extends between each of the plurality of corresponding solder pads and the selected contact pads for providing an electrical connection. The solder column is formed by applying a solder paste to the solder pads on the printed circuit board, screening a low temperature solder paste onto each of the contact pads of the surface mount package, placing a solder ball onto each pad, and attaching the solder ball to each of the contact pads of the package by passing the package through a reflow oven for reflowing the low temperature solder paste without reflowing the high temperature solder ball.