Socket having terminals with reslient contact arms

A socket for electrically interconnecting an electrical device having conductive members arranged thereon, the socket comprising:

• a dielectric housing defining a mounting surface toward the electrical device and a plurality of terminal-passageways extending upwardly from said mounting surface;
• a plurality of terminals received in the terminal-passageways respectively, each of the terminals comprising a retention body secured in a corresponding terminal-passageway and a cantilever arm extending from the retention body beyond said mounting surface for mechanically and electrically engaging a corresponding conductive member of the electrical device, said retention body having a part thereof extending toward the electrical device and beyond said mounting surface a distance in a thickness direction of the housing;
• and
• a plurality of projections provided on said mounting surface and projecting toward the electrical device;
• said projections projecting beyond said mounting surface a height;
• wherein when the electrical device engages with the socket, each conductive member of the electrical device compresses the arm of a corresponding terminal, thereby achieving mechanical and electrical engagement therebetween, said projections supporting the electrical device and the height of said projections is higher enough than said distance to prevent the conductive member from electrically engaging the parts of the retention bodies of other terminal adjacent said terminal.

A socket assembly comprising:

• a dielectric housing defining a plurality of vertical passageways terminated on a top face thereof;
• a plurality of conductive contacts disposed in the corresponding passageways, respectively, each of said contacts having a contact portion extending above the top face with a distance;
• a plurality of projections located on said top face beside the passageways with a height smaller than said distance;
• and
• an electronic package located upon the housing and defining a bottom face with a plurality of conductive pads thereon;
• wherein
• the bottom face is supportably seated upon the projections under a condition that the contact portion of each contacts is downwardly deflected by the corresponding conductive pad so that the distance is reduced to be essentially equal to said height.