US 4,689,556 AGranted

Broad band contactor assembly for testing integrated circuit devices

AssigneeDaymarc Corporation

InventorNicholas J. Cedrone

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Abstract

A contactor assembly for testing electronic devices that are packaged with a dual-in-line pin array has an insulating base that mounts two rows of contacts, each adapted to flex into electrical connection with a pin of the device, and a pair of flexible ground planes each spaced closely from an associated one row of said contacts. A flexible, insulating spacer maintains the ground planes and their associated row of contacts with a substantially fixed spacing there between during the flexural movement of said contacts. In the preferred form, the upper edge of the ground planes adjacent the pins includes an arrangement for securing a chip electornic device, a capacitor or a resistor. The other end of the chip mounts a contact tip that makes electrical connection with an associated pin when the associated contact also connects with the pin. The signal path provided by the holder, chip and tip is extremely short, preferably less than 0.150 inch. The contacts and ground planes electrically surface mount on a contactor board. Flexible lower end portions of the contacts and ground planes make direct electrical connection with signal pads and ground planes on the board without the use of connectors. A flexible mount formed by strips of a conductive material having arms soldered to two or more contacts hold a surge capacitor that decouples the device from ground noise during large current surges.

A contactor assembly for testing electronic devices that are packaged with line of pins arrayed along at least one side of each of the electronic devices, comprising

a base formed from an insulating material;
a plurality of contacts arrayed in at least one row each of said contacts mounted on said base and having a first end which extends below said base and a second end which extends above the base and is adapted to make electrical connection with an associated pin of the device, each of said contacts being flexible to move between a first position where said second ends are spaced from said pins and a second position where said second ends are in electrical connection with said pins, each of said contacts being adapted to conduct an electrical signal along its length to or from an associated pin of the device;
at least one flexible ground plane also mounted on said base and each spaced closely from an associated row of said contacts and having a first end extending through said base and a second end spaced closely from said second contacts ends in said row, said ground plane providing a distributed capacitance with respect to said associated row of contacts such that the signal transmitted along said contacts encounters a substantially characteristic impedance;
means for maintaining said ground plates and their associated row of contacts with a substantially fixed spacing therebetween during the movement of said contacts between said first and second positions;
and
means for providing a signal path to said ground plane from at least one of said pins that is extremely short and for at least high frequency components of said signal presents a virtually zero impedance, said signal path comprising a chip electronic device, chip holder means for connecting one of said chip devices to said ground plane at said second end, and means for placing the other end of said chip in electrical connection with said pin when said second contact end is in said second position.

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Abstract

Claims11