Burn-in socket for zig-zag inline semiconductor package

An electrical socket for interconnecting an inline integrated circuit package having a plurality of leads to a plurality of electrical conductors on a printed circuit board, the socket comprising:

• an insulative housing having an upper package receiving face for receipt of the integrated circuit package, and a plurality of terminal receiving cavities, each of the cavities communicating with an opening in the upper face;
• a plurality of electrical terminals located within respective cavities, each terminal comprising a central base means having a conductor interconnecting section at a first end with an element interconnecting section at a second end, the element interconnecting section including two resilient contact arms extending along an axial lead insertion axis with arcuately formed, oppositely directed convex contact sections being profiled such that tangent lines to the apices of the convex sections overlap the lead insertion axis, each of the contact arms including a section of terminal disposed adjacent to an associated opening, flaired away from the axial lead insertion axis to form a lead-in section for the leads of the inline integrated circuit package, whereby
• when the package is inserted in the socket, the package leads are directed into engagement with respective terminals by the lead-in sections and deflect the contact arms through a distance equal to the sum of the overlap plus the thickness of the leads.