Electrical connections between printed circuit boards and integrated circuits surface mounted thereon

A combination of an integrated circuit package having a plurality of bent leads protruding therefrom, where the bent leads have a relatively small pitch laterally therebetween, and a printed circuit board having a plurality of circuit pads thereon, and wherein the integrated circuit package is surface mounted to said printed circuit board, the combination including means for mounting the integrated circuit package on the printed circuit board, and at least one flexible electrical connector between the bent leads on the integrated circuit package and the circuit pads on the printed circuit board, where the flexible electrical connector comprises an elastomeric core having a plurality of relatively closely-spaced conductive traces thereon, the traces providing a circuit interface between the bent leads on the integrated circuit package and the circuit pads on the printed circuit board, and the elastomeric core providing a resilient loading therebetween, whereby to provide the circuit interface with a substantially zero insertion force between the integrated circuit package and the printed circuit board to compensate for any irregularities and tolerance accumulations in the bent leads with respect to the integrated circuit package.