Apparatus and method for testing ball grid array packaged integrated circuits

An apparatus for interfacing between a device tester and an integrated circuit (IC) including a plurality of contact terminals, the apparatus comprising:

• a circuit board including a plurality of contacts for receiving signals from the device tester, a plurality of vias and a plurality of conductive lines connecting selected contacts with selected vias;
• a plurality of pogo pins, each of the pogo pins including a barrel received in an associated via of the circuit board, and a plunger slidably mounted in the barrel such that a tip of the plunger extends away from a surface of the circuit board;
• and
• a contactor assembly mounted on the circuit board, the contactor assembly including:
• a contactor body having a plurality of walls surrounding the pogo pins;
• and
• a nesting member movably connected to the contactor body and defining a plurality of through-holes;
• wherein the nesting member is mounted over the contactor assembly such that the tip of each plunger is aligned with an associated through-hole of the nesting member.

An apparatus for interfacing between a device tester and a ball grid array integrated circuit (BGA IC) including a plurality of solder balls, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of pogo pins, each pogo pin including a barrel and a plunger movably disposed in the barrel, each plunger having a tip;
• a contactor body having a plurality of walls surrounding the plurality of pogo pins;
• a nesting member movably mounted on the contactor body, the nesting member including an alignment plate having a lower surface facing the contactor body and an upper surface facing away from the contactor body, the alignment plate defining a plurality of through-holes extending between the lower and upper faces, each of the through-holes being located over the plunger of one of the plurality of pogo pins;
• wherein each of the plurality of through-holes includes a chamfer formed in the upper surface of the alignment plate such that when the BGA IC is placed on the nesting member, each of the solder balls is received in one of the chamfers, thereby aligning the BGA IC for contact with the plungers of the pogo pins.