KR20210089444A - Test socket - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a test socket disposed between a device under test and test equipment.

Description

test socket {TEST SOCKET}

The present disclosure relates to a test socket disposed between a device under test and test equipment.

In an inspection process for determining whether a device under test, such as a manufactured semiconductor device, is defective, a test socket is disposed between the device under test and test equipment. The test socket electrically connects the device to be tested and the test equipment, and an inspection method for determining whether the device to be inspected is defective based on whether the device and the test equipment are energized is known.

If the terminals of the device under test come into direct contact with the terminals of the test equipment without a test socket, the terminals of the test equipment may be worn out or damaged in the repeated inspection process, requiring replacement of the entire test equipment. Conventionally, the occurrence of the need to replace the entire test equipment by using the test socket is prevented. Specifically, when the test socket is worn or damaged due to repeated contact with the terminal of the device under test, only the corresponding test socket may be replaced.

A test socket, comprising: a sheet formed of an elastic material such as silicone; and a plurality of conductive parts extending in the vertical direction in the sheet to conduct electricity in the vertical direction, a housing formed of an insulating material, and a housing formed of an insulating material in the vertical direction There may be a pogo pin socket type including a conductive portion configured to conduct electricity.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0010674 (published on January 30, 2019) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1348205 (registered on December 30, 2013) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0045510 (published on April 27, 2016) Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0345500 (Registered on March 9, 2004)

In direct current (DC) and very low frequency alternating current, the current in a transmission line conductor is uniformly distributed over the cross section of the conductor, but as the frequency increases, the alternating current is confined to the skin of the conductor and flows, resulting in an increase in resistance by the square root of the frequency. This is called the skin effect. In addition, as the operating frequency continues to increase, problems such as eddy current loss and RC delay are also occurring in the test socket field. Embodiments of the present disclosure reduce or suppress this problem.

A test socket according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an insulating part formed of an insulating material; and a conductive part disposed to pass through the insulating part in the vertical direction and configured to be energized. The conductive part, a part constituting the conductive part, or a particle part constituting the conductive part includes a core forming a central portion on a cross-section transverse to the direction of conduction, and a coating layer surrounding the core on the cross-section. The coating layer may include a first layer formed of a highly conductive material and a second layer formed of a magnetic material.

A plurality of the conductive parts may be provided to be spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction.

The conductive part may include a plurality of conductive particles. At least a portion of the plurality of conductive particles may include the core and the coating layer on the cross-section.

The conductive part may be formed by coupling a plurality of components to each other. At least a portion of the plurality of components may include the core and the coating layer on the cross-section.

The conductive part may be formed as a single part. The conductive part may include the core and the coating layer on the cross-section.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce or suppress the skin effect of the conductive part in the field of the test socket.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a test socket 100 , a device under test 10 , and a test equipment 20 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of any one of a plurality of conductive particles constituting at least a part of the conductive part 130 of FIG. 1 , and an enlarged view of a part of the cross-section.
3 is a perspective view of a test socket 100 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.
4 is a view showing a form according to an embodiment of the conductive part 130 of FIG. 3, in which a plunger is shown in an elevation and a barrel is shown in a cross section, and a part of a cross section is an enlarged view.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are exemplified for the purpose of explaining the technical spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the rights according to the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments presented below or specific descriptions of these embodiments.

All technical and scientific terms used in this disclosure have the meanings commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, unless otherwise defined. All terms used in the present disclosure are selected for the purpose of more clearly describing the present disclosure and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

As used in this disclosure, expressions such as "comprising", "including", "having", etc. are open-ended terms connoting the possibility of including other embodiments, unless otherwise stated in the phrase or sentence in which the expression is included. (open-ended terms).

Expressions in the singular described in this disclosure may include plural meanings unless otherwise stated, and the same applies to expressions in the singular in the claims.

Expressions such as “first” and “second” used in the present disclosure are used to distinguish a plurality of components from each other, and do not limit the order or importance of the corresponding components.

In the present disclosure, when a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, the component can be directly connected or connectable to the other component, or a new component It should be understood that other components may be connected or may be connected via other components.

As used in the present disclosure, direction indicators such as "up" and "up" mean the direction in which the test socket is positioned with respect to the test equipment, and direction indicators such as "down" and "down" refer to the opposite direction of the upward direction. . In addition, "horizontal direction" used in the present disclosure means a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. This is a standard for explaining so that the present disclosure can be clearly understood to the last, and it goes without saying that the upper side and the lower side may be defined differently depending on where the standard is placed. An upper direction (U), a lower direction (D) and a horizontal direction (H) are shown in the drawings.

With reference to examples shown in the accompanying drawings, embodiments are described. In the accompanying drawings, identical or corresponding components are assigned the same reference numerals. In addition, in the description of the embodiments below, overlapping description of the same or corresponding components may be omitted. However, even if description regarding components is omitted, it is not intended that such components are not included in any embodiment.

The test socket is disposed between the device under test 10 and the test equipment 20 to electrically connect the device under test 10 and the test equipment 20 to each other. The test socket includes an insulating part made of an insulating material, and a conductive part configured to electrically connect the terminal 11 of the device under test 10 and the terminal 21 of the test equipment 20 . The conductive part is disposed to penetrate the insulating part in a vertical direction. The conductive portion is configured to be energized. The conductive part includes a portion in which a conductive material is connected in a vertical direction.

A plurality of the conductive parts may be provided to be spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction.

The conductive part may include a plurality of conductive particles (refer to the first embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The plurality of conductive particles may be vertically aligned at a predetermined position by a magnetic field to form the conductive part.

The conductive part may be formed by combining a plurality of parts with each other, as in Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2019-0010674 or Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1348205 (refer to the second embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4). .

The conductive part may be formed as a single part, as in Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2016-0045510 or Korean Utility Model No. 20-0345500 (third embodiment not shown). In addition, a coating layer, which will be described later, may be applied to the conductive part of the test socket including the insulating part and the conductive part of various known types.

The conductive part (eg, the conductive part according to the third embodiment), a part constituting the conductive part (eg, the barrel or plunger of the conductive part according to the second embodiment), or the conductive part Part of the particles (eg, the conductive particles of the first embodiment) may include a core forming a central portion on a cross-section transverse to the direction of electricity, and a coating layer surrounding the core on the cross-section.

The coating layer may include a first layer formed of a highly conductive material and a second layer formed of a magnetic material. Any one of the first layer and the second layer may surround the core on the cross-section, and the other of the first layer and the second layer may surround the any one of the core on the cross-section. . At least one of the first layer and the second layer may be provided in plurality, and the first layer and the second layer may be alternately disposed on the cross-section to surround them (refer to FIGS. 2 and 4 ). The first layer and the second layer may be stacked. When an alternating current in a high frequency band flows through the lamination of a layer of a high-conductive material and a layer of a magnetic material, an effect of relatively lowering the resistance may be expressed.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a test socket 100 , a device under test 10 , and a test equipment 20 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the test socket 100 , the device under test 10 and the test equipment 20 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . The test socket 100 according to the first embodiment may be referred to as a 'rubber socket'.

The device under test 10 may be a semiconductor device or the like. The device under test 10 includes a plurality of terminals 11 . The plurality of terminals 11 are disposed on the lower surface of the device under test 10 . When testing the device under test 10 , the plurality of terminals 11 may contact the upper surface of the test socket 100 .

The test equipment 20 includes a plurality of terminals 21 . The plurality of terminals 21 correspond to the plurality of terminals 11 . The plurality of terminals 21 are disposed on the upper surface of the device under test 10 . When testing the device under test 10 , the plurality of terminals 21 may contact the lower surface of the test socket 100 .

In this embodiment, each of the plurality of terminals 21 is disposed at a position facing each of the plurality of terminals 11 in the vertical direction. Although not shown, in another embodiment in which the plurality of conductive parts 130 are inclined with respect to the vertical direction, each of the plurality of terminals 21 connects each of the plurality of terminals 11 to the plurality of conductive parts 130 . It may be disposed at a position facing in an inclined direction.

The conductive part 130 may extend in the vertical direction. The conductive part 130 extends in the vertical direction within the insulating part 110 to enable electricity to flow in the vertical direction.

The conductive part 130 is disposed on the insulating part 110 . The conductive part 130 may be supported by the insulating part 110 .

The plurality of conductive parts 130 are spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The plurality of conductive parts 130 may be arranged to be substantially spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval.

Both ends of the conductive part 130 in the vertical direction are exposed on the surface of the insulating part 110 in the vertical direction. The upper end of the conductive part 130 is exposed on the upper surface of the insulating part 110 , and the lower end of the conductive part 130 is exposed on the lower surface of the insulating part 110 . The upper end of the conductive part 130 is configured to be contactable to the terminal 11 of the device under test 10 , and the lower end of the conductive part 130 is configured to be contactable to the terminal 21 of the test equipment 20 . .

The conductive part 130 includes an exposed part (not shown) exposed on the surface of the insulating part 110 . The exposed portion is located at both ends of the conductive portion 130 . The insulating part 110 may be configured to surround the conductive part 130 except for the exposed part.

The conductive part 130 is formed of a conductive material. One conductive part 130 extending vertically may include a plurality of conductive particles. Here, of course, the conductive part 130 may include other components in addition to the plurality of conductive particles. The conductive part 130 may be configured to be flexible.

In an embodiment, the conductive part 130 may be configured by mixing an elastic material having elasticity and a conductive material having conductivity. For example, the elastic material may include silicone rubber, rubber, plastic, urethane, and the like. For example, the conductive material may include metal particles, carbon fibers, graphene, carbon nanowires, carbon nanotubes, and the like.

In another embodiment, the conductive part 130 may include a conductive elastic polymer material. For example, the conductive elastic polymer material may be poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) or the like.

The conductive particles may have, for example, spherical particles, plate-shaped particles, cylindrical particles, and the like, and the particle shape is not limited.

The insulating part 110 has a thickness in the vertical direction. The thickness (length in the thickness direction) of the insulating part 110 is smaller than the length in the horizontal direction of the insulating part 110 . The insulating part 110 may be formed in a sheet shape.

The insulating part 110 is formed of an electrically insulating material. The insulating part 110 may be formed of an elastically deformable material.

For example, the insulating part 110 may be made of an insulating elastic polymer material. The elastic polymer material may be a polymer material having a cross-linked structure. Examples of the curable polymer material-forming material that can be used to obtain the cross-linked polymer material include conjugated diene-based materials such as polybutadiene rubber, natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber, and acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber. Rubber and its hydrogenated substances, styrene-butadiene-diene block copolymer rubber, block copolymer rubber such as styrene-isoprene block copolymer, and hydrogenated substances thereof, chloroprene, urethane rubber, polyester rubber, epicrolehydrin rubber , silicone rubber, ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer rubber, and the like.

A method of manufacturing the test socket 100 of the first embodiment according to an embodiment is as follows. When manufacturing the test socket 100 , the insulating part 110 is manufactured and a plurality of holes into which the plurality of conductive parts 130 are inserted are formed in the insulating part 110 . The hole may be formed to match the shape of the cross-section in the horizontal direction of the conductive part inserted into the hole. The conductive part 130 may be manufactured in a column shape by laser processing. By inserting and fixing the conductive part 130 manufactured in the shape of a column by laser processing into the hole of the insulating part 110, or by filling the hole with a mixed material of a liquid insulating material and conductive particles to harden the test socket ( 100) can be produced.

A method of manufacturing the test socket 100 of the first embodiment according to another embodiment is as follows. The manufacturing method includes a mixing step of mixing liquid silicone rubber (LSR) and a plurality of conductive particles. In the mixing step, the plurality of conductive particles are magnetizable particles. The manufacturing method includes, after the mixing step, an alignment step in which the plurality of conductive particles form a conductive part 130 by generating a magnetic field so that the plurality of conductive particles are aligned at predetermined positions. In the aligning step, the plurality of conductive parts extend in the vertical direction to form the conductive part 130 that enables electricity to flow in the vertical direction. In the alignment step, each conductive part 130 extending in the vertical direction is formed. The sheet 110 may be formed by curing liquid silicone rubber.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of any one of the plurality of conductive particles constituting at least a part of the conductive part 130 of FIG. 1 , and an enlarged view of a part of the cross-section.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the conductive particles may include the core (shown in gray) disposed in the center. The conductive particles may include the coating layer (shown in yellow) surrounding the core. The core may be surrounded by the coating layer.

Referring to the enlarged drawing of the coating layer, the coating layer may include the first layer (part shown in blue) and the second layer (part shown in green).

3 is a perspective view of a test socket 100 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 4 is a view showing a form according to an embodiment of the conductive part 130 of FIG. 3, in which a plunger is shown in an elevation and a barrel is shown in a cross section, and a part of a cross section is an enlarged view. Hereinafter, the test socket 100 , the device under test 10 and the test equipment 20 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 . The test socket 100 according to the second embodiment may be referred to as a 'pogo pin socket'.

When testing the device under test, the plurality of terminals of the test equipment may contact the lower surface of the conductive part 130 of the test socket 100 . The test socket 100 may be disposed between the device under test and the test equipment to electrically connect the device under test and the test equipment to each other. The test socket 100 includes a conductive part 130 electrically connecting the device under test and the test equipment to each other, and an insulating part 110 supporting the conductive part 130 . The insulating part 110 according to the second embodiment may be referred to as a housing 110 .

The test socket 100 may include a plurality of conductive parts 130 . The plurality of conductive parts 130 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction H.

The insulating part 110 may support some parts (eg, the plunger) of the conductive part 130 to be movable in the vertical directions (U, D). The barrel of the conductive part 130 may support the plunger to limit the range of movement in the vertical directions (U, D). The insulating part 110 may form a hole in the upper surface so that the upper end of the conductive part 130 is exposed. The insulating part 110 may form a hole in the lower surface so that the lower end of the conductive part 130 is exposed.

The insulating part 110 may include a housing body (not shown) and a housing cover (not shown). The housing cover may be coupled to the housing body. For example, the housing body and the housing cover may be coupled using a fastening member such as a screw, or the housing body and the housing cover may be coupled using a hook or a fitting method. The housing body and the housing cover may partition a space in which the conductive part 130 is accommodated.

The housing cover may be positioned below the housing cover. In an embodiment in which the housing cover is coupled to the lower side of the housing body, the housing cover may be referred to as a bottom cover.

A hole through which the upper end of the conductive part 130 is exposed may be formed in the housing body. A hole through which the lower end of the conductive part 130 is exposed may be formed in the housing cover.

The insulating part 110 may be formed of an electrically insulating material. For example, the insulating part 110 may be formed of a plastic material. The insulating part 110 may include a component formed of an elastic material such as rubber.

The conductive part 130 may be configured such that the upper end of the conductive part 130 is exposed at a position corresponding to the terminal of the device under test. The conductive part 130 may be configured such that the lower end of the conductive part 130 is exposed at a position corresponding to the terminal of the test equipment.

The conductive part 130 includes the plunger and the barrel. When testing the device under test, the terminal of the device to be tested is in contact with the upper end of the corresponding conductive part 130 , and the terminal of the test equipment is in contact with the lower end of the corresponding conductive part 130 .

The plunger may be configured to be energized. The plunger may include an electrically conductive material. The plunger may include a metal material. For example, the plunger may include a material such as copper alloy, iron, nickel, or aluminum.

The barrel may guide the plunger to be movable in the vertical direction, and may come into contact with the plunger. A spring for supporting one end of the plunger may be provided (refer to FIG. 4 ). The spring may be configured to be compressed and elastically deformed when the plunger moves downward. The spring may support the conductive part 130 .

A portion of the plunger may be inserted into the barrel. An upper portion of the plunger may be exposed to an upper side of the barrel. The barrel may surround a perimeter of a lower portion of the plunger.

The barrel may be configured to be energized. The barrel may include an electrically conductive material. The barrel may include a metal material. For example, the barrel may include a material such as copper alloy, iron, nickel, or aluminum.

The cross-section (a cross-section transverse to the direction in which electricity is supplied) is a cross-section in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, unlike the cross-section in FIG. 4 .

The plunger, which is a part of the conductive part 130 , may include the core (shown in orange) disposed in the center. The plunger may include the coating layer surrounding the core. The core may be surrounded by the coating layer on the cross-section. Referring to the enlarged drawing of the coating layer, the coating layer may include the first layer (part shown in blue) and the second layer (part shown in green).

The barrel, which is a part of the conductive part 130 , may include the core (a portion shown in orange) disposed in the center. The barrel may include the coating layer surrounding the core. The core may be surrounded by the coating layer on the cross-section. Referring to the enlarged drawing of the coating layer, the coating layer may include the first layer (part shown in blue) and the second layer (part shown in green).

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the above-described coating layer will be further described. On the cross-section, the layer surrounding the core is preferably the first layer. On the cross-section, the innermost layer of the coating layer is preferably the first layer. In the cross-section, the outermost layer is preferably the second layer.

The core may be formed of various types of conductive metals and may be formed of non-conductive materials, but is not limited thereto.

The first layer may be formed of the highly conductive material. The meaning of "high conductivity" here means that the conductivity is higher than that of the material of the second layer. The highly conductive material may include 'at least one' or 'alloy comprising at least one or more' of gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, rhodium and chromium, and has a conductivity similar to or better than that of the above-described material. There is no limitation as long as it provides , and it may be applicable if it is higher than the conductivity of the second layer. In addition, the highly conductive material may include 'at least one' or 'alloy comprising at least one' of gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, rhodium, chromium, aluminum (Al), and graphene. .

The second layer may be formed of a magnetic material. Here, the meaning of “magnetic” means greater than the magnetism of the first layer. The magnetic material may include 'at least one' or 'alloy comprising at least one or more' of iron, nickel, and cobalt, and there is no limitation as long as it provides magnetism similar to or higher than that of the first layer. In some cases, it may be applicable. In addition, the magnetic material may include 'at least one' or 'alloy including at least one' of iron, nickel, and cobalt. The magnetic material may include ferrite, cobalt, NiFe (referred to as Permalloy, Py), and the like.

The thickness of the first layer may be 20nm to 2um. The first layer preferably has a thickness smaller than a thickness at which a skin effect occurs, which is determined according to a material of the first layer and a frequency band to be energized. For example, according to an experiment, when the material of the first layer is copper (Cu) and the frequency band of an alternating current to be energized is a frequency band of 10 GHz, the determined skin depth is 654 nm, and the thickness of the first layer is smaller than 654 nm It is preferable to have When the material of the first layer is copper (Cu) and the frequency band of the alternating current is 10 GHz, the thickness of the first layer is preferably 200 nm to 240 nm, and the thickness of the first layer is about 220 nm Most preferred.

Since the electrical conductivity of the magnetic material is smaller than that of the first layer, the thickness of the second layer is preferably 70 nm or less.

The frequency value at which the resistance of the conductive part 130 changes varies according to the thickness and the number of layers of each of the first layer and the second layer.

On the other hand, as a method of manufacturing the coating layer on the surface of the core, known deposition methods such as sputter, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, spin coating, plating (eg, electroless plating, substitution plating), etc. can be used, but is not limited to this method.

Although the technical spirit of the present disclosure has been described by examples shown in some embodiments and the accompanying drawings, it does not depart from the technical spirit and scope of the present disclosure that can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It should be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and alterations within the scope may be made. Further, such substitutions, modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (1)

It includes a conductive part that penetrates in the vertical direction and is disposed and can conduct electricity,
The conductive part, the parts included in the conductive part, or the particles included in the conductive part,
core; and
A coating layer laminated on the core,
The coating layer is
a first layer formed of a highly conductive material; and
a second layer formed of a magnetic material;
test socket.

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