IP Library Patent Application 12030037
Patent Application
App. No. 12/030,037

METHOD OF MAKING A SOCKET TO PERFORM TESTING ON INTEGRATED CIRCUITS AND SOCKET MADE

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
12/030,037
Abstract

A interconnect structure is inexpensively manufactured and easily insertable into a socket. The interconnect structure is manufactured by forming a sacrificial substrate with cavities that is covered by a masking material having openings corresponding to the cavities. A first plating process is performed by depositing conductive material, followed by coupling wires within the openings and performing another plating process by depositing more conductive material. The interconnect structure is completed by first removing the masking material and sacrificial substrate. Ends of the wires are coupled opposite now-formed contact structures to a board. To complete the socket, a support device is coupled to the board to hold a tested integrated circuit.

Claims (26)

1 - 46 . (canceled)

47 : A burn-in socket for testing an integrated circuit manufactured by the method of:

fabricating contact elements in a sacrificial substrate, the sacrificial substrate including cavities to form tips of the contact elements;

fabricating an interconnect structure by attaching the contact elements to a wiring substrate supporting electrical routing lines, by connecting the electrical routing lines to the contact elements opposite the tips, and by then removing the sacrificial substrate; and

fabricating a socket board configured to hold a semiconductor chip diced from a wafer for test purposes, wherein fabricating the socket board includes attaching said interconnect structure to the socket board.

48 : A method comprising the steps of:

providing resilient spring contact elements on a substrate;

fabricating a socket configured to hold a device under test;

providing the substrate in the socket so that when the device under test is placed in the socket, electrical connectors of the device under test can contact the resilient spring contact elements; and

performing burn in testing of the device under test with the device under test supported in the socket.

49 : The method of claim 47 , wherein the step of providing resilient spring contact elements includes forming tips for the contact elements in cavities within a sacrificial substrate.

50 : The method of claim 49 further comprising the step of etching the sacrificial substrate to form the cavities.

51 : The method of claim 49 further comprising the step of forming the sacrificial substrate from copper.

52 : The method of claim 49 further comprising the step of forming the sacrificial substrate from aluminum.

53 : The method of claim 49 further comprising the step of forming the sacrificial substrate from silicon.

54 : The method of claim 49 further comprising the step of forming the sacrificial substrate from ceramic.

55 : The method of claim 49 , further comprising the step of forming the sacrificial substrate from titanium-tungsten.

56 : The method of claim 48 , wherein the step of providing resilient spring contact elements comprises the steps of:

depositing masking material on the substrate;

forming openings in the masking material corresponding to the elements;

depositing a first conductive material in the openings;

bonding a wire to said conductive material in each of the openings;

depositing a second conductive material over the wires;

removing the masking material.

57 : The method of claim 56 , further comprising the step of using rhodium material as the first conductive material.

58 : The method of claim 48 , further comprising the step of providing vias in the substrate for electrically connecting the resilient spring contact elements to a board in the socket.

Assignments (2)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 7, 2025
From: HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: FORMFACTOR, INC.
Reel/Frame 072853/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST IN UNITED STATES PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS Recorded Jul 12, 2016
From: FORMFACTOR, INC.; ASTRIA SEMICONDUCTOR HOLDINGS, INC.; CASCADE MICROTECH, INC.; MICRO-PROBE INCORPORATED
To: HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 039184/0280 →