Test socket assembly and related methods
View Patent ↗A socket assembly including a housing that has one or more spring probes therein. The socket assembly further includes a leadframe assembly that has one or more cantilever members, and the leadframe assembly has microwave structures and a flexible ground plane. The socket assembly further includes an elastomeric spacer adjacent the leadframe assembly, the elastomeric spacer having one or more holes receiving the spring probes therethrough.
1. A socket assembly comprising:
a housing having one or more spring probes therein;
a leadframe assembly including one or more cantilever members, the leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing; and
an elastomeric spacer adjacent the leadframe assembly and supporting the cantilever members, the elastomeric spacer receiving the spring probes therethrough.
2. The socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the housing has a pocket therein, and the elastomeric spacer is received in the pocket.
3. The socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the leadframe assembly has a first set of holes and a second set of holes therein, the first set of holes in electrical contact with the probes, and the second set of holes is not in electrical contact with the probes.
4. The socket assembly as recited in claim 3 , wherein the first set of holes and the second set of holes each receive the spring probes therethrough.
5. The socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric spacer is resilient to the ground and microwave structures.
6. The socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines are in an coplanar waveguide transmission line structure.
7. The socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines include loopback structures, the loopback structures are configured to connect to an input and output of a device under test for testing.
8. The socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cantilever members include coupling members of the transmission line signals.
9. The socket assembly as recited in claim 8 , wherein the coupling members are delay lines.
10. The socket assembly as recited in claim 8 , wherein the coupling members are phase shifting lines.
11. A socket assembly comprising:
a housing having one or more spring probes therein;
a leadframe assembly including one or more cantilever members, the leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing;
an elastomeric spacer adjacent the leadframe assembly and supporting the cantilever members, the elastomeric spacer receiving the spring probes therethrough; and
an outer metal housing having one or more mounting connectors, where the lead frame assembly is disposed within the outer metal housing.
12. A socket assembly comprising:
a housing having one or more spring probes therein;
a leadframe assembly including one or more cantilever members, the leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing;
an elastomeric spacer adjacent the leadframe assembly and supporting the cantilever members, the elastomeric spacer receiving the spring probes therethrough; and
an outer plastic housing, the lead frame assembly is disposed within the plastic housing and having surface-mount connectors are positioned directly on the leadframe assembly.
13. A socket assembly comprising:
a housing having one or more spring probes therein;
a leadframe assembly including one or more cantilever members, the leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing;
an elastomeric spacer adjacent the leadframe assembly and supporting the cantilever members, the elastomeric spacer receiving the spring probes therethrough; and
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines are split with a balun structure resulting in split signals, and the split signals shift phase to a prescribed amount at a prescribed frequency.
14. A method for testing components comprising:
disposing a device under test in a socket assembly, the socket assembly comprising a housing having one or more spring probes therein, a leadframe assembly including one or more cantilever members, the leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing, and an elastomeric spacer adjacent the leadframe assembly;
contacting the device under test with the spring probes and the microwave structures;
contacting the device under test with the cantilever members and flexing and deflecting the cantilever members;
resiliently supporting the cantilever members with the elastomeric spacer;
and
sending microwave signals to and from the device under test.
15. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the leadframe assembly includes a first set of holes and a second set of holes, and the spring probes electrically contact the first set of holes and ground signals are tested.
16. The method as recited in claim 14 , further comprising penetrating a portion of the device under test with the cantilever members.
17. A socket assembly comprising:
a housing having one or more spring probes therein;
a leadframe assembly including one or more cantilever members, the leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing;
a spacer adjacent the leadframe assembly and supporting the cantilever members, the spacer receiving the spring probes therethrough; and
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines include loopback structures, the loopback structures are configured to connect to an input and output of a device under test for testing.
18. A socket assembly comprising:
a housing having one or more spring probes therein;
a leadframe assembly including one or more cantilever members, the leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing;
a spacer adjacent the leadframe assembly and supporting the cantilever members, the spacer receiving the spring probes therethrough; and
wherein the leadframe assembly has split signal lines having split signals, and the split signals shift phase to a prescribed amount at a prescribed frequency.
19. The socket assembly as recited in claim 18 , wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines include loopback structures, the loopback structures are configured to connect to an input and output of a device under test for testing.
20. A method for testing components comprising:
disposing a device under test in a socket assembly, the socket assembly comprising a housing having one or more spring probes therein, a leadframe assembly including one or more cantilever members, the leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing, and an elastomeric spacer adjacent the leadframe assembly, wherein the leadframe assembly includes signal lines with loopback structures, connecting an input and output of the device under test for testing;
contacting the device under test with the spring probes and the microwave structures;
contacting the device under test with the cantilever members and flexing and deflecting the cantilever members;
resiliently supporting the cantilever members with the elastomeric spacer; and
sending microwave signals to and from the device under test.
21. The method as recited in claim 20 , further comprising splitting the signal lines and creating split signals.
22. The method as recited in claim 21 , further comprising shifting phase of the split signals to a prescribed amount at a prescribed frequency.