Test socket assembly and related methods
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 test socket assembly comprising:
a housing;
a leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible signal and ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing; and
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines include loopback structures, the loopback structures are configured to connect to at least one input and at least one output of a device under test for testing.
2. The test socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a spacer adjacent to the leadframe assembly and supporting the leadframe assembly, wherein the spacer is resilient to the ground and microwave structures.
3. The test socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising an outer metal housing having one or more mounting connectors, where the lead frame assembly is disposed within the outer metal housing.
4. The test socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising an outer plastic housing, the leadframe assembly is disposed within the plastic housing and having surface-mount connectors positioned directly on the leadframe assembly.
5. The test socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the signal lines are in a coplanar waveguide transmission line structure.
6. A test socket assembly comprising:
a housing;
a leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible signal and ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing;
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines include loopback structures, the loopback structures are configured to connect to at least one input and at least one output of a device under test for testing; and
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines with split signals, and the split signals shift phase to a prescribed amount at a prescribed frequency.
7. A test socket assembly comprising:
a housing;
a leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible signal and ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing;
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines include loopback structures, the loopback structures are configured to connect to at least one input and at least one output of a device under test for testing; and
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines with split signals, and the split signals shift phase of 180 degrees.
8. A test socket assembly comprising:
a housing;
a leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible signal and ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing;
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines include loopback structures, the loopback structures are configured to connect to at least one input and at least one output of a device under test for testing; and
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines with split signals, and the split signals shift phase to a prescribed amount at a prescribed frequency; wherein a resultant output of the split signals is a balanced differential signal pair.
9. The test socket assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the leadframe assembly further includes cantilever members, the cantilever members include coupling members of transmission line signals.
10. The test socket assembly as recited in claim 9 , wherein the coupling members are delay lines.
11. The test socket assembly as recited in claim 9 , wherein the coupling members are phase shifting lines.
12. A test socket assembly comprising:
a housing;
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; and
wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines include loopback structures, the loopback structures are configured to connect to at least one input and at least one output of a device under test for testing.
13. A test socket assembly comprising:
a housing;
a leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a ground plane, the leadframe assembly disposed within the housing; 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.
14. The test socket assembly as recited in claim 13 , wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines, and the signal lines include loopback structures, the loopback structures are configured to connect to at least one input and at least one output of a device under test for testing.
15. The test socket assembly as recited in claim 13 , wherein the leadframe assembly has signal lines with split signals, and the split signals shift phase of 180 degrees.
16. A method for testing components comprising:
disposing a device under test in a test socket assembly, the test socket assembly including a housing, a leadframe assembly having impedance controlled microwave structures and a flexible ground plane, and signal lines, the leadframe assembly is disposed within the housing;
contacting the device under test with the impedance controlled microwave structures;
sending microwave signals to and from the device under test; and
splitting the signal lines and creating split signals.
17. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the signal lines include loopback structures, and the method further includes connecting at least one input and at least one output of the device under test for testing.
18. The method as recited in claim 16 , further comprising shifting phase of the split signals to a prescribed amount at a prescribed frequency.
19. The method as recited in claim 18 , wherein shifting phase of the split signals includes shifting 180 degrees.
20. The method as recited in claim 16 , further comprising contacting the device under test with cantilever members of the lead assembly and flexing and deflecting the cantilever members.
21. The method as recited in claim 20 , further comprising resiliently supporting the cantilever members with a spacer.
22. The method as recited in claim 20 , further comprising penetrating a portion of the device under test with the cantilever members.