1). Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic assembly of the kind that may have a socket with spring contacts for making contact with terminals on a semiconductor package substrate.
2). Discussion of Related Art
Integrated circuits are usually manufactured in and on wafers that are subsequently singulated into individual dies. A die may then be mounted to a package substrate for purposes of providing rigidity to the entire package and for purposes of routing of signals to a side of the package of the substrate opposing the die.
A socket may be mounted to a circuit board, which may be shaped and dimensioned to receive the semiconductor package. The package substrate and the socket typically have matching substrate and socket contact terminals through which signals can be provided between the package substrate and the socket.
The socket may have a plurality of socket springs. The substrate contact terminals may come into contact with free ends of the socket springs and then bend cantilever portions of the springs by movement of the substrate contact terminals toward a body of the socket. Forces created by the springs ensure good contact between the free ends of the springs and the socket contact terminals.
Such cantilever portions are usually aligned with rows or columns of an array of contact terminals to which they are attached. By aligning the cantilever portions in such a manner, the number of contact terminals in a particular row or column is limited by the lengths of the cantilever portions. The cantilever portions of the springs thus limit the number of electric signals that can be routed over a given surface area.