U.S. patent number 3,837,001 [Application Number 05/448,879] was granted by the patent office on 1974-09-17 for a spring contact for semi-conductor devices.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Joseph Lucas (Electrical) Limited. Invention is credited to Thomas L. Hughes, Peter Graham Massey.
United States Patent |
3,837,001 |
Hughes , et al. |
September 17, 1974 |
A SPRING CONTACT FOR SEMI-CONDUCTOR DEVICES
Abstract
A semi-conductor device includes a conductive header and a
semi-conductor chip secured to the header so that a contact area of
the chip is electrically and/or thermally connected to the header.
A terminal pin is carried by the header and is insulated therefrom
and a metal bridging member extends between the terminal pin and
the chip with an end portion of the bridging member engaging a
further contact area of the chip to electrically connect the
further contact area to the terminal pin. The bridging member is
formed remote from the end portion with a slot shaped to define an
integral resilient tongue. The terminal pin is received between the
free end of the tongue and the wall of the slot adjacent the free
end of the tongue and is resiliently urged into engagement with the
free end of the tongue and the adjacent wall of the slot at three
separate positions angularly spaced around the longitudinal axis of
the pin.
Inventors: |
Hughes; Thomas L. (Solihull,
EN), Massey; Peter Graham (Solihull, EN) |
Assignee: |
Joseph Lucas (Electrical)
Limited (Birmingham, EN)
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Family
ID: |
27260443 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/448,879 |
Filed: |
March 7, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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310995 |
Nov 30, 1972 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Dec 9, 1971 [GB] |
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57143/71 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
257/693; 257/773;
439/861; 257/E23.184; 313/269 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L
23/488 (20130101); H01L 23/045 (20130101); H01L
2924/00 (20130101); H01L 2924/0002 (20130101); H01L
2924/0002 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01L
23/488 (20060101); H01L 23/48 (20060101); H01L
23/02 (20060101); H01L 23/045 (20060101); H01l
003/00 (); H01l 005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;317/234,1,4,5.4,6
;313/260,269 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: James; Andrew J.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 310,995, filed Nov.
30, 1972, now abandoned.
Claims
We claim:
1. A semi-conductor device including a conductive header, a
semi-conductor chip secured to the header so that a contact area of
the chip is electrically connected to the header, a terminal pin
carried by the header and insulated therefrom, a metal bridging
member extending between the terminal pin and the chip with an end
portion of the bridging member engaging a further contact area of
the chip to electrically connect said terminal pin and said further
contact area of the chip, the bridging member being formed remote
from said end portion with a slot, said slot being wider than the
outer diameter of the pin, said slot being V-shaped at one end and
shaped at its opposite end to define a resilient tongue integral
with the briding member, the terminal pin being received between
the free end of said tongue and the wall of the slot adjacent the
free end of said tongue, the pin being in contact with and
resiliently urged by said tongue against said V-shaped end of the
slot at two locations; thereon, whereby the free end of said tongue
and said V-shaped end of the slot together engage said pin at three
separate positions angularly spaced around the longitudinal axis of
the pin so that movement of the bridging member relative to the pin
is substantially prevented.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the free end of said
tongue and said wall together engage said pin at four, angularly
spaced positions around the longitudinal axis of the pin, the free
end of said tongue and said wall each engaging the pin at two of
said four positions.
Description
This invention relates to semi-conductor devices of the kind
including a conductive header, a semi-conductor chip secured to the
header, so that a contact area of the chip is electrically and/or
thermally connected to the header, a terminal pin carried by the
header and insulated therefrom, and an electrical connector
extending between the terminal pin and the chip to electrically
connect a further contact area of the chip to said terminal
pin.
The invention resides in a semi-conductor device of the kind
specified wherein the electrical connector includes a metal
bridging member having an end portion engaging said further contact
area of the chip, the bridging member being formed remote from said
end portion with a slot shaped to define a resilient tongue
integral with the bridging member, the terminal pin being received
between the free end of said tongue and the wall of the slot
adjacent the free end of said tongue, and the arrangement being
such that the pin is resiliently urged by said tongue against said
wall of the slot and further being such that the free end of said
tongue and said wall together engage said pin at three separate
positions angularly spaced around the longitudinal axis of the pin
so that movement of the bridging member relative to the pin is
substantially prevented.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one example of the
invention.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a semi-conductor device, and
Fig. 2 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale of part of the
device shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to the drawings, the device includes a mild steel header
11 having an integral, raised plateau 12 of circular cross-section.
A circular copper pad 13 is received in a hole in the plateau 12
and one face of a semi-conductor chip 14 is soldered to the pad 13.
In the example shown, the chip 14 defines a transistor having its
base and emitter exposed on one face of the chip and its collector
exposed on the opposite face of the chip. Said opposite face of the
chip is secured by the solder to the pad 13 so that the collector
of the transistor is physically and electrically connected to the
header 11.
Extending through the header 11 and the plateau 12 are a pair of
spaced terminal pins 15 of circular cross-section. The pins 15 are
secured to the header 11 by a glass layer 16 so that the pins are
carried by the header 11 but are insulated therefrom. The pins 15
provide electrical connections to the base and emitter areas
respectively of the chip 11 which are exposed on the upper surface
of the chip and to provide these connections, a bridging member 17
extends between each terminal pin 15 and a respective area of the
chip 14. Each bridging member 17 is in the form of a nickel plated,
beryllium/copper alloy strip of thickness 0.25mm and each strip is
formed at one end with a projecting foot portion 18 which engages
the base of emitter areas of the chip 14. Adjacent its end remote
from the foot portion 18, each bridging member 17 is formed with a
substantially U-shaped slot 19 (FIG. 2) the limbs of the slot 19
extending parallel with the longitudinal axis of the strip and
defining therebetween a resilient tongue 21. Each pin 15 is
received between the free end of the tongue 21 of its respective
bridging member 17 and the base wall of the slot 19 in the bridging
member. Further the dimensions of each tongue 21 are such that the
respective terminal pin 15 flexes the tongue 21 so that the pin 15
is resiliently urged by the tongue 21 against the base wall of the
slot 19. Furthermore, the shape of the free end of each tongue 21
and the base wall of each slot 19 are such that together the free
end of the tongue and the base wall of the slot engage their
respective terminal pin at three separate positions angularly
spaced around the longitudinal axis of the pin 15. In the example
shown, the free end of each tongue 21 is plane and the base of each
slot 19 is V-shaped and defines an included angle of 90.degree..
Thus, in this example, each pin 15 is engaged by the plain end of
the tongue 21 of the respective bridging member 17 and by each wall
of the V-shaped base of the slot 19 in the bridging member so as to
provide the required three position engagement of the pin by the
bridging member.
In a modification of the above example, the free end of each tongue
21 is again plain whereas the base wall of each slot 19 now defines
a V-shape having an included angle of 60.degree.. Again the
required three position engagement of each pin by its respective
bridging member is obtained. It is, however, to be understood that
where the base wall of each slot is arranged to be V-shaped, the
value of the included angle preferred depends upon the diameter of
the pin and the thickness of the bridging member.
In a further modification (not shown), the required interengagement
between each pin and its respective bridging member is produced by
arranging that each slot 19 defines part of a circle, the free end
of each tongue 21 again being V-shaped. Of course, it will be
understood that shapes, other than those described, for the slots
19 and the free ends of the tongue 21 are suitable. It is, however,
to be appreciated that in all cases the angular spacing between the
three positions of interengagement of each pin 15 and its
respective terminal member 17 must be such as to prevent relative
movement between the bridging member 17, and the pin 15. If the
angular spacing is not so arranged or if the bridging member
engages its respective pin at two separate positions, then, during
assembly of the semi-conductor device, there is a considerable risk
that the bridging member will rock on the pin so causing the foot
portion 18 to move relative to the chip 14 and possibly to no
longer engage the correct area of the chip.
In a further example (not shown), both the free end of each tongue
21 and the base wall of each slot 19 are arranged to be V-shaped so
that each pin 15 is engaged at two angularly spaced positions by
its respective tongue 21 and at a further two angularly spaced
positions by the base wall of its respective slot 19. This four
position engagement of each pin 15 by its respective bridging
member 17 is also found to prevent relative movement between the
bridging member and the pin and so reduce the tendency for
incorrect connections being made during assembly of the device. It
is, however, to be appreciated that where the four position
engagement between a pin 15 and its respective bridging member 17
is employed, the arrangement must be such that the pin is engaged
by the slot 19 and tongue 21 at two positions each and not, for
example, be engaged at three positions by the tongue and one
position by the slot. Also it is to be understood that in view of
manufacturing difficulaties it is desirable that the bridging
members do not engage their respective pins at more than four
angularly spaced positions.
Further, it may in some cases be desirable to arrange that each
bridging member 19 is provided, during assembly of the device, with
a removable extension piece at its end remote from the foot portion
18. The dimensions of the extension piece will be such that when
the bridging member is mounted on its respective pin the free end
of the extension piece will only engage the header 12 when the foot
portion 18 is engaged with the correct contact area of the chip and
the remainder of the bridging member is perpendicular to the axis
of the pin. The provision of the extension piece will therefore
further facilitate assembly of the device the extension piece being
of course removed when assembly is complete.
* * * * *