Test socket for memory chips comes with a floating guide

Ironwood Electronics has released a new socket for testing BGA devices like DDR4 memory chips. The SBT-BGA-7051 test socket features a floating guide for precise ball-to-pin alignment. Simply place the BGA device into the socket base and swivel the socket lid onto the base using the shoulder screws.

The test socket uses a compression screw to apply downward pressure and enable the device to get interconnected to the target PCB. It can be employed for hand-test and characterization applications with the most stringent requirements.

The contactor in the test socket features a stamped spring pin with 31-g actuation force per ball and cycle life of 125,000 insertions. The self-inductance of the contactor is 0.88 nH, insertion loss less than 1 dB at 15.7 GHz, and 0.097-pF capacitance. The current capacity of each contactor is 4 A at 30°C temperature rise.

The specific configuration of the package to be tested in the SBT-BGA-7051 socket for a low-power DDR4 memory chip entails the following: BGA 10 × 14.5 mm, 0.8-mm pitch, 200 positions, and 12 × 18 ball array. Finally, the socket can be mounted using supplied hardware on the target PCB without soldering.