Case assembly for stacking integrated circuit packages

Claim 1

A cage assembly (10) that receives and positions at least one PRIOR ART LCC in an electrical and mechanical interconnection with a PRIOR ART PCB CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the cage assembly comprises: a) rigid cage member (12) which includes 1) cage body (24) having obverse and reverse surfaces, 2) plurality of pin terminals (30) extending through said cage body and outwardly from each of said surfaces, each of said pin terminals (30) includes i) pin end (76), ii) apex or tip (80) on said pin end, iii) a plurality of facets (78) that develop said pin end, 3) a locator pin (36), 4) a chamfered corner (26), 5) aperture (28), 6) spacer bumps (38) on said reverse surface of said cage body that abut the adjacent surface of the PCB and thereby develop a gap (40) between the respective surfaces; b) wafer (14) which includes 1) flexible carrier member (44) that is an electrical insulator having an obverse surface (48), 2) plurality of clear holes (84) in said carrier member, 3) an electrical conductor pattern (46) having terminal portions (50) on said obverse surface which further includes: i) contact pad (82) adjacent to and spaced apart from selected ones of said clear holes, ii) contact pad (86) with an extended lip region (88) that overlies remaining ones of said clear holes, the extended lip region includes: aa) a plurality of radially-extending slots (94), bb) wedge segments (92) developed by and between said slots where said segments substantially overlie an associated one of said clear holes, cc) each of said segments having an arcuate edge (96) whereby said combined edges of said segments define a pilot aperture (98) that overlies the approximate center of said associated clear hole, 4) locator hole (70), 5) chamfered corner (72) diagonally opposite said locator hole, and 6) configured aperture (54) which further includes: i) a pair of opposing flexible tabs (56, 58) as part of said configured aperture extending into the aperture region defined by said configured aperture, ii) respective ones of contact pads (60, 62) on associated ones of said tabs (56, 58)m, and c) wafer (16) which includes 1) flexible carrier member (44) that is an electrical insulator having an obverse surface (48), 2) plurality of clear holes (84) in said carrier member, 3) an electrical conductor pattern (46) having a terminal portion (50) on said obverse surface which further includes: i) contact pad (82) adjacent to and spaced-apart from selected ones of said clear holes, ii) contact pad (86) with an extended lip region (88) that overlies remaining ones of said clear holes, the extended lip region further includes: aa) a plurality of radially-extending slots (94), bb) wedge segments (92) developed by and between said slots where said segments substantially overlie an associated one of said clear holes, cc) each of said segments having an arcuate edge (96) whereby said combined edges of said segments define a pilot aperture (98) that overlies the approximate center of said associated clear hole, 4) locator hole (70), and 5) chamfered corner (72) diagonally opposite said locator hole so that a first LCC mechanically and electrically connected to the conductor pattern (46) of wafer (14), and a second LCC mechanically and electrically connected to the conductor pattern (46) of wafer (16) are visually oriented and mechanically positioned relative to the cage member (12) by matching the associated chamfered corner (26, 72) and by inserting locator pin (36) through the locator holes (70) of each of the wafers (14) and (16) and mechanically retained by penetration of each pin end (76) through its associated pilot aperture (98) whereby the wedge segments (92) are flexed outwardly from the obverse surface (48) of each of the wafers (14) and (16) so that the arcuate edge (96) of each segment grips the outer surface of the corresponding pin terminal (30) resulting in a completed cage assembly (10) that can be mechanically and electrically connected to the PCB.