Connecting circuit boards

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11272616-B2
Application number	US-202016938287-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2020
Priority date	Jul 24, 2020
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

An example apparatus includes a first printed circuit board (PCB) having a power layer, a ground layer, and a slot. The slot includes a first power electrical contact that is electrically connected to the power layer and a first ground electrical contact that is connected to the ground layer. The slot extends orthogonally or obliquely through multiple layers of the first PCB. A second PCB includes a second power electrical contact, a second ground electrical contact, and capacitors electrically connected between the second power electrical contact and the second ground electrical contact. The second PCB is configured for insertion into the slot to form an electrical connection between the first power electrical contact and the second power electrical contact and between the first ground electrical contact and the second ground electrical contact.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first printed circuit board (PCB) comprising a power layer, a ground layer, and a slot comprising a first power electrical contact that is electrically connected to the power layer and a first ground electrical contact that is connected to the ground layer, the slot extending orthogonally or obliquely through multiple layers of the first PCB; and
a second PCB comprising a second power electrical contact, a second ground electrical contact, and capacitors electrically connected between the second power electrical contact and the second ground electrical contact, the second PCB being configured for insertion into the slot to form an electrical connection between the first power electrical contact and the second power electrical contact and between the first ground electrical contact and the second ground electrical contact;
wherein the first PCB comprises multiple slots including the slot, each of the multiple slots being configured to receive a PCB having capacitors electrically connected between a power electrical contact and aground electrical contact, where PCBs are addable or removable from the multiple slots to change a capacitance associated with one or more power layers in the first PCB.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the capacitors on each PCB are configured to increase capacitance between the power layer and the ground layer without providing a proportional increase in inductance.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the power layer is a first power layer and the first PCB comprises a second power layer and a fourth power electrical contact that is electrically connected to the second power layer;
wherein the ground layer is a first ground layer and the first PCB comprises a second ground layer and a fourth ground electrical contact that is electrically connected to the second ground layer;
wherein the apparatus comprises a third PCB comprising a third power electrical contact, a third ground electrical contact, and capacitors electrically connected between the third power electrical contact and the third ground electrical contact; and
wherein the third PCB is configured for insertion into the slot along with the second PCB to form an electrical connection between the third power electrical contact and the fourth power electrical contact and between the third ground electrical contact and the fourth ground electrical contact.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising:
solder or conductive adhesive between the first power electrical contact and the second power electrical contact, the solder or conductive adhesive for creating at least part of the electrical connection between the first power electrical contact and the second power electrical contact;
solder or conductive adhesive between the third power electrical contact and the fourth power electrical contact, the solder or conductive adhesive for creating at least part of the electrical connection between the third power electrical contact and the fourth power electrical contact;
solder or conductive adhesive between the first ground electrical contact and the second ground electrical contact, the solder or conductive adhesive for creating at least part of the electrical connection between the first ground electrical contact and the second ground electrical contact; and
solder or conductive adhesive between the third ground electrical contact and the fourth ground electrical contact, the solder or conductive adhesive for creating at least part of the electrical connection between the third ground electrical contact and the fourth ground electrical contact.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first PCB comprises a device interface board (DIB) of a test system, the DIB for providing mechanical and electrical connections between multiple devices under test (DUTs) and test electronics included in the test system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple slots is configured to receive only one PCB of a same type as the second PCB.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a first printed circuit board (PCB) comprising a power layer, a ground layer, and a slot comprising a first power electrical contact that is electrically connected to the power layer and a first ground electrical contact that is connected to the ground layer, the slot extending orthogonally or obliquely through multiple layers of the first PCB; and
a second PCB comprising a second power electrical contact, a second ground electrical contact, and capacitors electrically connected between the second power electrical contact and the second ground electrical contact, the second PCB being configured for insertion into the slot to form an electrical connection between the first power electrical contact and the second power electrical contact and between the first ground electrical contact and the second ground electrical contact;
wherein the power layer is a first power layer and the first PCB comprises a second power layer and a fourth power electrical contact that is electrically connected to the second power layer;
wherein the ground layer is a first ground layer and the first PCB comprises a second ground layer and a fourth ground electrical contact that is electrically connected to the second ground layer;
wherein the apparatus comprises a third PCB comprising a third power electrical contact, a third ground electrical contact, and capacitors electrically connected between the third power electrical contact and the third ground electrical contact;
wherein the third PCB is configured for insertion into the slot along with the second PCB to form an electrical connection between the third power electrical contact and the fourth power electrical contact and between the third ground electrical contact and the fourth ground electrical contact;
wherein the first PCB comprises multiple power layers, multiple ground layers, multiple power electrical contacts each electrically connected to a power layer, and multiple ground electrical contacts each electrically connected to a ground layer;
wherein the second PCB comprises multiple power electrical contacts each for making an electrical connection to one of the power electrical contacts on the first PCB when the second PCB is in the slot in the first PCB;
wherein the second PCB comprises multiple ground electrical contacts each for making an electrical connection to one of the ground electrical contacts on the first PCB when the second PCB is in the slot in the first PCB;
wherein the third PCB comprises multiple power electrical contacts each for making an electrical connection to one of the power electrical contacts on the first PCB when the third PCB is in the slot in the second PCB; and
wherein the third PCB comprises multiple ground electrical contacts each for making an electrical connection to one of the ground electrical contacts on the first PCB when the third PCB is in the slot in the second PCB.

8. An apparatus comprising:
a first printed circuit board (PCB) comprising a power layer, a ground layer, and a slot comprising a first power electrical contact that is electrically connected to the power layer and a first ground electrical contact that is connected to the ground layer, the slot extending orthogonally or obliquely through multiple layers of the first PCB; and
a second PCB comprising a second power electrical contact, a second ground electrical contact, and capacitors electrically connected between the second power electrical contact and the second ground electrical contact, the second PCB being configured for insertion into the slot to form an electrical connection between the first power electrical contact and the second power electrical contact and between the first ground electrical conta

Assignees

• Teradyne Inc

Inventors

• Brecht Brian
• Plante Roger A
• Pye Richard
• Robison Julie
• Zakarian Alfred M
• Patti William
• Garcia Mark
• Chen Shih-Fan
• Degan Kenneth L
• Too Heng-Kit

Classifications

• H05K3/366 Primary

  substantially perpendicularly to each other (H05K3/361 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05K1/117

  Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors · CPC title

• H05K2201/09172

  Notches between edge pads · CPC title

• H05K2201/0367

  Metallic bump or raised conductor not used as solder bump · CPC title

• H05K1/115

  Via connections; Lands around holes or via connections (H05K1/112 takes precedence) · CPC title