Integrated circuit carrier and assembly

Claim 2

An integrated circuit (IC) carrier comprising: a main carrier member, having a horizontal portion suitable for mounting thereto an integrated circuit (IC) comprising an integral package having a main body and at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of electrically external leads extending outward from said main body, said main carrier member having at least two substantially parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion, said two parallel rows of openings arranged substantially longitudinally overlapping and being normally spaced apart by a dimension at least large enough to permit finger access therebetween, said main carrier member having walls substantially extending vertically from said horizontal portion and forming, on at least one vertical side of said horizontal portion, at least one effective open carrier channel surrounding at least one of said rows of openings, thereby effectively recessing said openings within said carrier channel, said carrier member including means for preventing finger access to said openings of said one row of openings within said channel from at least said one vertical side of said horizontal portion, and a plurality of metallic carrier contacts each having a receptacle opening at one end thereof and an extending projection at an opposite end thereof, each of said carrier contacts being mounted in an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member with the extending projection extending from each opening in said row into said carrier channel, said carrier member means preventing finger access from said one vertical side of said horizontal portion to said projections which extend into said channel from said openings in said one row, while providing electrical access to said projections from said one vertical side.

Claim 3

An IC carrier according to claim 1 wherein extending walls of said main carrier member form two of said carrier channels with each carrier channel effectively surrounding one of said parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member, each of said carrier channels being located on said one vertical side of said horizontal portion and being substantially similar in configuration and each channel including means for preventing finger access, from said one vertical side of said horizontal portion, to the associated row of openings and extending projections which is surrounds.

Claim 4

An IC carrier according to claim 2 wherein each of said carrier channels is substantially rectangular in shape, said channels being spaced apart and each formed by separate pairs of longitudinal sidewalls parallel to said rows of openings.

Claim 5

An IC carrier according to claim 1 which includes a metallic heat sink plate member fixed to said main carrier member, said heat sink member located on the vertical side of said horizontal portion opposite to the vertical side said carrier channel is formed on.

Claim 6

An IC carrier according to claim 1 wherein at least two additional carrier contacts are provided on said horizontal portion, said two additional carrier contacts being directly electrically connected to each other by means other than an integrated circuit.

Claim 7

An integrated circuit (IC) carrier subassembly comprising: a main carrier member having a horizontal portion, and an integrated circuit (IC) mounted to said main carrier member, said IC comprising an integral package having a main body and at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of electrically external leads extending outward from said main body, said main carrier member having at least two substantially parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion, each opening associated with and effectively receiving at least a portion of one of said IC external leads, said carrier subassembly providing at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of extending electrical projections, each projection corresponding to an associated one of said IC leads and extending in a substantially vertical linear direction from an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion, said two rows of openings and their corresponding rows of projections arranged substantially longitudinally overlapping and being normally spaced apart by a dimension at least large enough to permit finger access therebetween, said main carrier member having walls forming, on at least one vertical side of said horizontal portion, at least one effective open carrier channel surrounding at least one of said rows extending projections, said walls extending substantially vertically from said horizontal portion parallel to and in the same direction and substantially beyond the extending projections and effectively recessing said projections within said carrier subassembly, said carrier member including means for preventing finger access to said projections in said channel from at least said one vertical side of said horizontal portion, while providing electrical access to said projections from said one vertical side, wherein said IC main body is located on the vertical side of said horizontal portion opposite to the vertical side on which said channel is formed, and wherein said carrier subassembly includes a plurality of metallic carrier contacts, at least equal in number to the number of IC leads, each contact having a receptacle opening at one end thereof and an extending pin portion at an opposite end thereof, each of said carrier contacts being mounted in an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member with the extending pin portion extending from each opening in said row of openings into said carrier channel and serving as said extending projection, said carrier member means preventing finger access from said one vertical side of horizontal portion to said pin portions which extend into said channel from said openings in said one row while providing electrical access to said pin portions from said one vertical side, each of said carrier contact receptacles effectively receiving an associated one of said IC leads.

Claim 8

An integrated circuit (IC) carrier subassembly comprising: a main carrier member having a horizontal portion, and an integrated circuit (IC) mounted to said main carrier member, said IC comprising an integral package having a main body and at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of electrically external leads extending outward from said main body, said main carrier member having at least two substantially parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion, each opening associated with and effectively receiving at least a portion of one of said IC external leads, said carrier subassembly providing at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of extending electrical projections, each projection corresponding to an associated one of said IC leads and extending in a substantially vertical linear direction from an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion, said two rows of openings and their corresponding rows of projections arranged substantially longitudinally overlapping and being normally spaced apart by a dimension at least large enough to permit finger access therebetween, said main carrier member having walls forming, on at least one vertical side of said horizontal portion, at least one effective open carrier channel surrounding at least one of said rows extending projections, said walls extending substantially vertically from said horizontal portion parallel to and in the same direction and substantially beyond the extending projections and effectively recessing said projections within said carrier subassembly, said carrier member including means for preventing finger access to said projections in said channel from at least said one vertical side of said horizontal portion, while providing electrical access to said projections from said one vertical side, wherein said IC main body is located on the vertical side of said horizontal portion opposite to the vertical side on which said channel is formed, and wherein said carrier subassembly includes a plurality of metallic carrier contacts, at least equal in number to the number of IC leads, each contact having a receptacle opening at one end thereof and an extending pin portion at an opposite end thereof, each of said carrier contacts being mounted in an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member with the extending pin portion extending from each opening in said row of openings into said carrier channel and serving as said extending projection, said carrier member means preventing finger access from said one vertical side of horizontal portion to said pin portions which extend into said channel from said openings in said one row while providing electrical access to said pin portions from said one vertical side, each of said carrier contact receptacles effectively receiving an associated one of said IC leads.

Claim 9

An IC carrier subassembly according to claim 6 wherein extending walls of said main carrier member form two of said carrier channels with each carrier channel effectively surrounding an associated one of said parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member and its associated extending projections, each of said carrier channels being located on the same vertical side of said horizontal portion and being substantially similar in configuration and each channel including means for preventing finger access, from said one vertical side of said horizontal portion, to the associated row of openings and extending porjections which it surrounds.

Claim 10

An IC carrier subassembly according to claim 6 wherein at least two additional carrier contacts are provided on said horizontal portion, said two additional carrier contacts being directly electrically connected to each other regardless of the connection between the IC external leads and their associated carrier contacts.

Claim 11

An IC carrier subassembly according to claim 6 which includes a metallic heat sink member fixed to said main carrier member and in contact with said IC main body, said metallic heat sink member having at least one end portion which extends beyond said IC main body, whereby said extending portion permits coupling said heat sink member to an additional heat sink.

Claim 12

An integrated circuit (IC) carrier assembly comprising: an IC carrier subassembly including a main carrier member having a horizontal portion, and an integrated circuit (IC) mounted to said main carrier member, said IC comprising an integral package having a main body and at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of electrically external leads extending outward from said main body, said main carrier member having at least two substantially parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion, each opening associated with and effectively receiving at least a portion of one of said IC external leads, said carrier subassembly providing at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of extending electrical projections, each projection corresponding to an associated one of said IC leads and extending in a substantially vertical linear direction from an associated one of said opening in said horizontal portion, said two rows of openings and their corresponding rows of projections arranged substantially longitudinally overlapping and being normally spaced apart by a dimension at least large enough to permit finger access therebetween, said main carrier member having walls forming, on at least one vertical side of said horizontal portion, at least one effective open carrier channel surrounding at least one of said rows of extending projections, said walls extending substantially vertically from said horizontal portion parallel to and in the same direction and substantially beyond the extending projections and effectively recessing said projections within said carrier subassembly, said carrier member including means for preventing finger access to said projections in said channel from at least said one vertical side of said horizontal portion; a socket subassembly being removably electrically and mechanically connected to said carrier subassembly, and including a main socket member, said main socket member having at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of metallic socket contacts fixed thereto, each of said socket contacts having an effective receptacle portion at one end thereof and an extending pin at a opposite end thereof, the number of socket contacts being equal to at least the number of said carrier extending projections with the receptacle portion of each socket contact mating with an associated one of said carrier extending projections, said socket contacts being mounted in openings on portions of said main socket member, and at least one row of said socket contact receptacle portions and the portions of said main socket member on which said row of socket contact receptacle portions are mounted being positioned within said at least one effective carrier channel and mating with said one row of carrier extending projections with each of said projections being received by associated socket contact receptacle portions, whereby said carrier and socket subassemblies form an IC assembly in which said carrier subassembly carrying said IC can be removed from said socket subassembly and manually handled without incurring a substantial risk or IC electrical damage or mechanical lead damage, and wherein said IC main body is located on the vertical side of said horizontal portion opposite to said one vertical side on which said carrier channel is formed, and wherein said carrier subassembly includes a plurality of metallic carrier contacts at least equal in number to the number of IC leads, each carrier contact having a receptacle opening at one end thereof and an extending pin portion at an opposite end thereof, each of said carrier contacts being mounted in an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member with the extending pin portion extending from each opening in said row of openings into said carrier channel and serving as said extending projection, said carrier member means preventing finger access from said one vertical side of horizontal portion to said pin portions which extend into said channel from said openings in said one row while providing electrical access to said pin portions from said one vertical side, each of said contact receptacles effectively receiving an associated one of said IC leads.

Claim 13

An integrated circuit (IC) carrier assembly comprising: an IC carrier subassembly including a main carrier member having a horizontal portion, and an integrated circuit (IC) mounted to said main carrier member, said IC comprising an integral package having a main body and at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of electrically external leads extending outward from said main body, said main carrier member having at least two substantially parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion, each opening associated with and effectively receiving at least a portion of one of said IC external leads, said carrier subassembly providing at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of extending electrical projections, each projection corresponding to an associated one of said IC leads and extending in a substantially vertical linear direction from an associated one of said opening in said horizontal portion, said two rows of openings and their corresponding rows of projections arranged substantially longitudinally overlapping and being normally spaced apart by a dimension at least large enough to permit finger access therebetween, said main carrier member having walls forming, on at least one vertical side of said horizontal portion, at least one effective open carrier channel surrounding at least one of said rows of extending projections, said walls extending substantially vertically from said horizontal portion parallel to and in the same direction and substantially beyond the extending projections and effectively recessing said projections within said carrier subassembly, said carrier member including means for preventing finger access to said projections in said channel from at least said one vertical side of said horizontal portion; a socket subassembly being removably electrically and mechanically connected to said carrier subassembly, and including a main socket member, said main socket member having at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of metallic socket contacts fixed thereto, each of said socket contacts having an effective receptacle portion at one end thereof and an extending pin at a opposite end thereof, the number of socket contacts being equal to at least the number of said carrier extending projections with the receptacle portion of each socket contact mating with an associated one of said carrier extending projections, said socket contacts being mounted in openings on portions of said main socket member, and at least one row of said socket contact receptacle portions and the portions of said main socket member on which said row of socket contact receptacle portions are mounted being positioned within said at least one effective carrier channel and mating with said one row of carrier extending projections with each of said projections being received by associated socket contact receptacle portions, whereby said carrier and socket subassemblies form an IC assembly in which said carrier subassembly carrying said IC can be removed from said socket subassembly and manually handled without incurring a substantial risk or IC electrical damage or mechanical lead damage, and wherein said IC main body is located on the vertical side of said horizontal portion opposite to said one vertical side on which said carrier channel is formed, and wherein said carrier subassembly includes a plurality of metallic carrier contacts at least equal in number to the number of IC leads, each carrier contact having a receptacle opening at one end thereof and an extending pin portion at an opposite end thereof, each of said carrier contacts being mounted in an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member with the extending pin portion extending from each opening in said row of openings into said carrier channel and serving as said extending projection, said carrier member means preventing finger access from said one vertical side of horizontal portion to said pin portions which extend into said channel from said openings in said one row while providing electrical access to said pin portions from said one vertical side, each of said contact receptacles effectively receiving an associated one of said IC leads.

Claim 14

An IC assembly according to claim 10 wherein extending walls of said main carrier member form two of said carrier channels with each carrier channel effectively surrounding an associated one of said parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member and its associated extending projections, each of said carrier channels being located on said one vertical side of said horizontal portion and being substantially similar in configuration and each channel including means for preventing finger access, from said one vertical side of said horizontal portion, to the associated row of openings and extending projections which it surrounds.

Claim 15

An IC assembly according to claim 11 wherein said carrier subassembly comprises a metallic heat sink plate member fixed to said main carrier member, said heat sink member contacting said IC main body and having at least one end portion extending beyond said main carrier member, whereby said extending heat sink end portion permits coupling said heat sink member to an additional external heat sink.

Claim 16

An IC assembly according to claim 12 wherein said heat sink member comprises a flat plate substantially located within an effective closed cavity at least partially formed by said main carrier member, said IC main body also being located within the cavity, and wherein said heat sink member includes at least two end portions which extend beyond said main carrier member and wherein each of said heat sink end portions has an opening therein to facilitate mounting said carrier subassembly to additional members, and wherein said heat sink end portions having openings therein are mounted to a metal chassis plate which together with sidewalls of said main carrier member form said cavity.

Claim 17

An IC assembly according to claim 10 wherein at least two additional carrier contacts are provided on said main carrier member horizontal portion and mate, respectively, with two associated socket contacts provided on said main socket member, said two additional carrier contacts being directly electrically connected to each other regardless of the electrical connection between the IC external leads the socket contracts and the other carrier contacts.

Claim 18

An IC assembly according to claim 10 wherein extending walls of said main carrier member form two of said carrier channels with each carrier channel effectively surrounding an associated one of said parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member and its associated extending projections, each of said carrier channels being located on said one vertical side of said horizontal portion and being substantially similar in configuration and each channel including means for preventing finger access, from said one vertical side, to the associated row of openings and extending projections which it surrounds.

Claim 19

An IC assembly according to claim 15 wherein said main carrier member and said main socket member have mating projections and recesses which join said carrier and socket subassemblies in only one desired orientation with respect to one another, said mating projections and recesses engaging each other prior to any of said extending projections engaging said effective socket receptacle portions.

Claim 20

An IC assembly according to claim 16 wherein said carrier walls which form said two effective carrier channels which recess said carrier projections are utilized to provide thereon some of said mating projections and recesses which join said carrier and socket assemblies in only one desired orientation, said mating projections being longitudinally vertical with respect to said horizontal portion and forming guides joining said carrier and socket subassemblies.

Claim 21

An IC assembly according to claim 15 wherein said effective carrier channels are formed by at least two sets of parallel main carrier member walls, each set of sidewalls effectively forming a carrier channel which mates with a raised socket island on which said socket contacts are mounted.

Claim 22

An IC assembly according to claim 18 wherein said main socket member comprises at least one mounting post located between said raised socket islands, said post having a mounting hole therein to permit fixing said socket main member to a further assembly member.

Claim 23

An IC assembly according to claim 19 wherein said further assembly member comprises a printed circuit board having holes therein for receiving each of said extending pin portions of said socket contacts, said extending pin portions of said socket contacts being electrically connected to conductive patterns on said printed circuit board by conductive means adjacent said printed circuit board holes.

Claim 24

An IC assembly according to claim 10 wherein said main body of said IC is positioned within a closed cavity formed by at least one wall of said main carrier member, which may include said horizontal portion, and a carrier cover fixed to said main carrier member.

Claim 25

An IC assembly according to claim 21 wherein said cavity is formed by four main carrier member sidewalls and said horizontal portion of said main carrier member, said four sidewalls vertically extending vertically upward beyond said IC main body and effectively recessing said IC by forming protecting shoulders therefore.

Claim 26

An IC assembly according to claim 10 wherein said main carrier member and said main socket member are injection molded integral plastic parts.

Claim 27

An IC assembly according to claim 23 wherein said carrier subassembly comprises a metallic heat sink plate member fixed to said main carrier member, said heat sink member contacting said IC main body and having at least one end portion extending beyond said main carrier member, whereby said extending heat sink end portion permits coupling said heat sink member to an additional external heat sink, and wherein said main carrier member is injection molded around said heat sink plate to form an internal assembly.

Claim 28

An IC assembly according to claim 10 wherein said carrier and socket contacts are press fit into corresponding holes in said main carrier and socket members, respectively.

Claim 29

An integrated circuit (IC) carrier and socket assembly comprising: an IC carrier including a main carrier member having a horizontal portion for mounting thereon an integrated circuit (IC) comprising an integral package having a main body and at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of electrically external leads extending outward from said main body, said main carrier member having at least two substantially parallel rows openings in said horizontal portion, said carrier, providing at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of extending electrical projections, each projection corresponding to an IC lead and extending in a substantially vertical linear direction from an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion, said two rows of openings and their corresponding rows of projections arranged substantially longitudinally overlapping and being normally spaced apart by a dimension at least large enough to permit finger access therebetween, said main carrier member having walls forming, on at least one vertical side of said horizontal portion, at least one effective open carrier surrounding at least one of said rows of extending projections, said walls extending substantially vertically from said horizontal portion parallel to and in the same direction and substantially beyond the extending projections and effectively recessing said projections within said carrier, said main carrier member including means for preventing finger access to said projections in said channel from at least said one vertical side of said horizontal portion; a socket subassembly being removably electrically and mechanically connected to said carrier, and including a main socket member, said main socket member having at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of metallic socket contacts fixed thereto, each of said socket contacts having an effective receptacle portion at one end thereof and an extending pin at an opposite end thereof, the number of socket contacts being equal to at least the number of said carrier extending projections with the receptacle portion of each socket contact mating with an associated one of said carrier extending projections, said socket contacts being mounted in openings on portions of said main socket member, and at least one row of said socket contact receptacle portions and the portions of said main socket member on which said row of socket contact receptacle portions are mounted being positioned within said effective carrier channel and mating with said one row of carrier extending projections with each of said projections being received by associated socket contact receptacle portions, whereby said carrier and said socket subassembly form an IC assembly in which said carrier, when carrying said IC, can be removed from said socket subassembly and manually handled without incurring a substantial risk of IC electrical damage or mechanical lead damage, and wherein said carrier includes a plurality of metallic carriers contacts, each carrier contact having a receptacle opening at one end thereof and an extending pin portion at an opposite end thereof, each of said carrier contacts being mounted in an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member with the extending pin with the extending pin portion extending from each opening in said row of openings into said carrier channel and serving as said extending projection, said carrier member means preventing finger access from said one vertical side of horizontal portion to said pin portions which extend into said channel from said openings in said one row while providing electrical access to said pin portions from said one vertical side.

Claim 30

An integrated circuit (IC) carrier and socket assembly comprising: an IC carrier including a main carrier member having a horizontal portion for mounting thereon an integrated circuit (IC) comprising an integral package having a main body and at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of electrically external leads extending outward from said main body, said main carrier member having at least two substantially parallel rows openings in said horizontal portion, said carrier, providing at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of extending electrical projections, each projection corresponding to an IC lead and extending in a substantially vertical linear direction from an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion, said two rows of openings and their corresponding rows of projections arranged substantially longitudinally overlapping and being normally spaced apart by a dimension at least large enough to permit finger access therebetween, said main carrier member having walls forming, on at least one vertical side of said horizontal portion, at least one effective open carrier surrounding at least one of said rows of extending projections, said walls extending substantially vertically from said horizontal portion parallel to and in the same direction and substantially beyond the extending projections and effectively recessing said projections within said carrier, said main carrier member including means for preventing finger access to said projections in said channel from at least said one vertical side of said horizontal portion; a socket subassembly being removably electrically and mechanically connected to said carrier, and including a main socket member, said main socket member having at least two substantially parallel rows of pluralities of metallic socket contacts fixed thereto, each of said socket contacts having an effective receptacle portion at one end thereof and an extending pin at an opposite end thereof, the number of socket contacts being equal to at least the number of said carrier extending projections with the receptacle portion of each socket contact mating with an associated one of said carrier extending projections, said socket contacts being mounted in openings on portions of said main socket member, and at least one row of said socket contact receptacle portions and the portions of said main socket member on which said row of socket contact receptacle portions are mounted being positioned within said effective carrier channel and mating with said one row of carrier extending projections with each of said projections being received by associated socket contact receptacle portions, whereby said carrier and said socket subassembly form an IC assembly in which said carrier, when carrying said IC, can be removed from said socket subassembly and manually handled without incurring a substantial risk of IC electrical damage or mechanical lead damage, and wherein said carrier includes a plurality of metallic carriers contacts, each carrier contact having a receptacle opening at one end thereof and an extending pin portion at an opposite end thereof, each of said carrier contacts being mounted in an associated one of said openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member with the extending pin with the extending pin portion extending from each opening in said row of openings into said carrier channel and serving as said extending projection, said carrier member means preventing finger access from said one vertical side of horizontal portion to said pin portions which extend into said channel from said openings in said one row while providing electrical access to said pin portions from said one vertical side.

Claim 31

An IC assembly according to claim 26 wherein extending walls of said main carrier member form two of said carrier channels with each carrier channel effectively surrounding an associated one of said parallel rows of openings in said horizontal portion of said main carrier member and its associated extending projections, each of said carrier channels being located on said one vertical side of said horizontal portion and being substantially similar in configuration and each channel including means for preventing finger access, from said one vertical side of said horizontal portion, to the associated row of openings and extending projections which it surrounds.

Claim 32

An IC assembly according to claim 27 wherein said carrier comprises a metallic heat sink plate member fixed to said main carrier member, said heat sink member and having at least one end portion extending beyond said main carrier member, whereby said extending heat sink end portion permits coupling said heat sink member to an additional external heat sink.

Claim 33

An IC assembly according to claim 28 wherein said heat sink member comprises a flat plate substantially located within an effective closed cavity at least partially formed by said main carrier member, and wherein said heat sink member includes at least two end portions which extend beyond said main carrier member and wherein each of said heat sink end portions has an opening therein to facilitate mounting said carrier to additional members, and wherein said heat sink end portions having openings therein are mounted to a metal chassis plate which together with sidewalls of said main carrier member form said cavity.

Claim 34

An IC assembly according to claim 26 wherein at least two additional carrier contacts are provided on said main carrier member horizontal portion and mate, respectively, with two associated contacts provided on said main socket member, said two additional carrier contacts being directly electrically connected to each other regardless of electrical connections provided by said socket contacts.

Claim 35

An IC assembly according to claim 27 wherein said main carrier member and said main socket member have mating projections and recesses which join said carrier and said socket subassembly in only one desired orientation with respect to one another, said mating projections and recesses engaging each other prior to any of said extending projections engaging said effective socket receptacle portions.

Claim 36

An IC assembly according to claim 31 wherein said carrier walls which form said two effective carrier channels which recess said carrier projections provide thereon some of said mating projections and recesses which permit the joining of said carrier and socket assemblies in only one desired orientation, said mating projections being longitudinally verrtical with respect to said horizontal portion and forming guides joining said carrier and socket subassemblies.

Claim 37

An IC assembly according to claim 27 wherein said effective carrier channels are formed by at least two sets of parallel main carrier member walls, each set of sidewalls effectively forming a carrier channel which mates with a raised socket island on which said socket contacts are mounted.

Claim 38

An IC assembly according to claim 33 wherein said main socket member comprises at least one mounting post located between said raised socket islands, said post having a mounting hole therein to permit fixing said socket main member to a further assembly member.

Claim 39

An IC assembly according to claim 26 wherein said main carrier member and said main socket member have mating projections and recesses which join said carrier and said socket subassembly in only one desired orientation with respect to one another, said mating projections and recesses engaging each other prior to any of said extending projections engaging said effective socket receptacle portions.

Claim 40

An IC assembly according to claim 35 wherein said carrier walls which form said at least one effective carrier channel which recesses said carrier projections provide thereon some of said mating projections and recesses which permit the joining of said carrier and socket assemblies in only one desired orientation, said mating projections being longitudinally vertical with respect to said horizontal portion and forming guides joining said carrier and socket subassemblies.

Claim 41

An IC assembly according to claim 26 which includes a closed cavity formed by at least one wall of said main carrier member, and a carrier cover fixed to said main carrier member.

Claim 42

An IC assembly according to claim 37 wherein said cavity is formed by four main carrier member sidewalls and said horizontal portion of said main carrier member, said four sidewalls vertically extending vertically upward from said horizontal portion.

Claim 43

An IC assembly according to claim 26 wherein said main carrier member and said main socket member are injection molded integral plastic parts.

Claim 44

An IC assembly according to claim 39 wherein said carrier comprises a metallic heat sink plate member fixed to said main carrier member, said heat sink member and having at least one end portion extending beyond said main carrier member, whereby said extending heat sink end portion permits coupling said heat sink member to an additional external heat sink, and wherein said main carrier member is injection molded around said heat sink plate to form an internal assembly.

Claim 45

An IC assembly according to claim 26 wherein said carrier and socket contacts are press fit into corresponding holes in said main carrier and socket members, respectively.