An IC socket is a device used to electrically connect an Integrated Circuit (IC) to a printed circuit board to verify the IC’s electrical characteristics and assess its reliability. The socket allows for the repeated insertion and removal of multiple ICs, making it suitable for conducting reliability tests iteratively.
Prototyping a new circuit design requires several iterations to arrive at the perfect solution. This iterative process is essential to ensure that design is flawless before moving to the production phase. IC sockets play a vital role in semiconductor testing and prototyping by allowing you to insert and remove ICs from a circuit board without soldering them in place. This makes it easy to swap out ICs and test different configurations of the circuit.
A semiconductor IC socket, also known as an integrated circuit socket or IC socket, is a device designed to provide a temporary or permanent connection between an integrated circuit (IC) and a circuit board. It consists of a socket with a series of electrical contacts or pins that match the configuration of the IC package.