2009 IC Socket Review
By John MacWilliams, Bishop & Associates Inc.


The integrated circuit (IC) socket marketplace is a dynamic $2 billion business that has experienced dramatic changes in the past decade, and stands poised to be a dynamic player when the economy recovers.

Our estimates for growth to 2014 may be limited due to the 2009 recession, yet the outlook is promising in several key areas.

We’ll focus on the specialty socket market, where some companies make mechanically robust, machined sockets for industrial, medical, instrumentation, test, aerospace, and other applications. This market area is often lost against higher-profile pin grid array (PGA), land grid array (LGA) (photo at left), dual in-line memory module (DIMM), and test socket markets.

IC sockets are used to mate IC packages to PCBs, to provide interposers between packages and boards, and are used in various niche markets, specialty and test applications.

 


There are several application areas for sockets:

  • Production sockets are typically stamped and formed, such as PGA, LGA, and DIMM. This high-volume market is in PCs, PC servers, and other computer and storage applications.

  • Test and burn-in sockets are used in IC test and automated test equipment (ATE) applications.

  • Specialty sockets are typically machined PGA, dual in-line package sockets (DIP), and other high-reliability applications.

  • Sockets used for equipment test, emulation, clean room, and other applications.

Why should you socket a component?
There are many reasons OEMs choose to socket rather than direct-attach IC packages. While sockets typically add to an OEM’s material costs, they may reduce the installed cost in many applications. The potential for failure is increased with additional levels of interconnect, but many compelling reasons to socket a component can offset this concern. 

Reasons to socket:

  • Sockets provide protection. A critical component can be installed under controlled processes during final assembly.

  • You may avoid remote, offshore inventories and assembly of expensive, critical components by completing assembly at the final staging area. This will help avoid tariffs or other foreign trade issues.

  • A socketed component insures field replacement or repair of a critical board or subsystem.

  • Hedge against the rare—but costly—need to replace new ICs due to a design glitch.

  • Sockets enable field programmability or upgrade.

  • Ease-of-assembly of mating PCBs, modules, or packages.

  • Maximize flexibility in a multi-vendor, global supply chain.

  • Sockets are often required for in-circuit test, breadboarding, or emulation.

  • Test and burn-in sockets are extensively used in IC manufacturing/test.

Evolving Market Dynamics
Sockets have been used in the electronics industry for many years, evolving from DIP sockets and single in-line packaging (SIP) memory sockets to the current crop of sockets used in modern, predominantly surface mount, electronic equipment applications. How has this market changed over the past decade?

First, electronic packaging has evolved from discrete components and thru-hole (TH) PCBs to streamlined surface mount (SMT) PCB assemblies with chip components, embedded passives, micro-vias, and dense, low-profile IC packages. PCBs today are SMT, but also thru-hole and mixed technology.

IC technology has progressed dramatically via Moore’s Law, with ever-smaller feature sizes and ever-increasing performance levels. Pin counts now number in the hundreds or thousands, and small outline/fine-pitch leadless and ball-bottomed area array packages are widely available. Organic BGA packages, and most recently the LGA package, have become broadly used. Earlier PCB assembly challenges with warpage, coplanarity, etc., have been largely resolved. IC performance has progressed into the gigahertz region, with many applications now operating at the leading edge.

Thus, mass-production IC sockets, which were historically mechanical devices, are now sophisticated electronic interfaces designed with modeling and simulation software. Most processor sockets use stamped-and-formed contacts, which are produced in high volume with sophisticated stamping dies and selective/spot gold plating. Some sockets have BGA-attach to the PCB, although true BGA sockets (engaging the solder ball), still require a solid interposer, or remain limited to test applications due to solder plasticity. 

  • Surface mount technology has irrevocably changed the landscape of high-volume applications.

  • Computer processor and memory applications have focused on OEM-standard PC architecture.

  • Test applications in IC manufacturing have changed dramatically with new high-performance chips.

  • A robust specialty/niche socket market is driven by high-reliability machined-socket designs.

  • Outsourcing of OEM manufacturing is now pervasive throughout the industry.

  • Electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers are now the experts on SMT and board assembly.

  • A major new application (not classically a socket) has emerged: Flash memory connectors for mobile storage, and soon, mass-produced solid state disk drives.

Market Characteristics
EMS companies are now major customer-installers of IC sockets via OEM outsourcing. Large OEMs use EMS providers such as Flextronics, Sanmina-SCI, Foxconn, Celestica, and others. Smaller OEMs, most of whom formerly had their own small assembly shops, now use local and regional board assembly houses, as well as larger multinational firms. EMS companies have substantially reduced the final cost of manufacture for OEMs by ridding them of high fixed costs associated with labor and manufacturing facilitation. In addition, many EMS providers have turnkey design and development departments. They are in the decision-making process when it comes to specifying socket applications. EMS companies have become the SMT experts, and are predisposed to a direct-attach regime where possible. This fits their massive SMT assembly capability.

The EMS outsourcing trend affects the socket market in several ways:

  • Socket makers must cover both OEM (design) and EMS (procurement and manufacturing) “customers.”

  • EMS firms are now the focal point on SMT, thru-hole, and mixed technology assembly issues.

  • Maintaining print position is a challenge, and requires constant attention by the socket manufacturer.

Market Size and the 2008-2009 Recession
While we do not have specific data on sockets sales by quarter, 1Q09 was down 25 to 30 percent in connector sales from 2008. 4Q08 was also down, signaling the beginning of the recession for this industry, even though experts say the national recession started earlier. We are now hopeful that the bottom of the worst recession ever to hit the electronics industry has been reached—but we are not sure. A current attitude survey of the connector industry by Bishop and Associates (www.bishopinc.com) shows that things may be looking up.

Experts think recovery will be gradual and may accelerate in the first or second quarters of 2010. No one really knows, and the direction is totally beyond the control of this industry. Recent unemployment numbers are not encouraging. IC socket sales, which represent approximately five percent of the total connector market, are swept up in this downturn. But sockets are way down in the food chain and are affected differently in various market segments. They typically lag the recovery by one to two quarters:

  • Computer market will be down approximately 15 percent from 2008. Least affected are notebooks and netbooks.

  • But netbooks, which use SMT, may be eating into the notebook market at the consumer level.

  • The industrial market is a mixed bag, with many individual niche markets, some of which will be less affected.

  • Some areas of medical, military/aerospace, test, instrumentation, and others may be okay.

  • Semiconductor manufacturing is down 15-20 percent, affecting test and burn-in sockets.

  • Test costs are an issue in IC manufacturing and represent up to 20 percent of the total cost.

  • Borderline issues of speed, miniaturization, and wafer-scale test challenge test and burn-in sockets.

  • There is also the slow but irrevocable move toward chip scale and flip chip technologies.

  • Surface mount is both a driver and threat to sockets. The general trend is toward a direct-attach method in SMT applications.

World Market for IC Sockets 2007 ­ 2008

This projection may be a bit pessimistic. Rebounds from past recessions have been robust, although it did take four years to recover fully from the 2001 recession. We do think there are other factors at work here, including a continued shift to BGA direct attach.

The Future
The trend toward SMT continues and will impact some socket applications. Desktop systems do socket, but more notebook systems, which are overtaking desktops, use direct-attach microprocessors due to space limitations.

DRAM (dynamic random access memory) continues to be resilient, as the industry moves from DDR1 (double data rate 1) through DDR3 and beyond. Notebooks use small outline dual in-line memory modules (SODIMM), and the need to be able to add memory continues, although to a lesser extent. There is an issue with netbooks cutting into notebook sales, and these have fixed memory on board.

Flash memory has been growing at a rapid rate due to its broad appeal in many applications. While these connectors are not classified in the socket market, their application is with IC packages. Expect to see rapid growth in solid state disk drives (SSDs), with SSD connectors being primarily Serial ATA (advanced technology attachment).

In other areas, such as industrial equipment, point-of-sale, medical, etc., field programmability and packaging flexibility in small to mid-volume and high-reliability socket applications should resume single-digit growth. Overall, the trend toward mobile systems, sealed boxes, system-in-package, and board/system replacement rather than upgrade, impacts the need to socket. All these factors combined, plus the likelihood of a slow recovery from this recession, signal the possibility of slower socket growth over the next two to three years, and possibly longer.

The potential does exist for a new high-volume socket market. For example, millions of BGA packages could easily be LGA, mating to a ball-bottom/low-profile LGA socket. This would improve performance and offer other advantages. JEDEC packages could be specified and performance could be enhanced to meet projected ASIC, FPGA, CPU, and other applications. There are issues with mated height, and as we said earlier in this article, the science of SMT has improved enough to stabilize larger BGA packaged, high-pin-count applications. With RoHS and higher soldering temperatures, this question could be revisited. 

The Specialty Machined and Custom-Designed Socket and Adapter Market

Socket manufacturer Mill-Max provides a perspective on a specific segment of the socket market. The specialty socket market is far less visible than high profile sockets such as Intel Pentium, AMD Athlon, or DDR memory, but it serves an important role in many high-reliability applications in both production, pre-production, and test.

When customers need a high-performance socket for their critical interconnect applications, the precision-machined pin IC socket is an option. These sockets offer multiple advantages over their stamped-and-formed counterparts: 

  • Receptacle shells have seamless construction, preventing solder contamination from entering the electrical contact area during wave or reflow soldering operations.

  • Countersinking at the top of machined pins promotes alignment, making assembly more productive.

  • Machined sockets are made with brass alloy 360 ½ hard, an alloy known for its strength, conductive, and thermal properties.

  • Press-fit assembled inside each receptacle shell is a highly reliable, four-finger beryllium copper contact clip, which scores the mating device lead, forming a gas-tight electrical and mechanical connection. For high-temperature applications of more than 150°C, an alternative beryllium nickel alloy is available.

  • Multi-finger contact clips are superior to wiping connector blades because they provide multiple points of contact to the mating pin, providing better power and force distribution.

  • Two-piece receptacle construction (shell and contact clip) allows for cost-efficient plating combinations. Receptacle shells can be plated with tin for solderability. Contact clips can be gold-plated for optimum conductivity.

  • Socket insulators are made from high-temperature thermoplastics suitable for reflow soldering temperatures.

  • Non-standard footprint pattern insulators can be easily created and configured using in-house PCB routers to machine FR-4 epoxy or G-30 polyimide for applications greater than 150°C.

  • Machined socket production can be automated.

John MacWilliams
Senior Consultant and Analyst, Bishop & Associates Inc.
 John MacWiIliams has been in the electronics industry for over 40 years. His main areas of experience have included: U.S. competitiveness programs, market research studies, authored articles, field sales and management, product marketing management, strategic marketing, new product planning, venture development, advertising and media relations, direct sales, manufacturers representative, distribution sales management, and international marketing. MacWilliams has worked with AMP, Diceon Electronics, TRW, and IRC in marketing management positions. Prior to joining Bishop & Associates, MacWilliams served as the group director of marketing and new product planning for AMP.

 MacWilliams is a graduate of Lehigh University, where he studied business management and engineering.

 

 


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