Ironwood Electronics has released a spring pin test socket built for 3x3mm QFN packages on a 0.4mm pitch, aimed at engineers doing device characterization and screening at the smaller end of the QFN family.
The socket uses a low-inductance spring pin contact rated for 10 GHz bandwidth, which keeps signal integrity intact for RF and high-speed digital testing rather than degrading it the way some low-cost socket contacts do at fine pitch.
Mechanically, the contact is rated for 250,000 insertion cycles, a lifespan aimed at production test and burn-in environments where a socket sees repeated device swaps rather than occasional bench use.
Temperature range is -55°C to +180°C, so the socket can be used across extended qualification testing without contact degradation at either extreme.
The double-latch lid secures the device against the contact array and is designed for quick open-close cycling during repeated test runs, without needing tools or a separate compression fixture.
Combined, the specs put this socket in the same performance class as Ironwood’s other CBT-QFN parts: no-solder mounting, small footprint for nearby passive placement, and spring pin contact technology suited to both bench characterization and higher-volume screening of small-body QFN devices.