Test structures and test systems

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a test structure comprising a universal matching member, a connector matching member, a plurality of signal transmission lines, and at least one ground signal line; the universal matching member comprises a matching plane and a reference plane opposite the matching plane, the ground signal line being electrically connected to the reference plane; the connector matching member comprises a reference housing and an impedance adjustment portion, the impedance adjustment portion being disposed within the impedance adjustment portion, and a conductive probe of a connector to be tested being capable of being inserted into the reference housing at any position on the bottom end surface of the reference housing; the ground signal line being disposed within the impedance adjustment portion, the signal transmission line passing through the universal matching member and the impedance adjustment portion, and the spacing between the first ends of two adjacent signal transmission lines being greater than the spacing between the second ends of the two adjacent signal transmission lines. The present disclosure also provides a test system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of testing of communication equipment, and in particular, to a testing structure and a testing system including the testing structure. Background Art

[0002] Connectors are a crucial component of communication systems, their primary function being to electrically connect two electrical components within the system and provide mechanical support for the connected components. With the advancement of communication technology, the structure of communication systems has become increasingly complex, and connectors are being used in a growing number of applications. As latency and data throughput requirements increase during communication, the electrical performance and specifications of connectors in communication systems are becoming increasingly stringent.

[0003] In order to determine the electrical performance and indicators of the connector, it is necessary to perform performance testing on the connector. In related technologies, the commonly used testing methods are as follows:

[0004] The connector to be tested is electrically connected to at least two customized test printed circuit boards (PCBs), and then a network analyzer is used to electrically connect the test PCBs. The electrical performance and indicators of the connector are analyzed by the network analyzer.

[0005] However, using this testing method requires a PCB for testing the connector stator, increasing testing costs. Furthermore, testing the connector using this method can cause irreversible damage to the connector. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present disclosure provides a test structure and a test system including the test structure.

[0007] As a first aspect of the present disclosure, a test structure is provided, wherein the test structure includes a universal matching member, a connector matching member, a plurality of signal transmission lines, and at least one ground signal line;

[0008] The universal matching component includes a matching plane and a reference plane opposite to the matching plane, and the ground signal line is electrically connected to the reference plane;

[0009] The connector matching piece includes a reference housing and an impedance adjustment portion, wherein the impedance adjustment portion is disposed in the impedance adjustment portion, the top end surface of the reference housing is electrically connected to the reference surface, and a conductive probe of the connector to be tested can be inserted into the reference housing at any position on the bottom end surface of the reference housing;

[0010] The ground signal line is arranged in the impedance adjustment part, and the ground signal line is electrically connected to the reference shell and the reference plane respectively. The signal transmission line passes through the universal matching part and the impedance adjustment part. The direction of the end face of the signal transmission line used for electrically connecting to the conductive probe of the connector to be tested is the same as the direction of the bottom end face, and the first end of the signal transmission line passes through the matching plane.

[0011] Optionally, the reference shell is made of a first conductive material, and the hardness of the first conductive material is lower than a first preset threshold, so that the conductive probe can be inserted into the bottom end surface of the reference shell.

[0012] Optionally, the Shore hardness of the first preset threshold is between 70 and 90, the resistivity of the first conductive material does not exceed 100Ω·m, and the shielding effectiveness of the first conductive material is not less than 90 dB.

[0013] Optionally, the second end of the signal transmission line passes through the bottom end surface of the impedance adjustment portion, the spacing between the second ends of two adjacent signal transmission lines matches the spacing between two adjacent conductive probes of the connector to be tested, and the spacing between the first ends of two adjacent signal transmission lines is greater than the spacing between the second ends of the two adjacent signal transmission lines.

[0014] Optionally, the signal transmission line includes a first signal transmission portion and a second signal transmission portion that are electrically connected, the first signal transmission portion passes through the universal matching component, and the second signal transmission portion passes through the impedance adjustment portion;

[0015] The first end of the first signal transmission part is formed as the first end of the signal transmission line, the second end of the first signal transmission part is located on the reference plane, the distance between the first ends of two adjacent first signal transmission parts is greater than the distance between the second ends of the two adjacent first signal transmission parts, the first end of the second signal transmission part is electrically connected to the second end of the first signal transmission part of the signal transmission line including the second signal transmission part, and the second end of the second signal transmission part is formed as the second end of the signal transmission line.

[0016] Optionally, the universal matching part includes a first plate portion and a second plate portion, the top main surface of the first plate portion is formed as the matching surface, the second plate portion is made of a metal material, the first side surface of the second plate portion is connected to the bottom main surface of the first plate portion, the second side surface of the second plate portion is formed as the reference surface, the first side surface and the second side surface are arranged opposite to each other, and the first signal transmission portion is insulated and spaced from the second plate portion.

[0017] Optionally, the second plate portion includes a plurality of sub-plates stacked along a thickness direction thereof.

[0018] Optionally, the second signal transmission part includes a conductive connecting part and a probe connecting part, the conductive connecting part is made of metal material, the first end of the conductive connecting part is electrically connected to the first signal transmission part, the second end of the conductive connecting part is electrically connected to the first end of the probe connecting part, and the probe connecting part is configured to allow the conductive probe of the connector to be inserted and electrically connected to the inserted conductive probe.

[0019] Optionally, the probe connecting portion is made of a second conductive material whose hardness does not exceed a second preset threshold.

[0020] Optionally, the Shore hardness of the second preset threshold is between 30 and 50, and the resistivity of the second conductive material does not exceed 0.05Ω·m.

[0021] Optionally, the second signal transmission part further includes a shielding tube, which is sleeved on the outside of the probe connecting part and fixedly connected to the conductive connecting part.

[0022] Optionally, the probe connecting portion includes a conductive cylindrical portion and a plurality of elastic conductive contact pieces, one end of the conductive cylindrical portion is electrically connected to the conductive connecting portion, one end of the elastic conductive contact piece is formed at the other end of the conductive cylindrical portion, the other ends of the plurality of elastic conductive contact pieces converge toward the central axis of the conductive cylindrical portion, and there is a gap between the other ends of the plurality of elastic conductive contact pieces for the conductive probe to be inserted.

[0023] Optionally, the elastic conductive contact piece includes an elastic piece body and a conductive protective piece arranged on the inner surface of the elastic piece body, one end of the elastic piece body is formed as one end of the elastic conductive contact piece, and the conductive protective piece is arranged at the other end of the elastic piece body to jointly form the other end of the elastic conductive contact piece.

[0024] Optionally, the dielectric constant of the impedance adjustment part is between 2 and 3.

[0025] Optionally, the impedance adjustment portion is a cavity formed in the reference shell.

[0026] As a second aspect of the present disclosure, a test system is provided, which includes a network analyzer and two test structures, wherein the test structures are the test structures provided by the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein a signal transmission line of one of the test structures is electrically connected to a positive conductor of the network analyzer, and a signal transmission line of the other test structure is electrically connected to a negative conductor of the network analyzer.

[0027] In order to test the performance of the connector, it is necessary to provide a test signal to each conductive probe of the connector. Compared with the connector, the size of the network analyzer is relatively large, and the wires leading from the positive terminal and the negative terminal are also relatively thick, and cannot be directly connected to the connector. In the test structure provided in the present invention, the test signal output by the network analyzer can be transmitted to the connector through the signal transmission line. Specifically, the first ends of the plurality of signal transmission lines are directly electrically connected to the wires leading from the network analyzer. The interval between the first ends of adjacent signal transmission lines is relatively large, which is suitable for configuring the wires leading from the network analyzer. The interval between the second ends of adjacent signal transmission lines matches the interval between the conductive probes of the connector to be tested, and is suitable for electrical connection with the conductive probes of the connector.

[0028] The conductive probes of the connector include a grounding probe and a signal transmission probe (the signal transmission probe further includes an input probe and an output probe). In the present disclosure, after the signal transmission probe is electrically connected to the corresponding signal transmission line, the grounding probe can be inserted into the reference housing at any position. Therefore, the test structure provided by the present disclosure can be used to test connectors of different models.

[0029] After the connector is electrically connected to the network analyzer through two test structures, the electrical performance of the connector can be tested.

[0030] As described above, after the signal transmission probe of the connector is electrically connected to the corresponding signal transmission line, the ground probe of the connector can be inserted into the reference housing at any position. Therefore, the test structure has good versatility. The test structure provided by the present invention can be used to test connectors of different models. In other words, when performing electrical performance tests on different connectors, there is no need to customize the test structure specifically for the connector. Compared with the customized PCB testing in the related art, the manufacturing cost of the test structure provided by the present application is lower. In addition, the ground probe of the connector can be inserted into the reference housing, reducing or even eliminating the damage to the connector during the test. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a test structure provided by the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a testing system provided by the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a connector mating component and a second signal transmission portion;

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a connector mating member and a second signal transmission portion;

[0035] Figure 5 is a top view schematic diagram of a connector mating component and a second signal transmission portion;

[0036] Figure 6 It is a structural diagram of universal matching parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present disclosure, the test structure provided by the present disclosure and the test system including the test structure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] Example embodiments will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the example embodiments may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0039] In the absence of conflict, the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the various features therein may be combined with each other.

[0040] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0041] The terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "made of" are used in this specification, the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, and / or components is specified, but the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof is not excluded.

[0042] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It will also be understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted as having an idealized or overly formal meaning unless expressly defined as such herein.

[0043] As one aspect of the present disclosure, a test structure is provided, wherein, Figure 1 As shown, the test structure includes a universal matching component 110 , a connector matching component 120 , a plurality of signal transmission lines 130 and at least one ground signal line 140 .

[0044] The universal matching piece 110 includes a matching plane ( Figure 1 The upper surface in the figure) and the reference surface opposite to the matching plane ( Figure 1 The ground signal line 140 is electrically connected to the reference plane.

[0045] The connector matching part 120 includes a reference shell 121 and an impedance adjustment part 122, wherein the impedance adjustment part 122 is arranged in the impedance adjustment part 122, the top end surface of the reference shell 121 is electrically connected to the reference surface, and the conductive probe 200 of the connector to be tested can be inserted into the reference shell 121 at any position of the bottom end surface of the reference shell 121.

[0046] The ground signal line 140 is disposed in the impedance adjustment portion 122 , and the ground signal line 140 is electrically connected to the reference housing 121 and the reference surface respectively.

[0047] Signal transmission line 130 passes through universal matching element 110 and impedance adjustment portion 122. The end surface of signal transmission line 130, which is used for electrical connection with the conductive probe of the connector to be tested, is oriented in the same direction as the bottom surface. A first end of signal transmission line 130 passes through the matching plane, and a second end of signal transmission line 130 passes through the bottom surface of impedance adjustment portion 122.

[0048] like Figure 2 As shown, when testing the connector 200, a network analyzer 300 and a pair of test structures are required. One of the two test structures (for example, Figure 2 The left-hand test structure (the middle one) electrically connects connector 200 to the positive test lead of a network analyzer, while the other of the two test structures electrically connects connector 200 to the negative test lead of the network analyzer, forming a closed test loop. The network analyzer provides test signals to determine various electrical properties of connector 200.

[0049] In the test structure provided by the present disclosure, the test signal output by the network analyzer can be transmitted to the connector via signal transmission line 130. Thus, the test structure can achieve an electrical connection between connector 200 and network analyzer 300. After setting a reference plane on test connector 200, signal transmission line 130 passes through impedance adjustment section 122, preventing short circuits between signal transmission lines 130 and completing the test.

[0050] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the conductive probes of the connector include a grounding probe 210 and a signal transmission probe 220 (the signal transmission probe further includes an input probe and an output probe). In the present disclosure, after the signal transmission probe 220 is electrically connected to the corresponding signal transmission line 130, the grounding probe 210 can be inserted into the reference housing 121 at any position. Therefore, the test structure provided by the present disclosure can be used to test connectors of different models.

[0051] After the connector 200 is electrically connected to the network analyzer 300 through the two test structures, the electrical performance of the connector 200 can be tested.

[0052] As described above, after the signal transmission probe 220 is electrically connected to the corresponding signal transmission line 130, the grounding probe 210 can be inserted into the reference housing 121 at any position. Therefore, the test structure has good versatility. The test structure provided by the present invention can be used to test connectors of different models. In other words, when performing electrical performance tests on different connectors, there is no need to customize the test structure specifically for the connector. Compared with the customized PCB testing in the related art, the manufacturing cost of the test structure provided by the present application is lower. In addition, the grounding probe of the connector can be inserted into the reference housing, reducing or even eliminating the damage to the connector during the test.

[0053] As described in the related art, the use of customized PCB boards to test connectors will cause irreversible damage to the connectors. Therefore, when testing connectors produced in batches, only sampling inspections can be performed. For the entire batch of connectors, the accuracy of sampling inspections is not 100%, which also creates the possibility that defective products may flow into the market. Moreover, the connectors after testing will be irreversibly damaged, and if the damage is serious, the connectors will be scrapped, wasting resources. In view of the fact that the test structure provided by the present application has the above-mentioned advantage of "eliminating the damage to the connectors during the testing process", when using the test structure provided by the present disclosure to test connectors produced in batches, the connectors can be inspected one by one, and unqualified products can be detected more accurately, thus preventing defective products from entering the market.

[0054] In this disclosure, the specific material of reference housing 121 is not particularly limited. To facilitate insertion of the conductive probe, reference housing 121 is optionally made of a first conductive material whose hardness is below a first predetermined threshold. In other words, reference housing 121 must be relatively soft and conductive. As an alternative embodiment, conductive particles can be incorporated into a relatively soft resin to obtain a first conductive material with a lower hardness.

[0055] The conductive probe of the connector is usually made of metal. To facilitate the insertion of the conductive probe, as an optional embodiment, the Shore hardness of the first preset threshold is between 70 and 90. As long as the Shore hardness of the first conductive material is lower than the first preset threshold, it will be sufficient.

[0056] To obtain more accurate test results, optionally, the resistivity of the first conductive material does not exceed 100Ω·m, and the shielding effectiveness of the first conductive material is not less than 90 dB.

[0057] To facilitate connection with the connector to be tested, as an optional embodiment, the interval between the second ends of two adjacent signal transmission lines 130 matches the interval between two adjacent conductive probes of the connector to be tested.

[0058] In order to test the performance of the connector 200, it is necessary to provide a test signal to each conductive probe of the connector 200. Compared with the connector 200, the size of the network analyzer 300 is relatively large, and the wires extending from the positive terminal and the negative terminal are also relatively thick. In order to facilitate the connection between the signal transmission line 130 and the wires of the network analyzer, the interval between the first ends of two adjacent signal transmission lines 130 is optionally greater than the interval between the second ends of the two adjacent signal transmission lines 130. Specifically, the first ends of the plurality of signal transmission lines 130 are directly electrically connected to the wires extending from the network analyzer 300. The interval between the first ends of adjacent signal transmission lines 130 is relatively large, which is suitable for configuring the wires extending from the network analyzer 300. The interval between the second ends of adjacent signal transmission lines 130 matches the interval between the conductive probes of the connector to be tested, which is suitable for electrical connection with the conductive probes of the connector 200.

[0059] In this way, the electrical connection between the connector and the network analyzer can be easily achieved through the test structure. After setting a reference plane on the test connector and the signal transmission line passing through the impedance adjustment part, the test can be completed.

[0060] In the present disclosure, the specific structure of the signal transmission line 130 is not particularly limited. As an optional embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the signal transmission line 130 may include a first signal transmission portion 131 and a second signal transmission portion 132 electrically connected to each other. The first signal transmission portion 131 passes through the universal matching component 110 , and the second signal transmission portion 132 passes through the impedance adjustment portion 122 .

[0061] The first end of the first signal transmission part 131 is formed as the first end of the signal transmission line 130, the second end of the first signal transmission part 131 is located on the reference plane, the spacing between the first ends of two adjacent first signal transmission parts 131 is greater than the spacing between the second ends of the two adjacent first signal transmission parts 131, the first end of the second signal transmission part 132 is electrically connected to the second end of the first signal transmission part 131 of the signal transmission line 130 including the second signal transmission part 132, and the second end of the second signal transmission part 132 is formed as the second end of the signal transmission part 130 including the second signal transmission part 132.

[0062] In the present disclosure, the first signal transmission portion 131 and the second signal transmission portion 132 can be electrically connected by welding to form a complete signal transmission line 130. The spacing between the second signal transmission portions 132 matches the spacing between the conductive probes of the connector to be tested. By providing the first signal transmission portion 131, the signal output by the network analyzer can be transmitted to the second signal transmission portion 132.

[0063] In the embodiment shown in the figure, the test structure includes two signal transmission lines 130, and the two signal transmission lines 130 form a substantially Y shape.

[0064] In the present disclosure, there is no particular limitation on the specific distribution of the plurality of first signal transmission portions 131 in the universal matching portion 110. For example, in the case of two signal transmission lines, the two first signal transmission portions 131 in the universal matching portion 110 can be arranged in a Y-shape or a V-shape.

[0065] In the present disclosure, there is no particular limitation on the specific structure of the universal matching component 110, as long as it can be electrically connected to the wires of the network analyzer. Figure 1 and Figure 6 In the embodiment shown in , the universal matching part 110 includes a first plate portion 111 and a second plate portion 112, the top main surface of the first plate portion 111 is formed as the matching surface, the second plate portion 112 is made of a metal material, the first side surface of the second plate portion 112 is connected to the bottom main surface of the first plate portion 111, and the second side surface of the second plate portion 112 is formed as the reference surface, the first side surface and the second side surface are arranged opposite to each other, and the first signal transmission portion 131 is insulated and spaced from the second plate portion 112.

[0066] A plate-like member includes two main surfaces and side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces. Given the specific location of the first plate portion 111, the main surface of the first plate portion 111 located at the top of the test structure is called the top main surface, and the surface of the first plate portion 111 opposite the top main surface is called the bottom main surface.

[0067] The first board portion 111 is equivalent to a flat setting, and the second board portion 112 is equivalent to a vertical setting. The first board portion 111 can provide a relatively large matching surface to facilitate electrical connection with the network analyzer, and the second board portion 112 can provide sufficient routing space.

[0068] In the present disclosure, there is no particular limitation on how to insulate the second plate portion 112 from the signal transmission line. For example, an insulating layer may be coated on the outside of the signal transmission line.

[0069] As an optional embodiment, the second plate portion 112 may include a Figure 6 Multiple sub-boards are stacked (in the left and right directions) to form a coplanar waveguide structure and control the overall impedance of the test structure.

[0070] In the present disclosure, there is no particular limitation on the specific structure of the second signal transmission part 132 , as long as it can be electrically connected to the first signal transmission part 131 and the conductive probe respectively and transmit signals.

[0071] In order to obtain better mechanical properties, as an optional implementation, the first plate portion 111 may be made of metal material, and the first plate portion 111 is also insulated from the first signal transmission portion 131 .

[0072] In order to facilitate the formation of a stable electrical connection with the connector during the test, optionally, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the second signal transmission part 132 includes a conductive connecting part 132a and a probe connecting part 132b. The conductive connecting part 132a is made of a metal material. The first end of the conductive connecting part 132a is electrically connected to the first signal transmission part 131, and the second end of the conductive connecting part 132a is electrically connected to the first end of the probe connecting part 132b. The probe connecting part 132b is configured to allow the conductive probe (also called fisheye connecting part) of the connector to be inserted and is electrically connected to the inserted conductive probe.

[0073] As described above, after the conductive probe is inserted into the probe connection portion 132 b , a stable electrical connection can be formed with the signal transmission line 132 .

[0074] In the present disclosure, there is no particular limitation on how the probe connecting portion 132b can be inserted by the conductive probe. For example, as an optional embodiment, the probe connecting portion 132b can be made of a relatively soft conductive material. Specifically, the probe connecting portion 132b is made of a second conductive material whose hardness does not exceed a second preset threshold.

[0075] Since the first conductive material and the second conductive material need to withstand the insertion and removal of the conductive probe, when selecting the first conductive material and the second conductive material, it should be ensured that their quality changes after 200 insertions and removals are less than 20%.

[0076] In the present disclosure, the hardness of the probe connecting portion 132b is preferably less than the hardness of the reference housing 121, and the Shore hardness of the second preset threshold is between 30 and 50. To avoid signal loss during signal transmission, the resistivity of the second conductive material is optionally not more than 0.05Ω·m.

[0077] In order to fixedly connect the probe connecting portion 132b with the conductive connecting portion 132a, optionally, the second signal transmission portion 132 further includes a shielding tube, which is sleeved on the outside of the probe connecting portion 132b and fixedly connected to the conductive connecting portion 132a.

[0078] In the present disclosure, the shielding tube may be made of a metal material. Since the probe connecting portion 132b is relatively soft, the shielding tube can be used to shape the second conductive material.

[0079] As another embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 4 As shown, the probe connecting portion 132b includes a conductive cylindrical portion 132b1 and a plurality of elastic conductive contact pieces 132b2. One end of the conductive cylindrical portion 132b1 is electrically connected to the conductive connecting portion 132a. One end of the elastic conductive contact piece 132b2 is formed at the other end of the conductive cylindrical portion 132b1. The other ends of the elastic conductive contact pieces 132b2 converge toward the central axis of the conductive cylindrical portion 132b1. A gap exists between the other ends of the elastic contact pieces 132b2 to allow the conductive probe to be inserted.

[0080] In order to protect the conductive probe and prevent it from being worn or scratched during the process of inserting the conductive probe into the probe connecting part 132b, optionally, the elastic conductive contact piece 132b2 includes an elastic piece body A and a conductive protective part B arranged on the inner surface of the elastic piece body A, one end of the elastic piece body A is formed as one end of the elastic conductive contact piece 132b2, and the conductive protective part B is arranged at the other end of the elastic piece body A to jointly form the other end of the elastic conductive contact piece 132b2.

[0081] In the present disclosure, the elastic sheet body A can be made of metal material, and the conductive protective member B can be made of conductive flexible material.

[0082] In order to facilitate the insertion of the conductive probe into the probe connecting portion 132b, as an optional embodiment, as Figure 4 As shown in FIG, a guide portion may be provided at one end of the elastic sheet A away from the conductive cylindrical portion 132 b 1 , and the inclination direction of the guide portion is opposite to the inclination direction of the elastic sheet A.

[0083] In the present disclosure, there is no particular limitation on the specific impedance of the impedance adjustment portion 122 . As an optional implementation, the dielectric constant of the impedance adjustment portion 122 is between 2 and 3.

[0084] As an optional embodiment, the impedance adjustment portion 122 is a cavity formed in the reference housing. In the present disclosure, the specific form of the cavity is not particularly limited. Figure 3 In the embodiment shown in , the cavity is a through hole. Figure 4 In the embodiment shown in , the cavity is a countersunk hole. In the embodiment where the cavity is a countersunk hole, a guide hole can be provided on the portion of the reference housing 121 located at the bottom of the countersunk hole to facilitate insertion of the conductive probe.

[0085] Of course, the impedance adjustment portion 122 may also be made of other materials with a dielectric constant between 2 and 3.

[0086] In the present disclosure, there is no particular limitation on the specific shape of the impedance adjustment portion 122. Figure 5 In the embodiment shown in , the end surface of the impedance adjusting portion 122 is substantially elliptical.

[0087] When designing the test structure, the impedance of each part of the entire test structure may be determined first, and then the size of each component may be determined.

[0088] For example, for the impedance adjustment portion 122, the size of the impedance adjustment portion and the size of the second signal transmission portion within the impedance adjustment portion can be determined by the following formula (1):

[0089]

[0090] Wherein, Z0 is the impedance of the impedance adjustment unit;

[0091] μ0 and ε0 are the vacuum magnetic permeability, both of which are natural constants;

[0092] r b is the radius of the impedance adjustment part;

[0093] r a The radius of the cavity for setting the impedance adjustment part;

[0094] ε r This is the dielectric constant of the impedance adjustment unit, which can be obtained by checking the material specification.

[0095] The size of the signal transmission line can be determined by the following formula (2):

[0096]

[0097] Where Z0 is the impedance of the signal transmission line;

[0098] W is the line width of the signal transmission line;

[0099] T is the thickness of the signal transmission line;

[0100] H is the distance between the signal transmission line and the nearest reference layer;

[0101] ε r is the dielectric constant of the signal transmission line;

[0102] D is the distance between two signal transmission lines;

[0103] B is the distance between the two reference layers;

[0104] C is the distance from the signal line to the farther reference layer.

[0105] When the impedance of the test structure is 100Ω, Figure 3 The dimensions of the universal matching piece 110 shown in FIG are as follows:

[0106] The length of the first plate portion 111 ( Figure 1 The left-right dimension is 40 mm, the thickness of the first plate portion 111 is 4 mm, and the width of the first plate portion 111 is 16 mm;

[0107] The length of the second plate portion 112 ( Figure 1 The dimension in the vertical direction is 13 mm, and the thickness of the second plate portion 112 is 3.2 mm;

[0108] The width of the ground signal line 140 is 0.8 mm, the distance between the ground signal line 140 and the edge of the reference housing is 1 mm, and the height of the ground signal line protruding from the reference housing is 1.5 mm;

[0109] The height of the second signal transmission portion protruding from the reference housing is 1.5 mm, and the width of the conductive connection portion 132 a is 0.8 mm;

[0110] The distance between the side surface of the impedance adjustment portion and the side surface of the reference housing is 1.6 mm, and the length of the impedance adjustment portion is 4.4 mm;

[0111] The height of the reference shell is 4 mm, the length of the reference shell is 8 mm, and the width of the reference shell is 6 mm.

[0112] The test structure with the above dimensions is compatible with the performance test of all connectors with conductive probes having a size between 1.5 mm and 1.5 mm.

[0113] The bandwidth of the above-mentioned test structure can reach above 28 GHz, and the above-mentioned structural dimensions can meet extremely high test accuracy.

[0114] for Figure 4 For the test structure shown in the figure, the dimensions are as follows:

[0115] The width of the impedance adjustment portion is 4 mm, the distance between the bottom surface of the countersunk hole and the bottom end surface of the reference housing is 3.3 mm, the length of the countersunk hole is 6 mm, the depth of the countersunk hole is 4.3 mm, and the dimension of the portion of the countersunk hole with the smallest distance from the housing is 1 mm;

[0116] The height of the reference shell is 7.6 mm, and the width of the reference shell is 8 mm;

[0117] The width of the ground signal line is 0.7mm;

[0118] The distance between the ground signal line and the edge of the reference shell is 1.5 mm;

[0119] The distance between the signal transmission line and the edge of the reference housing is 3.8 mm.

[0120] The test structure with the above dimensions is compatible with the performance test of all connectors with conductive probes having a size between 1.5 mm and 1.5 mm.

[0121] The bandwidth of the above-mentioned test structure can reach above 28 GHz, and the above-mentioned structural dimensions can meet extremely high test accuracy.

[0122] In order to obtain more accurate test results, a calibration component having the same structure as the universal matching component 110 may be designed, and the universal matching component 110 may be calibrated using the calibration component.

[0123] As a second aspect of the present disclosure, a testing system is provided, such as Figure 2 As shown, the test system includes a network analyzer 300 and two test structures 200, wherein the test structures are the above-mentioned test structures provided in the present disclosure, wherein the signal transmission line of one of the test structures is electrically connected to port 1 and port 2 of the network analyzer, and the signal transmission line of the other test structure is electrically connected to port 3 and port 4 of the network analyzer.

[0124] As described above, one of the two test structures (e.g. Figure 2 The left test structure (the one on the left) electrically connects connector 200 to ports 1 and 2 of a network analyzer. The other of the two test structures electrically connects connector 200 to ports 1 and 2 of the network analyzer, forming a closed test loop. The network analyzer provides test signals to determine various electrical properties of connector 200.

[0125] In order to test the performance of the connector 200, it is necessary to provide a test signal to each conductive probe of the connector 200. Compared with the connector 200, the size of the network analyzer 300 is relatively large, and the wires led out from port 1 and port 2, as well as port 3 and port 4 are also relatively thick, and cannot be directly connected to the connector 200. In the test structure provided in the present disclosure, the test signal output by the network analyzer can be transmitted to the connector through the signal transmission line 130. Specifically, the first ends of the plurality of signal transmission lines 130 are directly electrically connected to the wires led out of the network analyzer 300. The interval between the first ends of adjacent signal transmission lines 130 is relatively large, which is suitable for configuring the wires led out of the network analyzer 300. The interval between the second ends of adjacent signal transmission lines 130 matches the interval between the conductive probes of the connector to be tested, and is suitable for electrical connection with the conductive probes of the connector 200. In this way, the electrical connection between the connector 200 and the network analyzer 300 can be achieved through the test structure. A reference plane is provided on the test connector 200 and the signal transmission line 130 passes through the impedance adjustment portion 122 , thereby avoiding short circuits between the signal transmission lines 130 and completing the test.

[0126] For the network analyzer 300, the high-speed performance of the connector can be obtained by de-embedding.

[0127] Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specific terms are employed, they are used and should be interpreted only in a general illustrative sense and not for purposes of limitation. In some instances, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise expressly indicated, features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with a particular embodiment may be used alone or in combination with features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with other embodiments. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A test structure, characterized in that: The test structure comprises a universal matching part, a connector matching part, a plurality of signal transmission lines and at least one ground signal line; The universal matching component includes a matching plane and a reference plane opposite to the matching plane, and the ground signal line is electrically connected to the reference plane; The connector matching piece includes a reference housing and an impedance adjustment portion, wherein the top end surface of the reference housing is electrically connected to the reference surface, and a conductive probe of the connector to be tested can be inserted into the reference housing at any position of the bottom end surface of the reference housing; The ground signal line is arranged in the impedance adjustment part, and the ground signal line is electrically connected to the reference shell and the reference plane respectively. The signal transmission line passes through the universal matching part and the impedance adjustment part. The orientation of the end face of the signal transmission line used for electrically connecting to the conductive probe of the connector to be tested is the same as the orientation of the bottom end face. The first end of the signal transmission line passes through the matching plane, and the second end of the signal transmission line passes through the bottom end face of the impedance adjustment part.

2. The test structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reference shell is made of a first conductive material, and the hardness of the first conductive material is lower than a first preset threshold, so that the conductive probe can be inserted into the bottom end surface of the reference shell.

3. The test structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The Shore hardness of the first preset threshold is between 70 and 90, the resistivity of the first conductive material does not exceed 100Ω·m, and the shielding effectiveness of the first conductive material is not less than 90dB.

4. The test structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interval between the second ends of two adjacent signal transmission lines matches the interval between two adjacent conductive probes of the connector to be tested, and the interval between the first ends of two adjacent signal transmission lines is greater than the interval between the second ends of the two adjacent signal transmission lines.

5. The test structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The signal transmission line includes a first signal transmission portion and a second signal transmission portion that are electrically connected, the first signal transmission portion passes through the universal matching component, and the second signal transmission portion passes through the impedance adjustment portion; The first end of the first signal transmission part is formed as the first end of the signal transmission line, the second end of the first signal transmission part is located on the reference plane, the distance between the first ends of two adjacent first signal transmission parts is greater than the distance between the second ends of the two adjacent first signal transmission parts, the first end of the second signal transmission part is electrically connected to the second end of the first signal transmission part of the signal transmission line including the second signal transmission part, and the second end of the second signal transmission part is formed as the second end of the signal transmission line.

6. The test structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The universal matching part includes a first plate portion and a second plate portion, the top main surface of the first plate portion is formed as the matching plane, the second plate portion is made of a metal material, the first side surface of the second plate portion is connected to the bottom main surface of the first plate portion, the second side surface of the second plate portion is formed as the reference plane, the first side surface and the second side surface are arranged opposite to each other, and the first signal transmission portion is insulated and spaced from the second plate portion.

7. The test structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second plate portion includes a plurality of sub-plates stacked along a thickness direction thereof.

8. The test structure according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that: The second signal transmission part includes a conductive connection part and a probe connection part. The conductive connection part is made of metal material. The first end of the conductive connection part is electrically connected to the first signal transmission part, and the second end of the conductive connection part is electrically connected to the first end of the probe connection part. The probe connection part is configured to allow the conductive probe of the connector to be inserted and is electrically connected to the inserted conductive probe.

9. The test structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The probe connection portion is made of a second conductive material whose hardness does not exceed a second preset threshold.

10. The test structure according to claim 9, characterized in that: The Shore hardness of the second preset threshold is between 30 and 50, and the resistivity of the second conductive material does not exceed 0.05Ω·m.

11. The test structure according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second signal transmission part further includes a shielding tube, which is sleeved on the outside of the probe connecting part and fixedly connected to the conductive connecting part.

12. The test structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The probe connecting portion includes a conductive cylindrical portion and a plurality of elastic conductive contact pieces, one end of the conductive cylindrical portion is electrically connected to the conductive connecting portion, one end of the elastic conductive contact piece is formed at the other end of the conductive cylindrical portion, the other ends of the plurality of elastic conductive contact pieces converge toward the central axis of the conductive cylindrical portion, and there is a gap between the other ends of the plurality of elastic conductive contact pieces for the conductive probe to be inserted.

13. The test structure according to claim 12, characterized in that: The elastic conductive contact piece includes an elastic piece body and a conductive protective piece arranged on the inner surface of the elastic piece body. One end of the elastic piece body forms one end of the elastic conductive contact piece, and the conductive protective piece is arranged at the other end of the elastic piece body to jointly form the other end of the elastic conductive contact piece.

14. The test structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The dielectric constant of the impedance adjustment part is between 2 and 3.

15. The test structure according to claim 14, characterized in that: The impedance adjustment portion is a cavity formed in the reference housing.

16. A test system comprising a network analyzer and two test structures, characterized in that: The test structure is the test structure according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the signal transmission line of one of the test structures is electrically connected to the positive wire of the network analyzer, and the signal transmission line of the other test structure is electrically connected to the negative wire of the network analyzer.

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