High speed high density near chip connector

Abstract

A dense, high-speed pressure-mount connector suitable for near-chip applications. The wafer has signal conductors stamped as part of a leadframe including grounding beams and plates interconnecting the grounding beams. The signal conductors are held in insulating islands mechanically coupled to the grounding beams, with the tails of the signal conductors exposed at each island for signal lines to terminate to a cable. The islands and signal conductor terminations may be at least partially surrounded on each of the four sides by a grounding member including a corrugated shield. Reinforcement may be attached to the corrugated shield to resist wafer warping that could interfere with electrical performance. The wafer may be held to a wafer retainer, for example, by soldering. The connector may include a spring-loaded protector that lifts the contact tip from the surface until the connector is properly positioned and forced into contact with the surface.

Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 553,129, filed February 13, 2024, entitled “High-Speed ​​High-Density Near-Chip Connector,” pursuant to 35 USC §119(e), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Technology

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to an electrical connector, and more specifically, to a high-speed, high-density near-chip connector.

[0003] Electrical connectors are used in many electronic systems. It is often easier and more cost-effective to manufacture a system as individual electronic sub-components (such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) or chip packages), which can then be connected together using electrical connectors. Separable connectors allow for easy assembly of components from electronic systems manufactured by different companies. Separable connectors also facilitate easy component replacement after system assembly, whether replacing a defective component or upgrading the system with a higher-performance component.

[0004] Sub-assemblies can be connected via two-piece connectors, with one connector component on each sub-assembly to be connected. In this type of known arrangement, a sub-assembly can serve as a backplane. Other printed circuit boards, referred to as "daughter boards" or "daughter cards," can be connected via the backplane. The backplane can include a number of connectors electrically connected via the backplane. In some systems, the backplane is implemented as a printed circuit board, and the connectors are connected via conductive traces in the printed circuit board. In other systems, the backplane can be implemented using cables, establishing electrical connections between the connectors on the backplane. Connectors can also be mounted on the daughter cards. Connectors mounted on the daughter cards can be inserted into connectors mounted on the backplane. In this way, signals can be routed between daughter cards via the backplane. Daughter cards can be inserted into the backplane at right angles. Therefore, connectors on daughter cards can include right-angle bends and are commonly referred to as "right-angle connectors."

[0005] Connectors can also be used in other configurations for interconnecting sub-components. Sometimes, one or more smaller printed circuit boards (PCBs) can be connected to another larger PCB. In this configuration, the larger PCB can be referred to as the "mother board," and the PCBs connected to it can be referred to as daughter boards. If the boards to be connected are aligned parallel to each other, they can be connected using connectors commonly known as "stack connectors" or "mezzanine connectors." In other architectures, the mother board may include a card edge connector, and the edges of the daughter cards can be inserted into this card edge connector to establish a connection between the daughter cards and the mother board.

[0006] Connectors can also be used to enable signals to be routed to or from electronic devices. A connector, called an "I / O connector," can be mounted onto a printed circuit board, typically at the edge of the board. This connector can be configured to receive a plug at one end of a connector assembly, allowing a cable to be connected to the printed circuit board via the I / O connector. The other end of the connector assembly can be connected to another electronic device.

[0007] Cables have also been used to establish connections within the same electronic device. Cables can be used to route signals from I / O connectors to processor components or other high-performance chips located inside a printed circuit board (PCB), away from the edges where the I / O connectors are mounted. In other configurations, both ends of the cable can be connected to the same PCB. Cables can be used to carry signals between components mounted on a PCB, near the location where each end of the cable connects to the PCB. In yet another system configuration, cables can be used to route signals from connectors mating with a daughterboard to the vicinity of a high-performance chip, which may be located close to the interior of the PCB, whether or not the PCB is the same as or different from the one mounting the connector.

[0008] Routing signals via cables rather than printed circuit boards can be advantageous because cables provide a signal path with high signal integrity, especially for high-frequency signals, such as those using NRZ protocols above 40 Gbps or higher bit rates (e.g., 56 Gbps or higher) using higher-order modulation (e.g., PAM 4). Known cables have one or more signal conductors surrounded by a dielectric material, which in turn is surrounded by a conductive layer. A protective sheath, typically made of plastic, can surround these components. Furthermore, the sheath or other parts of the cable may include fibers or other structures for mechanical support.

[0009] A type of cable called a "biaxial cable" is constructed to support the transmission of differential signals and has balanced signal pairs embedded in a dielectric material and surrounded by a conductive layer. The conductive layer is typically formed using foil, such as aluminized polyester film. Biaxial cables may also have a stripper wire. Unlike the signal wire, which is usually surrounded by dielectric material, the stripper wire can be uncoated, allowing it to contact the conductive layer at multiple points along the cable's length. At the cable's end, where it terminates to a connector or other termination structure, the protective sheath, dielectric material, and foil can be removed, leaving the signal wire and stripper wire exposed at the cable end. These wires can be attached to the termination structure, such as a connector. The signal wire can be attached to a conductive element in the connector structure that serves as a mating contact. The foil can be attached to the ground conductor in the termination structure, either directly or via the stripper wire (if present). This allows any ground return path to continue from the cable to the termination structure.

[0010] High-speed, high-bandwidth cables have been used to route signals to or from processors and other electrical components that handle large volumes of high-speed, high-bandwidth signals. Cables reduce signal attenuation when entering and exiting these components compared to routing the same signal a similar distance through a printed circuit board. This benefit is likely most significant at high frequencies, such as those required to support data rates of 112 Gbps or higher.

[0011] To integrate these cables into electronic systems, they can be configured as cable assemblies. Within a cable assembly, one end of the cable can be terminated to a connector, such as an I / O connector or a backplane connector that mates with a daughterboard. The other end of the cable can be terminated to a connector, sometimes called a near-chip connector, which establishes a connection with the printed circuit board, either directly or by mating with another connector. Direct connections can be formed using pressure-mount connectors, where mating contacts are pressed against conductive pads on the circuitry of the PCB, forming a separable connection when the connector is pressed against the PCB.

[0012] While transmitting high-speed signals via cable instead of a printed circuit board has advantages, using a cable assembly may offer little or no benefit if the near-chip connector of the cable assembly does not support the signal frequency transmitted through the cable. Near-chip connectors inevitably introduce discontinuities between the cable and the printed circuit board. This discontinuity can interfere with the integrity of the signal passing through the cable assembly, especially at higher frequencies, and may limit the operating frequency of the cable assembly and therefore the electronic system. Summary of the Invention

[0013] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a subassembly for an electrical connector includes a first plurality of contact beams and a metal member including a first edge and a second plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge. The first plurality of contact beams are aligned with and staggered with the second plurality of contact beams. The subassembly also includes an insulating material adhered to the metal member and the second plurality of contact beams.

[0014] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a sub-assembly for an electrical connector includes a metal member comprising a first edge and a plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge, and a corrugated member comprising a plurality of peaks and a plurality of valleys. Valleys of the plurality of valleys are fixed to the metal member, and the surface of the corrugated member facing the metal member is selectively plated with a plating material.

[0015] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a subassembly for an electrical connector includes a first conductive member extending in a first plane, the first conductive member including a first edge and a first plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge in a row. The first conductive member includes a plurality of openings therethrough. The subassembly also includes a second plurality of contact beams, each of the second plurality of contact beams including a portion of a corresponding contact among a plurality of contacts disposed within the plurality of openings. The second plurality of contact beams are aligned with the first plurality of contact beams in the row, and each of the plurality of contacts includes a portion bent out of the first plane and configured for attaching a tail of a cable. The subassembly further includes a second conductive member extending in a second plane parallel to the first plane, the second conductive member including a first portion and a second portion fixed to the first conductive member. The corresponding second portion is aligned with the tail of one or more of the plurality of contacts in a direction perpendicular to the second plane.

[0016] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a sub-assembly for an electrical connector includes a grounding member and a corrugated member comprising multiple peaks and multiple valleys. A valley of the plurality of valleys is fixed to the grounding member. A metal member is fixed to the corrugated member.

[0017] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an electrical connector includes a first metal member including a first plurality of engagement features, a second metal member including a second plurality of engagement features, and a plurality of sub-assemblies disposed between the first metal member and the second metal member, each of the plurality of sub-assemblies including a plurality of contacts and a support member. The support member engages a corresponding engagement feature among the first plurality of engagement features and a corresponding engagement feature among the second plurality of engagement features.

[0018] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a pressure-mounted electrical connector includes a housing comprising a mating surface having an opening therein; a plurality of contacts, each contact including a compliant portion exposed in the opening of the mating surface; a frame at least partially defining the opening; and a spring member located between the housing and the frame. The spring member biases the frame away from the housing in a direction perpendicular to the mating surface.

[0019] The aforementioned features may be used individually or in any combination in any of the foregoing embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For clarity, not every component is labeled in every drawing. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1A This is a top perspective view of the pressure mount chip connector near the substrate. Figure 1B yes Figure 1A Bottom view of the pressure-mounted connector; Figure 2 yes Figure 1A A partially exploded view of the pressure-mounted connector; Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the contact protector at the mating interface between the connector and the connector pad area on the substrate surface. Figure 4 yes Figure 1A Top perspective view of the pressure-mounted connector, with the housing hidden and the cable section cut out; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A partially exploded view of the pressure-mounted connector, with a partial enlarged view showing the enlarged side view of the wafer holder; Figure 6 yes Figure 4 Top perspective view of the pressure-mounted connector, with the cable, wafer carrier, and wafer holder hidden; Figure 7 yes Figure 6 An enlarged view of a portion of a pressure-mounted connector, with a partial enlarged view showing the mating contact portion of the conductive elements inside the connector engaging with pads on the substrate surface; Figure 8A yes Figure 1A Top perspective view of the pressure-mounted connector chip; Figure 8B yes Figure 8A Bottom perspective view of the chip; Figure 8C yes Figure 8B A bottom perspective view of the chip, in which the grounding component is hidden to expose the mating contact portion of the signal conductors inside the chip; Figure 9A It is a section cut along a line parallel to a row of mating contact parts. Figure 8A A front perspective view of the chip; Figure 9B It is a section cut along a line perpendicular to a row of mating contact parts. Figure 8A A front perspective view of the chip; Figure 10 yes Figure 1A A rear perspective view of the pressure-mounted connector chip, cut through the cable terminated to the chip; Figure 11 yes Figure 10 A partially exploded view of the chip; Figure 12 yes Figure 11 The top rear perspective view of the chip, where the reinforcement and corrugated shielding are hidden, and three of the four cables are terminated to conductive elements inside the connector; Figure 13 This is an enlarged view of the distal end of a cable terminated in a signal conductor held within a wafer by an insulating overlay molding. Figure 14 yes Figure 13 An enlarged view of the chip, where the insulating overlay is hidden, and two pairs of signal conductors are magnified and shown; Figure 15A It is used to form Figure 10 Top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the stamped lead frame of the wafer, configured for the alternative wire gauge; Figure 15B It is used to form Figure 10 Bottom perspective view of the stamped part of the lead frame of the chip; Figure 16 It is used to form Figure 15B The top perspective view of the stamped lead frame of the chip, wherein insulating islands hold the signal contacts to the ground network, and connecting rods are cut to electrically separate the signal contacts and the ground network, one of the islands being shown in magnification; Figure 17 This is a top perspective view of a corrugated shield, stamped from a metal sheet and still attached to a carrier strip; and Figure 18 yes Figure 17 An enlarged view of the corrugated shield, with the plated surface marked. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The inventors have recognized and grasped the design of near-chip connectors that support very high operating frequencies (including frequencies above 112 Gbps up to and exceeding 224 Gbps) while meeting current signal integrity metrics. For example, the connector can provide -1 dB loss up to 28 GHz; -12 dB reflections at least up to 28 GHz (e.g., up to 40 GHz); and power and crosstalk of less than -55 dB near-end crosstalk (NEXT), such as -60 dB (NEXT), and less than -35 dB far-end crosstalk (FEXT), such as -40 dB (FEXT). Such connectors can also support high-density interconnects. The center-to-center spacing of the signal contacts associated with a signal pair can be less than 1.0 mm, for example, maintaining a contact pitch of 0.6 mm within the signal pair or other contact pitches in the range of 0.4 to 0.8 mm.

[0022] The center-to-center spacing of signal conductors within a row can be less than 3.5 mm, for example, a spacing of 3.2 mm or other spacings within the range of 3.0 mm to 3.5 mm. The center-to-center spacing between rows can also be less than 3.5 mm, for example, a row spacing of 3.0 mm or other row spacings within the range of 2.7 to 3.3 mm. Connectors with this density can, for example, be used in structures with a spacing of less than 1,000 mm. 2 (e.g., less than 900 mm) 2Or in some examples at 800 to 950 mm 2 The connector (between) supports a connection density of 40 differential pairs per connector within an area on the printed circuit board (e.g., the connector footprint). Such a connector, even with 40 differential pairs, can be small enough to be mounted on a pitch of 22 mm x 45.6 mm.

[0023] The connectors described in this article enable the efficient manufacture of small, high-performance electronic devices, such as servers and switches. These near-chip connectors support high-density, high-speed signal connections to processors and other components in the center-of-board (i.e., daughterboard) region of the electronic device. The other end of the cable terminated at the connector can be connected to the connector, such as an I / O or backplane connector, or to another location away from the center of the board, allowing the connector assembly cable to carry high-speed signals with high signal integrity over long distances (e.g., 6 inches or longer).

[0024] Connectors can support pressure-mount interfaces to substrates (e.g., PCBs or semiconductor chip substrates) that host processors or other components that handle large volumes of high-speed signals. Connectors can combine the feature of providing a large number of pressure-mount interconnects within a relatively small volume. A connector may include a set of contact subassemblies (also called wafers) manufactured in a similar manner, with interconnects between different wafers parallel but located in different planes. Each set of interconnects can be associated with a single wafer.

[0025] A connector can terminate multiple cables, with each signal conductor in each cable connected to a contact tip, and one or more contact tips coupled to a grounding structure within the cable. For example, for a stripperless biaxial cable, the connector could have two contact tips electrically coupled to the cable's signal conductors and one or two contact tips coupled to a shield surrounding the cable's signal conductors for each cable. The contact tips can be, for example, beams extending outward along the edge of a wafer, such that they are positioned as complementary pads on a contact mating structure (e.g., a printed circuit board). Wafers can be aligned within the connector such that the contact tips from multiple wafers lie in parallel planes that define the connector's mating interface.

[0026] According to the exemplary embodiments described herein, any suitable size cable conductor can be used and coupled to a suitable size contact tip. In some embodiments, the diameter of the cable conductor may be less than or equal to 32 AWG, for example, between 32 AWG and 40 AWG. In other embodiments, the diameter of the cable conductor may be less than or equal to 27 AWG, for example, between 27 and 34 AWG.

[0027] In some examples, the near-chip connector can be manufactured from one or more wafers. Each wafer can include multiple sets of contact tips, each set of contact tips connecting to the same cable, such that multiple sets of contact tips of the contact subassembly connect to multiple cables. As a specific example, the cable can be a biaxial cable with two signal conductors surrounded by a cable shield, such that there are two signal contact tips in each set. In some examples, all the contact tips of the wafer can be aligned in a row extending from one side of the wafer. The contact tips can be evenly spaced in this row, or, in other examples, the spacing of the contact tips within each set can be uniform, but the edge-to-edge spacing of the contact tips between sets can be greater than the spacing within the set.

[0028] Each set of contact tips may include one or more signal contact tips and one or more ground contact tips. For example, for terminating a biaxial cable, each set of contact tips may include a pair of signal contact tips located between two ground contact tips. The ground contact tips within the chip may be connected via one or more conductive networks, while the signal contact tips may be electrically isolated from each other and from the ground network.

[0029] Typically, the signal contact tip can be the tip of a signal conductor, while the ground contact tip can be a tip extending from a ground plane, allowing the ground contact tip to be electrically connected through the ground plane. The signal and ground contact tips can be formed as contact beams extending from a metal component (e.g., a metal sheet) and can serve as mating portions of various parts of the cable. Identical or different metal components can be stamped to define the body of a plate and multiple sets of contact beams extending from one edge of the plate body, which can serve as ground contact tips. In this example, the body of the metal component forms part of a network of interconnecting ground contact tips.

[0030] In some examples, the signal conductor (including the signal contact tip) may be stamped from the same sheet of metal as the metal member forming the grounding network. While the signal conductor is mechanically separated from the grounding network in the finished connector, it can be held within the wafer by insulating material attached to the middle portion of the signal conductor and the metal member. The insulating material may leave the signal contact tip of the signal conductor exposed for pressure mounting to the substrate. The insulating material may also leave the tail of the signal conductor exposed for attaching a cable wire to the signal conductor. In some examples, the tail of the signal conductor may be bent out of the plane of the metal sheet so that it can terminate to a short signal conductor of the cable. The insulating material may support the tail, positioning the signal conductor in this position. Alternatively or additionally, the insulating material may provide mechanical support for the cable when it is attached to the tail of the signal conductor. In some embodiments, the insulating material may be a plastic overmolded part. Insulating material may also be added closer to the second edge (opposite to the edge of the metal member with the contact beam) as a spacer or other support structure for the cable connected to the signal contact tip of the sub-assembly.

[0031] Chips can be arranged within a connector for high-density interconnection. According to an exemplary embodiment, a chip assembly may include multiple (e.g., ten, or other numbers, such as between 5 and 15) chips arranged along one dimension. Each chip may include multiple sets (e.g., four sets, or other numbers, such as between 3 and 6) of contact beams that facilitate connection to a corresponding number (e.g., four) of cables along another dimension perpendicular to the first dimension.

[0032] The inventors have recognized and understood that approximately four (e.g., three to five) sets of contact beams per wafer offer a desirable trade-off between interconnect density and electrical performance. Longer wafers, even with the reinforcements described herein, tend to bend to an undesirable degree, resulting in unreliable group connections near the center of the wafer and potentially causing signal distortion that interferes with high-performance operation.

[0033] A carrier assembly can hold a wafer. The carrier assembly may include a wafer carrier for holding the wafer and a wafer retainer that helps to more accurately position and lock the wafer in place within the wafer assembly. The wafer can be held such that the mating contact portions of multiple wafers are aligned in a plane, which can serve as a mating interface for a connector. For mating to a PCB or other substrate, the connector's mating interface can be pressed against the substrate.

[0034] In some examples, the wafer carrier may be an insulating component and may be molded from plastic. The wafer carrier may include spacers to separate and support the wafer. The spacers may be angled relative to the walls of the wafer carrier, such that the wafer is held in an inclined position within the wafer carrier. The inclined position of the wafer can facilitate better connection (e.g., a larger connection surface area) between the wafer's contact beams and the substrate (e.g., a PCB, a semiconductor chip substrate).

[0035] Wafer retainers can be formed using manufacturing processes with higher precision than molded plastic parts. For example, a wafer retainer can be a stamped metal part that may include wafer engagement features (e.g., slots) that engage complementary features on the wafer. Wafer engagement features can be formed with higher precision than molded parts and are better resistant to deflection when subjected to loads under pressure mounting; either or both can improve connection reliability and increase signal integrity through the near-chip connector. The wafer engagement feature of the wafer retainer may, for example, be a slot that receives a protrusion from the wafer. The protrusion may, for example, protrude from a wafer reinforcement and / or metal member. In some examples, the wafer and the engagement feature of the wafer retainer may be welded to each other or otherwise secured. The housing may cover the wafer assembly on three or more sides and have openings for cables, such as on the open side. The housing may alternatively or additionally include openings at mating surfaces through which mating contacts for signal and ground conductors are exposed for mating to the substrate.

[0036] Near-chip connectors may include protectors. The protector may be mounted on an external portion of the connector's mating surface. The contact tips of the connector's die may be exposed at the mating surface, allowing them to be pressed against pads on a substrate. The protector may move between an extended position and a loaded position; in the extended position, when the connector is not pressed against the substrate, the protector extends beyond the contact tips; in the loaded position, the contact tips extend beyond the protector. The protector may be biased (e.g., spring-loaded) to the extended position. The protector may elevate the contacts of the die assembly before the die assembly mates with a printed circuit board (PCB) or other substrate. When the connector mates with the PCB and is tightened, the protector spring may be compressed to its loaded position.

[0037] According to an exemplary embodiment, the protector is a frame that defines the mating interface of the connector. In the example shown herein, the frame has closed peripheries defining the mating interface on four sides. In other examples, the frame may define the mating interface on the upper part of each of the four sides, or on fewer than four sides.

[0038] The protector can be biased by a spring between the protector and at least one other part of the connector housing. In some examples, the spring may be formed of a sheet of metal with spring fingers extending therefrom, which can be compressed between the protector and the housing. The spring may optionally engage either or both of the protector and the housing to hold the protector in place relative to the housing. In other examples, one or more springs may be positioned between the protector and another component mechanically coupled to the wafer (e.g., a wafer carrier or wafer holder).

[0039] The wafers can be configured to provide very high frequency operation. Each wafer can be built on a metal component that serves as a stamped lead frame. The lead frame may include grounding contact tips connected to a grounding network via an unstamped portion of the metal component. Signal conductors can be formed in the same stamping operation. Each signal conductor may have a contact beam with signal contact tips and a tail of wire at opposite ends configured for attachment to a cable, and an intermediate portion therebetween.

[0040] The stamped lead frame can be plated in the contact area of ​​each contact beam. For example, matte nickel (Ni) can be applied on hard gold (Au), with the hard gold applied over the Ni.

[0041] Insulating material (such as plastic) can hold the signal conductor in place. It can be applied to a plated lead frame. For example, areas of the metal component and the middle portion of the signal conductor can be overmolded. As a concrete example, the ground contact tip can be overmolded with an island of insulating material, with the signal conductor portion embedded therein. The insulating material can hold the signal conductor, with its tail exposed for attachment to the cable conductor. The tail can be held above the ground conductor and / or the metal plate from which the ground contact tip extends. Furthermore, insulating material can be added closer to the metal component at the edge opposite the contact beam to hold the cable in place.

[0042] Cables can be prepared for termination, with their wires extending beyond the cable insulation. The cable shield can be exposed, for example, by removing the cable sheath at the end of the insulation. The wires can be attached to the tail of the signal conductor, for example, by soldering. The cable shield can contact a metal component, serving as a network for connecting grounding contact tips. The cable can be pressed against a metal component to form a good electrical contact. The cable can be pressed against a metal component by attaching a corrugated shield to it. The corrugated shield can be attached to the metal component, for example, by soldering. The corrugated shield can have peaks and valleys. The corrugated shield can be attached to the metal component at the valleys.

[0043] In some examples, the corrugated shield may be part of a corrugated shield assembly. The corrugated shield assembly may include a corrugated shield and reinforcement. The corrugated shield may be formed of stainless steel and stamped into a corrugated shape with alternating peaks and valleys. The corrugated shield and reinforcement may be laser welded to the metal component.

[0044] The side of the corrugated shield facing the metal component can be selectively plated to provide high conductivity, for example, above 4 x 10⁻⁶. 6 Siemens per meter (S / m). Examples of suitable plating include hard gold, silver, palladium, or other precious metal plating. The plating ensures electrical connection to the foil or other material used as cable shielding in the terminal area. An exemplary plating thickness could be 0.1 to 0.15 micrometers of hard gold over 1.2–5.5 micrometers of nickel.

[0045] The reinforcement of the corrugated shield assembly can be a stamped reinforcement to increase the rigidity of the wafer and reduce bending under load. The reinforcement can be welded to the corrugated shield. The reinforcement may include a set of feet that are mechanically secured to the metal component, for example, by welding. In the example shown below, the feet are located near the edge of the wafer where the cable exits and help clamp the cable to the wafer.

[0046] The grounding cover can be welded to the side of the metal member opposite to the side to which the corrugated shielding assembly is attached. The process of stamping the signal conductor from the same metal member as the grounding network that interconnects the grounding contact tips leaves an opening in the metal member around the signal conductor. In some examples, a second metal member can be attached to the metal member and can have portions that partially or completely fill the openings left by stamping the signal conductor. Those portions of the second metal member can serve as grounding covers, covering openings in the grounding network at locations where impedance changes might occur, thereby compromising signal integrity (especially at high frequencies).

[0047] In some examples, the connector's signal conductor may have a tail that bends out of the plane of the metal component body and a portion of the second metal component that serves as a ground cover. The tail may be raised beyond the plane of the metal component body to align with the signal conductors within the cable that are being terminated to the connector. Depending on the location of the cut area, the cable's signal conductor may have a ground cover underneath, without the intermediate plate (metal component) portion.

[0048] Exemplary embodiments of the foregoing and additional features are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Figure 1A This is a perspective view of connector 100 according to some embodiments detailed herein. Figure 1B It shows Figure 1A Different views of connector 100. According to the orientation shown, Figure 1B It shows Figure 1A The bottom of connector 100 shown. Figure 1A A housing 110 of a connector 100 on a substrate 140 is shown. The housing 110 may be an insulating housing and, according to an exemplary embodiment, may be molded from plastic. In other embodiments, conductive materials, such as die-cast metal, may be used. Although cables are not shown, the connector 100 may terminate multiple cables, each conductor in each cable having a contact tip 710. Figure 7 The housing 110 may cover the components of the connector 100 on three or more sides and may have an open side as a cable opening and an opening at the mating surface through which the contact tip 710 is exposed for mating with the substrate 140. The substrate 140 may be a printed circuit board (PCB) or may be part of a chip package.

[0050] Figure 1B The mating interface 120 of connector 100 is shown, which facilitates pressure mounting to substrate 140, for example, as shown in reference. Figure 2 The discussion focuses on this topic. For simplicity, only a portion of substrate 140 is shown. Substrate 140 can host processing circuitry to handle multiple high-speed signals, including those exchanged via cables terminated at mating interface 120. As detailed with reference to several views, connector 100 can incorporate features providing a large number of pressure-mount interconnect points at mating interface 120 within a relatively small volume. Protector 130 is shown at the periphery of mating interface 120 and referenced to... Figure 2 Further discussion.

[0051] Figure 2 yes Figure 1A An exploded view of an exemplary connector 100. Inside the connector housing is a wafer assembly 245. Within the wafer assembly 245, a wafer carrier 230 holds one or more contact subassemblies, referred to herein as wafers 240. Each wafer 240 may include a signal conductor and optionally include a ground conductor and an associated support member. In the example shown, multiple wafers are typically planar and stacked side-by-side in the wafer carrier such that the wafers are parallel to each other. The wafers are held at an angle (e.g., between 25 and 75 degrees) relative to the mating surfaces of the connector. A wafer retainer 250 may include retaining members 255 on each side, disposed between the wafer carrier 230 and the wafer 240, to facilitate more precise positioning and securing of the wafer 240 in the wafer assembly 245. The wafer retainer 250 may be a stamped metal part having wafer engagement features 510, 520 (shown herein as slots) to engage complementary features on the wafer 240, which references Figure 5 Further discussion.

[0052] In conjunction with interface 120 Figure 1B The example is shown as being defined by protector 130. As shown, protector 130 may have a closed periphery defining the mating interface 120 on four sides. In some embodiments, protector 130 may define the mating interface 120 on each of the four sides, or on fewer than four sides. (See reference...) Figure 7 As discussed, at least some of the contact tips 710 of the chip 240 can be exposed at the mating interface 120, so that they can be pressed against the pads (contact areas 530) on the substrate 140. Figure 5 Electrical contact can be established on the surface.

[0053] One or more protector springs 220 may be disposed between the protector 130 and the housing 110, for example, by means of or as part of the frame 225. In some examples, the protector spring 220 and the frame 225 may be formed of a sheet of metal having spring fingers bent out from the sheet. When the connector 100 is pressed against the substrate 140, the protector spring 220 may be compressed between the protector 130 and the housing 110. The protector spring 220 may optionally engage the protector 130 and / or the housing 110 to hold the protector 130 in place relative to the housing 110. The protector 130 may be biased by the protector spring 220 such that the protector 130 can move between an extended position and a loaded position, in which, in the extended position, when the connector 100 is not pressed against the substrate 140, the protector extends beyond the contact tip 710; in the loaded position, the contact tip 710 is flush with or extends beyond the protector to contact the pads of the substrate 140.

[0054] The protector 130 can be in an extended position and raise the contact tip 710 of the wafer assembly 245 before the connector 100 mates with the substrate 140. When the connector 100 mates with the substrate 140, the protector spring 220 can be compressed to its loaded position, thereby moving the protector 130 to its loaded position. The connector 100 can be held against the substrate 140 in the mating position, such as... Figure 1A As shown. In this example, housing 110 can be secured to substrate 140 with clamping screws 260, as shown. Although alternatively or additionally, external hardware can be used to press connector 100 against the substrate. Screw retainers 265 and springs 270 can be additionally used to secure components within housing 110 to substrate 140. Figure 3 This is an exploded view of an exemplary substrate 140, a protector 130, and a frame 225 with a protector spring 220.

[0055] Figure 4This is a perspective view of various aspects of an exemplary connector 100 according to some embodiments. The housing 110 is concealed in this figure to expose the wafer assembly 245. Cable portions 410 are shown supported on a stress-relief base 420. For simplicity, the connector is shown cut across each side of the stress-relief base 420, but it should be understood that the cables extend to and terminate at the wafers, and extend outside the connector 100 to connect to other parts of the electronics. In the exemplary illustration, each of the plurality of rows of cable portions 410 corresponds to one of the plurality of wafers 240 of the wafer assembly 245. In this example, each wafer includes four pairs of signal conductors held in a row. Four cables can extend from each row of cable portions 410 to one of the wafers 240 to connect to a row of pads on a substrate 140 on which the connector 100 is pressure-mounted.

[0056] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of various aspects of an exemplary connector 100 according to some embodiments. The connector 100 is also depicted as being separated from the substrate 140, making the connector pad area visible. This pad area includes a ground plane 502. Contact areas 530 are formed in openings in the ground plane 502. The contact areas may be pads on the surface of the substrate 140, where the contact tips 710 of the wafer 240 engage with the signal conductors of the substrate 140. These contact areas are indicated and referenced. Figure 7 Further discussion.

[0057] Figure 5 Also included is a partially enlarged view 500 of a side view of the wafer holder 250, providing an enlarged view of the holding member 255. The holding member 255 of the wafer holder 250 is connected by a connecting member 504 and can cooperate with the wafer carrier 230 to hold the wafer in place. The wafer can be held by engagement of features on the wafer with wafer engagement features of the holding member 255. In the illustrated embodiment, features on both the wafer reinforcement and the wafer ground member engage with the wafer engagement features, thus illustrating two types of wafer engagement features. One enlarged view of the holding member 255 shows the reinforcement engagement feature 510 and the ground member engagement feature 520. As a specific example, both types of wafer engagement features are shown as slots for receiving protrusions of the wafer 240.

[0058] The reinforcing member engagement feature 510 and the grounding member engagement feature 520 can be formed with higher precision than molded parts and can better resist deflection when subjected to loads under pressure mounting. Either or both of these can improve the reliability of the connection between the wafer 240 and the substrate 140 and can increase signal integrity through the proximity chip connector 100. The reinforcing member 610 of the wafer 240 ( Figure 6The reinforcing member 810 and / or the grounding member 820 (Figure 8) are respectively engaged with the reinforcing member engagement feature 510 and the grounding member engagement feature 520, which will be discussed further.

[0059] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of various aspects of an exemplary connector 100 according to some embodiments. Components such as the wafer carrier 230 and the wafer holder 250 are omitted to more clearly show the wafer 240 framed by the protector 130 and the frame 225 supporting the protector spring 220. One of the wafer 240's reinforcements 610 is in... Figure 6 As can be seen in the text, and for reference Figure 8A Further discussion. Contact reference between wafer 240 and substrate 140. Figure 7 Further discussion. For example, refer to the components of each chip 240 of the chip assembly 245. Figure 11 Further discussion.

[0060] Figure 7 As shown Figure 6 A portion of wafer 240 is shown, with protector 130 and frame 225 concealed. One wafer 240 is also concealed to better expose a portion of the interface between substrate 140 and wafer 240. A portion of the mating interface, including signal and ground contacts for two cables, is shown as an enlarged view in partial enlarged view 700. In the example shown, each wafer 240 includes four sets of contact tips 710 extending from four sets of contact beams 720. In other embodiments, each wafer may include more or fewer sets of contact beams, but three to five sets of contact beams 720 per wafer 240 can provide a trade-off between the desire for high interconnect density and reliable electrical performance, which may decrease as the number of interconnects increases. This decrease is because as wafers 240 become wider based on additional sets of contact beams 720 / contact tips 710, they may be more prone to bending, thereby disrupting the connection between the contact tips 710 and substrate 140.

[0061] Each set of contact tips 710 shows the termination of the cable conductor, as referenced. Figure 4The arrangement of the cable section 410 is discussed. Each set of contact tips 710 is associated with a corresponding set of contact beams 720, including two first contact tips 710a (e.g., associated with signals) associated with the first contact beams 720a, and two second contact tips 710b (e.g., associated with ground) associated with the second contact beams 720b. The second contact tips 710b are located on either side of the first contact tips 710a. A magnified view more clearly shows the contact area 530 of the substrate 140, having two signal pads 530a and 530b to which the first contact tips 710a engage. The second contact tips 710b are part of the wafer's ground conductor and can be pressed against the ground plane 502.

[0062] Figure 8A , 8B Figures 8C illustrate different aspects of an exemplary contact subassembly (shown here as wafer 240). Figure 8A A reinforcing member 610 is shown, which forms one surface of the wafer 240 and helps prevent the wafer 240 from warping, which could otherwise cause detachment between the first contact tip 710a and the contact area 530. On the side of the wafer 240 opposite to the reinforcing member 610, a metal member 820 has... Figure 8A The first surface 820a faces upward in the view. The metal member 820 has a first edge 820c and a second edge 820d (also in...). Figure 15A and 15B As seen in the image, it shows metal component 820. Along... Figure 8A The cross-sectional view of AA indicated in the middle Figure 9A As shown in the figure, along Figure 8A The cross-sectional view of BB indicated in the middle Figure 9B As shown in the image.

[0063] The metal component 820 can be formed as part of a stamped lead frame, which may include grounding contact tips (second contact tip 710b) connected to a grounding network via an unstamped portion of the metal component 820. Signal conductors can be formed in the same stamping operation, in which a sheet of metal is stamped to form the metal component 820 and the signal conductors. Each signal conductor may have a contact beam (e.g., first contact beam 720a) with a signal contact tip (e.g., first contact tip 710a), and opposite ends of wires (910, ...) that can be attached to a cable. Figure 9A The tail of ) (1410, Figure 14 The stamped lead frame can be plated in the contact areas of each contact beam 720a, 720b. For example, matte nickel (Ni) can be applied on hard gold (Au), with the hard gold applied over the Ni.

[0064] Figure 8B The surface of wafer 240 opposite to the surface including the reinforcing member 610 is shown. An opening can be left in the metal member 820 by stamping signal conductors from the same metal sheet as the metal member 820. These openings can be partially covered by a metal cap (i.e., a grounding cap) attached to the metal member 820. In this example, the cap is formed by the grounding member 810. The grounding member 810 is in... Figure 8B As can be seen in. Figure 8B Also visible is insulating material 830, which can be molded around the contact beam assembly to retain the signal conductor in the lead assembly when the signal conductor separates from the metal sheet that is stamped to form the lead frame.

[0065] Figure 8C It shows the relationship with Figure 8B A view of the same wafer 240, wherein the grounding member 810 and the insulating material 830 are omitted. Contact beam 720b extends from the first edge 820c of metal member 820, while the first contact beam 720a is aligned with and staggered with the second contact beam 720b, but does not belong to metal member 820, while the second contact beam 720b belongs to metal member 820.

[0066] Figure 9A This is a cross-sectional view along AA, such as Figure 8A As indicated in the diagram. The conductor 910, electrically connected to the first contact tip 710a mating with the substrate 140, is exposed in the cross-sectional view. The grounding member 810 lies below the conductor 910, with no intervening portion of the metal member 820 in between, as shown in the reference diagram. Figure 14 Further discussion.

[0067] The corrugated shield 920 is visible below the reinforcement 610. Engagement features 930a and 930b are indicated on one side of the wafer 240. Engagement feature 930a is an extension of the reinforcement 610 and can engage (e.g., slide into) the reinforcement engagement feature 510 of one of the holding members 255 of the wafer holder 250. Engagement feature 930b is an extension of the grounding member 810 and can engage (e.g., slide into) the grounding member engagement feature 520 of one of the holding members 255 of the wafer holder 250. According to some embodiments, engagement features 930a, 930b and 510, 520 can be welded to each other or otherwise secured.

[0068] Figure 9B This is a cross-sectional view along BB, such as Figure 8AAs indicated in the figure. The conductor 910, electrically connected to the first contact tip 710a, is exposed in the cross-sectional view. The corrugated shield 920 below the reinforcement 610 may be formed of stainless steel, stamped into a corrugated shape with alternating peaks 922 and valleys 925, as shown. The reinforcement 610 may have a rolled edge 940 on the same side as the first edge 820c of the metal member 820. The corrugated shield 920 and the reinforcement 610 may be welded to form a corrugated shield assembly, which is then attached to the metal member 820. The corrugated shield 920 and the reinforcement 610 may be laser welded to the metal member 820, for example. The valleys 925 of the corrugated shield 920 may be attached to the first surface 820a of the metal member 820, and the fixing feature 1010 of the reinforcement 610 ( Figure 10 It can also be attached to the metal component 820, for example, to the first surface 820a.

[0069] The side of the corrugated shield 920 facing the metal member 820 (i.e., the corrugated shield surface facing the first surface 820a of the metal member 820) can be selectively plated to provide high conductivity, for example, above 4 x 10⁻⁶. 6 Siemens per meter (S / m). Examples of suitable plating include hard gold, silver, palladium, or other precious metal plating. The plating ensures electrical connection with the wire foil used as cable shielding in the terminal area. An exemplary plating thickness could be 0.1 to 0.15 micrometers of hard gold over 1.2–5.5 micrometers of nickel.

[0070] like Figure 9B As can be seen, when the valleys 925 of the corrugated shield 920 are attached to the metal member 820, the peaks 922 define termination areas, each of which can receive the end of the cable and its termination to the wafer. The corrugated shield 920 can define each termination area on multiple sides (e.g., three sides). In conjunction with the grounding member 810 and / or the metal member 820, the termination areas can be at least partially defined on four sides. The defined termination areas are... Figure 12 and 13 It is even more evident in the middle, where the corrugated shield 920 is hidden.

[0071] The corrugated shield 920 may include a protrusion 926 extending from a leading edge aligned with the signal contact tip 710a. The protrusion 926 may improve the integrity of signals passing through the wafer, for example by reducing impedance variations along the signal path through the wafer.

[0072] Figure 10This is a view of an exemplary wafer 240, showing the second edge 820d of the metal member 820. A portion of the cable is shown to expose the conductor 910. A fixing feature 1010 of the reinforcement 610 is shown between the cables and mechanically secured to the metal member 820, for example, by welding. The fixing feature 1010 can help clamp the cable between the metal member 820 and the corrugated shield 920. The clamping action can ensure appropriate conductivity between the cable shield and the grounding member of the wafer 240. Alternatively or additionally, providing such contact can allow the ground current flow path to provide the desired integrity of high-frequency signals passing through the wafer.

[0073] Figure 11 From and Figure 10 An exploded view of an exemplary wafer 240 from the same perspective. This view shows an insulated wire separator 1110 between cables, aligned with the fixing feature 1010 of the reinforcement 610. The insulated wire separator 1110 holds the cable in place and facilitates alignment of the conductor 910 with the first contact beam 720a. The insulated wire separator 1110 can be formed, for example, by overmolding an insulating material onto a metal member 820. The insulated wire separator 1110 can be formed, for example, in the same operation as an insulating island 1210 that holds a signal conductor to a ground conductor. The insulating island 1210 can be integrally formed with the insulating material 830. The wire separator 1110 can optionally be integrally formed with the insulating material 830. Even if formed in the same insert molding operation, the wire separator 1110 does not need to be integrally formed with the insulating material 830.

[0074] exist Figure 11 Corrugated shield 920 and reinforcement 610 can also be seen. In this example, reinforcement 610 includes an opening 612 aligned with the peak 922 of the corrugated shield. The opening can facilitate attachment of the reinforcement to the corrugated shield, for example, by soldering. Corrugated shield 920 and / or reinforcement 610 may include features that facilitate alignment of these components. These alignment features can facilitate a controlled impedance environment, thereby enhancing signal integrity through the wafer. In this example, corrugated shield 920 includes tabs 928, and reinforcement 610 includes slots 614 that can receive tabs 928.

[0075] Figure 12 Various aspects of the exemplary wafer 240 are shown, in which the corrugated shield 920 or reinforcement 610 is concealed, and only three of the four cables are terminated to the signal conductor. Insulating islands 1210, adhered to portions of the second contact beam 720b and the metal member 820, are indicated. The insulating islands 1210 may be, for example, plastic and may be applied to the plated lead frame (metal member 820). The insulating islands may be, as... Figure 12As can be seen, the cable is shaped into a positioning cable 1212 such that the conductor of the cable is aligned with the tail 1410 of the signal conductor. The tail 1410 may be partially embedded within the insulating island 1210, such that at least the upper surface of the tail 1410 is exposed for connecting the conductor 910.

[0076] To terminate the cable to the wafer, a portion of the cable at the distal end can be removed. For example, the sheath can be removed at the termination area, exposing the cable shield 1220. At the distal end of the cable, the cable shield 1220 and the insulation surrounding the cable conductor 910 can be removed, leaving exposed cable conductors that can be attached to the tail 1410. The exposed shield 1220 of the cable in... Figure 12 As can be seen in the view. Shield 1220 can contact the metal member 820 from below, which serves as a network for connecting the second contact tip 710b. Cable 1212 can be pressed against the metal member 820 by the corrugated shield 920 when the corrugated shield 920 is attached to the metal member 820. Using this pressure, cable shield 1220 will come into contact with metal member 820. Figure 12 An insulating island 1210 is shown surrounding a conductor 910 extending from the exposed shield 1220 of the cable to engage the first contact beam 720a. The insulating island 1210 can be formed by overlaying a molded insulating material on areas of the metal member 820 (e.g., the second contact tip 710b) and portions of the signal conductor.

[0077] Figure 13 The termination area of ​​a cable in a wafer is shown. In this example, the termination area includes an insulating island 1210 and an exposed shield 1220 for the cable. In the assembled wafer, this area will be defined by a corrugated shield 920 and / or metal members 810 and / or 820. It can be seen that on each side of the insulating island 1210, the surface of the metal member 820 is exposed, allowing the valleys 925 of the corrugated shield 920 to be attached. Such as Figure 13 The features shown can facilitate connectors that are both densely packed and operate with high signal integrity at high frequencies.

[0078] Figure 13 Also shown are bite marks 1310 extending from contact tips 710a, 710b, which can facilitate better electrical connection between the first contact tip 710a and the contact area 530 of the substrate 140, for example.

[0079] Figure 14 It shows Figure 13 Part of the lead assembly, where the insulating island 1210 and insulating material 830 are concealed. In this view, the connection between the conductor 910 of the cable and the first contact beam 720a, according to some embodiments, is visible. Partial enlarged view 800 includes an enlarged view of the cable attachment area and the tail 1410 to which the conductor 910 is attached. Figure 14As can be seen, the signal conductor includes a tail portion 1410 to which the cable conductor 910 is attached. In this example, the tail portion 1410 is not in the plane of the metal member 820. That is, as... Figure 14 As indicated, the tail 1410 is at a height h above the metal member 820. The tail 1410 is aligned with the opening 1420 in the metal member 820. In the example shown, the tail 1410 is above the opening. The grounding member 810 can be shaped and positioned such that the grounding member 810 is below at least a portion of the opening 1420. That is, the conductor 910 of the cable can have the grounding member 810 below it without any intervening portion of the metal member 820.

[0080] exist Figure 14 In the example, the length L2 of the signal conductor is shorter than the length L1 of the metal component 820. L2 may, for example, be less than half the length of L1, or in some embodiments less than 35% or less than 30%, or in other examples in the range of 25% to 50%. It is presumably that this dimension contributes to the high-frequency performance of the connector.

[0081] The distance d between the first contact tips 710a can be less than or equal to 3.5 mm.

[0082] Figure 15A It is used to form Figure 10 A top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the stamped lead frame of wafer 240, configured for an alternative wire gauge (for connection to tail 1410). Metal member 820 may include holes 1510 that allow material for the insulated wire separator 1110 to flow through. A compliant section 1512 may be cut into metal member 820. The compliant section 1512 may facilitate connection to the exposed shield of cable 1212.

[0083] Figure 15B It is used to form Figure 10 Bottom perspective view of the stamped lead frame of the 240 chip. Figure 15B The embodiment shown does not include compliance section 1512.

[0084] Figure 16 It is used to form Figure 15B The top perspective view of the stamped lead frame of the chip, wherein insulating island 1210 holds the signal contact to the ground network, and connecting rods are cut to electrically separate the signal contact and the ground network, one of which is enlarged in partial enlarged view 1600.

[0085] Figure 17 This is a top perspective view of the corrugated shield 920, which is stamped from the metal sheet 1710 still attached to the carrier strip.

[0086] Figure 18 yes Figure 17 An enlarged view of the corrugated shield 920, showing the plated surface.

[0087] In a first example, a sub-assembly for an electrical connector may include a first plurality of contact beams and a metal member including a first edge and a second plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge. The first plurality of contact beams are aligned with and staggered with the second plurality of contact beams. Insulating material may be adhered to the metal member and the second plurality of contact beams.

[0088] Optionally, the sub-assembly may also include multiple contacts and multiple cables. Each of the first plurality of contact beams may include a first portion of one of the multiple contacts. Each of the multiple contacts may include a second portion, and each of the multiple cables may include at least one conductor attached to the second portion of the contact among the multiple contacts.

[0089] Optionally, the second portion of each of the plurality of contacts is not coplanar with the surface of the metal member.

[0090] Optionally, the second portion of each of the plurality of contacts is offset from the surface of the metal component by a certain height.

[0091] Optionally, the sub-assembly also includes cable insulation material adhered to the metal component adjacent to the plurality of cables.

[0092] Optionally, the first part of the contact is plated with gold on nickel (Ni on Au).

[0093] Optionally, each of the plurality of cables includes an exposed shield pressed against a first surface of the metal member, and the sub-assembly also includes a grounding member fixed to a second surface of the metal member opposite the first surface.

[0094] Optionally, the metal components are selectively cut to form a second part of each of the plurality of contacts.

[0095] Optionally, the second portion of each of the plurality of contacts bends out of the plane formed by the remaining portion of the metal member.

[0096] Optionally, the sub-assembly also includes a grounding cover fixed to the surface of the metal member opposite the insulating material. The grounding cover is located below the second portion of each of the plurality of contacts, with no intervening portion of the metal member in between.

[0097] Alternatively, each of the plurality of cables includes two conductors attached to a second portion of a pair of adjacent contacts in the plurality of contacts.

[0098] Optionally, the first portions of a pair of adjacent contacts associated with each of the plurality of cables are spaced apart by a center-to-center distance of 3.5 mm or less.

[0099] Optionally, the metal member includes a second edge opposite to the first edge, and the length of the metal member from the second edge to the end of a second plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge of the metal member is longer than the length of each of the plurality of contact elements.

[0100] Optionally, the insulating material adhered to the metal component and the second or more contact beams is formed into multiple insulating islands.

[0101] Optionally, the sub-assembly includes a corrugated shield attached to the metal member. The portion of the metal member exposed between the multiple insulating islands is attached to the valleys of the corrugated shield.

[0102] In a second example, a sub-assembly for an electrical connector includes a metal member comprising a first edge and a plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge, and a corrugated member comprising a plurality of peaks and a plurality of valleys. Valleys of the plurality of valleys are fixed to the metal member, and the surface of the corrugated member facing the metal member is selectively plated with a plating material.

[0103] Alternatively, the plating material is gold.

[0104] Optionally, the coating material has a thickness of about 0.13 micrometers and covers nickel with a thickness of about 1.27–5.08 micrometers.

[0105] Alternatively, the plating material may be silver or palladium.

[0106] Optionally, the surface of the corrugated member may be selectively plated on the outside of the valley.

[0107] Optionally, the surface of the corrugated component may be selectively plated at the valleys.

[0108] Optionally, the sub-assembly includes multiple cables, each of which is connected to one or more of the multiple contact beams.

[0109] Optionally, each of the plurality of cables includes an exposed shield disposed on a first surface of a metal member, the first surface of the metal member facing the surface of the corrugated member.

[0110] Alternatively, each of the multiple peaks of the corrugated member presses the exposed shield of one of the multiple cables into the first surface of the metal member.

[0111] In a third example, a subassembly for an electrical connector includes a first conductive member extending in a first plane, the first conductive member including a first edge and a first plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge in a row. The first conductive member includes a plurality of openings therethrough. The subassembly also includes a second plurality of contact beams, each of the second plurality of contact beams including a portion of a corresponding contact among a plurality of contacts disposed within the plurality of openings. The second plurality of contact beams are aligned with the first plurality of contact beams in the row, wherein each of the plurality of contacts includes a portion bent out of the first plane and configured for attaching a tail of a cable. The subassembly also includes a second conductive member extending in a second plane parallel to the first plane, the second conductive member including a first portion and a second portion fixed to the first conductive member. The corresponding second portion is aligned with the tail of one or more of the plurality of contacts in a direction perpendicular to the second plane.

[0112] Optionally, the first portion of the second conductive member is formed as a plurality of feet to be mechanically fixed to the first conductive member.

[0113] Optionally, the sub-assembly includes a plurality of cables between the first conductive member and the second conductive member. Each of the plurality of cables is connected to one or more contacts.

[0114] Optionally, each of the plurality of feet of the second conductive member is located between adjacent cables in a plurality of cables.

[0115] Optionally, a first portion of the second conductive member is fixed to the side of the first conductive member opposite to the side of the first plurality of contact beams and the side of the second plurality of contact beams extending from.

[0116] Optionally, the second conductive member includes a plurality of openings therethrough.

[0117] Optionally, the second conductive member includes a rolled edge.

[0118] In the fourth example, a sub-assembly for an electrical connector includes a grounding member and a corrugated member comprising multiple peaks and multiple valleys. A valley of the multiple valleys is fixed to the grounding member. The sub-assembly also includes a metal member fixed to the corrugated member.

[0119] Alternatively, the metal component is fixed to the peak of the corrugated component.

[0120] Optionally, the metal component includes a body having a first edge and a second edge.

[0121] Optionally, the metal component has a rolled edge at the first edge.

[0122] Optionally, the corrugated member extends beyond the rolled edge.

[0123] Alternatively, the metal member has feet extending from the second edge to the grounding member, which are mechanically fixed to the grounding member.

[0124] Optionally, the sub-assembly includes four cables between the corrugated member and the grounding member, with each foot located between adjacent cables.

[0125] Optionally, the sub-assembly has four sets of contact tips, each set having a pair of signal conductor contact tips and a pair of ground contact tips, wherein each pair of signal conductor tips is connected to one of the cables.

[0126] Alternatively, the metal component can be a reinforcing element.

[0127] Optionally, the surface of the corrugated member facing the grounding member may be selectively plated with a coating material.

[0128] Alternatively, the plating material is gold.

[0129] In a fifth example, an electrical connector includes a first metal member comprising a first plurality of engagement features, a second metal member comprising a second plurality of engagement features, and a plurality of sub-assemblies disposed between the first and second metal members. Each of the plurality of sub-assemblies includes a plurality of contacts and a support member. The support member engages a corresponding engagement feature among the first plurality of engagement features and a corresponding engagement feature among the second plurality of engagement features.

[0130] Optionally, multiple contacts of multiple sub-components are configured to connect to the connection pads of the substrate.

[0131] Optionally, each of the multiple sub-components may have multiple contacts including a first contact and a second contact.

[0132] Optionally, the first contact of the plurality of contacts is configured to be connected to a cable, and one or more first contacts are connected to one of the cables.

[0133] Optionally, the electrical connector includes a carrier configured to hold a plurality of sub-assemblies. The carrier includes spacers to separate adjacent sub-assemblies among the plurality of sub-assemblies, and openings to expose a plurality of contacts.

[0134] Optionally, the partition is angled relative to the wall of the carrier.

[0135] Optionally, the first metal member and the second metal member are configured to slide within the frame over the first plurality of joining features and the second plurality of joining features, respectively.

[0136] In the sixth example, a pressure-mounted electrical connector includes a housing comprising a mating surface having an opening therein; a plurality of contacts, each contact including a compliant portion exposed in the opening of the mating surface; a frame at least partially defining the opening; and a spring member located between the housing and the frame. The spring member is configured to bias the frame away from the housing in a direction perpendicular to the mating surface.

[0137] Optionally, the spring member is configured to be compressed to its loading position based on the housing being fixed to the base plate, with the frame and spring member located between the housing and the base plate.

[0138] Alternatively, when the housing is fixed to the substrate, the compliant portion of each of the plurality of contacts is connected to the substrate.

[0139] Furthermore, while advantages of the invention have been pointed out, it should be understood that not every embodiment of the invention will include every stated advantage. Some embodiments may not implement any of the features advantageously described herein, and this may be the case in some cases. Therefore, the foregoing description and figures are merely exemplary.

[0140] Various aspects of the present invention can be used alone, in combination, or in various arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described above, and are therefore not limited to the details and arrangements of the components set forth in the foregoing description or shown in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment can be combined with aspects described in other embodiments in any way.

[0141] Furthermore, the invention can be embodied as a method, examples of which have been provided. Actions performed as part of this method can be ordered in any suitable manner. Thus, embodiments can be constructed in which actions are performed in a different order than those shown, which may include performing some actions simultaneously, even if they are shown as sequential actions in the illustrative embodiments.

[0142] All definitions defined and used in this document should be understood to take precedence over dictionary definitions, definitions in incorporated documents by reference, and / or the general meaning of the defined terms.

[0143] Terms indicating direction, such as “up” and “down” or “forward” and “backward,” have been used in conjunction with some embodiments. These terms are used to indicate the direction of connection based on the orientation of the illustrated component or to another component, such as the surface of a printed circuit board to which a termination component is mounted or the mating surface of a connector. It should be understood that electronic components can be used in any suitable orientation. Therefore, directional terms should be understood as relative, rather than fixed to a coordinate system considered invariant, such as the Earth's surface.

[0144] The use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” to modify claim elements in claims does not imply any priority, order of precedence, or sequence of one claim element relative to another, or the chronological order of the execution of method actions. Rather, they serve only as labels to distinguish one claim element with a specific name from another element with the same name (but using ordinal terms), thus differentiating claim elements.

[0145] As used herein in the specification and claims, unless expressly indicated otherwise, the indefinite articles “a” and “an” shall be understood to mean “at least one”.

[0146] As used herein in the specification and claims, the phrase “at least one” when referring to a list of one or more elements should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list, but does not necessarily include at least one of each element specifically listed in the list, and does not exclude any combination of the elements in the list. This definition also allows for the optional presence of other elements, whether related to or unrelated to those specifically identified elements, in addition to those specifically identified in the list referred to by the phrase “at least one.”

[0147] As used herein in the specification and claims, the phrase “and / or” should be understood to mean “both or either” of the elements so connected, i.e., elements that exist jointly in some cases and separately in others. Multiple elements listed with “and / or” should be interpreted in the same way, i.e., “one or more” elements so connected. In addition to the elements specifically identified by the “and / or” clause, other elements may optionally exist, whether related to or unrelated to those specifically identified elements. Thus, as a non-limiting example, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising,” a reference to “A and / or B” may in one embodiment refer to only A (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, only B (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, both A and B (optionally including other elements); and so on.

[0148] As used herein in the specification and claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and / or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and / or” should be interpreted as inclusive, i.e., including at least one, but also more than one, multiple or list elements, and optionally including additional unlisted items. Only terms that explicitly indicate the opposite, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of”, or when used in a claim, “consisting of”, will refer to including exactly one of multiple or list elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein should only be interpreted as indicating an exclusive alternative (i.e., “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by an exclusive term (e.g., “either”, “one of”, “only one of”, or “exactly one of”). “Substantially consisting of” when used in a claim should have its ordinary meaning in the field of patent law.

[0149] Furthermore, the wording and terminology used herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered limiting. The use of “including,” “contains,” “has,” “comprising,” or variations thereof is intended to cover the items listed thereafter (or their equivalents) and / or additional items.

Claims

1. A sub-assembly for an electrical connector, the sub-assembly comprising: The first multiple contact beams; A metal component includes a first edge and a second plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge, wherein the first plurality of contact beams are aligned with and staggered with the second plurality of contact beams; as well as Insulating material adhered to the metal component and the second plurality of contact beams.

2. The sub-assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of contacts and a plurality of cables, wherein: Each of the first plurality of contact beams includes a first portion of one of the plurality of contact elements; Each of the plurality of contacts includes a second portion; and Each of the plurality of cables includes at least one conductor attached to the second portion of the contact among the plurality of contacts.

3. The sub-assembly of claim 2, wherein the second portion of each of the plurality of contacts is not coplanar with the surface of the metal member.

4. The sub-assembly of claim 3, wherein the second portion of each of the plurality of contacts is offset from the surface of the metal member by a certain height.

5. The sub-assembly of claim 2, further comprising cable insulation material adhered to the metal member adjacent to the plurality of cables.

6. The sub-assembly of claim 2, wherein the first portion of the contact is plated with nickel-gold.

7. The sub-component according to claim 2, wherein: Each of the plurality of cables includes an exposed shield pressed against a first surface of the metal member; and The sub-assembly also includes a grounding member fixed to a second surface of the metal member opposite to the first surface.

8. The sub-assembly of claim 2, wherein the metal member is selectively cut to form the second portion of each of the plurality of contacts.

9. The sub-assembly of claim 8, wherein the second portion of each of the plurality of contacts is bent out of a plane formed by the remaining portion of the metal member.

10. The sub-assembly of claim 9 further includes a grounding cap fixed to the surface of the metal member opposite the insulating material, wherein the grounding cap is below the second portion of each of the plurality of contacts, with no intervening portion of the metal member in between.

11. The subassembly of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of cables includes two conductors attached to the second portion of a pair of adjacent contacts among the plurality of contacts.

12. The sub-assembly of claim 11, wherein the first portions of the pair of adjacent contacts associated with each of the plurality of cables are spaced apart by a center-to-center distance of 3.5 mm or less.

13. The sub-assembly of claim 2, wherein the metal member includes a second edge opposite to the first edge, and the length of the metal member from the second edge to the end of the second plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge of the metal member is longer than the length of each of the plurality of contacts.

14. The sub-assembly of claim 1, wherein the insulating material adhered to the metal member and the second plurality of contact beams is formed as a plurality of insulating islands.

15. The sub-assembly of claim 14, further comprising a corrugated shield attached to the metal member, wherein the portion of the metal member exposed between the plurality of insulating islands is attached to a valley of the corrugated shield.

16. A sub-assembly for an electrical connector, the sub-assembly comprising: A metal component, including a first edge and a plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge; as well as A corrugated member includes multiple peaks and multiple valleys, wherein a valley of the multiple valleys is fixed to the metal member, and the surface of the corrugated member facing the metal member is selectively plated with a coating material.

17. The sub-component of claim 16, wherein the plating material is gold.

18. The sub-assembly of claim 16, wherein the coating material has a thickness of about 0.13 micrometers and covers nickel with a thickness of about 1.27–5.08 micrometers.

19. The sub-component of claim 16, wherein the plating material is silver or palladium.

20. The sub-assembly of claim 16, wherein the surface of the corrugated member is selectively plated outside the valley.

21. The sub-assembly of claim 16, wherein the surface of the corrugated member is selectively plated at the valley.

22. The sub-assembly of claim 16 further includes a plurality of cables, wherein each of the cables is connected to one or more of the plurality of contact beams.

23. The sub-assembly of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of cables includes an exposed shield disposed on a first surface of the metal member, the first surface of the metal member facing the surface of the corrugated member.

24. The sub-assembly of claim 23, wherein each of the plurality of peaks of the corrugated member presses the exposed shield of one of the plurality of cables into the first surface of the metal member.

25. A sub-assembly for an electrical connector, the sub-assembly comprising: A first conductive member extends in a first plane, the first conductive member including a first edge and a first plurality of contact beams extending from the first edge in a row, wherein the first conductive member includes a plurality of openings therethrough; The second plurality of contact beams, each of the second plurality of contact beams including a portion of a corresponding contact among a plurality of contacts disposed within the plurality of openings, wherein the second plurality of contact beams are aligned with the first plurality of contact beams in the row, wherein each of the plurality of contacts includes a portion bent out of the first plane and configured for attaching a tail of a cable. as well as A second conductive member extends in a second plane parallel to the first plane. The second conductive member includes a first portion and a second portion fixed to the first conductive member, wherein the corresponding second portion is aligned with the tail of one or more of the plurality of contacts in a direction perpendicular to the second plane.

26. The sub-assembly of claim 25, wherein the first portion of the second conductive member is formed as a plurality of feet configured to be mechanically attached to the first conductive member.

27. The sub-assembly of claim 26, further comprising a plurality of cables between the first conductive member and the second conductive member, wherein each of the plurality of cables is connected to one or more of the plurality of contacts.

28. The sub-assembly of claim 27, wherein each of the plurality of feet of the second conductive member is located between adjacent cables in the plurality of cables.

29. The sub-assembly of claim 26, wherein the first portion of the second conductive member is fixed to a side of the first conductive member opposite to the side where the first plurality of contact beams and the second plurality of contact beams extend.

30. The sub-component of claim 25, wherein the second conductive member includes a plurality of openings therethrough.

31. The sub-assembly of claim 25, wherein the second conductive member includes a rolled edge.

32. A sub-assembly for an electrical connector, the sub-assembly comprising: Grounding components; A corrugated member comprising multiple peaks and multiple valleys, wherein a valley of the multiple valleys is fixed to the grounding member; as well as Metal components fixed to the corrugated component.

33. The sub-assembly of claim 32, wherein the metal member is fixed to the peak of the corrugated member.

34. The sub-assembly of claim 32, wherein the metal member comprises a body having a first edge and a second edge.

35. The sub-assembly of claim 34, wherein the metal member has a rolled edge at the first edge.

36. The sub-assembly of claim 35, wherein the corrugated member extends beyond the rolled edge.

37. The sub-assembly of claim 34, wherein the metal member has a foot extending from the second edge to the grounding member, the foot being mechanically fixed to the grounding member.

38. The subassembly of claim 37 further includes four cables between the corrugated member and the grounding member, wherein each of the feet is located between adjacent cables.

39. The sub-assembly of claim 38, wherein the sub-assembly has four sets of contact tips, each set having a pair of signal conductor contact tips and a pair of ground contact tips, wherein each pair of signal conductor tips is connected to one of the cables.

40. The sub-assembly of claim 32, wherein the metal member is a reinforcement.

41. The sub-assembly of claim 32, wherein the surface of the corrugated member facing the grounding member is selectively plated with a coating material.

42. The sub-assembly of claim 41, wherein the plating material is gold.

43. An electrical connector, comprising: A first metal component, comprising a first plurality of joining features; The second metal component includes a second plurality of joining features; Multiple sub-components are disposed between the first metal member and the second metal member, each of the multiple sub-components including multiple contacts and a support member, wherein the support member engages a corresponding engagement feature in the first plurality of engagement features and a corresponding engagement feature in the second plurality of engagement features.

44. The electrical connector of claim 43, wherein the plurality of contacts of the plurality of sub-assemblies are configured to connect to the connection pads of the substrate.

45. The electrical connector of claim 43, wherein the plurality of contacts of each of the plurality of sub-assemblies comprises a first contact and a second contact.

46. ​​The electrical connector of claim 45, wherein the first contact of the plurality of contacts is configured to connect to a cable, and one or more of the first contacts are connected to one of the cables.

47. The electrical connector of claim 43, further comprising a carrier configured to hold the plurality of sub-assemblies, wherein the carrier includes spacers to separate adjacent sub-assemblies among the plurality of sub-assemblies, and openings to expose the plurality of contacts.

48. The electrical connector of claim 47, wherein the spacer is angled relative to the wall of the carrier.

49. The electrical connector of claim 47, wherein the first metal member and the second metal member are configured to slide within the frame over the first plurality of engagement features and the second plurality of engagement features, respectively.

50. A pressure-mounted electrical connector, comprising: A housing, including a mating surface, the mating surface including an opening therein; Multiple contacts, each contact including a compliant portion exposed in the opening of the mating surface; A frame that at least partially defines the opening; as well as A spring member is located between the housing and the frame, wherein the spring member is configured to bias the frame away from the housing in a direction perpendicular to the mating surface.

51. The pressure-mounted electrical connector of claim 50, wherein the spring member is configured to be compressed to its loaded position based on the housing being fixed to the substrate, and the frame and the spring member are located between the housing and the substrate.

52. The pressure-mounted electrical connector of claim 51, wherein when the housing is secured to the substrate, the compliant portion of each of the plurality of contacts is connected to the substrate.

Images