Conductive Terminal Layout to Eliminate Open Stubs in Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors in data centers experience signal integrity issues due to open stubs causing electromagnetic interference and resonance at high transmission rates, such as 224 Gb/s, as only a portion of the press-fit portions contact the conductive layers in the through holes, leading to impedance mismatches and signal degradation.
Innovation Solution
The conductive terminal features two elastic arms with contact portions that elastically abut against a circuit board, minimizing the distance between tearing surfaces and staggered contact areas to prevent resonance and impedance mismatches, ensuring better impedance matching and reducing signal attenuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If press-fit portions are used to connect conductive terminals to circuit boards, then electrical connection is achieved, but open stubs are formed causing electromagnetic interference and signal integrity degradation at high transmission rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the problematic tip portion that creates open stubs from the press-fit structure. By extracting this harmful element and replacing it with elastic arms that make full contact with the conductive through hole, the source of electromagnetic interference is eliminated while maintaining electrical connection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the contact mechanism from partial contact (press-fit opening portion only) to full contact (entire elastic arm length). This parameter change in contact coverage eliminates the open stub formation while maintaining the electrical connection function, thereby improving signal integrity at high transmission rates.
2Reliability
If contact portions are positioned close together to minimize metal pad dimensions, then impedance matching is improved, but contact portions may collide during elastic compression
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetric positioning of the two contact portions along the insertion direction. By staggering their positions, the design enables close spacing for good impedance matching while preventing collision during compression through offset placement, thus resolving the contradiction between impedance matching and alignment ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the spatial conflict by utilizing the insertion direction (depth dimension) to stagger contact portions. Instead of only adjusting lateral spacing, the solution adds a depth offset, allowing contact portions to be close in the lateral dimension for impedance matching while separated in the depth dimension to avoid collision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents high-frequency resonance and electromagnetic interference, enhances impedance matching, and reduces signal attenuation, ensuring reliable signal transmission at high speeds by minimizing contact areas and maintaining uniform impedance across the conductive paths.
Implementation Method 1
The conductive portion comprises two elastic arms, each of the elastic arms comprises a first arm portion and a second arm portion separated along an up-down direction
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector, a conductive terminal and a forming method of a conductive portion of the conductive terminal. The conductive portion of the conductive terminal includes two elastic arms elastically abutting against a metal pad of a circuit board. Each elastic arm includes a first arm portion and a second arm portion separated along an up-down direction. A contact portion is formed at a tail end of the second arm portion, which does not form an open stub. Each contact portion has a tearing surface, such that a distance between the two contact portions of the two elastic arms is minimized. The two contact portions of the two elastic arms are provided to be staggered along the front-rear direction, and the two tearing surfaces of the two elastic arms are staggered along a front-rear direction, thus preventing the two elastic arms from scratching and colliding with each other.