Spherical Contact Interconnect for High-Density Signal Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional integrated circuit sockets face mechanical and electrical limitations due to increased terminal count, reduced terminal pitch, and signal integrity requirements, leading to parasitic effects and cross-talk issues, which are not adequately addressed by existing interconnects for next-generation systems operating above 5 GHz.
Innovation Solution
The development of an electrical interconnect assembly featuring a substrate with discrete contact members and mechanical decoupling features, allowing for fine contact-to-contact spacing and the integration of conductive traces, passive and active circuit elements, and electrical devices, which enhances mechanical and electrical performance without the need for reflow soldering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If terminal pitch is reduced to increase terminal count, then terminal count increases, but contact surface area decreases and cross-talk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from planar contact surfaces to three-dimensional spherical contact geometry. The spherical contact members provide contact surface area in multiple dimensions, allowing reduced pitch while maintaining adequate contact area through the curvature of the sphere rather than being constrained to a flat surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different properties to different parts of the contact system. The contact members are made spherical rather than planar, and the insulator housing is designed with specific cavity geometries that accommodate the spherical shape. This local geometric quality change allows the contact surface to adapt to reduced pitch while maintaining adequate contact area.
2Ease of operation
If contact member length is increased to improve mechanical compliance, then mechanical compliance improves, but parasitic effects increase and electrical performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the contact members from long and thin to short and spherical. This parameter change allows the contact members to achieve adequate mechanical compliance through their spherical geometry and arrangement rather than through increased length, thereby reducing parasitic effects while maintaining compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs spherical contact members instead of linear or planar geometries. The spherical shape provides mechanical compliance through its ability to deform and adapt to surface variations, eliminating the need for long contact members and their associated parasitic effects while maintaining ease of mechanical operation.
3Length of moving object
If insulator wall thickness is reduced to accommodate longer contact members, then contact member length increases, but molding difficulty increases and warping risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of reducing insulator wall thickness to accommodate longer contact members, the patent inverts the approach by using shorter contact members with spherical geometry. This eliminates the need for thin insulator walls, thereby reducing molding difficulty and warping risk while still achieving the required mechanical compliance through the spherical contact geometry.
4Quantity of substance
If contact member spacing is reduced to increase terminal count, then terminal count increases, but cross-talk between neighboring contacts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs spherical contact members that can be viewed as flexible geometric forms compared to rigid linear contacts. The spherical geometry allows for better field containment and reduced electromagnetic coupling between adjacent contacts, thereby reducing cross-talk while enabling reduced spacing and increased terminal count.
Data Source
AI summary
An interconnect assembly including a substrate with a plurality of through holes extending from a first surface to a second surface. A plurality of discrete contact member are located in the plurality of through holes. The contact members include proximal ends that are accessible from the second surface, distal ends extending above the first surface, and intermediate portions engaged with an engagement region of the substrate located between the first surface and the recesses. Retention members are coupled with at least a portion of the proximal ends to retain the contact members in the through holes. The retention members can be made from a variety of materials with different levels of conductivity, ranging from highly conductive to non-conductive.