Abstract: An electrical interconnection system with high speed, high density electrical connectors. One of the connectors includes a mating contact portion that generates contact force as it is compressed against a wall of the connector housing. The mating contact portion has multiple segments, each with a contact region extending from the wall, such that multiple points of contact to a complementary mating contact portion in a mating connector are provided for mechanical robustness. Additionally, each signal path through the mating interface portions of the connectors can be narrow and has a relatively uniform cross section to provide a uniform impedance. Additional size reduction may be achieved by mounting a ground contact on an exterior surface of a connector housing in alternating rows. Additionally, embodiments in which a wavy contact is used in a cantilevered configuration are also described.

Abstract: An electrical connector that electrically connects a first printed circuit board and a second printed circuit board is disclosed, where the electrical connector in the preferred embodiment includes: (a) an insulative housing; (b) a plurality of signal conductors, with at least a portion of each of the plurality of signal conductors disposed within the insulative housing; (c) each of the plurality of signal conductors having a first contact end, a second contact end and an intermediate portion therebetween; and (d) a passive circuit element electrically connected to the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of signal conductors, where the passive circuit element is housed in an insulative package and includes at least a capacitor or an inductor.

Abstract: An electrical connector with a reference contact for improved shielding. The contact provides multiple points of contact between members in the ground structure of two mating connectors. The points of contact are arranged to provide desirable current flow in the signal paths and ground structures of the connectors. The contact is stamped from a shield plate and has multiple elongated members that provide spring force for adequate electrical connection. The elongated members are curved to position the points of contact with the desired orientation. Such a contact structure may be used alone or in combination with other compliant structures providing further points of contact.

Abstract: A differential connector has a plurality of rows. Each row includes a plurality of signal conductors provided as differential pairs. Each signal conductor has a first contact end connectable to a printed circuit board, a second contact end, and an intermediate portion having a first width. For each differential pair, one first contact end lies along a first line parallel to the plurality of rows and the other first contact end lies along a second line parallel to and spaced from the first line. The differential connector further includes a plurality of ground conductors, with each ground conductor corresponding to a differential pair. Each ground conductor has a first contact end connectable to the printed circuit board, a second contact end, and an intermediate portion having a second width that is at least twice the first width.

Abstract: An electrical interconnection system with high speed, differential electrical connectors. The connector is assembled from wafers containing columns of conductive elements, some of which form differential pairs. Each column may include ground conductors adjacent pairs of signal conductors. The ground conductors may be wider than the signal conductors, with ground conductors between adjacent pairs of signal conductors being wider than ground conductors positioned at an end of at least some of the columns. Each of the conductive elements may end in a mating contact portion positioned to engage a complementary contact element in a mating connector. The mating contact portions of the signal conductors in some of the pairs may be rotated relative to the columns. The printed circuit board to which the differential signal connector is mounted may be constructed with elongated antipads around pairs of signal conductors.

Abstract: An electrical interconnection system with high speed, differential electrical connectors. The connectors are formed with columns of conductive elements, some of which carry signals some of which act as ground conductors. The conductive elements may contain projections to secure the conductive elements in a housing or to facilitate desirable current flow patterns. To avoid impedance discontinuities caused by the projections, adjacent conductive elements may be formed with complementary portions to provide a relatively uniform edge-to-edge spacing between signal and ground conductors along the length of the signal conductor. To manufacture such a connector in which both the signal and the ground conductive elements contain projections, the conductive elements carrying signals may be inserted into a housing from one side and the conductive elements acting as ground conductors may be inserted from an opposite side.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a wafer formed with a ground shield made from a non-conductive material made conductive with conductive particles disposed therein, thereby eliminating the necessity of the metal ground shield plate found in prior art connectors while maintaining sufficient performance characteristics and minimizing electrical noise generated in the wafer. The wafer housing is formed with a first, insulative housing at least partially surrounding a pair of signal strips and a second, conductive housing at least partially surrounding the first, insulative housing and the signal strips. The housings provide the wafer with sufficient structural integrity, obviating the need for additional support structures or components for a wafer. Ground strips may be employed in the wafer and may be formed in the same plane as the signal strips. The second, conductive housing may be connected (e.g., molded) to the ground strips and spaced appropriately from the signal strips.

Abstract: A midplane has a first side to which contact ends of a first differential connector are connected and a second side opposite the first side to which contact ends of a second differential connector are connected. The midplane includes a plurality of vias extending from the first side to the second side, with the vias providing first signal launches on the first side and second signal launches on the second side. The first signal launches are provided in a plurality of rows, with each row having first signal launches along a first line and first signal launches along a second line substantially parallel to the first line. The second signal launches are provided in a plurality of columns, with each column having second signal launches along a third line and second signal launches along a fourth line substantially parallel to the third line.

Abstract: An electrical interconnection system with high speed, differential electrical connectors. The connector is assembled from wafers each containing a column of conductive elements, some of which form differential pairs. A housing for the wafer is formed with regions of higher and lower dielectric constant material. The regions of lower dielectric constant material are selectively positioned adjacent longer signal conductors of the differential pairs. The material may be preferentially placed along curved segments of the differential pair to reduce crosstalk in the connector while reducing skew.

Abstract: An electrical connector provides shielded signal pathways. The electrical connector includes a shield plate, a first finger that extends from an edge of the shield plate, and a second finger that extends from the edged of the shield and that is adjacent to the first finger. A channel is formed between the first finger and the second finger. A coupling is placed within the channel adjacent the first finger. The coupling includes a contact, a first connecting arm extending from a first end of the contact to a first portion of the first finger, and a second connecting arm extending from a second end of the contact to a second portion of the first finger. The first connecting arm and the second connecting arm provide at least two current paths from the contact to the first finger.

Abstract: A differential connector has a plurality of rows. Each row includes a plurality of signal conductors provided as differential pairs. Each signal conductor has a first contact end connectable to a printed circuit board, a second contact end, and an intermediate portion having a first width. For each differential pair, one first contact end lies along a first line parallel to the plurality of rows and the other first contact end lies along a second line parallel to and spaced from the first line. The differential connector further includes a plurality of ground conductors, with each ground conductor corresponding to a differential pair. Each ground conductor has a first contact end connectable to the printed circuit board, a second contact end, and an intermediate portion having a second width that is at least twice the first width.

Abstract: An electrical connector that electrically connects a first printed circuit board and a second printed circuit board is disclosed, where the electrical connector in the preferred embodiment includes: (a) an insulative housing; (b) a plurality of signal conductors, with at least a portion of each of the plurality of signal conductors disposed within the insulative housing; (c) each of the plurality of signal conductors having a first contact end, a second contact end and an intermediate portion therebetween; and (d) a passive circuit element electrically connected to the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of signal conductors, where the passive circuit element is housed in an insulative package and includes at least a capacitor or an inductor.

Abstract: An electrical interconnection system with high speed, high density electrical connectors. The connector is assembled from wafers containing columns of conductive elements, held in an insulative housing. The conductive elements may each have a plurality of beams of different lengths such that the mating contact surfaces of the first beam are offset, in a direction perpendicular with the columns, from the mating contact surfaces of the second beam. The mating contact surface of the shorter beam of each conductive element may be behind the mating contact of the longer beam such that the width of the conductive element is reduced while still protecting the shorter beam from stubbing upon connector mating. The multi-beam conductive elements may be used as signal or ground conductors.

Abstract: An electrical interconnection system with high speed, high density electrical connectors. The connectors incorporate electrically lossy material, selectively positioned to reduce crosstalk without undesirably attenuating signals. The lossy material may be molded through ground conductors that separate adjacent differential pairs within columns of conductive elements in the connector. However, regions of lossy material may be set back from the edges of the ground conductors to avoid undesired attenuation of signals. Also, the lossy material may be positioned in multiple regions along the length of signal conductors. The regions may be separated by holes, notches, gaps or other openings in the lossy material, which can be simply formed as part of a molding operation.

Abstract: An electrical connector with a reference contact for improved shielding. The contact provides multiple points of contact between members in the ground structure of two mating connectors. The points of contact are arranged to provide desirable current flow in the signal paths and ground structures of the connectors. The contact is stamped from a shield plate and has multiple elongated members that provide spring force for adequate electrical connection. The elongated members are curved to position the points of contact with the desired orientation. Such a contact structure may be used alone or in combination with other compliant structures providing further points of contact.

Abstract: A differential connector has a plurality of rows. Each row includes a plurality of signal conductors provided as differential pairs. Each signal conductor has a first contact end connectable to a printed circuit board, a second contact end, and an intermediate portion having a first width. For each differential pair, one first contact end lies along a first line parallel to the plurality of rows and the other first contact end lies along a second line parallel to and spaced from the first line. The differential connector further includes a plurality of ground conductors, with each ground conductor corresponding to a differential pair. Each ground conductor has a first contact end connectable to the printed circuit board, a second contact end, and an intermediate portion having a second width that is at least twice the first width.

Abstract: An electrical connector that electrically connects a first printed circuit board and a second printed circuit board is disclosed, where the electrical connector in the preferred embodiment includes: (a) an insulative housing; (b) a plurality of signal conductors, with at least a portion of each of the plurality of signal conductors disposed within the insulative housing; (c) each of the plurality of signal conductors having a first contact end, a second contact end and an intermediate portion therebetween; and (d) a passive circuit element electrically connected to the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of signal conductors, where the passive circuit element is housed in an insulative package and includes at least a capacitor or an inductor.

Abstract: A midplane has a first side to which contact ends of a first differential connector are connected and a second side opposite the first side to which contact ends of a second differential connector are connected. The midplane includes a plurality of vias extending from the first side to the second side, with the vias providing first signal launches on the first side and second signal launches on the second side. The first signal launches are provided in a plurality of rows, with each row having first signal launches along a first line and first signal launches along a second line substantially parallel to the first line. The second signal launches are provided in a plurality of columns, with each column having second signal launches along a third line and second signal launches along a fourth line substantially parallel to the third line.

Abstract: An electrical connector with a reference contact for improved shielding. The contact provides multiple points of contact between members in the ground structure of two mating connectors. The points of contact are arranged to provide desirable current flow in the signal paths and ground structures of the connectors. The contact is stamped from a shield plate and has multiple elongated members that provide spring force for adequate electrical connection. The elongated members are curved to position the points of contact with the desired orientation. Such a contact structure may be used alone or in combination with other compliant structures providing further points of contact.

Abstract: An electrical connector suitable for use in an adapter. The connector includes conductive elements that can be routed in three dimensions to facilitate interconnections between connectors used to form an adapter. Simplified construction is achieved through use of connector wafers, each of which route signals in a plane such that when the wafers are organized side-by-side in a connector, signals may be routed through multiple parallel planes. Some of the wafers may include holes through which conductive elements from other wafers may pass, to that signal may be routed in a third dimension, perpendicular to the parallel planes. The adapter may be mounted on a printed circuit board or other substrate with active components. Signals may pass through the adapter in one of the parallel planes or may be routed for conditioning in the active components.