Connector configurable for high performance
An electrical connector for high speed signals. The connector has multiple conductive elements that may serve as signal or ground conductors. A member formed with lossy material and conductive compliant members may be inserted in the connector. The conductive compliant members may be aligned with conductive elements of the connector configured as ground conductors. For a connector configured to carry differential signals, the ground conductors may separate pairs of signal conductors. The member may further include a conductive web, embedded within the lossy material, that interconnects the conductive compliant members. For a receptacle connector, the conductive elements may have mating contact portions aligned along opposing surfaces of a cavity. The conductive elements may have contact tails for attachment to a printed circuit board and intermediate portions connecting the mating contact portions and the contact tails. The conductive compliant members may press against the intermediate portions.
1. An electrical connector comprising:
a first subassembly comprising a first plurality of conductive elements disposed in a first row along a row direction;
a second subassembly comprising a second plurality of conductive elements disposed in a second row along the row direction;
a member disposed between the first subassembly and the second subassembly, the member comprising a plurality of conductive, compliant members extending from the member,
wherein:
conductive compliant members of the plurality of conductive compliant members make contact with a portion of conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements and a portion of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements; and
each conductive compliant member of the conductive compliant members that makes contact with a portion of conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements shares a position along the row direction with a conductive compliant member of the conductive compliant members that makes contact with a portion of conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements.
2. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the conductive compliant members are positioned to contact conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements that are separated by pairs of the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements.
3. The electrical connector of claim 1 , further comprising a housing having a cavity with a first surface, and a second surface parallel to the first surface, wherein:
the mating contact portions of the plurality of conductive elements are exposed in the first surface or the second surface.
4. The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein:
the housing comprises a first plurality of channels in the first surface and a second plurality of channels in the second surface; and
the mating contact portions of the at least one subassembly are disposed in at least one of the first plurality of channels and the second plurality of channels.
5. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one subassembly comprises an insulative portion.
6. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the member is formed at least in part of a lossy material;
the lossy material comprises a polymer and conductive fillers; and
at least two of the conductive compliant members comprise extensions from a conductive member disposed within the lossy material.
7. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the member further comprises:
a body with an upper side;
castellations disposed on the upper side of said body; and
a metal member elongated in a direction parallel to the row; and
a plurality of the conductive compliant members extending from the upper side of the body in locations between the castellations and integral with the metal member.
8. The electrical connector of claim 7 , wherein:
the body comprises a polymer; and
the metal member comprises a first portion embedded in the polymer, with the conductive compliant members extending from the first portion.
9. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the member is formed at least in part of a lossy material, and the bulk conductivity of the conductive compliant members is at least ten times the conductivity of the lossy material.
10. An electrical connector, comprising:
a plurality of conductive elements, each conductive element of the plurality having a mating contact portion, a contact tail and an intermediate portion connecting the mating contact portion and the contact tail;
a housing holding the plurality of conductive elements in at least one row, wherein the housing comprises openings through which intermediate portions of a portion of conductive elements of the plurality of conductive elements is exposed; and
a member comprising:
a body elongated in a direction parallel to the row; and
a plurality of conductive members extending from the body, wherein:
the conductive members extend into the openings toward the intermediate portions of the portion of the plurality of conductive elements.
11. The electrical connector of claim 10 , wherein:
the plurality of conductive members contact the intermediate portions of the portion of the plurality of conductive elements.
12. The electrical connector of claim 10 , wherein:
the portion of the plurality of conductive elements consists essentially of conductive elements separated from an adjacent conductive element in the portion by a pair of conductive elements in the row.
13. The electrical connector of claim 10 , wherein:
the member comprises a surface that is elongated in a direction parallel to the row; and
each of the plurality of conductive members comprises a first portion extending through the surface, a bend, and a second portion separated from the first portion by the bend.
14. The electrical connector of claim 10 , wherein:
the member comprises a metal member elongated in a direction parallel to the row; and
the plurality of conductive members are integral with the metal member.
15. The electrical connector of claim 14 , wherein:
the member comprises a polymer; and
the metal member comprises a first portion embedded in the polymer, with the conductive members extending from the first portion.
16. The electrical connector of claim 10 , further comprising:
an insulative housing, wherein the plurality of conductive elements are supported by the housing.
17. An electrical connector configured as a receptacle for a plug of a cable assembly, the electrical connector comprising:
an insulative housing comprising at least one cavity configured to receive the plug, the cavity comprising a first surface and a second surface, opposing the first surface;
a first plurality of conductive elements, each having a portion disposed along the first surface;
a second plurality of conductive elements, each having a portion disposed along the second surface;
a member disposed within the housing, the member comprising lossy material and a plurality of conductive members extending from the lossy material,
wherein:
conductive compliant members of the plurality of conductive compliant members make contact with a portion of conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements and a portion of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements; and
each conductive compliant member of the conductive compliant members that makes contact with a portion of conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements shares a position along the row direction with a conductive compliant member of the conductive compliant members that makes contact with a portion of conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements.
18. The electrical connector of claim 17 in an assembly comprising a printed circuit board, wherein:
the printed circuit board comprises at least one ground plane; and
each conductive element of the portion of conductive elements is electrically coupled to the at least one ground plane.
19. The assembly of claim 18 , wherein
the printed circuit board comprises a plurality of pairs of signal traces; and
the pairs of conductive elements of the first and second plurality of conductive elements are each coupled to a pair of the plurality of pairs of signal traces in the printed circuit board.
20. The assembly of claim 19 , wherein
the plurality of conductive elements comprise a subassembly, comprising a first insulative portion holding the plurality of conductive elements in a row;
the insulative portion comprises an opening therein; and
the member is disposed at least partially within the opening.