Connector assembly and method

• US 8,905,794 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2012
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Chawla, Gaurav, Zhang, Zhichao, Llapitan, David J., Krithivasan, Vijaykumar, Heppner, Joshua D
• Primary Examiner(s): PAUMEN, GARY F
• Application Number:
  US13/711,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20140162475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 439/682, 439/692, 439/487
• US Class Current: 439/682
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/34 Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or temperature compensation ; Temperature sensing arrangements thermal treatment apparatus H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7005 Guiding, mounting, polarizing or locking means; Extractors for printed circuit boards H05K
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/71 for rigid printing circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/722 coupling devices mounted on the edge of the printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/724 containing contact members forming a right angle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/79 connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/114 co-operating with pins or blades having a square transverse section

Abstract

Connectors and methods to couple packages and dies are shown. Selected examples include plugs and receptacles having two or more terraces with contacts provided along the terraces. Examples of connectors and methods include configurations where the connector is usable with a package including a die coupled along a substrate. In selected examples a heat sink is coupled over the die, and a package includes a side access port between the heat sink and the substrate configured to receive the connector, such as one or more of a plug or receptacle through the side access port.

Claims

1. A connector and package assembly comprising:

a package including a die coupled along a substrate;

a heat sink coupled over the die, and the package includes a side access port between the heat sink and the substrate on a side of the package;

a connector including;

a plug coupled with the substrate at the side access port, the plug having a plurality of contacts provided on two or more plug terraces, the two or more plug terraces are in a stepped arrangement, and

a receptacle arranged for coupling with the plug and a cable, the receptacle having a plurality of contacts provided on two or more receptacle terraces, the two or more receptacle terraces are in a corresponding stepped arrangement to the two or more plug terraces; and

a package clip coupling the heat sink with the substrate, the package clip includes a receptacle guide having one or more guide surfaces and the side access port is within the receptacle guide, the plug is positioned within the receptacle guide, and the receptacle guide is arranged to align and guide coupling of the receptacle with the plug.

2. The connector and package assembly of claim 1, the one or more guide surfaces include lateral guide surfaces, and a side access port width and a receptacle width correspond to a distance between the lateral guide surfaces.

3. The connector and package assembly of claim 1, a side access port height and a receptacle height correspond to a distance between a heat sink overhang of the heat sink and a topside substrate face.

4. The connector and package assembly of claim 1, a side access port length and a receptacle length correspond to a distance from the plug to an edge of the heat sink overhang.

5. The connector and package assembly of claim 4, the receptacle includes a receptacle insertion arm extending from a receptacle body having the two or more receptacle terraces, the receptacle insertion arm extending the respective side access port length and the receptacle length.

6. The connector and package assembly of claim 1, the substrate is arranged for a contact array on a bottom side of the package, and the contact array is arranged for coupling with a socket.

7. The connector and package assembly of claim 1, the side access port, the plug and the receptacle are arranged for horizontal coupling on the side of the package.

8. The connector and package assembly of claim 1, one of the plug or the receptacle is a plug and the other of the receptacle or the plug is a plug.

9. A connector assembly for use in topside connection of a package, the connector assembly comprising:

a plug, the plug including;

a plug body,

a plurality of plug pins with receptacle contacts,

two or more plug terraces in the plug body, each of the two or more plug terraces are recessed relative to another of the two or more plug terraces, and each plug terrace includes one or more receptacle contacts of the plurality of plug pins, and

wherein the plug body includes at least one alignment flange arranged to align and guide a receptacle body corresponding to the plug body, and the plug contacts of the receptacle body are aligned with the receptacle contacts on the two or more plug terraces of the plug body with the at least one alignment flange.

10. The connector assembly of claim 9 comprising a receptacle arranged for connection with the plug, the receptacle including:

a receptacle body,

a plurality of receptacle pins with plug contacts, and

two or more receptacle terraces in the receptacle body, each of the two or more receptacle terraces are recessed relative to another of the two or more receptacle terraces, and each receptacle terrace includes one or more plug contacts of the plurality of receptacle pins; and

the two or more plug terraces have a corresponding arrangement to the two or more receptacle terraces, and the plug and the receptacle interfit according to the corresponding arrangement.

11. The connector assembly of claim 10, the corresponding arrangement of the two or more plug terraces to the two or more receptacle terraces is a stepped arrangement.

12. The connector assembly of claim 10, each plug terrace includes a plurality of receptacle contacts arranged in a receptacle contact row, and

each receptacle terrace includes a plurality of plug contacts arranged in a plug contact row.

13. The connector assembly of claim 9, the plug body includes a substrate planar mounting surface, and the plurality of plug pins include substrate contacts exposed along the substrate planar mounting surface.

14. The connector assembly of claim 10, the plurality of receptacle pins each include cable contacts, and

the receptacle body includes two or more cable support terraces, each of the two or more cable support terraces include one or more of the cable contacts of the plurality of receptacle pins.

15. The connector assembly of claim 10, the plurality of plug pins each include at least one anchor, and the at least one anchors are retained within the plug body adjacent to the respective plug terrace of the two or more plug terraces and the respective receptacle contacts of each of the plug pins.

16. The connector assembly of claim 15, the receptacle contacts of the plurality of plug pins include male plug contacts with one or more of linear or angled configurations.

17. The connector assembly of claim 10, the plug contacts of the plurality of receptacle pins include female plug contacts with a prayer arm configuration.

18. The connector assembly of claim 10, the receptacle including a receptacle insertion arm extending from the receptacle body, the receptacle insertion arm includes at least one cable clip arranged to retain two or more cables along the receptacle insertion arm.

19. The connector assembly of claim 10, wherein the plug pins extend from the two or more plug terraces to substrate contacts arranged in two or more substrate contact rows corresponding to the two or more plug terraces, the two or more substrate contact rows arranged on a substrate mounting surface arranged for coupling with a substrate of a package.

20. The connector assembly of claim 9, wherein the at least one alignment flange includes:

a first alignment flange at an end of the two or more terraces of the plug body, and

a second alignment flange at another end of the two or more terraces of the plug body.

21. The connector assembly of claim 20, wherein the first and second alignment flanges include guide bevels tapered toward the receptacle contacts.

22. A method of interconnecting a package along a top side of a package comprising:

installing a package in a socket, the package including a die coupled along a substrate, and a heat sink is coupled over the die; and

connecting a connector at a side access port of the package, the side access port formed between the heat sink and the substrate on a top side of the package, connecting the connector including;

inserting a receptacle coupled with a cable into the side access port,

guiding the receptacle with a receptacle guide between the substrate and a heat sink overhang of the heat sink, the receptacle guide formed in a package clip coupling the package with the heat sink, and

engaging plug contacts along two or more receptacle terraces of the receptacle with receptacle contacts along two or more plug terraces of a plug, the plug coupled with the substrate at the side access port.

23. The method of claim 22, installing the package in the socket includes connecting the package to a circuit board underlying the socket, the package including a contact array on a bottom side of the package arranged for coupling with the circuit board.

24. The method of claim 22, connecting the connector at the side access port includes interfitting the two or more receptacle terraces of the receptacle with the two or more plug terraces of the plug.

25. The method of claim 22, connecting the connector includes pushing the receptacle through the side access port with a receptacle insertion arm extending from a receptacle body having the two or more receptacle terraces.

26. The method of claim 25 comprising retaining two or more cables along the receptacle insertion arm, retaining the two or more cables decreasing interface stress between the two or more cables and a plurality of cable contacts of the receptacle.

27. The method of claim 22, connecting the connector includes connecting the connector while the heat sink is coupled with the package, and the heat sink overhangs the package.

28. The method of claim 22 comprising connecting a second connector at a second side access port of the package, the second side access port formed between the heat sink and the substrate on the top side of the package.