High frequency electrical connector

• US 9,705,255 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Original Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Inventors: Kirk, Brian, Gailus, Mark W., Cohen, Thomas S., Atkinson, Prescott B., Manter, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Tulsidas C
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAMBERS, TRAVIS SLOAN
• Application Number:
  US14/948,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20160149343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 43960702, 439295, 439605, 43960701-60711, 439608, 439701
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/585 Terminals having a press fit or a compliant portion and a shank passing through a hole in the printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/724 containing contact members forming a right angle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/735 Printed circuits including an angle between each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/504 different pieces being moulded, cemented, welded, e.g. ultrasonic, or swaged together
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/514 composed as a modular blocks or assembly, i.e. composed of co-operating parts provided with contact members or holding contact members between them
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6461 Means for preventing cross-talk
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6471 by special arrangement of ground and signal conductors, e.g. GSGS [Ground-Signal-Ground-Signal]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6477 by variation of dielectric properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/658 High frequency shielding arrangements, e.g. against EMI [Electro-Magnetic Interference] or EMP [Electro-Magnetic Pulse] coaxial coupling devices specially adapted for high frequency H01R24/40; for flat or ribbon cable connectors H01R12/774; for coaxial cable H01R9/05
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6585 Shielding material individually surrounding or interposed between mutually spaced contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6587 for mounting on PCBs
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6598 Shield material
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/62 Sliding engagements with one side only, e.g. modular jack coupling devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/68 mounted on directly pluggable apparatus

Abstract

An improved broadside coupled, open pin field connector. The connector incorporates lossy material to selectively dampen resonance within pairs of conductive members connected to ground when the connector is mounted to a printed circuit board. The material may also decrease crosstalk and mode conversion. The lossy material is selectively positioned to substantially dampen resonances along pairs that may be connected to ground without unacceptably attenuating signals carried by other pairs. The lossy material may be selectively positioned near mating contact portions of the conductive members. Multiple techniques are described for selectively positioning the lossy material, including molding, inserting lossy members into a housing or coating surfaces of the connector housing. By using material of relatively low loss, loss when the conductive members are used to carry signals is relatively low, but an appreciable attenuation of resonances is provided on pairs connected to ground.

Claims

1. A component for use in an electrical connector, the component comprising:

an insulative housing;

a plurality of conductive elements, wherein;

each conductive element of the plurality of conductive elements comprises a contact tail, a mating contact portion, and an intermediate portion extending between the contact tail and the mating contact portion;

the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive elements extend through the insulative housing;

the plurality of conductive elements comprise a first conductive element and a second conductive element adjacent the first conductive element; and

the mating contact portions of the first and second conductive elements are aligned edge to edge; and

a lossy insert that is separately manufactured and assembled with the insulative housing, wherein the lossy insert is disposed adjacent a transition region between the intermediate portion of the first conductive element and the mating contact portion of the first conductive element.

2. The component of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive elements comprises a plurality of pairs of conducive elements, each pair of the plurality of pairs of conductive elements being adapted to carry a differential signal.

3. The component of claim 1, wherein the insulative housing comprises a cavity adapted to receive the lossy insert.

4. The component of claim 1, wherein:

the lossy insert is a first lossy insert;

the component further comprises a second lossy insert that is separately manufactured and assembled with the insulative housing; and

the second lossy insert is disposed adjacent a transition region between the intermediate portion of the second conductive element and the mating contact portion of the second conductive element.

5. The component of claim 1, wherein the lossy insert comprising a protruding portion that protrudes toward the first conductive element.

6. The component of claim 1, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a conductivity of about 1 siemens/meter to about 1×

10⁷ siemens/meter.

7. The component of claim 1, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a conductivity of about 1 siemens/meter to about 30,000 siemens/meter.

8. The component of claim 1, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a conductivity of about 25 siemens/meter to about 500 siemens/meter.

9. The component of claim 1, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a surface resistivity between 1 Ω

/square and 10³ Ω

/square.

10. The component of claim 1, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a surface resistivity between 10 Ω

/square and 100 Ω

/square.

11. The component of claim 1, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a surface resistivity between 20 Ω

/square and 40 Ω

/square.

12. An electrical connector comprising a plurality of components, wherein at least one component of the plurality of components comprises:

an insulative housing;

a plurality of conductive elements, wherein;

each conductive element of the plurality of conductive elements comprises a contact tail, a mating contact portion, and an intermediate portion extending between the contact tail and the mating contact portion;

the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive elements extend through the insulative housing;

the plurality of conductive elements comprise a first conductive element and a second conductive element adjacent the first conductive element; and

the mating contact portions of the first and second conductive elements are aligned edge to edge; and

a lossy insert that is separately manufactured and assembled with the insulative housing, wherein the lossy insert is disposed adjacent a transition region between the intermediate portion of the first conductive element and the mating contact portion of the first conductive element.

13. The electrical connector of claim 12, wherein each component of the plurality of components is a wafer.

14. The electrical connector of claim 13, wherein the plurality of conductive elements comprises a plurality of pairs of conducive elements, each pair of the plurality of pairs of conductive elements being adapted to carry a differential signal.

15. The electrical connector of claim 13, wherein:

the lossy insert is a first lossy insert;

the component further comprises a second lossy insert that is separately manufactured and assembled with the insulative housing; and

the second lossy insert is disposed adjacent a transition region between the intermediate portion of the second conductive element and the mating contact portion of the second conductive element.

16. The electrical connector of claim 12, wherein the lossy insert comprising a protruding portion that protrudes toward the first conductive element.

17. The electrical connector of claim 12, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a conductivity of about 1 siemens/meter to about 30,000 siemens/meter.

18. The electrical connector of claim 12, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a conductivity of about 25 siemens/meter to about 500 siemens/meter.

19. The electrical connector of claim 12, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a surface resistivity between 10 Ω

/square and 100 Ω

/square.

20. The electrical connector of claim 12, wherein the lossy insert comprises a material having a surface resistivity between 20 Ω

/square and 40 Ω

/square.