초록 ▼

Lightweight, low-cost, high-density electrical connectors are disclosed that provide impedance-controlled, high-speed, low-interference communications, even in the absence of shields between the contacts, and that provide for a variety of other benefits not found in prior art connectors. An example

Lightweight, low-cost, high-density electrical connectors are disclosed that provide impedance-controlled, high-speed, low-interference communications, even in the absence of shields between the contacts, and that provide for a variety of other benefits not found in prior art connectors. An example of such an electrical connector may include a first signal contact positioned within a first linear array of electrical contacts and a second signal contact positioned within a second linear array of electrical contacts that is adjacent to the first linear array. Either of the signal contacts may be a single-ended signal conductor, or one of a differential signal pair. The connector may be devoid of shields between the signal contacts, and of ground contacts adjacent to the signal contacts.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An electrical connector, comprising: a first column of electrical contacts comprising a first arrangement of differential signal pairs separated from one another by first ground contacts; a second column of electrical contacts comprising a second arrangement of differential s

What is claimed is: 1. An electrical connector, comprising: a first column of electrical contacts comprising a first arrangement of differential signal pairs separated from one another by first ground contacts; a second column of electrical contacts comprising a second arrangement of differential signal pairs separated from one another by second ground contacts, wherein one differential signal pair in the second arrangement of differential signal pairs is a victim differential signal pair; and a third column of electrical contacts comprising a third arrangement of differential signal pairs separated from one another by third ground contacts, wherein (i) the second column is adjacent to the first column, and the third column is adjacent to the second column; (ii) the connector is devoid of electrical shields between the first column and the second column, and between the second column and the third column; (iii) the contacts in the first column are spaced apart from the contacts in the second column by a column-spacing distance of about 1.8-2.0 millimeters and the contacts in the second column are spaced apart from the contacts in the third column by the column-spacing distance; (iv) each of the differential signal pairs defines a gap distance between the electrical contacts that form the pair; and (v) the gap distance relative to the column-spacing distance is such that differential signals with rise times of 200 picoseconds in the six differential signal pairs in the first, second, and third columns that are closest to the victim pair produce no more than 6% worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the victim differential signal pair. 2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein each differential signal pair comprises two electrical signal contacts that are tightly electrically coupled to one another. 3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a differential signal pair in the third column is offset from the victim differential signal pair by a row pitch. 4. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a differential signal pair in the third column is offset from the victim differential signal pair by an offset distance that is less than a row pitch. 5. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a differential signal pair in the third column is offset from the victim differential signal pair by more than a row pitch. 6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the impedance of the first differential signal pair is between about 90 and 110 Ohms. 7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the 200 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate greater than 1.25 Gigabits/sec and less than 2.5 Gigabits/sec. 8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein electrical contacts that form a differential signal pair in the first column extend from a mating face of the connector and one of the first ground contacts extend farther from the mating face than the electrical contacts. 9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein electrical contacts that form a differential pair in the first column each terminate at a respective end thereof with a corresponding fusible mounting element. 10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the victim differential signal pair is 4% or less. 11. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the victim differential signal pair is 3% or less. 12. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical connector has an insertion loss of less than about 0.7 dB at 5 GHz. 13. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the differential signal pairs are broadside coupled. 14. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gap distance relative to the column-spacing distance is such that differential signals with rise times of 150 picoseconds in the six differential signal pairs in the first, second, and third columns that are closest to the victim pair produce no more than 6% worst-case cross talk on the victim differential signal pair. 15. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein the 150 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate of about 2.5 Gigabits/sec. 16. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gap distance relative to the column-spacing distance is such that differential signals with rise times of 100 picoseconds in the six differential signal pairs in the first, second, and third columns that are closest to the victim pair produce no more than 6% worst-case cross talk on the victim differential signal pair. 17. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 16, wherein the 100 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate of about 3.2 Gigabits/sec. 18. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gap distance relative to the column-spacing distance is such that differential signals with rise times of 50 picoseconds in the six differential signal pairs in the first, second, and third columns that are closest to the victim pair produce no more than 6% worst-case cross talk on the victim differential signal pair. 19. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 18, wherein the 50 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate greater than 4.8 Gigabits/sec and less than 10 Gigabits/sec. 20. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gap distance relative to the column-spacing distance is such that differential signals with rise times of 40 picoseconds in the six differential signal pairs in the first, second, and third columns that are closest to the victim pair produce no more than 6% worst-case cross talk on the victim differential signal pair. 21. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 20, wherein the 40 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate of about 10 Gigabits/sec. 22. An electrical connector comprising: a first electrical connector half and a second electrical connector half that mates with the first electrical connector half, the first electrical connector half and the second electrical connector half each comprising: a first column of electrical contacts comprising a first differential signal pair of electrical contacts, a first ground contact adjacent to the first differential signal pair, a second differential signal pair of electrical contacts adjacent to the first ground contact, a second ground contact adjacent to the second differential signal pair, and a third differential signal pair of electrical contacts adjacent to the second ground contact; a second column of electrical contacts comprising a fourth differential signal pair of electrical contacts, a third ground contact adjacent to the fourth differential signal pair, a fifth differential signal pair of electrical contacts adjacent to the third ground contact, a fourth ground contact adjacent to the fifth differential signal pair, and a sixth differential signal pair of electrical contacts adjacent to the fourth ground contact; and a third column of electrical contacts comprising a seventh differential signal pair of electrical contacts, a fifth ground contact adjacent to the seventh differential signal pair, an eighth differential signal pair of electrical contacts adjacent to the fifth ground contact, a sixth ground contact adjacent to the eighth differential signal pair, and a ninth differential signal pair of electrical contacts adjacent to the sixth ground contact, wherein (i) the second column of electrical contacts is adjacent to the first column of electrical contacts and the third column of electrical contacts; (ii) the connector is devoid of electrical shields between the first, second, and third columns; (iii) the electrical contacts in the first column are spaced apart from the electrical contacts in the second column by a column-spacing distance, and the contacts in the second column are spaced apart from the contacts in the third column by the column-spacing distance; (iv) the electrical contacts that comprise the first differential signal pair are spaced apart by a gap distance that is less than the column-spacing distance; and (v) differential signals with rise times of 40 picoseconds in the six differential signal pairs in the first, second, and third columns that are closest to the fifth differential signal pair produce no more than 600 worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the fifth differential signal pair. 23. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein electrical signal contacts in the first differential signal pair are tightly electrically coupled to each other. 24. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the fourth differential signal pair is offset from the first differential signal pair by a row pitch. 25. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the fourth differential signal pair is offset from the first differential signal pair by an offset distance that is less than a row pitch. 26. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the fourth differential signal pair is offset from the first differential signal pair by more than a row pitch. 27. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the impedance of the first differential signal pair is between about 90 and 110 Ohms. 28. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the worst-case, multi-active, cross-talk on the fifth differential signal pair is 3% or less. 29. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the 40 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate of about 10 Gigabits/sec. 30. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein electrical contacts that form a differential signal pair in the first column of the first connector extend from a mating face of the first electrical connector and one of the first ground contacts extends farther from the mating face than the electrical contacts. 31. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein electrical contacts that form the first differential signal pair each terminate at a respective end thereof with a corresponding fusible mounting element. 32. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the fifth differential signal pair is 4% or less. 33. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the fifth differential signal pair is 3% or less. 34. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the electrical connector has an insertion loss of less than about 0.7 dB at 5 GHz. 35. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the differential signal pairs are broadside coupled. 36. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein differential signals with rise times of 150 picoseconds in each of the six closest differential signal pairs produce no more than 6% worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the fifth differential signal pair. 37. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 36, wherein the 150 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate of about 2.5 Gigabits/sec. 38. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein differential signals with rise times of 100 picoseconds in each of the six closest differential signal pairs produce no more than 60% worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the fifth differential signal pair. 39. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 38, wherein the 100 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate of about 3.2 Gigabits/sec. 40. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein differential signals with rise times of 50 picoseconds in each of the six closest differential signal pairs produce no more than 6% worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the fifth differential signal pair. 41. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 40, wherein the 50 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate greater than 4.8 Gigabits/sec and less than 10 Gigabits/sec. 42. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein differential signals with rise times of 200 picoseconds in each of the six closest differential signal pairs produce no more than 6% worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the fifth differential signal pair. 43. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 42, wherein the 200 picosecond rise time represents a data transfer rate greater than 1.25 Gigabits/sec and less than 2.5 Gigabits/sec. 44. An electrical connector comprising: a first column of electrical contacts comprising a first arrangement of differential signal pairs each separated from one another by first ground contacts; a second column of electrical contacts comprising a second arrangement of differential signal pairs each separated from one another by second ground contacts, wherein one differential signal pair in the second arrangement of differential signal pairs is a victim pair; and a third column of electrical contacts comprising a third arrangement of differential signal pairs each separated from one another by third ground contacts, wherein (i) the second column is adjacent to the first column, and the third column is adjacent to the second column (ii) the connector is devoid of electrical shields between the first column and the second column, and between the second column and the third column; (iii) the first column, the second column, and the third column are evenly spaced apart from one another by an equal column-spacing distance of about 1.8 to 2 millimeters; (iv) each of the differential signal pairs defines a gap distance between electrical contacts that form each differential signal pair; and (v) the gap distance relative to the column-spacing distance is such that differential signals with rise times of 40 picoseconds in the six differential signal pairs in the first, second, and third columns that are closest to the victim pair produce no more than an acceptable level of worst-case, multi-active cross talk on the victim pair. 45. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 44, wherein electrical contacts that form the first differential signal pair each terminate at a respective end thereof with a corresponding fusible mounting element. 46. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 44, wherein the impedance of the first differential signal pair is between about 90 and 110 Ohms. 47. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 44, wherein the first ground contact is tightly electrically coupled to one electrical contact in the first differential signal pair. 48. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 44, wherein the first linear array is staggered relative to the second linear array. 49. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 44, wherein the differential signal pairs are broadside coupled. 50. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 44, wherein the gap distance is approximately 0.3 to 0.4 millimeters. 51. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 50, wherein the column-spacing distance defines a column pitch between the first linear array and the second linear array, and the gap distance is based on the column pitch. 52. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 51, wherein the gap distance is between approximately one-tenth of the column pitch and one-fifth of the column pitch. 53. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 51, wherein the gap distance is between approximately one-tenth of the column pitch and one-eighth of the column pitch. 54. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 51, wherein the gap distance is approximately one-fifth of the column pitch. 55. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 51, wherein the column pitch is approximately two millimeters and the gap distance is between approximately 0.3 millimeters and 0.4 millimeters. 56. An electrical connector comprising: a first linear array of electrical contacts comprising a first signal contact that defines a first side and a first edge, wherein the first side is two or more times greater in length than the first edge; a second signal contact positioned adjacent to the first signal contact, wherein the second signal contact defines a second side and a second edge and the second side is two or more times greater in length that the second edge; and a first ground contact positioned adjacent to the first signal contact; and a second linear array of electrical contacts comprising a third signal contact that defines a third side and a third edge, wherein the third side is two or more times greater in length than the third edge; a fourth signal contact positioned adjacent to the third signal contact, wherein the fourth signal contact defines a fourth side and a fourth edge and the fourth side is two or more times greater in length that the fourth edge; and a second ground contact positioned along an imaginary line that is perpendicular to the first linear array of electrical contacts, wherein (i) the first signal contact and the second signal contact are positioned edge-to-edge and form a first differential signal pair; (ii) the third signal contact and the fourth signal contact are positioned edge-to-edge and form a second differential signal pair; (iii) the first signal contact is positioned along the imaginary line that is perpendicular to the first linear array of electrical contacts; (iv) the connector is devoid of electrical shields between the first linear array of electrical contacts and the second linear array of electrical contacts; (v) a gap distance between the first and second signal contacts is less than a distance between the first signal contact and the second ground contact, and (vi) electrical contacts that form the first differential signal pair each terminate at a respective end thereof with a corresponding fusible mounting element.