Interconnected assembly of an array of high frequency coaxial connectors

An interconnected assembly of an array of high frequency coaxial connectors capable of operation at frequencies on the order of 18 Ghz comprising:

• a pair of opposed planar mounting plates, each plate having an array of closely spaced apertures with the respective apertures in said plates being aligned to define opposed pairs;
• and
• a plurality of coaxial electrical connectors respectively mounted in said apertures to define opposed mating pairs, each mating pair of connectors including first and second connector members;
• each said first connector member having a first central conductor surrounded by a tubular insulator and a first generally cylindrical outer conductor, said first outer conductor having a minor inner diameter portion contiguous with said tubular insulator, said first outer conductor further including a major inner diameter portion extending axially beyond said tubular insulator towards the mating end thereof, with the diameter of said major inner diameter portion being greater than the diameter of said minor inner diameter portion such that the transition between said portions defines a circumferential step extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of said first connector member;
• each said second connector member having a second central conductor surrounded by a tubular insulator and a second generally cylindrical outer conductor, with the mating end of said second outer conductor including a plurality of longitudinal slits and with said second outer conductor being flared radially outwardly towards the mating end thereof to define a plurality of cantilevered spring fingers, with the diameter of the mating end of said second outer conductor being greater than the inner diameter of said major inner diameter portion of said first outer conductor when said spring fingers are flared radially outwardly, said spring fingers being radially compressible against said tubular insulator to define a cylinder having a constant diameter along substantially its entire length equal to the inner diameter of said major inner diameter portion of said first outer conductor, the mating end of each said cantilevered spring finger of said second connector members being chamfered to facilitate its radial compression during mating, and the mating end of each said cantilevered spring finger further including a flattened portion disposed transverse to the longitudinal axis of said second connector member, said opposed mounting plates being disposed such that said connector members are mated to interconnect the respective first and second central conductors and with said spring fingers being radially compressed within the major inner diameter portion of said first outer conductor such that said radially compressed fingers form a mechanical connection between said first and second connector members and frictionally hold said first and second connector members of said array in a high frequency electrical connection, and with the flattened portion of the mating end of said spring fingers abutting against said circumferential step of said first connector thereby establishing a redundant interconnection between said first and second outer conductors.