High speed electrical connector

An electrical connector configured to be mated to a complementary electrical connector along a first direction, the electrical connector comprising:

• an electrically insulative connector housing;
• and
• first and second leadframe assemblies each including a leadframe housing, a plurality of signal contacts supported by the leadframe housing so as to define a plurality of mating ends along a mating interface, and an electrically conductive ground plate attached to the leadframe housing, the ground plate defining a plurality of ground mounting ends extending out from the connector housing substantially along a longitudinal direction, respective ones of the ground mating ends disposed between and aligned with the mating ends of the signal contacts along a transverse direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
• wherein 1) the first leadframe assembly defines a first linear array of mating ends, and the second leadframe assembly defines a second linear array of mating ends, 2) the first leadframe assembly defines a single electrical widow contact disposed at a first end of the first linear array, 3) the second leadframe assembly defines a single widow contact disposed at a second end of the second linear array, the second end opposite the first end, and 4) each of the single widow contacts is not disposed adjacent any other electrical contacts, except a single ground mating end along the respective first and second linear arrays.

An electrical connector configured to be mated to a complementary electrical connector along a first direction, the right-angle electrical connector comprising:

• an electrically insulative connector housing;
• a plurality of signal contacts, each of the plurality of signal contacts defining a mounting end and a mating end, immediately adjacent signal contacts defining respective differential pairs;
• and
• a plurality of ground mating ends aligned with the signal contacts along first and second adjacent linear arrays, such that each differential signal pair along the first linear array is flanked by a respective immediately adjacent one of the ground mating ends on opposite sides of the differential signal pair along the first linear array, and each differential signal pair along the second linear array is flanked by a respective immediately adjacent one of the ground mating ends on opposite sides of the differential signal pair along the second linear array,
• wherein the first linear array defines a single electrical widow contact disposed at a first end of the first linear array, and the second linear array defines a single widow contact disposed at a second end of the second linear array, the second end opposite the first end, and each of the widow contacts are single-ended signal contacts having a respective mating end aligned with the ground mating ends of the respective linear array, and a respective mounting end aligned with the ground mounting ends of the respective linear array.

An electrical connector assembly comprising:

• a first electrical connector configured to be mounted to a first electrical component, the first electrical connector including:
• a first plurality of signal contacts, each of the first plurality of signal contacts defining a mounting end and a receptacle mating end, each receptacle mating end defining a tip that defines a first concave surface and a second convex surface opposite the first concave surface,
• an electrically insulative first connector housing supporting the first plurality of signal contacts, such that the first connector housing extends forward from the tips, the first connector housing defining at least one gross alignment member and at least one fine alignment member;
• wherein the first plurality of signal contacts is arranged in at least first and second linear arrays of signal contacts, such that the first concave surfaces of the signal contacts of the first linear array faces a direction opposite a direction that the first concave surfaces of the signal contacts of the second linear array face;
• and
• a second electrical connector configured to mate with the first electrical connector and further configured to be mounted to a second electrical component, the second electrical connector including:
• a second plurality of signal contacts, each of the second plurality of signal contacts defining a mounting end and a receptacle mating end, each receptacle mating end defining a tip that defines a first concave surface and a second convex surface opposite the first concave surface,
• an electrically insulative second connector housing supporting the second plurality of signal contacts, such that the first connector housing extends forward from the tips, the second connector housing defining at least one gross alignment member and at least one fine alignment member;
• wherein the second plurality of signal contacts is arranged in at least first and second linear arrays of signal contacts, such that the first concave surfaces of the signal contacts of the first linear array of the second plurality of signal contacts faces the first concave surfaces of the signal contacts of the second linear array of the second plurality of signal contacts,
• wherein the gross alignment members of the first and second connector housings are configured to engage each other to place the signal contacts of the first electrical connector in a first stage of alignment with the signal contacts of the second electrical, and the fine alignment members of the first and second connector housings are configured to engage each only other after the gross alignment members have engaged each other to place the signal contacts of the first electrical connector in a second stage of alignment with the signal contacts of the second electrical, the second stage of alignment more precise than the first stage of alignment.