US RE39,153 E1Granted

Connector with integral transmission line bus

AssigneeRambus Inc.

InventorsDonald V. Perino, James A. Gasbarro

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Abstract

A socket (14) includes a first bus conductor (22a) having two or more contact regions (24) and a second bus conductor (22b) arranged substantially parallel to the first bus conductor and having two or more contact regions (24). The first and second bus conductors are spaced relative to one another so as to provide a predetermined electrical impedance and may be arranged to carry electrical signals as transmission lines. A dielectric spacer (36) may be disposed between the first and second bus conductors to provide the spacing. Contact regions (24) of the first and second conductors (22a, 22b) may provide compliant coupling regions for the socket (14). The contact regions (24) of the first bus conductor (22a) may be positioned within the socket (14) so as to contact a lead disposed on a first side of a circuit element (16) and the contact regions (24) of the second bus conductor (22b) may be positioned within the socket (14) so as to contact the lead disposed on the second side of the circuit element (16).

Claims57

Dependent claims

An electrical connector comprising a plurality of bus conductors, each bus conductor of the plurality of bus conductors running through the length of the connector yet and being electrically isolated from one another and other bus conductors of the plurality of bus conductors, each bus conductor of the plurality of bus conductors having a number of compliant contact regions disposed at various positions along their respective lengths so as to provide electrical coupling points for like contact regions of electrical devices to be received within the connector, the plurality of bus conductors being divided into including first and second groups such that across the width of the connector a each bus conductor of the first group is positioned adjacent to in an interleaved configuration with each bus conductors conductor of the second group that is positioned adjacent to yet another bus conductor of the first group, and so on for each of the plurality of bus conductors, the and having a predetermined transmission line impedance of any pair of adjacent bus conductors, one being chosen from the first group and the other being chosen from the second group, being determinable , and wherein each of the bus conductors of the first group are adapted to be electrically coupled to respective signal paths associated with a circuit board on which the connector is to be mounted through only two an electrical contact elements regardless of the number of compliant contact regions, the two electrical contact elements of each bus conductor of the first group being arranged so that each is element disposed substantially near an each end of its each respective bus conductor of the first group, and the bus conductors of the second group each being adapted to be electrically coupled to an electrical ground plane associated with the circuit board through a number of electrical contact elements disposed along their respective lengths, the number of electrical contact elements being irrespective of the number of compliant contact regions each bus conductor of the second group.

A socket for providing an electrical interface between a substrate and a plurality of removable electronic components, the socket comprising:

a socket housing adapted to receive the plurality of removable electronic components;
and
a first group of conductor lines interleaved with a second group of conductor lines, wherein the first group of conductor lines includes a first signal conductor extending through the socket housing and having a predetermined impedance and first and second ends adapted to couple respectively to first and second traces disposed on the substrate such that the first signal conductor forms a signal transmission line between the first and second traces, the first signal conductor further having a plurality of electrical contact regions to couple to counterpart electrical contact regions disposed on the plurality of removable electronic components, and wherein the second group of conductor lines includes a number of electrical contact elements disposed along the length of each conductor line of the second group of conductor lines, the number of electrical contact elements being adapted to couple to a ground plane node of the substrate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.