Patent Grant
9570856
The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Applications No. 2014-055373 filed on Mar. 18, 2014, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
The present invention relates to a communication module and a communication module connector.
In a server, a network device, and others, a semiconductor chip (IC chip) and a plurality of communication modules are mounted on a substrate generally called a motherboard. Here, the throughput of the semiconductor chip (IC chip) has been rapidly improved with line thinning of a semiconductor manufacturing process. With the improvement in the throughput of the semiconductor chip, increase in speed of digital signals inputted to and outputted from the semiconductor chip has been advanced year after year. That is, increase in the speed of the digital signals exchanged between the semiconductor chip and the communication module has been advanced year after year. It has been expected that the speed of digital signals inputted to and outputted from a next-generation semiconductor chip and communication module becomes 25 Gbit/sec, and expected that the speed of digital signals inputted to and outputted from a next-next-generation semiconductor chip and communication module becomes 50 Gbit/sec.
However, high-speed digital signals have a large transmission loss in electrical transmission. In other words, high-speed digital signals have severe signal degradation during transmission. For example, in the case of the high-speed digital signals of 25 Gbit/sec a loss of about 0.8 dB/cm occurs on electric wiring formed on a general printed board. Even on electric wiring formed on a sophisticated printed board for high-speed signals, a loss of about 0.4 dB/cm occurs.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-045739
Under these circumstances as described above, it is required to suppress degradation of the signals to be exchanged between the semiconductor chip and the respective communication modules while mounting a lot of communication modules with high density on a portion in vicinity of the semiconductor chip.
However, a LGA (Land Grid Array) structure that has been conventionally used as a communication module mount structure has high cost and is inconvenient (that is, it is difficult to attach/detach the communication module).
The object of the present invention is to suppress deterioration of signals to be exchanged between the semiconductor chip and the respective communication modules while mounting a plurality of communication modules with high density on the portion in the vicinity of the semiconductor chip.
A communication module connector of the present invention includes a plug connector and a receptacle connector to which the plug connector is inserted. The plug connector has an insertion convex portion having: a first sidewall portion and a second sidewall portion that are in parallel with each other; and a plurality of first connection terminals that are provided on the sidewall portions, respectively. The receptacle connector is provided with an insertion concave portion to which the insertion convex portion is inserted and in which a plurality of second connection terminals to be contacted with the first connection terminals are provided. The respective inner side surfaces of the first sidewall portion and the second sidewall portion face each other across a space, and the plurality of first connection terminals are arranged in parallel with each other on the respective outer side surfaces of the first sidewall portion and the second sidewall portion along the longitudinal direction of the outer side surfaces.
A communication module of the present invention includes a plug connector to be connected to a receptacle connector. The plug connector has an insertion convex portion to be inserted into an insertion concave portion provided to the receptacle connector. The insertion convex portion has a first sidewall portion and a second sidewall portion which are in parallel with each other and a plurality of first connection terminals which are provided on these sidewall portions and which are contacted with a plurality of second connection terminals provided on the insertion concave portion. The respective inner side surfaces of the first sidewall portion and the second sidewall portion face each other across a space, and the plurality of first connection terminals are arranged in parallel with each other on the respective outer side surfaces of the first sidewall portion and the second sidewall portion along the longitudinal direction of the outer side surfaces.
In one aspect of the present invention, a reinforcing potion bridging between the inner side surface of the first sidewall portion and the inner side surface of the second sidewall portion is provided inside the space.
In another aspect of the present invention, the plurality of first connection terminals include a first ground terminal connected to the ground and a first signal terminal to and from which a signal is inputted and outputted. The reinforcing portion is arranged on a rear side of the first ground terminal, and is overlapped with the first ground terminal in an arrangement direction of the first connection terminals.
In still another aspect of the present invention, the reinforcing portion is not overlapped with the first signal terminal adjacent to the first ground terminal with which the reinforcing portion is overlapped.
According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress deterioration of signals that are exchanged between a semiconductor chip and the respective communication modules while mounting a plurality of communication modules with high density on a portion in the vicinity of the semiconductor chip.
Hereinafter, an example of embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. A communication module 1 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The insertion convex portion 31 and the flange portion 32 shown in
As described above, the insertion convex portion 31 has a hollow structure, and the first wall portion 111 and the second wall portion 112 face each other across a space 115. More specifically, the first sidewall portion 111 has an outer side surface 111a and an inner side surface 111b, and the second sidewall portion 112 has an outer side surface 112a and an inner side surface 112b. The first sidewall portion 111 and the second sidewall portion 112 are arranged so that their inner side surfaces face each other across the space 115.
On the other hand, on the respective outer side surfaces 111a and 112a of the first sidewall portion 111 and the second sidewall portion 112, a plurality of first connection terminals 34 are arranged in parallel with each other along the longitudinal direction of the outer side surfaces 111a and 112a. In other words, on the outer side surfaces 111a and 112a of the insertion convex portion 31, a terminal row formed of the plurality of first connection terminals 34 is formed.
In the following description, in some cases, the outer side surface 111a of the first sidewall portion 111 is referred to as a “right outer side surface 111a”, and the outer side surface 112a of the second sidewall portion 112 is referred to as a “left outer side surface 112a”. Also, in some cases, the inner side surface 111b of the first sidewall portion 111 is referred to as a “right inner side surface 111b”, and the inner side surface 112b of the second sidewall portion 112 is referred to as a “left inner side surface 112b”. Further, a terminal row formed in the right outer side surface 111a is referred to as a “right-side first terminal row”, and a terminal row formed in the left outer side surface 112a is referred to as a “left-side first terminal row”.
The right inner side surface 111b of the first sidewall portion 111 and the left inner side surface 112b of the second sidewall portion 112 face each other across the space 115. In other words, the first sidewall portion 111 on which the right-side first terminal row is formed and the second sidewall portion 112 on which the left-side first terminal row is formed face each other across the space 115. That is, an air layer is provided between the right-side first terminal row and the left-side first terminal row, so that crosstalk is prevented.
On the other hand, due to the space 115 provided for preventing the crosstalk, there is concern about shortage of the strength of the insertion convex portion 31. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a plurality of (in the present embodiment, three) reinforcing portions 116 are provided in the space 115 between the first sidewall portion 111 and the second sidewall portion 112. These reinforcing portions 116 are integrally molded together with the first sidewall portion 111 and the second sidewall portion 112 so as to bridge between the first sidewall portion 111 and the second sidewall portion 112. More specifically, the respective reinforcing portions 116 are bridged between the right inner side surface 111b of the first sidewall portion 111 and the left inner side surface 112b of the second sidewall portion 112.
Each of the reinforcing portions 116 is arranged on the rear side of the first connection terminal 34, and is overlapped with the first connection terminal 34. More specifically, each reinforcing portion 116 is arranged between the predetermined first connection terminal 34 in the right-side first terminal row and the predetermined first connection terminal 34 in the left-side first terminal row which is paired with the previous connection terminal 34, no is overlapped with these two first connection terminals 34 and 34 in the arrangement direction of the first connection terminals 34.
As shown in
While a part of each first connection terminal 34 in the longitudinal direction, the terminal extending along the inserting direction, protrudes upward from the flange portion 32, the other part of each first connection terminal 34 in the longitudinal direction protrudes downward from the flange portion 32. Therefore, while an upper-side end portion 35 of the first connection terminal 34 in the inserting direction is positioned above the flange portion 32, a lower-side end portion 36 of the first connection terminal 34 in the inserting direction is positioned below the flange portion 32. In some cases in the following description, a part of the first connection terminal 34 in the longitudinal direction protruding upward from the flange portion 32 is referred to as an “upper portion 34a”, and the other part of the first connection terminal 34 in the longitudinal direction protruding downward from the flange portion 32 is referred to as a “lower portion 34b”.
As shown in
In the present embodiment, a plurality of pad groups each including four connection pads 37 are arranged along one side of the module substrate 5. Two outer connection pads 37 of the four connection pads 37 included in each pad group are used for grounding (G), and two inner connection pads 37 thereof are used for signals (S). In other words, in each pad group, the grounding pad, the signal pad, the signal pad, and the grounding pad are repeatedly arranged in this order. Therefore, the plurality of first connection terminals 34 provided to the plug connector 30 include the first connection terminal 34 which is made in contact with the grounding connection pad 37 and which is connected to the ground, and the first connection terminal 34 which is made in contact with the signal connection pad 37 and to/from which a differential signal is inputted/outputted. In some cases in the following description, the first connection terminal 34 to be connected to the ground is referred to as “first ground terminal 34G”, and the first connection referred to as “first signal terminal 34S”. That is, a set of the first signal terminals 34S is sandwiched by another set of the first ground terminals 34G. In other words, the first ground terminal 34G, the first signal terminal 34S, the first signal terminal 34S and the first ground terminal 34G are repeatedly arranged in this order. Obviously, the description regarding the terminal arrangement is for not arrangement of low-speed signal (for example, control signal) terminals or power supply terminals but arrangement of high-speed signal terminals.
As shown in
As shown in
The second connection terminals 54 each of which forms the right-side second terminal row and the left-side second terminal row extends along the inserting direction, and penetrates through the bottom portion 52 so as to reach upper and lower portions of the bottom portion 52. That is, while a part of the second connection terminal 54 in the longitudinal direction protrudes upward from the bottom portion 52 (inward from the insertion concave portion 51), the other part of the second connection terminal 54 in the longitudinal direction protrudes downward from the bottom portion 52 (outward from the insertion concave portion 51). Thus, in some cases in the following description, the part of the second connection terminal 54 protruding upward from the bottom portion 52 is referred to as an “upper portion 54a”, and the other part of the second connection terminal 54 protruding downward from the bottom portion 52 is referred to a “lower portion 54b”.
As shown in
As shown in
In the present embodiment, a plurality of pad groups each including four connection pads 57 are linearly arranged on the motherboard 100. Two outer connection pads 57 of the four connection pads 57 included in each pad group are used for grounding (G), and two inner connection pads 57 thereof are used for signals (S). In other words, in each pad group, the grounding pad, the signal pad, the signal pad, and the grounding pad are repeatedly arranged in this order. Therefore, the plurality of second connection terminals 54 provided to the receptacle connector 50 include the second connection terminal 54 which is soldered onto the grounding connection pad 57 and which is connected to the ground, and the second connection terminal 54 which is soldered onto the signal connection pad 57 and to/from which a differential signal is inputted/outputted. In some cases in the following description, the second connection terminal 54 to be connected to the ground is referred to as “second ground terminal 54G”, and the second connection terminal 54 to/from which a signal is inputted/outputted is referred to as “second signal terminal 54S”. That is, a set of the second signal terminals 54S is sandwiched by another set of the second ground terminals 54G. In other words, the second ground terminal 54G, the second signal terminal 54S, the second signal terminal 54S and the second ground terminal 54G are repeatedly arranged in this order.
As shown in
That is, the connection pads 37 (
The plug connector 30 connected to (inserted into) the receptacle connector 50 as described above is fixed to the receptacle connector 50 by clips 60 shown in
Here, the second connection terminal 54 provided to the receptacle connector 50 has a straight shape. The straight shape means a shape having an upper-side end portion 55 in the inserting direction positioned higher than any other portion in the same direction as each other and not having a portion positioned at the same height in the inserting direction as shown in
In the present embodiment, in a state in which the plug connector 30 and the receptacle connector 50 are connected to each other, it is preferred that a direct distance along the inserting direction from the lower-side end portion 56 of the second connection terminal 54 in the inserting direction which has the straight shape to the upper-side end portion 35 of the first connection terminal 34 in the inserting direction in contact with the second connection terminal 54 is 6.0 mm or smaller. In other words, it is preferred that a height (H) from the lower-side end portion 56 of the second connection terminal 54 in the inserting direction to the upper-side end portion 35 of the first connection 34 in the inserting direction is 6.0 mm or smaller, and is 5.4 mm in the present embodiment.
As described above, a part of the signal transmission path between the photoelectric converting unit on the module substrate 5 and the semiconductor chip on the motherboard 100 is formed of the connector 2 (the first connection terminals 34 and the second connection terminals 54). However, a part of the signal transmission path formed of the connector 2 has poorer transmission characteristics than that of another part of signal transmission paths formed of wiring layers on the module substrate 5 and the motherboard 100. For example, at a part (hereinafter a “connector portion”) of the signal transmission path which is formed of the connector 2, it is difficult to completely match a characteristic impedance, and therefore, reflection of electric signals tends to occur. Therefore, in view of suppressing signal degradation and improve transmission characteristics, it is preferred to shorten the length of the connector portion occupying the signal transmission path as much as possible. Specifically, it is preferred to set the length of the connector portion occupying the signal transmission path as a length within about one several-th of the wavelength of a signal propagating through the signal transmission path. For example, a fundamental wave of a high-speed signal of 25 Gbit/sec has a frequency of 12.5 GHz and a wavelength of 24.0 mm. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the height (H) shown in
C1=C/(√{square root over (∈)})
Therefore, even if the signal wavelength in vacuum is 24.0 mm, the actual signal wavelength when propagating through the first connection terminal 34 and the second connection terminal 54 shown in
Moreover, as shown in
Furthermore, the insertion convex portion 31 having a hollow structure is reinforced by the reinforcing portions 116 formed inside the space 115. In other words, beams are formed inside the insertion convex portion 31. In addition, the reinforcing portions 116 have their positions and sizes set so as to overlap with the first ground terminal 34G, and besides, so as not to overlap with the first signal terminal 34S, in order to make the influence on the crosstalk as small as possible. Obviously, when the strength of the insertion convex portion 31 is sufficiently maintained, it is not required to form the reinforcing portions 116. Moreover, the arrangements of the first ground terminal 34G and the first signal terminal 34S are not limited to the above-described arrangements. When the arrangements of the first ground terminal 34G and the first signal terminal 34S are changed, the positions of the reinforcing portions 116 are appropriately changed in accordance with this change.
Also, in view of preventing the crosstalk of electrical signals, it is preferred that a distance between the right-side first terminal row and the left-side first terminal row is sufficiently wider than a distance between two adjacent first connection terminals 34 in these terminal rows. Regarding this point, in the present embodiment, a distance (D1) between the first connection terminals 34 formed on the right outer side surface 111a and the first connection terminals 34 formed on the left outer side surface 112a shown in
Obviously, the distance (D2) shown in
Furthermore, it is preferred that an arrangement pitch (P1) of the first connection terminals 34 shown in
Still further, it is preferred that the width (W1) of the first connection terminal 34 shown in
The numerical values regarding the arrangement pitches, the distance between the connection terminals, and the width of the connection terminals are numerical values suitable for particularly achieving the transmission speed of 25 Gbit/sec or higher, a desired number of channels, highly-accurate impedance control, reduction in the manufacturing cost, etc.
Note that an effective fit length between the plug connector 30 and the receptacle connector 50 in the present embodiment is about 0.7 mm.
The present invention having the features described above is applicable to not only an optical communication module and an optical connector but also an electrical communication module and an electrical connector. Particularly, the present invention is suitable for application to an electrical communication module and an electrical connector used for a supercomputer, a data center, or others, for which extremely high reliability and high speed characteristics are required. Note that, when the present invention is applied to the electrical communication module or the electrical connector, the optical fiber 3 shown in
The present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments and various modifications and alterations can be made within the scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-055373 | Mar 2014 | JP | national |
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| Number | Date | Country |
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| 2013045739 | Aug 2011 | JP |
| 2013-45739 | Mar 2013 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20150270645 A1 | Sep 2015 | US |
