DesignCon 2011: Innovation is Alive and Well

DesignCon 2011: Innovation is Alive and Well
By Bob Hult, Bishop & Associates Inc.

Although most of the nation was experiencing extreme winter weather, the sun shown brightly on the 15^th anniversary of DesignCon, held at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

Attendance appeared to be up significantly from last year, with traffic on the exhibit floor busy throughout the two-day run. Twenty leading connector and cable assembly suppliers participated in the exhibition this year.

The technical sessions continue to be the primary focus of this conference, and the majority enjoyed full capacity. Many papers concentrated on high-speed modeling and simulation, as the interconnection track was eliminated this year. Another hot topic was issues associated with 10 Gb/s circuit design, and many others also discussed the looming challenges of 20 to 40+ Gb/s channels. Most connector manufacturers chose to introduce new products in their booth rather than via a technical presentation.

The top trends evident at the show continue to include connectors that support higher speed, greater power capacity, increased signal density, and pluggable I/O modules, both copper and fiber. The connector industry continues to upgrade existing flagship interfaces to address evolving performance demands. The result is power connectors that are smaller and carry higher current ratings, backplane connectors that are available in 100- and 85-ohm impedance, and pluggable I/O modules that are now rated to 14+Gb/s per channel.

Several connector manufacturers also demonstrated the results of their investments in research in new interface technology. These innovations will likely set the stage for improvements in system packaging and performance, and indicate that creativity and enterprise is alive and well in the connector industry.

Many impressive products and technologies made their debut at DesignCon 2011.

3M Electronic Solutions showed off a new twin axial flat cable. This ultra low-profile 0.88mm thick high-speed cable offers extreme flexibility, and can be folded with little impact on performance. The unique construction of the cable results in minimal resonance and skew, allowing new cable routing options.

Amphenol’s booth displayed the full breadth of cable and interconnects produced by the many divisions of the company.

Among many impressive new high-speed products, a new mezzanine connector stood out. InfinX™ is designed to support 25+ Gb/s channels and uses Amphenol 3D shield technology to achieve exceptionally low crosstalk and resonances. The first tooled parts are 4-pair (44 differential pairs/inch) and 6-pair (61 differential pairs/inch) versions, with stacking heights ranging from 10mm to 40mm.

ERNI introduced the MicroStac connector family, which features dual-beam hermaphroditic contacts on 0.8mm pitch. These connectors are available in single and dual row configurations, in sizes from 6 to 54 contacts, with stacking heights from 3mm to 6.5mm. Contacts are rated to 1.6 amps each.

ERNI also showed their ERmet ZDHD backplane connector, which is now designed to support applications to 25 Gb/s. This connector is offered in both 85- and 100-ohm impedance.

Coaxial connectors continue to evolve to faster speeds and greater density. Both characteristics were evident in products displayed by Bowmar Interconnect, Huber+Suhner, and Rosenberger. Meritec featured cable assemblies designed for VPX applications using the new 3M flat twin axial cable.

	FCI Electronics introduced the AirMax VSE, the next generation of AirMax high-speed backplane connectors that provide a migration path to 15 Gb/s performance, while retaining the flexibility of an open pin-field design. These connectors are backward compatible with existing AirMax VS connectors, with minimal footprint design changes.
	The FCI booth also featured the High Power Card Edge Connector (HPCE™) with current ratings to 9 amps per beam. These slim housings are designed for 1U power supply applications and are available in vertical and right angle configurations.

	Hirose Electric continues to build an extensive product line of high-performance mezzanine connectors. The new IT-5 connector provides 73 differential pairs and is rated to 25 Gb/s. The unique interposer module mates with existing IT-3 PCB headers to simplify the upgrading process. IT-5 modules will be available in production quantities later in 2011, and will be offered in 85- and 100-ohm versions. Hirose also demonstrated the FX-18 series, which is a 0.8mm coplanar and vertical board-to-board connector system, as well as their ZX360 Series micro USB 3.0 compliant connector.
	Molex showcased several new connectors, including the EXTreme Ten60Power connector, which won the Design Vision Award in the Interconnect Technologies and Components category. This low profile connector can deliver up to 260 amps per linear inch of PCB edge, and features a variety of signal and power contacts. Connectors are terminated to the PCB via solder tail or press-fit options.
	In addition to the standard Impact backplane and orthogonal connector systems, Molex displayed a highly unique Impact Orthogonal Direct connector, which completely eliminates the midplane. Orthogonally oriented daughtercards mate directly with each other to minimize crosstalk, attenuation, and skew associated with backplane and midplane interconnects. All three connector systems are rated to 25 Gb/s.
	Molex also demonstrated their zQSFP+ pluggable I/O system that offers four lanes of 25 Gb/s data rates to support Infiniband EDR applications. Passive copper and active optical fiber cable assemblies are also available. High-speed CXP copper and optical modules were on display.
	Samtec exhibited its extensive product lines focused on high-density, board-to-board, and board-to-wire interfaces. The Eye Speed HD is an ultra-dense I/O cable system based on 32 AWG low skew differential pair cable. It features a durable latching system and is fully shielded for EMI protection.
	Samtec has entered the active optical cable assembly market with its new QSFPO Series. It is fully compliant with Infiniband and Ethernet protocols, as well as intermateable with standard QSFP connectors. Featuring four channels at 10 Gb/s each, the assembly can transmit a total of 40 Gb/s with no crosstalk. Cable lengths range from one to 100 meters.

	Tyco Electronics is in the process of changing its name to TE Connectivity. They featured a wide variety of products, including two-piece PCB power connectors, 40 Gb QSFP+ fiber optic modules, USB 3.0 connectors, as well as the 25 Gb Strada Mesa mezzanine and Strada Whisper backplane connector systems. The introduction of PlanarMag technology promises to change the way magnetic components are integrated into RJ45 Ethernet connectors. Rather than continuing to rely on traditional hand-wound magnetic cores, TE developed an entirely new process based on standard PCB manufacturing and semiconductor test processes. The resulting modules offer scalable manufacturing, and more consistent performance and reliability. The unique construction of these modules provides a platform for mounting additional devices and offers performance headroom to support future expansion of bandwidth. The initial PlanarMag products announced at DesignCon include a 1 Gb surface-mount module, a 100 Mb module, and a RJ45 connector with a 1 Gb integrated module.
	In addition to a full range of fiber optic interconnects, TE demonstrated a 12-channel optic transmitter and receiver running at 10 Gb/s per channel. The aggregated 120 Gb/s were linked using a single multi-fiber cable terminated in MPO connectors.
	The Yamaichi booth concentrated on ultra high-speed transmission modules, including CFP. These connectors support 40 and 100 Gb transmission over optical links. They are designed for applications that demand high speed over distances that range from 300 meters to 300 kilometers.
	Yamaichi also showed their CN099 Series mezzanine connectors, designed to perform to 14 Gb/s. Stacking heights of 12 to 30mm, and from 100 to 300 surface-mount contacts provide extensive design flexibility.

The evolution of pluggable I/O modules was evident in the products featured by many suppliers, including AlpenIO, Amphenol, Cinch, Molex, Samtec, and TE. QSPT+ modules are now offering speeds of up to 14 Gb/s and are being driven by Infiniband FDR applications. The long-range bandwidth target is now 100 Gb/s. Both copper and fiber modules will be available from Siemon by the end of 2011.

Bishop & Associates Inc. Comments:

Attendance levels at DesignCon indicate confidence in the electronic device market and commitment to next-generation interconnect technology.
Many technical papers addressed the challenges of 20+ Gb/s channels, including modeling, simulation, as well as fabrication.
Most new high-speed backplane and mezzanine connectors are offered in 100- and 85-ohm impedance, but adoption beyond the Intel Quick Path Interconnect appears to be limited.
Advances in fiber optic components continue to narrow the gap between copper and optical interconnects. Connector manufacturers are expanding their optical product portfolios in anticipation of gradual transition to fiber in 20+ Gb applications.
Power connectors are evolving to higher current density through a combination of improved materials and designs that facilitate cooling.
Many connectors demonstrated transmission data rates exceeding 10 Gb/s, signaling the next step in high-speed performance.
Potentially paradigm-changing technology, such as the TE PlanarMag module and Molex Impact Orthogonal Direct, bode well as the connector industry introduces innovative technology to keep pace with next-generation interconnect demands. Unconventional contact designs developed by suppliers such as Ardent Concepts, HCD, and Neoconix enable high-density/high-performance interfaces that cannot be addressed by conventional stamped-and-formed technology.

Robert Hult
Director of Product Technology, Bishop & Associates Inc.
Robert Hult has been in the connector industry for more than 36 years. Hult began his career as a sales engineer for Amphenol. He joined AMP in 1972 and served in several management positions through 1996. In 1997, Hult joined Foxconn as group marketing manager for Intel in Chandler, Arizona, U.S. Prior to joining Bishop & Associates, Hult was the regional application engineering manager for Tyco Electronics.

Hult graduated in 1968 from Bradley University with a bachelor of science degree in electronics technology and a minor in business.