FCI Expands GIG-ARRAY High Speed Mezzanine Connector Family With Additional Stack Heights

Etters, PA - FCI, a leading manufacturer of connectors and interconnect systems, announces an extension of its GIG-ARRAY high-speed, high-density mezzanine product line with the introduction of the new 11mm receptacle connectors.

These new GIG-Array receptacles connectors provide either 200 or 296 signal contacts and add the capability for 21mm, 23mm, 24mm, 26mm, 31mm or 36mm board-to-board spacing when used in combination with FCI's existing plug heights. "With the addition of these new GIG-ARRAY connector options, we are now offering equipment designers eighteen stack-height options to enable them to address component clearance, airflow, or slot spacing requirements that are unique to their chassis designs," said Grace Showers, FCI global product marketing. "Blade server, storage, communications, and networking equipment are among the applications that can benefit from the excellent high-speed electrical performance provided by the GIG-ARRAY connector system."

GIG-ARRAY differential pairs nominally provide 100 ohms matched impedance to deliver higher speed performance with less reflected power. GIG-ARRAY connectors can support transmission rates up to 10 Gbps with optimized wiring patterns. The 296-position connector contains 37 columns with eight individual signal contacts and nine ground contacts in each column, while the 200-position connector contains 25 columns. The use of individual contacts for both signal and ground connections provides more flexibility in handling power or low-speed signals than systems that utilize interleaving ground shields.

All GIG-ARRAY connectors feature FCI's innovative Ball Grid Array (BGA) connector termination for easy attachment to printed circuit boards using conventional reflow soldering processes. The 1mm x 0.65mm BGA grid optimizes PCB trace routing and electrical performance. Lead-free and RoHS-compatible connector options are available.

SOURCE: FCI