Silicon Graphics, Incorporated

Steven Nolan

Bradley W Bartilson

Ronald Kunkel

An interconnection device has a multiplicity of individual arms attached to a carrier board. The carrier board includes vias which go through the board and have a pad on the top and bottom of the board near the via. Attached to each via pad is an arm. The arm is attached so that its free end extends out over the clearance hole in the carrier board. The free end of the arm positioned over the clearance hole includes a surface treatment which allows the free end to make good electrical contact with a mating device. Each of the arms is positioned so that it corresponds to the pads on the device to which it will connect. Each of the arms acts as a cantilevered beam. The arms are deflected. The geometry, material, material temper, and surface plating allow for a very low overall force having to be applied to the interconnection in order to provide good electrical contact between the first module and second module being interconnected. The amount of compliance may be 10 to 12 mils. Compliance will vary widely depending on pitch.

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Jim Falls, WI, United States of America

Steven Nolan