Patent ID: 7553190

Claim:
A high speed connector, comprising: a plurality of first and second connector elements, each of the first and second connector elements including cross braces that respectively support first and second columns of conductive terminals, each of the terminals including a contact portion, a tail portion and a body portion interconnecting the contact and tail portions together, the first and second columns of terminals being supported by cross braces of each of said first and second connector elements in a spaced apart fashion such that said first and second columns of terminals from each other separated by an intervening space, said terminals being arranged in pairs within a pair of each of said first and second connector elements, said terminals of said first column being aligned with said terminals of said second column so that one terminal of said first column is broadside coupled to a corresponding terminal of said second column, the broadside coupled terminals defining pairs of differential signal terminals, and said intervening space being filled with a dielectric material that affects the broadside coupling of the differential signal pairs of said terminals through said dielectric material, said first and second connector elements further including a plurality of ribs vertically interspersed between said terminals of said first columns of terminals and also interspersed between said terminals of said second columns of terminals to deter coupling between edges of said terminals in said first columns of terminals and between edges of said terminals in said second columns of terminals; and a housing with a hollow interior that receives front ends of said connector elements and holds them together in alignment with each other, wherein the housing including openings formed therein in alignment with said terminal contact portions, the openings having a H-shape when viewed from a front end of said housing.