High density and high current capacity pad-to-pad connector comprising of spring connector elements (SCE)

A new approach to providing thousands of contacts between electronic packages and their next package level by use of small formed spring contact elements (SCE) (104) retained within a interposer structure (103,110) or soldered directly into a printed circuit board or onto the module (102) is disclosed. Each contact element can be either a signal or power line and, for improved electrical performance, alternate both horizontally and vertically in an orthogonal grid such that no signalling is adjacent to another signal. The spring contact elements (SCE) have multiple cross-sectional shapes and are pre-formed for improved mechanical performance. A retainer (103,110) contains the multiplicity of SCE while providing a air plenum for improved thermal performance.