Miniaturized connectors and methods

Improved miniaturized interconnect connector apparatus and methods for their manufacture. These miniaturized interconnect connectors minimize overall size, while at the same time offering acceptable and even improved electrical performance over prior art interconnect connector designs. In one exemplary embodiment, the interconnect connector comprises a plug and corresponding receptacle manufactured from a laser direct structuring (LDS) polymer material. In another embodiment, the interconnect connector comprises a composite structure which takes advantages of the properties of multiple selected materials. In yet another embodiment of the invention, precisely plated polymers such as the aforementioned LDS polymer are utilized in conjunction with known technologies such as flexible printed circuits (FPC) to produce miniaturized interconnect connectors.