en.Wedoany.com Reported - U.S.-based Samtec recently announced that its new high-frequency, 50-ohm impedance SMA edge-mount board-level connectors have entered mass production, delivering reliable performance at frequencies up to 26.5GHz. Traditional SMA connectors have long had an industry-recognized operating frequency ceiling of 18GHz. Through optimized transmission line design, Samtec has extended the frequency capability of the standard SMA interface to 26.5GHz, directly increasing the available bandwidth of the RF link without changing existing system termination methods.
The edge-mount design is the key engineering pathway enabling this connector's high-frequency performance. The connector terminates directly to the edge of the PCB, resulting in a compact signal path that significantly reduces impedance discontinuity and lowers return loss compared to vertical or right-angle mounting solutions. The connector features a gold-plated body and contacts, with a 30 micro-inch gold plating thickness on the center contact and 10 micro-inches on the outer contacts, ensuring high-frequency signal transmission quality while providing corrosion resistance and conductivity. In terms of mechanical reliability, the product supports 500 mating cycles, and the four-post through-hole PCB mounting design enhances structural strength. The connector supports mating with a variety of RF coaxial cable assemblies, including low-loss flexible microwave cables and Nitrowave high-performance cables, and also supports rapid customization.
The launch area, where the high-frequency signal transitions from the connector to the PCB trace, is a critical link determining the performance of the entire RF chain. Samtec provides board-level launch optimization support for designers, with the companion development tool SIBORG capable of working in conjunction with Ansys HFSS 3D Layout to enable generation, visualization, and parameter optimization of the launch area. This toolset allows designers to complete 3D electromagnetic simulation verification before production, shortening the iteration cycle of RF circuits from schematic to physical board layout.
Initial applications for this connector are anchored in three major sectors: 5G/6G wireless infrastructure, test and measurement equipment, and military and aerospace. In test and measurement scenarios, extending the frequency ceiling from 18GHz to 26.5GHz means that test fixtures and front-end interfaces for instruments like vector network analyzers and spectrum analyzers can cover a wider frequency band without changing the connector system. Concurrently, at IMS 2025, Samtec also showcased a full range of millimeter-wave connector solutions covering 18GHz to 110GHz, including precision RF cable assemblies and high-performance test solutions, demonstrating the company's long-term strategic layout in the RF interconnect field.
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