Capable of operating continuously at 250degC over 25 years
The latest application note from leading hi-rel connector company, ITT Interconnect Solutions covers an RF connector developed per customer request that is capable of continuous operation at 250degC for over 25 years. In addition to a ‘compliant pin’ contact into the customer’s equipment, a set of 12 phase matched RF cable assemblies, one end of which would be attached to the SMA at the high temperature was required. Following extensive testing of a range of materials and designs, the RF team at ITT ICS in Basingstoke developed a contact that could be press-fitted into the customer’s assembly, and would meet the 250degC operating requirements. For the cable, two solutions were developed, one to operate up to the 250degC specification, and the other, to address an operating environment below 200degC, as in many cases the SMA coaxial system would only be required to work at this lower specification. For operation up to 250degC a cable with a Silicone Dioxide dielectric is used, while for applications up to 200degC a lower cost solution based on a cable with PTFE dielectric is used. Further, the semi-rigid cable sets are phase matched to ±2 degrees at 3GHz maintained over a range of temperatures to 200degC or 250degC for Silicone Dioxide dielectric. Applications for such RF connector systems are typically found in military and industrial markets where reliable performance at high temperature for a prolonged period is required. |
