INTERCONNECT SOLUTIONS

FPCs Address Interconnection Space Constraints

Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) technology has gained a new lease of life as the increasing modularity of mobile phones demands new, more versatile approaches to design. Interconnection manufacturers such as Omron have responded to this window of opportunity.

Although the physical sizes of the circuits and connectors used in mobile phones have shrunk considerably over recent years, the ingenuity of the connector developer is increasingly constrained by the physical characteristics of plastic and copper. The smallest FPC connectors are now on a 0.3mm pitch with a height of just 0.9mm, and accept circuits just 0.12mm thick. Though further improvement can be expected on this front, it is going to be small steps rather than great leaps.



A new innovation is the connection of FPC to FPC directly. The FPC itself is used to mount new enhanced graphics and audio capabilities, eliminating the need to find room on the main board. Using this method, an FM tuner and/or a TV tuner mounted on a further FPC can be added to the phone: at minimal cost overhead for the basic ‘unloaded’ model. These modules can then also be easily upgraded as new higher performance chips or solutions become available, without damaging the integrity of the core phone design, or the need to redesign the other modules.

The use of FPC also provides considerable flexibility in locating the modules to best advantage in three dimensions. The whole assembly can be folded, or a module such as the FM tuner can be tucked into a spare corner.



The FPC will remain an excellent solution for squeezing more circuits into the same small space. The mobile phone will advance, leaving behind a wealth of solutions and expertise in the connector and FPC industries that are available to the mass market for improving the space-efficiency of mainstream designs in the same way.

Features: XF2B

• Rotary backlock connector with double-sided contact structure
• Up to 51 gold plated contacts on 0.3mm pitch
• Applicable FPC thickness 0.2mm
• Rated current 0.2A
• Rated voltage 50V AC/DC
• Insertion tolerance 20 times
• Ambient temperature -30°C to +85°C
• RoHS compliant

Features: XF2C

• Upper-contact type rotary backlock connector
• 0.3mm pitch with 0.9mm profile
• Up to 51 contacts
• Short body depth: 4mm (with slide closed)
• Applicable FPC thickness 0.12mm (gold plated type)
• Rated current 0.2A
• Rated voltage 50V AC/DC
• Insertion tolerance 10 times
• Gold-plated contacts
• Ambient temperature -30°C to +85°C
• RoHS compliant

For further information, including the XF2B, XF2C, XF2L Datasheets, please click here.