US Patent 7258551 Electrical connector stress relief at substrate interface

An electrical connector includes a wafer having flexible members that allow the wafer to expand or contract in response to movement of solder pads on a PCB. As a PCB to which a connector is attached is heated during, for example, normal use, it may expand, which may result in the outward movement of the solder balls at the point of connection with the PCB. The flexible members in the wafer enable the wafer to likewise expand so that it does not impede the movement of the solder connections and cause a stress to be placed on the solder connections at the PCB connection point.