ZQSFP+ Cage with Integrated Heat Sink — 1x2 Ganged, Press-Fit
This is the cage-and-heatsink assembly that sits on the PCB edge, accepting two ZQSFP+ plug modules side-by-side. The press-fit termination means the cage presses into plated through-holes without solder — a common choice for backplane and high-density line cards where rework and signal integrity matter. EMI shielding is built into the cage body to contain the radiated noise from 25+ Gbps lanes.
Why the Integrated Heat Sink Matters
The heat sink is part of the cage assembly — not a separate clip-on. That saves a BOM line and eliminates the tolerance stack between a loose heatsink and the module top. For a 1x2 ganged cage, the single heatsink spans both module positions, sharing the thermal mass across adjacent ports. The press-fit pins also conduct some heat into the PCB ground plane, but the primary thermal path is the heatsink-to-module interface.
Press-fit (compliant-pin) termination avoids the thermal cycle of wave or reflow soldering. The pin compliance takes up board thickness variation and CTE mismatch between the cage and the PCB. For a right-angle through-hole part, the press-fit pins are on the back side of the cage body — the board footprint needs plated through-holes sized to the pin cross-section, typically with a finished hole diameter that allows the compliant section to compress on insertion. No solder paste, no reflow profile to qualify.