Conductive gel area array connector

Claim 1

An electrical connector adapted to interconnect first and second planar elements each having contact surfaces arrayed in a pattern extending over a given planar area, the said connector including a connector body formed of a planar sheet of material coextensive with the said given area and including an array of perforations in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of contact surfaces, an insert fitted in each perforation and extending out from the surface of the said sheet, each insert having a cavity containing a conductive gel of a volume less than the volume of the cavity, and further characterized in that the said insert is of an elastomeric material readily deformable to cause the said gel to flow axially to interconnect the first and second contact surfaces, the sheet being comprised of a material having a thermal coefficient of expansion comparable to the thermal coefficient of expansion of the said first and second planar elements whereby to minimize misalignment of element contact surfaces and inserts.