US5916695A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tin coated electrical connector
Assignee: GBC Metals LLC
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Filing: 1996-12-09
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Granted: 1999-06-29
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Expires: 2016-12-09
Abstract
Abstract An electrical conductor has a copper base substrate coated with a tin base coating layer. To inhibit the diffusion of copper from the substrate into the coating layer and the consequential formation of a brittle tin/copper intermetallic, a barrier layer is interposed between the substrate and the coating layer. This barrier layer contains from 20% to 40%, by weight, of nickel and is preferably predominantly comprised of copper. In one embodiment, an intermetallic layer selected from the group (Cu-Ni)3Sn, (Cu-Ni)6Sn5, Cu3Sn, Cu6Sn5 is disposed between the barrier layer and the tin base coating layer.
Inventors
- 👤 Julius C. Fister
- 👤 Szuchain Chen
- 👤 Abid A. Khan
- 👤 Dale L. Bender
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 20:57
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C28/00; C23C28/02; C23C28/021; B; B32; B32B; B32B15/00; B32B15/01; C22; C22C; C22C9/00; C22C9/06; C23C28/023; H; H01; H01R; H01R13/00; H01R13/02; H01R13/03; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/922; Y10S428/9265; Y10S428/929; Y10S428/9335; Y10S428/934; Y10S428/935; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12493; Y10T428/12708; Y10T428/12715; Y10T428/12722; Y10T428/12771; Y10T428/12861; Y10T428/12903; Y10T428/1291
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
105 words
A composite material, comprising: a copper or a copper base alloy substrate; a coating layer consisting of tin or a tin base alloy overlying a portion of said substrate; an electroplated barrier layer interposed between said substrate and said coating layer directly contacting said coating layer, said barrier layer containing from 20% to 40%, by weight, of nickel and having a thickness of between 0.2 and 5 microns and a metallic flash disposed between said substrate and said barrier layer and in direct contact with both said substrate and said barrier layer, said metallic flash having a thickness of from 2 microinches to 50 microinches.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
105 words
A composite material, comprising: a copper or a copper base alloy substrate; a coating layer consisting of tin or a tin base alloy overlying a portion of said substrate; an electroplated barrier layer interposed between said substrate and said coating layer directly contacting said coating layer, said barrier layer containing from 20% to 40%, by weight, of nickel and having a thickness of between 0.2 and 5 microns and a metallic flash disposed between said substrate and said barrier layer and in direct contact with both said substrate and said barrier layer, said metallic flash having a thickness of from 2 microinches to 50 microinches.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The composite material of claim 1 wherein said barrier layer further contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of copper, tin, cobalt, iron and mixtures thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The composite material of claim 2 wherein said barrier layer is predominantly copper.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
The composite material of claim 2 wherein said metallic flash is selected from the group consisting of copper and nickel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The composite material of claim 4 wherein the thickness of said metallic flash is up to 20 microinches.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
The composite material of claim 5 wherein said coating layer includes particulate selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, tungsten carbide, molybdenum disulfide, silica, carbon black, graphite and polytetrafluoroethylene.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
84 words
A composite material, comprising: a copper or a copper base alloy substrate; a coating layer consisting of tin or a tin base alloy overlying a portion of said substrate; an electroplated barrier layer interposed between said substrate and said coating layer directly contacting said coating layer said barrier layer containing from 20% to 40%, by weight, of nickel and having a thickness of between 0.2 and 5 microns; and a copper-tin intermetallic dispersed in said coating layer, said intermetallic having a flattened obelisk shape.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
84 words
A composite material, comprising: a copper or a copper base alloy substrate; a coating layer consisting of tin or a tin base alloy overlying a portion of said substrate; an electroplated barrier layer interposed between said substrate and said coating layer directly contacting said coating layer said barrier layer containing from 20% to 40%, by weight, of nickel and having a thickness of between 0.2 and 5 microns; and a copper-tin intermetallic dispersed in said coating layer, said intermetallic having a flattened obelisk shape.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The composite material of claim 7 wherein said intermetallic has a length to width aspect ratio of greater than 5:1.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-06-28 | 2002-12-28 | 2003-06-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-06-28 | 2006-12-28 | 2007-06-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-06-28 | 2010-12-28 | 2011-06-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |