Silver-tin coating for electrical connectors, and electrical connectors with siliver-tin coatings
AssigneeWieland Rolled Products North America, LLC
InventorsKelly S. Funke, Kon John
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A copper alloy electrical connector component has a coating thereon formed by applying a nickel layer of between about 5 μin and about 20 μin over the copper alloy; applying a copper layer of between about 7 μin and about 18 μin over the nickel layer; applying a total of between about 5 μin and about 15 μin silver layers and about 40 μin and about 80 μin of tin layers over the copper layer: and heating to the coated copper alloy electrical connector component to cause mixing of the silver and tin layers and formation of at least 8 vol % of an Ag3Sn intermetallic.
Claims23
A copper alloy electrical connector component having a coating thereon comprising a nickel layer of between about 5 μin and about 20 μin over the copper alloy;
- applying a copper layer of between about 7 μin and about 18 μin over the nickel layer;
- a total of between about 5 μin and about 15 μin of one or more silver layers and a total of between about 40 μin and about 80 μin of one or more tin layers over the copper layer, wherein subsequent reflow heating of the connector will cause mixing of the silver and tin layers and formation of between about 8 vol % and about 45 vol % of an Ag3Sn intermetallic.
A copper alloy electrical connector component having a coating thereon formed by applying a nickel layer of between about 5 μin and about 20 μin over the copper alloy;
- applying a copper layer of between about 7 μin and about 18 μin over the nickel layer;
- applying a silver layer of between 5 μin and about 15 μin;
- and applying between about 40 μin and about 80 μin of tin;
- and reflow heating the coated copper alloy electrical connector component to cause mixing of the silver and tin layers and formation of a silver tin layer including between about 8 vol % and about 45 vol % of an Ag3Sn intermetallic.
A coating over a copper alloy electrical connector component, the coating formed by applying a nickel layer of between about 5 μin and about 20 μin over the copper alloy;
- applying a copper layer of between about 7 μin and about 18 μin over the nickel layer;
- applying a total of between 5 μin and about 15 μin silver layers and about 40 μin and about 80 μin of tin layers over the copper layer;
- and reflow heating the coated copper alloy electrical connector component to cause mixing of the silver and tin layers and formation of a silver tin layer including between 8 vol % and 45 vol % of an Ag3Sn intermetallic.
A method of forming a coating on a copper alloy electrical connector component, the method comprising:
- applying a nickel layer of between about 5 μin and about 20 μin over the copper alloy;
- applying a copper layer of between about 7 μin and about 18 μin over the nickel layer;
- applying a total of between about 5 μin and about 15 μin of silver layers and about 40 μin and about 80 μin of tin layers over the copper layer;
- and reflow heating the coating to cause mixing of the silver and tin layers and formation of between 8 vol % and about 45 vol % of an Ag3Sn intermetallic in the resulting silver tin layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.