Elastic contact device for electronic components with buckling columns

A method for electrically contacting electronic components by means of an elastic contact device including at least one basic module having a longitudinal axis, for each basic module the method including:

• providing an elastic core for defining an elasticity of the basic module,
• providing a first contact terminal element and a second contact terminal element coupled with the elastic core in axially opposed positions, and
• providing at least one elongated contact element extending axially between the first terminal element and the second terminal element,
• wherein applying an axial compression to the elastic core to cause an axial elastic deformation thereof, the axial compression being higher than a threshold compression corresponding to a threshold deformation of the elastic core with respect to a rest condition of the elastic core ranging between 0.1% and 50%, each elongated element being configured to have a buckling axial critical load higher than zero for self-sustaining in absence of external forces during a production of the basic module and lower than the threshold compression for buckling thereby not contributing to the elasticity of the basic module during operation thereof.

A method for producing an elastic contact device for electrically contacting electronic components, wherein the contact device includes at least one basic module having a longitudinal axis, for each basic module the method including the steps of:

• forming an elastic core for defining an elasticity of the basic module, the elastic core undergoing an axial elastic deformation in response to an axial compression,
• forming a first contact terminal element and a second contact terminal element coupled with the elastic core in axially opposed positions, and
• forming at least one elongated contact element extending axially between the first terminal element and the second terminal element,
• wherein each elongated element is configured to have a buckling axial critical load higher than zero for self-sustaining in absence of external forces during the production of the basic module and lower than a threshold compression for buckling thereby not contributing to the elasticity of the basic module during operation thereof, the threshold compression corresponding to a threshold deformation of the elastic core with respect to a rest condition of the elastic core ranging between 0.1% and 50%.