Contact switch coating
AssigneeLittelfuse, Inc.
InventorsPhilip Warner Lees, Joshua James Koeppel, J. Anthony Spies, Eric James Hafenstein
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Switch assemblies and switching methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, a switch assembly may include a first blade having a first contact within an enclosed cavity, and a second blade having a second contact within the enclosed cavity. The first and second contacts are operable to make or break contact with one another in response to a magnetic field. The switch assembly may further include a coating formed over each of the first and second contacts, the coating including a titanium layer, a second layer formed over the titanium layer, and a tungsten-copper layer formed over the second layer. In some embodiments, the second layer is copper or molybdenum.
Claims8
A switching method, comprising:
- providing a first contact operable with a second contact, wherein the first and second contacts form an open circuit in a first configuration and form a closed circuit in a second configuration;
- providing a coating over each of the first and second contacts, the coating comprising:
- a base conductive layer;
- a second conductive layer formed over the base conductive layer;
- and
- a tungsten-copper layer formed over the second conductive layer;
- and
- biasing the first contact and the second contact relative to one another using a magnetic field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.