Photolithographically patterned spring contact
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsDonald Leonard Smith, Andrew Sebastian Alimonda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A photolithographically patterned spring contact is formed on a substrate and electrically connects contact pads on two devices. The spring contact also compensates for thermal and mechanical variations and other environmental factors. An inherent stress gradient in the spring contact causes a free portion of the spring contact to bend up and away from the substrate. An anchor portion remains fixed to the substrate and is electrically connected to a first contact pad on the substrate. The spring contact is made of an elastic material and the free portion compliantly contacts a second contact pad, thereby electrically interconnecting the two contact pads.
Claims20
A spring contact, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a contact surface disposed opposite the substrate;
- and
- an elastic member having an inherent stress gradient and comprising an anchor portion and a free portion, the anchor portion being fixed to a substrate;
- wherein the the free portion is initially fixed to the substrate, but is released from the from the substrate to become separated from the substrate and, while released from the substrate, an inherent stress gradient in the plurality of layers biases the free portion away from the substrate to contact the contact surface disposed opposite the substrate.
A spring contact, comprising,
- a substrate;
- a contact surface disposed opposite the substrate;
- and
- an elastic member comprising a material initially fixed to the substrate along substantially an entire length of the elastic member, the material having an inherent stress gradient therein when initially fixed to the substrate along substantially its entire length;
- wherein at least a free portion of the elastic member is releaseed from the substrate while an anchor portion of the elastic member remains fixed to the substrate and the inherent stress gradient biases the free portion away from the substrate to contact the surface disposed opposite the substrate. according to the invention;
- electrically conductive material.
A device electrically connected to a substrate, comprising:
- a contact pad located on one of the device and the substrate;
- and
- at least one spring contact fixed to a surface on the other of the device and the substrate, the spring contact comprising;
- an anchor portion fixed to the surface;
- and
- a free portion intially fixed to the surface so as to produce an inherit stress gradient in the at least one spring contact when the free portion is intiially fixed to the surface;
- wherein the free portion is released from the surface so that the inherent stress gradient in the spring contact biases the free portion away from the surface to electrically contact the contact pad.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.