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US 7,458,816 B1Granted
Shaped spring
AssigneeFormFactor, Inc.
InventorsGaetan L. Mathieu, Benjamin N. Eldridge, Stuart W. Wenzel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An interconnection element that includes a first element material adapted to be coupled to a substrate and a second element material comprising a material having a transformable property such that upon transformation, a shape of the interconnection is modified. An example is a material that has a transformable property such that a volume of the first and/or second element material may undergo a thermal transformation from one volume to a different volume (such as a smaller volume).
Claims33
An interconnection element comprising:
- a first element material adapted to be coupled at a first end to a substrate, a second end of the first element being releasable from the substrate;
- and
- a second different element material coupled to the first element material,
- wherein one of the first element material and the second element material is transformable in response to an external stimulus such that, while the second end of the first element material is released from the substrate, the interconnection element maintains a first geometric shape before application of the external stimulus and changes to a second geometric shape in response to the application of the external stimulus, and the second geometric shape is different than the first geometric shape, and
- wherein a transformation of the one of the first element material or the second element material by the external stimulus is permanent such that removal of the external stimulus does not result in the interconnection element returning to the first geometric shape.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.