Metal elastomer contact and electrical connection method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a metal elastomer contact element which comprises a porous elastic metal framework and a metal protection layer, the porous elastic metal framework is of a three-dimensional net-shaped open pore structure and is provided with a plurality of communicating pores penetrating through the inside and the outside of an elastic metal body, and the inner surfaces of the communicating pores and the surface of the porous elastic metal framework are covered with the metal protection layer. When the connector is electrically connected with a conductor, elastic contact is achieved through the body, plugging is not needed, contact is reliable, installation and maintenance are easy, and the connector can be applied to the design of high-density and low-density connectors and is particularly suitable for interconnection transmission of high-speed and high-density signals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to an electric connector contact piece, and relates to a metal elastic body contact piece. Background Art

[0002] As electrical equipment continues to develop towards lighter, thinner, smaller and faster directions, electrical connectors are required to achieve low profile (less than 0.2mm in height), small pitch (less than 0.5mm), high density (more than 2000 contacts) vertical interconnection between electronic circuits in order to achieve high-density and high-frequency signal transmission between electronic components. Traditional pin or spring-type metal contact electrical connectors have difficulty meeting such requirements due to their complex structure, high connection height and complex assembly process.

[0003] Among the existing vertical interconnection technologies, there is a contact piece formed by winding and pressing a metal filament material (the registered trademarks are CIN::APSE® and Fuzz Buttons®). The Chinese name is "fuzz buttons", which are usually columnar structures and can be used for low-profile transmission of interconnections between boards. However, its processing requires winding, forming, shaping, and finalizing, and the manufacturing process is complicated. At the same time, it is also difficult to control the morphology of small-sized (less than 0.5mm) and special-shaped (such as spherical) products.

[0004] Chinese patent application publication number CN105406229B discloses a composite foam metal contact using a porous elastic polymer coated with a metal conductive layer, which can also be used for low-profile transmission of interconnections between boards. However, due to the use of elastic polymer as a supporting skeleton, its environmental adaptability and current-carrying capacity are significantly different from those of contacts made of all-metal materials. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a metal elastomer contact with a single body structure, simple processing technology, small size, reliable contact connection, easy installation, and strong environmental adaptability, so as to make up for the shortcomings and deficiencies of conventional electrical connector contacts and be suitable for the transmission of high-density and high-frequency signals.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a metal elastomer contact piece, including a porous elastic metal skeleton and a metal protective layer, the porous elastic metal skeleton has a plurality of connected pores penetrating the inside and outside of the elastic metal body, and is a three-dimensional mesh open structure, and the metal protective layer covers the inner and outer surfaces of the porous elastic metal skeleton.

[0007] Furthermore, the outer dimensions of the porous elastic metal skeleton are between 0.2 mm and 5 mm, and the shape is spherical, cylindrical or spindle-shaped particles.

[0008] Furthermore, the porous elastic metal skeleton may be made of beryllium bronze, titanium bronze, phosphor bronze, copper-nickel-tin alloy or other suitable elastic or highly elastic alloy materials.

[0009] Furthermore, the porosity of the porous elastic metal skeleton is between 30% and 70%, and the pore size is between 2 μm and 200 μm.

[0010] Furthermore, the metal protective layer material is one or more of gold, silver, nickel and tin.

[0011] Optionally, the metal protective layer is a plating combination of multiple metal materials.

[0012] Furthermore, the thickness of the metal protective layer is between 0.2 μm and 10 μm.

[0013] The present invention also provides an electrical connection method, which includes placing the above-mentioned metal elastic contact piece between two electrical contacts, and compressing the metal elastic contact piece by reducing the distance between the two electrical contacts to form an electrical connection between the two electrical contacts.

[0014] Beneficial effects of the present invention: Compared with the prior art, the effects of the present invention are as follows: (1) When the present invention is used to make electrical connections with a conductor, the metal elastic body contact piece relies on its own elastic contact, the contact is reliable, and the connection can be repeated many times, which is suitable for applications that require frequent on-off connections; (2) It is easy to design into a high-density and small-pitch connector, which can be applied to surface mount (such as LGA, BGA, PGA, CGA, QFN, etc.) device detection sockets, vertical interconnection between PCBs and multi-chip assembly (MCM) interconnection and other electronic interconnection fields, with a wide range of applications; (3) It is suitable for low-profile electrical connections and can effectively transmit high-speed signals; (4) It has a single structure and is easy to install and maintain; (5) It is made of all-metal materials and has strong environmental adaptability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram before and after the metal elastomer contact is used to realize the vertical interconnection between printed boards.

[0017] In the figure: 1-porous elastic metal skeleton, 2-connected pores, 3-metal protective layer, 4-metal elastic body contact, 5-insulating fixing plate, 6-first printed board, 7-electrical contact one, 8-second printed board, 9-electrical contact two. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, a metal elastomer contact piece includes a porous elastic metal skeleton 1 and a metal protective layer 2. The porous elastic metal skeleton 1 has a plurality of connected pores 3 that penetrate the inside and outside of the elastic metal body, and is a three-dimensional mesh open structure. The metal protective layer 2 covers the inner and outer surfaces of the porous elastic metal skeleton 1.

[0020] The outer dimensions of the porous elastic metal skeleton 1 are between 0.2 mm and 5 mm, and the shape is spherical, cylindrical, spindle-shaped or other suitable shaped particles. The base material of the porous elastic metal skeleton 1 can be beryllium bronze, titanium bronze, phosphor bronze, copper-nickel-tin alloy or other suitable elastic or highly elastic alloy materials. The porous elastic metal skeleton 1 can be made by powder metallurgy and / or porous metal manufacturing process.

[0021] The porosity of the porous elastic metal skeleton 1 can be selected to be between 30% and 70%, and the pore size can be selected to be between 2 μm and 200 μm.

[0022] To provide better protection and conductivity, the metal protective layer 2 is usually made of one of gold, silver, nickel, and tin, or it can be a plating combination of multiple metal materials, such as a plating combination of gold / silver, gold / silver / nickel, gold / silver / nickel-tin, etc. It can be formed by coating by vacuum deposition, chemical plating, electroplating, etc. The thickness of the metal protective layer 2 can be selected between 0.2μm and 10μm.

[0023] Attached Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure before and after the metal elastic body contact 4 is used to realize the vertical interconnection between the first printed board 6 and the second printed board 8. The metal elastic body contact 4 is installed in the insulating fixing plate 5 and placed between the electrical contact 1 7 and the electrical contact 2 9. Before the interconnection ( Figure 2 a), the height of the metal elastic contact 4 is higher than the thickness of the insulating fixing plate 5, after interconnection ( Figure 2 b) The height of the metal elastic contact 4 is compressed by the first printed board 6 and the second printed board 8. The electrical contact 1 7 of the first printed board 6 and the electrical contact 2 9 of the second printed board 8 are connected to each other by contacting with the two ends of the metal elastic contact 4. The compression tension of the metal elastic contact 4 ensures the reliability of the electrical connection.

[0024] The above description is only a specific implementation mode of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A metal elastic contact piece, comprising a porous elastic metal skeleton (1) and a metal protective layer (2). The characteristics are: The porous elastic metal skeleton (1) has a plurality of interconnected pores (3) that penetrate the inside and outside of the elastic metal body, and is a three-dimensional mesh open-pore structure with an outer dimension between 0.2 mm and 5 mm, and is in the shape of spherical, cylindrical or spindle-shaped particles; the metal protective layer (2) covers the inner and outer surfaces of the porous elastic metal skeleton (1).

2. The metal elastic contact piece according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the porous elastic metal skeleton (1) can be beryllium bronze, titanium bronze, phosphor bronze, copper-nickel-tin alloy or other suitable elastic or highly elastic alloy materials.

3. The metal elastic contact piece according to claim 1, characterized in that: The porous elastic metal skeleton (1) has a porosity between 30% and 70%, and a pore size between 2 μm and 200 μm.

4. The metal elastic contact piece according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the metal protective layer (2) can be one or more of gold, silver, nickel and tin.

5. The metal elastic contact piece according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal protective layer (2) is a coating combination of multiple metal materials.

6. The metal elastic contact piece according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the metal protective layer (2) is between 0.2 μm and 10 μm.

7. A method for electrically connecting a metal elastic contact, the method comprising placing the metal elastic contact (4) according to claim 1 between two electrical contacts (7, 9), and compressing the metal elastic contact (4) by reducing the distance between the two electrical contacts (7, 9) to form an electrical connection between the two electrical contacts (7, 9).

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