Stabilized liquid-solid electrical contact

Abstract

A contact is provided that includes a first contact member formed of material containing tungsten, the first contact member having an exposed surface and a first pocket opening to the exposed surface, the first pocket having a circumscribing side wall and a bottom wall that define an interior of the first pocket; a first metal layer on the bottom wall of the first pocket and having a top surface that is below the exposed surface of the first contact member; a liquid metal layer formed of a material containing a Galinstan alloy on the top surface only of the first metal layer and extending above the exposed surface of the first contact member, and the liquid metal layer is compliant and is displaced by pressure applied to the liquid metal layer and returns to an original shape in response to removal of the pressure on the liquid metal layer.

Images