Variable width resilient conductive contact structures
First Claim
1. An electronic component comprising:
- a substrate including a conductive element disposed at a surface of the substrate; and
a freestanding, resilient, electrically conductive contact structure comprising a base portion attached to the conductive element, a tip portion displaced a vertical distance away from the surface of the substrate, and a beam portion between the base portion and the tip portion, a length of the beam portion extending from where the base portion is attached to the conductive element to where the beam portion meets the tip portion, the beam portion being displaced away from the surface of the substrate along all of the length,wherein;
a width dimension of the beam portion decreases along all of the length of the beam portion,all of the length of the beam portion is shaped in a convex curve that is convex with respect to the surface of the substrate, andthe width dimension of the beam portion is parallel to the surface of the substrate where the beam portion and the tip portion meet.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Interconnect assemblies having resilient contact elements and methods for making these assemblies. In one aspect, the interconnect assembly includes a substrate and a resilient electrical contact element disposed on the substrate. A first portion of the resilient contact structure is disposed on the substrate and a second portion extends away from the substrate and is capable of moving from a first position to a second position under the application of a force. A stop structure is disposed on the surface of the substrate and on a surface of the first portion of the resilient contact structure. According to another aspect of the present invention, a beam portion of the resilient contact structure has a substantially triangular shape.
128 Citations
39 Claims
-
1. An electronic component comprising:
-
a substrate including a conductive element disposed at a surface of the substrate; and a freestanding, resilient, electrically conductive contact structure comprising a base portion attached to the conductive element, a tip portion displaced a vertical distance away from the surface of the substrate, and a beam portion between the base portion and the tip portion, a length of the beam portion extending from where the base portion is attached to the conductive element to where the beam portion meets the tip portion, the beam portion being displaced away from the surface of the substrate along all of the length, wherein; a width dimension of the beam portion decreases along all of the length of the beam portion, all of the length of the beam portion is shaped in a convex curve that is convex with respect to the surface of the substrate, and the width dimension of the beam portion is parallel to the surface of the substrate where the beam portion and the tip portion meet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. An electronics system comprising:
-
a first substrate including a conductive element disposed at a surface of the first substrate; a freestanding, resilient, electrically conductive contact structure comprising a base portion attached to the conductive element of the first substrate, one and only one tip portion displaced a vertical distance away from the surface of the first substrate, and one and only one beam portion between the base portion and the tip portion, wherein a length of the beam portion extends from where the base portion is attached to the conductive element to where the beam portion meets the tip portion, the beam portion being displaced away from the surface of the substrate along all the length of the beam portion, wherein a width of the beam portion decreases along all of the length of the beam portion, all of the length of the beam portion is shaped in a convex curve that is convex with respect to the surface of the substrate, and the width dimension of the beam portion is parallel to the surface of the substrate where the beam portion and the tip portion meet; and a second substrate including a conductive contact element in physical contact with the one and only one tip portion of the contact structure and deflecting the contact structure, the contact structure exerting a force against the contact element due to the resiliency of the contact structure. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
-
Specification