Releasable electrical connector system - is formed by growing layers of dendritic crystals on metal surface and dendrites interlock to give good contact

摘要

An electrical contact device consists of a substrate having a dendritic array which is grown on it and the dendrites are adapted to releasably engage corresponding dendrites on a mating surface. A typical contact comprises a conducting base plate (11) bearing a group of elastic metallic projections (13). For this purpose a suitable base plate consists of a substrate with a coating of noble metal (15) on which the dendrite crystals are formed. A second electrical contact is similarly formed of a conducting base plate (21) with closely spaced, elastic metallic projections (23). On being brought together the dendritic crystals interlock to form a good electrical connection which can, however, be readily separated. The technique is suitable for connections to LSI integrated circuits.