Electrically conductive contact pin and manufacturing method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12517151-B2
Application number	US-202218285384-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2022
Priority date	Apr 9, 2021
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

Proposed are an electrically conductive contact pin formed by stacking a plurality of metal layers and a manufacturing method therefor, in which unintentional deformation of the electrically conductive contact pin is prevented by concentrating a pressing force pressing the electrically conductive contact pin on a tip portion having a relatively small cross-sectional area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An electrically conductive contact pin, comprising:
a body portion comprising a stacked portion formed by stacking a plurality of metal layers; and a tip portion protruding from at least one end portion of the body portion and having a smaller cross-sectional area than the body portion; a connecting portion provided in the body portion between the stacked portion and the tip portion, wherein the stacked portion comprises a first metal and a second metal, wherein the first metal is a metal having relatively high wear resistance compared to the second metal and the second metal is a metal having relatively high electrical conductivity compared to the first metal, the stacked portion is formed by alternately stacking the first metal and the second metal in a thickness direction, and the connecting portion is formed of a metal layer made of a single material.

2 . The electrically conductive contact pin of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the tip portion is spaced apart from a plane extending from an upper surface of the body portion,
a lower surface of the tip portion is spaced apart from a plane extending from a lower surface of the body portion, a first side surface of the tip portion is spaced apart from a plane extending from a first side surface of the body portion, and a second side surface of the tip portion is spaced apart from a plane extending from a second side surface of the body portion.

3 . The electrically conductive contact pin of claim 1 , wherein a central axis of the tip portion and a central axis of the end portion of the body portion are located on the same line.

4 . The electrically conductive contact pin of claim 1 , wherein the tip portion is made of a single material.

5 . The electrically conductive contact pin of claim 4 , wherein the first metal is made of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of rhodium (Rh), platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), palladium, and an alloy of these metals; the group consisting of a palladium-cobalt (PdCo) alloy and a palladium-nickel (PdNi) alloy; or the group consisting of a nickel-phosphor (NiPh) alloy, a nickel-manganese (NiMn), a nickel-cobalt (NiCo), and a nickel-tungsten (NiW) alloy, and
the second metal is made of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), silver (Ag), gold (Au), and an alloy of these metals.

6 . The electrically conductive contact pin of claim 1 , wherein
the tip portion is made of a metal having relatively high wear resistance compared to the second metal.

7 . The electrically conductive contact pin of claim 1 , wherein the tip portion comprises an inner portion located inside the body portion and an outer portion located outside the body portion.

8 . The electrically conductive contact pin of claim 7 , wherein the body portion is provided on left and right sides of the inner portion with respect to the inner portion, and
a free space portion in which the body portion is not provided is formed on each of upper and lower sides of the inner portion with respect to the inner portion.

9 . The electrically conductive contact pin of claim 7 , wherein the body portion is provided on left and right sides of the inner portion with respect to the inner portion, and
a reinforcing portion made of a material different from a material of the tip portion is formed on each of upper and lower sides of the inner portion with respect to the inner portion.

10 . The electrically conductive contact pin of claim 7 , wherein a metal formed on left and right sides of the inner portion with respect to the inner portion and a metal formed on upper and lower sides of the inner portion are made of different materials.

11 . An electrically conductive contact pin, comprising:
a body portion comprising a stacked portion formed by stacking a plurality of metal layers; wherein the stacked portion comprises a first metal and a second metal, wherein the first metal is a metal having relatively high wear resistance compared to the second metal and the second metal is a metal having relatively high electrical conductivity compared to the first metal, the stacked portion is formed by alternately stacking the first metal and the second metal in a thickness direction, a tip portion formed by a metal layer made of a single material and protruding from an end portion of the body portion; and a connecting portion provided in the body portion between the stacked portion and the tip portion, wherein the tip portion is made of a metal selected from the group consisting of rhodium (Rh), platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), palladium, and an alloy of these metals; the group consisting of a palladium-cobalt (PdCo) alloy and a palladium-nickel (PdNi) alloy; or the group consisting of a nickel-phosphor (NiPh) alloy, a nickel-manganese (NiMn), a nickel-cobalt (NiCo), and a nickel-tungsten (NiW) alloy, and the connecting portion is made of a metal selected from the group consisting of rhodium (Rh), platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), palladium, and an alloy of these metals; the group consisting of a palladium-cobalt (PdCo) alloy and a palladium-nickel (PdNi) alloy; or the group consisting of a nickel-phosphor (NiPh) alloy, a nickel-manganese (NiMn), a nickel-cobalt (NiCo), and a nickel-tungsten (NiW) alloy.

12 . A method for manufacturing an electrically conductive contact pin, the electrically conductive contact pin comprising a body portion comprising a stacked portion formed by stacking a plurality of metal layers and a tip portion protruding from an end portion of the body portion, the method comprising:
forming each of the body portion and the tip portion by plating using a mold; providing a connecting portion in the body portion between the stacked portion and the tip portion; wherein the stacked portion comprises a first metal and a second metal, wherein the first metal is a metal having relatively high wear resistance compared to the second metal and the second metal is a metal having relatively high electrical conductivity compared to the first metal, the stacked portion is formed by alternately stacking the first metal and the second metal in a thickness direction, and the connecting portion is formed of a metal layer made of a single material.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the mold is made of an anodic aluminum oxide film.

Assignees

• Point Engineering Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ahn Bum Mo
• Park Seung Ho
• Byun Sung Hyun

Classifications

• G01R3/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture {or maintenance} of measuring instruments {, e.g. of probe tips} · CPC title

• G01R1/06738

  related to tip portion · CPC title

• G01R1/06716

  Elastic · CPC title

• G01R1/067

  Measuring probes · CPC title

• G01R1/06761 Primary

  related to layers · CPC title