초록 ▼

Resilient spring contact structures are manufactured by plating the contact structures on a reusable mandrel, as opposed to forming the contact structures on sacrificial layers that are later etched away. In one embodiment, the mandrel includes a form or mold area that is inserted through a plated t

Resilient spring contact structures are manufactured by plating the contact structures on a reusable mandrel, as opposed to forming the contact structures on sacrificial layers that are later etched away. In one embodiment, the mandrel includes a form or mold area that is inserted through a plated through hole in a substrate. Plating is then performed to create the spring contact on the mold area of the mandrel as well as to attach the spring contact to the substrate. In a second embodiment, the mandrel includes a form that is initially plated to form the resilient contact structure and then attached to a region of a substrate without being inserted through the substrate. Attachment in the second embodiment can be achieved during the plating process used to form the spring contact, or by using a conductive adhesive or solder either before or after releasing the spring contact from the mandrel.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A method for manufacturing a resilient contact, said method comprising: forming a resilient contact by depositing a material onto a surface of a mandrel, the resilient contact having a body shape defined at least in part by the surface of the mandrel; attaching the resilient

What is claimed is: 1. A method for manufacturing a resilient contact, said method comprising: forming a resilient contact by depositing a material onto a surface of a mandrel, the resilient contact having a body shape defined at least in part by the surface of the mandrel; attaching the resilient contact to a substrate; releasing the mandrel after the resilient contact is attached to the substrate and reusing the mandrel to form a second resilient contact. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: forming a resilient contact on the mandrel comprises forming a plurality of resilient contacts on a plurality of mandrels, the plurality of mandrels attached to a common substrate, each resilient contact having a shape defined at least in part by its corresponding mandrel; attaching the resilient contact to a substrate comprises simultaneously attaching the plurality of contacts to the substrate; and releasing the mandrel comprises leaving the plurality of resilient contacts attached to the substrate. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of resilient contacts comprises discrete resilient contacts. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the forming a plurality of resilient contacts on a plurality of mandrels comprises forming the plurality of resilient contacts simultaneously. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the resilient contact comprises plating the resilient contact. 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the plating is performed by electroplating. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the plating is performed by electroless plating. 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the plating the resilient contact comprises: plating a first material; and plating a second material, wherein the first material has a higher electrical conductivity than the second material, and the second material has a greater resiliency than the first material. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first material is selected from the group consisting of: copper, aluminum, cobalt, gold, silver, tungsten and combinations and alloys thereof. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second material is selected from the group consisting of: nickel, iron, tungsten and combinations and alloys thereof. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the releasing is performed by applying a thermal shock to the mandrel and the resilient contact. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the applying a thermal shock to the mandrel and the resilient contact comprises rinsing the mandrel and the resilient contact with a solution. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the attaching the resilient contact to a substrate comprises positioning the mandrel proximate to the substrate to place the resilient contact in contact with a conductive structure on the substrate. 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing the mandrel with conductive portions and non-conductive portions, wherein the shape of the resilient contact is defined by a conductive portion of the mandrel. 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a contact tip feature on the resilient contact. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the attaching the resilient contact to the substrate is performed using any of soldering, welding, brazing, or combinations thereof. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming a resilient contact on a mandrel comprises plating the material onto the surface of the mandrel. 18. A method for manufacturing a resilient contact, said method comprising: forming a resilient contact on a mandrel, the resilient contact having a body shape defined at least in part by the mandrel; attaching the resilient contact to a substrate; and releasing the mandrel after the resilient contact is attached to the substrate, wherein forming the resilient contact comprises plating the resilient contact, wherein the plating the resilient contact comprises: plating a first material; and plating a second material, wherein the first material has a higher electrical conductivity than the second material, and the second material has a greater resiliency than the first material, and wherein the first material is plated as a first layer onto the mandrel, and the second material is plated as a second layer onto the first material. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein, after releasing the resilient contact, the mandrel is reused to form another resilient contact. 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising simultaneously forming a plurality of resilient contacts on a plurality of mandrels.