Method of making electrically insulating metallic oxides electrically conductive
US5098485A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 19, 1990 |
| Grant date | Mar 24, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 19, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01G9/08
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method of making an electrical contact to a metal on which an electrically insulating native oxide is formed includes applying atoms or ions to the native oxide, heating the metal and oxide to a temperature and for a time effective to make the oxide, where the atoms and/or ions have been applied, electrically conducting and in electrical communication with the metal. The invention may be employed to establish electrical contacts with native oxides on aluminum, molybdenum, niobium, tantalum, titanium, tungsten, and zirconium. The atoms and ions include aluminum, antimony, arsenic, boron, gallium, indium, phosphorus, and silicon. An aqueous solution of boric acid and trisodium phosphate may be applied to establish electrically conductive regions in an oxide on niobium, tantalum, titanium, and stainless steel after heat treatment. Brushing with palladium wires mechanically applies palladium atoms to tantalum oxide to establish electrical contact to the tantalum after heat treatment. The invention is useful in forming containers for electrolytic tantalum capacitors and making direct metal-to-metal electrical connections for capacitors and contacts for switches and relays.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.