Patent · US Active

Elastic encapsulated carbon nanotube based electrical contacts

US8872176B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
56References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 5, 2011
Grant dateOct 28, 2014
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 22, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L2924/00013
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Contacts of an electrical device can be made of carbon nanotube columns. Contact tips can be disposed at ends of the columns. The contact tips can be made of an electrically conductive paste applied to the ends of the columns and cured (e.g., hardened). The paste can be applied, cured, and/or otherwise treated to make the contact tips in desired shapes. The carbon nanotube columns can be encapsulated in an elastic material that can impart the dominant mechanical characteristics, such as spring characteristics, to the contacts. The contacts can be electrically conductive and can be utilized to make pressure-based electrical connections with electrical terminals or other contact structures of another device.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.