Yazaki Corporation

Minoru Ikeda

Kinya Horibe

Tomio Hirano

Kyoko Suzuki

Hideaki Murata

Tomohiro Shimada

The present invention is to provide low insertion-force connector terminals. A self-assembled monolayer is deposited on the surface of the connector terminals. The deposited connector terminals do not require a special lever for adjusting contact pressure. The connector terminals are easily manufactured without cost-up and made small size. They do not increase contact resistance and they are easily connected to each other with low insertion force so that they are applied to the connectors of vehicles.

Low insertion-force connector terminal, method of producing the same and substrate for the same

To remove pores and lattice defects in gold film plated on a substrate, the gold plating film is irradiated with a first laser beam to bring at least the surface of the film into almost melted condition, and then cooled in air. Further, it is preferable to anneal the melted gold surface by a second laser beam weaker than the first laser beam before air cooling, thus reducing the thickness of the gold film and therefore the material cost of electric contacts, for instance.

Method of treating gold plating film

In an electric contact having a Cu-based layer, a Ni-based layer formed on the Cu-based layer, and a Pd-based layer formed on the Ni-based layer, the Ni-based layer having a thickness of at least 0.8 .mu.m is so formed as to include a noncrystal nickel alloy layer having a thickness of at least 0.08 .mu.m, in order to reduce the thickness of the Pd-based layer down to about 0.08 .mu.m, that is, the cost of the contact without deteriorating the contact durability, as compared with a 0.6 to 2 .mu.m thick prior-art Pd-based layer.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Minoru Ikeda