Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

Yuki Inoue

Kazunari Maki

Naoki Kato

Kiyotaka Nakaya

Shinichi Funaki

Takashi Tamagawa

Fuyumi Mawatari

A tin-plated copper terminal material in which on a substrate made of copper or copper alloy, a nickel-or-nickel-alloy layer, a copper-tin alloy layer, and a tin layer are laminated in this order; in this material, the tin layer has an average thickness 0.2 &#x3bc;m to 1.2 &#x3bc;m inclusive; the copper-tin alloy layer is a compound alloy layer in which CuSnis a main ingredient and part of copper in the CuSnis substituted with nickel, and an average crystal grain size is 0.2 &#x3bc;m to 1.5 &#x3bc;m inclusive; part of the copper-tin alloy layer appears on a surface of the tin layer and tin solidification parts exist like islands; and the tin solidification parts have an average diameter 10 &#x3bc;m to 1000 &#x3bc;m inclusive in a direction along the surface of the tin layer and an area ratio to the surface of the tin layer 1% to 90% inclusive.

Tin-plated copper terminal material and method of manufacturing the same

A terminal material for connectors, which is obtained by sequentially laminating on a substrate that is formed of copper or a copper alloy, a nickel or nickel alloy layer, a copper-tin alloy layer and a tin layer in this order, and: the tin layer has an average thickness of from 0.2 &#x3bc;m to 1.2 &#x3bc;m (inclusive); the copper-tin alloy layer is a compound alloy layer that is mainly composed of CuSn, with some of the copper in the CuSnbeing substituted by nickel, and has an average crystal grain diameter of from 0.2 &#x3bc;m to 1.5 &#x3bc;m (inclusive); a part of the copper-tin alloy layer is exposed from the surface of the tin layer, with the exposure area ratio being from 1% to 60% (inclusive); the nickel or nickel alloy layer has an average thickness of from 0.05 &#x3bc;m to 1.0 &#x3bc;m (inclusive) and an average crystal grain diameter of from 0.01 &#x3bc;m to 0.5 &#x3bc;m (inclusive).

Terminal material for connectors and method for producing same

A tin-plated copper alloy terminal material in which an Sn-based surface layer is formed on a surface of a base material that is made of copper or a copper alloy, and a Cu&#x2014;Sn alloy layer and an Ni layer or an Ni alloy layer are sequentially formed between the Sn-based surface layer and the base material from the Sn-based surface layer side: the Cu&#x2014;Sn alloy layer is a layer that is formed only of an intermetallic compound alloy which is obtained by substituting some of Cu in CuSnalloy with Ni; and parts of the Cu&#x2014;Sn alloy layer are exposed from the Sn-based surface layer, thereby forming a plurality of exposed portions; an average thickness of the Sn-based surface layer is from 0.2 &#x3bc;m to 0.6 &#x3bc;m (inclusive); and an area rate of the exposed portions of the Cu&#x2014;Sn alloy layer relative to a surface area of is 1% to 40% (inclusive).

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Aizuwakamatsu, Japan

Yuki Inoue