The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 24, 1992
Filed:
Sep. 19, 1990
David A Evans, Seekonk, MA (US);
Evans Findings Company, East Providence, RI (US);
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.