Compliant surface mount electrical contacts for circuit boards and method of making and using same

Abstract

There is provided electrical contact for circuit boards. Each leg of the pin section has a deformable segment that can expand or contract along the direction of the leg to alleviate stress created by relative movement of printed circuit boards and/or off-board components interconnected thereby. The deformable segments have members that project in opposing directions relative to the direction of the leg, so that the segments are symmetrical. In one embodiment, each leg has a deformable segment having a outwardly curved shape. In another embodiment, each leg has a deformable segment in the shape of a rectangular frame. The deformable segments define at least one opening where the two legs of the pin section are not overlapping, which breaks the capillary flow of solder between the legs. The amount of solder that flows into the electrical contact is selectively controlled by the selected placement of the deformable segments.