(19)
(11) EP 0 074 630 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
22.05.1985 Bulletin 1985/21

(43) Date of publication A2:
23.03.1983 Bulletin 1983/12

(21) Application number: 82108330

(22) Date of filing: 09.09.1982
(84) Designated Contracting States:
IT

(30) Priority: 11.09.1981 US 301811

(71) Applicant: Western Electric Company, Incorporated
 ()

(72) Inventors:
  • Plewes, John Travis
     ()
  • Robbins, Murray
     ()
  • Schlabach, Tom Daniel
     ()

   


(54) Apparatus including electrical contacts


(57) This invention relates to apparatus including mating electrical contacts at least one of which comprises a substrate and a contact layer in intimate contact with the said substrate. The contact layer includes a crystallographic phase produced by in situ reaction using energies associated with conventional ambient and involving a reactant present in a substrate together with one introduced externally. The resulting layered chemical compound is a suitable replacement for electroplated gold and serves in make/break switches, connectors, sustained contact elements, etc.






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