Variable resistor pin terminal and method

Claim 1

An insulative substrate device for a variable resistor or the like, comprising: a thin ceramic wafer providing an insulation substrate, said wafer having upper and lower faces and an aperture therethrough from face to face, said aperture comprising at least one central section of tapered form and upper and lower end sections of uniform cross section, said sections bounded by at least one wall defining the aperture and said aperture being of smallest cross section at the upper face of the wafer and of largest cross section at the lower face; an adherent conductive film on said upper face of said substrate, said film extending at least around and into the upper section of said aperture; and a pin terminal device having an upper end face substantially flush with the upper face of said wafer and having an upper end portion swaged in and occupying said aperture in said substrate and having a central tapered section complementary to said central section of said aperture, said upper end portion of said pin terminal wiThin said aperture exerting compressive forces on said wall in said aperture and therein electrically contacting said conductive film, whereby said terminal pin is securely affixed to said substrate by compressive engagement therewith and electrically connects with said conductive film and has an upper end surface substantially flush with the upper face of said wafer.

Claim 5

A method of securing a pin terminal device to a ceramic wafer having upper and lower faces, said method including the steps of: providing in such wafer an aperture having a tapered central section and end sections of cylindrical form, the aperture being smaller at one end than at the other end thereof; positioning an anvil substantially flush with the surface of the wafer at the smaller end of the aperture, and holding the wafer fixed relative to the anvil; inserting an end portion of a wire into said aperture from the larger end of the aperture and abutting the end of the wire against the anvil provided at the surface of said wafer at the smaller end of the aperture; gripping the periphery of said wire at a location spaced away from the surface of said wafer adjacent the larger end of said aperture; and while so gripping said wire, applying forces to the wire to force more wire into said aperture to thereby expand the wire in said aperture into contact with substantially the entire surface of the wall of the aperture to thereby swage said wire in and adjacent said aperture into firm frictional contact with said wafer at the wall of said aperture to firmly compressively attach the wire to said wafer in said aperture while leaving the said one end of the wire substantially flush with the surface of the wafer at the smaller end of the aperture.

Claim 6

A method of securing a pin terminal device to a ceramic wafer having upper and lower faces, said method including the steps of: providing in such wafer an aperture having a tapered central section and end sections of cylindrical form, the aperture being smaller at one end than at the other end thereof; positioning an anvil substantially flush with the surface of the wafer at the smaller end of the aperture, and holding the wafer fixed relative to the anvil; inserting an end portion of a wire into said aperture from the larger end of the aperture and abutting the end of the wire against the anvil provided at the surface of said wafer at the smaller end of the aperture; gripping the periphery of said wire at a location spaced away from the surface of said wafer adjacent the larger end of said aperture; and while so gripping said wire, applying forces to the wire to force more wire into said aperture to thereby expand the wire in said aperture into contact with substantially the entire surface of the wall of the aperture to thereby swage said wire in and adjacent said aperture into firm frictional contact with said wafer at the wall of said aperture to firmly compressively attach the wire to said wafer in said aperture while leaving the said one end of the wire substantially flush with the surface of the wafer at the smaller end of the aperture.