US4337133A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Hard gold surfaces
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1980-12-18
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Granted: 1982-06-29
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Expires: 2000-12-18
Abstract
Abstract A process is described for making hard gold films suitable for electrical contact surfaces. A particular advantage of these films is that they operate well at high temperatures without forming resistive films on the contact surface.
Inventors
- 👤 Jacques A. Augis
- 👤 Christopher C. C. Lo
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 20:41
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/06; C23C14/14; A; A44; A44C; A44C27/00; H; H01; H01H; H01H1/00; H01H1/02; H01H1/021; H01H1/023
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
102 words
A process for fabricating an electrical contact with at least one hard metallic film with Vickers Hardness Numbers greater than 100 on a substrate, said metallic film comprising gold, comprising the step of sputtering a gold alloy composition onto the substrate using a carrier gas characterized in that the gold alloy composition consists essentially of between 0.05 and 5 weight percent noble refractory metal remainder gold, said noble refractory metal consisting essentially of at least one element selected from the group consisting of rhodium and ruthenium and the substrate is maintained at a temperature below 80 degrees C. during the sputtering procedure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
102 words
A process for fabricating an electrical contact with at least one hard metallic film with Vickers Hardness Numbers greater than 100 on a substrate, said metallic film comprising gold, comprising the step of sputtering a gold alloy composition onto the substrate using a carrier gas characterized in that the gold alloy composition consists essentially of between 0.05 and 5 weight percent noble refractory metal remainder gold, said noble refractory metal consisting essentially of at least one element selected from the group consisting of rhodium and ruthenium and the substrate is maintained at a temperature below 80 degrees C. during the sputtering procedure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 1 in which the amount of noble refractory metal is between 0.1 and 3.0 weight percent.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 2 in which the amount of noble refractory metal between 0.2 and 0.8 weight percent.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 1 in which argon is used as the carrier gas.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 4 in which the pressure of the carrier gas is between 1 and 50 millitorrs.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 1 in which the substrate is maintained at a temperature below 50 degrees C.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-06-28 | 1985-12-28 | 1986-06-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-06-28 | 1989-12-28 | 1990-06-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-06-28 | 1993-12-28 | 1994-06-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |