I/O pin and method for making same

Claim 1

A method of making electrical pins comprising the steps of: forming a matrix of a metal plate member and metal rods secured in longitudinally spaced grooves in a surface of the metal plate member; securing a plurality of said matrix together along with a planar metal plate member on the uppermost matrix thereby forming a stacked structure; cutting the stacked structure at a specified length and perpendicular to the direction of the metal rods thereby providing a workpiece of metal plate member sections and pins; placing photoresist layers on upper and lower surfaces of said workpiece; applying light through a mask onto the photoresist layers causing areas of the photoresist layers over the end surfaces of the pins and between the pins to be fixed while the areas of the photoresist layers surrounding the fixed areas over the end surfaces of the pins is unfixed; removing the unfixed areas of the photoresist layers thereby exposing the areas of the metal plate member sections thereunder; etching the exposed areas of the metal plate member sections thereby forming recesses and exposing peripheral surfaces at the ends of the pins; plating the recesses and peripheral end surfaces of the pins with a metal layer; removing the fixed areas of the photoresist layers from the workpiece; applying a photoresist layer onto the upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece leaving the end surfaces of the pins and the plated metal layers exposed; plating a solder layer onto the exposed end surfaces of the pins and plated metal layers thereby forming head members; removing the photoresist layer from the workpiece surfaces; and etching the metal plate member sections until a thin section thereof remains thereby forming a carrier member with a group of electrical pins.

Claim 2

A method of making electrical pins comprising the steps of: forming a matrix of a metal plate member and metal rods secured in longitudinally spaced grooves in a surface of the metal plate member; securing a plurality of said matrix together along with a planar metal plate member on the uppermost matrix thereby forming a stacked structure; cutting the stacked structure at a specified length and perpendicular to the direction of the metal rods thereby providing a workpiece of metal plate member sections and pins; placing photoresist layers on upper and lower surfaces of said workpiece; applying light through a mask onto the photoresist layers causing areas of the photoresist layers over the end surfaces of the pins and between the pins to be fixed while the areas of the photoresist layers surrounding the fixed areas over the end surfaces of the pins is unfixed; removing the unfixed areas of the photoresist layers thereby exposing the areas of the metal plate member sections thereunder; etching the exposed areas of the metal plate member sections thereby forming recesses and exposing peripheral surfaces at the ends of the pins; plating the recesses and peripheral end surfaces of the pins with a metal layer; removing the fixed areas of the photoresist layers from the workpiece; applying a photoresist layer onto the upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece leaving the end surfaces of the pins and the plated metal layers exposed; plating a solder layer onto the exposed end surfaces of the pins and plated metal layers thereby forming head members; removing the photoresist layer from the workpiece surfaces; and etching the metal plate member sections until a thin section thereof remains thereby forming a carrier member with a group of electrical pins.