| abstract |
Resilient spring contact structures are manufactured by plating the contact structures on a reusable mandrel, as opposed to forming the contact structures on sacrificial layers that are later etched away. In one embodiment, the mandrel includes a form or mold area that is inserted through a plated through hole in a substrate. Plating is then performed to create the spring contact on the mold area of the mandrel as well as to attach the spring contact to the substrate. In a second embodiment, the mandrel includes a form that is initially plated to form the resilient contact structure and then attached to a region of a substrate without being inserted through the substrate. Attachment in the second embodiment can be achieved during the plating process used to form the spring contact, or by using a conductive adhesive, or solder either before or after releasing the spring contact from the mandrel. |