Title :
The Electrical Contact Resistance of Two Rough Surfaces with Varying Phase Conductivity
Author :
Dickrell, Daniel J., III ; Sawyer, W.G.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mech. & Aerosp. Eng., Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Abstract :
Electrical contact materials deposited via thin-film processes enable the structuring of interfaces that optimize electrical contact performance. The performance gains are accomplished by structuring the contact material such that a conductive pathway is always present in the composite, a phenomenon related to the percolation threshold. The relationship between film composition and percolation threshold was explored by combined three-dimensional contact area and resistance modeling as well as experimental efforts. An optimal composite structure was found based on deposition parameters and compositional phase selections.
Keywords :
electrical conductivity; electrical contacts; electrical resistivity; thin films; compositional phase selections; conductive pathway; electrical contact resistance; film composition; percolation threshold; rough surfaces; thin-film processes; three-dimensional contact; varying phase conductivity; Conducting materials; Conductive films; Conductivity; Contact resistance; Electric resistance; Performance gain; Rough surfaces; Sputtering; Surface resistance; Surface roughness;
Conference_Titel :
Electrical Contacts, 2008. Proceedings of the 54th IEEE Holm Conference on
Conference_Location :
Orlando, FL
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1901-2
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1902-9
DOI :
10.1109/HOLM.2008.ECP.42
