US 12,451,309 B2
Stabilized liquid-solid electrical contact
Eric Meshot, Emeryville, CA (US); William Boettcher, Emeryville, CA (US); Gregory C. Ghahramani, Emeryville, CA (US); and James Stölken, Emeryville, CA (US)
Assigned to Atomic Machines, Inc., Emeryville, CA (US)
Filed by Atomic Machines, Inc., Emeryville, CA (US)
Filed on May 29, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/676,876.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/504,873, filed on May 30, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0404772 A1, Dec. 5, 2024
Int. Cl. H01H 29/06 (2006.01); H01H 29/28 (2006.01)
CPC H01H 29/06 (2013.01) [H01H 29/28 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A contact, comprising:
a first contact member having a base with an exposed surface, the base having a first pocket opening to the exposed surface, the first pocket having a circumscribing side wall and a bottom wall that define an interior of the first pocket, and the base comprising a contact material;
a first metal layer on the bottom wall of the first pocket and having a top surface that is below the exposed surface of the first contact member, wherein the first metal layer is different from the contact material;
a liquid metal layer on the top surface of the first metal layer and extending above the exposed surface of the first contact member, wherein a portion of the top surface is configured to be wettable by a liquid metal of the liquid metal layer; and
a second contact member having a contact surface, the second contact member positioned adjacent the first contact member in an open position and movable to a closed position in which the contact surface of the second contact member contacts and compresses the liquid metal layer.