Overview: connector contact quality

Summary form only given. Electrical connectors are passive devices that interconnect circuit elements through low-resistance stationary contacts. For an electronic system to perform reliably, the interconnect system must be reliable in the environment and throughout the expected life of the system. It is noted that building reliability and quality into an electrical interconnect system is a very complex process that depends on systematically addressing these issues at every step of the development cycle through the initial production phase. The major steps in the development cycle through initial production were reviewed with regard to reliability and quality. This included topics such as system requirements, contact physics considerations, product design, tool build, initial production, qualification testing, and process control. In addition, an attempt was made to define the number of variables involved in defining requirements, specifying designs, manufacturing products, and controlling the processes involved in producing and maintaining quality products