| 摘要 |
Provided is a connector terminal which uses aluminum or an aluminum alloy as a base material and has a nickel layer and a tin layer that is formed on the surface of the nickel layer. This connector terminal is free from an increase in the contact resistance of the outermost surface due to the formation of a nickel-tin alloy even if used in a high temperature environment for a long period of time, and thus has high connection reliability and heat resistance. Also provided is a material for forming such a connector terminal. A connector terminal is formed using a material wherein a nickel layer is formed so as to cover the surface of a region of a base material that is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, said region including a contact part that comes into an electrical contact with another conductive member, and wherein a tin layer is formed so as to cover the surface of the nickel layer, thereby forming the outermost surface, said tin layer having a thickness thicker than the thickness of the nickel layer such that even in cases where the tin layer forms an alloy together with the whole nickel layer, the surplus tin remains in the outermost surface. Alternatively, a connector terminal is formed using another material wherein a tin-nickel alloy layer is formed by heating the above-mentioned material. It is preferable that the thickness of the tin layer is within the range of 2-10 times the thickness of the nickel layer. |
