Creating and Testing Anodized Aluminum
Boon-Chai Ng (Engineering and Computer Science)
Creating and Testing Anodized Aluminum for potential application as an interposer in the test socket industry
Interposers are used to position (helical springs) pins used to analyze the connectivity of the printed circuit board. The interlocking plates are made of polymers, an electric insulator to prevent the short circuiting of the electronics as well as for ease of manufacturability. But the dimensional accuracy of these polymers may be hampered by the increase in temperature. A new material having the ease of manufacturability, good insulator but will not be hampered by the increase in temperature is desired. Aluminum with its surface coated with an oxide layer (aluminum oxide) fulfils this criterion.
Pieces of aluminum, 6061, (1 inch x 1 inch) with fine holes (0.5 mm) drilled into the thin sheet (0.01 in) are anodized in the lab. The resistance of these anodized material will be measure and pieces of the anodized material will be viewed under the Scanning Electron Microscope to determine the thickness of the coating as well as to determine the surface roughness.
The potential material (aluminum 6061) will be used to spear head the next generation of interposer with less instability in the dimensional accuracy as well as reducing the heat generation at the parent metal as aluminum, can also be used to remove the heat away from the contact area.