The effect of current on stationary contact behaviour

A general time-dependent model has been developed that is based on electromigration and describes the effect of current on stationary electrical contacts, as used in telecommunication circuits. Model predictions were found to be in excellent agreement with experimental results obtained from gold and copper contacts. Based on these results it is proposed that sealing current, which is a 5-30-mA DC continuous current applied to splices to maintain their integrity, works by establishing a steady state between contact growth due to electromigration and contact degradation due to oxidation and/or corrosion.<
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