The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors having electrical contacts that engage corresponding mating contacts of another electrical connector.
Electrical connectors are used to transmit data and/or power in various industries. The electrical connectors are often configured to repeatedly engage and disengage complementary electrical connectors. The process of mating the electrical connectors may be referred to as a mating operation. For example, in a backplane communication system, a backplane circuit board has a header connector that is configured to mate with a receptacle connector. The receptacle connector is typically mounted to a daughter card. The header connector includes an array of electrical contacts (hereinafter referred to as “header contacts”), and the receptacle connector includes a complementary array of electrical contacts (hereinafter referred to as “receptacle contacts”). During the mating operation, the receptacle contacts engage and slide along the corresponding header contacts. The sliding engagement between the receptacle and header contacts may be referred to as wiping, because each receptacle contact wipes along an exterior surface of the corresponding header contact.
Electrical contacts are often plated to enhance performance and/or durability of the electrical contact. Electrical contacts used to transmit data signals typically include one or more underlying materials and a plating disposed on the underlying materials. The outer plating is often a precious metal, such as gold, and is configured to impede corrosion while being sufficiently conductive for achieving the desired electrical performance. Plating material, however, that comprises gold or other precious metals can be expensive. But using less plating material to reduce costs can be problematic and may negatively affect electrical performance.
Accordingly, a need remains for electrical contacts that require less plating material, such as gold and/or other precious metal, while achieving a sufficient level of electrical performance.