Patent ID: 7999187

Claim:
A plated flat conductor comprising: a flat conductor comprising a conductive material selected from a group consisting of copper and copper alloys; and a plated layer formed on a surface of the flat conductor comprising: a first intermetallic compound layer comprising Cu 3 Sn formed on the surface of the flat conductor, a second intermetallic compound layer comprising Cu 6 Sn 5 formed on the first intermetallic compound, and a superficial layer formed on the second intermetallic compound layer, the superficial layer comprising a plating material, selected from a group consisting of pure tin and tin alloys, and the superficial layer having an average thickness from about 0.3 μm to 1.0 μm and a maximum thickness of about 1.0 μm or less, wherein a volume ratio of the second intermetallic compound layer to the first intermetallic compound layer is about 1.5 or more, and wherein an average of a roughness of an interface between the second intermetallic compound layer and the superficial layer is about 150 nm or less.