Patent ID: 7172431

Claim:
A structure for making electrical contact with a plurality of electrical contact locations comprising: a substrate; a plurality of compliant elongated conductors, wherein each of said compliant elongated conductors is attached at a first end to said substrate includes at a second end a contact tip adapted to form an electrical contact with a corresponding one of said electrical contact locations, and is adapted to bend to accommodate different heights of said electrical contact locations; an alignment sheet positioned above said substrate, wherein said alignment sheet includes a plurality of openings that are aligned with said electrical contact locations and through which said compliant elongated conductors extend; and a vibrator adapted to ultrasonically vibrate said contact tips with respect to said electrical contact locations when said contact tips are in contact with said electrical contact locations so that said contact tips penetrate an oxide on said electrical contact locations, wherein said alignment sheet maintains said compliant elongated conductors in a position to maintain contact with said electrical contact locations when said contact tips are vibrated and when said elongated conductors bend, wherein said vibrator is further adapted to vibrate said contact tips with a vibration in a direction, with respect to said electrical contact locations, that is selected from a group consisting of a lateral direction, an orthogonal direction and combination thereof so that said contact tips penetrate a surface of said electrical contact locations with less than an applied force that would be necessary without said vibration; and wherein said vibrator is further adapted to vibrate said contact tips with an action selected from a group consisting of vibrating said substrate, vibrating said contact locations and combinations thereof.