Claims
- 1. In a mercury switch having a plurality of spaced conductive electrodes with contacts thereon which are bridged by a mercury pool when the switch is closed and free of said mercury pool when said switch is open, the improvement comprising:
- contacts on said conductive electrodes formed of a material selected from the group consisting of metallic borides, nitrides and silicides, with the proviso that said silicides do not include the silicides of Cr, Mo, and W;
- whereby mercury wetting of said contacts is precluded, thereby avoiding undesired bridging of said contacts in the open position of said switch.
- 2. The mercury switch of claim 1, wherein said conductive contacts are metallic electrodes with contacts coated thereon.
- 3. The mercury switch of claim 2, wherein said metallic electrodes are made of a transition group metal.
- 4. The mercury switch of claim 1, wherein said conductive electrodes have titanium diboride contact ends.
- 5. The mercury switch of claim 4, wherein said conductive electrodes are metallic electrodes and the titanium diboride contacts are coatings thereon.
- 6. The mercury switch of claim 5, wherein said metallic electrodes are made of an iron-nickel-cobalt alloy.
- 7. The mercury switch of claim 1, wherein said nitride is a nitride of Ti, Zr, V, Nb, or Ta.
- 8. The mercury switch of claim 1, wherein said silicide is a silicide of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, or Ta.
- 9. The mercury switch of claim 1, wherein said boride is a boride of La, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, or W.
Government Interests
The U.S. Government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. DE-AC04-76DT00789 between the U.S. Department of Energy and AT&T Technologies, Inc.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1173162 |
Jul 1964 |
DEX |
49-32094 |
Aug 1974 |
JPX |