Patent attributes
Disclosed is a plated flat conductor including a flat conductor of copper or a copper alloy and a plated layer formed on a surface of the flat conductor. The plated layer includes a first intermetallic compound layer of Cu3Sn disposed on the surface of the flat conductor, a second intermetallic compound layer of Cu6Sn5 formed on the first intermetallic compound, and a superficial layer formed on the second intermetallic compound layer. The superficial layer is plating material of pure tin or a tin alloy and has an average thickness from about 0.3 μm to 1.0 μm and a maximum thickness of about 1.0 μm or less. A volume ratio of the second intermetallic compound layer to the first intermetallic compound layer is about 1.5 or more.