Glossary

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K

Kapton

(material/component) A trademark of E. I. duPont for a plastic of the “imide family” that is capable of withstanding 400°C for an extended time. Used as a flexible substrate (such as a miniature pc board) to interconnect silicon chips.

kcmil

(symbol) Thousand circular mils. The power industry uses this symbol in preference to MCM.

Key

(component feature) A projection which engages with a keyway to guide a component during mating.

Keying

(connector) A mechanical arrangement of guide pins, guide sockets, keying plugs, contacts, bosses, slots, keyways, inserts, or grooves in a housing, shell, or insert that allows connectors of the same size and type to be lined up side by side with no danger of making a wrong connection. Keying may also be accomplished by numbering the connectors and matching panel positions, or by using connectors of a different size or color. Under certain circumstances, keying and polarization may be combined in a connector design.

Keying Plug

(connector/accessory) A component used to provide additional polarization for mating connectors.

Intercontact – These keying plugs are designed to fit into slots between the contact cavities. A slot must be cut in the mating pc board for proper engagement.

On-contact – These keying plugs are designed to fit into an empty contact cavity. A slot must be cut in the pc board, or the mating contact must be removed from the mating connector for proper engagement.

Keyway

(component feature) A slot or groove in which a key engages.

Kilo

(prefix) Metric prefix meaning 1,000.

KMER

(process/IC) Kodak metal etch resist. A photosensitive material used to mask silicon and silicon dioxide for selective etching. Performs the same function as KPR.

Kovar

(material) A trademark of Westinghouse Electric Corporation for an iron-nickel-cobalt alloy which has a coefficient of expansion similar to glass and silicon. Used as a header material and in glass-to-metal seals. Has thermal characteristics similar to alumina.

KPR

(process/IC) Kodak photo resist. See also KMER.

Kulka Block

(general) Kulka is a manufacturer’s name (Kulka Electric Corp), but the term is frequently used in error as a generic term to describe terminal blocks in general.

kV

(symbol) Kilovolt, meaning one thousand volts.