Abstract: To provide low contact resistance, long life, and resistance against tarnishing under corrosive, particularly sulfur atmospheres, a substrate carrier has a layer of palladium applied thereto, of a thickness between 0.5 and 5 .mu.m, preferably between 1 and 3 .mu.m, to which a coating of gold is applied which is porous and has a thickness of only between 0.05 .mu.m and 0.1 .mu.m; the porous gold coating forms islands of gold on the palladium which, in use and as the terminal is wiped against a counter element, smears over the palladium, thus effectively covering the palladium, preventing tarnishing, and maintaining low contact resistance throughout the useful life of the terminal element.

Abstract: The present invention provides low-current carrying rem-reed switch contacts, preferably for operation under vacuum or under a protective gas. The contacts comprise a medium-hard magnetic material substrate which may contain anomalies on the surface. These are covered by an intermediate layer from 1 to 20 .mu.m of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium and tantalum. This intermediate layer is then covered with a noble metal layer, for example alloys of gold or silver, and preferably by ruthenium.

Abstract: A substrate carrier of electrically non-conductive material has a strip of resistance platinum applied thereto; in order to avoid the use of an intermediate temperature coefficient of expansion matching layer, the substrate carrier, for example of aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, or a magnesium silicate, has less than thirty parts per million (ppm) Fe, less than 15 ppm Cr, less than 45 ppm Pb and less than 70 ppm Si in a form capable of reacting with platinum, the sum of the impurities by these metals, if all, or more than one are present, not exceeding 20 ppm; the average thermal coefficient of expansion of the substrate does not deviate from the mean thermal coefficient of expansion of the thermometer grade platinum by more than .+-. 30%; the platinum layer has a thickness of from 0.1 to 10 .mu.m, and is applied at a temperature in the range of between about 1000.degree. C to 1400.degree. C during 60 minutes in an atmosphere containing oxygen, for example free air.