It’s Only Common Sense: Be the Solution, Not the Problem
American Made Advocacy: Long-time Challenges Confront a New Administration
Marcy's Musings: It's Show Time!
American Standard Circuits Now Offers ENEPIG Surface Finish
September 18, 2023 | American Standard CircuitsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Illinois-based PCB fabricator, American Standard Circuits, is now offering in-house ENEPIG surface finish. ENEPIG is the solution to multiple surface finish requirements within one multi metal plating operation.
Utilizing nickel as the traditional barrier layer, the Electroless Palladium creates a buffer between the nickel and the gold. This prevents the interaction of the corrosion of the nickel to allow the ion exchange necessary for the Immersion gold. In a traditional ENIG process the nickel is corroded in order to exchange the nickel surface for the immersion gold reaction (reduction). This can lead to intergranular corrosion of the nickel, particularly where the phosphorous and the nickel meet within the co-deposition of nickel and phosphorous (6-9%).
Using Electroless Palladium, the gold is deposited in a partial immersion process (corrosion) which becomes autocatalytic after the initiation of plating of the gold. This removes any corrosion of the nickel and the subsequent risk of Black Pad. In addition to the obvious risk mitigation, it also provides a highly solderable and wire bondable surface without the use of multiple plated thicknesses of electrolytic soft gold. Typically, a thinner gold for solderability (<10µ”) and a thicker deposit for wire bondability (>50µ”).
The ENEPIG process provides the best of both worlds in a single process sequence as well as complete encapsulation of all copper features.
Educational titles from American Standard Circuits:
- The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to…?Fundamentals of RF/Microwave PCBs
- The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Flex and Rigid-Flex Fundamentals
- The Companion Guide to Flex and Rigid-Flex Fundamentals
- The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Thermal Management: A Fabricator's Perspective
-
Visit I-007eBooks.com?to download these and other free titles.
Share on:
Suggested Items
ICT Spring Seminar: Nickel Not Welcome Here
03/12/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007After a miserable, dull, and damp English winter, a really pleasant nearly spring day with the sun shining and daffodils in bloom greeted delegates to the Institute of Circuit Technology Spring Seminar at Puckrup Hall near Tewkesbury, March 5, in Gloucestershire, UK.
Multicircuits Expands Capabilities with State-of-the-Art Automated Copper Via Fill Process
03/10/2025 | MulticircuitsMike Thiel, president of Multicircuits, a leading provider of high-reliability printed circuit boards, has announced the addition of a state-of-the-art automated copper via fill process to their advanced manufacturing capabilities. This strategic investment enhances the company’s ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions for demanding industries, including aerospace, defense, medical, and high-speed telecommunications.
EIPC 2025 Winter Conference, Day 2: A Roadmap to Material Selection
02/20/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The EIPC 2025 Winter Conference, Feb. 4-5, in Luxembourg City, featured keynotes and two days of conference proceedings. The keynote session and first-day conference proceedings are reported separately. Here is my review of the second day’s conference proceedings. Delegates dutifully assembled bright and early, well-rested and eager to participate in the second day’s proceedings of the EIPC Winter Conference in Luxembourg.
Designers Notebook: Addressing Future Challenges for Designers
02/06/2025 | Vern Solberg -- Column: Designer's NotebookThe printed circuit board is and will probably continue to be the base platform for most electronics. With the proliferation of new generations of high I/O, fine-pitch surface mount semiconductor package variations, circuit interconnect is an insignificant factor. Circuit board designers continually face challenges such as component quantity and complexity, limited surface area, and meeting the circuit board’s cost target. The printed circuit design engineer’s prominent position demands the development of efficiently manufacturable products that perform without compromise.
DesignCon 2025, Day 2: It’s All About AI
01/30/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007It’s hard to get away from the topic of artificial intelligence, but why would you? It’s everywhere and in everything, and my time attending presentations about AI at DesignCon 2025 was well worth it. The conference’s agenda featured engaging presentations and discussions focused on the technological advancements in AI, big data centers, and memory innovations, emphasizing the critical relationship between processors and circuit boards.