Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Precision Milling of Underfilled Surface-mount Components
Learning with Leo: Drones—Meeting Demand Without Compromise
Nolan’s Notes: Our Spotlight on North America
Gold as a Key Component in PCBs and IC Substrates
March 20, 2025 | Britta Schafsteller, Sandra Nelle, and Kuldip Johal, MKS' AtotechEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Gold has long been a cornerstone in the electronics industry, particularly in the surface finishing of PCBs and IC substrates. It provides essential surface protection while enabling various assembling techniques, such as soldering connections and wire bonding, using aluminum, gold, or copper wires. Gold plating is a critical step in several finish systems, including electroless nickel/immersion gold (ENIG), electroless nickel/electroless palladium/immersion gold (ENEPIG), and electroless palladium/autocatalytic gold (EPAG). These finishes are valued for their solderability and wire-bondability, with ENEPIG and EPAG offering enhanced solder joint reliability and gold-wire bondability.
This article explores different types of electroless gold plating electrolytes, their plating mechanisms, and their properties and capabilities. We further connect the characteristics of gold to some key challenges of the electronics industry, such as high frequency, signal integrity, and fine feature demands.
The Role of Gold-containing Final Finishes
In the realm of electronics, final finishes play a crucial role. They provide a protective layer on electronic components, preventing oxidation and corrosion that could lead to failures. Without these finishes, the reliability and longevity of electronic devices would be significantly compromised. Final finishes also enhance solderability, ensuring strong and stable connections between components, which is essential for the overall functionality of the device. In summary, final finishes are essential for:
- Protection: Safeguarding components from environmental damage
- Solderability: Ensuring secure and stable connections
- Reliability: Extending the lifespan of electronic devices
The perennial question always will be: Which finish is best for which application? In the dynamic world of electronics manufacturing, the choice of finish is far from trivial—each type has its distinct advantages tailored to specific applications.
Continue reading this article in the March 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Connect the Dots: Designing for the Future of Manufacturing Reality—Surface Finish
05/07/2026 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsWhen designing the complex boards that many electronic devices require to operate, designers should consider manufacturability at every step. This is my last article focused on designing for the always-evolving manufacturing reality. Choosing the right surface finish has always been important. If you are creating intricate designs with a wide variety of components, like for an ultra-high density interconnect (UHDI) board, surface finish is a critical last step.
Boyd Completes the Sale of its Thermal Business to Eaton for $9.5 Billion
03/13/2026 | BUSINESS WIREBoyd Corporation, the trusted global innovator in engineered materials and thermal solutions, announced it has completed the sale of its Thermal business to Eaton, an intelligent power management company, for $9.5 billion as previously announced on November 3rd, 2025.
Boyd Receives Gold Tier Partner 2 Win Award from BAE Systems
02/25/2026 | BUSINESS WIREBoyd, whose rugged, high-quality technologies enable critical aerospace and defense applications, announced it received a Gold Tier Supplier Award from BAE Systems.
Fresh PCB Concepts: Cost Stability in a Period of Copper and Gold Volatility
02/12/2026 | Team NCAB -- Column: Fresh PCB ConceptsAnyone who works with PCBs in any capacity right now can feel that copper and laminate prices are not stagnant, gold price is increasing even faster, and the impact shows up quickly on PCB quotations. For many design teams, this feels like a force outside their control. Raw materials go up, and the board cost goes with it. I want to highlight that many of these swings are manageable.
NCAB Releases PCB Supply Chain Outlook 2026
12/08/2025 | NCABThe PCB market is currently undergoing a drastic shift. After a period of relative stability, we see that manufacturing capacity is tightening during next year, lead times are extending, and input costs are rising sharply.