Technical Library | 2019-04-17 21:29:14.0
Electroless nickel electroless palladium immersion gold (ENEPIG) surface finish for printed circuit board (PCB) has now become a key surface finish that is used for both tin-lead and lead-free solder assemblies. This paper presents the reliability of land grid array (LGA) component packages with 1156 pads assembled with tin-lead solder onto PCBs with an ENEPIG finish and then subjected to thermal cycling and then isothermal aging.
Industry News | 2008-10-29 17:30:39.0
Greeley, CO � October 2008 � Florida CirTech Inc., a leading chemical blender to the Printed Circuit and Electronic Assembly industry, announces that it recently developed the CK300 - Catalyst Killer.
Technical Library | 2023-01-06 16:09:03.0
The 4-14 IPC Standards Committee recently created a revision to the IPC4552 specification for Electroless Nickel/Immersion Gold (ENIG) finished Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). Revision A brings a more comprehensive evaluation of metal layer thicknesses measurement, composition and introduces, for the first time, a quality aspect for nickel corrosion which has been historically connected to a defect called black line nickel or black pad.
Industry News | 2018-11-27 14:03:14.0
Super PCB is pleased to announce that it offers a variety of quality PCB surface finishes. PCB surface finish is the coating between the PCB and components that provides a solderable surface for components and protects the exposed copper circuitry.
Technical Library | 2014-11-06 16:43:24.0
This paper summarizes the results of recent investigations to examine the effect of electroless nickel process variations with respect to Pb-free (Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu) solder connections. These investigations included both ENIG and NiPd as surface finishes intended for second level interconnects in BGA applications. Process variations that are suspected to weaken solder joint reliability, including treatment time and pH, were used to achieve differences in nickel layer composition. Immersion gold deposits were also varied, but were directly dependent upon the plated nickel characteristics. In contrast to gold, different electroless palladium thicknesses were independently achieved by treatment time adjustments.
Technical Library | 2013-01-17 15:37:21.0
A problem exists with electroless nickel / immersion gold (ENIG) surface finish on some pads, on some boards, that causes the solder joint to separate from the nickel surface, causing an open. The solder has wet and dissolved the gold. A weak tin to nickel intermetallic bond initially occurs, but the intermetallic bond cracks and separates when put under stress. Since the electroless nickel / immersion gold finish performs satisfactory in most applications, there had to be some area within the current chemistry process window that was satisfactory. The problem has been described as a 'BGA Black Pad Problem' or by HP as an 'Interfacial Fracture of BGA Packages…'[1]. A 24 variable experiment using three different chemistries was conducted during the ITRI (Interconnect Technology Research Institute) ENIG Project, Round 1, to investigate what process parameters of the chemical matrix were potentially satisfactory to use and which process parameters of the chemical matrix need to be avoided. The ITRI ENIG Project has completed Round 1 of testing and is now in the process of Round 2 TV (Test Vehicle) build.
Technical Library | 2013-01-17 15:34:33.0
The use of an electroless nickel, immersion gold (ENIG) surface finish comes with the inherent potential risk of Black Pad failures that can cause fracture embrittlement at the interface between the solder and the metal pad. As yet, there is no conclusive agreed solution to effectively eliminate Black Pad failures. The case studies presented are intended to add to the understanding of the Black Pad failure mechanism and to identify both the plating and the subsequent assembly processes and conditions that can help to prevent the likelihood of Black Pad occurring.
New Equipment | Board Handling - Storage
Alcanta PCB has grown dramatically over the last 15 years, from a small PCB manufacturer with a select group of clients back in 2004 to a full feature PCB manufacturing operation that is one of the most preferred PCB solution prov
Technical Library | 2021-07-06 21:20:38.0
The evolution of internet-enabled mobile devices has driven innovation in the manufacturing and design of technology capable of high-frequency electronic signal transfer. Among the primary factors affecting the integrity of high-frequency signals is the surface finish applied on PCB copper pads – a need commonly met through the electroless nickel immersion gold process, ENIG. However, there are well-documented limitations of ENIG due to the presence of nickel, the properties of which result in an overall reduced performance in high-frequency data transfer rate for ENIG-applied electronics, compared to bare copper.
Technical Library | 2023-01-10 20:15:42.0
Over the past years there has been consistent growth in the use of electroless nickel / immersion gold (ENIG) as a final finish. The finish is now frequently being used for PBGA, CSP, QFP and COB and more recently gathered considerable interest as a low cost under-bump metallization for flip chip bumping application. One of the largest users for this finish has been the telecommunication industry, were millions of square meters of PCBs with ENIG have been successfully used. The nickel layer offers advantages such as multiple soldering cycles and hand reworks without copper dissolution being a factor. The nickel also acts as a reinforcement to improve through-hole and blind micro via thermal integrity. In addition the nickel layer offers advantages such as co-planarity, Al-wire bondability and the use as contact surface for keypads or contact switching. Especially those pads, which are not covered by solder need a protective coating in corrosive environment – such as high humidity or pollutant gas.
