Surface Finishing reduces gold plating thickness.

Press Release Summary:



Offered as surface finishing process for bonding gold and aluminum wire to PCBs, DODUBOND can reduce thickness of gold plating to less than 0.1 µm. One gold layer as thin as 50 nm can be enough to obtain firm bond. Based on DODUCHEM chemical nickel/gold surface finishing, process inserts very thin palladium diffusion barrier between nickel and gold to effectively prevent nickel from diffusing onto gold surface. Process reliability is achieved due to stability of palladium bath.



Original Press Release:



AMI DODUCO Introduces Chemical Nickel/Palladium/Gold Surface Finishing for Super-Thin Gold Plating



PFORZHEIM, Germany - AMI DODUCO, a Technitrol (NYSE: TNL) company, announced the introduction of DODUBOND, its new surface finishing process for bonding gold and aluminum wire to printed circuit boards (PCBs). The process has successfully reduced the thickness of the gold plating to less than 0.1 micrometer. In some applications, a gold layer as thin as 50 nanometers was enough to obtain a firm bond under laboratory conditions.

Based on proven DODUCHEM chemical nickel/gold surface finishing, the DODUBOND process inserts a very thin palladium diffusion barrier between the nickel and the gold to effectively prevent the nickel from diffusing onto the gold surface.

The key to achieving process reliability is the stability of the palladium bath. For this, AMI DODUCO has been able to rely on its proven DODUPAL palladium process. Aging tests in the company's own laboratory have demonstrated the efficiency of the new tri-metal process. All process components have been tested for compatibility with the solder resist. The process is available with a leaded and an unleaded nickel bath.

"The thinness of the gold plating minimizes the cost factor of the precious metal," explained Christian J. Hagedorn, Vice President of Marketing & Sales. "In cooperation with interested customers, the use of the combined process is now being verified under production-related conditions."

AMI DODUCO is a global leader in electrical contact technology and fabrication. The company supplies contacts and assemblies, contact materials, electroplating and surface treatment services, and precious metal refining and recycling to more than 3,000 customers. AMI DODUCO operates from locations in North America, Europe and Asia. The company's website is www.amidoduco.com.

Copyright © 2009 AMI DODUCO, Inc. All rights reserved. All brand names and trademarks are properties of their respective holders.

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