Ultra-thin PdCo/Au Surface Finishes for Electronic Packaging

摘要

The electronics industry has recently renewed the interests in the nickel/palladium preplatedframe (PPF) technology because of the pressure of using lead-free materials and thelowered and stable price of palladium metal over more than one year. In addition, theimprovement of the technology and the modification of the specification allow the dramaticreduction of the thickness of the precious metal deposits without sacrifice of performance, whileachieving considerable cost saving. Additional cost saving can be even achieved by platingpalladium alloys to replace palladium. In this study, ultra-thin surface finishes of a palladiumcobalt(80/20wt%) alloy with a gold flash were plated on a conformable nickel underlayer overleadframes and investigated for wirebonding and solderability. The finishes can meet therequirements for the packaging applications.