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What is ENIG in High Frequency PCB ? |
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1. Outgassing in PCBs: Consequences and Environmental Difficulties |
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In the domain of high-frequency PCBs, ENIG stands for Electroless Nickel/Immersion Gold, a surface treatment process that enhances PCB performance. The process begins with electroless nickel plating, depositing a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer on the copper surface. This nickel layer serves as a foundation for subsequent gold plating while preventing copper oxidation and diffusion. The PCB is then immersed in a gold solution, resulting in a thin gold layer on top of the nickel. |
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2.Advantages of ENIG in High-Frequency PCBs |
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2.1Good Solderability
The gold layer ensures excellent solderability, crucial for soldering fine components in high-density circuits. ENIG-treated surfaces facilitate smooth soldering, minimizing defects and ensuring reliable circuit performance.
2.2 Excellent Conductivity and Signal Integrity
Gold’s superior conductivity reduces signal loss during high-frequency transmission. The nickel layer acts as a barrier to prevent copper diffusion, maintaining signal integrity and preventing attenuation or distortion.
2.3 Anti-oxidation and Anti-corrosion
The nickel-gold combination effectively resists oxidation and corrosion, extending PCB lifespan and ensuring stable operation in challenging environments. |
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3.Comparison with Other Treatments |
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ENIG offers several advantages over other surface treatments. Compared to Hot Air Solder Leveling (HASL), ENIG provides a smoother surface, reducing signal reflection and scattering, which is vital for high-frequency applications.
Unlike Organic Solderability Preservative (OSP), which has a limited soldering window, ENIG maintains solderability over time, making it suitable for multiple soldering processes.
Now allow us to compare the gold immersion process with silver immersion and tin immersion. |
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3-1. Comparison of Gold Immersion Process with Silver Immersion and Tin Immersion |
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Comparison Items |
Immersion Gold |
Immersion Silver |
Immersion Tin |
Environmental |
Relatively good |
Risky due to silver |
Moderately good |
Solderability |
Excellent |
Good but silver oxidizes |
Good but less stable |
Conductivity |
Outstanding |
Good |
Slightly inferior |
Anti-oxidation |
Strong |
General (silver oxidizes) |
Good but less than ENIG |
Storage Stability |
Long |
Short |
General |
Surface Flatness |
High |
Highish |
General |
Signal Transmission |
Excellent |
Good but less stable |
General |
Application |
High-precision, high-frequency |
General electronics |
Some specific uses |
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To sum up, ENIG excels over immersion silver and tin in environmental friendliness, solderability, conductivity, anti-oxidation, signal transmission, storage stability, and surface flatness, making it ideal for high-precision, high-frequency applications. Immersion silver suffers from oxidation issues, while immersion tin offers inferior performance and stability. Immersion tin is mainly for specific uses. |
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4. Description of Rogers RO3210 |
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When discussing the application of ENIG in high frequency PCBs, I can't help but think of Rogers RO3210. The Rogers RO3210 material, a ceramic-filled glass fiber reinforced laminate manufactured under an ISO 9002 certified quality system, enhances mechanical stability. After gold immersion, the surface smoothness of the PCB is high, facilitating finer line etching tolerances and enabling more precise circuit designs. It aims to provide exceptional electrical performance and mechanical stability at a competitive price. |
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4-1. Rogers RO3210 PCB（25mil）
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4.1 Features of RO3210 |
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Dielectric Constant : 10.2 +/- 0.5 at 10 GHz/23°C
Dissipation Factor : 0.0027 at 10GHz/23°C
Decomposition Temperature (Td): exceed 500°C
Thermal Conductivity：0.81W/mK
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion Matched to Copper: 13 ppm/°C (x-axis, y-axis) and 34 ppm/°C (z-axis).
Flammability Rating: V0（UL 94 standard）
Operating Condition: between -40℃ and +85℃ |
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4.2 Typical Applications |
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• Automotive collision avoidance systems
• Automotive GPS antennas
• Wireless telecommunications systems
• Microstrip patch antennas for wireless connectivity
• Direct broadcast satellites
• Cable system data links
• Power backplanes
• Remote meter reading devices
• Base station infrastructure
• LMDS and wireless broadband |
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4-2. Capacity of RO3210
PCB Material: |
Ceramic-filled Laminates |
Designation: |
RO3210 |
Dielectric constant: |
10.2 ±0.5 (process) |
10.8 (design) |
Layer count: |
2 Layer, Multilayer, Hybrid PCB |
Copper weight: |
0.5oz (17 µm), 1oz (35µm), 2oz (70µm) |
PCB thickness: |
25mil (0.635mm), 50mil (1.27mm) |
PCB size: |
≤400mm X 500mm |
Solder mask: |
Green, Black, Blue, Yellow, Red etc. |
Surface finish: |
Bare copper, HASL, ENIG, OSP etc. |
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5. Wrap-up |
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In summary, ENIG is a valuable asset in the world of high-frequency PCBs. As we look to the future, ENIG is poised to remain a key player in fulfilling the ever-evolving needs of high-frequency PCB applications. |
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Founded in 2003, Shenzhen Bicheng Electronics Technology Co., Ltd is an established high frequency PCB supplier and exporter in Shenzhen, China, serving customers worldwide.
We are devoted to delivering high-frequency PCB products and solutions of the highest quality, along with exceptional service. Feel free to consult and contant at any time ! |
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