High Concentration Low Concentrafion

GOLD PLATING
Copper fluoborate 60 oz/gal(450 g/L) 30 oz/gal(225 g/L) >
Fluoboric acid 5.4 oz/gal(40.5 g/L) 2 ozIgal(15 g/L)
pH (colorimetric) 0.2-0.6 1.0-1.7 by Alfred M.Weisberg
Temperature 65-1 50 "F 65-1 50°F
Baume 37.5-39.5" ' 21-22"
Technic, Inc., Providence, RI
Current density 125-350 ASF 75-125 ASF
The anodes should be OFHC copper. Anode bags should be made of Dyne1 or
polypropylene. Normally, the bath is made up with copper fluoborate concentrate (1.54 All types of gold and gold alloy electroplates are applied for many different appli-
gm/cc or 50.84O Be) which contains 92.0 oz/gal cupric fluoborate (26.9% by weight cations by many different industriez. However, there are eight senera1 classes that may
copper metal), 1.4 oz/gal fluoboric acid and 2 oz/gal boric acid (to prevent the forma- be listed that will includc much of present day gold plating.
tion of free fluoride due to fluoborate hydrolysis). The fluoboric acid (1.37 gm/cc on Class A- Decorative 24K gold flash (2 to 4 millionths), rack and barrel.
39.16" Be) typically contains 90 oz/gal of fluoboric acid and 0.9 oz/gal of boric acid. Class B- Decorative gold alloy flash (2 to 4 millionths), rack and barrel.
Class C- Decorative gold alloy heavy (20 to over 400 millionths), rack. These de-
Contaminants: po\il%may bc cillicr C-l hnrat color or C-2 haral a\\ay
Class D- Iiidustrial/electron~chigh purity soft gold (20 to 200 millionths), rack,
Organic contaminants can affect the deposit appearance/uniformity and mechani- barrel and selective.
cal properties, especially ductility. These can be removed by carbon treatment. Cellu- Class E- IndustriaVelectronic hard bright heavy 99.5% gold (20 to 200 mil-
lose filter aids, free of silica can be used. These baths are often carbon filtered contin- lionths), rack, barrel, and selective.
uously. Lead is the only common metallic contaminant which causes problems and it Class F- Industrial/electronic sold alloy heavy (20 to over 400 millionths), rack
can be precipitated with sulfuric acid. and selective. .
Addit I vex Class G- Refinishing. repair and general, pure and bright alloy ( 5 to 40 mil-
Iionrh\), rach and \cIccti~cb ~ u \ h .
Normally no organic additives are used. Molasses can harden deposits and mini- Class H- Miscellaneous, including electroforming of gold and gold alloys, statu-
mize edge effects. Some of the same additives (e.g. acetyl cyanamide) used for copper ary and architectural, etc.
sulfate baths can also be used with the fluoborate formulations. To Further simplify an enormous and diverse subject, gold and gold alloy plating
solutions may be considered to belong to five general groups:
1. Alkaline gold cyanide, for gold and gold alloy plating. Class A, B, C, D, occa-
sionally F and G, and H.
2. Neutral gold cyanide, for high purity gold plating. Class D and G.
"An Introduction to Printed Circuit Board Technology" 3. Acid gold cyanide, for bright hard gold and gold alloy plating. Occasionallv
by: J . A. Scarlett ... . ,... . . . . ... . . . .... ... .. . ... . $56.00 Class B, C, E, F and G.
4. Non-cyanide, generally sulfite, for gold and gold alloy plating. Occasionally
This book provides a basic guide to the key com- Class A, B. C , D. F, G and H.
5. Miscellaneous.
ponents and procedures in the manufacture of There are literally hundreds of formulations within these five classes of gold plating
printed circuit boards. It includes information on Physical, engineering or aesthetic considerations will determine which of these
groups should be considered for a particular job, but economics will usually be the de-
mechanical and electrical properties, board de- termining factor in selecting a specific formulation and plating method. The price of
sign, film generation, plating and finishing. The gold per troy ounce is only one aspect of the economics that must be considered in de-
ciding b e t w e n rack, barrel, brush, continuous or selective plating. For any individual
book is written in an easy style with minimal applications, it is necessary to balance and optimize:
1. The cost of the bath. The volume necessary for a particular method and the gold
mathematics, living up to its title. Technical terms concentration.
2. The speed of plating. This determines the size of the equipment and the bath
are listed in a glossary. and the cost for a given desired production.
Include postage and handling 3. The cost of drag-out loss. This will depend on the gold concentration used, the
$3.50 US, Canada & Mexico; $6.00 foreign shape of the part, if it is rack, barrel, continuous or selective plating, and must
(in NJ add 6% Sales Tax) Price subject to change. include the probable recovery of dragged-out gold by electrolytic or ion ex-
Payment in US funds. change recovery.
4. The cost of control and maintenance. Some high speed and high efficiency baths
METAL FINISHING require almost constant attendance and analysis.
Three University Plaza, Hackensack, NJ 07601 201 1487-3700 5 . The cost of the longevity of the bath. High speed and especially high purity

212
 Table I. Gold and Gold Alloy Flash Baths (Type A & B)
Low HAMILTONS
24K or Cyanide While While
English English Yellow Pink Green #I u2 Green Pink Rose

Gold as potassium
gold cyanide, g/L i.25-2 1.25-2 1.25-2 1.25-2 1.25-2 0.4 0.325 2 0.82 6
Free potassium 15 1.5 4 4
cyanide, g/L 1.5 7.5 1.5 2.0 2.0 15
Dipotassium phosphate,
oz/gal
g/L
Sodium hydroxide, g/L
Sodium carbonate, g/L
Nickel as potassium -
nickel cyanide, g/L 0.025-1.4 0.025 0.025 0.025 1.1 - - 0.2
Copper as potassium -
.. cvanide,
comer . g/L - - 0.13 1.1 - - - - 2.1
Silver as potassium
- - - - - - 0.25 - -
silver cyanide, g/L
- -
- - -
0.05 - 2.1 - - -
Tin, g/L
Temperature, "F 140-160 140-160 150-160 140-160 140-160 150-160 150-160 130-160 150-160 150-180
Current density, ASF 10-40 10-40 10-35 20-50 10-40 30-60 30-50 10-30 30-40 20-50
 the gold yellows and higher temperatures favor the alloy colors. Temperatures
over 160°F should be avoided, except in the case of rose golds, because of the
rapid breakdown of cyanide and the darkening of the color.
6. pH. It is rarely necessary to adjust the pH of a gold or gold alloy bath. They are
usually buffered between IO and 1I . Only pink or rose or red golds are favored
by higher readings.

BARREL PLATING
Class A and B
Gold as KAu(CN), 0.4 g/L
Free cyanide NaCN 30 ”

Disodium phosphate 23 ” VMC now manufactures ...

Temperature 100- 120“F and markets a complete line of Platinum Clad
Anodes Stainless steel 1:l or better
In typical jewelry barrel plating, about 6 V is necessary. A decorative finish of
-
Niobium Anodes the right choice for both precious
O.OOOOp2” is deposited in three to four minutes. If the parts are small and densely and base metal plating baths. Offers a smooth,
packed in the barrel, it may be necessary to plate up to eight minutes to get an even COV- uniform, non-porous layer of platinum metallurgi-
erage.
The above formulation may be altered to achieve various colors. Champagne or
cally bonded to a niobium substrate. w Cladding pro-
light Hamilton colors may be achieved by adding 1.5 to 3 g/L of nickel. Lowering the cess affords a “densely packed” platinum anode sur-
temperature will also produce a lighter and more uniform color. face for a superior performance in both high speed
ANTIQUE GOLDS
and high current density applications. w Niobium sub-
Class A and B strate with its chemically resistant and advanced con-
The art of the 19th century platers was to produce a finish that looked as if it had ductivity properties complements the platinum clad
been mercury gilt over silver or copper (Vermeil) and buried or weathered by the ele- composite.
ments for a century or so. Each master plater developed an antique finish that was his
trademark. The modern basic method to achieve this effect is to:
1. “Burn on” a dark smutty finish.
2. Relieve the highlights on a deeply recessed piece or the flat surface on a flligreed
Optimum Life - Superior Control
piece by either hand-rubbing with pumice and sodium bicarbonate, wheel-re-
lieving with a cotton buff, tampico brush or a brass or nickel-silver wheel. Other
1
Cost Efficient
methods are possible.
3. Flash gold or a gold alloy deposit on the imperfectly cleaned highlights. VMC Pt Clad Nb Anodes often last 4-5 times longer
The morc the solutions in Table 11 are abused, and the more the opcrator violates
good plating practice and good cleanliness, the better and more distinctive the finis!l than platinum plated products for a potential 250%
will be. increase in cost efficiency. w Better current distribu-
tion allows for increased control of plating thickness,
Table 11. Antique Baths permitting increased production. Platinum thick-
Bright Yellow Highlights Green Highlights ness of 125u“or 250u” on one or both sides, supplied
Orange Brown Smut Green Black Smut in strip or expanded mesh.
Gold as KAu(CN),, g/L 6 2 Specify VMC Pt Clad Nb Anodes for your new equip-
Silver as potassium ment requirements and replacement needs.
silver cyanide, g/L - 0.3
Sodium hydroxide, g/L 15 -
Sodium carbonate, g/L 30 - For additional information, write or call:
Ammonium carbonate, g/L - 38
4 15
Sodium cyanide, g/L
Temoerature. “F
Agitation
160-180
none
70-90
none
VMC VINCENT METALS CORPORATION
41 Blackstone Blvd., Providence, RI 02906 m Phone: (401) 272-6125
Current density, ASF 30-40 IO

218
 An expensive finish, requiring double-racking, but a beautiful finish, is Russian
Antique. This may be produced by relieving the green gold antique in Table I1 and then
flashing over with the 24K or English gold.

Table 111. A Selection of Typical Acid Gold Color Baths for Thick Deposits
R i jSILVER
to meet all military and commercial specifications
22 K 24K
Yellow
Hamillon
IN
Hnmrlron
2N
Hamillon
3N
OROSENE 9990, and
Yell0w
OROTHERM HTB
Gold, g/L 4-8 4-8 4-8 4-8 4-8 Heat resistant 24Kt hard
120 120 120 I20 120
Conducting salts, g/L
Nickel as
TECHNISPEEDB acid bright golds.
nickel metal, g/L
0.2 - 7-10 4-6 1-3 VR and VG
Cobalt as
cobalt metal, g/L 1 0.5 - - -

4.44.8 4.04.2 4 0-4 2 4.0-4 2

OROTEMP 20,20RS.
PH 4 0-4.:
Temperature, ‘F
90-Io0 80-90 120-140 100-120 90-100 2OR Ultra high speed golds.
Current density, ASF
10-20 10-20 10-20 10-20 10-20 OROTEMP 24@,24S, Bright pure gold.
Agitation Required Required Requlred Requlred Required
24T Ultra pure neutral
’ gold. Tight grained, ductile
The old bath antiques of the 1940’s and 1950’s that did not require double-racking and heat resistant.
or stringing are no longer practical because of the high price of gold. -~--
_1_1 L

HEAVY DECORATIVE GOLD OROMERSEs and

Class C-1 and C.2 OROMERSE BR
Immersiodelectroless golds.
It is necessary to distingul~shbetween the actual karat assay of a gold alloy electro-
plate and the apparent karat color of the plate. In general, a decorative karat deposit
will appear to be a much lower karatthan it actually will assay. A 14K color deposit may
actually assay 20 to 21 K. The formulas in Table 111 will deposit karat colors but will TECHNI-GOLD 16K,
actually assay a higher karat. (In computing costs, it is best to assume the deposit is pure
gold.)
18K and OROCLAD
Mirror bright alloy golds. TECHNI-SILVER
INDUSTRIAL/ELECTRUNIC GOLD PLATING
Cy(-)LESS
Gold is electroplated for many different electrical and electronic purposes, how-
NON-CYANIDEbright silver.
ever, today the majority of gold plating is applied to three specific classes of compo-
nents: ELECTROLESS BH
Semiconductors
Printed/etched circuits
Contacts/connectors
The requirements for the deposit of each of these components, and the methods of
plating that are used, are:
Send for:
Purity Hardness Surface Rack Barrel Continuous P r o d u c t Checklist
Semi- 99.95% 60-80 mat yes yes yes 4 E q u i p m e n t Checklist
conductors Knoop 4 Latest Govt. Gold Specs
Printed/etched 99.3 - 120-180 bright yes no yes
circuits 99.1% Knoop “What Gold To Use”
Contact/ 99.5 - 120-180 bright yes yes yes
connectors 99.1% Knoop
ILLINOIS: 312-398-1220/TEXAS: 214-790-8500
CALIFORNIA: 406-287-37321714-632-0200
The gold plating solutions that are actually used by the electronic plater may be -- -
CANADA: 416-283-74001514-664-4563
conveniently classified by pH! range. ~~~~Iuw/‘SILVE R
EUROPE 1 HONG KONGI KOREA

220
 Alkaline cyanide
Neutral cyanide
Acid cyanide
pH over 10
pH6to9
pH 3 '/2 to.5
Jaynor'sGold Digger:
(Below a pH of 3 %, the gold cyanide is generally unstable and precipitates.)
Non-cyanide (usually sulfite) pH 9 to IO
The baths that are primarily used by the industry are as follows:
Makes solid gold
for 25' an ounce.
Alkaline Neulral Acid
cyanide cyanide cyanide
Semiconductors Class D Class D -
Printed circuits - - Class E
Connectors Class E - Class E

Low karat gold alloys, Group 2 or 3 (Class F), have not found much application in
the US. The alloying metal generally affects the electrical properties of the gold adverse-
ly. As little as 1% of iron will increase the electrical resistance of gold over 1000%, and
similar amounts of other metals have less, but still unacceptable, effects on the conduc-
tivity of the gold deposit. Even amounts of alloy, much less than 1'70, will inhibit or to-
tally prevent good welding or die bonding of semi-conductor chips to a gold surface.
Duplex coatings of a low karat gold base overplated with a high karat gold surface,
while acceptable in some applications from an electrical point of view, have tended to
lose their economic advantages as good engineering and new design has required less to-
tal gold.

ALKALINE CYANIDE BATHS

Group 1 (Class D)

Typical baths that are still used are:

Mat Bright
Gold as potassium
gold cyanide, g/L 8-20 8-20
Silver as potassium
silver cyanide, g/L - 0.3-0.6
Dipotassium phosphate, g/L 22-45 -
Potassium cyanide, g/L 15-30 60- 100
PH 12 12 1:. No more refining of solutions or burnable
Temperature, OF 120-1 60 60-80 5 . resins. Just send metal. Like all great ideas,
Anodes stainless steel stainless steel the Jaynor Precious Metal Recovery System-
1:l 1:l to5:l the Gold Digger-is simplicity itself. Instead of
Anode/cathode using bulky resins, the 38-lb TV-sized Gold
Agitation moderate-vigorous none to moderate
Digger attaches to your dragout tank and
Current density (Rack), ASF 3-5 3-8 plates the metal out on a cathode panel. The
Current density (Barrel), ASF 1-2 1-2 metal is 80% to 90% pure. Start mining solid
Current efficiency, % 90-95 90-100 gold!
Time to plate 0.0001 " 8 min @ 5 ASF 7 min @ 6 ASF JAYNOR can design and build a custom Gold
Replenishment 1 oz gold/ 1 oz gold/ Digger to fit your specific needs.
4% amp-hours 4% amp-hours

Note: For the mat deposit, the higher the temperature, the better the deposit and
the higher the speed of plating; however, temperatures over 150'F result'in rapid break-
JAYNOR
PRECIOUS METAL RECOVERYiNC.
SYSTEM
down of the free cyanide and a build up of cyanide breakdown impurities.

222
-
. *
The alkaline cyanide baths are particularly sensitive to organic impurities-both
those introduced by drag-in and by the absence of general cleanliness, as well as those
caused by cyanide breakdown. In order to maintain a good appearing and structurally
sound deposit, it is necessary to carbon treat and filter the solution periodically. The
grade of carbon used must be pure enough not to introduce more impurities than it re-
moves. Constant filtration through a filter packed with carbon is accepted practice, but
is not as efficient in removing impurities as a batch treatment. If the solution is quite
contaminated before treatment, it is important to save the used carbon and the used fil-
ter cartridge for refining to recover any gold lost in the treatment.
The best method to carbon treat a solution is to:
1. Heat the solution to 150-160°F.
2. Transfer the hot solution to an auxiliary tank.
3. Add I /8 to I /4 oz of carbon per gallon of solution.
4. Mix for no longer than 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Filter the solution by decantation back into the original tank.
No general rule can be given for the frequency of carbon treatment. This will de-
pend upon general cleanliness and housekeeping, as well as the work being processed;
however, it will vary from once every two weeks to once every two months. The room
temperature bright bath will require much less carbon treatment than the hot cyanide
bath.

NEUTRAL CYANIDE SOLUTIONS

Group 2 (Class D)

The neutral cyanide baths are primarily used by the semi-conductor industry. Con-
siderable care must be exercised to prevent contamination of the solution as even a few
parts per million of undesirable inorganics can cause the deposit to fail in compression
or die bonding.
Typical non-proprietary solutions are:

Rack or High Speed

Barrel Continuous
Gold as potassium
gold cyanide, g/L 8-20 15-30
Monopotassium phosphate, g/L 80
or
Potassium citrate, g/L 70 90
PH 6.0-8.0 4.5-5.5
Temperature, "F 160 120-160
Agitation desired violent
Anodes Platinum clad Platinum clad
columbium columbium
Current density, ASF 1-3 100-400
Current efficiency, To 90 95-98
Time to plate 0.0001 " 12 minutes 10-20 seconds
Replenishment 1 oz gold/ 1 oz gold/
4% amp-hrs 4 % amp-hrs

Note: Pulse plating may be used 1:o advantage with the high speed formulation.
Most effective is a 10% duty cycle. Proprietary baths add grain refiners that decrease
porosity, increase the maximum allowable current density, decrease grain size, .and gen-
erally improve the appearance of the deposit.

224
 ACID CYANIDE PLATING SOLUTIONS
Group 3 (Class E)
Bar& Rack or High Speed/ INDIUM PLATING
Barrel Con tinuous
by James A. Slattery
Mat Bright
Bath #1 Bath #2 Indium Corporation of America, Utica, NY
Gold as potassium
gold cyanide, g/L 8 8 8-16
Citric acid, g/L 60 60 90 Indium Cyanide Bath:
Cobalt as cobalt
metal, g/L - 0.2-0.5 0.75
or
Nickel as nickel
metal, g/L
PH 3.8-5.0 3.8-4.5 3.8-4.3
Temperature, O F 120- 140 70-90 70-120
Anodes platinum clad platinum clad platinum clad
or
stainless
steel
Agitation desirable desirable violent
Current density, ASF 1-5 5-20 100-400
Current efficiency, 070 30-40 30-40 , Indium Sulfamate Bath:
Time t o plate O.OOO1" 10 min Q 15 sec Q
10ASF 400 ASF
Replenishment 1 oz gold/ 1 oz gold/
12 amp-hrs 12 amp-hrs
Note: Pulse plating can be appdied with the high speed bath, but is not widelyused.

Precious M e t a l s
the Plating Industry
nd Salts of superior quality; carefully ...........
and expertly prepared to give excellent results with eco-
nomy 24 KARAT BRIGHT BARREL DECORATIVE
HARD PREPLATE CUSTOM MATCHED POTAS-
SIUM GOLD CYANIDE SALTS
Platinum and Indium ANODES AND PLATING SOLU-
TIONS
Silver ... ANODES ... BRIGHT SOLUTIONS ... SILVER .....................................
CYANIDE POTASSIUM SILVER CYANIDE rent.................................. F (162-216 A/mz)
Rhodium and Palladium PLATING SOLUTIONS AND
CONCENTRATES
Our Technical Staffis always available
ta assist you with your plating problems.

AUROMIET MCORPORATION
37 Chasner Street 0 718-895-1066
Hempstead, Y 11550 0 516-538-4515
IN(IUIRE ABOUT OUR IMMERSION SOLUTIONS

228