IPC-4556 印制板化学镍钯浸金(ENEPIG)规范ENG.pdf - 第11页
Specification for Electroless Nickel/Electroless Palladium/ Immersion Gold (ENEPIG) Plating for Printed Circuit Boards 1 SCOPE 1.1 Statement of Scope This specification sets the requirements for the use of Electroless Nic…

This Page Intentionally Left Blank
IPC-4556 January 2013
viii

Specification for Electroless Nickel/Electroless Palladium/
Immersion Gold (ENEPIG) Plating for Printed Circuit Boards
1 SCOPE
1.1 Statement of Scope
This specification sets the requirements for the use of Electroless Nickel/Electroless Palladium/
Immersion Gold (ENEPIG) as a surface finish for printed boards. This specification sets requirements for ENEPIG deposit
thicknesses for applications including soldering, wire bonding and as a contact finish. It is intended for use by chemical
suppliers, printed board manufacturers, electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and original equipment manufacturers
(OEM).
1.2 Description ENEPIG is a tertiary layered surface finish plated over copper as the basis metal. ENEPIG consists of an
electroless nickel base layer over which is plated an electroless palladium barrier layer followed by a deposit of a thin
immersion gold as the final outer layer. For deposition process details, see APPENDIX 1 of this specification. It is a multi-
functional surface finish, applicable to soldering and to gold, aluminum and copper wire bonding. It is also suitable as the
mating surface for soft membrane and steel dome contacts. Additional applications include use in Low Insertion Force (LIF)
and Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) edge connectors and for press-fit applications. The electroless palladium layer forms a dif-
fusion barrier that impedes nickel diffusion to the gold surface. The immersion gold protects the palladium layer from react-
ing with contaminants prior to processing that might otherwise affect joining processes, such as wire bonding and soldering.
1.2.1 Electroless Nickel Reducing Agents - Phosphorus Content Phosphorus-containing, reducing agents are typically
used for the reduction of the electroless nickel during the deposition process and phosphorus is incorporated in the nickel
deposit. The level of this co-deposited element should be controlled within the suppliers specified process limits. Variation of
phosphorus levels outside the specified process limits may have adverse effects on the performance of the finish.
1.2.2 Electroless Palladium Reducing Agents There are two distinct classes of reducing agents used in electroless pal-
ladium baths currently available for use in the ENEPIG process, those that produce deposits that contain a co-deposited ele-
ment such as phosphorus, and those that produce an essentially pure palladium deposit. The level of the co-deposited ele-
ments should be controlled within the specified process limits. Examples of electroless palladium deposit from both these
classes have been evaluated during the development of this specification and no perceivable differences in performance were
observed in the tests of solderability or wire bondability
1.3 Objective This specification sets the requirements for ENEPIG as a surface finish (see Table 3-1 for a summary of
these requirements). As additional surface finishes require specifications, they will be addressed by the IPC Plating Processes
Subcommittee as part of the IPC-455X specification family. This and other surface finish specifications are under continuous
review. The 4-14 subcommittee will make appropriate amendments or revisions to these documents as required. The 4-14
Plating Processes Subcommittee undertook a ‘‘Round Robin’’ study to generate data to support the recommendations sited
for the various aspects of this specification. For an outline of the study, refer to APPENDIX 2.
1.3.1 Order of Precedence In the event of conflict, the following order of precedence shall apply:
1. The purchase order. This includes AABUS exceptions to this specification.
2. The master drawing. This includes AABUS exceptions to this specification.
3. This specification.
4. Applicable documents as detailed in Section 2 of this document.
1.3.1.1 Appendices This specification contains eleven Appendices provided for information which are included after the
main body of this document. Be aware that none of the content of these appendices are binding requirements unless sepa-
rately and specifically specified herein, or as required by purchase order, master drawing, other applicable documents, or as
established AABUS.
1.4 Performance Functions
1.4.1 Solderability
One of the two primary functions of ENEPIG is to provide a solderable surface finish capable of pro-
viding IPC Category 3 shelf life (minimum 12 months) per IPC-J-STD-003 testing. This shelf life is suitable for all surface
mount, hybrid and through-hole assembly applications. The use of electroless palladium as a diffusion barrier between the
January 2013 IPC-4556
1

nickel and the gold mitigates the potential for hyper-corrosion of the electroless nickel deposit, thus enhancing its solder-
ability and solder joint reliability. The minimal thicknesses of the electroless palladium and of the immersion gold deposit
make the possibility of embrittlement of the solder joint by palladium or gold negligible. It is the responsibility of the user
to calculate the percentage of both gold and palladium in the resulting solder joint where mounting pad sizes associated with
0201 or smaller components are encountered and compare these calculated levels of gold or palladium to the 3% threshold
values believed to give rise to solder joint embrittlement.
1.4.2 Wire Bonding The second primary function of ENEPIG is to provide a wire bondable surface finish suitable for
gold, aluminum and copper wire applications. ENEPIG has been found to meet the requirements of MIL-STD-883, Method
2011.8. The committee has performed extensive testing with gold wire (see APPENDIX 8) and has received additional anec-
dotal data from members confirming the suitability of this finish for aluminum and copper wirebonding. Variables that are
likely to affect performance include cleanliness, substrate materials, wire thickness and substrate copper surface roughness,
as ENEPIG deposits are not capable of completely levelling the substrate surface. During the development of this specifi-
cation, surface roughness values of up to an Ra value of 389 nm have been tested with no negative impacts on gold wire
bond strength.
1.4.3 Contact Surface There is a substantial amount of experience using ENEPIG for the applications listed below in
1.4.3.1 and 1.4.3.2.
1.4.3.1 Membrane Switches ENEPIG is a de facto standard for soft touch membrane switches.
ENEPIG plated samples tested for 2 million contact actuations showed negligible change in contact resistance. For these
actuations, the average deposit thicknesses were nominally: 4.65 µm [183 µin] of electroless nickel (EN), 0.13 µm [5.2 µin]
of electroless palladium (EP) and 0.053 µm [2.1 µin] of immersion gold (IG).
Note: This test was run to the full number of cycles with no visible impact on the ENEPIG deposit.
1.4.3.2 Metallic Dome Contacts ENEPIG has been demonstrated to be suitable for use with metallic (stainless steel), cir-
cular dome contacts, based on testing to 1 million cycles. For this testing, the ENEPIG was deposited at nominal thicknesses
of 5.38 µm [212 µin] of electroless nickel (EN), 0.081 µm [3.17 µin] of electroless palladium (EP) and 0.015 µm [0.58 µin]
of immersion gold (IG).
Note: The committee continues to be interested in any additional test data using other metals and contact shapes for this
particular application.
1.4.4 EMI Shielding ENEPIG can be used as a surface finish at the interface between electromagnetic interference (EMI)
shielding materials and printed boards (PBs).
1.4.5 Interface for Conductive and/or Anisotropic Adhesives ENEPIG is suitable for use as an interface for conductive
adhesives used as an alternative to solder. It is also suitable for anisotropic adhesive applications.
1.4.6 Connectors
1.4.6.1 Press-Fit Applications
Press-fit performance for compliant pin applications should meet Telcordia GR-1217-
CORE, MIL-C-28859 or equivalent. Excessive electroless nickel thicknesses can lead to concerns with excessive press-fit
insertion forces. The additional thickness of the palladium specified either by this specification and/or a customer-specific
requirement should be added to the electroless nickel thickness fit calculation when considering the type of application.
1.4.6.2 Edge Tab Contact Applications The ENEPIG surface finish is suitable for plug-to-install applications (twenty
insertions/withdrawals or less) using low insertion force (LIF) or zero insertion force (ZIF) connectors. ENEPIG is not
believed to be suitable as a surface finish for edge connectors that require multiple insertion/withdrawals (more than twenty)
or high insertion force applications. This application generally requires an alternate metallic finish, such as electrolytic hard
gold.
1.4.7 Limitations of ENEPIG
1.4.7.1 Creep Corrosion/Chemical Resistance
ENEPIG, similar to the other alternate surface finishes addressed by the
IPC-455X series specifications, is susceptible to creep corrosion in high sulfur and/or chlorine-containing atmospheres that
are commonly also at high temperature and humidity. While mixed flowing gas (MFG) tests per Battelle Class 2 conditions
have been performed and show sustained solderability with ENEPIG, it is recommended to test specific design/applications
IPC-4556 January 2013
2