Gold price trend in USD per ounce between 2000 and 2008
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Publications
Sharing the results of our extensive research and development on a non commercial basis is the intention of the publications listed in this segment of Atotech's Functional Electronic Coating (FEC) Internet presentation. We aim to provide the corresponding industries with in-depth process information. It should enable the reader to gain a complete and comprehensive understanding of our plating systems or of general phenomena encountered in metal plating.
Olaf Kurtz, Jürgen Barthelmes, Robert Rüther, Michael Danker, Florence Lagorce-Broc, Felix Bozsa, Atotech Deutschland GmbH and
David Brookes, Atotech UK Ltd.
Thermal Aging of Technical Hard Gold Deposits
2011, May – Electrolytic or electroless gold deposition is used to provide a long life and reliable conductive and corrosion resistant final coating. However, even gold has its limits when it comes to stability. The electroplating process does not establish thermal equilibrium leaving metal coatings prone to the development of defects, dislocations and grain boundaries. These crystalline structural defects that are mainly determined by interdiffusion processes form the starting point of the aging effect.
Olaf Kurtz, Jürgen Barthelmes, Robert Rüther, Michael Danker, Florence Lagorce-Broc, Atotech Deutschland GmbH and
David Brookes, Atotech UK Ltd.
Gold-Iron High Speed Electrolytes – An Effective Alternative to Cobalt and Nickel Hard Gold Electrolytes
2011, March – High purity gold coatings (without trace levels of alloying elements) cannot meet the strict hardness and wear requirements of the connector industry. Small introduced controlled amounts of a transition metal (usually cobalt or nickel and occasionally iron) may dramatically improve the hardness and wear resistance of the gold deposit. Alloy gold coatings containing cobalt and nickel when in contact with skin,may also become dermotoligally problematic.
Olaf Kurtz, Jürgen Barthelmes, Florence Lagorce-Broc, Taybet Bilkay, Michael Danker, Robert Rüther, Atotech Deutschland GmbH
Highly Effective Gold Post-Dip to Improve Corrosion Resistance Properties
2010, Nov – The dramatic increase of the gold price within the last decade reached its highest position in March 2008 amounting to 1000 USD per ounce. Electrolytic or electroless gold depositions are used to provide a conductive and corrosion resistant final coating for electronic applications. Since copper or copper alloys are the predominant choice for the base material, a nickel or nickel-phosphorus layer is often used as diffusion barrier.
Cost-efficiency and reduced precious metal content are the main criteria to satisfy the ever increasing technical and quality requirements for components used in the electronic, telecommunications and automotive industries.
Olaf Kurtz, Jürgen Barthelmes, Robert Rüther, Michael Danker, Florence Lagorce-Broc, Felix Bozsa, Atotech Deutschland GmbH and
David Brookes, Atotech UK Ltd.
Gold-Cobalt High Speed Electrolyte for the Deposition of Hard Gold Layers
2010 June, Electrolytic or electroless gold deposition is used to provide a conductive and corrosion resistant final coating for electronic applications. In total, some 8 % of the global gold output is used in the electronics industry. Examples of the ever-increasing technical demands of functional coatings include improvements to atmospheric corrosion resistance, thermal and electrical conductivity whilst maintaining low coefficients of friction with minimal wear.
This technical paper outlines investigations carried out using a cobalt alloyed gold electrolyte.
Olaf Kurtz, Jürgen Barthelmes, Robert Rüther, Mathias Wünsche und Constanze Donner, Atotech Deutschland GmbH
Quartz Crystal Microbalance used to Characterize Electrochemical Metal Deposition
2010, May – Thanks to the piezoelectric behaviour of quartz and its adoption in the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), a technique is available which allows the minutest changes in mass to be followed as a function of time. Frequency shifts as a function of time provide valuable information, for example on the mass or thickness of an electroplated or chemically deposited coating.
Growth or deposition rates as well as current efficiencies of electrochemical processes are likewise accessible in this way. Time resolution is of the order of a few milliseconds, mass resolution of the order of nanograms. Using this technique one can, for example, follow the change in current efficiency of copper deposition from an acid bath due to inhibition resulting from the adsorption of organic molecules or the formation of an electrochemical double layer.
Din-Ghee Neoh, Atotech SEA PTE Ltd. Singapore, Olaf Kurtz, Jürgen Barthelmes, Robert Rüther, Atotech Deutschland GmbH
Lead (Pb) Contamination in a Matte Tin Bath
2010, April – This paper descibes the influence of tin anode purity to the Pb contamination of a matte tin plating bath, the effect of trace concentration of Pb in the tin plating bath to the plated deposit morphology as well as to the purity of the plated tin deposit.
Olaf Kurtz, Jürgen Barthelmes, Peter Kühlkamp, Robert Rüther, Atotech Deutschland GmbH and
Ding-Ghee Neoh, Atotech S.E.A. PTA Ltd.
Big Grain and Flat Morphology – A new Tin Electrolyte for minimal Whiskering and excellent Solderability
2010, April – In 2007, the Tin Whisker User Group of the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) approved a new classification for matt and bright tin electrodeposits, revising the previous 2006 classification which had incorporated the use of bright tin electrolytes.
In their latest version, monitoring the different characteristics of bright and matte tin electrolytes, the Tin Whisker User Group of the iNEMI have taken the new bright tin developments and research findings into consideration and have significantly reduced the lower limits for carbon co-deposition. However, iNEMI’s general recommendation has been only marginally extended by stating the possible use of bright tin in place of matte for exceptional situations.