Types of PCB Surface Finishes
During PCB design, considerable attention is given to the PCB layout and the specification of materials, which may include the substrate, laminate and core for your board’s layer stackup. These selections are common to all good design for manufacturing (DFM) utilization; however, the many options for PCB surface finish are too often not given sufficient consideration. Instead, the software default is used. Yet, the surface finish is a very important consideration that impacts PCB assembly and your board’s reliability by protecting copper traces and strengthening solder connections. Moreover, there are several types of PCB surface finishes, as listed below.
- Hot Air Solder Level (HASL)
- Lead-Free HASL
- Organic Solderability Preservative (OSP)
- Immersion Silver (Au)
- Immersion Tin (Sn)
- Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG)
- Electroless Nickel Electroless Palladium Immersion Gold (ENEPIG)
- Electrolytic Wire Bondable Gold
- Electrolytic Hard Gold
Making the right selection for your design requires an understanding of the differences among the available types.
Which Type of PCB Finish Should I Use?
The best way to answer this question is probably to compare the types of PCB surface finishes against a set of well-defined attributes that will most likely affect your decision. A good list of attributes should include the following:
- Lead-free solder – Adheres to restrictions of hazardous substances (ROHS)regulations.
- Handling sensitivity – Susceptible to contamination or breakage from handling.
- Wire bondable – Capable of forming good wire bound connections.
- Tight pitch – Can be used for tight pitch components, such as ball grid arrays (BGAs).
- Contact usage – Cen the contact be used for contacts.
- Shelf life – Has good shelf life, can be stored for six months are more.
- Additional cost – Typically adds cost to your PCB manufacturing.
Whether your greatest concern is an organic surface finish as opposed to metallic, lead-free solder instead of lead-based, or turnaround time, 三德盈 Electronic can assist you in making the best selection among the many types of surface finishes available for your design. As industry leaders in precise, high quality and fast PCB manufacturing, our primary motivation is to ensure that you have the best experience and achieve your desired results.