The Evaluation of Gold Electrodeposits for Use in Dry Circuit Applications

The methods commonly used to evaluate electrodeposits for electronic systems include characterization of the deposit itself, actual field exposures, and accelerated laboratory exposures. The importance of minimizing deposit porosity, using a diffusion barrier coating, and having a deposit with adequate resistance to wear tO insure long-term contact reliability is emphasized. The question of predicting useful field life from the results of accelerated laboratory exposures is considered. It cannot be done without sufficient comparisons between the results obtained in the real and simulated environments.