PCB SURFACE FINISH

PCB surface finish refers to the coating applied on a bare Printed Circuit Board
(PCB) Its primary purpose is to protect the exposed copper circuitry from corrosion
while maintaining good solderability: ensuring that the components can be quickly
and firmly soldered onto the board. ENIG is one of the most popular PCB surface
finishes right now.

Since there are different types of surface finishes available for Printed Circuit
Boards, selecting the right one can be challenging. Especially so now that surface
mounts have become more complex, and regulations such as RoHS and WEEE
have changed industry standards.

LIST OF ALL TYPES OF PCB SURFACE FINISHES.

 ENIG ( Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold)

 HASL (Hot Air Solder Leveling)
 OSP (Organic Solderability Preservative)
 ISn (Immersion Tin)
 IAg (Immersion Silver)

Now we’ll explain each finishing method in detail, providing you with advantages and
disadvantages for each type of PCB surface finish.

1- ENIG ( ELECTROLESS NICKEL IMMERSION GOLD)

ENIG is a double layer metallic coating with nickel that acts both as a protective
barrier to copper and a surface on which the components are welded.
A layer of gold protects nickel during storage.

ENIG came to be a response to a changing industry trend that focuses on lead-free

requirements and an increase in complex surface components (especially BGA),
which require flat surfaces.

This type of plating is hard and durable. It also has a long shelf life, lasting for years.
However, its durability and shelf life make it more expensive than any of the other
finishes on this list.

Sometimes, it can lead to what is known as “black pad syndrome,” which is the
accumulation of phosphorous between gold and nickel layers that can cause broken
surfaces and faulty connections.
 THE ENIG PROCESS

The electroless nickel step is an auto-catalytic process that involves depositing

nickel on the palladium-catalyzed copper surface.

The reducing agent-containing nickel ions must be replenished to provide proper

concentration, and temperature and pH levels necessary to create a consistent
coating.

During the immersion gold step, the gold adheres to the nickel-plated areas through
a molecular exchange, which will protect the nickel until the soldering process. The
gold thickness needs to meet precise tolerances to ensure that the nickel maintains
its solderability.

ADVANTAGES OF ENIG

 Flat surfaces
 Strong
 Lead-free
 Good for PTH

DISADVANTAGES OF ENIG

 Black pad syndrome

 Expensive
 Not good for rework

WHEN SHOULD YOU USE ENIG PCB SURFACE FINISH?

ENIG has excellent corrosion resistance; it’s suitable for aluminum wire bonding, is
excellent for fine-pitch technology, has excellent solder-ability, and remarkable shelf-
life; it’s also RoHS compliant.

If your budget allows it, this might be the best option for any requirement you have.

2- HASL (HOT AIR SOLDER LEVELING)

This used to be the most popular surface finish choice, in part because of its low
cost and robust structure, but as technology has progressed over time,
manufacturers now realize its limitations.

The rise of more complex surface mount technology has made it evident that HASL
has limited functionality.
 A significant downside of HASL is that it creates an uneven surface, making it
unsuitable for PCB designs that include excellent pitch components.

There are generally two different categories of HASL: lead and lead-free. Lead-free
boards are commonly plated in solder, containing mostly tin with small amounts of
silver and copper.

Lead-based boards generally are coated in eutectic tin-lead solder with possible filler
metals.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of HASL boards contain lead and very harsh flux
chemicals, which can potentially cause a wide range of health and safety issues for
individuals working with HASL in an improperly controlled environment.

THE HASL PROCESS

The process involves submerging the circuit boards in a pot of molten tin/lead alloy
and then removing excess solder using ‘air blades,’ which blow hot air through the
plate surface.

The HASL process will expose the PCB to temperatures up to 265 ° C; this is good
as it will identify any potential delamination problems long before expensive
components are connected to the board.

ADVANTAGES OF HASL

 Low Cost
 Widely Available
 Re-workable
 Good Shelf Life

DISADVANTAGES OF HASL

 Uneven Surfaces
 Not Good for Fine Pitch
 Usually Contains Lead
 Thermal Shock
 Solder Bridging
 Plugged or Reduced PTH’s (Plated Through Holes)

WHEN SHOULD YOU USE HASL PCB SURFACE FINISH?

HASL is preferred for hand soldering as joints are easy to be formed. If the welding
alloy is close to the HASL alloy, adhesion will be smooth and robust as the metals
will interact at a molecular level. This strong bond also makes HASL an excellent
finish for high-reliability applications.
 3- OSP (ORGANIC SOLDERABILITY PRESERVATIVE)
OSP is a water-based organic surface finish utilized in copper pads. It bonds to
copper and protects the copper pad before welding.

OSP is an environmentally friendly finish, it provides a flat surface, is lead-free and

requires little maintenance, should be noted that it’s not as strong as HASL and can
be sensitive when handled.

This organic finish can keep copper from being oxide, thermal shock or moisture

THE OSP PROCESS

This process maintains the copper surface from oxidation by applying a thin
protective layer of a water-based organic compound over the exposed copper,
usually using a conveyorized method.

The water-based chemical compound belongs to the azole family, such as

benzotriazoles, imidazoles, and benzimidazoles, all of which are adsorbed on the
surface of the copper with coordination formed between them and the copper atoms,
this leads to the production of a protective film.

The optimal storage conditions are relative humidity (30-70% RH), moderate
temperature (15-30%), not sunlight exposure.
These are the steps to follow for OSP

 Clean the copper

 Rinse
 Topography Enhancement
 Rinse
 Acid Rinse
 OSP application
 Deionization Rinse
 Dry

ADVANTAGES OF OSP

 The manufacturing process is simple and reworkable

 OSP coated boards perform better in terms of soler wetting.
 Low Cost
 Good for SMT assembly
 Flat Surface

DISADVANTAGES OF OSP
 Thickness is difficult to measure
 Not suitable for plated through-hole
 Highly sensitive

WHEN SHOULD YOU USE OSP PCB SURFACE FINISH?

Consider this option when you require your PCB to be RoHS compliant, with a flat
surface and good wettability for best solderability, not to say that other types of finish
don’t offer this as well.

4- ISN (IMMERSION TIN)

Immersion Tin is a chemical process that applies a thin layer of tin on the copper,
and it provides an excellent flat surface for delicate pitch components use.
Immersion Tin has been used mainly as an alternative to a lead-based surface
finish.

Apart from being ideal for fine pitch, surface mount, components thanks to its flat
and smooth surface, immersion tin is also used for a sustainability issue as elements
that are somewhat difficult to source continually are used in other finishes, like ENIG
or HASL.

Additionally, it uses fewer water and chemicals in the application process.

It is also easy to do any rework in the event of an error in the application of
components on the board.

THE IMMERSION TIN PROCESS

Immersion tin is applied using an electroless chemical bath that applies

approximately 0.7 to 1.0 microns (or about 44 microinches) of tin to the copper.
Copper and tin have a strong mutual affinity making the diffusion of one metal into
the other inevitably easy; this directly impacts the shelf life of the deposit and the
performance of the finish.

ADVANTAGES OF ISN

 Lead-free
 High Reliability
 Planar
 Cost-Effective
 Can substitute for reflowed solder

DISADVANTAGES OF ISN

 Exposed Tin on Final Assembly can Corrode

 Process Uses a Carcinogen (Thiourea)
 WHEN SHOULD YOU USE ISN PCB SURFACE FINISH?
Immersion tin is RoHS compliant, it provides a flat surface and has a right
solderability level, however, the shelf life s quite short, on average is only six
months.

5- IAG (IMMERSION SILVER)

This is a surface finish that gained popularity after the RoHS and WEEE directives
took effect.

Immersion Silver applies a Lead-Free layer of silver-plated onto a PCB, to protect

copper traces from corrosion. Silver surface finishes have excellent solderability,
comparable to solder plating, accommodating a straightforward and risk-free PCB

Assembly Process.

Immersion Silver also boasts a moderately long shelf life, though still less than some
of the other finishes, such as ENIG.
Silver is sensitive to contaminants, both in the air and on the board, and thus it must
be packaged as soon as possible to prevent tarnishing.

ADVANTAGES OF IAG

 Planar
 Fine pitch
 Cost-effective
 A good alternative to ENIG
 High stability

DISADVANTAGES OF IAG

 Tarnishes
 Silver Whiskering
 Some Systems Cannot Throw into Micro-Via Aspect Ratios of > 1:1
 High Friction Coefficient/Not Suited to Compliant-Pin Insertion (Ni-Au Pins)

WHEN SHOULD YOU USE IAG PCB SURFACE FINISH?

Immersion Silver is a popular choice because silver is the most electrically
conductive metal available and thus ideal for High-Speed PCB applications. Silver
surface finishes can be applied to copper traces with an electroless immersion
reaction, displacing the copper layer.
 While we did attempt to give you a general idea of when should you be more inclined
to use a specific type of PCB finish, it all comes down to the intended functionality of
the end product.
Here are some questions that will guide you in your search for the most suitable type
of PCB finish for your product requirements.

 Will my circuit board be exposed to many solder cycles?

 Is flatness critical?
 What’s the minimum shelf life required?
 Is budget a constraint?
 How wettable/solderable do I need te PCB to be?
 Does my PCB need to be RoHS compliant?
 What kind of storage conditions will I have to keep the PCBs?
 Does the PCB need gold or aluminum wire bonding?

Once you answer all of those questions, you’ll have a better understanding. There’s
a PCB finish comparison table in the previous link that will be of help.