How the metal finishing (plating) industry is meeting the technical demands of the Microelectronic market as the demand of smaller, lighter, faster, cheaper moves on relentlessly. This paper will focus in particular on Pure Gold Plating, Silver Plating and Palladium Plating for this market. Electrolytic, electroless and immersion processes will be covered outlining the operating parameters and defining applications in particular to the rapidly changing electronic packaging market within microelectronics. In this market the effects of contamination on the deposit compositions, e.g. comparing a Modern Pure Gold Plating bath with traditional Pure Gold Plating processes, can be significant and will be discussed in detail. Details on silver plating for LED applications will also be covered in this paper. How these products are moving towards more Environmentally Friendly low and non-cyanide systems will also be shown.

How the metal finishing (plating) market is meeting the technical demands of this LED market will be the subject of this paper. Specially designed Silver Plating processes for LED in order to achieve high brightness (1.8 GAM or higher) whilst also giving deposits with high reflectance will be discussed. The use of specially developed Drum Plating (Stripe plating) equipment enabling spot plating with high brightness and wider current density area will be documented as well as how these products are moving towards more Environmentally Friendly low and non-cyanide systems.