The Root Cause of Black Pad Failure of Solder Joints with Electroless Ni/Immersion Gold Plating

This paper reports on a study of the reaction of solder with the electrolessnickel with immersion gold (ENIG) plating system, and the resulting interfacial structures. A focused-ion beam (FIB) was used to polish the cross sections to reveal details of the microstructure of the ENIGplated pad with and without soldering. High-speed pull testing of solder joints was performed to expose the pad surface. Results of scanning-electron microscopy/ energy-dispersive x-ray analysis of the cross sections and fractured pad surfaces support the suggestion that black pad is the result of galvanic hyper-corrosion of the plated electroless nickel by the gold plating bath. Criteria are proposed for diagnosing black pad of ENIG plating.