Difference between ENIG and Flash?

With PCB plating what's the difference between ENIG and Flash?

Mike Johnson

Expert Panel Responses

You are comparing apples to oranges. ENIG describes materials (nickel and gold) and processes (electroless for nickel and immersion for gold). Flash describes the plating thickness. Flash typically means a very thin (3 to 10 microinches) coating of gold, regardless of the process. Therefore, flash gold could be electrolytic, electroless, or immersion. Initial problems with flash gold in the 1990's tend to refer to an electroless process used over separable connectors that resulted in galvanic-driven pore corrosion.

Dr. Craig D. Hillman
CEO & Managing Partner
DfR Solutions

Dr. Hillman's specialties include best practices in Design for Reliability, strategies for transitioning to Pb-free, supplier qualification, passive component technology and printed board failure mechanisms.

Submit A Comment

Comments are reviewed prior to posting. You must include your full name to have your comments posted. We will not post your email address.

Free Newsletter Subscription
Circuitnet is built for professionals who bear the responsibility of looking ahead, imagining the future, and preparing for it.

Insert Your Email Address