Feb. 27, 2019. Uyemura, the preeminent manufacturer of advanced chemistries for PCB manufacturing, received a significant boost for three important recent product developments at IPC APEX this year. This, according to UIC Business Development Manager Rich DePoto.

“UIC’s ENIG and ENEPIG, and now EPIG have clearly earned their place as the industry’s premium final finish options incorporating an immersion gold topcoat,” according to DePoto.  

UIC ENIG is a cost-effective process that provides exceptional gold thickness uniformity; it is also an exceptional soldering and contacting final finish.  Most notably, the product’s low corrosion formulation meets the guidelines of IPC 4552, Rev. A – a competitive advantage that was widely discussed among the 5292 attendees – and 440 exhibitors – who participated in APEX this year.  

Uyemura’s second focus at IPC this year was the advancement of “ENEPIG 2.0,” now widely regarded as the advancement that propels ENEPIG onto OEM specifications – and into widespread acceptance based on its coupling with UIC’s TWX-40 reduction assisted immersion gold process.    

The key to the success of both systems is an important technology development, TWX-40, the industry’s first reduction assisted immersion gold.  This unique reaction facilitates gold deposits above 3 µin (and up to 8 µin) in a single step.   

The standard ENIG and ENEPIG gold deposit thickness has been 1.6 to 3 µin, but many OEM programs now specify a minimum 3-5 µin gold in order to widen their operating window and assure success in wire bonding and pin contact applications.

UIC’s newest technology, EPIG- (Electroless Palladium Immersion Gold) was developed for high frequency applications, and to eliminate the magnetic properties of nickel. DePoto predicts that EPIG will experience swift acceptance, particularly among designers for whom insertion loss is an important consideration.