Effect of surface finish material on printed circuit board for electrochemical migration

This study investigates whether the electrochemical migration (ECM) is affected by factors such as the printed circuit board (PCB) surface finish, distance between the electrodes and bias voltage under water drop (WD) and polarization tests. The main element of the dendrite structure for ENIG (electroless nickel and immersion gold), electroless Ag and electroplate Sn was nickel, silver and tin, respectively. The order of speed in which the dendrite structure was formed from the cathode electrode to the anode electrode on the PCB with various surface finishes was electroless Ag, electroplate Sn and ENIG, irrespective of the distance between the electrodes and the bias voltage. The ECM rate was increased by decreasing the distance between conductors of the opposite polarity and increasing the bias voltage. The order of corrosion rate in distilled water with pH 6.5 and NaCl 1.0 wt% solution was electroless Ag, electroplate Sn and ENIG. This trend was corresponded with the tendency for ECM rate.