Electroplating TechnologyMaking New Connections

Adding Value, Improving performance, Reducing Environmental Impact

Dow Electronic Materials

2

Dow Electroplating Technology

Electronic Finishing markets are experiencing many forces for change, being driven by performance, cost and legislation. Dow has responded to such drivers to create unique electroplating products for diverse applications, to offer users measurable value. In this brochure we highlight tin, silver, silver alloy, gold and masking products developed to provide valuable solutions for changing market requirements.

New Electroplating Technology

White BronzeRONALLOY™ GT-250 Cyanide Free White BronzeAQUALLOY™ GT-640 Cyanide Free White Bronze

TinSOLDERON™ BHT-350 Bright TinSOLDERON™ ST-300T Matte Tin

Silver SILVERON™ GT-101 Bright SilverSILVERON™ GT-820 Silver Tin

GoldRONOVEL™ CS-200 Electrolytic Gold

MaskingLITHOjET™ 200 Series Inks

Post TreatmentNO TARN PM-3 Post TreatmentPORE BLOCkER 200 Post TreatmentNO TARN SN-2 Post TreatmentSOLDERGUARD™ 100 Post Treatment

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Dow Electroplating Technology

RONALLOY™ GT-250 White Bronze is a cyanide, lead and cobalt free acidic bronze product producing bright, white, copper-tin deposits which provide corrosion and tarnish resistance. RONALLOY™ GT-250 White Bronze deposits are suitable for finishing as well as for under layers, making it a first choice as nickel replacement in both decorative and functional applications. Long term tarnish resistance is improved using over plate with silver, palladium, chromium or a combination thereof.  AQUALLOY™ GT-640 White Bronze has been designed and developed specifically for the replacement of nickel in the sanitary ware markets, where drinking water regulation restricts the use of nickel for such sanitary ware applications

•Freeofcyanide,leadandcobalt•Mirror-like,bright,whiteCu/Snalloydeposit• Sulfate-based,acidicelectrolytewithorganic

additive system•Suitableforrackandbarrelplating (CDrange:1–5ASD)

•Depositionratehigherthanbrightnickelprocesses•Usedwithsolublebronzeanodes•Corrosionresistantdeposit,especiallywith

top coat layer.•CompatiblewithacidcopperandTri-Chrome

Process µm/min.

Conventional Bright Nickel Process 0.6 µm/min. at 3 ASD

RONALLOY™ & AQUALLOY™ White Bronze

0.75 µm/min. at 3 ASD

Conventional CN-based White Bronze 0.3 µm/min. at 2 ASD

Deposit Hardness (HV)

RONALLOY™ & AQUALLOY™ White Bronze

~ 400 HV

Ni Ref. 1 ~ 530 HV

Ni Ref. 2 ~ 400 HV

Ni Ref. 3 ~ 630 HV

Cyanide and Lead Free White Bronze

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Dow Electroplating Technology

SOLDERON™ST-300TMatteTinisanorganicsulfonateelectroplatingproduct for the high-speed deposition of uniform, matte tin deposits over a wide current density range. It is specifically designed for use in high-speed magazine-to-magazine and reel-to-reel electroplating equipment, where the process versatility is particularly well-suited for semiconductor leadframe application.

•Uniformmattetindeposit•Anti-burnagentpreventsburningin highCDareas

•Singleadditivesystem,easytocontrol•Widecurrentdensityrange•Excellentthicknessdistribution•Excellentsolderabilityperformance

SOLDERON™ ST-300T High Speed Matte Tin

General Matte Tin

SOLDERON™ ST-300T Matte TinSmoother and smaller grain size (3–7 μm)

SOLDERON™ ST-300TUniform High Speed Matte Tin

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Dow Electroplating Technology

SOLDERON™BHT-350BrightTinisahighspeed,sulphonate-basedtinelectroplatingproductformulatedforcontinuouselectroplatingofwireandconnectorstripinreel-to-reelmachines.TheSOLDERON™BHT-350BrightTinelectrolyteisfreeofvolatilealdehydesandmaybeoperatedattemperaturesupto50°C.

TheSOLDERON™BHT-350BrightTinelectrolyteprovidesbrightdepositsoverawidecurrentdensityrange.Its propriety formulation controls both grain size and carbon content in deposits which results in a very ductilebrightdeposit.SOLDERON™BHT-350BrightTinproductsdonotcontainmethanolensuringamoreenvironmentally friendly electrolyte compared to other conventional bright tin processes. Analytical procedures are available for all bath components.

•Fullybrightdepositoverthewholecurrentdensityrange•LowCarbon-contentinthedeposit(<0.2%upto40ASD)•Highdepositductility(>11%)•Verylowwhiskergrowthtendency•Lowdegreeofreflowdiscoloration•Operatingtemperatureupto50°C:nocoolingsystemrequired•Highplatingcurrentdensity:5–40ASD•Easybathcontrolandfullyanalyzablecomponents•Lowfoamingelectrolyte:suitableforhighspeedapplications•Noblackfoamline:suitableforselectiveplatingandfullstripplating•Alsosuitedtolowspeedrackandbarrelapplications

SOLDERON™ BHT-350 High Speed Bright Tin

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 10 20 30 40 50

BHT-350, 40°C

Bright Sn A, 40°C

Bright Sn B, 22°C

Cat

hode

Effi

cien

cy (%

)

Current Density (A/dm2)

High Cathode Efficiency

SOLDERON™ BHT-350 SOLDERON™ BHT-35011% Ductility

Bright Tin A Bright Tin A2% Ductility

High DuctilityBefore Bending After Bending

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Dow Electroplating Technology

SILVERON™GT-101BrightSilverisanalkalinenon-cyanidepuresilverelectroplatingproductdesignedtoproducebright silver deposits for various applications. The product can be used in conventional plating equipment and high speed reel-to-reel, jet or wire plating equipment. The silver deposits can be applied to both copper and nickel alloy substrates.

•Cyanide-freeelectrolyte,pH9–10•Chemicallystablesolution•White,brightsilverdepositoverabroadCD range(0.5–15ASD)

•Cathodeefficiencyca.100%•Excellentadhesionovercopperorcopperalloys•Platingovernickelrequiresastrikelayer•Nometallicadditives•Depositcomposition:ca.100%silver•Mattedepositpossible(optional)•Suitableforelectrical/electronicand

decorative applications•Excellentcontactresistanceandsolderability•Harderthancyanidesilverdeposits,especially afterannealingat155°C

SILVERON™ GT-101 Bright Cyanide Free Silver

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.5

2.0

3.0

0 20 40 60 80 100

mO

hm

Loading (cN)

SILVERON™ GT-101 Contact ResistanceSILVERON™ GT-101 Contact Resistance

0

2

4

6

10

8

12

SILVERON GT-101 Cyanide Silver Hard Gold

Wea

r Rat

e (m

m3 /N

/m x

10-6

)

Wear Rate (Silver vs. Steel)

Room Temp

1 hr. @ 150°C

Wear Rate (Silver vs. Steel)

Nano-Hardness

0

50

100

150

200

250

SILVERON GT-101 Cyanide Silver Hard Gold

Har

dnes

s (H

V)

Nano-Hardness

Room Temp

1 hr. @ 150°C

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Dow Electroplating Technology

SILVERON™GT-820SILVER-TINisanacidicnon-cyanidesilver-tin electroplating product designed to deposit bright silver-tin alloy for electrical applications. The product can be used in conventional plating equipment at low speed and high speed. The silver-tin alloy can be applied to both nickel and copper or copper alloys. The electroplated silver-tinalloycontains19–23%oftin,theremainingfraction is silver

•Cyanide-freeelectrolyte•ReplacementforTinforwhiskercontrolonpress

fit connectors•Chemicallystablesolutionwithoutmetallicadditives•White,brightsilverdepositoverabroadCDrange (0.5–15ASD)

•Cathodeefficiencyca.100%•Excellentadhesionovercopperorcopperalloys•Platingovernickelrequiresastrikelayer•Depositcomposition:ca.80%silver•Suitableforelectrical/electronicapplications•Excellentcontactresistanceandsolderability

SILVERON™ GT-820 Cyanide Free Silver Tin

0

5

10

15

25

20

30

35

40

45

0 20 40 60 80 100

Res

ista

nce

(mO

hm)

Force (cN)

SILVERON GT-820

Silver Tin

Silver

Hard Gold

0

50

100

150

250

200

300

SILVERON GT-101 Hard Gold Silver-tin

Nan

o-H

ardn

ess

(HV)

Plot 2

Room Temp

1 hr. @ 150°C

0

200

400

600

1000

800

1200

0.5 N 1 N 2 N

Num

ber o

f wea

r cyc

les

Applied Load on 3.5 µm sample

Plot 3

Silver

Silver-tin

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Dow Electroplating Technology

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RONOVEL™CS-200isacobalt-alloyedgoldplatingproductdesignedforhighspeedselectiveplating,achievingauniform appearance over a wider current density range and minimizing gold bleed plating, saving money.

•Minimizedbleedgolddeposition• Improveddepositionrate• Improvedbathstability•MinimizedimmersiondepositionofAuonNi•Maintainsdepositperformanceofconventionalproducts

RONOVEL™ CS-200 Low Bleed Gold For Connector Plating

Schematic of equipment Image of deposit

Measuring point Mask Spacer Substrate(Ni plated)Plating solution

Nano-Hardness

0

20

40

80

60

120

100

140

Pore Count

RONOVEL CM-97 4 g/L Au

RONOVEL CS-200 10 g/L Au

RONOVEL CS-200 8 g/L Au

RONOVEL CS-200 6g/L Au

RONOVEL CS-200 4g/L Au

RONOVEL CS-100 4 g/L Au

Bleed Gold Thickness

-4.16E-17

0.010

0.020

0.030

0.040

0.050

0.005

0.015

0.025

0.035

0.045

40 50 60 70

RONOVEL CS-200 10 g/L

RONOVEL C 10 g/L

µm

ASD

Bleed Gold Thickness

Dow Electroplating Technology

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Dow Electroplating Technology

SelectiveMetallisationoretchingcanberealisedbyusingLITHOJET™ 200 SeriesInksinsingleormultipleselectiveplatingapplications.Digitaloffcontact masking allows for rapid design change or prototyping as well as shorter processes and higher yields.

•Compatiblewithplatingchemistries.•Designedtomaskareasforhighresolutionplating•Veryhighchemicalresistancetoalkaliandacidsolutions•UVcurable•AlkalineStrippable

LITHOJET™ 200 Series Inks

Plated Cu

LITHOJET™ Mask

Plated Cu

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Dow Electroplating Technology

NO TARN PM-3 Post Treatment• Immersionpassivationtreatment•Protectssilverfromtarnishing•Tarnishprotectionforcopper,palladium

and thin gold layers•Noadverseeffectonresistance,solderability

or bondability•Noimpactonbrightnessorcolour

NO TARN SN-2 Post Treatment•Posttreatmentfortintoprovideuniform

grain structure•Reducesoxidelayerformation•Enhancessolderability•Reducesdiscolourationafterheattreatment

PORE BLOCKER 200 Post Treatment• Immersionpassivationtreatment•ShortImmersiontreatment•Corrosionprotectionofunderlayerthroughpores•Noadverseeffectonresistance,solderability

or bondability•Noimpactonbrightnessorcolour

Post Treatment Products

SOLDERGUARD™ 100 TreatmentBefore Heat Treatment

No SOLDERGUARD™ 100 TreatmentAfter 1 hour @ 155°C

With SOLDERGUARD™ 100 TreatmentAfter 1 hour @ 155°C

SOLDERGUARD™ 100 Post Treatment•Createsahydrophobicsurfaceontindepositsrepellingmoisture•Protectsagainstcorrosionanddiscolourationafterreflow•Enhancessolderability•Protectionagainstwhiskerformation

®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow Notice: No freedom from infringement of any patent owned by Dow or others is to be inferred. Because use conditions and applicable laws may differ from one location to another and may change with time, the Customer is responsible for determining whether products and the information in this document are appropriate for the Customer’s use and for ensuring that the Customer’s workplace and disposal practices are in compliance with applicable laws and other governmental enactments. Dow assumes no obligation or liability for the information in this document. No warranties are given; all implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose are expressly excluded. This document is intended for global use.

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