What are the challenges in selecting a conductive coating for HF applications?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges of selecting a conductive coating for high-frequency (HF) applications, particularly focusing on the properties and behaviors of various materials used in plating processes, such as silver and nickel. Participants explore issues related to oxidation, cleaning processes, and the suitability of different coatings in relation to conductivity and corrosion resistance.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes a process involving aluminum housing plated with silver over nickel, noting a brownish/reddish film appearing after leak testing, and questions its cause.
  • Another participant suggests that the brownish color may result from slight oxidation of silver, which does not significantly affect conductivity.
  • A different viewpoint raises the possibility that a dirty cleaning solution could contribute to discoloration, sharing an anecdote about similar experiences.
  • It is noted that silver tarnishes easily, particularly due to sulfur compounds, and that coatings may be necessary to maintain appearance.
  • A participant discusses the requirements for conductive coatings in HF applications, emphasizing the need for materials with no magnetic permeability and outlining the limitations of various metals, including silver, gold, and palladium.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the causes of the discoloration observed in the aluminum housing, with some attributing it to oxidation of silver and others suggesting issues with the cleaning solution. There is no consensus on the best conductive coating for HF applications, as various materials are discussed with their respective advantages and drawbacks.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexities involved in selecting conductive coatings, including factors like solderability, corrosion resistance, and the effects of oxidation. The discussion reflects the nuanced considerations required in material selection for specific applications.

dingpud
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First off, maybe this should have gone in the Material Engineering thread, but since it is so common in the EE field...well, I justified it.

I have an aluminum housing which gets plated with Ag over Ni. Once received, the housing goes through the following process:
Cleaning (alcohol solution)
220 degree temp cycle for 2 hours.
Send out for RF pins to be installed and leak tested. (Consists of heating, soldering, cleaning, leak testing with Helium)

After the parts return from leak test, they have a brownish/redish film on the housing. Any suggestions as to what this might be? Bad plating? Bad raw material? Dirty cleaning solution?

Any help would be great...thanks.
 
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Have you followed the process through each step? This is what I would do.
 
Yeah, as far as I could.

I spoke with someone with some plating experience, and he said that it is sort of common when silver oxidizes slightly to get a brownish color. The advantage, apparently, to using silver is that when it does oxidize it does not effect the conductivity of the material.

I'm just not sure why it wasn't noticed when it came back from the plater...

If someone knows otherwise, please let me know.

Thanks,
 
One potential problem is if a "dirty" cleaning solution is used to clean the parts. Kind of sounds like a double negative huh? Anyways, we cleaned the parts with a dirty solution and they put the housing on a hot plate, and sure enough it left some discoloration.

Not sure if this is in fact the problem, but found it an interesting data point.
 
silver does tarnish easily. iirc, sulphur compounds make it worse. there's not a whole lot you can do about it unless you want to coat it to keep it shiny.
 
Hello everybody!

For HF applications, one needs a conductive coating which has no magnetic permeability, as this would radically worsen skin effect and associated losses. This is why nickel can't be used bare, and silver is acceptable though is has drawbacks.

In fact, few materials are good here. Solderability precludes aluminium and chromium, corrosion precludes many metals, and so on. Nickel is a good choice only in LF. For HF, you have silver (with limited corrosion resistance as you've observed), gold (excellent choice, but accelerated underlying aluminium corrosion if scratched) or palladium (used for SMD capacitors, not cheaper than gold). As a common drawback, they dissolve in liquid tin solder.
 

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