Gold Plating

Gold plating is frequently used in electronic components, such as electrical connectors and printed circuit boards, to provide a corrosion-resistant electrically conductive layer on the copper substrate.

With direct gold-on-copper plating, the copper atoms diffuse through the gold layer, causing tarnishing of its surface and formation of an oxide and/or sulfide layer.

A layer barrier metal, often nickel, is deposited on the copper substrate before the gold plating. The layer of nickel provides a mechanical base for the gold layer to improve its wear resistance and reduces the impact of pores seen in the gold layer.