Immersion Silver

Immersion Silver describes a Lead-Free layer of silver plated onto a PCB, to protect copper traces from corrosion. Silver surface finishes have excellent solderability, comparable to solder plating, accommodating a straightforward and risk-free PCB Assembly Process. Immersion Silver also boasts a moderately long shelf life, though still less than some of the other finishes, such as ENIG. Immersion Silver is a popular choice due to the fact that silver is the most electrically conductive metal available, and thus ideal for High-Speed PCB applications. Silver surface finishes can be applied to copper traces with an electroless immersion reaction, displacing the copper layer.

The application process for this surface finish forms a very flat surface, which is advantageous for SMD Assembly, allowing for Bittele to streamline your Complete PCB Assembly project, and make sure your overall turn time is as low as possible. Silver immersion is a surface finish with benefits that far outweigh its costs, and thus it has gained widespread popularity since the RoHS and WEEE directives came into effect; however, Silver Immersion is not without its drawbacks. Silver is sensitive to contaminants, both in the air and on the board, and thus it must be packaged as soon as possible to prevent tarnishing.

Pros

RoHS complaint
Planar
Fine pitch
Cost effective
Good alternative to ENIG
High stability

Cons

Tarnishes
Silver Whiskering
Some Systems Cannot Throw into Micro-Via Aspect Ratios of > 1:1
High Friction Coefficient/Not Suited to Compliant-Pin Insertion (Ni-Au Pins)

We at Bittele offer Immersion Silver as one of our PCB Options at a Standard Price, meaning no additional cost will be applied for selecting this finish. The table below lists our available surface finish options for your reference, along with some basic associated information for each finish.

If you still find yourself with any questions about Immersion Silver or any other surface finish, or to send along your PCB Design Files for an official quotation, please feel free to Contact Us at any time! Bittele is a Canadian PCB Assembly service provider, supplying top-quality PCB products and services to our clients worldwide, which includes helping you to determine which surface finish option is right for your project. To get in touch with one of our PCB experts today, you can send email to sales@7pcb.com, or call us toll-free at 1-888-812-1949.