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70 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2025 Excerpt: Novel Surface Finish for 5G-mmWave Frequency PCB Technologies Article by Kunal Shah, PhD LILOTREE (Editor's note: e following is excerpted om a presentation originally titled "Novel Surface Fin- ish for 5G-mmWave Frequency PCB Technolo- gies: How to Achieve Optimum Signal Integrity," presented at IPC APEX EXPO 2023.) As the demand for high-frequency electronic devices increase, conventional surface finishes like electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) have demonstrated significant drawbacks, pri- marily due to the presence of nickel, which contributes to increased conductor losses. e proposed solution involves a nickel-free sur- face finish utilizing a barrier layer coated with gold, offering enhanced performance for high- frequency applications. is approach aims to improve reliability while addressing the chal- lenges posed by existing alternatives in the rap- idly evolving electronics landscape. Abstract e next generation devices using high fre- quency of 5G to mmWave and greater have called for innovation in materials used in elec- tronics manufacturing to realize the optimum signal integrity and performance. e selection of materials is critical especially at the printed circuit board (PCB) level for minimized inser-