Thickness Measurement of Gold Deposits

Abstract

In both decorative and industrial applications of gold plating, but even more critically in the latter, accurate measurement of coating thickness is of vital importance to both the manufactuer and the user. To the former, working to increasingly stringent specifications, it may, in extreme cases, mean the difference between profit and loss if an excessive thickness is inadvertently applied due to some change in electrolyte or processing conditions, or if an unduly high average thickness must be used on barrel or vat plated components to ensure a minimum requirement on functional areas. To the user, it can equally mean the difference between operational success and failure of a gold plated part if plating thickness is below specification and the means used for measurement are not sufficiently precise to detect this. Control of coating thickness in gold plating is therefore a matter of vital concern, and never more so than at the present time when, in the face of the spectacular price increases of recent years, and in the virtual absence of viable alternatives to meet the exacting demands of applications in printed circuitry, semiconductor technology and the electronics industry in general, the need for maximum economy in gold usage has become increasingly urgent, as evidenced by the vigorous efforts currently devoted to the development and improvement of selective plating techniques, and the recent interest manifest in the possible replacement of essentially pure gold coatings by alloy deposits of 18 carat and lower where these may be technically acceptable. The present article offers a wide‐ranging survey of methods available for thickness measurement, with particular reference to gold plating, but including also some techniques which, whilst not finding current use, may be of potential interest in this context.