New equipment, materials and methods are making gold a smart choice for flip-chip assembly.
Turning lead into gold. For alchemists, that was a legendary road to riches. For electronics assemblers, it's a path to avoiding the pitfalls of lead-free flip-chip assembly. Converting tin-lead solder bumps into gold stud bumps can improve the performance and reliability of flip chips, without the problems associated with lead-free solder. Moreover, it can save money in the long run.