Selective Gold Deposition: Smart Gold Plating Advice

Summary for selective gold deposition Discussion

Selective gold deposition on a chip is discussed in fairly general terms because the question leaves out key details about the base metal, its condition, and what “beads” means. Vinay Agarwal asks how to selectively deposit gold on microscale metal features on a chip. T.K. Mohan replies that the simplest route may be immersion gold plating, since gold is noble relative to most other metals and can deposit from a gold plating solution onto many metal surfaces. However, he cautions that this may or may not solve the exact problem because the intended end result is unclear. If the goal is to attach actual microscopic gold beads rather than just coat the metal with gold, Mohan suggests first gold plating the surface and then possibly cold welding the beads onto it. The thread does not provide a detailed process, only a practical starting point and a request for more specifics.