Understanding the Micromechanisms of Corrosion Site Development on Gold Plated Copper

Presentation will summarize the results to date for a program aimed at understanding the physical characteristics of corrosion sites as they develop on gold plated copper.  Experiments were performed on gold and gold on nickel plated oxygen free copper under a Battelle class 2 environment.  Optical microscopy, SEM, and serial cross sectioning via a FIB have been used to evaluate the structure of defect sites at different stages in their development.