Two issues come to mind to start with, how thick/porous is the gold and what 
is the condition of the nickel underneath?

Could the nickel of had a chance to oxidize prior to applying the gold?  If 
processed properly, these boards should have a shelf life of one year 
minimum.
 ----------
From: "Raich, Zoran" <ZoranR
Subject:  ASSY:Au/Ni Coated Boards
Date: Wednesday, May 28, 1997 7:05PM




Dear Technetters
We have some printed circuit boards with gold over nickel coating which
are experiencing solderability problems, ie very poor wetting. I have
heard that this may be due to nickel migration through the gold over
time. The boards are approximately 6 Months old. Is there a particular
shelf life for this type of coating before we need to dump the boards?.

Regards
Zoran Raich
Process Engineer
NetComm (Aus) Ltd
(+612) 9878 7394
[log in to unmask]

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