Hi Ed: Silver plating over copper - that can be a solderability issue if not done correctly. The copper will diffuse through the silver after a period of time and then oxidize making for a solderability nightmare. We have gotten around this issue by making the silver plate very thick - this takes care of the diffusion issue but makes for a more expensive board. Silver plating also likes to tarnish quickly and can be a handling problem on the manufacturing floor. Is there a functional need for a silver plate? Could gold or tin/lead be substituted? A good article on finishes (plus very good references) to look at is "Connector Reliability in The Military Environment", Connection Technology, May 1989, pages 19-22. Dave Hillman Rockwell Collins [log in to unmask] ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ Subject: Silver Plating over Copper Author: [log in to unmask] at ccmgw1 Date: 7/3/96 7:44 AM This is mostly addressed to PCB fabricators, but anyone else with relevant info please e-mail back to me. One of our new customers has a requirement for SILVER PLATING OVER COPPER and then covered with solder mask similiar to SMOBC (SMOBC/S ?). Do any of the shops out there in the technet world do this? Secondly, my customer is looking for the best laminate with low Df and low Da. Is teflon the best or would somone recommend another laminate to use? The laminate would the use the above silver-plated copper. Please contact me in any of the following methods: (1) via [log in to unmask], (2) [log in to unmask], (3) Ed Valentine at ProTronics, Inc. Telephone: (919) 217-0007 or Fax: (919) 217-0050. Thanks . . . Ed/