[labnetwork] PCB in e-beam evaporator?

[Mo Khodadadi]

Hi Russ,

All the comments so far are valid and important to consider. Wire bonding
on the right PCB finish should be relatively straightforward.

I would like to add another recommendation: if possible for your project,
please ask your provider about alternative substrates for your board, such
as ceramics, Rogers materials, or flexible substrates (like Polyimide/PI).

Best,

Mo Khodadadi


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On Thu, Jul 2, 2026 at 6:12 PM Martin, Michael <
michael.martin at louisville.edu> wrote:

> Hi Russ,
>     You might try giving the pads on the PCB a thorough cleaning in O2
> plasma in case they may have some organic schmutz on them.
>
> -Michael
> ------------------------------
> *From:* labnetwork <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu> on behalf of Russ
> Renzas <rrenzas at unr.edu>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 1, 2026 10:10 PM
> *To:* Network Fab <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>
> *Cc:* Lihua Xiao <lxiao at unr.edu>
> *Subject:* [labnetwork] PCB in e-beam evaporator?
>
>
> *CAUTION:* This email originated from outside of our organization. Do not
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> For a summer lab class we're trying to have students make a chip and
> wirebond it to a PCB. We're having trouble wirebonding to the immersion
> gold pads though.
>
> Is it okay to put pcbs in our ebeam evaporator to evaporate Au?
>
> We tried a small piece in a Au SEM prep sputter coater and that worked but
> it's too small for the class PCBs.
>
> Thanks, also appreciate any tips on how to spec pcb metalization for
> wirebonding compatibility. We have both Al ultrasonic wedge and Au ball
> bond capabilities.
>
> Russ Renzas
> University of Nevada, Reno
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