ASPIS – a new multi-partner research project to enhance the performance of nickel-gold solderable finishes

AbstractA new European research project has recently commenced in order to undertake a multi-faceted approach for developing novel and improved nickel–gold solderable finishes. The three-year project is known as ASPIS, which is an abbreviation of advanced surface protection for improved reliability printed circuit board (PCB) systems, and it is being supported via the European Commission’s 7th Framework programme under the FP7-SME AG-2008-2 call. It is a ‘Research for SME Associations’ project that has 12 partners from across Europe, including four key research organisations who will undertake much of the research programme on behalf of the project’s SME members. There are two UK-based research providers, namely ITRI Ltd and the University of Leicester, along with TNO from Holland and the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology in Lithuania. The other partners represent a wide cross-section of organisations from the PCB sector that cover the whole of the requisite industry supply chain. These organisat...