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A comment on “Space age electronics”: Inside a GE thin-film paperweight from the 1960s. Parent comment

Re:“Space age electronics”: Inside a GE thin-film paperweigh... by kens on Friday July 02, 2021 @04:29PM (#27716490)
Gold wires were used for bonding in integrated circuits too. I think because gold is much more ductile, so you can make thin wires that won't break. It's also more resistant to corrosion, which is a problem with copper wire.
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Re:“Space age electronics”: Inside a GE thin-film paperweigh... by jacquesm on Friday July 02, 2021 @06:55PM (#27717883)
The fact that it is more ductile probably also helps with the welding process.
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Re:“Space age electronics”: Inside a GE thin-film paperweigh... by pfdietz on Friday July 02, 2021 @06:26PM (#27717689)
Doesn't copper interact badly with silicon?
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Re:“Space age electronics”: Inside a GE thin-film paperweigh... by kens on Friday July 02, 2021 @06:31PM (#27717722)
I don't know about copper-silicon interactions, but normally you'd bond to a metal pad, not to silicon directly. For a while, the "purple plague" was a problem when gold bond wires reacted badly with aluminum bond pads, forming a purple compound. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold%E2%80%93aluminium_interme...
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