I mean… actual gold isn’t crazy valuable these days, is it? It’s used in quite a bit of electronics for its corrosion resistance and conductivity IIRC.
Gold prices have risen steadily for a long time, partly because of its use in electronics. Over $2500/ounce now. But another quirk of gold is the ease with which we can make very thin coatings of it over other materials, sometimes only a few atoms thick. So it is commonly used, but in very very small amounts per device.
I mean… actual gold isn’t crazy valuable these days, is it? It’s used in quite a bit of electronics for its corrosion resistance and conductivity IIRC.
Gold prices have risen steadily for a long time, partly because of its use in electronics. Over $2500/ounce now. But another quirk of gold is the ease with which we can make very thin coatings of it over other materials, sometimes only a few atoms thick. So it is commonly used, but in very very small amounts per device.
TIL. Electroplating is cool stuff
The main reason to electroplate things in gold is that corrosion resistance.
The thinner the coating, the better. Mostly because gold isn’t a very good conductor.
Copper is one of the best conductors available. But the corrosion is the problem. It’s nonconductive.
Also a fun fact. Stainless steel is a better conductor than gold. But gold is slightly easier to use in electroplating.
Most of the gold’s price comes from it being used in jewelry and as an investment. Less than 7% of gold is used by the tech industry
https://www.statista.com/statistics/299609/gold-demand-by-industry-sector-share/