Gold (Au) shows good electrical conductivity and is highly resistant to corrosion, this had made it attractive for electrical connections and contacts. It can be sputter etched with Ion Beam Etch (IBE) or by Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) it can also be etched using a high temperature Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) to give smooth, vertical etch profiles. It can be deposited using Ion Beam Deposition (IBD).