The effects of pulse plating parameters on copper plating distribution of microvia in PCB manufacture

The introduction of microvias to printed circuit boards has revolutionized the entire printed circuit board (PCB) industry. In many instances, the plating of microvias creates a bottleneck in the manufacture of high-density circuitry. In this study, the effects of pulse plating parameters and different shaped waveforms on the quality of microvias have been investigated. The results showed that, within the scope of this study, the reverse current cycle time has little effect on throwing power. Indeed, a decrease in forward current, or an increase in reverse current could significantly improve the throwing power. The study also found that using a triangular, instead of the traditional rectangular waveform, could increase the throwing power further, with a more uniform distribution of copper plating. Finally, the advantage of the cathode vibrating during plating was demonstrated.