Accelerating Plating Cycles and Reducing Costs: Improving the Plating of High Aspect Ratio Holes & Blind Vias

This paper describes a new technology for speeding the initiation and uniformity of electroplating deposits that does not depend on modifying the chemistry or physical environment of the plating bath. Rather, it involves the treatment of conductive surfaces outside of the plating environment and is therefore not dependent on any particular type of bath, the pH of the bath, or the chemical agents contained in the bath. Process improvements include a more rapid initiation of plating; an increase in “throwing power” into low current density areas; and improved metal-to-metal bonding such that very thin deposits exhibit unusual resistance to corrosive testing environments.