Copper electroplating

Copper electroplating takes place in an electrolytic cell using electrolysis. As with all plating processes, the part to be plated must be cleaned before depositing metal to remove soils, grease, oxides, and defects. After precleaning, the part is immersed in the cell's aqueous electrolyte solution and functions as the cathode. A copper anode is also immersed in the solution. During plating, a direct electric current is applied to the cell which causes the copper in the anode to dissolve into the electrolyte through oxidation, losing electrons and ionizing into copper cations. The copper cations form a coordination complex with salts present in the electrolyte, after which they are transported from the anode to the cathode. At the cathode, the copper ions are reduced to metallic copper by gaining electrons. This causes a thin, solid, metallic copper film to deposit onto the surface of the part. The anodes can be either simple copper slabs or titanium or steel baskets filled with copper nuggets or balls. Copper electroplating baths can be used to plate either a strike or flash coating, which is a thin highly-adherent initial layer that is plated with additional layers of metal and that serves to improve adhesion of the subsequent layers to the underlying substrate, or a thicker coating of copper that may serve as the finish layer or as a standalone coating. ==Types of plating chemistries==

There are a variety of different electrolyte chemistries that can be used for copper electroplating, but most can be broadly characterized into five general categories based on the complexing agent: • Alkaline cyanide • Alkaline non-cyanide • Acid sulfate • Acid fluoroborate • Pyrophosphate Alkaline cyanide Alkaline cyanide baths have historically been one of the most commonly used plating chemistries for copper electrodeposition. Cyanide copper baths typically provide high covering and throwing power, allowing uniform and complete coverage of the substrate, but often plate at lower current efficiency. Baths may also contain Rochelle salts and sodium or potassium carbonate, as well as a variety of proprietary additives. with industrial applications that include decorative plating, electroforming, rotogravure, and printed circuit board and semiconductor fabrication. Acid sulfate baths contain cupric sulfate as the source of copper(II) ions; sulfuric acid to increase bath conductivity, ensure copper salt solubility, decrease anode and cathode polarization, and increase throwing power; and a source of chloride ions such as hydrochloric acid or sodium chloride, which helps reduce anode polarization and prevents striated deposits from forming. Variations of the acid copper electrolyte include general-purpose baths, high-throw baths, and high-speed baths. The high-throw and high-speed baths are used when greater throwing power and faster plating rates are required, including for printed circuit board fabrication where high throw is required to plate the low-current-density areas in the through holes. • Suppressors (also known as inhibitors or carriers) (typically polyethers such as polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol) • Accelerators (also known as brighteners) (typically thiols or disulfides such as 3-Mercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid or bis-(3-sodium sulfopropyl) disulfide) • Levelers (examples include dyes such as Janus Green B, Alcian Blue, and Diazine Black) Without these additives, copper will preferentially deposit on the surface near the top of the vias instead of inside the vias due to the lower local current density inside the vias, leading to top-down via filling and undesirable voids. The suppressor inhibits plating near the top of the via and the surface, while the brightener accelerates plating near the bottom of the via. The leveler helps prevent buildup at the via opening and creates a smoother surface finish. Acid fluoroborate Copper fluoroborate baths are similar to acid sulfate baths, but they use fluoroborate as the anion rather than sulfate. Pyrophosphate baths contain cupric pyrophosphate as a source of copper(II) ions, potassium pyrophosphate as a source of free pyrophosphate that increases bath conductivity and helps with anode dissolution, ammonia for increased anode dissolution and deposit grain refinement, and a source of nitrate ions such as potassium or ammonium nitrate to decrease cathode polarization and increase the maximum allowed current density. When the bath is made up, the copper pyrophosphate and potassium pyrophosphate react to form a complex, [K6Cu(P2O7)2], which dissociates to form the Cu(P2O7)26− anion from which copper deposits. Variations of the pyrophosphate electrolyte include general-purpose baths, strike baths, and printed circuit baths. Printed circuit baths typically contain organic additives to improve ductility and throwing power. In pyrophosphate baths, orthophosphate ions are formed from the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate and tend to build up in the electrolyte over time, which presents maintenance challenges. Orthophosphate ions decrease bath throwing power and deposit ductility at concentrations above 40–60 g/L, and they lead to lower solution conductivity, banded deposits, and lower bright current density range at concentrations beyond 100 g/L. Orthophosphate is removed from the bath by either doing partial bails and dilutions or by completely dumping and remaking the bath. ==Current control==

It is important to control the current to produce the smoothest copper surface possible. With a higher current, hydrogen bubbles will form on the item to be plated, leaving surface imperfections. Often various other chemicals are added to improve plating uniformity and brightness. These additives can be anything from dish soap to proprietary compounds. Without some form of additive, it is almost impossible to obtain a smooth plated surface. The surface formed always needs to be polished to achieve a shine. As formed it has a matte luster. == Applications ==

Excluding the continuous strip plating industry, copper is the second most commonly plated metal after nickel. Copper plating is also used for minting currency. Engineering applications Copper electroplating sees widespread usage in the manufacture of electrical and electronic devices, owing to copper's high electrical conductivity – it is the second-most electrically conductive metal after silver. Copper is electroplated onto printed circuit boards to add metal to the through holes and fabricate the board's conductive circuit traces. This is done either through a subtractive process where copper is plated as a blanket unpatterned layer that is subsequently etched with a patterned mask to form the desired circuitry (panel plating), or through an additive or semi-additive process where a patterned mask that exposes the desired circuitry is applied to the board followed by copper plating onto the unmasked circuit areas (pattern plating). Copper is also used to plate steel wire for electrical cabling applications. As a soft metal, copper is also malleable and so has the inherent flexibility to maintain adhesion even if a substrate is subject to being bent and manipulated post plating. When electroplated, copper provides a smooth and even coverage which therefore provides an excellent base for additional coating or plating processes. Corrosion resistance is another advantage to copper. Although copper is not as effective at resisting corrosion as nickel and so is commonly used as a base layer for nickel if enhanced corrosion protection is needed; typically the case for materials that are required to work in marine and subsea environments. Lastly, copper has anti-bacterial properties and so is used in some medical applications. == See also ==