Valerie Webber
03/13/98 10:29 AM
Ok, bear with me as I am new to this e-mail forum thing.  This is my first
attempt at posting.

I would like information on the effects plating has on the current
distribution throughout my conductor.  For example, say I have two 40 um
traces with 40 um space between edges sitting on a dielectric.  I'm using a
copper alloy of only 40% IACS.  Now I throw 3 um of gold plating (78% IACS)
on the 3 exposed sides of my traces.

What is the distribution of current through this multi-layer conductor?
How does this distribution change with increasing frequency?
Is there a non-conductive barrier between the copper and the plating?
Trace pitch has stayed the same, but edge-to-edge spacing and trace
cross-section have changed.  Do I use the plated configuration in my RLC
calculations?
Is there modeling software suited for this?  I have a 2-d FEA package
(Ansoft), but it does not seem to handle 2 conductors sharing a boundary.
Maybe it does, but I'm doing something wrong?

I would appreciate being pointed in the direction of any literature,
experts, etc. that have investigated this issue.

Valerie Webber

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