Roland Herold wrote:

> Welcome to wherever you are,
> I prepare a specification guide for my company and want know, which
> "official" standards/specifications are existing or be useing for
> measuring the thickness of plating the copper thickness in plated
> through holes.
> IPC and MIL are specifying only to measure at three different location
>
> in the hole. To compare electrolytic copper plating I have heard that
> there are specifications where to measure exactly (e.g. 25 micron
> beneath the copper clad etc.)
> Can anyone give me a short hint, were I can find such a specification
> and which name it has?
>
> Many thanks in advance
> Roland Herold
> ATOTECH Deutschland GmbH
> Germany
>
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 Roland,
I don't know about such a standard, but:
-The electrolytic copper you want to measure is above, not beneath the
cladding, on pads and conductors.
Inside the hole you measure practically only your deposited electrolytic
copper, and the minimum thickness is what is most important.
The measuring location is dependent on what you see by examining the
cross section.
If you want to know what copper thickness you have reached in the holes
after your deposition process, without cross sectioning, you can use an
instrument known in the industry as"caviderm" , but different companies
call it with their brand names, which measure the copper thickness
either by resistivity or by eddy current.
Two companies I know of are VEECO and CMI.
You get an average thickness, but some of the can give also an
indication of voids and plating defects.
They can be used also on solder finished boards with less accuracy.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION TOO:
IS IT POSSIBLE TO USE SUCH INSTRUMENTS ON OSP COATED BOARS OR NI/AU
PLATED BOARDS?

Gaby

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