Generally, it is best to have a dedicated plating cell for panel plating. Keep anode-to-cathode distance as great as possible (12 inches is good), have very good agitation. Plenty anodes, but you will find an A:C area ratio of close to 1:1 or 1.5:1 (as opposed to the standard of 2:1) will work best to prevent copper buildup in solution. I believe a high acid/low Cu solution is preferred (it's been awhile). Additional theiving around the part will most likely be necessary but much can be done with shields in the solution. A standard part size is helpful. Your will find that all of the mechanical means of controlling surface thickness have far greater effect than the chemistry. For horizontal electro-plating, contact Schering in State College. I believe they are the experts for that. Regarding the tent and etch part, starting with half ounce Cu would of course make good sense. Cleanliness during resist coat/lamination and registration for imaging are essential, read critical. A well-tuned-in etching process makes good sense, too. If the pads are so small, there are alternative processes to dry film tenting - such as electrodeposited resist. An ED resist completely coats the walls of the plated vias. A positive-acting ED resist means that it develops off where it sees UV light and does not where it does not - such as in the vias. I have seen grossly misregistered parts, such that the pad is only across half the hole, yet the plating in the hole remained completely intact after etching - because it was protected by an ED resist. And, yes, 5/5 should be quite doable and so should 2/2, but not without well-tuned processes and a clean operation. Patty [log in to unmask] ---------- From: Joel Fillion To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [TN] Plating Date: Wednesday, July 22, 1998 11:51AM Hello Dick, It is definitely possible. However, it is extremely important to properly control plating parameters that effect plating distribution. Also, depending on how well you control the process, you may have to use excessive border around the panel to isolate the circuits from your high current density area (robbers). Good Luck At 11:13 AM 7/22/98 EDT, you wrote: >Technetters > > Is it possible to produce 5/5 technology with a panel plate tent and etch > process ? Also, what are the strengths and weaknesses of horizontal plating >processes ? Can anyone provide me with info on horizontal electro plating ? > Thanks for your help > >Dick Desrosiers > >################################################################ >TechNet E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c >################################################################ >To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: >To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TechNet <your full name> >To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TechNet >################################################################ >Please visit IPC's web site (http://www.ipc.org) "On-Line Services" section for additional information. >For technical support contact Hugo Scaramuzza at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.312 >################################################################ > > > ################################################################ TechNet E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ################################################################ To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TechNet <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TechNet ################################################################ Please visit IPC's web site (http://www.ipc.org) "On-Line Services" section for additional information. For technical support contact Hugo Scaramuzza at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.312 ################################################################ ################################################################ TechNet E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ################################################################ To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TechNet <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TechNet ################################################################ Please visit IPC's web site (http://www.ipc.org) "On-Line Services" section for additional information. For technical support contact Hugo Scaramuzza at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.312 ################################################################