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22 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2020 Feature by Bill Bowerman and Rich Bellemare MACDERMID ALPHA ELECTRONICS SOLUTIONS William Bowerman and Richard Bellemare from MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions address the proliferation of chemistries on the market and how to make sense of them, es- pecially when it comes to matching capabili- ties, throwing power, and addressing the spe- cific needs of today's cutting-edge fabrication requirements. Here, they provide an overview of plating chemistries in a Q&A format. 1. How many different acid copper plating chemistries are available around the world? There are quite a few different types of acid copper plating chemistries offered throughout the world. The types of chemistries offered has increased over the years to deliver on the ev- er-constant technological advances required to miniaturize and densify electronic circuit- ry. The development of new types of plating chemistries is driven by the new and finer fea- tures needed to provide the necessary inter- connects and signal routing for these more ad- vanced electronics. In general, acid copper plating chemistries can be divided into the following nine catego- ries: 1. Conventional DC Plating These chemistries are generally older tech- nologies for the plating of fairly simple boards with simple features, such as low aspect ra- tio through-holes and large line widths and spaces. 2. High-Throw DC Plating These chemistries are advancements of con- ventional DC plating, stretching the capabili- ties of conventional plating to higher aspect ratio work of approximately 12:1. The use of these baths is still relegated to relatively sim- ple boards, as the limited throwing power Making Sense of Plating Chemistries