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42 The PCB Magazine • May 2014 Conclusions Experimental studies performed by the Func- tional Materials Applied Research Group at Cov- entry University have shown that the introduc- tion of low-frequency ultrasound to an electroless copper process has the potential to bring about many benefits in terms of increased plating rates, low temperature processing and grain structure re- finement. However it must be understood that ul- trasound can remove Pd from a catalysed substrate and therefore the sonication procedure must be optimised if these benefits are to be realised. Acknowledgements The authors wish to that the IeMRC and EP- SRC for funding this project and our consortium partners Graphic Circuits PLC, Solar Capture Technologies Ltd, Chestech Ltd, LSA Ltd, The ICT, The IMF, The SP Technical Research Insti- tute of Sweden and The Université de Franche- Compté. PCB References 1. A. J. Cobley, T. J. Mason and V. Saez, Trans. IMF 89, 7 (2011). 2. G. O. Mallory, Transactions of the Institute of Metal Finishing 56, 81 (1978). 3. M. Matsuoka and T. Hayashi, Metal Finish- ing 84, 27 (1986). 4. M. Y. Abyaneh, A. Sterritt and T. J. Mason, Journal of the Electrochemical Society 154, D467 (2007). 5. K. Kobayashi, A. Chiba and N. Minami, Ul- trasonics 38, 676 (2000). 6. F. Touyeras, J. Y. Hihn, S. Delalande, et al., Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 10, 363 (2003). 7. F. Touyeras, J. Y. Hihn, M. L. Doche, et al., Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 8, 285 (2001). Figure 3: electroless copper grain structure obtained using a plating temperature of 40°c. dr. andrew cobley is a reader in sonochemistry and materials at coventry university and director of the Functional materials applied research Group. He may be reached at a.cobley@coventry.ac.uk Bahaa abbas is a research associate in the Functional materials applied research Group at coventry university. azad Hussain is a research associate in the Functional materials applied research Group at coventry university. Bilal mkhlef is a former research associate in the Functional materials applied research Group at coventry university. He has now taken up another post. THE EFFECT OF LOW-FREqUENCY ULTRASOUND continues