Maintaining the continuous high quality of LDS components during production requires reliable measurement and testing technology. The monitoring of chemical coatings was recently investigated as part of the “Measurement and testing technology for laser-based production of multifunctional 3D packages” project (MELAM-3D) funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) via the project organizer VDI/VDE-IT.
 
This involved the development of a special measuring technique by HSG-IMAT and Schaal Oberflächen & Systems which enables very precise control of the light-off behavior of the copper electrolytes. A special sensor is immersed in the copper electrolyte to measure the impedance. This quickly gives users a measurement of the status of the copper electrolyte.

The new testing method can replace on additional test substrates the previously frequently employed layer-thickness measurement method using X-ray fluorescence analysis, which was only of limited use in providing a quick test of the copper electrolytes – and in the worst cases could lead to a loss of the substrate intended for metallization. X-ray fluorescence analysis is now only used to determine the thickness of the complete metal coat of the LDS components. The new measurement system proved highly reliable when tested under production conditions.