A Simulation Of The Influence Of Corrosive Agents In Electrodeposition On Microprofiles

Using a numerical simulation, the effect of: corrosive agents consumed at the transport-limited rate on developing metal deposit profiles is characterized as a function of the relative rates of corrosion and electrodeposition; the relative importance of ohmic and kinetic resistances in determining the current distribution; and the geometry of the system. Corrosive agents are shown to blunt sharp features even for current efficiencies as high as 99%. Significant leveling is demonstrated if the current distribution is dominated by charge transfer kinetics and the rate of corrosion is on the order of the rate of electrodeposition.