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Sludge on the anode in copper acid electroplating bath

September 12, 2009

Hi, I am using standard acid electroplating chemistry in a commercial fountain head plating tool to deposit copper on various ceramic substrates. I get too much sludge on the phosphorized anode which eventually peels off and contaminate the bath. All the composition and chemical additions were recommended by the plating bath manufacturer (Rohm&Hass). Current density is ~1.3A/dm2. My questions are:
a) can I use poly pro anode bags to keep the sludge out of the plating bath solution?
b) will the use of the anode bag drift the plating process
c) how often I need to replace the bags
d) is too much sludge on the anode due to higher plating current density and/or higher organic concentration?
e) I use 1.9A/dm2 to burn-in the anode, after cleaning. Is it too high that the initial sludge layer is not sticking to the copper anode?
f) could there be any temperature effect?
sorry for asking too many questions, but any feedback will be helpful.

Ravi Vidudala
student - Los Angeles, California, USA