Depending on the probe it operates at the frequencies of 60 kHz, 240 kHz or 1.25 MHz.

Copper thickness measurement on pc-boards

The PHASCOPE PMP10 is suited for the thickness measurement of

• copper cladding, even under solder resist, on pc-boards with probe ESD20Cu. Operating at a measurement frequency of either 60 kHz or 240 kHz, allows for optimization to the current application.
• copper plating in through-holes of pc-boards with probe ESL080.

The patented probe design is such that the induced eddy currents flow along the longitudinal axis of the copper sleeve. Thus any intermediate copper board layers have no influence on the measurement and the annular ring size has only a very small influence.

For the calibration of the PHASCOPE PMP10 to the pc-board application a copper standard board as well as a calibration board are required. Data can be printed out on an optional printer.

Thickness measurement of metallic coatings on ferrous, non-ferrous metallic or electrically non-conductive parts

For quality control, the thicknesses of copper coatings on pc-boards are measured repeatedly on random samples. Manufacturers of pc-boards prefer user-friendly and handy instruments, because these measurements are often carried out during the manufacturing process directly at the electrolytic bath. However, thus far, two different instruments were required for measuring the copper thickness on the surface of the pc-board and in the boreholes. Now users have a more user-friendly and cost-effective option by using the portable instrument PHASCOPE® PMP10. It operates according to the phase-sensitive eddy current method. It allows for the measurement of the coating thicknesses on the surface and in boreholes with one single instrument. The measurement probe ESD20Cu is used to measure copper coatings with thicknesses of up to 270 µm on the surface of pc-boards. Because of the phase sensitive eddy current method, this is also possible even through solder resist. Depending on the copper thickness, a selection can be made between measurement frequencies of 60 kHz or 240 kHz in order to optimize the measurement accuracy. The measurement probe ESL080 is used to measure the copper coating thickness in boreholes. A needle-shaped measuring element is inserted into the borehole to be inspected. Eddy currents are induced in the copper sheath. The strengths of the eddy currents, measured and evaluated by the instrument, is a measure for the copper thickness. Through the patented shape of the measurement probe, these eddy currents flow in the longitudinal direction of the sheath such that interim copper layers, e.g., in multi-layer pc-boards, do not influence the measurement result. Due to its numerous advantages, the phase-sensitive eddy-current method will soon be standardized worldwide in ISO 21968. Users can already obtain the handy coating thickness measuring instrument PHASCOPE® PMP10 with its reproducible accuracy and suitability for practical applications for mobile applications in quality control on pc-boards.