Design rules for electroforming in the LIGA process

Design rules for electroforming that avoid design flaws are presented. The physical background and interlink to the perceptions in the literature that sum up those rules are outlined. The characteristic dimensionless groups that are needed to identify the regime at which each electroforming process is run are summarized so that the relevance of each design rule can be determined. It is also shown how image possessing helps to visualize design flaws quickly, i.e., without the effort of a full simulation. All design rules do not rely on the details of the galvanic bath, but only on the knowledge of the flow regime and plating regime. Thus a first step to a simple design evaluation for the nonexpert is outlined. (C) 2004 The Electrochemical Society.