TOC Determination in Electroplating Bath Solutions by UV Digestion

This document is an application note detailing the automated total organic carbon (TOC) quality control of plating baths using robust UV persulfate oxidation. It outlines the challenges in measuring TOC concentrations in plating baths with high matrix loads, such as those containing copper, chromium, nickel, and palladium. The note describes the electroplating process, emphasizing the importance of maintaining optimal specifications for bath solutions to prevent efficiency losses due to changes in constituents. The document presents the methodology for TOC determination, highlighting the advantages of wet chemical UV digestion over catalytic combustion methods, especially in aggressive matrices. It details the materials and methods used, including the calibration process and instrumentation settings for the TOC analyzer multi N/C 4300 UV. The results section summarizes the mean values and relative standard deviations of TOC measurements from various samples, demonstrating the analytical performance of the UV digestion technique. The conclusion emphasizes the effectiveness of the multi N/C 4300 UV for TOC analyses in challenging environments.