Numerical Simulation of High-Aspect-Ratio Micro-Hole Electroforming with External Magnetic Field

In this paper, the influences of applied magnetic field on flow state during electroforming of the high-aspect-ratio (HAR) blind micro-hole were numerically analyzed using the Fluent software. The results showed that, when microelectroforming of nickel without external agitation, three vortexes could form due to the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect within the HAR micro-hole with magnetic field in parallel to cathode-electrode surface, and the flow rate in the micro-hole increased with the increase of the magnetic field and current density. The MHD effect helped to enhance mass transfer during the microelectroforming of HAR microstructures.