1. Main types of pulsed electrical regimes used

When electroplating a metal with direct current, the operator can only control one electrical parameter: current density or cathode potential, which are univocally linked in steady state.

Electrically modulated electroplating provides additional parameters: signal shape, frequency, amplitude... which, in principle, make the process more versatile. However, empirical optimization of a complex signal can only lead to a result that cannot be transposed from one metal deposit to another, and leaves the operator at a loss when faced with an unusual malfunction.

• For this reason, the modulated electrical regimes recommended in the literature are generally simple in form. The most common are shown in figure 1 :

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