Modeling Plated Metal

Plated metal can be modeled in Sonnet by stacking two or more thick metal conductors directly on top of each other as illustrated below with a stack of two different metals.

Independent properties can be defined for each individual layer of metal in the stackup. The analysis engine, em, will precisely account for the unique properties and thickness of each metal layer as it computes the loss of the combined stackup of metals.

Please see the application note,   Modeling a Metal Plating Finishing Processfor a more thorough way of analyzing traces with plating on the sides of the conductor.