Fabrication of patterned gold microstructure by selective electroless plating

Patterned gold microstructures on glass or Si wafers have been fabricated by a novel method which is composed of selective electroless plating and microcontact printing. This process may be widely used for the production of fine metal patterns in printed circuits or as a substrate to form patterned SAMs. In addition, these patterned metal microstructures can be readily transferred to adhesive tape surface to fabricate flexible metal microstructure, which may be applied in all-plastic circuit.     

Microwave-assisted activation for electroless nickel plating on PMMA microspheres

A novel microwave-assisted activation method for electroless plating on PMMA microspheres is presented in this study. When the microwave irradiation was applied during the activation step, the amount of the Pd species adsorbed on PMMA surfaces was much higher than that of sample pretreated with a conventional activation process without microwave irradiation. With this activation method, it was also shown that the adsorbed Pd species with a size of 4-6 nm were uniformly distributed on the surfaces of the PMMA microspheres, thus a smooth and uniform nickel-phosphorus coating on the PMMA microspheres was obtained by subsequent electroless plating. The samples after each step were characterized by XPS, TEM, ICP and SEM.     

磁性ICF玻璃靶丸的化学镀工艺

 采用化学镀工艺在ICF玻璃靶丸表面包覆了一层磁性的Ni-P合金镀层,制备出磁性ICF玻璃靶丸。研究了化学镀主盐质量浓度、还原剂质量浓度、络合剂质量浓度、施镀温度及镀液pH值对沉积速率与镀液稳定性的影响,获得了化学镀制备磁性ICF玻璃靶丸的最佳工艺为：主盐硫酸镍30 g/L,还原剂次亚磷酸钠30 g/L,络合剂柠檬酸钠50 g/L,pH值10,温度(40±2) ℃。     

磁性ICF靶丸的化学镀工艺制备与表征

 采用化学镀工艺在ICF聚苯乙烯靶丸表面包覆了一层磁性的Ni-P合金镀层,并分别用扫描电子显微镜、能谱仪、X射线衍射仪以及振动样品磁强计对其形貌、组成、结构和磁性能进行了表征。结果表明：通过化学镀工艺制备的Ni-P合金镀层厚度约为4 μm,且为非晶结构,并具有一定的磁性;该磁性ICF靶丸可望用来进行磁悬浮实验研究。最后,对聚苯乙烯靶丸表面磁性涂层的制备机理进行了讨论。     

Characteristics and electrochemical performance of Ni-coated ZnO prepared by an electroless plating process

ZnO was coated homogeneously with amorphous Ni film by an electroless plating process. After electroless Ni plating, transmission electron microscope (TEM) images and energy dispersive spectrometry spectra (EDS) of ZnO clearly indicated that Ni was coated on the surface of ZnO, the coatings and ZnO contacted enough. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution TEM showed that the Ni film on ZnO was amorphous. Electrochemical performance of Ni-coated ZnO was investigated by the galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling test. Compared to that of uncoated ZnO, the charging–discharging performance of Ni-coated ZnO was obviously improved, e.g. the average discharge capacity of the Ni-coated ZnO increased 71.5% at the stage of stable cycling test.     

空腔铜靶的化学镀制研究

 介绍了在预处理芯轴(聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯)表面采用化学镀的方法制备铜空腔的技术,研究了镀液中硫酸铜含量、甲醛含量,镀液pH值、温度等对化学镀铜沉积速率和溶液稳定性的影响。根据实验确定了适宜的化学镀铜工艺规范：硫酸铜质量浓度10~20 g/L,TART·K·Na质量浓度10~30 g/L,EDTA·2Na质量浓度10~28 g/L,甲醛体积浓度10~25 mL/L,添加剂质量浓度10 mg/L,pH值12~13,温度35~65 ℃。通过该工艺制备出的镀层厚度达到10～25 μm,均匀性达到95%,表面无砂眼、裂纹等缺陷,刻蚀芯轴后空腔能自持。该方法为ICF研究制备金属或合金材料靶提供了新的途径。     

Incorporation of nano zinc oxide for improvement of electroless nickel plating

The advantages of electroless nickel plating (EN) include excellent corrosion resistance, wear resistance, solderability, low porosity and uniform thickness even on complex parts and ability to plate on nonconductors. In the present study nano ZnO particles were synthesized by using an electrochemical technique and incorporated the particles into Ni-P plates. An alkaline bath was selected and used for nano zinc oxide incorporation. The electrochemical and metallurgical properties of the Ni-nano ZnO-P plates were evaluated and compared with that of the un-reinforced Ni-P plates. The incorporation of the nano ZnO particles resulted in improvement of metallurgical and corrosion resistance characteristics of the plates.     

Influence of surface treatment on the electroless nickel plating of textile fabric

The present study is performed with an objective to acquire a deeper understanding of the properties of nickel-plated polyester fabric after conducing low temperature plasma treatment. Low temperature plasma treatment with oxygen and argon gases was employed to render a hydrophilic property of woven polyester fabrics and facilitate the absorption of a palladium catalyst in order to provide a catalytic surface for electroless nickel plating. The properties of plasma-induced electroless nickel-plated polyester fabrics were evaluated by various standard testing methods in terms of both physical and chemical performances.     

Improvement of copper plating adhesion on silane modified PET film by ultrasonic-assisted electroless deposition

Copper thin film on silane modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate was fabricated by ultrasonic-assisted electroless deposition. The composition and topography of copper plating PET films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Peel adhesion strength, as high as 16.7 N/cm, was achieved for the planting copper layer to the modified PET substrate with ultrasonic-assisted deposition; however, a relative low value as 11.9 N/cm was obtained for the sample without ultrasonic vibration by the same measurement. The electrical conductivity of Cu film was changed from 7.9 × 10⁴ to 2.1 × 10⁵ S/cm by using ultrasonic technique. Ultrasonic operation has the significant merits of fast deposition and formation of good membranes for electroless deposition of Cu on PET film.     

Low-phosporous nickel-coated carbon microcoils: Controlling microstructure through an electroless plating process

Carbon microcoils (CMCs) have been coated with a nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) film using an electroless plating process, with sodium hypophosphite as a reducing agent in an alkaline bath. CMC composites have potential applications as microwave absorption materials. The morphology, elemental composition and phases in the coating layer of the CMCs and Ni-coated CMCs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The effects of process parameters such as pH, temperature and coating time of the plating bath on the phosphorus content and deposition rate of the electroless Ni-P coating were studied. The results revealed that a continuous, uniform and low-phosphorous nickel coating was deposited on the surface of the CMCs for 20 min at pH 9.0, plating bath temperature 70 °C. The as-deposited coatings with approximately 4.5 wt.% phosphorus were found to consist of a mix of nano- and microcrystalline phases. The mean particle size of Ni-P nanoparticles on the outer surface of the CMCs was around 11.9 nm. The deposition rate was found to moderately increase with increasing pH, whereas, the phosphorous content of the deposit exhibited a significant decrease. Moreover, the material of the coating underwent a phase transition between an amorphous and a crystalline structure. The thickness of the deposit and the deposition rate may be controlled through careful variation of the coating time and plating bath temperature.     

A novel process for electroless nickel plating on anodized magnesium alloy

In this paper, a novel palladium-free activation electroless nickel (EN) plating process, by which a TiB₂ powders contained intermediate film was used as catalyst, was introduced for anodized magnesium alloy AZ91D. The corrosion behavior of AZ91D without and with coating was compared and the bonding strength of the EN plating to the substrate was also measured. The results showed that the EN plating could easily take place on the intermediate catalytic layer, directly on which a smooth and compact Ni–P alloy layer without obvious flaws, about 20 μm thickness, was successfully deposited. The catalytic function was principally from TiB₂ powder. The adhesive tensile test indicated a good bonding strength of about 11 MPa between the substrate and the catalytic layer. An obvious passivation range and higher E_corr (−0.323 V) for the EN plating during anodic polarization in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, implied a typical character of a compact Ni–P alloy layer, with an effective protection for the substrate.     

Qualitative electroless Ni/Au plating considerations for the solder mask on top of sequential build-up layers

Advanced printed circuit boards (PCBs) with sequential build-up (SBU) layers require alternating dielectric and copper layers on top of a core substrate. This can be achieved by lamination of resin coated copper (RCC) or by coating of dielectric polymers followed by copper deposition. The plating of electroless Ni/Au used as a solderability preservative on top of sequential build-up layers is investigated. For this application a solder mask polymer has to be applied in order to separate solder pads. Experiments showed that on parts of the underlying build-up layer exposed to the electroless Ni plating solution electroless Ni can grow. This overplating is caused by the remains of colloidal Pd/Sn catalyst on top of the build-up layer from preceding electroless Cu deposition. At very small features skipping of the plating can also take place. The overplating and skipping phenomena are influenced by a number of parameters, such as the temperature, the concentration of the stabilizer and pH. The dimensions of features on the board and the thickness of the solder-mask polymer also influence skipping. Based on qualitative analyses of the skipping and overplating phenomena rules of thumb for the solder mask design based on the plating conditions are proposed.     

Preparation and microwave absorption properties of electroless Co-P-coated nickel hollow spheres

Co-P-coated nickel hollow spheres (NHSs) were prepared by electroless plating technology. The morphology and component content of Co-P coating varies with the change of sodium citrate concentration in elctroless plating solution. And as phosphorus content increases in coatings, resulting in smaller grain, coercivity of microspheres decreases. The microwave absorption properties of spheres-wax composite were investigated in the range of 2-18 GHz. Both permittivity and permeability increase with an increase of cobalt content in coatings. For composite layer, a minimal reflection loss (RL, −36.9 dB) of was predicted at 8.1 GHz with a thickness of 3 mm.     

Preparation and microwave absorption properties of electroless Co-Ni-P coated strontium ferrite powder

A new type of Co-Ni-P coated strontium ferrite nanocomposite was prepared with electroless plating enhanced by ultrasonic wave at room temperature. The plating process was studied carefully. The morphology, crystal structure and microwave absorption properties of the Co-Ni-P coated powder were studied with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDX) and vector network analyzer. The results show that the strontium ferrite powder was successfully coated with Co-Ni-P alloy and possesses excellent microwave absorption properties. The maximum microwave loss of the composite powder reaches −44.12 dB. The bandwidth with the loss above −10 dB exceeds 13.8 GHz.     

Experimental study of the voids in the electroless copper deposits and the direct measurement of the void fraction based on the scanning electron microscopy images

Electroless copper deposits were plated on epoxy substrates in various plating solutions at either a high operating temperature (60 °C) or a low one (45 °C). Cross section samples were made using epoxy resin cured in room temperature, and then ground, polished and over-etched. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the over-etched cross section samples show voids in low temperature deposits and solid structure in high temperature ones. The surface morphology images also indicated such structures in low temperature samples. The SEM image of the cross section of a stand-alone deposit prepared on stainless steel substrate shows similar voids observed on etched cross section samples on epoxy board substrates. An image processing program was written using MATLAB to identify the voids in the over-etched cross sections of the deposits from low temperature solutions and thus the void fraction can be directly measured and compared with the previously published simulation results.     

磁性ICF靶丸的化学镀工艺制备与表征

采用化学镀工艺在ICF聚苯乙烯靶丸表面包覆了一层磁性的Ni-P合金镀层,并分别用扫描电子显微镜、能谱仪、X射线衍射仪以及振动样品磁强计对其形貌、组成、结构和磁性能进行了表征。结果表明：通过化学镀工艺制备的Ni-P合金镀层厚度约为4 μm,且为非晶结构,并具有一定的磁性;该磁性ICF靶丸可望用来进行磁悬浮实验研究。最后,对聚苯乙烯靶丸表面磁性涂层的制备机理进行了讨论。     

Microstructure and electromagnetic characteristics of BaTiO3/Ni hybrid particles prepared by electroless plating

To improve the microwave absorption ability, hybrid particles containing both dielectric loss of BaTiO₃ and magnetic loss of Ni were fabricated via electroless Ni plating on BaTiO₃ particles. A continuous Ni coating was successfully covered on the surface of the BaTiO₃. The effect of the Ni content on complex permittivity, complex permeability, and microwave absorption properties of BaTiO₃/Ni hybrid particles was investigated. The real (?′) and imaginary (?″) parts of complex permittivity as well as imaginary part of complex permeability (μ″) were found to increase with an increase in Ni content, while the variation of the real part of complex permeability (μ′) with Ni content was non-linear. The microwave absorption performances could readily be tuned base on the changing Ni content of the hybrid particles. The optimal absorption performances were attained when the content of Ni reached 38.9 wt% in hybrid particles.     

空腔铜靶的化学镀制研究

介绍了在预处理芯轴(聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯)表面采用化学镀的方法制备铜空腔的技术,研究了镀液中硫酸铜含量、甲醛含量,镀液pH值、温度等对化学镀铜沉积速率和溶液稳定性的影响。根据实验确定了适宜的化学镀铜工艺规范：硫酸铜质量浓度10~20 g/L,TART·K·Na质量浓度10~30 g/L,EDTA·2Na质量浓度10~28 g/L,甲醛体积浓度10~25 mL/L,添加剂质量浓度10 mg/L,pH值12~13,温度35~65 ℃。通过该工艺制备出的镀层厚度达到10～25 μm,均匀性达到95%,表面无砂眼、裂纹等缺陷,刻蚀芯轴后空腔能自持。该方法为ICF研究制备金属或合金材料靶提供了新的途径。     

Growth behavior and magnetic property of electroless NiCoFeP films

The electroless NiCoFeP films were deposited on a silicon substrate in a bath containing Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, and Fe²⁺ ions with a concentration ratio of 1:1.9:1.2. These films were characterized by using transmission electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, and alternating gradient magnetometer for their microstructure, crystal structure, and magnetic properties. The result showed that the film deposited at the initial stage (about 10 s) consists of only one phase with a crystal structure of FCC Ni and a composition about Ni (69 at%), Co (19 at%), Fe (4 at%), and P (7 at%); The film deposited at the latter stage (about 30 s) consists of two phase, one is similar to that of initial stage and the other has crystal structure of HCP Co with a composition about Ni (35 at%), Co (44 at%), Fe (19 at%), and P (2 at%). The saturation magnetization and coercivity of electroless NiCoFeP films vary from 525 to 1546 emu/cm³ [0.68–2.01 T] and from 51.44 to 88.5 Oe [4.09–7.04 kA/m], respectively.     

Laser induced copper electroless plating on polyimide with Q-switch Nd:YAG laser

The results of laser induced deposition of copper on polyimide substrate from copper electrolyte solution are reported. Unlike most work reported in the literatures where CW Ar⁺ lasers were used, a second harmonic (532 nm wavelength) Q-switch Nd:YAG laser was used for our experiments. The deposition process was conducted by laser-catalyzing of the polyimide surface and subsequent photothermal-accelerated reduction of copper-complex ions in an alkaline reducing environment. The characteristics of the deposited copper line were investigated in terms of laser beam scanning speed, and the number of scans. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the deposited copper were analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDX). The optimum processing conditions have been identified. The copper deposit was found to adhere well to the substrate.