Investigation of the mechanism of nickel electroless deposition on functionalized self-assembled monolayers

We have investigated the seedless electroless deposition (ELD) of Ni on functionalized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) using scanning electron and optical microscopies, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. For all SAMs studied, the Ni deposition rate is dependent on the bath pH, deposition temperature, and complexing agent. In contrast to the physical vapor deposition of Ni on SAMs, electrolessly deposited Ni does not penetrate through the SAM. This behavior indicates that ELD is a suitable technique for the deposition of low-to-moderate reactivity on organic thin films. We demonstrate that Ni can be selectively deposited on SAMs using two different methods. First, selectivity can be imparted by the formation of Ni(II)-surface complexes. As a demonstration, we selectively deposited Ni on the -COOH terminated SAM areas of patterned -COOH/-CH(3) or -COOH/-OH terminated SAMs. Here, Ni(2+) ions form Ni(2+)-carboxylate complexes with the -COOH terminal group, which comprise the nucleation sites for subsequent metal deposition. Second, we demonstrate that nickel is selectively deposited on the -CH(3) terminated SAM areas of a patterned -OH/-CH(3) terminated SAM. In this case, the Ni(2+) ion does not specifically interact with the -CH(3) terminal group. Rather, selectivity is imparted by the interaction of the reductant, dimethylamine borane (DMAB), with the -OH and -CH(3) terminal groups.