Plated material and manufacturing method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11072866-B2
Application number	US-201816493539-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2018
Priority date	Apr 14, 2017
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

An electroplated article includes a base member that includes one or more base member-metallic elements; and an electroplated layer that is formed directly on the base member. The electroplated layer includes at least a first electroplated layer-metallic element and a second electroplated layer-metallic element that is different from the first electroplated layer-metallic element. The second electroplated layer-metallic element is a metallic element that is identical to at least one of the one or more base member-metallic elements. A ratio of the second electroplated layer-metallic element in the electroplated layer is continuously decreased as being away from the base member in the thickness direction of the electroplated layer. Alloy grains including at least the first and second electroplated layer-metallic elements are distributed in the electroplated layer such that a clear interface is not formed between the base member and the electroplated layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electroplated article comprising:
a base member that includes one or more base member-metallic elements; and
an electroplated layer that is formed directly on the base member, the electroplated layer including at least a first electroplated layer-metallic element and a second electroplated layer-metallic element that is different from the first electroplated layer-metallic element, wherein
the second electroplated layer-metallic element is a metallic element that is identical to at least one of the one or more base member-metallic elements,
a ratio of the second electroplated layer-metallic element in the electroplated layer is continuously decreased as being away from the base member in a thickness direction of the electroplated layer, and
a plurality of alloy grains including at least the first and second electroplated layer-metallic elements are distributed in the electroplated layer such that the base member and the electroplated layer appear continuous in a first TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) image with a magnification of 200,000, and wherein at least one of following conditions is satisfied;
(a) the electroplated layer includes a region where the alloy grains, each having a width equal to or less than 100 nm are formed; and
(b) an average area of the alloy grains is equal to or less than 1000 nm 2 , wherein an average area of each alloy grain is determined as a value of half an area of a rectangular frame applied around a respective alloy grain observable in a second TEM image with a magnification of 1,000,000.

2. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein the electroplated layer includes at least one alloy grain that has a width equal to or less than 25 nm.

3. The electroplated article according to claim 2 , wherein (i) the at least one alloy grain has a width equal to or less than 25 nm is observable in the second TEM image in which an arrangement of metal atoms is observable or (ii) the at least one alloy grain has a width equal to or less than 25 nm is formed in an initial growth region in the electroplated layer.

4. The electroplated article according to claim 3 , wherein the initial growth region is a region located within 50 nm from a region that shows an arrangement of metal atoms of the base member in the second TEM image.

5. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein the average area of the alloy grains calculated in said (b) is equal to or less than 500 nm 2 .

6. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein a maximum area of the alloy grains calculated in said (b) is equal to or less than 700 nm 2 .

7. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein the electroplated layer does not include coarse grains, said coarse grains having a width greater than 100 nm.

8. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein the electroplated layer does not include coarse grains, said coarse grains having a width greater than 150 nm.

9. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein a result of X-ray diffraction of the electroplated layer shows a diffraction peak shifted from a diffraction peak angle identified based on ICDD card of an alloy having the same composition as the alloy included in the electroplated layer.

10. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein (i) a thickness of a portion of the electroplated layer where the ratio of the second electroplated layer-metallic element is continuously decreased as being away from the base member in the thickness direction of the electroplated layer is equal to or greater than 10 nm or (ii) a thickness of a portion of the electroplated layer where the ratio of the second electroplated layer-metallic element is continuously decreased as being away from the base member in the thickness direction of the electroplated layer is equal to or less than 80 nm.

11. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the first electroplated layer-metallic element at a surface of the electroplated layer is less than 100%.

12. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the electroplated layer is equal to or less than 150 nm.

13. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein the electroplated layer has an opposite surface that is opposite to the base member, and wherein decrease of the ratio of the second electroplated layer-metallic element in the electroplated layer continues up to the opposite surface or to proximity of the opposite surface in the thickness direction of the electroplated layer.

14. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein
the base member includes a plurality of base member-metallic elements, and the electroplated layer includes a plurality of second electroplated layer-metallic elements, and wherein
ratio of each second electroplated layer-metallic element in the electroplated layer is continuously decreased as being away from the base member in the thickness direction of the electroplated layer.

15. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the first electroplated layer-metallic element in the electroplated layer is decreased as being closer to the base member in the thickness direction of the electroplated layer.

16. The electroplated article according to claim 1 , wherein (i) the base member is a metal or an alloy at least including copper as the base member-metallic element or (ii) the electroplated layer is a metal or an alloy at least including tin as the first electroplated layer-metallic element.

17. A method of manufacturing electroplated articles comprising:
supplying, into an electroplating tank, base members each of which including one or more base member-metallic elements; and
flowing the base members in a circumference direction and electroplating the base members in the electroplating tank so that an electroplated layer is formed directly on the base member, the electroplated layer including at least a first electroplated layer-metallic element and a second electroplated layer-metallic element that is different from the first electroplated layer-metallic element, wherein
the second electroplated layer-metallic element is a metallic element that is identical to at least one of the one or more base member-metallic elements,
a ratio of the second electroplated layer-metallic element in the electroplated layer is continuously decreased as being away from the base member in a thickness direction of the electroplated layer, and
a plurality of alloy grains including at least the first and second electroplated layer-metallic elements are distributed in the electroplated layer such that the base member and the electroplated layer appear continuous in a first TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) image with a magnification of 200,000, and wherein at least one of following conditions is satisfied;
(a) the electroplated layer includes a region where the alloy grains, each have a width equal to or less than 100 nm; and
(b) an average area of the alloy grains is equal to or less than 1000 nm 2 , wherein an average area of each alloy grain is determined as a value of half an area of a rectangular frame applied around a respective alloy grain observable in a second TEM image with a magnification of 1,000,000.

Assignees

• Ykk Corp

Inventors

• Iimori Masayuki
• Takeda Ryosuke

Classifications

• C25D17/18

  having closed containers · CPC title

• C25D5/625

  Discontinuous layers, e.g. microcracked layers · CPC title

• C25D5/617

  Crystalline layers · CPC title

• C25D3/60

  containing more than 50% by weight of tin · CPC title

• C25D3/56

  of alloys · CPC title