Method for depositing a first metallic layer onto non-conductive polymers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015368806-A1
Application number	US-201414765594-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 15, 2014
Priority date	Feb 13, 2013
Publication date	Dec 24, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to the etching, activation and deposition of a first metal or metal alloy layer onto non-conductive polymers. The non-conductive polymer is etched with an aqueous solution comprising 0.75 to 3.6 g/l permanganate ions in 60 to 80 vol.-% sulfuric acid, activating with a solution comprising a noble metal and depositing a first metal or metal alloy by immersion-type or electroless (autocatalytic) plating. The first metal or metal alloy layer obtained has a high adhesion on the non-conductive polymer and serves as a plating base for electroplating further metal and/or metal alloy layer(s) thereon.

First claim

1 . A method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer comprising, in this order, the steps of
(i) providing a non-conductive polymer, (ii) contacting the non-conductive polymer with an etching solution comprising 0.75 to 3.6 g/l permanganate ions in 60 to 80 vol.-% sulfuric acid, (iii) contacting the etched non-conductive polymer with an activator solution comprising a noble metal and (iv) depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer by a wet-chemical method onto the activated non-conductive polymer.

2 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the non-conductive polymer is selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polycarbonates, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer-polycarbonate blends, polyamide and epoxy resins.

3 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the temperature of the etching solution ranges from 10 to 40° C.

4 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the source of permanganate ions is selected from the group consisting of alkaline- and alkaline earth-metal permanganates.

5 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the source of permanganate ions is selected from the group consisting of sodium permanganate and potassium permanganate.

6 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the etching solution further comprises phosphoric acid.

7 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the density of the etching solution is adjusted with phosphoric acid to a range of 1.70 to 1.82 g/ml.

8 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the noble metal is selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum and mixtures thereof.

9 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the activator solution is an aqueous solution comprising palladium ions.

10 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 9 wherein the concentration of palladium ions ranges from 10 to 500 mg/l.

11 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive according to claim 1 wherein the activator solution is an aqueous solution comprising colloidal palladium.

12 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 11 wherein the concentration of the colloidal palladium ranges from 50 to 500 mg/l.

13 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the first metal layer is deposited by electroless (-autocatalytic-) plating or immersion-type plating.

14 . The method for depositing a first metal or metal alloy layer onto a non-conductive polymer according to claim 1 wherein the first metal or metal alloy layer is selected from copper, nickel and nickel alloys.

Assignees

• Atotech Deutschland Gmbh

Inventors

• Naruskevicius Leonas
• Baranauskas Mykolas
• Tamasauskaite Loreta Tamasiunaite
• Gyliene Ona

Classifications

• C23C18/30

  Activating {or accelerating or sensitising with palladium or other noble metal} · CPC title

• C09K13/04

  containing an inorganic acid · CPC title

• C23C18/168

  Control of temperature, e.g. temperature of bath, substrate · CPC title

• C23C18/22 Primary

  Roughening, e.g. by etching · CPC title

• C23C18/24 Primary

  using acid aqueous solutions · CPC title