A New Approach on the Active Treatment for Electroless Copper Plating on Glass
Abstract
A new method is described for the electroless deposition of copper onto glass. Commercially available glass slide was modified with μ-amimopropyltrimethoxysilane to form self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on it. Then it was dipped directly into PdCl2 solution instead of the conventional SnCl2 sensitization followed by PdCl2 activation. Experimental results showed that the Pd2+ ions from PdCl2 solution were coordinated to the ammo groups on the glass surface resulting in the formation of N—Pd complex. In an electroless copper bath containing a formaldehyde reducing agent, the N—Pd complexes were reduced to Pd0 atoms, which then acted as catalysts and initiated the deposition of copper metal. Although the copper deposition rate on SAM-modified glass was slow at the beginning, it reached to that of conventional method in about 5 min.
