Lutz Brandt

Adhesive enabling technology for directly plating copper onto glass/ceramic substrates

This study showcases that metal oxide adhesion promoters (MOAP) can function as strong adhesive layers between plated Cu and glass/ceramic. In this new approach a 10-200 nm thick metal oxide layer is deposited by a modified sol gel process followed by sintering. This enables reliable electroless and electrolytic metallization of glass or ceramic substrates. With the new approach, Cu can be plated on a variety of glass types. Substrate roughness appears to have only limited impact. The new approach also can be extended to ceramics such as Al2O3 and BaTiO3. Cu film of over 50 μm thickness can be deposited without delamination. Adhesion of 15 μm thick Cu layers as measured by 90° peel strength tests can achieve well above 5 N/cm. The plated layer stands up well to solder reflow shock (260°C) and HAST without significant loss of adhesion. Good coverage of the MOAP layer and excellent copper adhesion inside the via holes of patterned substrates have been also demonstrated. There is no indication of blockages of holes with diameters >20 μm by the process.

Adhesive enabling technology for directly plating metal on molding resin

This paper aims to introduce a new wet chemical process for adhesion enhancement of plated metal to epoxy molding compounds (EMC). The approach is based on an innovative combination of mechanical anchoring and chemical adhesion. The new approach broadens possible application ranges and replaces more limited processes such as sandblasting and sputtering, which have cost and technical drawbacks.

Chemical “kick start” for the autocatalytic formaldehyde‐free electroless copper plating process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of additives in formaldehyde‐free copper‐plating solutions with low reducing agent (RA) concentration to improve the start reaction of electroless copper deposition and to enable a copper‐plating process which is more environmentally friendly.Design/methodology/approach – Different additives were investigated and their influence on the plating reaction and deposition rate was elucidated using several deposition trials.Findings – On palladium‐activated base material, the additives reacted with the palladium and generated additional electrons in the initial phase of the deposition. Thus, the adequate supply of electrons from two sources (RA and additive) permits the deposition of a homogeneous and compact copper layer.Research limitations/implications – At the present time, formaldehyde is the established RA in the electroless copper metallization process used with plated through‐holes. Because of its environmental impact, there is a need to replace ...