Atotech Deutschland Gmbh

Boris Alexander Janssen

Holger Bera

Donny Lautan

Christian Noethlich

Robert Spreemann

Britta Schafsteller

Jerome Bender

Sebastian Weissbrod

Dmytro Voloshyn

Sabrina Grunow

The present invention discloses a process for electroless plating of a metal or metal alloy onto copper features of an electronic device such as a printed circuit board which suppresses undesired skip plating and extraneous plating. The process comprises the steps i) providing such a substrate, ii) activating of the copper features with noble metal ions; iii) removing excessive noble metal ions or precipitates formed thereof with an aqueous pre-treatment composition comprising an acid, a source for halide ions and an additive selected from the group consisting of thiourea, thiourea derivatives and polymers comprising thiourea groups, and iv) electroless plating of a metal or metal alloy layer.

Pre-treatment process for electroless plating

The present invention relates to a method for electroless deposition of a bendable nickel-phosphorous alloy layer onto flexible substrates such as flexible printed circuit boards and the like. The nickel-phosphorous alloy layer is deposited from an aqueous plating bath comprising nickel ions, hypophosphite ions, at least one complexing agent and a grain refining additive selected from the group consisting of formaldehyde and formaldehyde precursors. The nickel-phosphorous alloy layers obtained have a columnar microstructure oriented perpendicular to the flexible substrate and are sufficiently bendable.

Method for electroless nickel-phosphorous alloy deposition onto flexible substrates

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Berlin, Germany

Boris Alexander Janssen