Electroless plating activation
AssigneeHutchinson Technology Incorporated
InventorsDouglas P. Riemer, Kurt F. Fischer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of initiating and controlling electroless nickel plating on copper substrates carried into a plating bath on a continuous stainless steel web where the copper is electrically bussed or in physical contact with the steel is described. A bias current is applied to the plating bath and a feedback loop is established to determine initiation of plating as well as to ramp down the biasing current to prevent electro- or electroless plating of the web.
Claims20
An electroless method of plating a metal on a substrate comprising:
- providing a substrate upon which to plate a metal, the substrate being carried by a web;
- introducing the web, including the substrate upon which to plate the metal, into a plating bath;
- establishing a voltage existing in said bath by placing an electrode in contact with the bath and in contact with a roller contacting the web outside the bath;
- determining a reference voltage at which plating will initiate on the substrate;
- and,
- applying a bias current to the web sufficient to initiate plating only on the substrate but not on the web.
A method of electroless nickel plating only on a copper substrate carried by a continuous stainless steel web on not on the web itself comprising:
- introducing a continuous stainless steel web into a plating bath;
- wherein the plating bath comprises nickel to be plated on the substrate;
- arranging a continuous substrate, or a plurality of spaced substrates, of copper bussed to the stainless steel web;
- applying a bias current to the web to initiate the nickel plating on the copper substrate.
A method of electroless nickel plating only on a copper substrate carried by a continuous stainless steel web and not on the web itself comprising:
- introducing a continuous stainless steel web into a plating bath;
- wherein the plating bath comprises nickel to be plated on the substrate;
- arranging a continuous substrate, or a plurality of spaced substrates, of copper bussed to the stainless steel web;
- establishing a voltage difference between the bath containing the stainless steel web and the web before it enters the bath by placing a reference electrode in contact with the bath;
- applying a bias current to the web to initiate the nickel plating on the copper substrate;
- sensing the voltage to determine plating initiation;
- and,
- ramping down current to prevent electro- or electroless-hybrid plating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.