Processes and products for making articles for electroless plating
AssigneePhotocircuits Division of Kollmorgen Corporation
InventorsJoseph Polichette, Edward J. Leech, Francis J. Nuzzi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Sensitizing processes and the resulting new articles of manufacture, suitable for the production of metallized bodies, such as printed circuits, dials, nameplates, metallized plastics, glass, ceramics and the like, comprising bases coated with a halide containing aqueous sensitizing solution of pH 1.5-4.0 that deposits a layer of copper, nickel, cobalt or iron salts or salt compositions, which on exposure to radiant energy, such as heat, light, etc., is converted to a layer of metal nuclei which is non-conductive, but which is capable of catalyzing the deposition of metal onto the base from an electroless metal deposition solution in contact with the metal nuclei.
Claims68
In a process for producing metallized articles by contacting a base sensitized to the reception of an electroless metal with an electroless metal deposition solution, the steps which comprise depositing on said base a layer of radiationsensitive composition by treating said base with a solution having a pH between about 1.5 to 4.0 as well as a minor content by weight of at least one halide ion of the group consisting of chloride, bromide and iodide ions and comprising a reducible salt of a non-noble metal, with the cations of said metal present in a larger proportion of equivalents than said halide ions, a radiation-sensitive reducing agent for said salt and a secondary reducer in an aqueous medium, and exposing said layer to radiant energy to reduce said metal salt to metallic nuclei thereby producing a non-conducting layer on said base of said metallic nuclei capable of directly catalyzing the deposition on said nuclei of metal from an electroless metal bath.
In a process for producing metallized articles by contacting a base sensitized to the reception of an electroless metal with an electroless metal deposition solution, the steps which comprise depositing on said base a layer of radiation-sensitive composition by treating said base with a solution having a pH between about 1.5 and 4.0 as well as a minor content by weight of at least one halide ion of the group consisting of chloride, bromide and iodide ions and comprising a reducible salt of a non-noble metal, with the cations of said metal present in a larger proportion of equivalents than said halide ions, a radiation-sensitive reducing agent for said salt and a secondary reducer in an aqueous medium, and exposing said layer to radiant energy to reduce said metal salt to metallic nuclei thereby producing a non-conducting layer on said base of said metallic nuclei capable of directly catalyzing the deposition on said nuclei of metal from an electroless metal bath wherein said base is a metal clad insulating base.
An article which comprises a base bearing a layer of a radiation-sensitive composition having a minor content of at least one halogen of the group consisting of chlorine, bromine and iodine and comprising a reducible salt of a non-noble metal with the content of said metal amounting to a larger proportion of equivalents than said halogen, a radiation-sensitive reducing agent for said salt, a secondary reducer and an acid.
An article which comprises a base bearing a layer of a radiation-sensitive composition having a minor content of at least one halogen of the group consisting of chlorine, bromine and iodine and comprising a reducible salt of a non-noble metal with the content of said metal amounting to a larger proportion of equivalents than said halogen, a radiation-sensitive reducing agent for said salt, a secondary reducer and an acid wherein said base is a metal clad, non-metallic base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.