Nickel/gold plating of a copper-refractory metal material
OwnerSunghee Yoon, William A. Reedinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A copper-tungsten or copper-molybdenum substrate is plated with a nickel/gold plating by first activating a surface of the substrate. In activating, the surface is contacted to a concentrated alkaline solution at elevated temperature, and then to a concentrated acidic solution. The surface is thereafter plated with a nickel strike layer, plated with a nickel primary layer overlying the nickel strike layer, sintered, re-activated in a concentrated acidic solution, plated with a nickel secondary layer overlying the nickel primary layer, and plated with a gold layer overlying the nickel secondary layer.
Claims19
A method of preparing an article, comprising the steps of
- providing a substrate of a copper-refractory metal material;
- thereafter
- first activating a surface of the substrate, the step of first activating including the steps of
- contacting the surface of the substrate with a concentrated alkaline solution at an alkaline activation temperature greater than room temperature, and thereafter
- contacting the surface of the substrate with a concentrated acidic solution;
- thereafter
- first plating the surface with a nickel strike layer;
- thereafter
- second plating the surface with a nickel primary layer overlying the nickel strike layer;
- thereafter
- second activating the surface of the nickel primary layer, the step of second activating including the step of
- contacting the surface of the nickel primary layer with a concentrated acidic solution;
- thereafter
- third plating the surface with a nickel secondary layer overlying the nickel primary layer;
- and thereafter
- fourth plating the surface with a gold layer overlying the nickel secondary layer.
A method of preparing an article, comprising the steps of
- providing a substrate made of a copper-refractory metal material, wherein the refractory metal is selected from the group consisting of tungsten and molybdenum;
- thereafter
- first activating a surface of the substrate, the step of first activating including the steps of
- contacting the surface of the substrate with a concentrated alkaline solution at an alkaline activation temperature greater than room temperature, and thereafter
- contacting the surface of the substrate with a concentrated acidic solution;
- thereafter
- first plating the surface with a nickel strike layer;
- thereafter
- second plating the surface with a nickel primary layer overlying the nickel strike layer;
- thereafter
- sintering the substrate;
- thereafter
- second activating the surface of the nickel primary layer, the step of second activating including the step of
- contacting the surface of the nickel primary layer with a concentrated acidic solution;
- thereafter
- third plating the surface with a nickel secondary layer overlying the nickel primary layer;
- and thereafter
- fourth plating the surface with a gold layer overlying the nickel secondary layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.