• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.632-638
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• 2014

We investigated the effects of DMAB (Borane dimethylamine complex, C2H10BN) in electroless Ni-B film with addition of DMAB as reducing agent for electroless Ni plating. The electroless Ni-B films were formed by electroless plating of near neutral pH (pH 6.5 and pH 7) at $50^{\circ}C$. The electroless plated Ni-B films were coated on screen printed Ag pattern/PET (polyethylene terephthalate). According to the increase of DMAB (from 0 to 1 mole), the deposition rate and the grain size of electroless Ni-B film increased and the boron (B) content also increased. In crystallinity of electroless Ni-B films, an amorphization reaction was enhanced in the formation of Ni-B film with an increasing content of DMAB; the Ni-B film with < 1 B at.% had a weak fcc structure with a nano crystalline size, and the Ni-B films with > 5 B at.% had an amorphous structure. In addition, the Ni-B film was selectively grown on the printed Ag paste layer without damage to the PET surface. From this result, we concluded that formation of electroless Ni-B film is possible by a neutral process (~green process) at a low temperature of $50^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.202-214
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• 2022

Internal connections between device, package and external terminals for connecting packaging and printed circuit board are normally manufactured by electroless Ni-P plating followed by immersion Au plating (ENIG process) to ensure the connection reliability. In this study, a new non-cyanide-based immersion and electroless Au plating solutions using thiomalic acid as a complexing agent and aminoethanethiol as a reducing agent was investigated on different underlayer electroless Ni-P plating layers. As a result, it was confirmed that the deposition behavior and film properties of electroless Au plating are affected by grain size and impurity of the electroless Ni-P film, which is used as the plating underlayer. Au plating on the electroless Ni-P plating film with a dense surface structure showed the highest bonding strength. In addition, the electroless Au plating film on the Ni-P plating film has a smaller particle size exhibited higher bonding strength than that on the large particle size.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.3-13
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• 1995

Electroless Ni and Cu platings were conducted on $B_4C$ and SiC. In the electroless Ni plating, the deposition rate on $B_4C$ was higher than on SiC. However, the electroless Cu deposition occured with high deposition rate regardless of the carbide substrates used in this study. Uniformity of the deposits was better in the electroless Cu deposition than in the electroless Ni deposition. In the topographies of the electroless depositions, Ni deposits have grown as colony, whereas Cu deposits have grown as fine individual grains.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.51-55
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• 2014

Ni-CNT(Carbon Nanotubes) composite coating is often used for the surface treatment of mechanical/electronic devices to improve the properties of the Ni coating. For the Ni-CNT coating, the dispersion of CNT fibers is a critical process. In this study, ultrasonic treatment instead of the conventional ball milling was attempted as a dispersion method for the electroless Ni-CNT coating. SEM-EDX analysis was performed and contact angle, sheet resistance, and micro-hardness were measured. Results showed that the ultrasonic treatment was comparable to the ball milling, as a dispersion method, but the difference was negligible. However, combined ball milling and ultrasonic treatment(double treatment) showed much improved micro-hardness value, above 350Hv(close to the value obtained by the Ni-CNT electroplating). In addition, electroless Ni-CNT(double-treated) coatings formed on the thin Ni film deposited by the electroless plating(double coating) showed better mechanical properties. Thus, double treatment and double coating are suggested as an improved electroless Ni-CNT coating method.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.361-368
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• 2022

The overall process, from the pre-treatment of aluminum substrates to the eco-friendly neutral electroless Ni-P plating process, was observed, compared, and analysed. To remove the surface oxide layer on the aluminum substrate and aid Ni-P plating, a zincation process was carried out. After the second zincation treatment, it was confirmed that a mostly uniform Zn layer was formed and the surface oxide of aluminum was also removed. The Ni-P electroless plating films were formed on the secondary zincated aluminum substrate using electroless plating solutions of pH 4.5 and neutral pH 7.0, respectively, while changing the plating bath temperature. When a neutral pH7.0 electroless solution was used, the Ni-P plating layer was uniformly formed even at the plating bath temperature of 50 ℃, and the plating speed was remarkably increased as the bath temperature was increased. On the other hand, when a pH 4.5 Ni-P electroless solution was used, a Ni-P plating film was not formed at a plating bath temperature of 50 ℃, and the plating speed was very slow compared to pH 7.0, although plating speed increased with increasing bath temperature. In the P contents, the P concentration of the neutral pH 7.0 Ni-P electroless plating layer was reduced by ~ 42.3 % compared to pH 4.5. Structurally, all of the Ni-P electroless plating layers formed in the pH 4.5 solution and the neutral (pH 7.0) solution had an amorphous crystal structure, as a Ni-P compound, regardless of the plating bath temperature.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.487-495
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• 1999

In order to form metallic electrodes on PZT (Pb (Zr, Ti)O$_3$) ceramics, plating conditions for optimal electroless Ni deposition were investigated. Pb in PZT is the major component to inhibit the electroless deposition, because it plays a active role of catalytic poison in plating solution. Adhesion of the electroless Ni deposits is measured by push-pull scale test and peel test. Results such as deposition ability, deposition rate, and thickness of deposits showed in terms of concentration of etchant, composition of catalyzing solution, and composition and pH of electroless bath solution.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.101-105
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• 2003

In this study, we have investigated the availability of the electroless Ni-B plating for a diffusion barrier of the bus electrode. The Ni-B layer of 1$\beta$: thick was electroless deposited on the electroplated Cu bus electrode for AC plasma display. The layer was to encapsulate Cu bus electrode to prevent from its oxidation and to serve as a diffusion barrier against Cu contamination of the transparent dielectric layer in AC plasma display. The microstructure of the as-plated barrier layer was made of an amorphous phase and the structure was converted to crystalline at about 30$0^{\circ}C$. The concentration of boron was about 5∼6 wt.% in the electroless Ni-B deposit regardless of DMAB concentration. The electroless Ni-B deposit was coated on the surface of the electroplated Cu bus electrode uniformly. And the electroless Ni-B plating was found to be an appropriate process to form the diffusion barrier.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.299-307
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• 2022

Gold plating is used as a coating of connector in printed circuit boards, ceramic integrated circuit packages, semiconductor devices and so on, because the film has excellent electric conductivity, solderability and chemical properties such as durability to acid and other chemicals. In most cases, internal connection between device and package and external terminals for connecting packaging and printed circuit board are electroless Ni-P plating followed by immersion Au plating (ENIG) to ensure connection reliability. The deposition behavior and film properties of electroless Au plating are affected by P content, grain size and mixed impurity components in the electroless Ni-P alloy film used as the underlayer plating. In this study, the correlation between electroless nickel plating used as a underlayer layer and cyanide-free electroless Au plating using thiomalic acid as a complexing agent and aminoethanethiol as a reducing agent was investigated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1999.05a
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• pp.708-711
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• 1999

The Cu/Ni/Au lamellar structure is extensively used as an under bump metallization on silicon file, and on printed circuit board(PCB) pads. Ni is plated Cu by either electroless Ni plating, or electrolytic Ni plating. Unlike the electrolytic Ni plating, the electroless Ni plating does not deposit pure Ni, but a mixture of Ni and phosphorous, because hypophosphite Is used in the chemical reaction for reducing Ni ions. The fracture crack extended at the interface between solder balls of plastic ball grid (PBGA) package and conducting pads of PCB. The fracture is duets to segregation at the interface between Ni$_3$Sn$_4$intermetallic and Ni-P layer. The XPS diffraction results of Cu/Ni/Au results of CU/Ni/AU finishs showed that the Ni was amorphous with supersaturated P. The XPS and EDXA results of the fracture surface indicated that both of the fracture occurred on the transition lesion where Sn, P and Ni concentrations changed.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.393-397
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• 2003

The effects of the composition and additives on the blackening and deposition rate of electroless Ni-Zn plating have been examined. Hydrazine resulted in lower sheet resistance of the deposit than sodium hypophosphite. Zinc concentration more than 15 wt% and small amount of ammonium sulfate in the deposits were needed in obtaining Ni-Zn deposit with a black color. An optimum condition was obtained for the black Ni-Zn deposit at an appreciable deposition rate.