Method of depositing a metal on a surface of a nonconductive substrate

Abstract

Abstract A METHOD OF DEPOSITING A METAL ON A SURFACE OF A NONCONDUCTIVE SUBSTRATE IS DISCLOSED, A SURFACE OF THE SUBSTRATE IS FIRST SENSITIZED WITH A WETTING-SENSITIZER COMPRISING A SENSITIZING SPECIES, E.G., SN+2, COMBINED WITH AN AQUEOUS COLLOIDAL WETTING SOLUTION, SELECTED FROM AMONG SOLUTIONS REVEALED IN APPLICATION SER. NO.8,022, FILED FEB. 2, 1970. ALTERNATIVELY, THE SURFACE MAY BE FIRST RENDERED HYDROPHILIC BY TREATING THE SURFACE WITH THE COLLOIDAL WETTING SOLUTION, FOLLOWED BY SENSITIZATION WITH A NON-WETTING SENSITIZER. THE SENSITIZED SURFACE IS ACTIVATED AND THEN EXPOSED TO AN ELECTROLESS PLATING BATH, IN A SECOND EMBODIMENT, THE SUBSTRATE SURFACE IS FIRST COATED WITH A WETTINGPHOTOPROMOTER COMPRISING A POSITIVE PHOTOPROMOTER SPECIES, INCLUDING ONE SELECTED FROM AMONG THOSE REVEALED IN U.S. PAT. 3,562,005, COMBINED WITH THE AQUEOUS COLLOIDAL WETTING SOLUTION, AGAIN, ALTERNATIVELY, THE SUBSTRATE MAY BE FIRST RENDERED WETTABLE BY TREATMENT WITH THE COLLOIDAL WETTING SOLUTION WHEREAFTER A CONVENTIONAL (NON-WETTING) PHOTOPROMOTER SOLUTION (POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE) IS APPLIED THERETO. THE PHOTOPROMOTER-COATED SURFACE IS SELECTIVELY EXPOSED TO A SOURCE OF ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION TO PRODUCE A PATTERN COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE AREA OF THE SURFACE CAPABLE OF REDUCING A RECIOUS METAL FROM A PRECIOUS METAL SALT. THE EXPOSED SUBSTRATE IN THEN IMMERSED IN A SOLUTION COMPRISING A SALT OF THE PRECIOUS METAL TO OBTAIN A PRECIOUS METAL PATTERN. THE PRECIOUS METAL PATTERN MAY THEN BE EXPOSED TO AN ELECTROLESS PLATING BATH TO DEPOSIT ELECTROLESS METAL THEREON.

Inventors

• 👤 J Kenney

Bibliographic Details