Catalytic promoters in electroless plating catalysts added prior to a colloidal nucleation process

Claim 1

A process for electroless metal deposition onto a non-conductor surface (1) contacting said surface with a colloidal catalytic composition comprising the admixture of a principal catalytic agent wherein said principal catalytic agent is a compound of a metal selected from the groups of metals consisting of copper, nickel, cobalt, and iron and mixtures thereof and a catalytic promoter agent wherein said catalytic promoter agent is a compound of a metal selected from the group of metals consisting of Mg, Ca, Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Tc and Re and mixtures thereof and further said catalytic promoter is added prior to the colloidal nucleation process in which the principal catalytic agent is allowed to react as to yield a colloid, and further wherein the concentrations for the principal catalytic agent and the catalytic promoter agent are so adjusted as to yield a catalytic composition having a greater catalytic activity for electroless metal deposition in comparison to the same catalytic composition in the absence of said catalytic promoter agent, and (2) contacting the treated non-conductor with a compatible electroless plating bath to deposit a metallic layer.