US4654126A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process for determining the plating activity of an electroless plating bath
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1985-10-07
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Granted: 1987-03-31
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Expires: 2005-10-07
Abstract
Abstract A process for monitoring an electroless plating bath to determine whether it is in a take mode by electrolessly depositing a film of the metal of the plating bath onto a substrate to provide a preplated cathode; providing the cathode, a reference electrode, and an anode in the electroless bath; passing an electric current and varying the voltage difference, plotting the voltage difference versus the current; and comparing the oxidation peak of the reducing agent to the oxidation peak of the reduced state of the metal ion to be plated to thereby determine whether the bath is in a take mode.
Inventors
- 👤 William J. Amelio
- 👤 Voya Markovich
- 👤 Carlos J. Sambucetti
- 👤 Donna J. Trevitt
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 19:19
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C18/00; C23C18/16; C23C18/1601; C23C18/1633; C23C18/1675; C23C18/1683; C23C18/31; C23C18/38; C23C18/40; C23C18/405; C23C18/32; C23C18/42
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
199 words
A process for monitoring an electroless metallic plating bath containing a reducing agent to determine whether said bath is in a take mode which comprises: a. preparing a cathode by electrolessly depositing a film of the metal of said plating bath onto a substrate which is catalytic for the deposition of said metal by immersing the substrate in said electroless plating bath and electrolessly preplating said metal thereon; b. providing in said electroless plating bath, along with said cathode of step a., a reference electrode and an anode; c. passing an electric current between said cathode and said anode and varying the voltage differences between said cathode and said reference electrode to thereby remove electrolessly plated metal from said cathode; d. plotting said voltage differences between said cathode and said reference electrode versus the current to provide a plot of said voltage differences versus said current; and e. comparing the peak of said plot that represents the oxidation peak of the reducing agent of the electroless bath to the peak of said plot that represents the peak of the reduced state of the metal ion to be plated to determine if the plating bath is in a take mode.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
199 words
A process for monitoring an electroless metallic plating bath containing a reducing agent to determine whether said bath is in a take mode which comprises: a. preparing a cathode by electrolessly depositing a film of the metal of said plating bath onto a substrate which is catalytic for the deposition of said metal by immersing the substrate in said electroless plating bath and electrolessly preplating said metal thereon; b. providing in said electroless plating bath, along with said cathode of step a., a reference electrode and an anode; c. passing an electric current between said cathode and said anode and varying the voltage differences between said cathode and said reference electrode to thereby remove electrolessly plated metal from said cathode; d. plotting said voltage differences between said cathode and said reference electrode versus the current to provide a plot of said voltage differences versus said current; and e. comparing the peak of said plot that represents the oxidation peak of the reducing agent of the electroless bath to the peak of said plot that represents the peak of the reduced state of the metal ion to be plated to determine if the plating bath is in a take mode.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said plating bath is an electroless copper plating bath.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 2 wherein said reducing agent if formaldehyde and said reduced state of the metal ion is Cu + .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 2 wherein the voltage is varied from about -0.8 volts to about -0.2 volts versus a saturated calomel electrode.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the voltage is varied at a rate of about 100 to about 50 millivolts per second.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the electrolessly depositing to form the cathode is carried out at the temperature at which the plating bath is to be employed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said temperature is about 70° C. to about 80° C.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said temperature is about 70° C. to about 75° C.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said temperature is about 73° C.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reference electrode, cathode, and anode are substantially stationary during the varying of the voltage.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the anode is platinum or palladium.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-03-30 | 1990-09-29 | 1991-03-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-03-30 | 1994-09-29 | 1995-03-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-03-30 | 1998-09-29 | 1999-03-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |