US5153023A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process for catalysis of electroless metal plating on plastic
Assignee: Xerox Corp
•
Filing: 1990-12-03
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Granted: 1992-10-06
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Expires: 2010-12-03
Abstract
Abstract A method of forming at least one electrically conductive path in a plastic substrate comprising providing a thermoplastic substrate having a melting point below 325° C., coating said substrate with a precursor of a catalyst for the electroless deposition of conductive metals, said catalyst precursor having a decomposition temperature below the melting point of said thermoplastic and within the temperature range where said thermoplastic softens, heating the portion of said coated thermoplastic substrate corresponding to said conductive path to a temperature sufficient to decompose said catalyst precursor to said catalyst and soften said thermoplastic; said substrate, catalyst precursor and temperature being selected such that on heating to the temperature the precursor decomposes to the catalyst, the thermoplastic softens and at least partially melts without substantial decomposition to enable the catalyst to penetrate the surface of the thermoplastic and become anchored thereto to provide nucleation sites for the subsequent electroless deposition of conductive metal and depositing conductive metal by electroless deposition on said heated portion to form said conductive path.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas E. Orlowski
- 👤 James Duff
- 👤 Joan R. Ewing
- 👤 Joseph A. Swift
- 👤 Raymond E. Bailey
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 18:59
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/10; H05K3/18; H05K3/181; H05K3/182; H05K3/185; C; C23; C23C; C23C18/00; C23C18/16; C23C18/1601; C23C18/1603; C23C18/1607; C23C18/1608; C23C18/1612; C23C18/18; C23C18/20; C23C18/2006; C23C18/2026; C23C18/2033; C23C18/204; C23C18/2046; C23C18/2053; C23C18/206; C23C18/28; C23C18/30; C23C18/31; C23C18/38; C23C18/40; C23C18/405
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
169 words
A method of forming at least one electrically conductive path in a plastic substrate comprising providing a thermoplastic substrate having a melting point below 325° C., coating said substrate with a precursor of a catalyst for the electroless deposition of conductive metals, said catalyst precursor having a decomposition temperature below the melting point of said thermoplastic and within the temperature range where said thermoplastic softens, heating the portion of said coated thermoplastic substrate corresponding to said conductive path to a temperature sufficient to decompose said catalyst precursor to said catalyst and soften said thermoplastic; said substrate, catalyst precursor and temperature being selected such that on heating to the temperature the precursor decomposes to the catalyst, the thermoplastic softens and at least partially melts without substantial decomposition to enable the catalyst to penetrate the surface of the thermoplastic and become anchored thereto to provide nucleation sites for the subsequent electroless deposition of conductive metal and depositing conductive metal by electroless deposition on said heated portion to form said conductive path.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
169 words
A method of forming at least one electrically conductive path in a plastic substrate comprising providing a thermoplastic substrate having a melting point below 325° C., coating said substrate with a precursor of a catalyst for the electroless deposition of conductive metals, said catalyst precursor having a decomposition temperature below the melting point of said thermoplastic and within the temperature range where said thermoplastic softens, heating the portion of said coated thermoplastic substrate corresponding to said conductive path to a temperature sufficient to decompose said catalyst precursor to said catalyst and soften said thermoplastic; said substrate, catalyst precursor and temperature being selected such that on heating to the temperature the precursor decomposes to the catalyst, the thermoplastic softens and at least partially melts without substantial decomposition to enable the catalyst to penetrate the surface of the thermoplastic and become anchored thereto to provide nucleation sites for the subsequent electroless deposition of conductive metal and depositing conductive metal by electroless deposition on said heated portion to form said conductive path.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1 including the step of removing the coated catalyst precursor from the unheated areas of the thermoplastic substrate before the electroless deposition step.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said heating comprises directing a laser beam to the portion of the substrate corresponding to said conductive path.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said laser beam is from a focused carbon dioxide laser.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the melting point of the thermoplastic substrate is below 300° C.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the melting point of the thermoplastic substrate is within 50° C. of the decomposition temperatures of the catalyst precursor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the melting point of the thermoplastic substrate is within 30° C. of the decomposition temperature of the catalyst precursor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic substrate is a polyamide.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the polyamide is selected from the group consisting of nylon 66 and nylon 6.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said catalyst precursor is applied to the thermoplastic substrate from a solvent solution the solvent of which wets but does not dissolve the thermoplastic.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the catalyst precursor is removed from the unheated areas of the thermoplastic substrate by rinsing with a solvent to dissolve the catalyst precursor, said solvent wetting but not dissolving the thermoplastic.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said catalyst precursor is selected from the group consisting of copper acetate, copper oxalate, copper carbonate, copper salicylate, copper butyrate, palladium diamine hydroxide, palladium acetate, palladium acetylacetate, palladium hexafluoroacetate and palladium nitrate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 12 wherein said catalyst precursor is palladium acetate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the palladium acetate is applied to the substrate from an acetone solution thereof and said conductive metal is copper.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said laser beam is directed to said coated thermoplastic substrate in a predetermined pattern.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 15 wherein said predetermined pattern comprises a plurality of paths.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said coated thermoplastic substrate is a three dimensional member and including the step of moving said substrate and said laser beam relative to each other to create a pattern of catalyst corresponding to said conductive path.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic substrate has at least one structural groove therein, in a pattern corresponding to said conductive path.
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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) | 1995-10-06 | 1996-04-06 | 1996-10-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-10-06 | 2000-04-06 | 2000-10-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-10-06 | 2004-04-06 | 2004-10-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |