A method for forming a self-forming barrier in a feature of a substrate is provided, including the following operations: depositing a metallic liner in the feature of the substrate, the metallic liner being deposited over a dielectric of the substrate; depositing a zinc-containing precursor over the metallic liner; performing a thermal soak of the substrate; repeating the depositing of the zinc-containing precursor and the thermal soak of the substrate for a predefined number of cycles; wherein the method forms a zinc-containing barrier layer at an interface between the metallic liner and the dielectric.

A plating method includes preparing a substrate having a surface including an adhesive material portion made of a material to which a catalyst easily adheres and a non-adhesive material portion to which the catalyst is difficult to attach; imparting the catalyst to the substrate by supplying a catalyst solution onto the substrate; removing, by supplying a catalyst removing liquid containing a reducing agent onto the substrate, the catalyst from the non-adhesive material portion while allowing the catalyst to be left on a surface of the adhesive material portion; and forming a plating layer selectively on the adhesive material portion by supplying a plating liquid onto the substrate.

A catalyst is imparted selectively to a plateable material portion 32 by performing a catalyst imparting processing on a substrate W having a non-plateable material portion 31 and the plateable material portion 32 formed on a surface thereof. Then, a hard mask layer 35 is formed selectively on the plateable material portion 32 by performing a plating processing on the substrate W. The non-plateable material portion 31 is made of SiO.sub.2 as a main component, and the plateable material portion 32 is made of a material including, as a main component, a material containing at least one of a OCH.sub.x group and a NH.sub.x group, a metal material containing Si as a main component, a material containing carbon as a main component or a catalyst metal material.

Additive manufacturing processes, such as powder bed fusion of thermoplastic particulates, may be employed to form printed objects in a range of shapes. It is sometimes desirable to form conductive traces upon the surface of printed objects. Conductive traces and similar features may be introduced during additive manufacturing processes by incorporating a metal precursor in a thermoplastic printing composition, converting a portion of the metal precursor to discontinuous metal islands using laser irradiation, and performing electroless plating. Suitable printing compositions may comprise a plurality of thermoplastic particulates comprising a thermoplastic polymer, a metal precursor admixed with the thermoplastic polymer, and optionally a plurality of nanoparticles disposed upon an outer surface of each of the thermoplastic particulates, wherein the metal precursor is activatable to form metal islands upon exposure to laser irradiation. Melt emulsification may be used to form the thermoplastic particulates.

A lead-frame structure having two faces and exposing a treated silver surface on at least one of said two faces, the treated silver surface(s) serving the wire bonding, which lead-frame structure has a surface which, after applying resin to it, has excellent adhesion even under severe testing conditions, such as the IPC/JEDEC J-STD-20 MSL standard, and a surface mount electronic device comprising a lead-frame or lead-frame entity and at least one semiconductor device mounted thereon, wherein the lead-frame or lead-frame entity exposes a treated silver surface on at least one of the two faces thereof, wherein the treated silver surface(s) serve(s) the wire bonding, and wherein a resin is applied to the lead-frame or lead-frame entity, and which surface mount electronic device has excellent adhesion of the surface of the lead-frame or lead-frame entity even under severe testing conditions.

A method of producing a lead-frame structure having two faces and exposing a treated silver surface on at least one of the two faces, the treated silver surface(s) serving the wire bonding, which yields a surface which, after applying resin to it, has excellent adhesion even under severe testing conditions, such as the IPC/JEDEC J-STD-20 MSL standard, and a method of producing a surface mount electronic device including a lead-frame or lead-frame entity and at least one semiconductor device mounted thereon, wherein the lead-frame or lead-frame entity exposes a treated silver surface on at least one of the two faces, wherein the treated silver surface(s) serve(s) the wire bonding, and wherein a resin is applied to the lead-frame or lead-frame entity, which method yields excellent adhesion of the surface of the lead-frame or lead-frame entity even under severe testing conditions.

A process and apparatus that enable selective passivation of electroless nickel to control formation and growth of undesired nickel plating between traces without inhibiting plating on the required features is provided. In some embodiments activity of a passivating agent is increased. In some embodiments, activity is increased by agitation using one or more eductors to increase fluid flow velocity of the passivating agent near to introduction into plating bath. One or more baffles can confine the mass-transfer zone. The process and apparatus are also particularly applicable where voltage is not able to control nodule formation, such as in electroless nickel plating.

A metal wiring layer can be formed within a recess of a substrate and an unnecessary plating layer is not left on a surface of the substrate. A metal wiring layer forming method includes forming a first plating layer 7 as a protection layer at least on a tungsten or tungsten alloy 4 formed on a bottom surface 3a of a recess 3 of a substrate 2; removing an unnecessary plating layer 7a formed on a surface 2a of the substrate 2; and forming a second plating layer 8 on the first plating layer 7 within the recess 3.

A method of making a work piece without the use of an auxiliary anode and a work piece created using the method are provided. The work piece includes a main face being generally planar. The work piece also includes a first area comprising a plateable resin configured to be plated using the plating process without the auxiliary anode and having a first current density during the plating process. Additionally, the work piece includes a second area comprising a non-plateable resin configured to not be plated using the plating process without the auxiliary anode. The first area and the second area are determined by a process referencing a predetermined minimum current density value with the first current density being greater than the predetermined minimum current density value.

The present invention is to solve the problem of residues in nanoimprint lithography without losing the merits thereof, i.e., low cost and high productivity, and provides a metal film formation technique advantageous in pattern accuracy and product reliability over time. A metal film formation method according to the present invention comprises a first step where a nanoimprint lithography material is deposited on an insulating substrate to form an underlayer, a second step where the underlayer is pressed with a mold having protrusions to pattern by nanoimprint lithography, a third step where residues of the underlayer at regions pressed with the protrusions of the mold are evaporated by heating to be removed, and forming a metal film at least on the patterned underlayer. A nanoimprint lithography material according to the present invention contains a catalyst for a metal plating.