A novel method for the manufacturing of fine line circuitry on a transparent substrates is provided, the method comprises the following steps in the given order providing a transparent substrate, depositing a pattern of light-shielding activation layer on at least a portion of the front side of said substrate, placing a photosensitive composition on the front side of the substrate and on the pattern of light-shielding activation layer, photo-curing the photosensitive composition from the back side of the substrate with a source of electromagnetic radiation, removing any uncured remnants of the photosensitive composition; and thereby exposing recessed structures and deposition of at least one metal into the thus formed recessed structures whereby a transparent substrate with fine line circuitry thereon is formed. The method allows for very uniform and fine line circuitry with a line and space dimension of 0.5 to 10 μm.

There is provided a method for producing a metal-plated stainless material, the method including performing an acid treatment of treating a stainless steel material with an acidic solution; performing an etching of treating the stainless steel material after the acid treatment with an etching treatment agent; and a modifying the surface of the stainless steel material after the etching into a state suitable for a metal plating process.

Provided are an electronic component manufacturing method by which even a platable layer made of a difficult-to-plate material can be easily plated with good adhesion without using a special chemical solution or a photolithography technique, and an electronic component which has a peel strength of 0.1 N/mm or greater as measured by a copper foil peel test. A picosecond laser beam having a pulse duration on the order of a picosecond or a femtosecond laser beam having a pulse duration on the order of a femtosecond is emitted at a surface of a platable layer (2) in order to roughen the surface, a wiring pattern is formed using a mask (13), and a plated part (12) is formed on the surface of the wiring pattern.

A method for electroless deposition of aluminum on a substrate includes: activating the substrate; providing an aluminum ionic liquid; adding a reducing agent and an additive to the aluminum ionic liquid to form an electroless plating composition, wherein the additive may include a catalyst, an alloying element, or a combination thereof; and immersing the substrate in the electroless plating composition to have an aluminum layer deposited on the substrate. An article includes the electroless deposited aluminum layer.

Method and apparatus for producing metal-coated optical fiber involves providing a length of optical fiber having a glass fiber with or without a carbon layer surrounded by a liquid-soluble polymeric coating. The optical fiber is passed through a series of solution baths such that the fiber will contact the solution in each bath for a predetermined dwell time, the series of solution baths effecting removal of the polymer coating and subsequent electroless plating of metal on the glass fiber. The optical fiber is collected after metal plating so that a selected quantity of the metal-coated optical fiber is gathered, Preferably, the glass fiber passes through the series of solution baths without contacting anything except for the respective solution in each.

Method and apparatus for producing metal-coated optical fiber involves feeding a length of glass fiber through a first solution bath so as to plate a first predetermined metal on the glass fiber via electroless deposition. The length of glass fiber is passed continuously from the first solution bath to a second solution bath adapted to plate thereon a second predetermined metal via electrolytic plating such that the optical fiber contacts an electrode only after at least some of the second predetermined metal has been applied. The length of glass fiber may be passed continuously from the second solution bath to a third solution bath adapted to plate thereon a third predetermined metal via electrolytic plating.

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.

The invention relates to medical devices and, more in particular, to medical devices suitable for use as stents that contain an antimicrobial coating and, optionally, a drug customized to patients requirements. The invention also relates to methods for obtaining devices having the above features.

Horizontal methods of electroless metal plating with ionic catalysts have improved plating performance by reducing undesired foaming. The reduced foaming prevents loss of ionic catalyst from the catalyst bath and prevents scum formation which inhibits catalyst performance. The horizontal methods also inhibit ionic catalyst precipitation and improve adhesion of the ionic catalyst to the substrate. The horizontal method can be used to plate through-holes and vias of various types of substrates.

The invention relates to an aqueous alkaline pre-treatment solution for use prior to deposition of a palladium activation layer on a substrate in manufacturing an article with an integrated circuit and a method and use thereof, wherein the solution comprises: at least one hydroxycarboxylic acid or salt thereof according to the general formula (I)

[RCH.sub.2—(RCH).sub.n—COO.sup.−].sub.m M.sup.m+  (I)

wherein n is integer from 2 to 4 and m is 1 or 2, R is independently H or OH with proviso that at least one R is OH, and wherein M.sup.m+ with m: 1 is hydrogen, ammonium or alkali metal; or M.sup.m+ with m: 2 is earth alkali metal, at least one polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, at least one sulphonated fatty acid or a salt thereof.