The copper electroless baths are formaldehyde free and are environmentally friendly. The electroless copper baths include one or more sulfinate compounds as reducing agents to replace formaldehyde. The electroless baths are stable and deposit a bright copper on substrates.

A solution comprising a palladium compound and a polyaminocarboxylic compound has been found to be suitable as a bath for electroless plating of palladium onto copper. Use of such a solution produces a plated component comprising a copper surface and a palladium plated coating having a thickness of between 0.01 micrometers (m) and 5 m. A method for electroless plating of palladium onto a copper surface of a component includes preparing a bath having a palladium compound and a polyaminocarboxylic compound. The copper component is submerged in the bath to plate a palladium layer on the copper surface of the component. The component resulting from the plating method has a palladium layer plated on the copper surface.

A solution comprising a palladium compound and a polyaminocarboxylic compound has been found to be suitable as a bath for electroless plating of palladium onto copper. Use of such a solution produces a plated component comprising a copper surface and a palladium plated coating having a thickness of between 0.01 micrometers (m) and 5 m. A method for electroless plating of palladium onto a copper surface of a component includes preparing a bath having a palladium compound and a polyaminocarboxylic compound. The copper component is submerged in the bath to plate a palladium layer on the copper surface of the component. The component resulting from the plating method has a palladium layer plated on the copper surface.

This invention describes a process for selectively depositing metal on the surfaces of inorganic dielectric materials such as glass, ceramics, or semiconductor materials. The method enables the rapid and precise formation of electric circuits on both flat and three-dimensional surfaces. The production method includes steps: firstly, treatment of an item surface with an ultrashort pulse laser of the areas for metallisation, seconds step pre-treatment with the ROH solution followed by metal salt catalyst activation in a bath and finally electroless metal plating. During immersion in the metal salt catalyst activation bath, localized ROH molecules on the item's surface act as reducing agents, facilitating the reduction of metal ions from the activation bath. This results in the formation of catalytic seeds exclusively at the laser-modified areas. The metal layers exhibit high adhesion to the dielectric surface due to the formation of chemical bonds.

The present invention refers to a method of preparing a high density interconnect printed circuit board (HDI PCB) or IC substrates including through-holes and/or grate structures filled with copper, which comprises the steps of: a) providing a multi-layer substrate; b) forming a non-copper conductive layer or a copper layer on the cover layer and on an inner surface of the through-hole, respectively on an inner surface of the grate structure; c) forming a patterned masking film; d) electrodepositing copper; e) removing the masking film; and f) electrodepositing a copper filling.

The present invention concerns a process for treating a tin or tin alloy layer onto metal surfaces, preferred copper surfaces, comprising the steps of (i) Providing a metal surface, preferred a copper surface, (ii) Contacting the metal surface, preferred the copper surface, with a tin or tin alloy plating bath; and (iii) Oxidizing the tin or tin alloy layer obtained by step (ii).