A method of electroless gold plating includes a step of forming an underlying alloy layer on a base material and a step of forming a gold plate layer directly on the underlying alloy layer by electroless reduction plating using a cyanide-free gold plating bath. The underlying alloy layer is formed of an M1-M2-M3 alloy, where M1 is at least one element selected from Ni, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, where Sn, M2 is at least one element selected from Pd, Re, Pt, Rh, Ag and where Ru, and M3 is at least one element selected from P and B.

In various embodiments, electronic devices such as touch-panel displays incorporate interconnects featuring a conductor layer and, disposed above the conductor layer, a capping layer comprising an alloy of Cu and one or more refractory metal elements selected from the group consisting of Ta, Nb, Mo, W, Zr, Hf, Re, Os, Ru, Rh, Ti, V, Cr, and Ni.

Coated articles and methods for applying coatings are described. In some cases, the coating can exhibit desirable properties and characteristics such as durability, corrosion resistance, and high conductivity. The articles may be coated, for example, using an electrodeposition process.

The present invention relates to a silicide alloy film that is formed on a substrate containing Si, the silicide alloy film including a metal M1 having a work function of 4.6 eV or more and 5.7 eV or less, a metal M2 having a work function of 2.5 eV or less and 4.0 eV or more, and Si, the silicide alloy film having a work function of 4.3 eV or more and 4.9 eV or less. Here, the metal M1 is preferably Pt, Pd, Mo, Ir, W or Ru, and the metal M2 is preferably Hf, La, Er, Ho, Er, Eu, Pr or Sm. The silicide alloy film according to the present invention is a thin-film which has excellent heat-resistance and favorable electrical property.

A bonding wire for a semiconductor device includes a Cu alloy core material and a Pd coating layer formed on a surface thereof. Containing an element that provides bonding reliability in a high-temperature environment improves the bonding reliability of the ball bonded part in high temperature. Furthermore, making an orientation proportion of a crystal orientation <100> angled at 15 degrees or less to a wire longitudinal direction among crystal orientations in the wire longitudinal direction 30% or more when measuring crystal orientations on a cross-section of the core material in a direction perpendicular to a wire axis of the bonding wire, and making an average crystal grain size in the cross-section of the core material in the direction perpendicular to the wire axis of the bonding wire 0.9 to 1.5 m provides a strength ratio of 1.6 or less.

A bonding wire for a semiconductor device, characterized in that the bonding wire includes a Cu alloy core material and a Pd coating layer formed on a surface of the Cu alloy core material, the bonding wire contains an element that provides bonding reliability in a high-temperature environment, and a strength ratio defined by the following Equation (1) is 1.1 to 1.6:

Strength ratio=ultimate strength/0.2% offset yield strength.(1)

The present invention relates generally to a coated jewelry article or a coated component of a jewelry article, comprising a jewelry article or a component of a jewelry article, a first metallic coating, and a second metallic coating.

There is disclosed a substrate with an electron donating surface, characterized in having metal particles on said surface, said metal particles comprising palladium and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of gold, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, wherein the amount of said metal particles is from about 0.001 to about 8 g/cm.sup.2. Examples of coated objects include contact lenses, pacemakers, pacemaker electrodes, stents, dental implants, rupture nets, rupture mesh, blood centrifuge equipment, surgical instruments, gloves, blood bags, artificial heart valves, central venous catheters, peripheral venous catheters, vascular ports, haemodialysis equipment, peritoneal dialysis equipment, plasmapheresis devices, inhalation drug delivery devices, vascular grafts, arterial grafts, cardiac assist devices, wound dressings, intermittent catheters, ECG electrodes, peripheral stents, bone replacing implants, orthopaedic implants, orthopaedic devices, tissue replacing implants, intraocular lenses, sutures, needles, drug delivery devices, endotracheal tubes, shunts, drains, suction devices, hearing aid devices, urethral medical devices, and artificial blood vessels.

A metal coated article includes a platinum-group metal region adjacent a refractory metal region, which is adjacent a substrate comprising an inorganic material. A refractory metal carbide layer is adjacent the substrate and the refractory metal layer is adjacent the refractory metal carbide layer. The platinum-group metal region comprises a refractory metal/platinum-group metal layer and a platinum-group metal layer. Related methods are also disclosed.

In various embodiments, electronic devices such as touch-panel displays incorporate interconnects featuring a conductor layer and, disposed above the conductor layer, a capping layer comprising an alloy of Cu and one or more refractory metal elements selected from the group consisting of Ta, Nb, Mo, W, Zr, Hf, Re, Os, Ru, Rh, Ti, V, Cr, and Ni.