Described herein are methods and systems for forming metal interconnect layers (MILs) on engineered templates and transferring these MILs to device substrates. This “off-device” approach of forming MILs reduces the complexity and costs of the overall process, allows using semiconductor processes, and reduces the risk of damaging the device substrates. An engineered template is specially configured to release a MIL when the MIL is transferred to a device substrate. In some examples, the engineered template does not include barrier layers and/or adhesion layers. In some examples, the engineered template comprises a conductive portion to assist with selective electroplating. Furthermore, the same engineered template may be reused to form multiple MILs, having the same design. During the transfer, the engineered template and device substrate are stacked together and then separated while the MIL is transitioned from the engineered template to the device substrate.

A method of preparing a nickel-plated heat-treated steel sheet having excellent workability. The method includes the steps of forming a nickel layer by electroplating at least one surface of a base steel sheet with nickel (Ni); and forming a nickel-iron (Ni-Fe) alloy layer between the base steel sheet and the nickel layer through diffusion heat treatment of the base steel sheet and the nickel layer. The nickel-plated heat-treated steel sheet has a superficial Rockwell hardness of 52 to 62.

An aluminum base wire includes a core wire made of pure aluminum or an aluminum alloy and a coating layer provided on an outer periphery of the core wire. The coating layer includes a first layer provided on the outer periphery of the core wire, a second layer provided on an outer periphery of the first layer, and a third layer provided on an outer periphery of the second layer. The first layer is composed of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, a nickel alloy, copper, and a copper alloy, the second layer is composed of metals that include zinc and tin, the third layer is composed of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of tin and tin alloys that contain substantially no zinc, and a zinc content in the second layer is 15 atomic % or more and 60 atomic % or less.

An aluminum base wire includes a core wire made of pure aluminum or an aluminum alloy and a coating layer provided on an outer periphery of the core wire. The coating layer includes a first layer provided on the outer periphery of the core wire, a second layer provided on an outer periphery of the first layer, and a third layer provided on an outer periphery of the second layer. The first layer is composed of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, a nickel alloy, copper, and a copper alloy, the second layer is composed of metals that include zinc and tin, the third layer is composed of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of tin and tin alloys that contain substantially no zinc, and a zinc content in the second layer is 15 atomic % or more and 60 atomic % or less.

A surface-treated steel sheet for a battery container, including a steel sheet, an iron-nickel diffusion layer formed on the steel sheet, and a nickel layer formed on the iron-nickel diffusion layer (and constituting the outermost layer, wherein when the Fe intensity and the Ni intensity are continuously measured from the surface of the surface-treated steel sheet for a battery container along the depth direction with a high frequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometric analyzer, the thickness of the iron-nickel diffusion layer being the difference between the depth at which the Fe intensity exhibits a first predetermined value and the depth at which the Ni intensity exhibits a second predetermined value is 0.04 to 0.31 μm; and the total amount of the nickel contained in the iron-nickel diffusion layer and the nickel contained in the nickel layer is 4.4 g/m.sup.2 or more and less than 10.8 g/m.sup.2.

Provided are a conductive plating apparatus, a plating system and a plating method for a conductive film. The conductive plating apparatus is configured to electrically connect the conductive film with a power supply. A first conductive structure includes a first conductive roller and a first press roller. A second conductive structure includes a second conductive roller and a second press roller. The first and second conductive structures are configured to allow the conductive film to sequentially pass between the first conductive roller and the first press roller and between the second the conductive roller and the second press roller. The first and second press rollers are configured to be brought into contact with and apply pressures to two opposite surfaces of the conductive film, respectively, and to be equipotential. The second press roller and the first conductive roller are configured to be equipotential.

To provide a steel sheet with excellent resistance to cracking in resistance welding at a welded portion. Disclosed is a galvanized steel sheet including: a Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet containing Si in an amount of 0.1 mass % or more and 3.0 mass % or less; an Fe-based electroplating layer formed on at least one surface of the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet with a coating weight per surface of 5.0 g/m.sup.2 or more; and a galvanized layer formed on the Fe-based electroplating layer, in which in an intensity profile measured by glow discharge optical emission spectrometry, I.sub.Si,Fe/I.sub.Si,bulk is 0.50 or more, and an average value of C concentration in a region ranging from 10 μm to 20 μm from an interface between the galvanized layer and the Fe-based electroplating layer towards the Fe-based electroplating layer is 0.10 mass % or less.

A wire comprising a silver-based wire core having a double-layer coating comprised of an inner layer of palladium or nickel and an adjacent outer layer of gold, wherein the wire exhibits at least one of the intrinsic properties A1) to A3): A1) the average grain size of the crystal grains in the wire core, measured in longitudinal direction, is in the range of from 0.7 to 1.1 μm; A2) the fraction of twin boundaries, measured in longitudinal direction of the wire, is in the range of from 5 to 40%; and, A3) 20 to 70% of the crystal grains of the wire core are oriented in <100> direction, and 3 to 40% of the crystal grains of the wire core are oriented in <111> direction, each % with respect to the total number of crystal grains with orientation parallel to the drawing direction of the wire.

The present invention provides an in-situ method for synthesizing a Ni—W—WC composite coating, which includes the following steps: immersing a carbon steel substrate to be coated in an electroplating solution and electroplating, to obtain a Ni—W—C alloy coating on the surface of the carbon steel substrate; and then subjecting the alloy coating to high temperature heat treatment to obtain the Ni—W—WC composite coating. The electroplating solution comprises the following components: a nickel salt, a tungstate, citric acid, a citrate, a recarburizer, and a wetting agent. The present invention shows merits of simple operation, high current efficiency, simple electroplating process, and is clean and causes no pollution, thus meeting the requirements of environment protection.

A surface-treated steel sheet for a battery container includes a steel sheet, an iron-nickel diffusion layer formed on the steel sheet, and a nickel layer formed on the iron-nickel diffusion layer and constituting the outermost layer. When the Fe intensity and the Ni intensity are continuously measured from the surface of the surface-treated steel sheet for a battery container along the depth direction with a high frequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometric analyzer, the thickness of the iron-nickel diffusion layer being the difference (D2−D1) between the depth (D1) at which the Fe intensity exhibits a first predetermined value and the depth (D2) at which the Ni intensity exhibits a second predetermined value is 0.04 to 0.31 μm; and the total amount of the nickel contained in the iron-nickel diffusion layer and the nickel contained in the nickel layer is 10.8 to 26.7 g/m2.