Provided is a method for forming a metal film capable of forming a homogeneous metal film having a uniform film thickness by stably ensuring a fluid pressure of an electrolytic solution during film formation. The method places a substrate on a mount base. While sucking a gas between the substrate and a porous film through which the electrolytic solution can pass from a suction port of a suction passage formed on the mount base, the method brings the porous film into contact with the surface of the substrate. The method interrupts the suction passage while the porous film contacts the surface of the substrate. While interrupting the suction passage, the method allows the electrolytic solution to pass through the porous film while pressing the porous film against the surface of the substrate with a fluid pressure of the electrolytic solution and deposits metal from metal ions in the passed electrolytic solution on the surface of the substrate, thereby forming the metal film.

The present invention concerns an electroless gold plating bath comprising a) gold ions; b) sulfite ions; c) iodide ions; d) at least one phosphonate compound according to formula (1) ##STR00001## wherein each X is independently an alkanediyl group; R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and each R.sup.4 are independently alkanediyl groups; M is independently hydrogen, a metal atom or a cation forming radical; each n is a rational number and selected in accordance with the valency of the respective M; and b is an integer ranging from 1 to 10.
The invention further is directed to the use of the bath and a method for depositing a gold layer on a surface of a substrate. The bath is particularly suitable in the manufacture of printed circuit boards, IC substrates, semiconducting devices, interposers made of glass and the like.

A method for manufacturing a metal-ceramic substrate (1) includes providing a ceramic layer (10), a metal layer (20) and a solder layer (30) coating the ceramic layer (10) and/or the metal layer (20) and/or the solder layer (30) with an active metal layer (40), arranging the solder layer (30) between the ceramic layer (10) and the metal layer (20) along a stacking direction (S), forming a solder system (35) comprising the solder layer and the active metal layer (40), wherein a solder material of the solder layer (30) is free of a melting point lowering material and bonding the metal layer (20) to the ceramic layer (10) via the solder system (35) by means of an active solder process.

A method of coating an antimicrobial conductive metal layer on a non-conductive surface of articles with novel chemistry and methods with just a few process steps consisting of contacting the chemistries at room temperature for short durations is disclosed. The methodology is environmentally friendly, non-toxic aqueous bath of different salt compositions for providing uniform anti-microbial metal coating on the articles. The cost-effective methodology can be used on a wide variety of non-conductive surfaces such as glass, fibers, textiles, ceramic, plastic, foam and so on.

Present invention is related to a metallic particle-deposition substrate having a metal substrate and multiple metallic particles attached thereon. The metallic particles are nano-particles with at least 90% of these nano-particles as single layer being evenly dispersed on the metal substrate. Each of the metallic particle is isolated without toughing or overlapping. The metal substrate has different material than the metallic particles in each preferred embodiment in the present invention. More preferably, at least 80% of the metallic particles have the distance between each metallic particle is at a range of 2-6 nm for better generation of hotspot effects. The present invention provides a fast production method for producing the substrate with heterogeneous interface. The metallic particles are evenly attached to the surface of the metal substrate to obtain better surface enhanced Raman effect as to apply for sensors in all kinds of field.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing composite solder balls that are metallized on the surface and calibrated, these balls comprising a core consisting of a spherical support particle of diameter Do made of expanded polystyrene and having an intergranular porosity of at least 50%, and a shell covering said support particle and formed by a plurality of metallic surface layers. The present invention also relates to balls that can be obtained by the method according to the invention, as well as to the use thereof for the assembly of electronic boards.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to housings and enclosures for electronic devices and memory devices, and more specifically to such housings and enclosures having nickel-boron coatings and processes for forming such nickel-boron coatings. In an embodiment is provided an article for housing at least a portion of an electronic device that includes a metal-containing substrate, and a layer comprising nickel and boron, the layer disposed on at least a portion of the metal-containing substrate, wherein: an amount of nickel in the layer is about 95 wt % or more and an amount of boron in the layer is about 5 wt % or less based on the total amount of nickel and boron in the layer. The article has a thermal conductivity of about 25 W/mK or more, a scratch hardness of about 0.5 GPa or more, a coefficient of friction of about 0.4 or less, or combinations thereof.

According to one embodiment, an etching method includes etching a surface made of a semiconductor and having a catalyst layer formed on the surface, by an etching agent in contact with the surface. The catalyst layer contains noble metal. The etching agent contains an oxidizer, a corrosive agent, and a N-containing polymer agent.

According to one embodiment, an etching method includes etching a surface made of a semiconductor and having a catalyst layer formed on the surface, by an etching agent in contact with the surface. The catalyst layer contains noble metal. The etching agent contains an oxidizer, a corrosive agent, and a N-containing polymer agent.

Cleaning solution for cleaning and/or wetting metal surfaces, comprising at least one acid, a first surfactant, which is an alkyl-poly(ethyleneglycol-co-propyleneglycol)-ether having a cloud point of ≤25° C., a second surfactant, which is selected from the group consisting of i) an alkyl-poly(ethyleneglycol-co-propyleneglycol)-ether having a cloud point of ≥30° C., ii) an alkyl-polyethyleneglycol-ether having a cloud point of ≥45° C.
wherein the cloud points are determined according to European Standard EN 1890:2006, item 8.2 of German Version, with the modification that 10 wt % H.sub.2SO.sub.4 is used as solvent and that the concentration of the surfactant is 1000 mg/L.