Metallization Process of a Polyimide Surface with Palladium-Free Activation for Electronic Field Applications

A new copper plating bath without Pd activation for electroless deposition on polyimide (PI) film is reported. The characteristics of Cu coatings on the PI via electroless plating and the effects of operating parameters on the coating coverage are discussed. The pre-treatment and plating processes are further optimized based on orthogonal experiment methods, involving variations of multiple process parameters. The electroless copper coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, while the composition and crystalline structure are estimated by energy dispersive spectrometer and x-ray diffraction, respectively. These results show that the crystalline copper layer on the PI surface after electroless plating is dense, continuous and uniform. The joint tensile experiment is used to measure the adhesive strength of the coating with palladium-free and palladium activation, and the former is higher. Furthermore, the pre-treatment method proposed in this work without using palladium compounds is considered to be environmentally friendly. In addition, it provides a new concept of electroless Cu plating on the PI, which is generally difficult to plate due to its hydrophobic nature.