Reagent activator for electroless plating
View Patent ↗A method for electroless plating of a substrate is provided that comprises exposing an electroless plating reagent comprising a metal to be plated and at least one reducing agent to a solid phase Activation Material to form an activated electroless plating reagent prior to application of the electroless plating reagent to the substrate. The activated electroless plating reagent is applied to a substrate in the process chamber under conditions to cause the metal of the electroless plating reagent to deposit on the substrate. Systems and modules are also described.
1. A method for electroless plating of a substrate, comprising
a) providing a process chamber for metal plating of a substrate;
b) exposing an electroless plating reagent comprising a metal to be plated and at least one reducing agent to a solid phase Activation Material to form an activated electroless plating reagent prior to application of the electroless plating reagent to the substrate; and
c) applying the activated electroless plating reagent to a substrate in the process chamber under conditions to cause the metal of the electroless plating reagent to deposit on the substrate.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of exposing the electroless plating reagent to an Activation Material takes place outside of the process chamber.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of exposing the electroless plating reagent to an Activation Material is a continuous process.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Activation Material has a surface area of from about 1 cm 2 /g to about 20 cm 2 /g.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Activation Material is in the form of particles comprising the Activation Material at least on a portion of the surface of the particles.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein step b) comprises causing the electroless plating reagent to flow through a bed of particles comprising a metal at least on a portion of the surface of the particles.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Activation Material comprises a metal selected from copper, silver, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum, cobalt, rhodium, iridium, and combinations thereof.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Activation Material comprises copper.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Activation Material comprises nickel.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Activation Material comprises cobalt.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal to be plated comprises a metal selected from copper, silver, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum, cobalt, rhodium, iridium, and combinations thereof.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the metal to be plated further comprises a secondary metal selected from the group of chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, technetium, rhenium, and combinations thereof.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal to be plated comprises cobalt.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal to be plated and the Activation Material comprise the same metal.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a copper containing surface.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a semiconductor wafer.