Process for electroless copper deposition on laser-direct structured substrates

1. A process for activating seeds in a laser direct structured substrate followed by electroless deposition of a copper layer on a surface of the laser direct structured substrate, the process comprising the steps of:

contacting the laser direct structured substrate with an activator solution comprising a reducing agent having a Nernst reduction potential E°≦+0.35V to activate exposed metal seeds in the laser direct structured substrate; and

contacting the activated substrate with an electroless copper plating composition.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is contacted with the activator solution at a temperature in a range of between ≧5° C. and ≦95° C.

3. The process according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is contacted with the activator solution for a time in a range of between ≧10 s and ≦30 min.

4. The process according to claim 1 wherein the substrate at least partially is made from a material of the group consisting of polyamides (PA), poly urethane resins (PU), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), poly carbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), liquid crystal polymers (LCP), polyphthalamide (PPA), a blend, a co-polymerisate, or a composite-structure of these.

5. The process according to claim 1 wherein the reducing agent is at least one compound of the group consisting of an alkali borohydride, an alkali sulphite, an alkali dithionite, an alkali thiosulfate, and zinc, or a mixture of these.

6. The process according to claim 1 wherein the reducing agent is at least one compound of the group consisting of sodium borohydride, lithium borohydride, dimethylaminoborane, sodium sulphite, lithium sulphite, sodium dithionite, lithium dithionite, sodium thiosulfate, sodium hypophosphite, and lithium thiosulfate, formaldehyde, ammonium form iate, glyoxalic acid, resorcin, hydrazine, hydrazine hydrate, or a mixture of these.

7. The process according to claim 1 wherein the reducing agent is in the activator solution in a range of between ≧0.001 mol/l and ≦5.0 mol/l.

8. The process according to claim 1 wherein the activator solution additionally comprises at least one additive of the group consisting of stabilizers, complexing agents, and surfactants.

9. The process according to claim 1 wherein the activator solution has a pH value in a range of between 0 and 14.

10. The process according to claim 1 , the process further comprising, prior to the contacting the laser direct structured substrate with the activator solution:

laser structuring a substrate comprising non-conductive metal-organic compounds embedded in a non-conductive substrate to release metal seeds to produce the laser direct structured substrate;

wherein contacting the laser direct structured substrate with the activator solution activates the metal seeds for subsequent electroless deposition of copper.

11. The process of claim 8 wherein the contacting with the electroless copper plating composition is performed with no copper plating operation between the contacting with the activator solution and the contacting with the electroless plating composition.

12. The process of claim 1 wherein the copper plating is performed with a single plating step.

13. A process for the electroless deposition of a copper layer on a surface of a laser direct structured substrate, the process comprising the steps of:

contacting a laser direct structured substrate with an activator solution comprising a reducing agent having a Nernst reduction potential E°≦+0.35V to activate exposed metal seeds in the laser direct structured substrate;

thereafter contacting the substrate with a metal salt solution, wherein the metal salt solution is different from the activator solution; and

thereafter contacting the activated substrate with an electroless copper plating composition.

14. The process according to claim 13 wherein the metal salt solution comprises at least one of CuSO 4 and PdCl 2 .

15. The process according to claim 13 wherein the concentration of the metal salt in the metal salt solution is in the range of between ≧0.0001 mol/l to ≦0.1 mol/l.

16. The process of claim 13 wherein the contacting with the electroless copper plating composition is performed with no copper plating operation between the contacting with the activator solution and the contacting with the electroless plating composition.

17. The process of claim 13 wherein the copper plating is performed with a single plating step.