Electroless gold plating solution

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 5560764
  • Patent Number
    5,560,764
  • Date Filed
    Monday, August 14, 1995
    28 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 1, 1996
    27 years ago
Abstract
The present invention provides an electroless gold plating solution which offers deposition layers exactly onto predetermined areas on the surface of the workpiece, without undesirable spread of prated areas. The electroless gold plating solution according to the invention contains 2-20 g/l of dimethylamine as amine group.
Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electroless gold plating solution, and more particularly an alkaline electroless gold plating solution.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A conventional alkaline electroless gold plating solution is applied in such a state as to raise an alkalinity by adding herein a pit adjustor such as potassium hydroxide. However, an excessively high alkalinity will undesirably accelerate the decomposition of the solution, although it increases the deposition rate of gold. Thus, a technique for eliminating such inconvenience described above has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. Sho 62-99477 which uses amines such as triethanolamine to attain a desired alkalinity in addition to a pH adjustor such as potassium hydride.
A problem about triethanolamine is that it is strongly adsorbed to the plating site, which causes unwanted deposition of gold. For example, in an attempt to deposit gold onto metallized parts only on the surface of a workpiece, small amount of gold may deposit outside those areas. This may result in undesired electrical continuity between separate plated parts arranged at a short distance.
The present invention aims at elimination of such problems associated with conventional plating solutions, and provides an electroless gold plating solution from which gold deposits exactly onto desired parts of the workpiece without undesirable spread of the plated area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The electroless gold plating solution according to the invention contains, as amine group, 2-20 g/l of dimethylamine (DMA hereinafter). A DMA concentration less than 2 g/l decreases the deposition rate of gold, while a concentration more than 20 g/l accelerates the decomposition of the liquid.
DMA, which has a low boiling point, is only weakly adsorbed onto the plating site, and thus prevents unwanted spread of gold deposition area outside predetermined parts to be plated, while retaining the characteristics of amines to maintain the deposition rate and prevent decomposition of the solution.
The electroless gold plating solution according to the invention contains gold in a form of an alkali metal gold cyanide, such as potassium gold cyanide or sodium gold cyanide, the former being the preferred form. A preferable concentration range of gold is 0.5-8 g/l (as Au metal).
As the reducing agent are used boron-based substances, such as dimethylaminoborane, boron potassium hydride, or boron sodium hydride. A preferable concentration range of the reducing agent is 1-30 g/l.
The electroless gold plating solution according to the invention may, in addition, contain an alkali metal cyanide, specifically sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide, when the stability of the self-catalyzing process is especially needed. A preferable concentration range of such a cyanide is 0.1-10 g/l.
Further, the plating solution may contain 0.1-50 ppm of thallium or lead in a compound form such as thallium formate, thallium sulfate, thallium oxide, thallium malonate, thallium chloride, lead citrate, lead acetate or lead oxide, thallium formate being particularly convenient because of a low toxicity.
Along with the thallium and/or lead compounds mentioned above, the solution may contain 0.1-10 g/l, or preferably 0.5-2 g/l, of a chelating agent, such as diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, ethyle nediaminetetraacctic acid, or nitrilotriacetic acid, the first being a preferable agent. Such a chelating agent prevents precipitation of gold even at high concentrations of the thallium or lead compound mentioned above, thus allowing addition of a more manageable amount of such a metal compound to the plating solution.
The pH value of the solution should preferably be kept in a range from 11 to 14. An alkali metal hydroxide, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide is a pH adjustor to maintain such pH level.
Plating operations using the solution should preferably performed at a temperature of 50.degree.-80.degree. C.
It should be noted that the content of the invention is not limited to the above description, and the objects, advantages, features, and usages will become more apparent according to descriptions below. It is also to be understood that any appropriate changes without departing from the spirit of the invention arc in the scope of the invention.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter.
First Embodiment
TABLE 1______________________________________Gold potassium cyanide 4 g/l as goldDimethylamineborane 8 g/lThallium formate 10 ppm as thalliumNitrilotriacetic acid 2 g/lPotassium hydroxide 35 g/lPotassium cyanide 2 g/l______________________________________
TABLE 2______________________________________ Temperature 70.degree. C. pH 14 Plating time 30 min.______________________________________
Various amounts of DMA were added to an electroless gold plating solution of the composition presented above prepared using guaranteed reagents. The deposits obtained were evaluated. The evaluation was performed for checking to see the portions to be plated have no deposit squeezed out, and on the deposit rate. A pair of metalized parts were spaced on the workpiece at a distance of 100 .mu.m, onto which gold was deposited using the solution above, and the electrical continuity between the two gold-plated parts were checked. The plating was performed until the thickness of the deposited layer reached 2 .mu.m, and the deposition rates were measured. Deposits obtained had a uniform lemon-yellow color and presented no problem in the appearance. Reference examples contained triethanolamine instead of DMA.
TABLE 3______________________________________ DMA additives Deposition rateNo. (g/l) Evaluation (.mu.m/hr)______________________________________Examples 1 2 .largecircle. 3.0 2 5 .largecircle. 4.0 3 10 .largecircle. 5.0 4 20 .largecircle. 7.0Comparative 5 triethanolamine X 4.0Example______________________________________ Evaluation .largecircle.: No continuity between goldplated parts. X: Continuity between goldplated parts.
As the results shown in Table 3 indicate, in the Examples wherein the solutions containing DMA, only the interior or the metalized parts are gold-plated, thereby giving no continuity between the gold-plated parts. While the solution used in the Reference Example containing triethanolamine resulted in an electrical continuity between the metalized parts abutting each other, because gold deposited also outside the metalized parts on the surface of the workpiece. The addition or DMA did not lead to a deposition rate inferior to that with triethanolamine. Early decomposition of the solution was not observed in any case.
Second Embodiment
TABLE 4______________________________________Gold potassium cyanide 4 g/l as goldBoron potassium hydride 20 g/lThallium formate 10 ppm as thalliumNitrilotriacetic acid 2 g/lPotassium hydroxide 10 g/lPotassium cyanide 3 g/l______________________________________
TABLE 5______________________________________ Temperature 70.degree. C. pH 13 Plating time 30 min.______________________________________
In this example where boron potassium hydride was used as the reducing agent, addition of 2-20 g/l of DMA led to results similar to those in Example 1 above.
The electroless gold plating solution according to the invention, as described above, offers deposition layers exactly onto predetermined areas on the surface or the workpiece, without undesirable spread of plated areas, and is therefore well suited for plating onto very small areas.
Claims
  • 1. An electroless gold plating solution containing an alkaline metal gold cyanide, a baron-based reducing agent, and an alkali metal hydroxide, wherein 2 to 20 g/l of dimethylamine is added to said solution.
  • 2. An electroless gold plating solution as defined in claim 1 wherein said solution contains at least one of the boron-based reducing agents selected from the group consisting of dimethylaminoborane, boron potassium hydride, and boron sodium hydride.
  • 3. An electroless gold plating solution as defined is claim 1 wherein the concentration of the reducing agent is 1 to 30 g/l.
  • 4. An electroless gold plating solution as defined in claim 2 wherein the concentration of the reducing agent is 1 to 30 g/l.
  • 5. An electroless gold plating solution as defined in claim 1, which has a pH value of 11 to 14.
  • 6. An electroless gold plating solution as defined in claim 2, which has a pH value of 11 to 14.
  • 7. An electroless gold plating solution as defined in claim 3, which has a pH value of 11 to 14.
  • 8. An electroless gold plating as solution defined in claim 4, which has a pH value of 11 to 14.
  • 9. An electroless gold plating solution as defined in claim 1 wherein an alkali metal cyanide is contained.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
6-195350 Aug 1994 JPX
US Referenced Citations (8)
Number Name Date Kind
3700469 Okinaka Oct 1972
4307136 Prost-Tournier et al. Dec 1981
4337091 El-Shazly et al. Jun 1982
4792469 Saito et al. Dec 1988
4978559 Iacovangelo Dec 1990
4985076 Iacovangelo Jan 1991
5035744 Nishiyama et al. Jul 1991
5292361 Otsuka et al. Mar 1994
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
Number Date Country
52-124428 Oct 1977 JPX
55-24914 Feb 1980 JPX
56-152958 Nov 1981 JPX
59-229478 Dec 1984 JPX
60-121274 Jun 1985 JPX
62-99477 May 1987 JPX
3-02471 Mar 1991 JPX
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry
Communication dated Nov. 28, 1995 in EP95305654.6 (1 page).
European Search Report, Nov. 21, 1995, for EP95305654 (1 page).