Competitive Methods for Fabrication of Nanochips and Replacement of Au, Ag and Pd with Nonprecious Metals

Abstract

Electroless metallization technology which allowed replacing adequately Au and Ag with Ni-P or Ni-B alloys and simplifying significantly the metallization process was developed (1-5). Other proposed patentable nanomethods for the first time allow one to produce nanochips and photomasks with nano-sized adjacent elements by single optical UV photolithography (4). The proposed nanomethods are much more advantageous and simpler than other expensive and complicated methods such as e-beam, X-ray lithography or fabrication of the nanoelements using light phase shift photomasks. The proposed methods of metallization are widely used in electronics, piezoengineering and instrument-making. As a result Au, Ag and Pd were replaced with the alloys of non-precious metals, usage of toxic substances was eliminated. Methods of fabricating the ultra-thin pore free electroless coatings on micro-, meso-and nano-sized particles are proposed. Results and DiscussionThe reactions of decomposition of hypophosphite and electroless reduction of nickel ions and sensitization and activation are represented by the following reactions (1-26):A new method of production of precise piezoelectric quartz resonators and filters, and monolithic piezoquartz filters with electrodes, made of electroless nickel-phosphorous alloy, for spacecraft, hydroacoustics and communication devices was developed (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). Electrical characteristics of quartz resonators with the deposited Ni-P coating are better than when gold and silver were used as electrode layers. It is owing to the fact that: 1) For assembling the quartz oscillator at Ni-P plating, preliminary fusing of the silver sublayer (made from paste), causing undesirable changes in piezoquartz physical properties, is not necessary. 49) unless CC License in place (see abstract). ecsdl.org/site/terms_use address. Redistribution subject to ECS terms of use (see 137.99.43.51 Downloaded on 2015-06-14 to IP2) The improvement in the frequency characteristics of piezoquartz resonators is owing to the fact that the specific weight of the Ni-P alloy (7.8) is less than that of Ag (10.5) and Au (19.3). Therefore, the Ni-P electrode film does not deteriorate the oscillation properties of the piezoelement.3) Adhesion between Ni-P electrode and piezo substrate is higher than between Ag or Au and the piezo substrate. This decreases the electrical resistance between the electrode and the piezo substrate and consequently good quality increases. A method of electroless deposition on polished quartz, glass and other nonmetallic polished materials was developed. The optimal conditions of metallization were established and the technology of electroless nickel deposition on piezoelectric quartz elements with smooth surfaces, including polished ones, was developed (4,(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). This technology for the first time provided high adhesion of Ni deposited by the electroless method to polished nonmetallic substrates and high ductility, deposition of thick films on po...

Magnetic and Catalytic Properties of Electroless Nickel, Ni-P and Ni-P-Re Thin Films

“…The proposed nanotechnology helps to solve one of the main problems of the modern microelectronics. It simplifies and makes cheaper the technology of microfabrication of the devices with the nano-sized elements (4,(23)(24)(25).…”