Electroless Pattern Copper Plating on PET Film Using Nano-Dispersion of Polypyrrole

Abstract

We studied electroless copper plating with a nanodispersion of polypyrrole using the loss of oxidationreduction ability of polypyrrole by UV irradiation as a method of pattern plating on PET film. Using this method, palladium catalysts are only adsorbed onto the polypyrrole sites where there is no UV irradiation, resulting in the formation of pattern plating. Examining the irradiation conditions indicates that UV irradiation with wavelengths shorter than 300 nm is effective for the degradation of polypyrrole and copper was not deposited when the polypyrrole surface resistivity is higher than 10 12 Ω/□. In pattern UV-irradiation for polypyrrole, the introduction of a reduction process where palladium ions (Pd 2+) are reduced to zero-valent palladium (Pd) after catalyzing removed a small amount of residual palladium at the UVirradiation sites and then allowed suitable pattern plating. In summary, this method can easily accomplish direct pattern plating on PET films.