Fabricating Metallic Circuit Patterns on Polymer Substrates through Laser and Selective Metallization

Abstract

Nowadays, with the rapid development of portable electronics, wearable electronics, LEDs, microelectronics, and bioelectronics, the fabrication of metallic circuits onto polymer substrates with strong adhesion property is an ever-increasing challenge. In this study, the high-resolution and well-defined metallic circuits were successfully prepared on the polymer surface via laser direct structuring (LDS) based on copper hydroxyl phosphate [Cu(OH)PO], and the key mechanism of the selective metallization was systematically investigated. XPS confirmed that Cu (elemental copper) was formed through photochemical reduction reaction of Cu(OH)PO, after 1064 nm NIR pulsed laser irradiation. During the electroless plating, because it is the important active catalytic center, this newly formed Cu was the key factor to achieve the successful selective metallization. SEM revealed that after the electroless plating, the copper layer actually physically anchored into the polymer substrate, giving an excellent mechanical adhesion property of the obtained metallic patterns. In addition, the micro-Raman surface imaging approved the generation of the amorphous carbon on the polymer composites' surface after NIR laser irradiation, and the chemical reaction region caused by the pulsed laser spot was found at approximately 40 μm. This environmentally friendly and effective strategy for fabricating circuit patterns on the polymer surface has a possible application in the printed circuit plate (PCB) industry.

Laser scribed graphene for supercapacitors

“…2(f-j). Kaner et al converted carbon nanodots (CNDs) into high-surface-area 3D graphene networks with excellent electrochemical properties by an irradiation with an infrared laser 55 . The fabricated 3D LSG electrodes show high specific volumetric capacitance of 27.5 mF•cm −3 and extremely fast charging rates with a relaxation time of 3.44 ms.…”

Laser Activated and Electroless Metalized Polyurethane Coatings Containing Copper(II) L-Tyrosine and Glass Microspheres

“…These precursors can be organic and/or inorganic compounds of metals, especially copper in the case of selective copper plating. The most commonly used inorganic compounds are copper aluminum oxide [ 12 ], copper-chromium oxide [ 13 ], copper hydroxyl phosphate [ 14 ], whereas the effectiveness of organometallic compounds has been confirmed, e.g., palladium-acetate [ 15 ], copper acetate [ 16 ] and copper acetylacetonate [ 17 , 18 ]. The mechanism of laser activation is, on the one hand, ablation of the matrix and organic ligands when organometallic compounds are applied, and the reduction of these metal compounds to a metallic form on the other hand.…”

Comparative Evaluation of Cu(acac)2 and {[Cu(μ-O,O′-NO3) (L-arg) (2,2′-bpy)]·NO3}n as Potential Precursors of Electroless Metallization of Laser-Activated Polymer Materials

“…The information about palladium, copper or nickel acetates, acetylacetonates or copper complexes used as effective precursors of electroless metallization can be found in the literature [1,[12][13][14][15][16][17]. Inorganic metal compounds such as copper, chromium in the form of CuO•Cr2O3 [18] oxide or hydrogen phosphate Cu2(OH)PO4] [19] were also used. Beside copper compounds, antimony-doped tin oxide [20] or multi-wall MWCNT/PP carbon nanotubes [21] were added to the polymer matrix.…”