Generation of Gold Line Patterns by Laser Plating

• Published in: Hyōmen gijutsu Vol. 46; no. 2; pp. 177 - 182
• Main Authors: MAKINO, Eiji, KAWAKATSU, Yumiko, SHIBATA, Takayuki, IKEDA, Masayuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Tokyo The Surface Finishing Society of Japan 01.01.1995; Hyomen Gijutsu Kyokai; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Argon Laser; Beam Scan; Deposition Rate; Gold Line Pattern; Laser Plating
• ISSN: 0915-1869; 1884-3409
• DOI: 10.4139/sfj.46.177

Fine gold lines were deposited from a flowing plating solution. Plating experiments were conducted under potentiostatic conditions with an argon ion laser focused on a nickel-plated copper-zinc cathode substrate. All deposits were examined using a scanning electron microscope and a profilometer. The effects of the laser scan rate, laser power, and the cathode potential on the properties of deposits, the deposition rate, and pattern size were studied. Laser-plated lines have a dense structure, good adhesion to the substrate, and a low electrical resistivity of 5-15× 10-6Ωcm. Scanning of the laser beam enhances charge transfer, resulting in deposition rates as high as 30μm/s and line writing speeds as high as several hundreds of μm/s for incident laser power levels of 3W. Line widths increase exponentially with increasing cathode potential and increase linearly with increasing laser power.