Statistical Analysis of
Plating Variable Effects on
the Electrical Conductivity of Electroless Copper Patterns on Paper
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Abstract
We describe a process for selective metallization of
paper substrates
bearing inkjet printed patterns of a commercial Pd/Sn colloidal catalyst
ink plated using a commercial
electroless Cu bath. The electrical conductivity of the Cu films is
analyzed as a function of feature geometry (line dimensions (<i>L</i>) and spacing (<i>S</i>)), type of paper (<i>P</i>), age of the Pd/Sn patterns (<i>A</i>), plating
time (<i>T</i>), and plating temperature (<i>H</i>) using a two-level factorial design. Conductivity is influenced
predominantly by the <i>P</i>, <i>T</i>, and <i>H</i> factors, with lesser contributions attributed to pair-wise
interactions among several of the variables studied. Increases in <i>T</i> and/or <i>H</i> enhance conductivity of the
Cu films, whereas increases in <i>P</i>, corresponding to
the use of rougher, more porous, paper substrates, yield Cu films
exhibiting decreased conductivity. Our analysis leads to a model that
predicts Cu film conductivity well over the ranges of variables examined,
provides guidelines for identification of optimum conditions for plating
highly conductive Cu films, and identifies areas for further process
improvement