Electroless copper deposition using 3 mercapto propionic acid as an additive

Abstract

The copper deposits obtained from electroless copper deposition were investigated. The electroless deposition bath was optimized using glyoxylic acid, a non-toxic, environmentally benign reducing agent and xylitol as the complexing agent, at a pH of 13.00 ± 0.25 and temperature of 45 °C. 3- Mercapto propionic acid (3-MPA) was employed as an additive and its stabilizing effect was analyzed. Electroless copper deposition was performed on an epoxy film with specific dimension. This work is aimed at analyzing the stabilizing potential of 3-MPA. The inhibiting nature of 3-MPA and its modified ability to act as an accelerator, on the addition of succinic acid was validated through deposition rate and thickness of the resulted copper deposits. Surface morphology of the copper deposits was characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) technique. X Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) studies were carried out to emphasize the stabilizing effect of 3-MPA.