Fabrication of copper wiring by micro-contact printing method and electroless plating and electroplating

Abstract

A micro-contact printing (µCP) method has been applied to the fabrication of microstructures and electronics. We have successfully fabricated a copper wiring structure on flexible substrates using a combination of µCP, electroless plating, and electroplating. A nucleating agent ink pattern was printed by µCP onto polyethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene naphthalate. Nickel and copper thin films were electrolessly plated onto the pattern, and used as a conductive layer for subsequent copper electroplating. Copper wiring structures with a half-pitch of a 100 µm and a 250 µm line-and-space pattern, were successfully produced on flexible films at temperatures below 100 °C.