Electroless Ni Deposition Research Articles

Surface modification of perovskite‐type oxide LaFeO3 with electroless nickel deposition for application in MH‐Ni batteries

AbstractIn this study, the perovskite‐type oxide LaFeO3 is treated by electroless Ni deposition with different reaction time and the electrochemical properties of the resulting material are investigated as the anode for MH‐Ni batteries. XRD, SEM, and TEM measurements reveal a uniform deposition of crystalline nickel on the oxide surface and a clear increase in the amount of Ni coating with the deposition time. The electrochemical analysis shows that the electroless deposition can significantly improve the maximum discharge capacity of the battery. Furthermore, the coated electrodes exhibit excellent activation performance and superior cyclic stability. With the increase in the reaction temperature, improvements in the discharge ability, exchange current density, and diffusing coefficient of hydrogen are also observed.

Electroless Nickel Plating for Ohmic Contacts to Silicon Power Devices

Silicon diodes, FETs, IGBTs still keep the majority of power device market, being much cheaper compared to SiC and GaN wide band gap-based devices. To keep the Si devices competitive, their manufacturing processes must be significantly improved. This includes forming Ohmic contacts. Currently the common process is PVD – physical vapor deposition of metal stacks. This process is not efficient: not selective and wasteful - metal sputtered or evaporated from target coats entire vacuum chamber, not just wafer being processed.Electroless deposition can be potentially used for metallization of Si power devices. The electroless process can be designed selective, so the metal deposits only on silicon surface, not on areas protected by dielectric films. The deposited layer must have good adhesion to silicon surface, make Ohmic contact, and preferably converts into silicide upon anneal. Nickel satisfies all these requirements, thus is a good candidate. A major issue in Nickel plating on Si is that it does not deposits well onto very smooth polished surface of Si. Several approaches are known how to overcome this issue. Dubin [1] suggested adding pretreatment with Palladium. The Pd reacts autocatalytically on silicon surface forming Pd islands. Upon switching to Ni bath, Ni deposits on Pd first, then forms a continuous film when the islands merge.One issue in the Pd/Ni process are that the native oxide on silicon must be removed so Pd can reach Si. In Dubin’ process this is resolved by adding HF to Pd bath. Another issue is bad process repeatability – a consequence of autocatalytic nature of the Pd plating reaction. The autocatalytic processes have uncontrollable “incubation” time, therefore repeating Pd plating with same recipe (same time) does not produce the same results.We describe a new approach as to plate Nickel directly on polished Silicon surface. In our process the Pd activation of Si surface is replaced by a stain etch process. The stain etch is a process where crystalline Silicon is converted into porous Si layer [2]. Technically the stain etch is simply processing in a wet bath – mixture of concentrated nitric and hydrofluoric acids in a ratio around 1:1000. Same as in the Pd/Ni case, the process must be designed to exclude native Si oxide. We achieve this by direct switching from the stain bath to Ni bath, no water rinsing in between. The surface of wafer retrieved from the stain bath is highly hydrophobic (hydrogen terminated) thus there is no liquid drops on surface. A brief nitrogen gun drying is still performed, thus preventing contamination of Ni bath with HF. The hydrogen termination protects the surface. We tried both traditional Ni plating recipes – alkaline, and acidic [3], and found that Ni plating is good in both cases.However, the resulting Ni layer is heavily non-uniform in thickness. We observe that the Ni pattern repeats the visual pattern after the stain etch. A byproduct of the stain etch reaction is hydrogen. The hydrogen forms bubbles that stick to Si surface and cause local masking, eventually non-uniformity. Thus, the key to Ni plating uniformity is the uniform stain etch. Known approaches [2] - adding surfactants to the bath, etc. happen to be only partially efficient. Therefore, we tried new stain etch recipe: add glacial acetic acid thus getting HNA mixture 1000:1:1000. The hydrogen bubbles in the old recipe were about 2 mm in diameter and kept on Si surface for many seconds. In our recipe, the bubbles get released from Si surface as soon as they reach about 0.1 mm size. The eventual Si porous layer shows uniform color appearance across entire wafers.Notice, etching in the nitric/hydrofluoric mixture is also autocatalytic process, thus the topic of repeatability arises too. However, we use Si surface color change as the signal to finish the stain etch. Thus, we can get the same thickness porous film every time despite the incubation time varies uncontrollably.Direct Ni plating onto blanket polished Silicon wafers with the HNA 1000:1:1000 pretreatment shows uniform mirror like appearance. Very high surface area of the porous Si enables the Ni plating. Nano scale sizes of porous Si with plated Ni result in uniform silicide upon anneal.References Dubin, V.M., "Selective electroless Ni deposition onto Pd-activated Si for integrated circuit fabrication" Thin Solid Films 226,no.1(1993):94-98.Kolasinski, K.W. "Porous Si formation by galvanic etching." Handbook of Porous Silicon2 (2014).Delaunois, F. Electroless nickel plating: fundamentals to applications. CRC Press, 2019.

Electroless Deposition for Nanoscale Applications: Challenges and Opportunities

We recently developed a maskless, electroless, high-P-content, Ni(P) process to protect the final Cu bitline wiring level in our STTM MRAM test vehicles to enable functional testing in an air atmosphere at elevated temperatures for evaluation of MRAM device memory state retention. The process was developed as a replacement for the final aluminum level, and drastically shortened wafer processing cycle time. We demonstrated an electroless Ni(P) that selectively deposited on Cu bit lines with effective spacing approaching 200 nm without shorting, for coating thicknesses up to ca. 50 - 60 nm, with excellent bitline coverage (no pinholes). This was achieved through optimization of Cu surface cleanliness, surface catalyzation using an acidic Pd solution, and finally electroless Ni(P) deposition (1).Testing (electrical resistance and magnetoresistance (R & MR)) of Ni(P)-coated wafers, showed virtually unchanged R & MR for MRAM 4Kb arrays encompassing a large range of device critical dimensions (CDs). Figure 1 shows a topdown SEM image of a region of electroless Ni(P)-coated Cu bitlines.While electroless deposition is capable of depositing only a limited number of metals and alloys compared to electrodeposition, it is often easier to obtain coatings of uniform thickness and composition, since one does not have the current density uniformity problem of electrodeposition. Although it is not always possible to obtain pure materials using electroless deposition, nevertheless, materials with unique properties, such as Ni(P) (corrosion resistance), and Co(P) (magnetic properties) and related alloys e.g., Co(W)(P), are readily obtained by electroless deposition methods. These materials may be crystalline or amorphous, and the crystallization kinetics of the latter type may be strongly dependent on film thickness, and have a two-dimensional character due to interfacial effects.It is important to understand how such materials transform upon heating, given that back-end-of-line (BEOL) processing may involve temperature excursions to 400 ⁰C. We will discuss in detail the kinetics of crystallization of our high-P-content, amorphous, electroless Ni(P) films on Cu thin films using synchrotron X-Ray diffraction analysis (2). For 1 um thick Ni-P films deposited on Cu/Ta/TaN underlayer, as we increase the rates at which the temperature is raised during ramp anneals, crystallization temperatures vary from about 360C to 400C from which we extract an activation energy of 3.4 eV for this crystallization. The in-situ data also shows a gradual reduction in lattice constant for the underlying Ta layer. We will complement the synchrotron X-Ray analysis study results with TEM, SIMS and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) results of Ni(P) film composition for unpatterned and patterned (sub-micron) features.In addition to the subtlety of its mechanisms and range of solution formulations, electroless deposition has much to offer in terms of niche applications, which explains why it is often turned to first by researchers seeking creative deposition methods in the still emerging field of nanofabrication. Given the wide range of materials involved in electroless deposition, whether it is the final product, or the choice of a reasonable reducing agent, the mechanism of electroless deposition tends to be complex. This talk will include a discussion of the mechanism of electroless deposition, and whether the sought after, one-mechanism-fits-all approach, is tenable.[1]. E. J. O'Sullivan et al 2019 Meet. Abstr. MA2019-02 916; https://doi.org/10.1149/MA2019-02/15/916 [2]. Canadian Light Source Inc., 44 Innovation Boulevard Saskatoon, SK S7N 2V3, Canada. Acknowledgements The authors gratefully acknowledge the efforts of the staff of the Microelectronics Research Laboratory (MRL) at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, where some of the fabrication work described in this talk was carried out. Part of the research described in this paper was performed at the Canadian Light Source, a national research facility of the University of Saskatchewan, which is supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the National Research Council (NRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Government of Saskatchewan, and the University of Saskatchewan.

Inkjet printing assisted electroless Ni plating to fabricate nickel coated polypropylene membrane with improved performance

While electroless nickel plating is considered as a promising candidate for fabrication of metallized polymer composite membranes with high performance, it suffers from problems of complex and high-cost pretreatment procedure, hindering its large-scale implementations. It is hypothesized that, inkjet printing integrated with electroless plating (ELP) can serve as a facile and economical membrane fabrication method to overcome above problems. The new method proposed in this study was processed by inkjet printing silver ions and pyrrole inks as catalytic layer followed by electroless Ni deposition on polypropylene (PP) membrane surface. Successful modification was verified by characterizing the surface morphology and elemental compositions of the membranes. In comparison to the pristine PP membrane, the PPy-Ag/Ni modified membrane demonstrated lower surface resistance (2.3 Ω), better hydrophilicity (44.9°) and higher pure water flux (1135.1 L m−2 h−1). When applying an external electric field (10.0 V cm−1), the average flux of the PPy-Ag/Ni membrane for yeast filtration increased from 107.8 to 137.7 L m−2 h−1, which was about 2.0 times higher than that of the pristine PP membrane. Meanwhile, the PPy-Ag/Ni membrane possessed a maximum flux recover rate when applied with an external electrical field. This work provided a facile and efficient approach for fabrication of composite conductive membranes.

Effect of heat treatment on the tribological performance of electroless quaternary nickel alloy

Heat treatment of nickel-based alloy can increase the alloy’s hardness as well as the wear resistance properties. Nevertheless, the effect of heat treatment on the quaternary Ni alloy coating properties produced from electroless deposition bath is less known due to its composition uniqueness. In this study, Cu and Co are added in the Ni-P alloy matrix using hypophosphite-based Electroless Ni deposition method on mild steel substrate in acidic and alkaline bath. The coatings are then heat treated at 623 K for 3600s. The coatings hardness is measured using microVickers hardness tester and the surface morphology of the coatings are studied using both Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurement is used to measure the coatings compositions. The wear behavior of the coatings is also investigated before and after heat treatment using ASTM G-99. The coatings from acidic-based bath produces Ni-Cu-Co-P alloy coating while the alkaline-based bath produces Ni-Co-Cu-P alloy based on XRF analysis. Results show that the hardness increases more than 20% for acidic-based bath and 40% for alkaline-based bath coating. The highest increment is the Ni-Co-Cu-P alloy, from 553.3 HV to 991.3 HV after heat treatment. The grain refinement of the coatings can be observed after heat treatment in SEM observation. This is proved by the XRD measurement results where polycrystalline Ni (111) formation is seen after heat treatment overshadowing the Cu (111) and Co (111) peaks. Ni phosphide species are also formed after the heat treatment. The polycrystalline Ni and the Ni phosphide formation, as well as the existence of Co and Cu in the alloy deposits reduces the wear rate significantly after the heat treatment.

Conformal Electroless Nickel Plating on Silicon Wafers, Convex and Concave Pyramids, and Ultralong Nanowires.

Nickel (Ni) plating has garnered great commercial interest, as it provides excellent hardness, corrosion resistance, and electrical conductivity. Though Ni plating on conducting substrates is commonly employed via electrodeposition, plating on semiconductors and insulators often necessitates electroless approaches. Corresponding plating theory for deposition on planar substrates was developed as early as 1946, but for substrates with micro- and nanoscale features, very little is known of the relationships between plating conditions, Ni deposition quality, and substrate morphology. Herein, we describe the general theory and mechanisms of electroless Ni deposition on semiconducting silicon (Si) substrates, detailing plating bath failures and establishing relationships between critical plating bath parameters and the deposited Ni film quality. Through this theory, we develop two different plating recipes: galvanic displacement (GD) and autocatalytic deposition (ACD). Neither recipe requires pretreatment of the Si substrate, and both methods are capable of depositing uniform Ni films on planar Si substrates and convex Si pyramids. In comparison, ACD has better tunability than GD, and it provides a more conformal Ni coating on complex and high-aspect-ratio Si structures, such as inverse fractal Si pyramids and ultralong Si nanowires. Our methodology and theoretical analyses can be leveraged to develop electroless plating processes for other metals and metal alloys and to generally provide direction for the adaptation of electroless deposition to modern applications.

Electroless deposition and characterization of a double-layered Ni-B/Ni-P coating on AZ91D Mg alloy from eco-friendly fluoride-free baths

Electroless Ni deposition has attracted much interest in surface modification of Mg alloy owing to its good performance, especially in corrosion inhibition. In this work, an electroless double-layered Ni-B/Ni-P coating on AZ91D Mg alloy was fabricated successfully by plating of a Ni-B layer as primer and a Ni-P layer as outer layer from eco-friendly fluoride-free plating baths. The morphology, composition, and phase structure of the coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD), respectively. Several different electrochemical techniques such as linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopies (EIS) were used to analyze the deposition process and demonstrate the enhancement of corrosion inhibition of the Ni-B/Ni-P duplex coating. In addition, compared with Mg alloy and a single Ni-P coating, the new-designed duplex coating also exhibits a remarkable enhancement in micro-hardness.

Laser-induced surface modification of biopolymers – micro/nanostructuring and functionalization

The medical-grade polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer is a widely used biomaterial in medicine for preparation of high-tech devices because of its remarkable properties. In this paper, we present experimental results on surface modification of PDMS elastomer by using ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared ns-laser system and investigation of the chemical composition and the morphological structure inside the treated area in dependence on the processing parameters – wavelength, laser fluence and number of pulses. Remarkable chemical transformations and changes of the morphological structure were observed, resulting in the formation of a highly catalytically active surface, which was successfully functionalized via electroless Ni and Pt deposition by a sensitizing-activation free process.The results obtained are very promising in view of applying the methods of laser-induced micro- and nano-structuring and activation of biopolymers’ surface and further electroless metal plating to the preparation of, e.g., multielectrode arrays (MEAs) devices in neural and muscular surface interfacing implantable systems.

Thin uniform nickel seed layer formation and its impact on Ni-Cu contact adhesion for c-Si solar cell applications

Abstract Poor contact adhesion is one of the major concerns in the low cost Ni-Cu front contact metallization for c-Si solar cells. It reduces the mechanical as well as electrical reliability of the solar cell. Thermal annealing of the Ni seed layer is generally considered as crucial step for contact adhesion and cell performance, however the deposition of Ni seed layer itself requires proper investigation. The objective of this work is to improve the contact adhesion by improving Ni seed layer characteristics. This has been achieved through detailed process optimization of electroless Ni deposition using Palladium (Pd) activation method and subsequent annealing. After optimizing the Pd activation process with respect to its nucleation and growth characteristics, a very thin (∼20 nm) conformal seed layer deposition has been obtained with excellent uniformity across textured solar cell substrate. In addition, no interfacial void formation is observed after seed layer annealing, even at 600 °C. This has resulted in significantly improved contact adhesion of 23 MPa.

Monitoring of zincate pre-treatment of aluminium prior to electroless nickel plating

Zincating is used as a pre-treatment for aluminium prior to electroless nickel deposition during preparation of magnetic computer memory discs. Four immersion zincating solutions were evaluated at 22°C using single step or double zincating followed by electroless nickel deposition from a high phosphorus hypophosphite bath at 90°C. The coating process was monitored by potential vs. time curves obtained under open-circuit conditions during zincating then electroless nickel plating. The surface morphology of the aluminium, at various stages, was imaged by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Zero resistance ammetry was used to record galvanic currents between the aluminium and an inert platinum counter electrode during zincating. This, together with potential-time measurements, provided simple and valuable methods for following the zincating process and subsequent electroless Ni plating. Double zincating enabled a shorter induction time for electroless Ni deposition and resulted in a more complete coverage of the surface by Zn.

Study of TiW Conditioning through Different Wet and Dry Treatments to Promote Ni Electroless Growth

Electroless Ni deposition is often used in presence of Cu, Ti and Au. Recently TiW has also started to be employed, but with this alloy the Ni deposition is not always neat. In our work we investigate the effect of different wet treatments on the Ni growth by means of XPS analyses and SEM inspections. It is found that an oxidized surface inhibits the activator deposition. The de-oxidized Ti atoms in TiW on the other hand are believed to act as the principal sites for Pd seed deposition and subsequent Ni growth.

Nucleation and Growth Behaviors of Pd Catalyst and Electroless Ni Deposition on Cu (111) Surface

The electroless nickel plating process was used for protecting the copper pad of printed circuit boards from oxidation, which needs Pd catalytic treatment on the copper surface before Ni growth. The quantity of Pd deposition had a linear relationship with the activation time, while the Ni growth on the Pd-activated Cu films was accelerated with the deposition time by auto-catalytic reaction. It was confirmed that both Pd and Ni were grown coherently on the Cu (111) plane based on the high-resolution TEM measurement. The in-plane lattice misfits of Pd (111) and Ni (111) to Cu (111) are 7.6% (compressive) and 2.5% (tensile), respectively. The Pd grew in a dot-like rather than a two-dimensional form due to the large lattice mismatch. In addition, the lattice mismatch of Ni (111) to Pd (111) is 9.4% (tensile), and the larger lattice misfit seems to make it difficult for the Ni to nucleate on the Pd nuclei. It can be deduced that the Pd works simply as an electron supplier by oxidizing a reducing agent and the Ni reduction occurs preferably on the Cu surface by an electron from the Pd.

A novel Ag catalyzation process using swelling impregnation method for electroless Ni deposition on Kevlar® fiber

A novel Ag catalyzation process using swelling impregnation pretreatment method was developed for electroless nickel (EN) deposition on Kevlar fiber. Firstly, the fiber was immersed into an aqueous dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solution of silver nitrate to impart silver nitrate into the inner part of the fiber near the surface. Subsequently silver nitrate was reduced to metal silver nanoparticles on the fiber surface by treatment with aqueous solution of sodium borohydride. After electroless plating, a dense and homogeneous nickel coating was obtained on the fiber surface. The silver nanoparticles formed at the fiber surface functioned as a catalyst for electroless deposition as well as an anchor for the plated layer. The study also revealed that the incorporation of surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in electroless nickel plating bath can enhance the adhesion strength of EN layer with the fiber surface and minimize the surface roughness of the EN coating. The Ni plated Kevlar fiber possessed excellent corrosion resistance and high tensile strength.

Infrared-induced variation of the magnetic properties of a magnetoplasmonic film with a 3D sub-micron periodic triangular roof-type antireflection structure.

A carbon-matrix nickel composite magnetoplasmonic film with a 3D sub-micron periodic triangular roof-type antireflection structure (SPTAS) was fabricated via a simple and promising method that combines chemosynthesis with biomimetic techniques. The Troides helena (Linnaeus) forewing (T_FW) was chosen as the biomimetic template. The carbon-matrix Ni wing fabricated via electroless Ni deposition for 6 h (CNMF_6h) exhibits enhanced infrared absorption. Over a wavelength range (888–2500 nm), the enhancement of the infrared absorption of CNMF_6h is up to 1.85 times compared with the T_FW. Furthermore, infrared excitation induces a photothermal effect that results in variation in the magnetic properties of the carbon-matrix Ni wing. The magnetic properties were also confirmed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). The good correlation between the AFM and MFM images demonstrates that the surface of the SPTAS of CNMF_6h exhibits strong magnetic properties. The infrared induced photothermal effect that results in magnetic variation is promising for use in the design of novel magnetoplasmonic films with potential applications in infrared information recording and heat-assisted magnetic recording.

A facilely synthesized highly active Pd nanoparticle electrocatalyst for electroless deposition process

Pd nanoparticles chemically synthesized by respective reducing agents were evaluated in the hypophosphite oxidation reaction for initiating electroless Ni deposition.

Hybrid Method for Metallization of Glass Interposers

Glass has gained interest as a material for interposer technology due to its low/adjustable thermal expansion coefficient, low cost, good dimensional stability and availability in large panels compared to silicon substrates. However, the metallization of glass constitutes a major challenge owing to the notoriously poor adhesion between glass and metals. In this work, strategies for improving the adhesion to the glass surface and for providing at the same time continuous coating of through glass holes (TGHs) are explored. As result, a hybrid approach for glass metallization based on sputtering of a thin Ti-Cu layer and subsequent coating by electroless Ni deposition is introduced and developed. The proposed approach takes advantage of the good adhesion of very thin sputtered films on glass surfaces and combines this with the ability of electroless plating to bridge center regions of high aspect TGHs that are inaccessible to metallization by sputtering. Robust layers deposited by the hybrid method, shown to continuously coat the surface and TGHs, allow for further Cu elctrodeposition on the way to final circuitry. Approaches explored for seeding, coating and further metallization are described in detail. Results of cross-section analysis, optical microscopy, and SEM are also presented.

Effect of Thiourea on Oxidation of Hypophosphite Ions on Ni Surface Investigated by Raman Spectroscopy and DFT Calculation

Thiourea is well known and widely used additive for controlling the rate of electroless Ni deposition, and it is known to show complicated behavior in acidic/alkaline electroless deposition baths. To understand this, several experiments and theoretical calculations were performed. In the experiments, the adsorption of thiourea and the reducing agent (i.e., hypophosphite ions) on a Ni surface was characterized with a high-selectivity component at a right angle down to the sub-monolayer level using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. By comparing the results with those obtained from the theoretical calculation, co-adsorption of thiourea and hypophosphite ions on the Ni surface was confirmed. Moreover, the acceleration or suppression effects of thiourea on the oxidation of hypophosphite ions on a Ni surface in acidic/alkaline bath were analyzed from the experimental and computational perspectives. Accordingly, an explanation that unifies both the acceleration and suppression mechanisms of thiourea in terms of its own fundamental characteristics is proposed; this will be one of the most important processes for industrial applications of electroless Ni deposition.

前処理によりシリコン表面に形成された金属ナノロッドの長さと無電解めっき膜の密着性

For the direct electroless deposition of adhesive metal films on Si substrates, we have developed a surface-activation process that forms metal nanorods in Si using electroless displacement metal nanoparticle deposition, metal-nanoparticle-assisted HF etching of Si, and autocatalytic electroless Ni deposition. The metal film adhesion increases with the metal nanorod length.

Acceleration effect of thiourea on the oxidation reaction of hypophosphite ion on Ni surface

The acceleration effect of thiourea on an electroless Ni deposition reaction was analyzed through experimental and theoretical approaches. In the experimental approach, the entire deposition process was physically separated into the anodic and the cathodic reactions by preparing two cells connected by a salt bridge. The cells contained either a bath without metal (Ni) ions or a bath without a reducing agent (hypophosphite ions). The current flowing between the two separated baths increased when thiourea was added only to the anodic reaction bath, which indicated that the acceleration effect of thiourea was mainly on the anodic reaction of the hypophosphite ions. Based on this experimental result, in the theoretical calculation approach, a co-adsorption system consisting of thiourea, hypophosphite, and a Ni metal surface was analyzed using density functional theory. Among all the elementary steps of a hypophosphite reaction, thiourea primarily should promote the adsorption step owing to the following two factors. One was the molecular interaction between thiourea and the hypophosphite ion. The other was the restructuring of the electronic states of the Ni surface owing to the adsorption of thiourea, which enhanced the interaction between hypophosphite and its adsorption site on the Ni surface.

Patterned electrodeposition of interconnects using microcontact printing

Microcontact printing combined with electroless deposition is a potential low cost technique to make electrical interconnects for opto-electronic devices. Microcontact printed inhibitors locally prevent electroless deposition resulting in a pre-defined pattern of metal tracks. The inhibition of electroless Ni deposition on Pd-seeds and on indium tin oxide (ITO) by self-assembling molecules (SAM) was investigated. Polarisation measurements and transients show that on Pd seeds for electroless deposition, thiol-compounds inhibit the oxidation of the reducing agent, hypophosphite, in the electroless Ni bath. Cyclic voltammetry suggests that the inhibition is due to adsorption of the inhibiting molecules on active sites of the Pd-seeds only or as a SAM on the entire Pd seeds depending on the thiol-compound used. Polarization measurements show that after a pre-treatment in nitric acid hexadecylamine (HDA) is able to inhibit Ni electrodeposition on ITO. It was found that the pre-treatment activated ITO for Ni electrodeposition. Adsorbed HDA increases the crystallization overpotential for Ni electrodeposition by approximately 100 mV.