Tanaka Precious Metals has announced the development of a new direct pattern plating technology using the surface treatment chemicals Tanaka has developed. Tanaka claims that this technology does not require a vacuum environment or photoresist. It can form low-resistance wires on many materials using a low-temperature process at or below 100 degrees Celsius.
This new plating technique uses a photosensitive primer that is applied to substrates like PET film or glass \and exposed to light. Then the substrate is immersed in a colloid catalyst solution that includes a gold nanoparticle catalyst. The catalyst is immersed in an electroless plating solution with the metal the user has selected for the application, and it forms fine electronic circuitry patterns made of various metals with a wire width of 5 um. According to Tanaka technology creates low resistance wires using a lower temperature process compared to other wire formations. The automatic adsorption of the gold nanoparticle catalyst by the photosensitive primer makes it possible to form wires without photoresist or vacuum equipment.
Au wires formed on PET film (Tanaka)
While developing this technology, Tanaka also created a photosensitive primer and colloid catalyst surface treatment chemicals. The photosensitive primer is an application type sensitive solution that is based on organic solvents. It is used to supplement the gold nanoparticle catalyst on the substrate. When the primer is exposed to ultraviolet light, the ability to supplement the gold nanoparticles are eliminated where the wires are not being formed. The colloid catalyst is a water solution that includes the gold catalyst. It is automatically absorbed into the priming paint surface.
The main application of this new technology will be in flexible displays, antennas, and sensors. The fine wire forming on 3-D surfaces can be molded for interconnect devices may be possible. EEJA plans to start sending out sample shipments of the photosensitive primer, colloid catalysts, and electroless plating by the end of this year.
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