| Abstract |
| Copper thin films were coated on polyethylene terephthalate(PET) substrates by electroless plating. The effects of the ultra-sonication, the initial roughness of the PET substrates, and the plating time on the thickness and roughness of the electroless-plated Cu deposits were studied. The thickness and roughness of the Cu deposits were measured by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) observations and a surface profiler. In the early stage of Cu plating, the ultra-sonication and high initial roughness of the PET substrates promoted an increase in the thickness of the Cu deposits, but they suppressed the increase in thickness of the Cu deposits when plated for a long time. The surface roughness of the Cu deposits plated on PET with a very low initial roughness increased with plating time due to the agglomeration of Cu atoms. However, the surface roughness of the Cu deposits on the PET with a high initial roughness decreased with increasing plating time, since the deep valleys of the rough PET surface were filled with Cu atoms preferentially. |
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| Key Words |
| thin films, plating, surface, ultrasonics, roughness |
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