Direct Electroplated Metallization on Indium Tin Oxide Plastic Substrate

Looking foward to the future where the device becomes flexible and rollable, indium tin oxide (ITO) fabricated on the plastic substrate becomes indispensable. Metallization on the ITO plastic substrate is an essential and required process. Electroplating is a cost-effective and high-throughput metallization process; however, the poor surface coverage and interfacial adhesion between electroplated metal and ITO plastic substrate limits its applications. This paper develops a new method to directly electroplate metals having strong adhesion and uniform deposition on an ITO plastic substrate by using a combination of 3-mercaptopropyl-trimethoxysilane (MPS) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and a sweeping potential technique. An impedance capacitive analysis supports the proposed bridging link model for MPS SAMs at the interface between the ITO and the electrolyte.