Selective Electroless Copper Deposition on Self-Assembled Dithiol Monolayers

The paper reports the use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of dithiols to induce electroless copper deposition on a gold substrate. The metallization catalyst, palladium nanoparticles, is bound on the dithiol SAM. The assembly process is followed by IR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies to confirm the formation of a monolayer with bound catalyst. Electroless metallization is then carried out with a steady deposition rate of 130 nm/min. Additionally, microcontact printing of the catalyst on the SAM by poly(dimethylsiloxane) stamps is used to localize copper deposits. Resulting metallization is selective and allows for a high resolution.