Electroless Copper Plating Using ZnO Thin Film Coated on a Glass Substrate

A new electroless plating process for preparing a copper layer with strong adhesion to glass substrates was developed. This process incorporates a thin film on the glass substrate, instead of etching and sensitizing the substrate surface as in a conventional electroless plating process. The copper layer so obtained had a mirror‐like finish while maintaining strong adhesion, even on a very smooth glass surface . The bond strength measured by pull tests was more than , much greater than that obtained using conventional electroless plating (∼1 kg/2 mm□) and suitable for use in printed circuit boards. We find the thin film to serve as a kind of "adhesive" between the metal layer and glass substrate.