Adhesive nickel-phosphorous electroless plating on silanized silicon wafer catalyzed by reactive palladium nanoparticles

In this study, a novel polyvinyl alcohol-capped palladium colloids is synthesized and applied as the catalyst for electroless plating (ELP) of nickel-phosphorous (Ni-P) film on a silane compound-modified silicon surface. Analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, water contact angle and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, it is found that the interaction between PVA-Pd and amino groups on ETAS is the root cause to promote the adhesion of subsequent Ni-P film. Compared with the adhesion of ELP Ni-P film made by commercial Sn/Pd colloids on bare silicon surface, the physical adhesion of Ni/P layer made by our PVA-Pd and ETAS surface modification is significantly improved from 4.63MPa to 10.83MPa.