Exploitable results The autocatalytic deposition of gold, silver and the development of novel printed circuit boards A study has been made of the theoretical considerations of the autocatalytic systems followed by the development of novel formulations. Additionally the study included catalytic methods and methods to deposit electroless metals onto anodized aluminium, used to develop a process for the production of novel printed circuit substrates. An electroless gold formulation based on monovalent gold had been produced and operated on a pilot plant scale. This solution has a low gold content and is suitable for use in producing printed circuit boards where the large surface area being processed can lead to high loss due to drag-out. A second electroless gold formulation, based on trivalent gold, has been produced and operated on a pilot scale. This solution is more suited to the production of thicker deposits for microwave applications. An electroless silver formulation has been developed and successfully operated on a pilot plant scale. The deposits produced from all the solutions are smooth, fine-grained and have physical properties comparable to conventional electrodeposits but more uniform distribution over the object being coated. Good adhesion is obtained on a number of substrates. The solutions are stable and capable of replenishment of the constituents and can be operated for a period of weeks. A number of demonstrators have been produced, including microwave assemblies and printed circuit boards. Searching for OpenAIRE data... There was an error trying to search data from OpenAIRE No results available
