Thin film to nano copper deposition by special additives on an ecofriendly electroless bath

Abstract In this work we report the study of some special additives on ecofriendly electroless baths with pentahydroxylic substance xylitol as a chelating agent and glyoxylic acid as the reductant. Three additives, methanesulphonic acid, thioglycolic acid, and vitamin C were added to this bath. All the electroless baths are stable at alkaline medium above pH 12.0, at the temperature of 45 °C. Potassium hydroxide is used as pH controller and all the three additives exhibited best results at different pH values. Methanesulphonic acid helps the bath components to complex with copper metal and is biodegradable. Thioglycolic acid is used for bath stability and also as an inhibitor in copper deposits. Vitamin C added produces uniformity and high-quality coatings. The deposition rate decreased one by one among the additives, but end up with a compact, bright, and pure copper deposits. The surface morphology, shape and roughness values of those additives are proved by the scanning and power microscopy. All structural properties were analyzed by the diffraction method.