Laser-Induced Selective Electroless Plating on PC/ABS Polymer: Minimisation of Thermal Effects for Supreme Processing Speed

The selective surface activation induced by laser (SSAIL) for electroless copper deposition on Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC/ABS) blend is one of the promising techniques of electric circuit formation on free-shape dielectric surfaces, which broadens capabilities of 3D microscopic integrated devices (3D-MIDs). The process consists of laser excitation, chemical activation of laser-excited areas by dipping in a liquid and electroless copper deposition of the laser-treated areas. The limiting factor in increasing throughput of the technology is a laser activation step. Laser writing is performed by modern galvanometric scanners which reach the scanning speed of several meters per second. However, adverse thermal effects on PC/ABS polymer surface abridge the high-speed laser writing. In this work, an investigation was conducted on how these thermal effects limit surface activation for selective metal deposition from the view of physics and chemistry. An advanced laser beam scanning technique of interlacing with precise accuracy and the pulse-on-demand technique was applied to overcome mentioned problems for fast laser writing. Initially, the modelling of transient heat conduction was performed. The results revealed a significant reduction in heat accumulation. Applied methods of laser writing allowed the overall processing rate to increase by up to 2.4 times. Surface morphology was investigated by a scanning electron microscope. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used to investigate the modification of atomic concentration on the surface after laser treatment. Experiments did not show a correlation between surface morphology and electroless plating on laser-treated areas. However, significant variation in the composition of the material was revealed depending on the surface activity for electroless plating.