Effects of stabilizing agents on film properties in Ag electroless plating

The material properties of Ag electroless deposited films with the addition of stabilizing agents were analyzed. The resistivity of Ag film was significantly increased by the addition of benzotriazole to the electroless plating solution. The high resistivity of the Ag film dramatically decreased after annealing at relatively low temperatures. Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that a contribution to the high resistivity of the Ag film with benzotriazole might be from the high reflection of the electron transfer at the grain boundary. In contrast, the addition of 5-aminotetrazole did not significantly increase the resistivity, and a smooth and continuous film was obtained. In this research, a model of the film-structure formation on the Pd-activated substrate in Ag electroless plating is proposed, and a reason for the formation of a highly resistive Ag film is suggested. (C) 2008 The Electrochemical Society.