ABSTRACT
The establishment of chemical bonds between a nonconducting substrate and metallizing material, based on research carried out in the field to date, seems to be one of the most crucial factors to improve the performances of metallized insulators under operating conditions. To accomplish this, the application of a transitional buffering film for use as a preplate (material ready for metal plating) for metallizing nonconducting materials can be used. The composition of the transitional buffering film, which changes from 100% organic to nearly pure metallic over the thickness of the film, eliminates sudden changes in physical and chemical structures between two dissimilar materials and assists in establishing a stronger, more durable interface. This increases the chance of obtaining improved chemical bonding between the polymer substrate surface and the plasma polymer layer at the bottom of the transitional buffering film, as well as the metallic bonding between the nearly pure metallic layer at the top of the film and the subsequent metallizing material. In this case, the process scheme consists of (1) layering a transitional buffering film by sputter deposition of a suitable electrode material with simultaneous plasma polymerization of methane, followed by (2) deposition of the desired metallizing material by electroless deposition or electroplating.
