Electroless nickel plating on fine pitches of ceramic substrate

The coating of pure nickel on fine pitches of ceramic substrate was obtained using hydrazine hydrate as reducing agent. Electroless nickel plating system with high deposition rate and good stability was obtained in the solution with nickel acetate of 13 g/L, hydrazine hydrate hydrate of 120 ml/L, lead acetate of 2~3 ppm, sodium lactate of 10.68 g/L, EDTA 2Na of 8 g/L, ethanolamine of 8 ml/L, pH=11~12, temperature at 83~86 °C. Deposition rate of electroless nickel plating is about 14 μm/h. The nickel layer on fine pitches of ceramic substrate was observed by metallographic microscope and the surface morphologies ofnickel coating were characterized by SEM. The results showed that the surface of the substrate was completely covered by nickel layer while the coating nickel was uniform and compact.