Electrochemical Copper Metallization of Glass Substrates Mediated by Solution-Phase Deposition of Adhesion-Promoting Layers

Metal-to-glass interfaces commonly encountered in electronics and surface finishing applications are prone to failure due to intrinsically weak interfacial adhesion. In the present work, an 'all-wet' process (utilizing solution-phase process steps) is developed for depositing nucleation- and adhesion-promoting layers that enhance the interfacial adhesion between glass substrates and electrochemically-deposited copper (Cu) films. Adhesion between thick (>10 μm) Cu films and the underlying glass substrates is facilitated by an interfacial Pd-TiO 2 layer deposited using solution-phase processes. Additionally, the proposed interfacial engineering utilizes self-assembled monolayers to functionalize the glass substrate, thereby improving surface wettability during Pd-TiO 2 deposition. Resulting Pd-TiO 2 deposits catalyze direct electroless plating of thin Cu seed layers, which enable subsequent electrodeposition of thick (>10 μm) Cu coatings. The present work provides a viable route for high-throughput, cost-effective metallization of glass and ceramic surfaces for electronics and surface finishing applications.