Abstract
Polysilsesquioxane (PSQ) is a typical organic-inorganic hybrid material with various characteristics which depend on the organic functional groups. The appropriate organic functional groups can immobilize the metal nanoparticles in PSQ thin films. In order to disperse the metal nanoparticles uniformly in the PSQ thin films, a protecting group which prevents aggregation of the nanoparticles and a reducing agent for the metal ions are necessary. As metal nanoparticles can be easily prepared in the PSQ thin film, it is possible to provide the function on the surface of a glass substrate by coating it with PSQ. In this study, the ternary PSQ was prepared by a sol-gel reaction using a trialkoxysilane with both reducing and protecting groups. Palladium nanoparticles were generated in these PSQ thin films. It was confirmed that these palladium nanoparticles on the PSQ thin films had the proper activity for the electroless copper plating. We also studied how to improve the adhesion of copper thin films.
