Effects of Various Additives on the Characteristics of Electroplated Nickel Thin Films

Abstract

Sodium allylsulfonate, saccharin, naphthalene-1, 3, 6-trisulfonic acid trisodium, and 2-butyne-1, 4-diol were added to a Watt bath to study the effects of additives on the characteristics of electroplated nickel films, i.e., crystal structure, hardness, and throwing power. When the additives having a sulfo group in the molecular structure were used, the obtained nickel films had a crystal structure preferentially oriented to a (111) face, and tended to have higher hardness and a small crystallite size. The electroplated nickel films with the highest hardness and the best throwing power were obtained, when allylsulfonate having both allyl and sulfo groups was added.