Abstract
Effects of plating temperature and growth mechanism on reduced Ni films were studied by electron microscopy. The shape of nebulous crystals and their arrangement of crystal orientation were not changed, even if the plating temperature fell from 91 to 60°C; and they were also independent of decrease in quantity of reducing agent in the plating bath or increase in thickness of film. The growth process of reduced Ni films was as follows; in the earlier stage, small nuclear nebulous crystals deposited on the substrate by initiation treatment followed by two dimensional growth of nebulous crystals at this site, which gradually covered the whole surface of substrate. At this stage, the secondary nucleation did not occur on the other surface of the substrate. The nebulous crystals grown in two dimensions on the surface of substrate accepted Ni adatoms only in its growth direction, and these adatoms were crystallized in nebulous crystals at this site. The growth direction of nebulous crystals was independent of the crystal orientation of substrate. The increase in thickness of the plating film depended on agitation and thermal convection of the plating bath.
