Adhesion Performance of Electrodeposited Ni Films with Different Treating Methods

The adhesion strength between thin films has a significant effect on performance of micro-devices. It is introduced that the effects of three pre-treatment methods: acid, pulse reverse current and anodic current, on the adhesion performance of electrodeposited Ni films on Ni substrate. The adhesion strength, surface and fracture morphology of the Ni films were investigated. The dense oxide films on the Ni substrate were removed effectively by using the anodic dissolution current method in the acidic chloride solutions. Meanwhile, the Ni films treated with specific treatment conditions produced different roughness, which was responsible for the improved adhesion strength. The adhesion strength of the Ni films increased up to 629.8 MPa when substrates were treated with anodic current density of 30 mA/cm2 for 10 min, which is nearly two times higher than that of films treated by 5 vol % HCl for 10 min. The results indicate that the anodic current treatment method effectively improves the adhesion strength of Ni films