METAL-DEPOSITION WITH A WINDOWLESS VUV EXCIMER SOURCE

A novel lamp configuration for generation of VUV excimer radiation is presented. A silent discharge between parallel dielectric tubes is used to excite the second continua of rare-gas dimers Ar2*,Kr2* and Xe2* peaking at 126, 146 and 172 nm, respectively. Subjected to this radiation without intermediate windows palladium acetate films are photolytically decomposed leading to thin palladium layers that can be used as activators for electroless metal plating processes. Deposition rates are investigated as a function of discharge power, gas pressure and wavelength. Compared to earlier experiments with a VUV source consisting of a sealed quartz tube as discharge vessel deposition rates could be increased by two orders of magnitude.