The Effect of Antimony (III) Oxide on the Necessary Amount of Precursors Used in Laser-Activated Coatings Intended for Electroless Metallization.

The article presents research on the potential use of organometallic compounds with the addition of antimony (III) oxide Sb 2 O 3 as a coating additive that will make coatings susceptible to electroless metallization after prior surface irradiation with 193 nm wavelength laser radiation and a different number of laser pulses. The surface modification and activation effects were assessed by optical-imagining as well as by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive analysis (EDX). It was found that the presence of Sb 2 O 3 in the coating made it possible to reduce the content of the copper complex, causing an intensive surface ablation, resulting in the formation of a conical structure with a higher content of metallic copper nuclei.