Kinetic study of 222 nm excimer lamp induced decomposition of palladium-acetate films

Wavelength selectivity, high intensity, long lifetime and low maintenance c ost make excimer lamps a popular UV source for large area processing. Photo -induced metal seeding followed by electroless plating is one area where th e use of these efficient light sources can contribute to the development of new techniques aimed at reducing the processing temperature. Although, the use of palladium-acetate to produce Pd seed layers has already been studie d with various energy sources, including excimer lasers and lamps, the deta ils of the photochemical mechanisms involved are still largely unexplored. In this paper the kinetics of 222 nm KrCl* excimer lamp initiated palladium -acetate decomposition are presented. The species ejected from the irradiat ed films were monitored in situ by mass spectrometry at ultra high vacuum. Interpretation of the time evolution of multichannel mass spectrometric dat a, together with complementary infrared, UV-visible spectrophotometric char acterization has led to an understanding of the governing physical and chem ical mechanisms which are described here for the first time. (C) 1999 Publi shed by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.