The Effect of Brighteners on the Fabrication of Electroplated Bright Aluminum Films Using an AlCl_3-EMIC-Toluene Bath

摘要

The effect of brighteners such as 4-pyridinecarboxylic acid hydrazide (4-PCAH), 3-pyridinecarboxylic acid hydrazide (3-PCAH), 2-pyridinecarboxylic acid hydrazide (2-PCAH) and conventional 1,10-phenanthroline (PH) on the electrodeposition efficiency and brightness of aluminum (Al) was investigated. Electrodeposited Al films were prepared with constant currents in an aluminum chloride (AlCl_3)-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIC)-toluene bath, and the results were compared using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV-vis spectrometer. Among the four brighteners used in this study, 4-PCAH exhibited the highest brightness on the electrodeposited Al surfaces.