The electrochemical recovery of metallic palladium from spent electroless plating solution

摘要

Semiconductor bond pads are sometimes coated with palladium for good electrical properties and wire adhesion. The palladium is deposited by immersing the wafers in an electroless plating solution. When the plating solution is depleted and no longer achieves the desired results it is treated as waste. This work investigates the recovery of the remaining palladium in the waste solution by means of electrochemical deposition onto a high surface area cathode. Experiments show that the remaining palladium can be recovered economically and efficiently. This makes the process environmentally friendly and cost effective.