• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.783-788
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• 2002

Sn-Ag-Cu solder is known as most competitive in many kinds of Pb-free solders. In this study, effects of solderability with plated layers such as Cu, Cu/Sn, Cu/Ni and Cu/Ni/Au were investigated. Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu solder balls were reflowed in commercial reflow machine (peak temp.:$250^{\circ}C$and conveyer speed:0.6m/min). In wetting test, immersion speed was 5mm/sec., immersion time 5sec., immersion depth 4mm and temperature of solder bath was $250^{\circ}C$. Wettability of Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu on Cu, Cu/Sn ($5\mu\textrm{m}$), Cu/Ni ($5\mu\textrm{m}$), and Cu/Ni/Au ($5\mu\textrm{m}/500{\AA}$) layers was investigated. Cu/Ni/Au layer had the best wettability as zero cross time and equilibrium force, and the measured values were 0.93 sec and 7mN, respectively. Surface tension of Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu solder turmed out to be 0.52N/m. The thickness of IMC is reduced in the order of Cu, Cu/Sn, Cu/Mi and Cu/Ni/Au coated layer. Shear strength of Cu/Ni, Cu/Sn and Cu was around 560gf but Cu/Ni/Au was 370gf.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.11
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• pp.905-909
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• 2011

The formation of front metal contact silicon solar cells is required for low cost, low contact resistance to silicon surfaces. One of the available front metal contacts is Ni/Cu plating, which can be mass produced via asimple and inexpensive process. A selective emitter, meanwhile, involves two different doping levels, with higher doping (${\leq}30{\Omega}/sq$) underneath the grid to achieve good ohmic contact and low doping between the grid in order to minimize the heavy doping effect in the emitter. This study describes the formation of a selective emitter and a nickel silicide seed layer for the front metallization of silicon cells. The contacts were thickened by a plated Ni/Cu two-step metallization process on front contacts. The experimental results showed that the Ni layer via SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and EDX (Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) analyses. Finally, a plated Ni/Cu contact solar cell displayed efficiency of 18.10% on a $2{\times}2cm^2$, Cz wafer.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.370-375
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• 2016

In this paper, we investigated the electrical properties of crystalline silicon solar cell fabricated with Ni/Cu/Ag plating. The laser process was used to ablate silicon nitride layer as well as to form the selective emitter. Phosphoric acid layer was spin-coated to prevent damage caused by laser and formed selective emitter during laser process. As a result, the contact resistance was decreased by lower sheet resistance in electrode region. Low sheet resistance was obtained by increasing laser current, but efficiency and open circuit voltage were decreased by damage on the wafer surface. KOH treatment was used to remove the laser damage on the silicon surface prior to metalization of the front electrode by Ni/Cu/Ag plating. Ni and Cu were plated for each 4 minutes and 16 minutes and very thin layer of Ag with $1{\mu}m$ thickness was plated onto Ni/Cu electrode for 30 seconds to prevent oxidation of the electrode. The silicon solar cells with KOH treatment showed the 0.2% improved efficiency compared to those without treatment.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.214-219
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• 2009

In high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells, If high-efficiency solar cells are to be commercialized. It is need to develop superior contact formation method and material that can be inexpensive and simple without degradation of the solar cells ability. For reason of plated metallic contact is not only high metallic purity but also inexpensive manufacture. It is available to apply mass production. Especially, Nickel, Copper and Silver are applied widely in various electronic manufactures as easily formation is available by plating. The metallic contact system of silicon solar cell must have several properties, such as low contact resistance, easy application and good adhesion. Ni is shown to be a suitable barrier to Cu diffusion as well as desirable contact metal to silicon. Nickel monosilicide(NiSi) has been suggested as a suitable silicide due to its lower resistivity, lower sintering temperature and lower layer stress than $TiSi_2$. Copper and Silver can be plated by electro & light-induced plating method. Light-induced plating makes use the photovoltaic effect of solar cell to deposite the metal on the front contact. The cell is immersed into the electrolytic plating bath and irradiated at the front side by light source, which leads to a current density in the front side grid. Electroless plated Ni/ Electro&light-induced plated Cu/ Light-induced plated Ag contact solar cells result in an energy conversion efficiency of 14.68 % on $0.2{\sim}0.6{\Omega}{\cdot}cm,\;20{\times}20mm^2$, CZ(Czochralski) wafer.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.82-89
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• 1992

The effect of interlayer coating of Ni and Ti on corrosion behavior was studied in TiN ion plated steel plate. Interlayer coating was carried out in a single and bi-layer to a various thickness combination prior to final TiN coating of $2\mu\textrm{m}$. Corrosion behavior was evaluated by anodic polarization test in 1N H2SO4 as well as salt spray test. Porosity of each coating was also tested by using SO2 test. Corrosion resistance was improved with increasing the thickness of Ni interlayer coating and Ni-Ti interlayer coating markedly enhanced the corrosion resistance. Ni/Ti interlayer coating of $2\mu\textrm{m}$/2$\mu\textrm{m}$ prior to $2\mu\textrm{m}$ TiN coating decreased the corrosion current density of active range by an order of 4 and that of passive range by an order of 1. This improvement was associated with the retardation of corrosive agent penetration with increasing coating thickness and inherent corrosion resistance of Ni and Ti interlayers, Ni/Ti interlayers coating were also very effective in improvement of corrosion resistance under salt atmosphere.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 2013

An Eectrolytic Corrosion(EC) test method was evaluated by the comparison with Copper Accelerated Acetic Salt Spray(CASS) and Neutral Salt Spray(SS) tests. Those methods were applied in order to evaluate corrosion resistance of Ni-Cr plated and Zn-plated Fe substrates. The correlations between results obtained by different test methods were investigated. Results showed that the electrochemical method such as the EC test method was superior to the conventional methods such as CASS and SS, in terms of the quantitative accuracy and the test-time span. Furthermore, the EC test method provided the useful means to estimate the initiation of corrosion of each layer by monitoring the rest potentials of the coated layers such as Ni, Cr, and Zn on Fe substrate. With regard to test time spans, the EC test provided the 78 times and 182 times faster results than the CASS test in cases of $Fe+5{\mu}m$ $Ni+0.5{\mu}m$ Cr and $Fe+20{\mu}m$ $Ni+0.5{\mu}m$ Cr respectively, while the EC test was 85 times faster results than the Salt Spray test in the case of $Fe+20g/m^2$ Zn. Therefore, the EC test can be the better method to evaluate the resistance to corrosion of coated layers than the conventional methods such as the SS test and the CASS.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.101-105
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• 2003

In this study, we have investigated the availability of the electroless Ni-B plating for a diffusion barrier of the bus electrode. The Ni-B layer of 1$\beta$: thick was electroless deposited on the electroplated Cu bus electrode for AC plasma display. The layer was to encapsulate Cu bus electrode to prevent from its oxidation and to serve as a diffusion barrier against Cu contamination of the transparent dielectric layer in AC plasma display. The microstructure of the as-plated barrier layer was made of an amorphous phase and the structure was converted to crystalline at about 30$0^{\circ}C$. The concentration of boron was about 5∼6 wt.% in the electroless Ni-B deposit regardless of DMAB concentration. The electroless Ni-B deposit was coated on the surface of the electroplated Cu bus electrode uniformly. And the electroless Ni-B plating was found to be an appropriate process to form the diffusion barrier.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.171-177
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• 2021

This paper is concerned with the surface hardness measurement of NiP-coated AA7050 using different loads from 10 to 100 g. The surface hardness was observed to increase from 180 to 600 H_v with increasing NiP layer thickness, depending on the load applied for indentation. When NiP coating thickness is thinner than 2 ㎛, the surface hardness of NiP-coated AA7050 was mainly determined by AA7050 substrate, while it was significantly increased by NiP coating layer when NiP coating thickness is thicker than 2 ㎛. Hardness of AA7050 substrate itself was not dependent on the applied load but the hardness of NiP-coated AA7050 was largely influenced by the load applied for indentation. The largest difference of hardness between 10 g and 100g of applied loads, was obtained at the NiP thickness of about 8 ㎛ above which the measured hardness at 10 g reached a maximum value of about 600 H_v. It was also observed that indentation-induced plastic deformation next to the indented zone occurs when NiP layer is 5.64 times thicker than the depth of impression formed by indentation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.575-579
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• 2010

The technologies of Ni/Cu plating contact is attributed to the reduced series resistance caused by a better contact conductivity of Ni with Si and the subsequent electroplating of Cu on Ni. The ability to pattern narrower grid lines for reduced light shading was combined with the lower resistance of a metal silicide contact and an improved conductivity of the plated deposit. This improves the FF (fill factor) as the series resistance is reduced. This is very much requried in the case of low concentrator solar cells in which the series resistance is one of the important and dominant parameter that affect the cell performance. A Selective emitter structure with highly dopeds regions underneath the metal contacts, is widely known to be one of the most promising high-efficiency solution in solar cell processing In this paper the formation of a selective emitter, and the nickel silicide seed layer at the front side metallization of silicon cells is considered. After generating the nickel seed layer the contacts were thickened by Cu LIP (light induced plating) and by the formation of a plated Ni/Cu two step metallization on front contacts. In fabricating a Ni/Cu plating metallization cell with a selective emitter structure it has been shown that the cell efficiency can be increased by at least 0.2%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1999.05a
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• pp.708-711
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• 1999

The Cu/Ni/Au lamellar structure is extensively used as an under bump metallization on silicon file, and on printed circuit board(PCB) pads. Ni is plated Cu by either electroless Ni plating, or electrolytic Ni plating. Unlike the electrolytic Ni plating, the electroless Ni plating does not deposit pure Ni, but a mixture of Ni and phosphorous, because hypophosphite Is used in the chemical reaction for reducing Ni ions. The fracture crack extended at the interface between solder balls of plastic ball grid (PBGA) package and conducting pads of PCB. The fracture is duets to segregation at the interface between Ni$_3$Sn$_4$intermetallic and Ni-P layer. The XPS diffraction results of Cu/Ni/Au results of CU/Ni/AU finishs showed that the Ni was amorphous with supersaturated P. The XPS and EDXA results of the fracture surface indicated that both of the fracture occurred on the transition lesion where Sn, P and Ni concentrations changed.