“…Besides the step-coverage, continuity, and uniformity of the electrolessly plated Ni, the chemical composition of Ni film is another crucial factor that determines its conductivity and diffusion barrier properties and hence its suitability as a seed layer. ,, Figure presents the EDX spectrum of the Ni/polymer composite, which confirms the presence of Ni peaks (at 0.742/0.762 and 0.851 keV) in addition to the elements from the underlying polymer layer (C at 0.277 keV, N at 0.392 keV, and O at 0.525 keV). A small peak of boron positioned at 0.183 keV cannot be undervalued as it is a light element ( Z = 5) and often undetectable on EDX measurements because of various inherent physical problems for the analysis of light elements with EDX (low fluorescence yield, absorption and peak overlapping with L, M, and N lines of the heavier elements.…”