Assessment of the composite behavior of different Ni/Cu multilayer composite systems

Nickel and copper thin films were alternately electrodeposited from sulphamate and sulphate-based electrolytes respectively, on different substrates: polycrystalline cold rolled copper, single crystal (111)-oriented Si and 100 μm-thick electrodeposited nickel films. Electrodeposition of layers at a very narrow spacing contribute to high strength of the composites. The influence of the substrate and plating conditions on the mechanical properties of these composite structures were investigated by Vickers microhardness testing for different loads. Composite hardness models were applied to the experimental data in order to obtaine absolute film hardness.