the mixture , or solution , used to activate the fluorocarbon surface comprises five different groups of chemical including a surfactant . the cyclic amide may be selected from the group consisting of : wherein r is selected from the group consisting of h and c 1 - c 4 alkyl , r 1 is selected from the group consisting of h and c 1 - c 4 alkyl and n is an integer of from 3 to 7 . the amount of the cyclic amide used may be between 1 and 25 % by volume of the mixture e . g . about 25 %. the glycol ether may be selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by the general formula ii separate lines like formula i , above r 2 o ( c 2 h 4 o ) y ( c 3 h 6 o ) z h wherein r 2 is c 1 - c 4 alkyl , y is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 4 and z is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 4 ; provided however both y and z cannot be 0 . preferably , the glycol ether is selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol methyl ether , dipropylene glycol methyl ether , tripropylene glycol methyl ether and ethylene glycol - n - butyl ether . the amount of the glycol ether used in the mixture may be between 1 and 25 % by volume . the organic acid may be selected from the group consisting of alkyl carboxylic acids having one or two carboxylic acid groups and substituted with one or more , e . g . one or two , hydroxyl groups . in general , the alkyl carboxylic acid will include from 2 to 15 carbon atoms , e . g . from 2 to 10 carbon atoms . preferably the organic acid is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy acetic acid , acetic acid , propionic acid ; glycolic acid and adipic acid . the amount of organic acid may be between 1 and 25 % by volume of the mixture . the quaternary ammonium compound may be selected from the group consisting of ( r 3 ) 4 n + x − wherein r 3 is independently selected from the group consisting of c 1 to c 20 alkyl and benzyl groups or two of such r groups , together with n and o , may represent a ring structure , e . g . morpholine , and x is an anion e . g . a halide , sulfate or carboxylate ion . preferably , the quaternary ammonium compound is selected from the group consisting of blends of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides and alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride , blends of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides , crystalline quaternary ammonium chloride and n - cetyl - n - ethyl morpholinium ethosulfate . the volume of the quaternary ammonium compound may be between 1 and 25 % by volume . 1 ) 4 ( c 9 h 19 ) c 6 h 6 och 2 ch 2 oh 2 ) 4 ( c 9 h 19 ) c 6 h 4 o ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) 4 3 ) 4 ( c 9 h 19 ) c 6 h 4 o ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) 11 ch 2 ch 2 oh 4 ) 4 ( c 9 h 19 ) c 6 h 4 o ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) 30 ch 2 ch 2 oh in general , the fluorocarbon surface to be activated is contacted with , e . g . by immersion in , a mixture of a cyclic amide , a quaternary ammonium compound , a cationic or non - ionic surfactant , a glycol ether and an organic acid for a time and at a temperature sufficient to activate the surface to receive a coating , which coating may be a metal , an organic adhesive or other organic coating , etc . the temperature may vary between 165 ° f . and 190 ° f ., preferably between 170 ° f . and 180 ° f ., e . g . about 150 ° f . the time for such contact may vary between about 5 minutes and about 10 minutes , e . g . about 6 minutes . examples of suitable contact times and temperatures may be found in the examples , below . a total volume of 1 liter of solution was made with the following composition : fluoboric acid was used as a chemical to activate the surface of fluorocarbon , but causes the solution to be unstable , i . e . the solution separated within 2 hours after cooling to room temperature . this instability is typical of prior art solutions . six coupons of the sizes 6 . 0 ″× 8 . 0 ″ were used for this experiment . three of the coupons above were from taconic company ptfe reinforced cer - 10 , which is 90 % ptfe — with ceramic . the other three coupons were fr4 material ; hole sizes from 0 . 010 - 0 . 030 . all were processed in the solution of the invention at 180 ° f . for 5 minutes and rinsed thoroughly with deionized water . the coupons were then processed with h & amp ; r superchem &# 39 ; s complete line of electroless copper available from h & amp ; r chemicals , inc ., huntington beach , calif . with the following parameter : 1 ) h & amp ; r superchem cc 711 conditioner cleaner ( 5 % solution at 155 ° f . for 5 minutes ). 2 ) the coupons after rinsing were immersed in me 713 solution ( 1 lb per gallon ) at room temperature for 5 minutes . 3 ) the coupons after rinse were immersed in cpd 716 solutions at room temperature for 3 minutes . 4 ) the coupons were then immersed in cd 720 catalyst ( 3 % solution ) at 100 ° f . for 5 minutes . 5 ) the coupons after being rinsed thoroughly were immersed in ac 731 accelerator ( 10 % solution ) at room temperature for 5 minutes . 6 ) the cer - 10 coupons , after rinsing , were immersed in h & amp ; r superchem ecp 750 electroless copper ( 10 % ecp 750 - a & amp ; 10 % ecp 750 - b ) at 85 ° f . for 30 minutes for ptfe material . the fr - 4 material coupons were immersed in the above electroless copper solution for 15 minutes . the coupons after electroless plating were examined under 50 × magnification . the drilled holes of many sizes from 0 . 012 ″- 0 . 022 ″ did not show any void or any other undesirable defects . the coupons showed excellent adhesion with no separation . the coupons were then electrically plated in acid copper electrolyte at 25 asf for one hour . the coupons were afterwards subjected to structural integrity tests , which included baking and conditioning the coupons at elevated temperatures of between 250 - 300 ° f . after conditioning , the specimens were placed in a desiccator on a ceramic plate to cool . each of the specimens were then fluxed ( type rol1 per j - std - 400 ) and floated in a solder bath of composition sn60pb40 or sn63pb37 maintained at temperature of 288 ° c . ( 550 ° f .) for 10 seconds ± 3 seconds . solder temperature was measured at a probe depth not to exceed 19 mm (+/− 6 . 4 mm ) from the molten surface of the solder . after thermal stressing , the specimens were placed on a piece of insulator to cool . the specimens were then micro sectioned and evaluated for plating quality . micro sectioning was accomplished by using semi - automatic techniques . the specimens were then etched with a solution of ammonium hydroxide , hydrogen peroxide , and de - ionized water . coupons were checked for hole wall integrity , which include but not limited to hole wall separation , voiding , cracking , blistering , or any other hole wall imperfection . isolated thin or thick areas were not used for averaging . the micro sections were examined using metallurgical microscope , and evaluated at a magnification of 100 ×- 400 ×. typical results are shown in fig9 . evaluation of the sample in a back - light test and ptfe through hole plating was performed . the plated fr4 coupons were analyzed by back - light testing using metallurgical microscope and industrial video adaptable digital camera with monitor . the coupons were rated using 50 ×- 60 × optical magnification and shown in fig1 , no . 1 . recent developments in electroless copper processing have increased the demand for near perfect hole coverage . many intensive tests of hole - coverage have been developed for total quality control . the most accepted test is the back - light test , also known as the black - hole test . in this test , visible light is transmitted through the translucent epoxy - glass coupon , perpendicular to the back of the hole - surface , while the front of the hole - surface is observed under a microscope . a perfectly plated hole blocks all light , and so the hole - surface appears completely black . plating - voids in the hole - surface appear as specks of light , and hole coverage is graded based on the number and size of observed voids . many pth chemical suppliers have their own back - light grading systems . the back - light test can be performed immediately after electroless copper plating , in which case the test reveals the quality of the electroless copper processing . alternatively , the test can be performed after copper flash treatment . the coupons described in this report were tested immediately after electroless copper plating , and graded using taiwan &# 39 ; s back - light rating chart . processes that precede electroless copper plating , such as , for example , lamination and drilling can also influence hole - coverage . the back - light test does not reveal the source of observed voids , making it necessary to appraise all of the operations performed before the back - light test . the above solution may be varied as shown below and similar results may be obtained . a total volume of 1 liter of solution was made with the following composition : six coupons 6 . 0 ″× 8 . 0 ″ copper clad reinforced material were used for this experiment . three of the coupons above were taconic ( ptfe x lt - 1 ) and 3 coupons were regular fr4 material as in experiment # 1 . all the pieces were processed in the solution of the present invention above at 170 ° f . for 5 minutes . the coupons after thorough rinsing were processed through the entire h & amp ; r superchem electroless line as in example # 1 . coupons with fr4 material are processed in electroless copper solution were processed for 10 minutes . the coupons after electroless copper were examined under 50 × magnification . the coupons with holes sizes , 0 . 015 ″- 0 . 022 ″ showed complete coverage with electroless copper and did not show any adhesion defect after tape testing . the coupons were than electrically plated in acid copper electrolyte at 25 asf for 1 hour . the coupons were then subjected to structural integrity tests , which included baking and conditioning the coupons at elevated temperature of 250 - 300 ° f . after conditioning , the specimens were placed in a desiccator on a ceramic plate to cool . each of the specimens were then fluxed ( type rol1 per j - std - 004 ) and floated in a solder bath of composition sn60pb40 or sn63pb37 maintained at temperature of 288 ° c . ( 550 ° f .) for 10 seconds ± 3 seconds . solder temperature was measured at a probe depth not to exceed 19 mm (± 6 . 4 mm ) from the molten surface of the solder . after thermal stressing , the specimens were placed on a piece of insulator to cool . the specimens were then micro sectioned and evaluated . micro sectioning was accomplished by using semi - automatic techniques . the specimens were then etched with a solution of ammonium hydroxide , hydrogen peroxide , and deionized water . for hole wall integrity , which include but not limited to hole wall separation , voiding , cracking , blistering , or any other hole wall imperfections . isolated thin or thick areas not used for averaging . the micro sections were examined using metallurgical microscope , and evaluated at a magnification of 100 ×. the results are shown in fig1 and backlight result for the fr4 material are shown as no . 2 in fig1 . this solution also separated within 24 hours of cooling to room temperature . the above solution may be varied as shown below and similar results may be obtained . a total volume of 1 liter of solution was made with the following composition : six coupons as in example # 1 , three of the coupons were of ptfe xlt - 8 - 2 , available from taconic , and three of the coupons were of fr4 material . all coupons were processed with the above solution . six coupons 6 . 0 ″× 8 . 0 ″ were processed for this experiment . three of the coupons were taconic &# 39 ; s ptfe xlt 8 - 2 and three of the coupons were regular fr4 material . all the coupons were processed in the solution at 180 ° f . for 5 minutes . these coupons were then processed in superchem &# 39 ; s complete electroless line as an example # 2 . the coupons were then subjected to structural integrity tests , which included conditioning the coupons at elevated temperature of 250 - 300 ° f . after conditioning , the specimens were placed in a desiccator on a ceramic plate to cool . each of the specimens were then fluxed ( type rol1 per j - std - 004 ) and floated in a solder bath of composition sn60pb40 or sn63pb37 maintained at temperature of 288 ° c . ( 550 ° f .) for 10 sec + 10 . solder temperature was measured at a probe depth not to exceed 19 mm (+/− 6 . 4 mm ) from the molten surface of the solder . after thermal stressing , the specimens were placed on a piece of insulator to cool . the specimens were then micro sectioned and evaluated for the quality of the hole wall integrity observing any evidence of voids , hole wall separation or cracking . micro sectioning was accomplished by using semi - automatic techniques . the specimens were then etched with a solution of ammonium hydroxide , hydrogen peroxide , and deionized water . hole wall integrity , which includes but not limited to hole wall separation , voiding , cracking , blistering , or any other hole wall imperfection was determined . isolated thin or thick areas not used for averaging . the micro sections were examined using metallurgical microscope , and evaluated at a magnification of 100 ×. the results are shown in fig1 and backlight results for the fr4 material shown as no . 3 in fig1 . the above solution may be varied as follows and similar results may be obtained . a total volume of 1 liter of solution was made with the following composition : six coupons 6 . 0 ″× 8 . 0 ″ were used for this experiment . three coupons were taconic rfe - 5 and three regular fr4 materials . all the coupons were immersed in the solution of the present invention at 180 ° f . for 5 minutes . the coupons were then treated with superchem &# 39 ; s line of chemicals as in example # 3 . the coupons were subjected to structural integrity tests , which included conditioning the coupons at elevated temperature of 250 - 300 ° f . after conditioning , the specimens were placed in a desiccator on a ceramic plate to cool . each of the specimens were then fluxed ( type rol1 per j - std - 004 ) and floated in a solder bath of composition sn60pb40 or sn63pb37 maintained at temperature of 288 ° c . ( 550 ° f .) for 10 seconds ± 3 seconds . solder temperature was measured at a probe depth not to exceed 19 mm (+/− 6 . 4 mm ) from the molten surface of the solder . after thermal stressing , the specimens were placed on a piece of insulator to cool . the specimens were then micro sectioned and evaluated . micro sectioning was accomplished by using semi - automatic techniques . the specimens were then etched with a solution of ammonium hydroxide , hydrogen peroxide , and deionized water . hole wall integrity evaluation included but was not limited to hole wall separation voiding , cracking , blistering , or any other hole wall imperfection . isolated thin or thick areas were not used for averaging . the micro sections were examined using metallurgical microscope , and . evaluated at a magnification of 100 ×- 400 ×. average of the 3 holes in every cross section were observed . these holes did not show any imperfection like plating separation , voids or cracking . the results are shown in fig1 and backlight results for the fr4 material shown as no . 4 in fig1 . the above solution may be varied as follows and similar results may be obtained . the solution used to activate the fluorocarbon surface of coupons in example # 1 through example # 4 were kept without any use for 4 week and 3 days . the solution showed some precipitate mostly insoluble in the bottom of the glass beaker . the weight of the residue was about 300 mg , which was filtered using polypropylene buckner funnel with qualitative filter paper p5 , diameter 11 . 0 cm , porosity medium and flow rate slow . the filtered solution looked very clean and worked excellent without any change for coupons in example # 5 and # 6 . the solution proved to be very stable and the shelf life is expected to be in excess of 90 days without any foreign contaminates or lack of effectiveness . this solution was made using the following chemicals in the proportions mentioned : six coupons of the sizes 6 . 0 × 8 . 0 ″ were used for this experiment . three of the coupons above were from taconic material ( ptfe rf35 ). three other coupons were from fr4 material . hole sizes ranged from 0 . 010 - 0 . 030 . all were processed with the solution of the present invention ; taconic material rf35 is 67 % ptfe / ceramic - 7628 glass . this material is equivalent to rogers 4350 , 4003 . after rinsing the coupons with water , they were processed with complete electroless copper line of h & amp ; r superchem . the coupons had good adhesion as shown by tape testing . these coupons were electroplated in electrolytic copper solution and subjected to thermal stress test as mentioned below . the coupons were subjected to structural integrity tests , which included conditioning the coupons at elevated temperature of 250 - 300 ° f . after conditioning the specimens were placed in a desiccator on a ceramic plate to cool . each of the specimens were then fluxed ( type rol1 per j - std - 004 ) and floated in a solder bath of composition sn60pb40 or sn63pb37 maintained at temperature of 288 ° c . ( 550 ° f .) for 10 seconds ± 3 seconds . solder temperature measured at a probe depth not to exceed 19 mm (+/− 6 . 4 mm ) from the molten surface of the solder . after thermal stressing , the specimens were placed on a piece of insulator to cool . the specimens were then micro sectioned and evaluated . micro sectioning was accomplished by using semi - automatic techniques . the specimens were then etched with a solution of ammonium hydroxide , hydrogen peroxide , and deionized water . hole wall integrity evaluation included but not limited to hole wall separation , voiding cracking , blistering , or any other hole wall imperfection was performed . isolated thin or thick areas not used for averaging . the micro sections were examined using metallurgical microscope , and evaluated at the magnification of 100 ×- 400 ×. average of the 3 holes in every cross section were observed . these holes did not show any imperfection like plating separation , voids or cracking . the results are shown in fig1 and backlight results for the fr4 material shown as no . 5 in fig1 . the above solution may be varied as follows and similar results may be obtained . this solution was made with the chemicals according to the following order : six coupons of the size 6 . 0 × 8 . 0 ″ were used for this experiment . three of the coupons above were copper clad reinforced ptfe tly 03 ( glass reinforced ) 92 % ptfe only - 1080 / 106 glass and three other coupons were fr4 material . hole sizes ranged from 0 . 010 - 0 . 030 .″ all were used for this experiment . the coupons were immersed on the solution of the present invention at 170 ° f . for 5 minutes . three coupons as in example # 1 from taconic ( ptfe xlt - 8 - 2 ) were processed with the above solution ; taconic ptfe material used in experiment # 3 was the same as in experiment . after rinsing , the coupons were processed through complete h & amp ; r superchem &# 39 ; s electroless line and were tested for plating coverage , adherence and ductility using cellophane tape . electroless plating showed excellent adherence and complete coverage . the coupons were graded according to back - light test . please refer to image # 6 for the result . the samples were then plated with electrolytic copper at 25 asf for 1 hour . the coupons were then subjected to structural integrity tests , which included conditioning the coupons at elevated temperature 250 - 300 ° f . after conditioning , the specimens were placed in a desiccator on a ceramic plate to cool . each of the specimens were then fluxed ( type rol1 per j - std - 004 ) and floated in a solder bath of composition sn60pb40 or sn63pb37 maintained at temperature of 288 ° c . ( 550 ° f .) for 10 sec ± 3 seconds . solder temperature shall be measured at a probe depth not to exceed 19 mm (+/− 6 . 4 mm ) from the molten surface of the solder . after thermal stressing , the specimens were placed on a piece of insulator to cool . the specimens were then micro sectioned and evaluated for the quality of the hole wall integrity observing any evidence of voids , hole wall separation or cracking . micro sectioning was accomplished by using semi - automatic techniques . the specimens were then etched with a solution of ammonium hydroxide , hydrogen peroxide , and deionized water . for hole wall integrity , which include but not limited to hole wall separation , voiding cracking , blistering , or any other hole wall imperfection . measurements are reported as the average three ( 3 ) holes . isolated thin or thick areas not used for averaging . the micro sections were examined using metallurgical microscope , and evaluated at a magnification of 100 ×- 400 ×. the results are shown in fig1 and backlight for the fr4 material results shown as no . 6 in fig1 . the above solution may be varied as follows and similar results may be obtained . the solutions utilized in the method of the present invention , as described in examples i through vii , above , have the following advantages : the solution does not exert any excessive vapor pressure in the container after long storage . the solution of the present invention is not classified as flammable . no refrigeration of the solution needed during storage for example , up to or in excess of 90 days . the solution is not sensitive to moisture or air . the chemical is recommended to be diluted with water before final use . for uniform activity of the chemical , it may be aerated also during production time . two coupons of fr35 , taconic , 67 % ptfe , ceramic - 7628 glass were used for this experiment . the coupons were nonclad of the size 3 . 0 ″× 6 . 0 .″ this test was performed to evaluate surface adherence of solder mask material on ptfe , rf35 . one coupon was immersed in the solutions of the present invention , i . e . the solution of example 3 - 6 , at 170 ° f . for 5 minutes . a control coupon was not treated with the chemicals . after baking these coupons at 250 ° f . for 15 minutes , it was observed that untreated coupon showed lots of pits and imperfection , but the treated pieces showed excellent adherence without any pitting or non - coverage . although there has been hereinabove described specific methods and solutions in accordance with the present invention for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which the invention may be used to advantage , it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto . that is , the present invention may suitably comprise , consist of , or consist essentially of the recited elements . further , the invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclose herein . accordingly , any and all modifications , variations or equivalent arrangements which may occur to those skilled in the art , should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims .