Method and device for removing oxide layer and organic matter on surface of copper foil

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and device for removing an oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of a copper foil, and the method comprises the following steps: introducing a dielectric gas into a plasma generator, supplying power to the plasma generator by a radio frequency power supply, starting plasma discharge, and generating a plasma jet; the plasma generator is of a pistol-shaped structure and is provided with a nozzle at the end; a nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and faces the end face of the copper foil roll and sprays plasma to clean an oxide layer on the end face of the copper foil roll. The oxidation layer on the end face of the copper foil is cleaned through normal-pressure low-temperature plasma, the performance of the copper foil is not affected by the low-temperature condition, and it is guaranteed that the end face of the copper foil roll is free of deformation damage through a non-contact cleaning mode; the normal pressure condition is adopted, the copper foil roll does not need to be placed in a vacuum environment, the size of the copper foil roll is not limited, and the application range is wide; the handheld cleaning is convenient and fast, the removal of oxide layers and organic matters at different parts can be realized, and meanwhile, the oxidation resistance of the end surface of the copper foil can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of removing oxide layers on the surface of copper foil, and in particular to a method and a device for removing oxide layers and organic matter on the surface of copper foil. Background Art

[0002] The production of electrolytic copper foil is mainly divided into three steps: dissolving copper liquid, electrolytic raw foil, and raw foil slitting. At present, electrolytic copper foil is treated with anti-oxidation when it is produced, so the end surface of the copper foil roll has a certain anti-oxidation effect. However, due to the different specifications and widths required by customers, slitting of different widths will be performed. The end surface of the copper foil roll after slitting has not been treated with anti-oxidation. If the operation is not standardized during packaging, the packaging is not tight or damaged, it will cause oxidation of the end surface of the copper foil roll. In addition, if the packaged copper foil roll is placed in the warehouse, the temperature and humidity control of the warehouse is not up to standard, and the storage time is too long or the shelf life is exceeded, it is also easy to cause oxidation of the end surface of the copper foil roll.

[0003] For the end faces of copper foil rolls that have been oxidized and discolored, the oxidized and discolored parts are usually cut off and cut into copper foil rolls of smaller widths. The copper foil rolls with oxidized ends that cannot be cut can only be scrapped, which greatly reduces the yield rate and the cost is correspondingly high. Therefore, researchers have gradually studied and developed methods for removing the oxide layer on the end faces of copper foil rolls. Patent CN117974623A discloses a method for removing the oxide layer and impurities on the end faces of copper foil. When winding, the image of the copper foil end face is taken by a high-speed camera and an image processing program, which can accurately locate impurities, oxide layers and other defects on the end faces of the copper foil, and finally use a laser to eliminate such defects. This method is an online processing method, and defects can be cleaned while cutting, but due to the high energy density of the laser, it is easy to cause high-temperature damage to the copper foil. In addition, areas with thicker oxide layers cannot be completely processed, and secondary processing may be required, increasing the process cost.

[0004] Normal pressure plasma is plasma generated under atmospheric pressure, which is a cold plasma in a non-thermodynamic equilibrium state. At present, it has been widely used in surface cleaning and surface modification of various materials. Its principle is to use a series of physical and chemical reactions between plasma and oil stains, oxide layers, etc. on the surface of the material to react with surface impurities through the active particles (atoms, ions, electrons and free radicals, etc.) and high-energy rays contained therein, and collide with the oxide layer to form small molecules. In addition, the physical blowing effect of compressed air flow removes impurities from the surface of the material to achieve a cleaning effect. Patent CN117884427A discloses a low-temperature plasma rust removal process for the end face of copper foil. By using argon-hydrogen mixed gas to generate glow discharge plasma, the end face oxide layer of the copper foil roll is cleaned in a vacuum chamber. While removing the end face oxide layer, its performance is not affected. However, the equipment of this method is relatively complex and requires a vacuum chamber, which limits the size of the copper foil roll that can be cleaned and has low operational flexibility. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a method and device for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil. A pistol-shaped plasma generator is adopted, and a nozzle is arranged at the end. A plasma jet is sprayed through the nozzle toward the oxide layer or organic matter area on the end surface of the copper foil roll to clean the oxide layer and organic matter. The present invention has a simple structure and flexible operation. The copper foil does not need to be placed in a vacuum environment, and there is no limit on the size of the copper foil roll. The invention has a wide range of applications.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil, comprising the following steps: S1. A dielectric gas source introduces dielectric gas into a plasma generator, and a radio frequency power supply supplies power to the plasma generator, thereby starting plasma discharge and generating a plasma jet; Wherein, the plasma generator is a pistol-shaped structure, and a nozzle is arranged at the end of the pistol-shaped structure; S2. The nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and faces the end surface of the copper foil roll, and plasma is ejected to clean the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil roll.

[0007] The plasma generator of the pistol-shaped structure of the present invention sprays a continuous and stable low-temperature plasma jet at normal pressure to the oxide layer area on the end surface of the copper foil roll through the end nozzle of the pistol-shaped structure to remove the oxide layer on the surface of the copper foil. The method is easy to operate, highly flexible, and is carried out at normal temperature and pressure. The copper foil roll does not need to be placed in a vacuum environment. The size of the copper foil roll is not limited by the cavity of the plasma generator, and has a wide range of applications.

[0008] Furthermore, in S2, the distance between the nozzle and the end surface of the copper foil roll is 10-30 mm, so as to avoid the problem of poor cleaning effect caused by too close distance and too far distance.

[0009] Furthermore, in S2, the continuous cleaning time of the same position on the end surface of the copper foil roll does not exceed 10 minutes to avoid the influence of long-term cleaning on the performance of the copper foil.

[0010] Furthermore, the power of the radio frequency power supply is 2000-5000W, and the appropriate power is set to avoid affecting the performance of the copper foil and meet the cleaning effect.

[0011] According to actual needs and the situation of the oxide layer and organic matter on the end surface of the copper foil roll, adjust the parameters such as the RF power, the distance between the nozzle and the end surface of the copper foil roll, and the cleaning time. At the same time, the higher the power, the shorter the cleaning time should be; the smaller the cleaning distance, the shorter the cleaning time should be; this can avoid affecting the performance of the copper foil and reduce the cleaning cost.

[0012] Furthermore, the medium gas is argon, or a mixed gas of argon and oxygen. Argon is used when cleaning the oxide layer, and a mixed gas of argon and oxygen is used when there are both oxide layers and organic matter.

[0013] Furthermore, the flow rate of the medium gas is 500-2000 sccm.

[0014] Furthermore, the flow ratio of argon gas to oxygen is (4-6):1, and the flow ratio is adjusted according to the conditions of the oxide layer and organic matter.

[0015] Furthermore, after step S2, the process further includes: repeating step S2 0-5 times, performing multiple cleanings, and performing multiple cleanings when a single cleaning is not thorough, so as to avoid a single cleaning for too long affecting the performance of the copper foil.

[0016] The second aspect of the present invention provides a device for removing an oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of a copper foil, for implementing the method described in the first aspect, comprising: A plasma generator, wherein an electrode is disposed inside the plasma generator and a nozzle is disposed at an end of the plasma generator; A radio frequency power source, the radio frequency power source is connected to the electrodes; A medium gas source is connected to the plasma generator through a gas pipe.

[0017] Furthermore, the plasma generator is a pistol-shaped structure, which is portable and easy and flexible to operate.

[0018] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The present invention adopts normal pressure low-temperature plasma to clean the oxide layer on the end surface of copper foil. The low temperature condition has no effect on the performance of the copper foil, and the non-contact cleaning method is used to ensure that the end surface of the copper foil roll is not deformed or damaged. Normal pressure conditions are used, and the copper foil roll does not need to be placed in a vacuum environment. The size of the copper foil roll is not limited and the application range is wide. Handheld cleaning is convenient and fast, and the oxide layer and organic matter in different parts can be removed.

[0019] The present invention uses active particles and high-energy rays in plasma to remove the oxide layer and improve the anti-oxidation ability of the end face. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of the copper foil according to the present invention; Figure 2 This is a picture of the end surface of the copper foil roll before and after the cleaning treatment of Example 1 of the present invention; Explanation of the numbers in the figure: 1. plasma generator, 2. electrode, 3. nozzle, 4. plasma jet, 5. radio frequency power supply, 6. dielectric gas source. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the specific embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] This embodiment provides a method for removing an oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of a copper foil, comprising the following steps: S1. A dielectric gas source introduces dielectric gas into a plasma generator, and a radio frequency power supply supplies power to the plasma generator, thereby starting plasma discharge and generating a plasma jet; wherein the plasma generator is a pistol-shaped structure, and a nozzle is arranged at the end of the pistol-shaped structure.

[0024] As a specific example, the medium gas is argon, or a mixture of argon and oxygen. Argon is used to clean the oxide layer, and a mixture of argon and oxygen is used when there is both an oxide layer and organic matter. The flow rate of the medium gas is 500-2000sccm. The flow ratio of argon to oxygen is (4-6):1, and the gas flow ratio is adjusted according to the conditions of the oxide layer and the organic matter.

[0025] S2. The nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and faces the end surface of the copper foil roll, and plasma is ejected to clean the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil roll.

[0026] As a specific example, the method further includes: repeating step S2 0-5 times, performing multiple cleanings, and performing multiple cleanings when a single cleaning is not thorough, so as to avoid a single cleaning for too long affecting the performance of the copper foil.

[0027] The pistol-shaped plasma generator of this embodiment sprays a continuous and stable low-temperature plasma jet at normal pressure to the oxide layer area on the end surface of the copper foil roll through the end nozzle of the pistol-shaped structure to remove the oxide layer on the surface of the copper foil. The method is easy to operate, highly flexible, and is carried out at normal temperature and pressure. The copper foil roll does not need to be placed in a vacuum environment. The size of the copper foil roll is not limited by the cavity of the plasma generator, and has a wide range of applications.

[0028] As a preferred embodiment, in S2, the distance between the nozzle and the end face of the copper foil roll is 10-30mm, the continuous cleaning time of the same position of the end face of the copper foil roll does not exceed 10min, the power of the RF power supply is 2000-5000W, and the parameters such as the RF power supply power, the distance between the nozzle and the end face of the copper foil roll, and the cleaning time are adjusted according to actual needs and the conditions of the oxide layer and organic matter on the end face of the copper foil roll. At the same time, the higher the power of the power supply, the shorter the cleaning time should be; the smaller the cleaning interval, the shorter the cleaning time should be; in this way, while avoiding affecting the performance of the copper foil, the cleaning cost can also be reduced.

[0029] refer to Figure 1 Another embodiment provides a device for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil, which is used for the method described in the above embodiment, including: a plasma generator 1, wherein an electrode 2 is arranged inside the plasma generator 1, and a nozzle 3 is arranged at the end of the plasma generator 1 for spraying a plasma jet 4; a radio frequency power supply 5, wherein the radio frequency power supply 5 is connected to the electrode 2; and a dielectric gas source 6, wherein the dielectric gas source 6 is connected to the plasma generator 1 through a gas pipe. The plasma generator 1 is a pistol-shaped structure, which is portable and easy to operate and flexible.

[0030] The following are specific embodiments. Example 1

[0031] This embodiment provides a method for removing an oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of a copper foil, comprising the following steps: S1. The medium gas source introduces argon gas into the plasma generator, and the radio frequency power supply supplies power to the plasma generator, starts plasma discharge and generates a plasma jet; wherein the argon gas flow rate is 500 sccm and the power supply power is 2000 W; S2. The nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and toward the end of the copper foil roll, and plasma is ejected to clean the oxide layer on the end of the copper foil roll; the distance between the nozzle and the end of the copper foil roll is 10 mm, the single cleaning time is 6 minutes, and the number of cleanings is one. The end of the copper foil roll before and after cleaning is shown in the figure below. Figure 2 (a) and Figure 2 As shown in (b), it can be seen that the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil has been completely removed. Example 2

[0032] This embodiment provides a method for removing an oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of a copper foil, comprising the following steps: S1. The medium gas source introduces argon gas into the plasma generator, and the radio frequency power supply supplies power to the plasma generator, starts plasma discharge and generates a plasma jet; wherein the argon gas flow rate is 800 sccm and the power supply power is 2500 W; S2. The nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and toward the end surface of the copper foil roll, and plasma is ejected to clean the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil roll; wherein, the distance between the nozzle and the end surface of the copper foil roll is 15 mm, the single cleaning time is 6 minutes, and the number of cleaning times is once. Example 3

[0033] This embodiment provides a method for removing an oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of a copper foil, comprising the following steps: S1. The medium gas source introduces argon gas into the plasma generator, and the radio frequency power supply supplies power to the plasma generator, starts plasma discharge and generates a plasma jet; wherein the argon gas flow rate is 1000 sccm and the power supply power is 3000 W; S2. The nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and toward the end surface of the copper foil roll, and plasma is ejected to clean the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil roll; wherein, the distance between the nozzle and the end surface of the copper foil roll is 20 mm, the single cleaning time is 4 minutes, and the number of cleaning times is once. Example 4

[0034] This embodiment provides a method for removing an oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of a copper foil, comprising the following steps: S1. The medium gas source introduces argon gas into the plasma generator, and the radio frequency power supply supplies power to the plasma generator, starts plasma discharge and generates a plasma jet; wherein the argon gas flow rate is 1000 sccm and the power supply power is 3000 W; S2. The nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and toward the end surface of the copper foil roll, and plasma is ejected to clean the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil roll; wherein, the distance between the nozzle and the end surface of the copper foil roll is 15 mm, the single cleaning time is 3 minutes, and the number of cleaning times is once. Example 5

[0035] This embodiment provides a method for removing an oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of a copper foil, comprising the following steps: S1. The medium gas source introduces argon gas into the plasma generator, and the radio frequency power supply supplies power to the plasma generator, starts plasma discharge and generates a plasma jet; wherein the argon gas flow rate is 2000 sccm and the power supply power is 4500 W; S2. The nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and toward the end surface of the copper foil roll, and plasma is ejected to clean the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil roll; wherein, the distance between the nozzle and the end surface of the copper foil roll is 30 mm, the single cleaning time is 2 minutes, and the number of cleaning times is once.

[0036] Comparative Example 1 This comparative example provides a method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil, comprising the following steps: S1. The medium gas source introduces argon gas into the plasma generator, and the radio frequency power supply supplies power to the plasma generator, starts plasma discharge and generates a plasma jet; wherein the argon gas flow rate is 400 sccm and the power supply power is 1800 W; S2. The nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and toward the end surface of the copper foil roll, and plasma is ejected to clean the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil roll; wherein, the distance between the nozzle and the end surface of the copper foil roll is 10 mm, the cleaning time at the same position is 8 minutes, and the cleaning times are once.

[0037] Comparative Example 2 This comparative example is a copper foil roll that is normally slit and has no end surface oxidation, and is used as a performance test comparative example.

[0038] The end surface conditions of the copper foil rolls of Examples 1-5 and Comparative Examples 1-2 after being stored for different periods of time after packaging were compared, and the results are shown in Table 1.

[0039] Table 1

[0040] As shown in Table 1, the cleaning methods of Examples 1-5 of the present invention have excellent cleaning effects on the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil roll, and all achieve complete removal of the oxide layer. However, in Comparative Example 1, due to the argon gas flow rate and power supply settings, it is not enough to completely remove the oxide layer on the end surface.

[0041] By comparing Examples 1-5 with Comparative Example 2, it was found that the end surface of the copper foil roll after plasma cleaning still had no oxidation discoloration after 3 months. However, the copper foil in Comparative Example 2 that was not plasma treated showed partial oxidation discoloration after 3 months. It can be seen that plasma cleaning can not only remove the oxide layer, but also help to improve the anti-oxidation ability of the copper foil.

[0042] The present invention has been described in detail above in conjunction with specific implementations and exemplary examples, but these descriptions cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art understand that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, a variety of equivalent substitutions, modifications or improvements may be made to the technical solution of the present invention and its implementation methods, all of which fall within the scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil, characterized in that: The steps include: S1. A dielectric gas source introduces dielectric gas into a plasma generator, and a radio frequency power supply supplies power to the plasma generator, thereby starting plasma discharge and generating a plasma jet; Wherein, the plasma generator is a pistol-shaped structure, and a nozzle is arranged at the end of the pistol-shaped structure; S2. The nozzle of the plasma generator is close to and faces the end surface of the copper foil roll, and plasma is ejected to clean the oxide layer on the end surface of the copper foil roll.

2. The method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S2, the distance between the nozzle and the end surface of the copper foil roll is 10-30 mm.

3. The method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S2, the continuous cleaning time of the same position of the end surface of the copper foil roll does not exceed 10 minutes.

4. The method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power of the radio frequency power supply is 2000-5000W.

5. The method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil according to claim 1, characterized in that: The medium gas is argon or a mixed gas of argon and oxygen.

6. The method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flow rate of the medium gas is 500-2000 sccm.

7. The method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flow ratio of argon to oxygen is (4-6):

1.

8. The method for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil according to claim 1, characterized in that: After step S2, the method further includes: repeating step S2 0-5 times for multiple washings.

9. A device for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil, used for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: A plasma generator, wherein an electrode is disposed inside the plasma generator and a nozzle is disposed at an end of the plasma generator; A radio frequency power source, the radio frequency power source is connected to the electrodes; A medium gas source is connected to the plasma generator through a gas pipe.

10. The device for removing the oxide layer and organic matter on the surface of copper foil according to claim 9, characterized in that: The plasma generator is a pistol-shaped structure.

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