Moisture removal device and electroplating equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a moisture removal device and electroplating equipment. The moisture removal device comprises a shell, a water inlet pipe, a water outlet pipe and a water outlet pipe, the first liquid inlet pipeline is arranged on the cover plate and used for receiving liquid to be subjected to moisture removal; the first splitter plate is arranged below the cover plate, is positioned in the shell and is used for splitting liquid entering the shell from the first liquid inlet pipeline; the flow guide plate is mounted on the first flow distribution plate, and the liquid subjected to flow distribution flows along the flow guide plate; the gas inlet is used for supplying gas to a gap between the adjacent guide plates; and the exhaust port is used for exhausting gas flowing through the gap between the adjacent guide plates. By means of the electroplating device, evaporation of water in the electroplating liquid is achieved, and the concentration of the electroplating liquid is increased and can reach the preset standard concentration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of electroplating, and in particular to a moisture removal device and electroplating equipment. Background Art

[0002] After the wafer is electroplated in the plating tank in the plating chamber, it needs to be cleaned to remove the plating solution on the wafer. In the process of cleaning the wafer, part of the deionized water (DIW) used to clean the wafer is discharged from the plating chamber, and part of it will fall into the plating tank and circulate back into the reservoir with the plating solution, which will cause the concentration of the plating solution in the reservoir to decrease and not meet the specified concentration range. When the plating solution is circulated from the reservoir to the plating tank for the electroplating process, the plating solution that does not meet the concentration requirements will have an adverse effect on the quality of the electroplating. Therefore, when the concentration of the plating solution in the reservoir is lower than the standard concentration range, it is necessary to remove excess water in the reservoir to achieve the purpose of making the concentration of the plating solution meet the standard range. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a moisture removal device, comprising:

[0004] A shell, wherein a cover plate is arranged on the top of the shell;

[0005] A first liquid inlet pipeline, disposed on the cover plate, for receiving liquid to be dehydrated;

[0006] A first diverter plate, disposed under the cover plate and located in the shell, for diverting the liquid entering the shell from the first liquid inlet pipeline;

[0007] A guide plate, mounted on the first diverter plate, along which the diverted liquid flows;

[0008] an air inlet for supplying air to the gap between adjacent guide plates;

[0009] The exhaust port is used to exhaust the gas flowing through the gap between adjacent guide plates.

[0010] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides an electroplating device, comprising an electroplating chamber, a liquid storage tank and a moisture removal device as described in the first aspect, wherein the moisture removal device is used to receive the plating liquid in the electroplating chamber and perform moisture removal treatment, and the plating liquid after the moisture removal treatment flows into the liquid storage tank.

[0011] Details of one or more embodiments of the present application are set forth in the following drawings and description to make other features, objects, and advantages of the present application more readily apparent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0013] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view from a main perspective of a moisture removal device according to a first embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view from a left perspective of a moisture removal device according to a first embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a second diverter plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a first diverter plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a first diverter plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a first diverter plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a guide plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 8 is a top view of a guide plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Fig. 9 is a top view of a guide plate according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a moisture removal device according to a second embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Fig.11 is a structural block diagram of an electroplating device according to an embodiment of the present application; and

[0024] Fig.12 It is a structural block diagram of an electroplating device according to another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application is described and illustrated below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Based on the embodiments provided in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application. In addition, it can also be understood that although the efforts made in this development process may be complex and lengthy, for ordinary technicians in the field related to the contents disclosed in the present application, some changes such as design, manufacturing or production based on the technical contents disclosed in the present application are only conventional technical means, and should not be understood as insufficient contents disclosed in the present application.

[0026] In the embodiment of the present application, the liquid to be dehydrated is described as an electroplating liquid.

[0027] See also Figure 1 , an embodiment of the present application proposes a moisture removal device 100, which can be applied to electroplating equipment, and its structure will be described later. Fig.11 FIG. 1 shows an electroplating apparatus including a moisture removal device 100. Fig.11 As shown, the electroplating equipment includes a moisture removal device 100, a liquid storage tank 300, an electroplating chamber 200, a negative pressure device 500 and a filtering device 600. The moisture removal device 100 includes a guide plate 13, an exhaust port 15 and a first liquid inlet pipeline 11. The bottom of the guide plate 13 is immersed in the electroplating liquid in the liquid storage tank 300. The moisture removal device 100 is used to receive the electroplating liquid in the electroplating chamber 200 and perform a moisture removal process. The electroplating liquid after the moisture removal process flows into the liquid storage tank 300 through the guide plate 13, so that the concentration of the electroplating liquid in the liquid storage tank 300 can reach a preset standard concentration, so that the electroplating liquid in the liquid storage tank 300 can be supplied to the electroplating chamber 200 for reuse. In one embodiment, the moisture removal device 100 can be arranged in the liquid storage tank 300. The filter device 600 is connected between the first liquid inlet pipeline 11 and the electroplating chamber 200, and is used to filter the electroplating solution in the electroplating chamber 200 to filter out impurities in the electroplating solution. The negative pressure device 500 is connected to the exhaust port 15 of the moisture removal device 100, and is used to adjust the air pressure in the moisture removal device 100 to a negative pressure.

[0028] In this embodiment, the air pressure in the moisture removal device 100 is adjusted to a negative pressure by using a negative pressure device 500, which is conducive to the gas entering the moisture removal device 100 to carry out the moisture in the electroplating solution. It should be noted that the negative pressure in the moisture removal device 100 can be adjusted by controlling the negative pressure device 500, thereby adjusting the gas flow rate and adjusting the moisture removal efficiency. In this embodiment, the negative pressure device 500 can be an air pump.

[0029] In this embodiment, the filter device 600 is used to filter the plating solution flowing from the plating chamber 200 into the moisture removal device 100, which can reduce impurities in the plating solution and improve the purity of the plating solution.

[0030] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a moisture removal device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 1 As shown, the moisture removal device 100 includes a housing 10 , a first liquid inlet pipeline 11 , a first diverter plate 12 , a guide plate 13 , an air inlet 14 and an air outlet 15 .

[0031] The housing 10 is a cube with an opening at the top. A cover plate 22 is disposed at the top opening of the housing 10 to seal the top opening of the housing 10. The interior of the housing 10 is divided into a first space 21 and a second space 30 by a partition 40, and the partition 40 is provided with an opening.

[0032] The first liquid inlet pipeline 11 is arranged on the cover plate 22 for receiving liquid from Fig.11 The plating liquid in the plating chamber 200 enters the second space 30 of the housing 10 .

[0033] The first diverter plate 12 is disposed under the cover plate 22 and in the second space 30 of the housing 10, and is used to divert the electroplating solution entering the housing 10 from the first liquid inlet pipeline 11. Since the electroplating solution entering the housing 10 from the first liquid inlet pipeline 11 is relatively concentrated, the first diverter plate 12 is disposed so that the electroplating solution entering from the first liquid inlet pipeline 11 flows into the first diverter plate 12, and then disperses along the surface of the first diverter plate 12, so as to achieve the function of dispersing the electroplating solution, thereby facilitating the evaporation of water in the electroplating solution.

[0034] The air inlet 14 is disposed on the cover plate 22 . One end of the air inlet 14 is connected to the ambient air, and the other end of the air inlet 14 is connected to the first space 21 . The ambient air enters the first space 21 through the air inlet 14 , and then enters the second space 30 through the opening on the partition plate 40 .

[0035] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The top of the guide plate 13 is arranged on the first diverter plate 12 and is located in the second space 30. The guide plate 13 is arranged parallel to the air flow direction entering the second space 30 from the first space 21, so that the air can pass through the gap between adjacent guide plates 13 and take away the water vapor. The bottom of the guide plate 13 passes through the bottom of the housing 10 and is immersed in the plating solution of the liquid storage tank 300 (refer to Fig.11), which is used to flow the electroplating solution after water removal into the liquid storage tank 300 storing the electroplating solution along the bottom of the guide plate 13. By providing a plurality of guide plates 13, the contact area between the water in the electroplating solution and the air entering from the first space 21 to the second space 30 is increased, thereby improving the evaporation efficiency of the water in the electroplating solution.

[0036] Continue to see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The exhaust port 15 is disposed on the side wall of the housing 10, and the exhaust port 15 is disposed opposite to the opening on the partition plate 40 and is Fig.11 The medium negative pressure device 500 is connected and communicated with the second space 30. The negative pressure device 500 adjusts the inside of the moisture removal device 100 to a negative pressure through the exhaust port 15, so that air can enter the first space 21 from the air inlet 14, and enter the second space 30 through the opening on the partition 40, so as to discharge the water vapor in the electroplating solution on the guide plate 13 in the second space 30. In this way, the air carries out the water vapor to achieve the effect of discharging the water vapor.

[0037] In this embodiment, after the plating liquid enters the moisture removal device 100 through the first liquid inlet pipeline 11, it is diverted by the first diverter plate 12. After diversion, the plating liquid flows onto the guide plate 13, and the plating liquid flows down along the side wall of the guide plate 13. In this process, ambient air is sucked into the moisture removal device 100 from the air inlet 14 on the cover plate 22. When the air is discharged from the exhaust port 15 through the air inlet 14, the first space 21, and the gap between the adjacent guide plates 13 in the second space 30, it will carry away the excess moisture in the plating liquid, thereby evaporating the water in the plating liquid to increase the concentration of the plating liquid, so that the concentration of the plating liquid can reach the preset standard concentration.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the water vapor removal efficiency can be improved by adjusting the internal part of the moisture removal device 100 to suck in air at a negative pressure to carry out the water vapor attached to the guide plate 13 in the electroplating solution. Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The style in can increase the area where water vapor adheres to the guide plate 13, thereby further improving the efficiency of air carrying water vapor.

[0039] Continue to see Figure 1 In this embodiment, the moisture removal device 100 further includes a sealing ring 16, which is disposed between the first liquid inlet pipeline 11 and the cover plate 22 to avoid leakage of the electroplating solution due to a gap between the first liquid inlet pipeline 11 and the cover plate 22.

[0040] Continue to refer Figure 1 The moisture removal device 100 also includes a second diverter plate 18, the specific structure of which is as follows Figure 3 shown. Figure 3 The dotted circle in is the projection of the first liquid inlet pipeline 11 on the second diverter plate 18. The second diverter plate 18 is provided with a plurality of through holes. Preferably, the aperture sizes of the plurality of through holes on the second diverter plate 18 can be gradually increased according to the arrangement direction of the guide plate 13. Since the electroplating liquid is easily concentrated at the position corresponding to the first liquid inlet pipeline 11, the diameter of the through hole at the position corresponding to the first liquid inlet pipeline 11 on the second diverter plate 18 is smaller than the diameter of the through hole at the position away from the first liquid inlet pipeline 11, so that the electroplating liquid is more evenly dispersed on the second diverter plate 18, and the initial diversion of the electroplating liquid is achieved.

[0041] Preferably, the through holes on the second diverter plate 18 may be arranged in such a manner that the closer the through holes are to the first liquid inlet pipeline 11 , the smaller the hole diameters are.

[0042] In some embodiments, the through holes on the second diverter plate 18 may be designed as follows: Figure 3 The circular design may also be a triangle, square, trapezoid, or other shape design that can implement the embodiment of the present application.

[0043] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the front structure of the first diverter plate 12, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first diverter plate 12, as shown Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, a plurality of strip-shaped openings 24 are provided on the first diverter plate 12 for further diverting the electroplating solution flowing from the second diverter plate 18. The strip-shaped openings 24 may be arranged in a plurality of rows and / or a plurality of columns.

[0044] In this embodiment, the plating solution flows through the through holes on the second diverter plate 18 to the first diverter plate 12 for secondary diversion, which can avoid the problem of poor water removal effect in the plating solution due to excessive concentration of the plating solution. In addition, by providing the strip openings 24 on the first diverter plate 12, the diversion efficiency of the plating solution can be improved to improve the water removal efficiency.

[0045] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the back structure of the first diverter plate 12, as shown in Figure 6 As shown, a plurality of strip grooves 23 are provided on the back of the first diverter plate 12, and each strip groove 23 and each strip opening 24 are located on the same straight line. Figure 1 and Figure 7 ) is embedded and fixed on the first diverter plate 12 through the strip groove 23.

[0046] In this embodiment, the guide plate 13 is embedded and fixed on the first diverter plate 12 through the strip groove 23, so that the plating liquid can flow directly onto the guide plate 13 along the strip opening 24, avoiding the problem of dripping and splashing of the plating liquid caused by the presence of a gap between the first diverter plate 12 and the guide plate 13.

[0047] In this embodiment, the width of the strip opening 24 is generally greater than the width of the guide plate 13, and the difference between the width of the strip opening 24 and the width of the guide plate 13 is preferably in the range of 2 mm to 5 mm. In this way, the plating solution can flow from the strip opening 24 to the guide plate 13.

[0048] In order to further increase the water evaporation area, in some embodiments, as Figure 7 As shown, vertical strip grooves 25 may also be provided on the guide plate 13 .

[0049] In this embodiment, the strip groove 25 can be set as an arc-shaped groove, and its cross-sectional shape is as follows: Figure 8 In another embodiment, the strip groove 25 can also be set as a triangular groove, and its cross-sectional shape is as follows: Fig. 9 As shown in the top view of the guide plate in another embodiment.

[0050] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the strip-shaped groove 25 may also be a trapezoid, a square, etc., so as to further increase the water evaporation area.

[0051] In this embodiment, the guide plate 13 is preferably made of a hydrophilic material at least on the surface thereof, so that water in the electroplating solution can be better adsorbed, so that air can take away more water when passing through the gap between adjacent guide plates 13, thereby improving the evaporation efficiency of water in the electroplating solution.

[0052] Continue to see Figure 1 In this embodiment, an overflow hole 19 is further provided on the housing 10, and the overflow hole 19 is provided between the second diverter plate 18 and the cover plate 22. By providing the overflow hole 19, when the flow rate of the plating liquid in the moisture removal device 100 is too large, the plating liquid can flow into the plating tank 300 through the overflow hole 19, and the risk of the plating liquid overflowing from the first liquid inlet pipeline 11 can also be avoided.

[0053] It should be noted that a plurality of overflow holes 19 may be provided between the second diverter plate 18 and the cover plate 22 .

[0054] In some embodiments, there is no need to set the partition 40 in the shell 10. Instead, the air inlet 14 is set on the other side of the shell 10 and arranged opposite to the exhaust port 15. The air inlet 14 directly supplies gas to the gap between adjacent guide plates and exhausts it through the exhaust port 15 to achieve evaporation of water vapor in the plating solution on the guide plate 13.

[0055] Fig.12 The structural schematic diagram of the electroplating equipment of another embodiment of the present application is disclosed. Fig.11 The difference of the electroplating equipment disclosed is that Fig.12 The electroplating equipment disclosed in the invention also includes a circulation loop 400. The circulation loop 400 is a self-circulating pipeline in the liquid storage tank 300, that is, it can be understood as a pipeline that makes the electroplating solution in the liquid storage tank 300 in a flowing state. Specifically, the liquid outlet of the circulation loop 400 is connected to the liquid storage tank 300, and the liquid inlet of the circulation loop 400 is also connected to the liquid storage tank 300. The electroplating solution in the liquid storage tank 300 enters the circulation loop 400 through the liquid outlet of the circulation loop 400 and enters the liquid storage tank 300 through the liquid inlet of the circulation loop 400, so as to form a self-circulating pipeline of the liquid storage tank 300.

[0056] In this embodiment, providing a circulation loop 400 in the electroplating equipment has the following advantages:

[0057] Advantage 1: The self-circulation of the circulation loop 400 can make the plating solution in the liquid storage tank 300 flow, so as to facilitate the full mixing of the plating solution in the liquid storage tank 300. For example, when adding plating solution to the liquid storage tank 300, the concentration of the plating solution at the inlet of the added plating solution will change greatly. Then, the self-circulation can make the plating solution at the inlet mixed evenly.

[0058] Advantage 2: Since the electroplating chamber 200 is open, the electroplating solution that flows back from the electroplating chamber 200 to the liquid storage tank 300 may contain impurities, and the impurities in the electroplating solution can be filtered out by the filtering equipment of the circulation loop 400 itself.

[0059] Fig.10 : is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the moisture removal device according to the second embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the moisture removal device also includes a second liquid inlet pipeline 20. The second liquid inlet pipeline 20 is arranged on the cover plate 22, connected to the liquid inlet of the circulation loop 400, and is used to receive the electroplating liquid in the circulation loop 400. The electroplating liquid in the circulation loop 400 flows into the second space 30 of the housing 10 through the second liquid inlet pipeline 20. In this embodiment, the method of receiving the electroplating liquid of the circulation loop 400 through the second liquid inlet pipeline 20 can improve the water evaporation efficiency of the electroplating liquid.

[0060] Those skilled in the art should understand that the technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0061] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A moisture removal device, characterized in that: include: A shell, wherein a cover plate is provided on the top of the shell; A first liquid inlet pipeline, disposed on the cover plate, for receiving liquid to be dehydrated; A first diverter plate, disposed under the cover plate and located in the shell, for diverting the liquid entering the shell from the first liquid inlet pipeline; A guide plate, mounted on the first diverter plate, along which the diverted liquid flows; an air inlet for supplying air to the gap between adjacent guide plates; The exhaust port is used to exhaust the gas flowing through the gap between adjacent guide plates.

2. The moisture removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first diverter plate is provided with strip openings.

3. The moisture removal device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A strip groove is provided on one side of the first diverter plate, and the strip groove and the strip opening are located on the same straight line, and the guide plate is embedded and fixed on the first diverter plate through the strip groove.

4. The moisture removal device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The width of the strip-shaped opening is greater than the width of the guide plate.

5. The moisture removal device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The difference between the width of the strip opening and the width of the guide plate ranges from 2 mm to 5 mm.

6. The moisture removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide plate is provided with vertical strip grooves.

7. The moisture removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide plate surface has a hydrophilic material.

8. The moisture removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The moisture removal device further comprises a second diverter plate, which is arranged between the first diverter plate and the cover plate. The second diverter plate is provided with through holes for preliminarily diverting the liquid from which moisture is to be removed.

9. The moisture removal device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The shell is also provided with an overflow hole, and the overflow hole is arranged between the second diverter plate and the cover plate.

10. The moisture removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that A partition is arranged inside the shell, and the partition divides the interior of the shell into a first space and a second space. An opening is arranged on the partition, and the air inlet is connected to the first space. The guide plate is arranged in the second space, and the air inlet supplies gas to the gap between adjacent guide plates through the opening.

11. The moisture removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A sealing ring is arranged between the first liquid inlet pipeline and the cover plate.

12. The moisture removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that A portion of the lower end of the guide plate is immersed in the liquid to be dehumidified.

13. An electroplating device, characterized in that: It comprises a plating chamber, a liquid storage tank and a moisture removal device as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the moisture removal device is used to receive the plating liquid in the plating chamber and perform moisture removal treatment, and the plating liquid after the moisture removal treatment flows into the liquid storage tank.

14. The electroplating equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that: The moisture removal device is arranged in the liquid storage tank, and the bottom of the guide plate of the moisture removal device is immersed in the electroplating liquid in the liquid storage tank.

15. The electroplating equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that: It also includes a filtering device. The first liquid inlet pipeline of the moisture removal device is connected to the electroplating chamber for receiving the plating liquid in the electroplating chamber and performing moisture removal treatment. The filtering device is arranged between the first liquid inlet pipeline and the electroplating chamber.

16. The electroplating equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that: It also includes a negative pressure device, which is connected to the exhaust port of the moisture removal device.

17. The electroplating equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that: It also includes a circulation loop, which is a self-circulating pipeline in the liquid storage tank. The moisture removal device also includes a second liquid inlet pipeline for receiving the electroplating liquid in the circulation loop to remove moisture from the electroplating liquid in the circulation loop.

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