Dispensing system for simultaneous chemical and / or electrolytic surface treatment of at least two substrates
The electrolyte and current flow on each substrate surface is independently controlled by the electrolyte and current distribution system, which solves the problems of large area and high cost in the prior art, and realizes high-precision and high uniformity electroplating treatment, which is suitable for large-scale production.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380083006.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-11-30
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-21
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-11
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, process equipment for chemical and/or electrolytic surface treatment of at least two substrates covers a large area of land, is costly, and is difficult to achieve high precision and uniform electroplating treatment.
An electrolyte and current distribution system is adopted, including a substrate holder unit, an infiltration tank, a distribution body and a control unit. By independently controlling the flow of electrolyte and current on the surface of each substrate, parallel processing and precise control of the plating thickness are achieved.
It reduces the footprint of process equipment, reduces costs, and at the same time achieves high-precision and high uniformity electroplating effects, suitable for large-scale production.
Smart Images
Figure CN120303451A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a system and method for distributing electrolyte and current for simultaneously performing chemical and / or electrolytic surface treatment on at least two substrates. Background Art
[0002] Many industrial production processes, especially in the mass production of semiconductor devices, require very fast and highly reliable processing with high precision and repeatability. Therefore, such processing requires highly reliable, flexible, and especially fully automated process equipment to provide high production capacity for substrates.
[0003] In the prior art, such process equipment, especially the process equipment for electroplating a layer of metal or conductive material onto a substrate, for example, the process equipment for manufacturing or packaging micron, nano, or other types of electronic devices, requires a large cleanroom space for installation and operation, resulting in a large cleanroom floor area and high costs for installation and operation. In addition, electroplating can use a series electrical configuration to electroplate at least two components simultaneously, and the system used can provide a negative charge to each substrate and equal current to each substrate by immersing each substrate in an aqueous common electrolyte between ion-interconnected electroplating zones to use the common electrolyte. Summary of the Invention
[0004] Therefore, it may be necessary to provide an improved system and method for distributing electrolyte and current for simultaneously performing chemical and / or electrolytic surface treatment on at least two substrates, which can reduce the cleanroom floor area required for process equipment, especially by reducing the geometric size of a large-capacity, multi-substrate electroplating system, especially the area between the anode and cathode and the environment they require.
[0005] This problem is solved by the solutions of the independent claims, and further embodiments are included in the dependent claims. It should be noted that the various aspects of the present invention described below are also applicable to a system for distributing electrolyte and current for simultaneously performing chemical and / or electrolytic surface treatment on at least two substrates, and are also applicable to a method for distributing electrolyte and current for simultaneously performing chemical and / or electrolytic surface treatment on at least two substrates.
[0006] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a distribution system for electrolytic solution and current for simultaneously performing chemical and / or electrolytic surface treatment on at least two substrate surfaces of at least two different substrates. The distribution system includes a substrate holder unit, an immersion tank, at least two distributors, and a control unit. The substrate holder unit includes at least two substrate holders, each of which is configured to hold one of the at least two substrates in the immersion tank. The immersion tank is configured to accommodate a common electrolytic solution for the substrates, and the two substrate holders are further configured to be in electrical contact with the two substrate surfaces. Each distributor is arranged to be assigned to one of the two substrate surfaces, and each distributor includes injection holes for guiding the flow of the electrolytic solution to the assigned substrate surface and drainage holes for guiding the current to the opposite assigned substrate surface. The control unit is configured to independently control the flow of the electrolytic solution and the flow of the current for each distributor and / or for each substrate surface.
[0007] Therefore, the distribution system can achieve independently and in particular in parallel the wetting and / or electrical control of each of at least two substrate surfaces of at least two different substrates. Thus, the distribution system can provide highly uniform and / or individually adjusted substrate, electroplating thickness equivalent current, and highly uniform and / or individually adjusted substrate, electroplating thickness equivalent electrolytic solution flow, flowing into and out of each individual substrate surface.
[0008] Specifically, the distribution system can achieve the DC (direct current) or AC (alternating current) electroplating of a conductive layer with high precision and / or high uniformity onto a plurality (at least two) of substrates, while having the characteristics of mass production. Therefore, the distribution system can achieve a reduction and / or minimization of the required floor space, thereby reducing the holding cost, while providing comprehensive control over the electroplating results for each substrate.
[0009] The distributor can provide electrolytic solution return through holes, one on each side of the substrate holder unit, for double-sided surface treatment of a single substrate or single-sided surface treatment of at least one substrate.
[0010] The results of mass production can be achieved by providing an electrolytic solution distribution system and / or a current and / or potential control system. The electrolytic solution distribution system, such as a high-speed electroplating (HSP) system, can perform individual and highly precise control over the electroplating thickness equivalent electrolytic solution flow rate and flow velocity. By spraying the HSP electrolytic solution onto the substrate and allowing the electrolytic solution to flow back and exit each individual substrate through the through holes, the electroplating uniformity can be adjusted and optimized or the required electrolytic solution exchange can be achieved to achieve an improved (optimal) effect. The current and / or potential control system can achieve individual and highly precise control over the independent, adjusted substrate, electroplating thickness equivalent current by allowing the electrolytic solution to flow back through the through holes in each electrolytic solution distribution system.
[0011] In one embodiment, at least one anode, one cathode, and one distributor may form a unit of the dispensing system, and preferably two anodes, at least one cathode, and at least one distributor may form a unit of the dispensing system.
[0012] The distributor may be arranged between the anode and the cathode. Such a unit may also be referred to as an "electric field-defined electroplating cell" (EFDPC), and precise control of the deposition rate can be achieved, especially by controlling the current flowing through the cathode, which may be constituted by a substrate. Additionally, as described above, due to the compact components, the size of such a unit can be significantly reduced compared to conventional units. For example, the width of a known unit is approximately 1100 mm, while the width of the unit as described above can be only approximately 350 mm, preferably approximately 250 mm, and more preferably less than 200 mm.
[0013] In one embodiment, at least one anode may be arranged in an anode assembly that is shared between adjacent units of the dispensing system.
[0014] The anode assembly can be used as a resistance wall between adjacent units.
[0015] In one embodiment, the anode assembly may include one anode as a shared anode between two adjacent units. Alternatively, the anode assembly may include two anodes that can be individually controlled for each of the two adjacent units.
[0016] In one embodiment, the distributor may further include an independent power supply for each unit of the dispensing system, where the independent power supply is controlled by a control unit. Specifically, each power supply can achieve setting the cathode current by adjusting the voltage between the anode and the cathode. Thus, by providing an independent power supply for each unit, the anode and cathode of each unit can be controlled together. Additionally, the power supply can be a dual-channel power supply, which can enable individual control of the current flow on each substrate surface. Furthermore, the individual power supplies can be separate or integrated systems.
[0017] The independent power supply for each unit can achieve control of the current passing through the cathode, especially the current of the substrate, thereby achieving precise control of the deposition rate.
[0018] In one embodiment, the control unit may be configured to control the potential difference between the anode and the cathode. In one embodiment, the control unit may be configured to control the potential difference between the anode and the cathode below a predetermined threshold to achieve quasi-constant potential surface treatment.
[0019] Specifically, quasi - potentiostatic surface treatment involves a controlled surface treatment where, during a constant - current process, the potential difference between the anode and the cathode is restricted to a value below a predetermined threshold. In this case, the potential difference self - adjusts according to the surface - treatment process determined by the applied current. When the predetermined threshold is reached, the current provided by the constant - current process needs to be adjusted to a value such that the potential difference is again below the predetermined threshold. Absolute control of the electrode potential is not provided. However, over - potential surface treatment can be prevented by a control unit that can be configured to directly or indirectly control the potential difference between the anode and the cathode below the predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold can be determined based on, for example, the material of the anode, the material of the cathode, and / or the type of electrolyte. The pre - determination of the threshold can be achieved by the operator's experience of how to limit the potential range to achieve a sufficient and satisfactory surface - treatment quality. Additionally or alternatively, the pre - determination of the threshold can be achieved through numerical simulation and / or experiments. In an example of pre - determining the threshold through numerical simulation and / or experiments, while measuring the current, the potential difference between the anode and the cathode can be systematically varied. The potential threshold can be determined by understanding or observing the critical point at which over - potential treatment starts to occur, which will, in most cases, lead to unacceptable process results. In the case where the predetermined threshold is dependent on adjusting the current value during surface treatment by the control unit, a surface - treatment quality similar to that of a potentiostatic - process control can be achieved (hence the term "quasi - potentiostatic").
[0020] Accordingly, the dispensing system can provide constant - current electroplating, which can achieve controlling the potential during the electroplating process and / or limiting the potential to a predetermined level / threshold. By doing so, over - potential electroplating of the substrate that may occur when controlling the current at the cathode can be prevented.
[0021] In one embodiment, the dispensing system may further include a separating element arranged to separate two units of the dispensing system. In one embodiment, the separating element can be a membrane anode assembly that blocks the electrical connection between the two units.
[0022] The separating element can be configured to block the electrical connection between the two units, thereby achieving electrical isolation of the units. For example, the separating element can be a non - conductive plate. The separating element, such as a non - conductive plate or a membrane, or a membrane anode assembly, can be arranged at the symmetric center between the two units and / or between the anodes.
[0023] In one embodiment, the dispensing system may further include a resistance element arranged between adjacent units of the dispensing system to control the interaction between these adjacent units. In one embodiment, the resistance element can include a funnel - shaped, meandering, flat - plate, grid - shaped, and / or sealed structure that changes the travel distance of the electrolyte and / or current.
[0024] The resistive element can be configured to control stray currents and / or reduce, in particular eliminate, the potential influence of adjacent cells on each other. The resistive element can be configured to direct the electrolyte and / or current distribution into longer or shorter transport distances. The funnel-shaped resistive element can be mounted at or near the anode and / or HSP and / or closer to the cathode of a single or adjacent cell. The resistive element formed as a sealed structure, in particular an expandable sealed structure, can be arranged around an applicable anode system comprising at least one anode. Such a sealed structure can help to direct the electrolyte and / or current distribution into longer or shorter transport distances. Alternatively, such a sealed structure can expand in such a way that any electrolyte or current exchange with adjacent cells is impossible, unless via another exchange means, in particular a longer distance exchange means, assuming such other means may exist.
[0025] In one embodiment, the distribution system can further include a reference potential system as a basis for the cathode potential of the absolute quantification distribution system with respect to the reference potential system, in particular with respect to a standard reference potential system.
[0026] Implementing a reference potential system, in particular for each cell, can achieve additional enhancement of the control of the electric field distribution in each cell. The reference potential system can be implemented in each cell or can also be a single reference potential system for all cells, and the cathode potential in each cell can be absolutely controlled with respect to a standard reference potential, for example, the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) can be used as a basis for quantifying other reduction / oxidation (redox) pairs. Such a potential system can be applied in so-called three-electrode applications to achieve "absolutely" controllable constant current or constant potential surface treatment, rather than "quasi" constant current or "quasi" constant potential surface treatment, such as electroplating. Therefore, the control of overpotential surface treatment that can lead to poor deposition results is significantly improved, especially in terms of reduction and prevention.
[0027] In one embodiment, the distribution system can further include at least one stealing anode unit to control the interaction between adjacent cells, where the stealing anode unit is at least a segment or a pixel of the anode or an additional anode that is independent of adjacent segments, pixels or anodes and turns into a cathode mode.
[0028] The stealing anode unit can have an impact on electrons / anions and / or cations and can prevent the so-called stray currents from being generated in the distribution system. In other words, by making an anode, for example, an adjacent anode or a specially added anode unit, act as a "stealing anode", the electric field control system of adjacent cells can control the flow of current individually.
[0029] The stealing anode unit may include or be transformed into unused anodes that are temporarily cathodes and / or additional anodes placed at specific positions for respective characteristic purposes. Additionally, or alternatively, the anode unit may also have a segmented anode design, where parts of the anode can be independently switched to the cathode mode while some parts of the anode remain in the anode mode, and / or the anode unit may be a pixelated anode, where individual pixels can be adjusted to the anode or cathode mode by applying different potentials, thereby supporting and / or improving the uniformity of the surface treatment results. The number of pixels can be any number between 2 and thousands or even millions, depending on the application requirements.
[0030] In one embodiment, the substrate holder unit may include a substrate holder assembly configured to move at least two substrate holders independently relative to the immersion bath.
[0031] In other words, such a specific substrate holder can achieve physical and / or electrical connection and individual control of each substrate, even though at least two substrates can be immersed in a common, especially exchangeable and / or stirrable electrolyte / immersion bath.
[0032] In one embodiment, the substrate holder unit is segmented to provide a separate power supply to each of at least two substrate surfaces.
[0033] The segmented substrate holder unit may be electrically segmented to achieve individually controllable electrical contact between the substrate holder unit and the substrate surface. Such electrical contact can be achieved through small fingers when all the fingers are connected to the same power supply. By electrical separation, for example, dividing the fingers into several regions, each region connected to a separate power supply control, the uniformity within the panel can be improved.
[0034] In one embodiment, at least one substrate holder is configured for single-sided surface treatment of the substrate and / or double-sided surface treatment of the substrate.
[0035] According to the present disclosure, a method for distributing electrolyte and current for simultaneously performing chemical and / or electrolytic surface treatment on at least two substrate surfaces of at least two different substrates is also proposed. The method includes the following steps (not limited to the following order)
[0036] - Providing a substrate holder unit including at least two substrate holders, each substrate holder holding one of the two substrates in an immersion bath containing a common electrolyte for the substrate,
[0037] - Arranging at least two distributors in the immersion bath, each distributor being designated to one of the substrate surfaces, where each distributor includes injection holes for guiding the electrolyte flow to the designated substrate surface and drainage holes for guiding the current to the opposite designated substrate surface,
[0038] - Electrically contact the substrate surface through a substrate holder, and separately control the flow of the electrolyte and the flow of the current for each dispenser and / or each substrate surface by a control unit.
[0039] This dispensing method can achieve independent and especially parallel wetting and / or electro-control of each of at least two substrate surfaces. Therefore, this dispensing method can achieve a highly uniform and / or substrate-matched electroplating thickness equivalent current distribution and a highly uniform and / or substrate-matched electroplating thickness equivalent electrolyte flow for flowing in and out from each independent substrate surface.
[0040] Specifically, this dispensing method can achieve high-precision and / or high-uniformity direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) electroplating, form a conductive layer on multiple (at least two) substrates, and at the same time have the characteristics of mass production. Therefore, such a dispensing method can achieve reduction and / or minimization of the required floor space, thereby reducing the holding cost, while providing comprehensive control over the electroplating results of each individual substrate.
[0041] It can be understood that the systems and methods according to the independent claims have similar and / or identical preferred embodiments, in particular, as defined in the dependent claims. It should also be understood that the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure can also be any combination of the dependent claims and the corresponding independent claims.
[0042] These aspects and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the embodiments described below and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiments described below. Description of the Drawings
[0043] The exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the following drawings:
[0044] Figure 1a Schematically and exemplarily shows a dispensing system according to the present disclosure;
[0045] Figure 1b Schematically and exemplarily shows a dispensing system according to the present disclosure;
[0046] Figure 2a Schematically and exemplarily shows a unit of a dispensing system according to the present disclosure;
[0047] Figure 2b Schematically and exemplarily shows a unit of a dispensing system according to the present disclosure;
[0048] Figure 3 Schematically and exemplarily shows an exploded view of a unit according to the present disclosure;
[0049] Figure 4aSchematically and exemplarily shows an allocation system according to the present disclosure;
[0050] Figure 4b Schematically and exemplarily shows an allocation system according to the present disclosure;
[0051] Figure 5 Schematically and exemplarily shows an illustration of the concept of stealing an anode according to the present disclosure;
[0052] Figure 6 Schematically and exemplarily shows a flowchart of a method according to the present disclosure. Detailed implementation
[0053] Figure 1a and 1b Schematically and exemplarily show the allocation system 1, including seven units 2 ( Figure 1a ) and seven units 2 ( Figure 1b ). The allocation system 1 further includes a substrate support unit 3 and an immersion tank 4 (see Figure 1b ). The substrate support unit 3 includes six substrate supports 31 ( Figure 1a ) and seven substrate supports 31 ( Figure 1b ). As Figure 1a and Figure 1b shown, each unit 2 is configured to accommodate at least one substrate 5 having at least one substrate surface 51 to be processed and includes two anodes 6, two distributors 7 and two cathodes 8 (see Figure 2a ). Alternatively, each unit 2 may include only one distributor 7.
[0054] Each of these units 2 can achieve double-sided surface treatment of a single substrate 5, such as double-sided electroplating, or can achieve single-sided surface treatment of at least one substrate 5, especially two substrates 5, such as single-sided electroplating. In other words, each substrate support 31 is configured to hold one substrate 5 or two substrates 5, wherein when holding one substrate 5, only one substrate surface 51 of one substrate 5 (single-sided electroplating of one substrate 5 in one unit 2) or two substrate surfaces 51 of one substrate 5 (double-sided electroplating of one substrate 5 in one unit 2) can be processed, and when holding two substrates 5, one substrate surface 51 of each of the two substrates 5 (single-sided electroplating of two substrates 5 in one unit 2) can be processed. The allocation system 1 includes at least two units 2, as Figure 4a and Figure 4bAs shown, it will be further described in detail below. Thus, the dispensing system 1 is configured to process at least two substrates 5 in parallel, i.e., at least one substrate 5 in each unit 2, and may also be configured to process at least two substrate surfaces 51 of at least two substrates 5, i.e., at least one substrate surface 51 of at least one substrate 5 in each unit 2.
[0055] Alternatively, as Figure 2b shown, the unit 2 may include an anode 6, a dispenser 7, and a cathode 8, and may achieve single-sided surface treatment of a single substrate 5. The unit 2 may also be referred to as an "electric field-defined plating cell" (EFDPC) 2.
[0056] From Figure 1a and Figure 1b it can be seen that, as Figure 2a shown, the unit 2 is formed as a vertical plating unit 2, which is particularly suitable for very large substrates 5. These units 2 are arranged adjacent to each other, whereby very little space is required for double-sided plating of a single substrate 5 or single-sided plating of at least one substrate 5 in each unit 2. Thus, as Figure 1a and Figure 1b shown, the dispensing system 1 is capable of achieving high-volume plating production for double-sided plating of one substrate 5 for each unit 2 and / or single-sided plating of at least one substrate 5, resulting in a reduced cleanroom floor area.
[0057] Figure 3 An embodiment of the unit 2 is schematically shown in the form of an exploded view. Here, the unit 2 includes a cathode 8 that is electrically connected to two substrate surfaces 51 of one substrate 5 or one substrate surface 51 of each of two substrates 5, wherein the cathode 8 is substantially arranged at the center of the unit 2 and is integrally formed with the substrate holder 31. When viewed along the axial direction A, on each side, a dispenser 7 is arranged adjacent to the cathode 8, and further along the axial direction A, an anode assembly 9 is arranged adjacent to each dispenser 7. Between the cathode 8 with the substrate 5 and each dispenser 7, and between each dispenser 7 and the respective adjacent anode assembly 9, a resistance element 10 is arranged, which is configured to control the stray current and / or reduce the influence of adjacent units 2 on each other's electric potential. In addition, the resistance element 10 is formed to guide the electrolyte and / or current distribution over longer or shorter transmission distances. For example, the resistance element 10 is formed in a funnel-shaped structure, a meandering structure, a grid-shaped flat shape, or a similar structure. Specifically, the resistance element 10 between the anode assembly 9 and the dispenser 7 may be formed in a funnel-shaped.
[0058] The anode assembly 9 defines a group of one or more components, which are pre-assembled and installed on the dispensing system 1 as a single component. The anode assembly 9 can be used as a resistance wall between adjacent units 2 (see also Figure 4a), blocking the electrical connection between adjacent cells 2. In addition, the anode assembly 9 includes a single common anode 6 shared with adjacent cells 2 (see Figure 4a ), or at least two independent anodes 6 that are individually controlled and electrically isolated from each other. The fact that two adjacent cells 2 share a common anode results in that the potential of each of the two cells is controlled only by this common anode. This means that the two adjacent cells always have substantially the same potential. In the case of two independent anodes 6, one anode 6 corresponds to one cell 2 and the other anode 6 corresponds to the adjacent cell 2, so that the potential of each adjacent cell 2 is individually controlled. In other words, the anode assembly 9 including two independent anodes 6 can achieve individual control of the potential of each cell 2, and by pre-assembling the two independent anodes 6 and the electrically isolated element 11 into one component or module or subassembly, it is facilitated to assemble the distribution system 1, especially compared to assembling each anode 6 separately, such as Figure 4b as shown in .
[0059] Figure 4a An anode assembly 9 including a common anode is shown exemplarily. The anode assembly 9 may not extend along the entire height of the cell, so that the anode assembly 9 is connected or integrally formed with a plate 11, which acts as an electrical barrier between the cells 2. Thus, two adjacent cells 2 are electrically isolated from each other by the anode assembly 9 and the plate 11. The plate 11 may be an example of a resistive element 10. Figure 4b In the embodiment of the present invention, each cell 2 has its own independent anode 6, which can be controlled individually. These adjacent anodes 6 are electrically isolated by plates 12, which extend substantially along the entire height of the cells 2 and the anodes 6, respectively. The plates 12 act as an electrical barrier between adjacent cells 2 and the respective anodes 6.
[0060] When at least one of the multiple units 2 in the distribution system 1 is temporarily or permanently set to a lower potential difference, potential crosstalk may occur due to the narrow spacing between adjacent units 2, resulting in uneven electroplating on the surrounding cathode substrate 5. In this case, the following method can be used: Figure 5 The "stealing anode concept" is schematically and exemplarily shown in FIG. Figure 5 In the embodiment, four cells 2 are arranged adjacent to each other, wherein the first, third and fourth cells 2 ( 2.1 , 2.3 and 2.4 in FIG. 4 ) have a fixed potential, specifically, the anode 6 is 15V and the cathode 8 is 0V. Figure 5 The anode 6 of the second unit 2 (unit 2.2) is currently unused, whereby the stealing anode concept is adopted.
[0061] Applying the stolen anode concept can include switching one or more currently unused anodes 6 to the cathode mode, resulting in the cathode potential of the second unit 2.2 reaching 5 V in the example of FIG. 4. This helps to balance the current distribution, thereby improving the uniformity during the electroplating process of each individual unit 2. Additionally, or alternatively, the "stolen anode" concept can also be achieved by adding additional anodes or anode elements that can be independently and individually switched to the temporary cathode mode when their anode function does not need to be performed. Further, in the case where the anode 6 is formed in segments, at least one segment of the segmented anode can be temporarily switched to the cathode mode while the other parts of the segmented anode continue to perform the anode function or remain in the anode mode respectively. In a very specific case, the anode is pixelated, where individual pixels can be switched to the anode mode while other individual pixels can be switched to the cathode mode to balance the power distribution, improving the electroplating uniformity within each unit 2 and its adjacent units 2.
[0062] In other words, "stolen anode" can be a temporarily unused anode 6 becoming a temporary cathode; additional anodes placed at specific locations for specific purposes, which can be segmented anodes where a part of the anode can independently become the cathode mode while certain parts of the anode remain in the anode mode, or pixelated anodes can be employed where individual pixels can be adjusted to the anode or cathode mode, through differential potentials, to maintain or improve the uniformity of the electroplating result. The number of pixels can vary from 2 to thousands or even millions, depending on the application requirements.
[0063] Figure 6 The flowchart of an exemplary method 20 for simultaneously chemically and / or electrochemically surface-treating at least two substrate surfaces 51 with an electrolyte and current is shown. According to method 20, in step S1, a substrate holder unit 3 including at least two substrate holders (31) is provided, each substrate holder holding one of two substrates 5 in an immersion bath 4 that contains a common electrolyte for the substrates. In step S2, at least two distributors 7 are arranged in the immersion bath 4, each distributor 7 being assigned to one of the substrate surfaces 51. Each distributor 7 is assigned to one of the substrate surfaces 51, and each distributor 7 includes injection holes that direct the flow of current relative to the assigned substrate surface 51. In step S3, the substrate surfaces 51 are electrically connected or contacted through the substrate holders 31, and in step S4, for each distributor 7 and / or substrate surface 51, the flow of the electrolyte and the flow of the current are individually controlled by a control unit.
[0064] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail in the accompanying drawings and the foregoing description, such description and illustration shall be regarded as exemplary and not restrictive. The present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments through the study of the accompanying drawings, the disclosure content, and the dependent claims.
[0065] In the claims, the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single unit may implement multiple functions recited in the claims. The fact that certain technical features are repeatedly recited in mutually different dependent claims does not, by itself, exclude the combination of these technical features from producing beneficial effects. Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of protection.
Claims
1. An electrolyte and current distribution system (1) for simultaneously performing chemical and / or electrolytic surface treatment on at least two substrate surfaces (51) of at least two different substrates (5), comprising: - A substrate support unit (3), - An immersion tank (4), - At least two distributors (7), and - A control unit, wherein the substrate support unit (3) includes at least two substrate supports (31), each of which is configured to hold one of the at least two substrates (5) in the immersion tank (4), wherein the immersion tank (4) is configured to hold a common electrolyte for surface treatment of the substrates (5), wherein the two substrate supports (31) are further configured to be in electrical contact with the two substrate surfaces (51), wherein each distributor (7) is arranged to be assigned to one of the two substrate surfaces (51), wherein each distributor (7) includes injection holes for guiding the electrolyte flow to the assigned substrate surface (51) and drain holes for guiding the current to the corresponding assigned substrate surface (51), and wherein the control unit is configured to separately control the electrolyte flow and the current flow for each distributor (7) and / or each substrate surface (51).
2. The distribution system (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein at least one anode (6), one cathode (8) and one of the distributors (7) form a unit (2) of the distribution system (1), and preferably two anodes (6), at least one cathode (8) and at least one of the distributors (7) form the unit (2) of the distribution system (1).
3. The distribution system (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the at least one anode (6) is arranged in an anode assembly (9) shared between adjacent units (2) of the distribution system (1).
4. The distribution system (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the anode assembly (9) includes one anode (6) serving as a common anode between two units (2), or wherein the anode assembly (9) includes two separately controllable anodes that can be used for each of two adjacent units (2).
5. The distribution system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an independent power supply for each unit (2) in the distribution system (1), wherein the independent power supply is controlled by the control unit.
6. The distribution system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is configured to control the potential difference between the anode (6) and the cathode (8).
7. The distribution system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is configured to control the potential difference between the anode (6) and the cathode (8) below a predetermined threshold to achieve quasi-constant potential surface treatment.
8. The distribution system (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 7, further comprising a separating element arranged to separate two units (2) of the distribution system (1).
9. The dispensing system (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the separating element is a membrane anode assembly that blocks the electrical connection between the two units (2).
10. The dispensing system (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 9, further comprising a resistive element (10) disposed between adjacent units (2) of the dispensing system (1) to control the interaction between these adjacent units (2).
11. The dispensing system (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the resistive element (10) comprises a funnel-shaped structure, a meandering structure, a flat plate shape, a grid shape, and / or a sealed structure that changes the travel distance of the electrolyte and / or the current.
12. The dispensing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a reference potential system as a basis for absolutely quantifying the cathode potential of the dispensing system (1) with respect to the reference potential system.
13. The dispensing system (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 12, further comprising at least one stealing anode unit for controlling the interaction between adjacent units (2), wherein the stealing anode unit is at least one segment or one pixel of the anode (6), or an additional anode that is independent of adjacent segments, pixels, or the anode (6) and is converted into a cathode mode.
14. The dispensing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate support unit (3) including the substrate support assembly is configured to move at least two of the substrate supports (31) independently relative to the immersion tank (4).
15. The dispensing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate support unit (3) is segmented to provide independent power supplies to each of at least two of the substrate surfaces (51).
16. The dispensing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the substrate supports (31) is configured for single-sided surface treatment of the substrate (5) and / or double-sided surface treatment of the substrate (5).
17. A method (20) for dispensing electrolyte and current for simultaneously performing chemical and / or electrolytic surface treatment on at least two substrate surfaces (51) of at least two different substrates (5), comprising: - The substrate support unit (3) includes at least two substrate supports (31), each substrate support holding one of at least two of the substrates (5) in an immersion tank (4) that contains a common electrolyte for surface treatment of the substrate (5); - Disposing at least two of the distributors (7) in the immersion tank (4), each distributor (7) being assigned to one of the substrate surfaces (51), wherein each distributor (7) includes injection holes for guiding the electrolyte flow to the assigned substrate surface (51) and drainage holes for guiding the current to the correspondingly assigned substrate surface (51); - Electrically contacting the substrate surface through the substrate support (31); and - Independently controlling the flow of the electrolyte and the flow of the current for each of the distributors (7) and / or each of the substrate surfaces (51) by a control unit.