Edge-wrapping device for silicon wafer electroplating

Abstract

This utility model belongs to the field of photovoltaic cell manufacturing technology, and particularly relates to an edge-wrapping device for pre-plating silicon wafers. This utility model provides an edge-wrapping device for silicon wafer plating, comprising: a base; a rotating wheel rotatably mounted on the base, with a pre-drilled gap between the wheel and the edge of the silicon wafer for edge-wrapping adhesive; a support mounted on the base, positioned above the rotating wheel; at least one adhesive injection section mounted on the support, with the injection port of the adhesive injection section facing the wheel surface; and a drive mechanism mounted on the base, rotatably connected to one end of the rotating wheel. The drive mechanism is adapted to drive the rotating wheel to rotate continuously during adhesive injection, so that adhesive is injected onto the wheel surface to form an edge-wrapping adhesive layer. The edge-wrapping adhesive layer contacts the edge of the silicon wafer to complete the edge-wrapping process. This utility model, by setting up a rotating wheel, allows the adhesive injection section to form an edge-wrapping adhesive layer on its surface, making it contact the silicon wafer, achieving the effect of contact between the edge of the silicon wafer and the edge-wrapping adhesive layer for adhesive application, greatly reducing impact and friction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of photovoltaic cell manufacturing technology, specifically relating to an edge-wrapping device for silicon wafer electroplating pretreatment, and more particularly to an edge-wrapping device. Background Technology

[0002] As a core technology in the field of renewable energy, the precision and reliability of photovoltaic cell manufacturing processes directly affect the conversion efficiency and lifespan of the cells. In the silicon wafer processing, edge insulation is a critical process, especially in the electroplating process, where metallization of the silicon wafer edges can easily lead to current leakage and short circuits, seriously affecting the performance and reliability of the cells.

[0003] Currently, the industry mainly uses the method of having the silicon wafer directly contact the colloid during its movement for edge wrapping. However, as a brittle material, silicon wafers have limited mechanical strength, especially in the edge areas where stress is concentrated. When the silicon wafer moves at a certain speed and comes into contact with the relatively stationary colloid, the resulting impact and friction can easily lead to the generation and propagation of microcracks at the edges. These microcracks not only affect the quality of the encapsulation, but more seriously, they may cause the silicon wafer to completely break in subsequent processes, resulting in a decrease in yield and an increase in production costs.

[0004] Therefore, how to prevent the silicon wafer edge from cracking when it comes into direct contact with the colloid is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in this background section is only for understanding the background technology of this application concept, and therefore, the above description is not considered to constitute prior art information. Utility Model Content

[0006] This disclosure provides at least one edge-wrapping device for silicon wafer electroplating to solve the technical problem of silicon wafer edge cracking when it comes into direct contact with colloid.

[0007] This disclosure provides an edge-sealing device for silicon wafer electroplating, comprising: a base; a rotating wheel rotatably mounted on the base and having a pre-drilled gap between it and the edge of the silicon wafer for edge-sealing adhesive layer; a support mounted on the base, the support being positioned above the rotating wheel; at least one adhesive injection part mounted on the support, the injection port of the adhesive injection part facing the wheel surface of the rotating wheel; and a driving mechanism mounted on the base, the driving mechanism being rotatably connected to one end of the rotating wheel; wherein the driving mechanism is adapted to drive the rotating wheel to rotate continuously during adhesive injection, so that adhesive is injected onto the wheel surface to form an edge-sealing adhesive layer; the edge-sealing adhesive layer contacts the edge of the silicon wafer to complete the edge sealing.

[0008] In one alternative embodiment, the roller is provided with a chamfered edge adapted to contact the chamfered edge of the silicon wafer.

[0009] In one optional implementation, the inclination angle of the chamfer is consistent with the inclination angle of the chamfered surface.

[0010] In one alternative implementation, the chamfer length is greater than the side length of the chamfered surface.

[0011] In one optional embodiment, the bracket is provided with a scraping part that abuts against the wheel surface of the rotating wheel to scrape the edge adhesive layer evenly when the rotating wheel rotates.

[0012] In one optional embodiment, the squeegee section includes a front squeegee and a rear squeegee, both of which are mounted on a bracket; the front squeegee is located at the squeegee inlet of the squeegee section and is disposed adjacent to the silicon wafer.

[0013] In one optional embodiment, the base is provided with a glue receiving cavity, which is located below the rotary wheel, with the feed port of the glue receiving cavity facing upward, suitable for storing scraped glue; and the glue receiving cavity is in communication with the glue injection section.

[0014] In one alternative embodiment, a curing section is disposed on a support, a dispensing section, or a roller; the curing section includes at least one of thermocuring, photocuring, and pressure curing.

[0015] In one alternative embodiment, a glue-replenishing section is connected to a glue-injection section for timely glue replenishment; and the glue-receiving cavity is connected to the glue-injection cavity and / or the glue-replenishing section of the glue-injection section.

[0016] In one alternative implementation, the drive mechanism is at least one of a servo motor, a stepper motor, or a geared motor.

[0017] The beneficial effect of this utility model is that it provides an edge-wrapping device for silicon wafer electroplating. By setting a rotating wheel and controlling its start and stop, the stationary wheel surface contacts the edge of the silicon wafer. That is, when it rotates, glue is injected, and when it stops, the edge is wrapped. This solves the problem of stress concentration and microcrack propagation caused by collision at the edge of the silicon wafer in the traditional method, and reduces the breakage rate of silicon wafer edge wrapping.

[0018] Other features and advantages of this invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objectives and other advantages of this invention are realized and obtained through the structures particularly pointed out in the description and the accompanying drawings.

[0019] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 A perspective view of the edge-binding device provided in the embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 2 This is a front view of the edging device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 3 Provided for the embodiments of this disclosure Figure 2 Sectional view of AA; Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the contact state between the rotating wheel and the chamfered surface of the silicon wafer, provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0022] In the picture: 1. Base; 11. Glue-receiving cavity; 2. Rotary wheel; 21. Edge binding adhesive layer; 22. Edge beveling; 3. Bracket; 4. Glue injection section; 41. Glue injection port; 5. Scraper section; 51. Front scraper; 52. Rear scraper; 6. Silicon wafer; 61. Chamfered surface; 7. Drive mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0024] In this document, when it is mentioned that the first part is located on the second part, this can mean that the first part can be directly formed on the second part, or that the third part can be inserted between the first and second parts. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the thickness of the parts may be exaggerated or reduced for the purpose of effectively describing the technical content.

[0025] In this document, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As used herein, expressions such as “at least one of…” modify the entire list of elements when following a list of elements, rather than individual elements in the list. For example, the expression “at least one of a, b, and c” should be understood to include only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a, b, and c.

[0026] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may also be intended to include plural forms unless otherwise clearly stated herein. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are inclusive and thus specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as requiring them to be performed in the specific order discussed or shown, unless specifically identified as such. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0027] As used herein, the phrases “in one embodiment,” “according to one embodiment,” “in some embodiments,” etc., generally refer to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic following the phrase can be included in at least one embodiment of this disclosure. Therefore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic can be included in more than one embodiment of this disclosure, such that these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. As used herein, the terms “example,” “exemplary,” etc., are used to “serve as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation, aspect, or design described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other implementations, aspects, or designs. Rather, the use of the terms “example,” “exemplary,” etc., is intended to present concepts in a specific manner.

[0028] Research has revealed the following drawbacks of existing technologies: The main method involves directly contacting the silicon wafer with the colloid during its movement for edge wrapping. However, silicon wafers are brittle materials with limited mechanical strength, especially at the edges where stress is concentrated. When the silicon wafer moves at a certain speed and comes into contact with the relatively stationary colloid, the resulting impact and friction forces easily lead to the generation and propagation of microcracks at the edges. These microcracks not only affect the wrapping quality but, more seriously, may cause the silicon wafer to completely break in subsequent processes, resulting in decreased yield and increased production costs.

[0029] Therefore, how to prevent the silicon wafer edge from cracking when it comes into direct contact with the colloid is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field.

[0030] The shortcomings of the above solutions are the result of the utility model inventor's practice and careful research. Therefore, the discovery process of the above problems and the solutions proposed in this disclosure should be considered as contributions made by the utility model inventor to this disclosure.

[0031] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0032] The following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes some embodiments of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, some embodiments provide a silicon wafer electroplating edge-wrapping device, including: a base 1; the base 1 is the base and support structure of the entire device, providing an installation reference and a stable working platform for all parts such as the rotating wheel 2, the bracket 3, and the drive mechanism 7; its rigid design ensures the accuracy of the relative positions of each part, which is crucial for ensuring the uniformity of the edge-wrapping adhesive layer 21 and the stability of the edge-wrapping process; its stable base 1 can effectively reduce vibration and deformation, ensuring the reliability of long-term operation.

[0034] The rotating wheel 2 is mounted on the base 1 and has a gap of 21 reserved between it and the edge of the silicon wafer 6 for the edge-coating adhesive layer 21. The rotating wheel 2 is the core functional part, and its wheel surface serves as the "intermediary" for forming and bearing the uniform adhesive layer. Through precise positioning, it maintains a tiny gap with the edge of the silicon wafer 6. This gap determines the thickness of the adhesive layer that is finally coated on the edge of the silicon wafer 6. This design avoids the silicon wafer 6 from directly contacting the glue injection port 41 or the unevenly scraped adhesive, fundamentally solving the problem of the silicon wafer being easily broken by collision with the adhesive, and at the same time providing a basis for uniform coating.

[0035] The bracket 3 is mounted on the base 1 and is located above the rotating wheel 2. The bracket 3 is the mounting carrier for the glue injection section 4 and the glue scraping section 5. By positioning it above the rotating wheel 2, it mainly utilizes gravity to allow the glue flowing from the glue injection port 41 to fall naturally and adhere to the surface of the rotating wheel 2, simplifying the design of the glue supply system. At the same time, this layout provides operators with a good view of the glue injection and scraping status, facilitating maintenance and debugging.

[0036] Specifically, a bracket 2 can be equipped with an adhesive injection section 4, and can be set at different angles to correspond to the rotating wheel 2.

[0037] It should be further explained that the glue injection part 4 and the glue scraping part 5 are movably mounted on the bracket 3 to control the glue injection position and the glue scraping position.

[0038] At least one dispensing unit 4 is mounted on the support 3, with the dispensing port 41 of the dispensing unit 4 facing the wheel surface of the rotating wheel 2. The dispensing unit 4 is the adhesive supply unit, and its dispensing port 41 is directly aligned with the wheel surface of the rotating wheel 2, ensuring that the adhesive is accurately delivered to the target area. The design of "at least one" provides flexibility, allowing multiple dispensing ports 41 to be set according to the adhesive layer width requirements, or a wider area to be covered by moving a single dispensing unit 4, to meet the edge-wrapping requirements of silicon wafers 6 of different sizes, and ensuring the adhesive supply for continuous encapsulation.

[0039] The drive mechanism 7 is mounted on the base 1 and is rotatably connected to one end of the rotating wheel 2. The drive mechanism 7 is adapted to drive the rotating wheel 2 to rotate continuously during glue injection so that glue is injected onto the wheel surface to form an edge-sealing adhesive layer 21. The edge-sealing adhesive layer 21 contacts the edge of the silicon wafer 6 to complete the edge sealing.

[0040] The drive mechanism 7 (a servo motor or stepper motor with a reducer in related technologies) provides precise and controllable rotational power to the rotary wheel 2. It rotates continuously during glue application and, together with the glue scraper 5, can evenly apply the glue to the surface of the rotary wheel 2 to form a uniform edge-sealing glue layer 21.

[0041] After the glue application stops, the drive mechanism 7 can precisely control the roller 2 to stop at the predetermined position, so that the uniform glue layer contacts the edge of the silicon wafer 6. This is the key action to achieve uniform coating and continuous coating.

[0042] The roller 2 is provided with an edge chamfer 22, which is suitable for contacting the chamfered surface 61 of the silicon wafer 6. The inclination angle of the edge chamfer 22 is consistent with the inclination angle of the chamfered surface 61, and the length of the edge chamfer 22 is greater than the side length of the chamfered surface 61. This is one of the core designs to ensure the edge quality. The edge of the silicon wafer 6 is usually chamfered to increase mechanical strength. This edge chamfer 22 feature makes the shape of the adhesive layer on the roller 2 perfectly match the shape of the edge of the silicon wafer 6, realizing "surface contact" or "line contact" rather than "point contact". This ensures that the adhesive evenly covers the entire chamfered surface 61 without any omissions, effectively preventing the electrolyte from seeping in from poorly covered areas during electroplating and causing short circuits. The length being greater than the side length of the chamfered surface 61 ensures sufficient coverage and fault tolerance.

[0043] The bracket 3 is equipped with a scraper 5, which abuts against the wheel surface of the rotating wheel 2 to scrape the edge-wrapping adhesive layer 21 evenly when the rotating wheel 2 rotates. The scraper 5 is the key to achieving (uniform coating). The adhesive applied by the glue injection part 4 is initially uneven. Through the scraping action of the scraper 5 and the rotating wheel 2, the excess adhesive can be scraped off and the adhesive layer can be trimmed into a uniform film with consistent thickness and a smooth surface. This is the core step to obtain a high-quality and consistent edge-wrapping effect.

[0044] The adhesive scraping section 5 includes a front scraper 51 and a rear scraper 52, both of which are mounted on the bracket 3. The front scraper 51 is located at the adhesive injection port 41 of the adhesive injection section 4 and is adjacent to the silicon wafer 6.

[0045] Front scraper 51: Its main function is to initially scrape the freshly injected adhesive and form a "barrier". Because it is set close to the silicon wafer 6, it can effectively block and guide the excess adhesive that is scraped off, preventing it from splashing or dripping onto the front or back of the silicon wafer 6, avoiding pollution and waste, and directly solving the pollution risk.

[0046] Rear scraper 52: Usually located after the front scraper 51, it performs fine scraping to ensure the final flatness and thickness accuracy of the edge-wrapping adhesive layer 21 before contacting the silicon wafer 6. The dual scraper design improves the uniformity control of the adhesive layer.

[0047] The base 1 is provided with a glue receiving chamber 11, which is located below the rotating wheel 2. The inlet of the glue receiving chamber 11 faces upward, which is suitable for storing the scraped glue. The glue receiving chamber 11 is connected to the glue dispensing part 4. The glue receiving chamber 11 is an important environmental protection and recycling design. Excess glue scraped off the rotating wheel 2 by the glue scraping part 5 and the dripping glue are collected in this chamber. This avoids the glue from falling directly and contaminating the bottom of the equipment and the surrounding environment, keeping the working area clean, and at the same time providing the possibility for the recycling and reuse of the glue.

[0048] The glue receiving chamber 11 is connected to the glue injection section 4 and upgraded to a recycling system. The collected glue can be pumped back to the glue storage chamber of the glue injection section 4, realizing the recycling and reuse of the glue, significantly reducing production costs and reducing material waste. This is especially important for applications using expensive conductive glue. It also reduces the frequency of manual cleaning of the glue receiving chamber 11 and improves the efficiency of continuous operation of the equipment.

[0049] An edge-sealing device for silicon wafer electroplating further includes a glue-replenishing section connected to the glue-injection section 4 for timely glue replenishment, connecting the glue-receiving cavity 11 to the glue-injection cavity and / or glue-replenishing device of the glue-injection section 4.

[0050] An edge-sealing device for silicon wafer electroplating further includes a dilution component, which is adapted to release diluent to prevent the colloid from curing and to clean the injection port 41; a vibration component, which is set at the injection port 41 to clean and prevent blockage by vibration; and a stirring component, which dilutes and mixes the colloid evenly before conveying it. An edge-binding device for silicon wafer electroplating further includes a curing component, which is disposed on a support 3, a glue injection section 4 or a rotating wheel 2. The curing section includes thermal curing, photocuring and pressure curing.

[0051] In the description of the embodiments of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0052] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships, are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. Furthermore, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply order or sequence unless expressly indicated herein. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments, the first element, part, region, layer, or segment discussed above may be referred to as the second element, part, region, layer, or segment.

[0053] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of this utility model, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical concept of this utility model. The technical scope of this utility model is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An edge-wrapping device for silicon wafer electroplating, characterized in that, include: Base (1); The rotating wheel (2) is mounted on the base (1) and has a gap between it and the edge of the silicon wafer (6) with a pre-reserved edge-sealing adhesive layer (21); A bracket (3) is mounted on a base (1) and is positioned above a rotating wheel (2); At least one glue injection part (4) is provided on the bracket (3), and the glue injection port (41) of the glue injection part (4) faces the wheel surface of the wheel (2); The drive mechanism (7) is mounted on the base (1) and is rotatably connected to one end of the rotating wheel (2); Among them, the drive mechanism (7) is adapted to drive the rotating wheel (2) to rotate continuously during glue injection so that the glue on the wheel surface forms an edge-wrapping glue layer (21). The edge-sealing adhesive layer (21) contacts the edge of the silicon wafer (6) to complete the edge sealing.

2. The edge-binding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, include: The rotating wheel (2) is provided with a chamfer (22) which is suitable for contacting the chamfered surface (61) of the silicon wafer (6).

3. The edge-binding device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The inclination angle of the chamfer (22) is consistent with the inclination angle of the chamfered surface (61).

4. The edge-binding device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The length of the chamfer (22) is greater than the side length of the chamfered surface (61).

5. The edge-binding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The bracket (3) is provided with a scraping part (5), which abuts against the wheel surface of the rotating wheel (2) to scrape the edge adhesive layer (21) evenly when the rotating wheel (2) rotates.

6. The edge-binding device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The scraping part (5) includes a front scraper (51) and a rear scraper (52), both of which are mounted on the bracket (3); The front scraper (51) is located at the glue injection port (41) of the glue injection section (4) and is arranged adjacent to the silicon wafer (6).

7. The edge-binding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, include: The base (1) is provided with a glue receiving cavity (11), which is located below the rotating wheel (2). The feed inlet of the glue receiving cavity (11) faces upward, which is suitable for storing scraped glue. In addition, the adhesive receiving cavity (11) is connected to the adhesive injection section (4).

8. The edge-binding device as described in claim 7, characterized in that, include: The curing section is provided on the bracket (3), the glue injection section (4), or the rotating wheel (2); The curing process includes at least one of thermocuring, photocuring, and pressure curing.

9. The edge-binding device as described in claim 8, characterized in that, include: The glue-filling section is connected to the glue-injection section (4) and is used for timely glue replenishment; In addition, the glue-receiving cavity (11) is connected to the glue-injection cavity and / or glue-replenishing section of the glue-injection section (4).

10. The edge-binding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drive mechanism (7) is at least one of a servo motor, a stepper motor, or a geared motor.

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