Electrolytic plating apparatus and electrolytic plating method
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ACM RES (SHANGHAI) INC
- Filing Date
- 2022-04-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-18
AI Technical Summary
Existing electrolytic plating apparatuses suffer from non-uniform electric field distribution and plating height due to the larger anode size relative to the substrate, leading to uneven deposition and difficulty in maintaining consistent deposition rates as the anode wears down.
The apparatus features a positioning cylinder and anode design where only a specific surface area of the anode, aligned with the substrate center, is in contact with the electrolytic solution, ensuring uniform electric field distribution and a constant distance is maintained using a drive device and controller to adjust the anode position.
This design achieves uniform electrolytic plating height across the substrate surface and stabilizes processing results by maintaining consistent electric field strength and anode-substrate distance, improving overall plating uniformity and process stability.
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of semiconductor devices, and more particularly to electrolytic plating apparatus and methods. [Background technology]
[0002] In the electrolytic plating process, the anode and the substrate are immersed in an electrolytic plating solution, and an electric field is generated on the surface of the anode. Under the action of the electric field, metal is gradually deposited on the surface of the substrate. As shown in FIG. 1A, in the existing electrolytic plating apparatus, the surface size of the anode 101 is larger than that of the substrate 102. Therefore, the electric field density at the edge of the substrate 102 is larger than that at the center of the substrate 102. Also, as shown in FIG. 1B, the electrolytic plating at the edge of the substrate is significantly higher. As shown in FIG. 2, a common solution is to install an edge baffle 204 in the electrolytic plating chamber. The edge baffle 204 is placed between the anode 201 and the substrate 202 to cover the outer periphery of the anode 201, so that the size of the uncovered area at the center of the anode 201 is approximately the same as the size of the substrate 202. However, since an electric field is also generated at the outer periphery of the anode 201, the electric field may still bypass the edge baffle 204 and reach the substrate 202. As a result, the electrolytic plating height at the edge of the substrate 202 remains higher than the electrolytic plating height at the center of the substrate 202, resulting in a non-uniform electrolytic plating height across the surface of the substrate 202.
[0003] In addition, since the electric field is distributed everywhere in the electrolytic plating solution, an electric field is generated on the surface of the anode in contact with the electrolytic plating solution. Here, the surface on which the electric field is generated is called the effective surface. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the side surface of the anode is also an effective surface, so it is difficult to control the uniformity of the generated electric field. As a result, the electrolytic plating height on the surface of the substrate becomes non-uniform.
[0004] Meanwhile, the metal block acts as an anode, replenishing the metal ions consumed in the electrolytic plating solution during the electrolytic plating process. As the process proceeds, the surface of the anode continues to wear away, its thickness gradually decreases, and the distance from the surface of the anode to the surface of the substrate (i.e., the cathode) gradually increases. And as this distance changes, the deposition rate of electrolytic plating changes, making the process more difficult to control. Especially when the metal layer produced by electrolytic plating is very thin, the electrolytic plating process needs to be precisely controlled. Summary of the Invention
[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT It is an object of the present invention to provide an electroplating apparatus which uniformly distributes the electric field generated by the anode over the surface of the substrate, thereby improving the uniformity of the electroplating height over the surface of the substrate.
[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention provides an electrolytic plating apparatus, comprising: an electrolytic plating bath configured to contain an electrolytic plating solution; a clamp configured to hold the substrate; a positioning cylinder located within the electrolytic plating tank and having an open end; The anode is located inside the positioning cylinder and in sealing contact with the positioning cylinder, and of its entire surface area, only a first surface is in contact with the electrolytic plating solution, the first surface faces the substrate parallel to the substrate, and the center of the first surface is aligned with the center of the substrate, and the size of the first surface is similar to the size of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate.
[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrolytic plating apparatus which not only uniformly distributes the electric field generated by the anode on the surface of the substrate, thereby improving the uniformity of the electrolytic plating height on the surface of the substrate, but also keeps the distance between the anode and the substrate constant, thereby improving the stability of the processing results.
[0008] In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention provides an electrolytic plating apparatus, comprising: an electrolytic plating bath configured to contain an electrolytic plating solution; a clamp configured to hold the substrate; a positioning cylinder located within the electrolytic plating tank and having an open end; an anode located inside the positioning cylinder and in sealing contact with the positioning cylinder, the anode having a first surface, of its entire surface area, which faces the substrate in parallel, has a center aligned with the center of the substrate, and has a size similar to the size of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate, in contact with the electrolytic plating solution; The apparatus further includes a drive device connected to the anode and a controller, respectively, and the controller periodically calculates a change in the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate and controls the drive device to drive the anode to move toward the substrate until the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate reaches a set value.
[0009] Another embodiment of the present invention provides an electrolytic plating method comprising the steps of: placing a positioning cylinder in an electrolytic plating bath and disposing an anode inside the positioning cylinder in sealing contact with an inner wall of the positioning cylinder, such that only a first face of the anode is in contact with the electrolytic plating solution at a surface area of the anode, the first face of the anode faces parallel to a substrate, and the center of the first face of the anode is aligned with the center of the substrate; The method includes the steps of placing a drive device in the electrolytic plating tank so as to contact the anode, calculating or detecting a distance between a first surface of the anode and the substrate, and controlling operation of the drive device to move the anode toward the substrate until the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate reaches a set value.
[0010] During electrolytic plating, the present invention improves the uniformity of the distribution of the electric field by making the cross-sectional size of the electric field generated by the anode similar to the size of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate, thereby making the electric field strengths at each location near the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate closer to each other, and improving the uniformity of the electrolytic plating height on the surface of the substrate. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0011] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing the electric field generated by an anode in a conventional electrolytic plating apparatus. FIG. 1B shows a curve of the electrolytic plating result by the electrolytic plating apparatus in FIG. 1A. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the electric field generated by the anode in an electroplating apparatus equipped with an edge baffle. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an electric field generated by an anode in a conventional electrolytic plating apparatus, in which the size of the anode is larger than the size of the substrate, and an electric field is generated on both the side and top surfaces of the anode. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing an electric field generated by an anode in an existing electrolytic plating apparatus, in which the size of the anode is smaller than the size of the substrate, and the electric field is generated on both the side and top surfaces of the anode. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of the electrolytic plating apparatus in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an electric field generated by the electrolytic plating apparatus in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of the electrolytic plating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention after the electrolytic plating apparatus has been operated for a certain period of time. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an electrolytic plating apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an electrolytic plating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an electrolytic plating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention after the electrolytic plating apparatus has been operated for a certain period of time. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an electrolytic plating apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an electrolytic plating apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an electrolytic plating apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0012] In order to explain the technical contents, structural features, objects and effects of the present invention in detail, the following detailed description will be given in combination with embodiments and drawings.
[0013] FIG. 1A shows an existing electrolytic plating apparatus in which an anode 101 and a substrate 102 are immersed in an electrolytic plating solution 103, and the substrate 102 serves as a cathode. During electrolytic plating, an electric field is generated on the upper surface of the anode 101. Because the size of the upper surface of the anode 101 is larger than that of the substrate 102, the electric field lines near the edge of the substrate 102 are denser than the electric field lines near the center of the substrate 102. In addition, because the electric field intensity near the edge of the substrate 102 is larger, the electrolytic plating height at the edge of the substrate 102 is higher than that of other regions. According to the curve of the electrolytic plating result shown in FIG. 1B, the uniformity of the electrolytic plating height on the substrate is low.
[0014] To try to solve this problem, an edge baffle 204 is usually installed in the electrolytic plating tank, as shown in FIG. 2. The edge baffle 204 is annular and is disposed between the anode 201 and the substrate 202, and shades the outer periphery of the anode 201 to block the electric field generated at the outer periphery of the anode 201. However, since the electrolytic plating solution 203 is filled between the surface of the anode 201 and the substrate 202, the electric field generated around the anode 201 still reaches the substrate 202 by bypassing the edge baffle 204. Therefore, the electrolytic plating height near the edge of the substrate 202 is still higher than the electrolytic plating height in the remaining area of the substrate 202.
[0015] 3A and 3B, since the side surface of the anode 301 is also immersed in the electrolytic plating solution 303, an electric field is also generated on the side surface of the anode 301. Since it is difficult to control the electric field strength at each location near the substrate, it is also difficult to control the electrolytic plating height above the surface of the substrate 302.
[0016] In order to distribute the electric field strength between the anode and the substrate uniformly, the present invention improves the design of the electrolytic plating apparatus and electrolytic plating method as shown in the following embodiments.
[0017] (First embodiment) As shown in FIG. 4, this embodiment provides an electrolytic plating apparatus including an anode 401, a positioning cylinder 404, an ion membrane 406, a diffusion plate 407, an electrolytic plating tank 408, and a clamp 409. The electrolytic plating tank 408 is used to contain an electrolytic plating solution 403. The clamp 409 is used to hold a substrate 402. The anode 401 is located below the substrate 402, and an upper surface 410 of the anode 401 faces the substrate 402 in parallel. The ion membrane 406 is located above the anode 401 and is used to separate the electrolytic plating solution on the anode side and the electrolytic plating solution on the cathode side in the electrolytic plating tank 408. The diffusion plate 407 is located between the ion membrane 406 and the substrate 402. The diffusion plate 407 has a number of small holes for the electrolytic plating solution 403 to pass through. The positioning cylinder 404 is located in the electrolytic plating tank 408, the top of the positioning cylinder 404 is open, and the bottom of the positioning cylinder 404 is connected to the inner wall of the electrolytic plating tank 408. The anode 401 is located inside the positioning cylinder 404. The shape of the inner wall of the positioning cylinder 404 matches the shape of the anode 401, and the center of the upper surface 410 of the anode 401 is aligned with the center of the substrate 402. The positioning cylinder 404 hermetically contacts at least the upper part of the side surface of the anode 401 so that only the upper surface 410 of the surface area of the anode 401 contacts the electrolytic plating solution 403. Therefore, the electric field generated by the anode 401 is completely released from the upper surface 410. The anode 401 may be cylindrical. Since the size B of the upper surface 410 of the anode 401 is similar to the size A of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 402, the size of the cross section of the electric field generated by the anode 401 is the same (completely the same or almost the same) as the size A of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 402. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5, the uniformity of the electric field distribution can be improved and the electric field strengths at each location of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 402 can be made closer to each other. This also improves the uniformity of the electrolytic plating height on the surface of the substrate 402.
[0018] The effective electrolytic plating area of substrate 402 is the area where metal is deposited. For example, when a circular substrate 402 with a diameter of 300 mm is held by clamp 409, there is a 1.5 mm wide annular area at the edge of substrate 402 that is enveloped by the lip seal of clamp 409. Because no metal is deposited in this annular area, the diameter of the effective electrolytic plating area of substrate 402 is 297 mm.
[0019] 6, during the electrolytic plating process, the anode 401 is gradually consumed. Since the upper surface 410 of the anode 401 is consumed uniformly, the shape of the upper surface 410 remains unchanged. Therefore, the cross-sectional size of the electric field generated by the anode 401 also does not change.
[0020] In this embodiment, a ring of a seal member 405 is provided on the inner wall of the positioning cylinder 404. The seal member 405 is in sealing contact with at least the upper part of the side surface of the anode 401, so that the electrolytic plating solution 403 does not leak out onto the side surface of the anode 401, and the side surface of the anode 401 is not worn out. During the electrolytic plating process, the upper surface 410 of the anode 401 gradually decreases. Therefore, the anode 401 is usually replaced with a new anode before it is completely worn out, but the seal member 405 has at least a certain height in the vertical direction. This height can be a height that can ensure that the edge of the upper surface 410 of the anode 401 always contacts the positioning cylinder 404 in a sealing manner.
[0021] The material of the positioning cylinder 404 may be a metal that is not involved in electrochemical reactions, a highly rigid insulating material, etc. Also, a groove may be provided on the inner wall of the positioning cylinder 404, and a seal member 405 may be embedded in the groove.
[0022] Second embodiment As shown in FIG. 7, this embodiment provides an electrolytic plating apparatus. The structure of this electrolytic plating apparatus is essentially the same as that of the electrolytic plating apparatus of the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that in the electrolytic plating apparatus of this embodiment, the inner wall of the upper part of the positioning cylinder 704 is in sealing contact with the upper part of the anode 701, and there is a space 7014 between the inner wall of the lower part of the positioning cylinder 704 and the lower part of the anode 701, so that the electrolytic plating solution 703 does not enter the space 7014. This space 7014 can be used to accommodate other components.
[0023] The remaining configuration is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore the description will be omitted.
[0024] Third embodiment As shown in FIG. 8, this embodiment provides an electrolytic plating apparatus including an anode 801, a positioning cylinder 804, an ion membrane 806, a diffusion plate 807, an electrolytic plating tank 808, a clamp 809, an anode support plate 8010, a driving device 8011, a sensor 8012, and a controller 8013. The electrolytic plating tank 808 is used to put an electrolytic plating solution 803. The clamp 809 is used to hold a substrate 802. The anode 801 is located below the substrate 802, and an upper surface 810 of the anode 801 faces the substrate 802 in parallel. The ion membrane 806 is located above the anode 801 and is used to separate the electrolytic plating solution on the anode side and the electrolytic plating solution on the cathode side in the electrolytic plating tank 808. The diffusion plate 807 is located between the ion membrane 806 and the substrate 802. In addition, the diffusion plate 807 has a plurality of small holes for the electrolytic plating solution 803 to pass through. The anode 801 is located inside the positioning cylinder 804. The top of the positioning cylinder 804 is open, and the bottom of the positioning cylinder 804 is connected to the inner wall of the electrolytic plating tank 808. The shape of the inner wall of the positioning cylinder 804 matches that of the anode 801, and the center of the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 is aligned with the center of the substrate 802.
[0025] An O-shaped seal ring 805 is provided on the inner wall of the positioning cylinder 804. The O-shaped seal ring 805 is in hermetically contact with the upper part of the side wall of the anode 801 so that only the upper surface 810 of the surface area of the anode 801 is in contact with the electrolytic plating solution 803. Therefore, the electric field generated by the anode 801 is completely discharged from the upper surface 810. The anode 801 may be cylindrical. The size B of the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 is similar to the size A of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 802, so that the size of the cross section of the electric field generated by the anode 801 is the same (completely the same or almost the same) as the size A of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 802. Therefore, the uniformity of the electric field distribution can be improved, and the electric field strengths at each location of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 802 can be brought closer to each other. This also improves the uniformity of the electrolytic plating height on the surface of the substrate 802.
[0026] The effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 802 is the area where metal is deposited. For example, when a circular substrate 802 with a diameter of 200 mm is held by the clamp 809, there is a 1 mm wide annular area at the edge of the substrate 802 that is enveloped by the lip seal of the clamp 809. Because no metal is deposited in this annular area, the diameter of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 802 is 198 mm.
[0027] The sensor 8012 is fixed to the outer wall of the electrolytic plating tank 808. The sensor 8012 detects whether or not the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 is located at a set height, thereby maintaining the distance between the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 and the substrate 802 at a set value. Specifically, the sensor 8012 is located on the same plane as the upper surface 810 of the anode 801, and the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 is detected by the sensor 8012.
[0028] A cover may be placed over the sensor 8012 to protect the sensor 8012 from contamination or damage caused by electrolytic plating solution overflowing from the electrolytic plating bath 808 .
[0029] The anode 801 is composed of two or more small anodes assembled horizontally, and an anode support plate 8010 is provided at the bottom of the anode 801. The drive unit 8011 is located below the anode support plate 8010, and the output shaft of the drive unit 8011 is connected to the anode support plate 8010.
[0030] The controller 8013 is connected to the sensor 8012 and the drive unit 8011 .
[0031] During the electrolytic plating process, the anode 801 gradually wears away. Since the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 wears away evenly, the shape of the upper surface 810 remains unchanged. Therefore, the cross-sectional size of the electric field generated by the anode 801 does not change. When the height of the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 decreases, the upper surface 810 cannot be detected by the sensor 8012. At this time, the sensor 8012 transmits a first signal to the controller 8013. After receiving the first signal, the controller 8013 transmits a command to the driving device 8011 to move the output shaft of the driving device 8011 to slowly raise the anode 801 until the sensor 8012 detects the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 again. At this time, the sensor 8012 transmits a second signal to the controller 8013. After receiving the second signal, the controller 8013 transmits a command to the driving device 8011, and the driving device 8011 stops operating. This allows the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 to be always kept at a set height, and the distance between the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 and the substrate 802 to be constant. This allows the processing results to be more stable and not change according to the wear of the anode.
[0032] In addition, the change value of the height of the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 can be estimated based on the metal consumption of the anode periodically calculated by the controller, and the driving device 8011 can be controlled accordingly to raise the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 to the initial position. The metal consumption of the anode is related to factors such as electrolytic plating current, current application time, and electrolytic plating efficiency, and the specific calculation method can be referred to that disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication JP1983113399A. The amplitude of each operation of the driving device 8011 should be as small as possible to prevent the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 from coming off the O-shaped seal ring 805 and causing a seal failure.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 9, after performing the electrolytic plating process for a certain period of time, the thickness of the anode 801 decreases, but the upper surface of the anode 801 remains at a constant height.
[0034] In this embodiment, the sensor 8012 is an infrared sensor, and includes a transmitting sensor and a receiving sensor. There are sight windows on both sides of the electrolytic plating tank 808. When the infrared light emitted by the transmitting sensor passes through the sight window and is sensed by the receiving sensor on the opposite side, the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 is below the set height. At this time, it is necessary to raise the anode 801 so that the upper surface 810 of the anode 801 reaches the set height.
[0035] In another embodiment, the sensor 8012 can be a contact sensor with a resilient contact. The contact of the sensor 8012 is placed on the top of the positioning cylinder 804. When the anode 801 is below the set height, the contact is not in contact with the top surface 8109 of the anode 801. At this time, the anode 801 needs to be raised to make the top surface 8109 of the anode 801 contact the contact.
[0036] The number of O-shaped seal rings 805 may be two or more.
[0037] (Fourth embodiment) As shown in FIG. 10, this embodiment provides an electrolytic plating apparatus including an anode 901, a positioning cylinder 904, an ion membrane 906, a diffusion plate 907, an electrolytic plating tank 908, a clamp 909, an anode support plate 9010, a driving device 9011, a sensor 9012, and a controller 9013. The electrolytic plating tank 908 is used to contain an electrolytic plating solution 903. The clamp 909 is used to hold a substrate 902. The anode 901 is located below the substrate 902, and an upper surface 910 of the anode 901 faces the substrate 902 in parallel. The ion membrane 906 is located above the anode 901 and is used to separate the electrolytic plating solution on the anode side and the electrolytic plating solution on the cathode side in the electrolytic plating tank 908. The diffusion plate 907 is located between the ion membrane 906 and the substrate 902. In addition, the diffusion plate 907 has a plurality of small holes for the electrolytic plating solution 903 to pass through. The anode 901 is located inside the positioning cylinder 904. The top of the positioning cylinder 904 is open, and the bottom of the positioning cylinder 904 is connected to the inner wall of the electrolytic plating tank 908. The shape of the inner wall of the positioning cylinder 904 matches that of the anode 901, and the center of the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 is aligned with the center of the substrate 902.
[0038] The inner wall of the positioning cylinder 904 is provided with an upper seal ring 9051, a lower seal ring 9052, and an annular groove 9014. In addition, a water inlet 9015 and a water outlet 9016 are provided in the positioning cylinder 904. The upper seal ring 9051 hermetically contacts the upper part of the side wall of the anode 901 so that only the upper surface 910 of the surface area of the anode 901 contacts the electrolytic plating solution 903. Therefore, the electric field generated by the anode 901 is completely discharged from the upper surface 910. The anode 901 may be cylindrical. The size B of the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 is similar to the size A of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 902, so that the size of the cross section of the electric field generated by the anode 901 is the same (completely the same or almost the same) as the size A of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 902. Therefore, the uniformity of the electric field distribution can be improved, and the electric field strengths at each location of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 902 can be made closer to each other. This also improves the uniformity of the electrolytic plating height on the surface of the substrate 902 .
[0039] As shown in FIG. 11, the lower seal ring 9052 is located below the upper seal ring 9051, and the annular groove 9014 is located between the upper seal ring 9051 and the lower seal ring 9052. The upper part of the water inflow passage 9015 is connected to the annular groove 9014, and the bottom part is connected to the water inflow pump 9017. The water inflow pump 9017 is used to transport liquid from the outside to the annular groove 9014. The upper part of the water outflow passage 9016 is connected to the annular groove 9014, and the bottom part is connected to the water outflow pump 9018. The water outflow pump 9018 is used to discharge the liquid in the annular groove 9014 to the outside. The water inflow pump 9017 and the water outflow pump 9018 continue to operate, and keep the liquid such as water in the annular groove 9014 in a flowing state. In this state, new liquid flows from the water inflow passage 9015 into the annular groove 9014, and then flows out from the water outflow passage 9016. If the upper seal ring 9051 leaks, the electrolytic plating solution 903 will leak downward and enter the annular groove 9014, and will then be diluted by the liquid in the annular groove 9014. The diluted electrolytic plating solution 903 will flow out through the water outlet 9016, so that it will not accumulate in the annular groove 9014 and will not corrode the sidewall of the anode 901. The lower seal ring 9052 prevents the liquid from leaking downward and contaminating the drive unit 9011. It is preferable to provide the water inlet 9015 and the water outlet 9016 at both radial ends of the annular groove 9014 so that the liquid in the annular groove 9014 can flow sufficiently and the electrolytic plating solution 903 can be sufficiently diluted.
[0040] The sensor 9012 is fixed to the outer wall of the electrolytic plating tank 908. The sensor 9012 detects whether the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 is located at a set height, thereby maintaining the distance between the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 and the substrate 902 at a set value. Specifically, the sensor 9012 is located on the same plane as the upper surface 910 of the anode 901, and the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 is detected by the sensor 9012.
[0041] A cover may be provided over the sensor 9012 to prevent the sensor 9012 from being contaminated or damaged by electrolytic plating solution overflowing from the electrolytic plating tank 908 .
[0042] The anode 901 is composed of two or more small anodes assembled horizontally, and an anode support plate 9010 is provided at the bottom of the anode 901. The drive unit 9011 is located below the anode support plate 9010, and the output shaft of the drive unit 9011 is connected to the anode support plate 9010.
[0043] The controller 9013 is connected to the sensor 9012 and the drive unit 9011 .
[0044] During the electrolytic plating process, the anode 901 gradually wears away. Since the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 wears away evenly, the shape of the upper surface 910 remains unchanged. Therefore, the cross-sectional size of the electric field generated by the anode 901 does not change. When the height of the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 decreases, the upper surface 910 cannot be detected by the sensor 9012. At this time, the sensor 9012 sends a first signal to the controller 9013. After receiving the first signal, the controller 9013 sends a command to the driver 9011 to move the output shaft of the driver 9011 to slowly raise the anode 901 until the sensor 9012 detects the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 again. At this time, the sensor 9012 sends a second signal to the controller 9013. After receiving the second signal, the controller 9013 sends a command to the driver 9011, and the driver 9011 stops operating. This allows the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 to be always kept at a set height, and the distance between the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 and the substrate 902 to be constant, thereby making it possible to obtain more stable processing results that do not change according to wear and tear of the anode.
[0045] In addition, based on the consumption of metal in the anode, which is periodically calculated by the controller, the change value of the height of the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 can be estimated, and the drive device 9011 can be controlled accordingly to raise the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 to its initial position.
[0046] In this embodiment, the sensor 9012 is an infrared sensor, and includes a transmitting sensor and a receiving sensor. An observation window is provided on both sides of the electrolytic plating tank 908. When the infrared light emitted by the transmitting sensor passes through the observation window and is detected by the receiving sensor on the opposite side, the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 is below the set height. At this time, it is necessary to raise the anode 901 so that the upper surface 910 of the anode 901 reaches the set height.
[0047] Fifth embodiment As shown in FIG. 12, this embodiment provides an electrolytic plating apparatus including an anode 1001, a positioning cylinder 1004, an electrolytic plating tank 1008, and a clamp 1009. The electrolytic plating tank 1008 is used to contain an electrolytic plating solution 1003. The clamp 1009 is used to hold a substrate 1002. The anode 1001 and the substrate 1002 are both immersed vertically in the electrolytic plating solution 1003. The right surface 1010 of the anode 1001 faces the substrate 1002 in parallel. The positioning cylinder 1004 is located in the electrolytic plating tank 1008, and the bottom of the positioning cylinder 1004 is connected to the inner wall of the electrolytic plating tank 1008. The anode 1001 is located inside the positioning cylinder 1004. The right end of the positioning cylinder 1004 is open. The shape of the inner wall of the positioning cylinder 1004 coincides with the anode 1001, and the center of the right surface 1010 of the anode 1001 is aligned with the center of the substrate 1002. The seal member 1005 is provided at the contact portion between the positioning cylinder 1004 and the anode 1001 so that only the right surface 1010 of the surface area of the anode 1001 comes into contact with the electrolytic plating solution 1003. Therefore, the electric field generated by the anode 1001 is completely discharged from the right surface 1010. The anode 1001 may be cylindrical. The size of the right surface 1010 of the anode 1001 is similar to the size of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 1002, so that the size of the cross section of the electric field generated by the anode 1001 is similar to the size of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 1002. Therefore, the uniformity of the electric field distribution can be improved, and the electric field strength at each location of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate 1002 can be brought closer to each other. This also improves the uniformity of the electrolytic plating height on the surface of the substrate 1002.
[0048] Sixth embodiment As shown in Fig. 13, this embodiment provides an electrolytic plating apparatus. This electrolytic plating apparatus has all the structures of the electrolytic plating apparatus described in the first embodiment, but the description will not be repeated here. In addition, an air inlet 1112 is provided at the bottom of the electrolytic plating tank 1108. The air inlet 1112 is used to introduce air or oxygen into the electrolytic plating solution, thereby completely oxidizing the metal ions in the electrolytic plating solution and converting them into more stable metal ions under the action of oxygen.
[0049] Seventh embodiment The present embodiment provides an electroplating method. The electrolytic plating method includes the steps of: placing a positioning cylinder in an electrolytic plating tank, and arranging an anode inside the positioning cylinder so that the inner wall of the positioning cylinder and the anode are in sealing contact with each other, such that only a first face of the anode contacts the electrolytic plating solution in the surface area of the anode, the first face of the anode faces a substrate in parallel, the size of the first face of the anode is similar to the size of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate, and the center of the first face of the anode is aligned with the center of the substrate; setting a distance between a first surface of the anode and a substrate; calculating a change in the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate, and driving the anode to move towards the substrate until the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate reaches a set value.
[0050] Eighth embodiment The present embodiment provides an electroplating method. The electrolytic plating method includes the steps of: placing a positioning cylinder in an electrolytic plating tank, and arranging an anode inside the positioning cylinder so that the inner wall of the positioning cylinder and the anode are in sealing contact with each other, such that only a first face of the anode contacts the electrolytic plating solution in the surface area of the anode, the first face of the anode faces a substrate in parallel, the size of the first face of the anode is similar to the size of the effective electrolytic plating area of the substrate, and the center of the first face of the anode is aligned with the center of the substrate; setting a distance between a first surface of the anode and a substrate; detecting a position of the first surface of the anode via a sensor and sending a signal to a controller; The method includes a step of: when the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate exceeds a set value, the sensor sends a first signal to the controller, the controller sends a command to the drive device after receiving the first signal, the drive device drives the anode to move toward the substrate until the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate again becomes equal to the set value, at which time the sensor sends a second signal to the controller, the controller sends a command to the drive device after receiving the second signal, and the drive device stops operating.
[0051] In order to make the metal ions in the electrolytic plating solution more stable, an air inlet is opened in the electrolytic plating tank to introduce air or oxygen into the electrolytic plating solution, so that the metal ions are completely oxidized under the action of oxygen and converted into more stable metal ions.
[0052] In summary, the present invention specifically and in detail discloses the relevant technology through the above embodiments and related figures, so that those skilled in the art can implement the present invention accordingly. The above embodiments are only used to explain the present invention, and are not used to limit the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims of the present invention. The number of components disclosed herein may be changed or equivalent components may be substituted, all of which are within the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. Electrolytic plating apparatus, An electrolytic plating tank configured to hold an electrolytic plating solution, A clamp configured to hold the circuit board, A positioning cylinder located inside the electrolytic plating tank, with one end open, An electroplating apparatus comprising: an anode located inside the positioning cylinder and in sealed contact with the positioning cylinder, wherein only a first surface of its entire surface area is in contact with the electroplating solution, the first surface is parallel to and opposite the substrate, the center of the first surface is aligned with the center of the substrate, and the size of the first surface is the same as the size of the effective electroplating area of the substrate.
2. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the positioning cylinder is in sealed contact with the second surface of the anode, which is perpendicular to the first surface.
3. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the positioning cylinder is arranged vertically, at least one ring of a sealing member is provided on the inner wall of the positioning cylinder, the sealing member is in airtight contact with the upper part of the side surface of the anode, and the sealing member has a constant height in the vertical direction.
4. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive unit and a controller, wherein the drive unit is connected to the anode and the controller, respectively, the controller periodically calculates the change in the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate and controls the drive unit, and the drive unit moves the anode toward the substrate so that the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate reaches a set value.
5. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the anode is arranged vertically, the anode is formed by joining two or more small anodes in the horizontal direction, an anode support plate is provided at the bottom of the anode, the drive device is located below the anode support plate, and the output shaft of the drive device is connected to the anode support plate.
6. The electrolytic plating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrolytic plating tank is provided with an air intake port for introducing air or oxygen into the electrolytic plating solution.
7. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive unit, a sensor, and a controller, wherein the drive unit is connected to the anode and the controller, respectively, the sensor is connected to the controller and installed in the electroplating bath, and is configured to detect the position of the first surface of the anode, a first signal or a second signal is transmitted by the sensor to the controller according to the detection result, the controller controls the drive unit according to the received first signal or second signal, and the drive unit drives the anode to move toward the substrate until the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate reaches a set value.
8. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is an infrared sensor comprising a transmitting sensor and a receiving sensor, the electroplating tank is provided with two viewing windows, and the receiving sensor receives infrared radiation emitted by the transmitting sensor through the viewing windows.
9. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is a contact sensor having an elastic contact, the contact of the contact sensor is installed on the positioning cylinder, and if the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate is greater than the set value and the first surface of the anode and the contact are not in contact, the drive device drives the anode to move toward the substrate and bring the first surface of the anode into contact with the contact.
10. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one O-shaped sealing ring is provided on the inner wall of the positioning cylinder, and the at least one O-shaped sealing ring is in airtight contact with the upper part of the side wall of the anode.
11. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the positioning cylinder is arranged vertically, the inner wall of the positioning cylinder is provided with an upper seal ring, a lower seal ring, and an annular groove, the positioning cylinder is provided with a water inlet passage and a water outlet passage, the upper seal ring is in sealed contact with the upper part of the side wall of the anode, the lower seal ring is located below the upper seal ring, the annular groove is located between the upper seal ring and the lower seal ring, the upper part of the water inlet passage is connected to the annular groove and the bottom is connected to a water inlet pump, the water inlet pump is used to transport liquid from the outside to the annular groove, the upper part of the water outlet passage is connected to the annular groove and the bottom is connected to a water outlet pump, the water outlet pump is used to discharge the liquid in the annular groove to the outside.
12. An electrolytic plating method, A step of installing a positioning cylinder in an electroplating bath, and positioning the anode inside the positioning cylinder such that the anode and the inner wall of the positioning cylinder are in airtight contact, wherein only the first surface of the anode is in contact with the electroplating solution on the surface region of the anode, the first surface of the anode is parallel to the substrate, and the center of the first surface of the anode is aligned with the center of the substrate, An electrolytic plating method comprising the steps of: installing a drive device in the electrolytic plating bath so as to be in contact with the anode; calculating or detecting a change in the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate; and controlling the operation of the drive device to move the anode toward the substrate until the distance between the first surface of the anode and the substrate reaches a set value.
13. The electroplating method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of introducing air or oxygen into the electroplating solution.