Electroplating apparatus and electroplating method

Abstract

An electroplating apparatus and method includes an electroplating unit for electroplating a production plate, the electroplating unit including an electrolyte passage for spraying electrolyte onto the production plate, and an electroplating assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the electrolyte passage. The electroplating assembly includes an anode disposed on the exterior surface of the electrolyte passage, and an inlet passage disposed within the anode for absorbing electrolyte in a direction opposite to the spraying direction. The electrolyte passage and the electroplating assembly can be used together to uniformly electroplate the production plate with electrolyte.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application is based on and claims priority from a Chinese patent application with application number 202110071014.1, filed on January 19, 2021, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0002] (Technical field) The present application relates to the field of electroplating technology, and more particularly to an electroplating apparatus and method. [Background technology]

[0003] In the field of IC substrate production, the demand for electroplating (especially copper plating) is increasing. The technical difficulty is to perform an efficient electroplating process on fine structures such as increasingly small conductive lines and copper bumps. To meet the demands of mass production, in addition to depositing enough copper on the increasingly small structures, it is also necessary to consider how to deposit the copper uniformly across the entire production plate.

[0004] In order to fully immerse the microstructures in the electrolyte and ensure sufficient exchange efficiency, large chemical reaction tanks have appeared on the market, some of which are equipped with full surface extraction devices, but when it comes to individually designed substrate products, the uniformity of the electrolyte on the entire production plate or the ability to independently adjust the reaction have not met expectations. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present embodiments provide an electroplating apparatus and method for achieving uniform electroplating on a production plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An embodiment of the present application provides an electroplating apparatus including an electroplating unit for electroplating a production plate, the electroplating unit including an electrolyte passage for spraying an electrolyte onto the production plate, and an electroplating assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the electrolyte passage, the electroplating assembly including an anode disposed on the exterior surface of the electrolyte passage, and an intake passage disposed within the anode for absorbing electrolyte in a direction opposite to the direction of spraying.

[0007] Additionally, the electroplating assembly is movably mounted on an exterior surface of the electrolyte passageway to adjust the distance between the electroplating assembly and the production plate.

[0008] Additionally, a shield coat is applied to the outer surface of the anode.

[0009] Further, a plurality of the suction passages are provided, and the plurality of suction passages are uniformly distributed within the anode.

[0010] Furthermore, one suction passage is provided, and the suction passage is provided in an annular shape within the anode.

[0011] Additionally, a diffuser is provided between the electroplating unit and the production plate.

[0012] Furthermore, a plurality of the electroplating units are provided, the plurality of the electroplating units constitute one electroplating module, and the electroplating apparatus includes a plurality of the electroplating modules.

[0013] Furthermore, the electroplating apparatus further includes an electrolytic cell communicating with the electrolytic solution passage, and a circulating pump having one end communicating with the suction passage and the other end communicating with the electrolytic cell.

[0014] Additionally, the electroplating apparatus further includes an oscillable rack for receiving a production plate.

[0015] An embodiment of the present application further provides an electroplating method using any of the electroplating apparatuses described above, comprising: setting a spraying distance for each electroplating unit in the electroplating apparatus based on a preset electroplating distance; placing a production plate to be electroplated on an oscillable rack of the electroplating apparatus and spraying the production plate via the electrolyte passage; and vibrating and rocking the production plate to be electroplated via the oscillable rack at an oscillation frequency of 0.1 Hz to 100 Hz during spraying. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The present embodiment provides an electroplating apparatus and an electroplating method. The electroplating apparatus includes an electroplating unit for electroplating a production plate. The electroplating unit includes an electrolyte passage for spraying an electrolyte onto the production plate, and an electroplating assembly disposed on an outer surface of the electrolyte passage. The electroplating assembly includes an anode disposed on the outer surface of the electrolyte passage, and an inlet passage disposed within the anode for absorbing electrolyte in a direction opposite to the direction of spraying. The present embodiment can use the electrolyte passage in combination with the electroplating assembly to uniformly electroplate the production plate with electrolyte. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] In order to more clearly describe the technical aspects of the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly describes the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electroplating apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electroplating apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application from another angle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another state of the electroplating apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an electroplating unit in an electroplating apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electroplating module in an electroplating apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an oscillable rack in an electroplating apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a flow chart of an electroplating method provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, the technical aspects of the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art without performing creative labors belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0020] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "comprise" and "comprising" are to be understood as indicating the presence of stated features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but not excluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or sets thereof.

[0021] It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "one," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0022] Furthermore, it should be understood that the term "and / or" as used in this specification and the appended claims means and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0023] Next, reference is made to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electroplating apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application, which includes an electroplating unit 10 for electroplating a production plate 20. The electroplating unit 10 includes an electrolyte passage 11 for spraying an electrolyte onto the production plate 20, and an electroplating assembly 12 provided on the outer surface of the electrolyte passage 11. The electroplating assembly 12 includes an anode 121 provided on the outer surface of the electrolyte passage 11, and an intake passage 122 provided within the anode 121 for absorbing the electrolyte in the direction opposite to the direction of the spraying.

[0024] The electroplating apparatus described in this embodiment includes an electroplating unit 10. Here, the electroplating unit includes an electrolyte passage 11, an anode 121, and an intake passage 122. The electroplating unit 10 sprays electrolyte onto the production plate 20 through the electrolyte passage 11, supplies electrical conductivity, metal ion replenishment, etc. through the anode 121, and absorbs the electrolyte sprayed onto the production plate 20 from the electrolyte passage 11 through the intake passage 122.

[0025] In this embodiment, by using the electrolyte passage 11 and the electroplating assembly 12 in combination, the electrolyte can be uniformly electroplated on the manufacturing plate, so as to improve the electroplating quality and effect, and meet the electroplating demands of different manufacturing plates. It is understood that the electrolyte passage 11 described in this embodiment is generally cylindrical, and therefore the anode 121 is annularly arranged on the outer surface of the electrolyte passage 11. In addition, the manufacturing plate 20 described in this embodiment may be different kinds of manufacturing plates that require electroplating, such as PCB boards, substrates, wiring boards, high-frequency boards, single boards, double boards, and multi-layer boards.

[0026] In one embodiment, with reference to Figures 2 and 3, the electroplating assembly 12 is movably mounted on an outer surface of the electrolyte passage 11 to adjust the distance between the electroplating assembly 12 and the production plate 20.

[0027] In this embodiment, when electroplating needs to be performed on the production plate 20, the distance between the electroplating assembly 12 and the production plate 20 can be flexibly adjusted according to the size of the devices on the production plate 20. That is, according to the needs of a specific actual scene, the electroplating assembly 12 can be controlled to move back and forth left and right in the direction of the electrolyte passage 11, so as to achieve the purpose of adjusting the conductive effect of the anode 121 and the electrolyte absorption capacity of the suction passage 122, and further achieve the purpose of adjusting the electroplating effect.

[0028] In addition, when the electroplating apparatus includes multiple electroplating units 10, each electroplating unit 10 can specifically set electroplating parameters according to actual needs, such as the electrolyte flow rate, electrolyte absorption flow rate, the distance from the anode 121 to the production plate 20, and the current density of the anode 121 (amperes / square decimeter / segment).

[0029] In one embodiment, the outer surface of the anode 121 is coated with a shield coat 1211 .

[0030] In this embodiment, the electrolytic assembly 12 is protected by applying the shield coat 1211 (a functional paint that incorporates conductive particles in a chemical solvent and is applied onto a non-metallic material to block electromagnetic waves) to prevent the anode 121 from being affected by interference from the external environment and affecting the conductive effect of the anode 121.

[0031] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the suction passages 122 are provided in a plurality of locations, and the plurality of suction passages 122 are uniformly distributed within the anode.

[0032] In this embodiment, a plurality of suction passages 122 are provided in the anode 121, and these suction passages 122 are uniformly distributed in the anode 121. That is, similar to the anode 121 being arranged around the electrolyte passage 11, the plurality of suction passages 122 described in this embodiment are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction in the anode 121. Here, when the number of the suction passages 122 is large, they can be uniformly distributed in an annular shape in the anode. When the number of the suction passages 122 is small, they can be uniformly distributed in a rectangular shape (e.g., four suction passages 122) in the anode, or can be uniformly distributed in a hexagonal shape (e.g., six suction passages 122) in the anode. That is, the distribution method of the suction passages 122 in the anode 121 is determined by the number.

[0033] In another embodiment, one suction passage 122 is provided, and the suction passage 122 is provided in an annular shape within the anode 121.

[0034] In this embodiment, only one suction passage 122 is provided in the anode 121, and the suction passage 122 is provided peripherally like the anode 121. Of course, in other embodiments, the suction passage 122 can be provided in other ways, such as providing multiple suction passages 122 in an annular shape in the anode 121.

[0035] In one embodiment, with reference to FIG. 2, a diffuser 112 is provided between the electroplating unit 10 and the production plate 20 .

[0036] In this embodiment, the diffuser 112 can make the electrolyte spraying through the electrolyte passage 11 in the electroplating unit 10 uniform, that is, make the electrolyte sprayed on the production plate 20 more uniform, and improve the electroplating quality. In one specific embodiment, the front end of the electrolyte passage 11 (i.e., the side closer to the production plate 20) is provided with a head 111 for making the electrolyte sprayed from the electrolyte passage 11 more uniform. In another specific embodiment, the diffuser 112 is a diffusion net, and the diffusion net includes a plurality of round holes or square holes, etc. for the passage of the electrolyte. Of course, since the diffuser described in this embodiment is for making the electroplating more uniform, other shielding elements, etc., which can make the electroplating more uniform, can also be selected.

[0037] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , a plurality of the electroplating units 10 are provided, the plurality of the electroplating units 10 constitute one electroplating module 1, and the electroplating apparatus includes a plurality of the electroplating modules 1.

[0038] In this embodiment, a plurality of the electroplating units 10 are configured as one electroplating module 1, and the electroplating apparatus includes a plurality of the electroplating modules 1. In this way, in the electroplating process, the electroplating distance, electroplating flow rate, etc. of each electroplating module 1 can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual situation, which not only improves the electroplating efficiency but also enhances the flexibility of industrialization and meets the demands of specific products.

[0039] In one specific embodiment, the electroplating apparatus includes four electroplating modules 1 or sixteen electroplating modules 1. When the electroplating apparatus includes four electroplating modules 1, each electroplating module 1 includes nine electroplating units 10. When the electroplating apparatus includes sixteen electroplating modules 1, each electroplating module includes four electroplating units 10.

[0040] In another specific embodiment, the electroplating unit 10 configures the electroplating module 1 in a ring shape. Of course, in other embodiments, the electroplating unit 10 can also configure the electroplating module 1 in other ways, such as a triangle, a circle, etc.

[0041] In one embodiment, with reference to FIG. 1 , the electroplating apparatus further includes an electrolytic cell 13 communicating with the electrolyte passage 11, and a circulating pump 14 having one end communicating with the suction passage 122 and the other end communicating with the electrolytic cell 13.

[0042] In this embodiment, the electrolyte passage 11 obtains the electrolyte from the electrolytic cell 13, then sprays the electrolyte on the production plate 20, and absorbs the electrolyte sprayed on the production plate 20 through the suction passage 122. The absorbed electrolyte is returned to the electrolytic cell 13 again through the circulation pump 14. By repeating this process, the uniformity of electroplating on the production plate 20 can be ensured, and waste of resources can be avoided.

[0043] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the electroplating apparatus further includes an oscillable rack 15 for mounting a production plate 20 thereon.

[0044] In this embodiment, the manufacturing plate 20 is placed on the oscillable rack 15. Furthermore, the frame oscillation on the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis of the oscillable rack 15 can be programmed independently, and the rotation of the manufacturing plate 20 within the frame can be selected. At the same time, the distance between the manufacturing plate 20 and the electroplating unit 10 can also be adjusted by the oscillable rack 15. In one specific embodiment, the distance between the electroplating unit 10 and the manufacturing plate 20 is less than 100 mm, and the oscillation frequency of the oscillable rack 15 is 0.1 Hz to 100 Hz. The rotatable rack 15 provides a separate panel movement mode for improving electroplating uniformity for the actual electroplating scene. In another specific embodiment, the oscillable rack 15 can control the vibration swing of the manufacturing plate 20 in a continuous S-shape, such as a continuous S-shape from left to right, a continuous S-shape from right to left, or a continuous S-shape from top to bottom. Additionally, the oscillable rack 15 can also control the vibration rocking of the production plate 20 in a continuous "8" pattern, such as, for example, continuous "8" patterns from left to right, continuous "8" patterns from right to left, etc.

[0045] In a specific application scenario, the manufacturing plate 20 can be divided into a plurality of parts, for example, four parts, and each part on the manufacturing plate can be vibrated and swung via the oscillable rack 15 .

[0046] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an electroplating method provided by an embodiment of the present application, specifically including steps S701 to S703.

[0047] In S701, a spraying distance is set for each electroplating unit of the electroplating apparatus based on a preset electroplating distance.

[0048] In S702, a production plate to be electroplated is placed on an oscillable rack of the electroplating apparatus and electrolyte is sprayed onto the production plate through the electrolyte passageway.

[0049] In S703, during spraying, the production plate to be electroplated is oscillated through the oscillating rack, where the oscillation frequency is 0.1 Hz to 100 Hz.

[0050] Since the embodiments of the method part correspond to those of the device part, the embodiments of the method part will be omitted here, and reference will be made to the description of the embodiments of the device part.

[0051] In the description, each embodiment will be described with emphasis on the differences from other embodiments, and the same or similar parts between each embodiment may be referred to each other. For the system disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, and the relevant points may be referred to the partial description of the method. It should be noted that those skilled in the art may make some improvements and modifications to the present application without departing from the principle of the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present application.

[0052] It should also be explained that, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that such an actual relationship or order exists between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprise", "comprise", or any other variation thereof are intended to be non-exclusively inclusive, such that a process, method, article, or device that includes a set of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not expressly listed, or may include elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the sentence "comprises one" does not exclude the presence of another identical element in the process, method, article, or device that includes that element.

[0053] (Additional Note) (Appendix 1) 1. An electroplating apparatus comprising: an electroplating unit for electroplating the production plate, The electroplating unit comprises: an electrolyte passage for spraying an electrolyte onto the production plate; and an electroplating assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the electrolyte passage; The electroplating assembly includes: an anode provided on an outer surface of the electrolyte passage; and a suction passage provided within the anode for absorbing electrolyte in a direction opposite to the direction of thermal spraying; The electroplating assembly includes: a production plate having a first electrode and a second electrode disposed on said first electrode surface and adapted to receive said first electrode from said production plate and to receive said second electrode from said second electrode surface;

[0054] (Appendix 2) 2. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, wherein a shield coat is applied to an outer surface of the anode.

[0055] (Appendix 3) The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the suction passages are provided, and the plurality of suction passages are uniformly distributed within the anode.

[0056] (Appendix 4) 2. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction passage is provided in a single passage and is arranged in a ring shape within the anode.

[0057] (Appendix 5) 2. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a diffuser disposed between the electroplating unit and the production plate.

[0058] (Appendix 6) The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electroplating units are provided in plurality, the plurality of electroplating units constituting one electroplating module, and the electroplating apparatus includes a plurality of the electroplating modules.

[0059] (Appendix 7) The electroplating apparatus comprises: an electrolytic cell communicating with the electrolyte passage; 2. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a circulation pump having one end communicating with the suction passage and the other end communicating with the electrolytic cell.

[0060] (Appendix 8) 2. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an oscillable rack for mounting a production plate thereon.

[0061] (Appendix 9) An electroplating method using the electroplating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, Setting a spray distance for each electroplating unit in the electroplating apparatus based on a preset electroplating distance; placing a production plate to be electroplated on an oscillable rack of the electroplating apparatus and spraying the production plate through the electrolyte passage; and vibrating and rocking the production plate to be electroplated via the oscillable rack during thermal spraying at an oscillation frequency between 0.1 Hz and 100 Hz.

Claims

1. 1. An electroplating apparatus comprising: an electroplating unit for electroplating the production plate, The electroplating unit comprises: an electrolyte passage for spraying an electrolyte onto the production plate; and an electroplating assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the electrolyte passage; The electroplating assembly includes: an anode provided on an outer surface of the electrolyte passage; and a suction passage provided within the anode for absorbing electrolyte in a direction opposite to the direction of thermal spraying; The electroplating assembly includes: a movable member disposed on an outer surface of the electrolyte passage for adjusting a distance between the electroplating assembly and the production plate; 4. The electroplating apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a diffuser disposed between the electroplating unit and the production plate.

2. 2. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the suction passages are provided, and the plurality of the suction passages are uniformly distributed within the anode.

3. 2. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of the suction passages is one, and the suction passage is formed in an annular shape within the anode.

4. 2. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the electroplating units are provided, the plurality of the electroplating units constitute one electroplating module, and the electroplating apparatus includes a plurality of the electroplating modules.

5. The electroplating apparatus comprises: an electrolytic cell communicating with the electrolyte passage; 2. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a circulation pump, one end of which is connected to said suction passage and the other end of which is connected to said electrolytic cell.

6. 10. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an oscillable rack for receiving a production plate.

7. An electroplating method using the electroplating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Setting a spray distance for each electroplating unit in the electroplating apparatus based on a preset electroplating distance; placing a production plate to be electroplated on an oscillable rack of the electroplating apparatus and spraying the production plate through the electrolyte passage; and vibrating and rocking the production plate to be electroplated via said oscillable rack during spraying at an oscillation frequency of 0.1 Hertz to 100 Hertz.

Images