Electrolytic Treatment Counterflow for Substrate Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrolytic treatment systems face challenges in achieving high treatment speed and uniformity, particularly for fragile substrates like glass, while maintaining productivity and preventing mechanical stress that could lead to substrate breakage.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a counterflow of electrolytic fluid opposite to the transport direction, with strategically placed discharge orifices and guide bodies to enhance fluid renewal and uniformity, allowing for increased treatment speed and deposition rate while minimizing mechanical stress on substrates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the transport speed of substrates through the electrolytic liquid is increased to achieve higher productivity, then the treatment uniformity deteriorates due to insufficient electrolytic liquid renewal at the substrate surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The electrolytic liquid supply system is segmented into multiple discharge orifices arranged in rows on opposite sides of the transport path. This segmentation allows localized control of electrolytic liquid flow to different sections of the substrate, ensuring uniform renewal across the entire substrate surface even at high transport speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of moving the electrolytic liquid in the same direction as substrate transport, the invention uses counterflow where the electrolytic liquid flows in the opposite direction to the substrate transport. This counterflow creates effective relative motion that enhances electrolytic liquid renewal at the substrate surfaces, maintaining treatment uniformity at higher transport speeds.
2Device complexity
If discharge orifices are provided on only one side of the transport path to simplify the device structure, then treatment uniformity is compromised due to asymmetric flow forces acting on the substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention intentionally creates a symmetric configuration with discharge orifices on both sides of the transport path. This symmetry ensures that asymmetric flow forces are balanced, preventing bending moments on substrates while maintaining treatment uniformity. The symmetric arrangement of discharge orifices in rows on opposite sides creates equal and opposite flow forces.
3Productivity
If the electrolytic liquid flow speed is increased to enhance renewal at substrate surfaces, then mechanical forces on fragile substrates increase causing bending moments that may lead to breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses counterbalancing where discharge orifices are positioned on opposite sides of the transport path to create symmetric flow forces. The flow forces from opposite sides act as counterweights to each other, canceling out bending moments on fragile substrates while maintaining sufficient flow speed for high deposition rates.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables higher deposition rates and uniformity of electrolytic treatment, reducing the risk of substrate breakage and enabling efficient large-scale production, particularly for fragile substrates like silicon-based solar cell panels, with improved surface smoothness and electrical conduction.
Implementation Method 1
a counterflow of electrolytic fluid with respect to the transport direction is created and thus a relatively large speed difference can be achieved between the substrates that are transported through the electrolytic liquid on the one hand and the flow of electrolytic liquid in the direct environment of the substrates
Implementation Method 2
In so far as there could already be lack of clarity, it is pointed out that the transport path can be defined as the space that is taken up by successive substrates, each of which in the context of the present disclosure typically are plate-shaped, in the bath during said transport. When using the system according to the invention a counterflow of electrolytic fluid with respect to the transport direction is created and thus a relatively large speed difference can be achieved between the substrates that are transported through the electrolytic liquid on the one hand and the flow of electrolytic liquid in the direct environment of the substrates. In this way, a high degree of renewal of electrolytic liquid at the surfaces of the substrates to be treated electrolytically can be achieved, so that a high treatment speed and in the case of electrodeposition a high deposition rate can be achieved.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a system for electrolytic treatment of vertically oriented substrates. The system may include an elongated bath for electrolytic liquid, a conveyor for conveying substrates to be treated electrolytically, vertically oriented and suspended from the conveyor, in a transport direction according to a horizontal transport path through an electrolytic liquid in the bath, the conveyor being arranged for clamping the substrates near a top thereof during conveyance of the substrates through the electrolytic liquid in the bath. The system may further include a number of flow devices each with at least one discharge orifice in the bath, the discharge orifices being directed in a discharge direction that extends opposite to the transport direction for creating a flow of electrolytic liquid, with a flow direction that is opposite to the transport direction, in the electrolytic liquid along at least one longitudinal side of substrates suspended from the conveyor.