Plated Copper Cooling Ring for Low-Powder Bellows Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of traditional cooling rings made from soft metals like copper, aluminum, and silver for welding bellows results in the generation of metallic powder with high electrical conductivity, leading to defects in semiconductor manufacturing due to electrical short-circuits, which is difficult to remove and requires manual cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A cooling ring configuration with a copper body and a nickel or chrome plating layer is used, where the nickel or chrome layer has a higher melting point and hardness, preventing the formation of conductive powder during the welding process, and allowing for easy reuse and reduced defects in semiconductor applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional soft metal cooling rings (copper, aluminum, silver) are used for welding bellows, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but metallic powder with high electrical conductivity is generated causing electrical short-circuits in semiconductor manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling ring is constructed as a composite structure with a soft metal base material (copper, aluminum, or silver) providing heat dissipation functionality, and a hard metal plating layer (chromium, nickel, or titanium) with melting point at least 100°C higher than the base material preventing powder generation. This composite design allows the soft metal core to efficiently dissipate welding heat while the hard metal surface layer prevents the formation of conductive metallic powder during the welding process, thereby eliminating electrical short-circuit risks in semiconductor manufacturing applications
2Temperature
If soft metal cooling rings are used, then welding heat dissipation is improved, but manual cleaning is required to remove residual powder
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling ring employs a composite material structure where a hard metal plating layer (chromium, nickel, or titanium) with high melting point and hardness is deposited on the soft metal base material. This hard metal surface layer prevents the generation of粘性强、difficult to remove metallic powder during welding, thereby eliminating the need for manual cleaning operations and enabling straightforward maintenance while preserving efficient welding heat dissipation
3Object-generated harmful factors
If hard metal cooling rings are used, then powder generation is reduced, but heat dissipation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling ring is designed as a composite structure combining soft metal base material (copper, aluminum, or silver) with high thermal conductivity for efficient heat dissipation, and a hard metal plating layer (chromium, nickel, or titanium) with high melting point and hardness for preventing powder generation. This composite design successfully reconciles the conflicting requirements by allowing the soft metal core to handle heat dissipation while the hard metal surface layer prevents powder generation during welding
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the cooling ring have different material properties optimized for their specific functions: the base material provides thermal conductivity for heat dissipation, while the surface plating layer provides high melting point and hardness for preventing powder generation. This local differentiation of material quality allows each part to perform its designated function optimally without compromising the other
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
Prevents the formation of conductive powder on the bellows' surface during welding, reducing the risk of electrical short-circuits and simplifying the cleaning process, ensuring reliable semiconductor manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
the nickel or chrome layer has a higher melting point and hardness, preventing the formation of conductive powder during the welding process
Implementation Method 2
rapidly dissipating welding heat generated when forming the outer circumferential surface part OW
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Provided is a cooling ring (30) for welding used to manufacture a bellows (100) including a plurality of pairs of barriers (10, 20), each pair formed of a first barrier (10) and a second barrier (20) disposed to face the first barrier (10). The cooling ring (30) includes a body (35) formed as a circular arc shape, disposed to attach the first barrier (10) and the second barrier (20) closely to each other while being in contact with at least one of the first barrier (10) and the second barrier (20), the body (35) including copper and a plating layer (36) plating the body (35). The plating layer (36) includes at least one selected from the group consisting of nickel and chrome. Since the cooling ring (30) includes the body (35) having the circular arc shape including copper and the plating layer (36) plating the body (35), it is possible to prevent powder of a metal having high electrical conductivity, such as copper, aluminum, gold, and silver, during a welding process.