Substrate Holder Contact Mounting for Fast Plating Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate holders face issues with electrical contact failure due to stains, hermetic sealing inhibiting plating solution application, and time-consuming replacement operations, especially when handling larger or rectangular substrates.
Innovation Solution
A substrate holder design featuring engaging shaft portions with expanded head shapes and notch-shaped engagement reception portions, along with a hook piece configuration, facilitates easy attachment and replacement of electrical contacts, while ensuring stable contact and reduced fixation points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical contacts are fixed with multiple screws at five sites per contact, then the fixation is secure and reliable, but the replacement operation becomes time-consuming and reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical contact is divided into modular components: a contact body with contact portions and a separate fastening structure. This segmentation allows the contact to be quickly attached and detached without requiring multiple screw fastenings at five sites, thereby maintaining reliable fixation while significantly improving replacement efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical contact is pre-formed with integrated fastening features (such as pre-drilled holes or attachment structures) that enable quick fixation to the holding member. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming multi-site screw fastening during replacement operations, thus improving productivity while maintaining secure attachment
2Reliability
If the hermetically sealed structure is maintained during plating, then the plating solution is protected from contamination, but the electrical contact cannot be accessed for cleaning and may fail due to stains
Solution Approach 1:
The holding member structure incorporates a movable or adjustable sealing mechanism that can dynamically open or close access to the electrical contact. During normal plating operations, the seal remains closed to maintain plating quality. During maintenance, the seal can be opened to allow cleaning of the electrical contact, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining hermetic seal and enabling contact access
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical contact is designed as a separate, extractable component that can be removed from the hermetically sealed plating chamber. This allows the contact to be accessed for cleaning and maintenance without compromising the hermetic seal of the plating chamber, thereby maintaining both plating quality and ease of contact maintenance
3Ease of manufacture
If the holding members are designed for round substrates, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but they cannot accommodate rectangular substrates reducing versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The holding member is designed with a universal clamping mechanism that can accommodate both round and rectangular substrates. The clamping structure uses adjustable arms or flexible edges that can conform to different substrate shapes, allowing the same holding member to serve multiple functions and increase versatility without significantly complicating manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The holding member incorporates adjustable parameters such as variable clamp positions, flexible sealing edges, or reconfigurable support structures. By changing these parameters, the holding member can adapt to different substrate shapes (round or rectangular), thereby achieving versatility while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes
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
The design enables efficient and stable electrical contact attachment and replacement, preventing contact failure and reducing operational time, supporting plating on various substrate shapes including rectangles.
Implementation Method 1
an electrical contact having a contact portion to be in contact with an edge portion of the substrate, and having an engagement reception portion in a notch shape to be engaged with the adjacent engaging shaft portion
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a substrate holder for plating on a surface of a substrate, provided with an electrical contact that is easy to replace. A substrate holder 1 includes: a first holding member 2; a second holding member 3 that has an opening portion 3a for exposing the surface of a substrate W and holds the substrate W in a sandwiched manner with the first holding member 2; a plurality of engaging shaft portions 36 each having a head portion 36b in an expanded head shape at a tip end portion, provided in a circumferential direction of the second holding member 3; and an electrical contact 32 having a contact portion 32a to be in contact with an edge portion of the substrate W, and having an engagement reception portion 32b in a notch shape to be engaged with the adjacent engaging shaft portion 36 for arrangement along a circumference of the opening portion 3a of the second holding member 3.