Substrate Holder Design for Electrolytic Plating Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate holders struggle to accurately position warped or weak substrates during electrolytic plating processes, as they lack effective mechanisms to correct deformation and maintain the substrate's shape, leading to displacement and improper alignment.
Innovation Solution
A substrate holder design featuring a first and second holding member that interpose to correct substrate deformation, with a fixing member that moves along the substrate's edge to secure it, and guide members for precise positioning, allowing for easy alignment and sealing without the need for additional relay contacts, which simplifies wiring and reduces the holder's thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If guide pins are used to guide the substrate, then the substrate can be positioned at a desired location, but warped substrates cannot be corrected and may be displaced
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate holding body corrects substrate warp before the guide pins perform positioning. By pre-flattening the substrate through the holding body's support surface, the substrate is prepared in advance for accurate guidance by the guide pins, ensuring both positioning accuracy and shape maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate holding body is divided into a support surface for flattening and guide pin holes for positioning. This segmentation allows different functional zones to work independently - the support surface corrects shape while the guide pins ensure precise location, resolving the contradiction between shape maintenance and positioning accuracy
2Reliability
If seal and electrical contact are brought into contact with the substrate, then electrical connection is achieved, but the substrate may be displaced
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate holding body flattens and secures the substrate before the seal and electrical contact engage. This preliminary action ensures the substrate is properly positioned and stabilized, so that subsequent contact by the seal and electrical contact does not cause displacement while maintaining electrical connection
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate holding body separates the flattening function from the electrical contact function. The support surface handles shape correction and initial positioning, while the electrical contact provides only electrical connection without disrupting positioning, resolving the contradiction between electrical connection reliability and positioning accuracy
3Reliability
If conventional substrate holder is used, then substrate can be held, but additional relay contacts are needed which complicates wiring and increases thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate holding body combines the substrate holding function with direct electrical contact capability. By integrating the electrical contact feature into the holding body itself rather than requiring separate relay contacts, the design simplifies wiring while maintaining reliable substrate holding, resolving the contradiction between holding reliability and device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a substrate holder and a plating apparatus that can easily position a substrate. A substrate holder includes a substrate holding body for holding a substrate, and a first holding member and a second holding member that interpose and hold the substrate holding body therebetween, and the first holding member includes an opening portion through which the plating target surface of the substrate is exposed, and a power supply member configured to be in contact with a plating target surface of the substrate.