阅读说明：本技术 表面处理装置 (Surface treatment device ) 是由 内海雅之 竹内雅治 于 2019-12-25 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供表面处理装置,减少浇流式的表面处理装置的处理液的飞散量。在各处理室的入口侧和出口侧具有膜形成机构(110)。膜形成机构(110)以流量5L/min～10L/min喷射不间断的0.01MPa程度的层流状的液体。该液体膜防止在飞散防止部件(60)的表面反弹的液滴弹起而进入处理室。即使板状工件(10)晃动,由于由膜形成机构(110)成的膜是液体,因此即使板状工件(10)与液体膜碰撞,液体也会沿板状工件(10)流动。由此,会减小板状工件(10)的晃动。减小各处理室内的空气向搬运方向的流入量。(The invention provides a surface treatment apparatus, which reduces the amount of scattering of a treatment liquid in a trickle-type surface treatment apparatus, and comprises film forming means (110) on the inlet side and outlet side of each treatment chamber, wherein the film forming means (110) sprays a laminar liquid of about 0.01MPa at a flow rate of 5L/min to 10L/min without interruption, and the liquid film prevents droplets bouncing off the surface of a scattering prevention member (60) from entering the treatment chamber, and even if a plate-shaped workpiece (10) shakes, since the film formed by the film forming means (110) is liquid, even if the plate-shaped workpiece (10) collides with the liquid film, the liquid flows along the plate-shaped workpiece (10), thereby reducing the shaking of the plate-shaped workpiece (10) and reducing the amount of air flowing into each treatment chamber in the conveying direction.)

1. A surface treatment device, characterized by comprising:

a 1 st processing chamber into which a sheet-like object to be processed is loaded in a state of being held in a vertical direction;

a 1 st processing liquid pouring mechanism provided in the 1 st processing chamber, for pouring a 1 st processing liquid from an upper portion of the object to be processed carried in toward a surface area of the object to be processed held in the vertical direction;

a 2 nd processing chamber adjacent to the 1 st processing chamber, into which the object to be processed is loaded in a state of being held in a vertical direction;

a 2 nd processing liquid pouring mechanism provided in the 2 nd processing chamber, for pouring the 2 nd processing liquid from an upper portion of the object to be processed carried in to a surface area of the object to be processed held in the vertical direction; and

a partition wall provided between the 1 st processing chamber and the 2 nd processing chamber and having a carrying-in opening portion capable of carrying in the object to be processed while being held in a vertical direction,

a film forming means for forming a thin film-like liquid film in the direction of gravity on a surface perpendicular to the direction in which the object to be treated is carried in is provided between the 1 st treatment liquid pouring means of the 1 st treatment chamber and the 2 nd treatment liquid pouring means of the 2 nd treatment chamber.

2. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1,

the film forming mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the carrying-in opening in the 1 st processing chamber or the 2 nd processing chamber.

3. Surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the surface treatment apparatus includes an air flow rate control mechanism for controlling air to flow in a vertical direction along 2 planes of the sheet-like object to be treated.

4. The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the liquid film is formed of the same liquid as the liquid poured to the sheet-like object to be treated in the treatment chamber.

5. The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the liquid film has a film opening narrower than the carrying-in opening.

6. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 5,

the width of the film opening is larger than the width of a holding portion for holding the sheet-like object to be processed.

7. The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the thickness of the sheet-like object to be treated is 40 μm or less.

8. The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the film opening is formed by a pair of discharge portions arranged separately.

9. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 8,

the pair of discharge portions discharge the liquid in an oblique direction so as to face the film opening portion.

10. The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

the surface treatment device has a guide plate for guiding the liquid film, and the guide plate is separated by a larger interval than the carrying-in opening.

11. A surface treatment device according to claim 3,

the air flow control mechanism has an air inlet and a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the air inlet and the object to be treated.

12. A surface treatment device is provided, which comprises a base,

a plurality of processing chambers into which a sheet-like object to be processed is continuously loaded in a state of being held in a vertical direction through a loading opening, and a predetermined processing liquid is poured into each of the processing chambers from an upper portion of a surface area of the object to be processed held in the vertical direction with respect to the object to be processed loaded, thereby performing a predetermined surface processing on a surface of the object to be processed,

a film forming mechanism is provided inside the carrying-in opening of the treatment chamber on the inlet side and/or inside the carrying-in opening of the treatment chamber on the outlet side among the treatment chambers, and the film forming mechanism forms a thin-layer liquid film in the direction of gravity on a surface perpendicular to the direction in which the object to be treated is carried in.

13. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 12,

each of the processing chambers has an air flow rate control mechanism for controlling air to flow in a vertical direction along 2 planes of the sheet-like object to be processed.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus of a pouring type, and more particularly, to prevention of splashing of a liquid into an adjacent treatment chamber.

Background

Fig. 10 of patent document 1 discloses a surface treatment apparatus of a pouring type in which a splash guard is provided below a workpiece.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2014-88600

As the scatter preventer of patent document 1, there are disclosed a sponge, a filter, and a fibrous material (chemical fiber lock (trademark) manufactured by TOYO CUSHION corporation) (paragraph 0085 of patent document 1), but a sufficient scatter prevention effect cannot be achieved in this way. This is because, in all of these materials, the liquid droplets colliding with the surface of the scattering prevention member are directly repelled. When this bounce occurs, there is a possibility that the liquid is mixed into the adjacent process chamber.

In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to make the size of the transfer port between the processing chambers substantially the same as that of the substrate to be transferred, but in this case, the substrate slightly shakes and collides with the transfer port, and the transfer is stopped.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pouring type surface treatment apparatus which can reliably carry in a liquid without mixing the liquid into an adjacent treatment chamber.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a flow-through surface treatment apparatus capable of preventing the substrate from shaking even when the sheet is a thin sheet that is easily subjected to an air flow.

1) The surface treatment apparatus of the present invention comprises: a 1 st processing chamber into which a sheet-like object to be processed is loaded in a state of being held in a vertical direction; a 1 st processing liquid pouring mechanism provided in the 1 st processing chamber, for pouring a 1 st processing liquid from an upper portion of the object to be processed carried in toward a surface area of the object to be processed held in the vertical direction; a 2 nd processing chamber adjacent to the 1 st processing chamber, into which the object to be processed is loaded in a state of being held in a vertical direction; a 2 nd processing liquid pouring mechanism provided in the 2 nd processing chamber, for pouring the 2 nd processing liquid from an upper portion of the object to be processed carried in to a surface area of the object to be processed held in the vertical direction; and a partition wall provided between the 1 st processing chamber and the 2 nd processing chamber, the partition wall having a carrying-in opening through which the object to be processed can be carried in a state of being held in a vertical direction, wherein a film forming mechanism that forms a thin-layer liquid film in a direction of gravity on a surface perpendicular to a direction in which the object to be processed is carried in is provided between the 1 st processing liquid pouring mechanism of the 1 st processing chamber and the 2 nd processing liquid pouring mechanism of the 2 nd processing chamber.

Therefore, a small-sized surface treatment apparatus can be provided without mixing liquid into adjacent treatment chambers.

2) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the film formation mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the carrying-in opening in the 1 st treatment chamber or the 2 nd treatment chamber.

Therefore, a small-sized surface treatment apparatus can be provided without mixing liquid into adjacent treatment chambers.

3) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the surface treatment apparatus includes an air flow rate control mechanism for controlling air to flow in a vertical direction along 2 planes of the sheet-like object to be treated. The film forming mechanism reduces air flowing from the carrying-in opening part and colliding with the airflow in the vertical direction.

4) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the liquid film is formed of the same liquid as the liquid poured to the sheet-like object to be treated in the treatment chamber.

Therefore, the same recovery mechanism can be used for recovery in the same processing chamber.

5) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the liquid film has a film opening narrower than the carrying-in opening. Therefore, the air flowing from the carrying-in opening portion and colliding with the airflow in the vertical direction can be reduced.

6) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the film opening is larger than a width of a holding portion for holding the sheet-like object to be treated. Therefore, the film forming mechanism can be disposed avoiding the holding portion for holding the sheet-like object to be processed.

7) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the thickness of the sheet-like object to be treated is 40 μm or less. Even such a substrate that is easily affected by the airflow can be stably transported.

8) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the film opening is formed by a pair of discharge portions arranged apart from each other. Therefore, when the sheet-like object to be processed is conveyed in a suspended manner, a space for conveyance can be made free.

9) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the pair of discharge portions discharge the liquid in an oblique direction toward the film opening portion. Therefore, the liquid film can be prevented from being separated as the liquid travels downward due to the film surface tension.

10) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the surface treatment apparatus includes a guide plate that guides the liquid film, and the guide plate is spaced apart by a distance larger than the carrying-in opening.

Thereby, the liquid film is easily formed.

11) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the air flow rate control mechanism includes an air inlet and a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting a distance between the air inlet and the object to be treated. Therefore, the distance between the suction port and the object to be treated can be adjusted according to the size of the object to be treated.

12) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of treatment chambers into which a sheet-like object to be treated is conveyed in a state of being held in a vertical direction are arranged in series via a conveyance opening, and a predetermined treatment liquid is poured onto the conveyed object to be treated from an upper portion of a surface area of the held object to be treated in the vertical direction in each of the treatment chambers, thereby performing a predetermined surface treatment on the surface of the object to be treated, wherein a film forming mechanism is provided inside the conveyance opening of the treatment chamber on an inlet side of the treatment chambers and/or inside the conveyance opening of the treatment chamber on an outlet side of the treatment chambers, and the film forming mechanism forms a liquid film in a thin layer shape in a direction of gravity on a plane perpendicular to a direction in which the object to be treated is conveyed. Therefore, the inflow of air into the processing chambers can be reduced. This stabilizes the posture of the sheet-like object to be processed.

13) In the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, each of the treatment chambers includes an air flow rate control mechanism for controlling air to flow in a vertical direction along 2 planes of the sheet-like object to be treated. Therefore, the posture of the sheet-like object to be processed can be easily stabilized.

The term "pouring from the upper portion to the lower portion" as long as the result is a pouring state from the upper portion to the lower portion includes a case where the pouring is performed directly to the object to be treated, and the pouring is performed directly or indirectly via a holding portion for holding the object to be treated.

The features, other objects, uses, effects, and the like of the present invention will be apparent from the embodiments and the drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a surface treatment apparatus 300 as viewed from above.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the surface treatment device 300 as viewed from the direction α.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line β - β of the electroless copper plating bath 200 that forms part of the surface treatment apparatus 300 in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the state of the electroless copper plating bath 200 as viewed from above.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of the liquid ejecting section 4.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the flow of the treatment liquid Q discharged from the discharge port 6 of the liquid discharge portion 4.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a modified example in which the deflector 40 is provided in the liquid ejecting portion 4.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the flow of the process liquid Q before and after collision with the deflector 40.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a connection relationship for controlling the movement operation of the conveyance mechanism 18.

Fig. 10 is a view showing a cross section of the guide rail 14 between the 3 rd rinsing bath 312 and the electroless copper plating bath 200.

Fig. 11 shows details of the scattering prevention member 60 (a perspective view, an enlarged view of a main part).

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement position of the film forming mechanism 110.

Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view of the film forming mechanism 110 a.

Fig. 14 is a front view of the surface treatment device 410.

Fig. 15 is a view showing a positional relationship between the plate-shaped workpiece 10 and the tray 80 as viewed from the arrow γ direction in fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing details of the tray 80.

Fig. 17 is a view showing a positional relationship between the plate-like workpiece 10 and the tray 80 as viewed from an arrow 1 in fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which the guide portion 120 is provided.

Fig. 19 is a configuration diagram of the surface treatment apparatus 400 as viewed from above.

Fig. 20 is a diagram showing the film formation mechanism 110 provided in the processing tanks 303 and 315.

Fig. 21 shows an embodiment in which the film formation mechanism 110 is tilted.

Fig. 22 shows an embodiment in which the film formation mechanism 110 is installed outside the processing chamber.

Description of the reference symbols

8: a gap; 10: a plate-like workpiece; 110: a film forming mechanism; 113 a: a liquid film; 113 b: a liquid film.

Detailed Description

(1. embodiment 1)

1.1 Structure of surface treatment device 300

First, the structure of the surface treatment apparatus 300 according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2, fig. 1 is a layout view of the surface treatment apparatus 300 as viewed from above, fig. 2 is a side view of the surface treatment apparatus 300 shown in fig. 1 as viewed from the direction α, and fig. 1 omits the carrying hook 16 and the carrying mechanism 18 shown in fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 1, in the surface treatment apparatus 300, a loading unit 302, a 1 st rinsing bath 304, a decontamination bath 306, a 2 nd rinsing bath 308, a pretreatment bath 310, a 3 rd rinsing bath 312, an electroless copper plating bath 200, a rinsing bath 314, and an unloading unit 316 are provided in this order along the conveyance direction X of a plate-shaped workpiece 10 (fig. 2) as an object to be treated, and the respective steps necessary for electroless copper plating are performed in this order. In each groove, a slit 8 (fig. 1) forming a passage of a carrying hook 16 shown in fig. 2 is provided to extend in the vertical direction. The details of each step will be described later.

The surface treatment device 300 further includes: a conveyance hook 16 that is gripped by a jig 15 (fig. 2) and conveys the plate-like workpiece 10 held in the vertical direction in the horizontal direction; and a conveying mechanism 18 for conveying the conveying hook 16 into each groove. Fig. 2 shows a state in which the plate-like workpiece 10 is attached to the transfer hook 16 by the loading portion 302.

After the plate-like workpiece 10 is mounted on the mounting portion 302, the conveying mechanism 18 starts moving in the horizontal direction X, and the plate-like workpiece 10 passes through each of the tanks (the electroless copper plating tank 200, etc.). Thereafter, the conveying mechanism 18 is finally stopped at the unloading section 316, and the plate-like workpiece 10 subjected to the plating process is unloaded from the conveying hook 16.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view β - β of an electroless copper plating bath 200 (fig. 1) constituting a part of a surface treatment apparatus 300, fig. 4 is a view showing the electroless copper plating bath 200 shown in fig. 3 as viewed from above, and fig. 4 omits the carrying hook 16 and the carrying mechanism 18.

The electroless copper plating bath 200 shown in fig. 3 has: a tank 2 placed on the frame 56; and a circulation pump 50 for supplying the treatment liquid Q (electroless copper plating liquid) stored in the bottom portion of the bath 2 to the liquid discharge portion 4 and circulating the treatment liquid Q.

In order to treat the plate-like workpiece 10, a liquid ejecting portion 4 having an ejection port 6 is provided inside each of the electroless copper plating baths 200 and the like. As shown in fig. 3, the treatment liquid Q is discharged obliquely upward with respect to the horizontal plane from the discharge port 6 of the liquid discharge portion 4 toward the plate-like workpiece 10. Thereby, the treatment liquid Q (electroless copper plating liquid) collides with the upper portion of the plate-like workpiece 10 held by the conveyance hook 16 in the inside of the tank body 2. As a result, while the treatment liquid Q spreads and moves on the plate-like workpiece 10, the treatment liquid Q can be attached to the surface of the plate-like workpiece 10. The detailed structure of the liquid ejecting section 4 will be described below.

In this way, by adopting a method of spreading the circulating treatment liquid Q on the plate-shaped workpiece 10 without immersing the plate-shaped workpiece 10 in the stored treatment liquid Q, the total amount of the treatment liquid Q used in the entire surface treatment apparatus 300 can be reduced compared to the immersion type structure.

The scattering prevention member 60 is held by a support portion 62 formed of a mesh member. The structure of the scattering prevention member 60 will be described later.

The conveying mechanism 18 is composed of guide rails 12 and 14, a support member 20, and conveying rollers 22 and 24 shown in fig. 3. Conveying rollers 22 and 24 for moving the conveying mechanism 18 on the guide rails 12 and 14 are attached to the bottom of the support member 20. The conveying rollers 22 and 24 are driven by a motor (not shown). The guide rails 12, 14 are fixed to the frames 52, 54, respectively. Since the plate-like workpiece is conveyed in the horizontal direction in this manner, the plate-like workpiece does not need to be lifted and lowered, and the height of the apparatus can be reduced, thereby saving space.

As shown in fig. 3, the carrying hook 16 is fixed below a support member 20 mounted on the 2 guide rails 12 and 14 so as to span. This reduces the vibration of the plate-like workpiece 10 and reduces the strain of the structures (the guide rails 12, 14, the frames 52, 54, and the like) supporting the conveying mechanism 18.

Further, a plurality of magnets 21 are embedded in predetermined positions on the guide rails 12 and 14 shown in fig. 4. The conveyance mechanism 18 has a magnetic sensor 19 for detecting the magnets 21 on the guide rails 12, 14. The magnetic sensor 19 is provided below the support member 20 (1 position on the guide rail 14 side).

This makes it possible to stop the carrying hook 16 moving in the electroless copper plating bath 200 at a predetermined position (for example, the center position of the electroless copper plating bath 200 shown in fig. 4).

As shown in fig. 3, the circulation pump 50 provided in each tank is connected to the bottom of the tank body 2, and the tank body 2 and the liquid discharge portion 4 communicate with each other via the circulation pump 50 (indicated by a dotted arrow). Thus, the treatment liquid Q stored in the bottom of the tank 2 is supplied again to the liquid discharge portion 4 by the circulation pump 50.

The tank body 2 is formed of side walls 2a and 2b and a bottom 2c, and the side walls 2a and 2b and the bottom 2c are integrally molded as a single component by processing, bonding, or the like of a material such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride). In the tank body 2, the lower bottom portion 2c receives the treatment liquid after colliding with the plate-like work 10. In the tank body 2, the same shape is used for the tanks other than the electroless copper plating tank 200 shown in fig. 1. That is, the structure of each tank is the same, and only the kind of the treatment liquid (plating liquid, decontamination liquid, cleaning water, etc.) used in each tank is different.

Further, a slit 8, which is a notch extending in the vertical direction, is formed in the side wall 2b of the tank body 2 shown in fig. 3. This enables the plate-like workpiece 10 to pass through the slit 8 when the conveyance hook 16 is conveyed. Further, if the lower end 8a of the slit 8 is too low, the treatment liquid Q stored in the tank body 2 may overflow and flow out to the outside.

Therefore, the supply amount of the treatment liquid Q needs to be adjusted so that the liquid level H (fig. 3) of the treatment liquid Q stored in the tank body 2 is always positioned below the lower end 8a of the slit 8. In this embodiment, the total amount of the treatment liquid Q to be used is determined so that the liquid level H (fig. 3) of the treatment liquid Q stored in the tank body 2 is located below the lower end 8a of the slit 8, and the tank body 2 is communicated with the liquid discharge portion 4 via the circulation pump 50.

[ Structure of liquid ejecting section 4 ]

Fig. 5 shows the structure of the liquid ejecting section 4. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the liquid ejecting section 4 shown in fig. 3.

As shown in fig. 5, the liquid ejecting section 4 is fastened and attached to a base F1 by 2U-shaped fasteners F2, and the base F1 is obtained by fixing a square pipe to the side wall 2 a. In this embodiment, the liquid ejecting section 4 is fastened with an appropriate strength to enable manual rotation.

As shown in fig. 4, the liquid ejecting section 4 is formed of a circular tube as a pipe member having a space therein, and both ends in the longitudinal direction thereof are sealed. The ejection port 6 is formed by a plurality of holes arranged in the longitudinal direction at predetermined intervals. Further, the liquid ejecting section 4 is connected to a flexible tube T1 and a pipe T2 which pass through the side wall 2a of the tank body and communicate with each other. The pipe T2 is connected to the discharge port of the pump 50. This enables the treatment liquid Q received from the pump 50 to be discharged from the discharge port 6.

As shown in a of fig. 6, the discharge angle θ of the discharge port 6 is set in an obliquely upward direction (for example, in a range of 5 ° to 85 °) with respect to the horizontal plane L, and therefore, the flow of the treatment liquid Q discharged from the discharge port 6 moves in a parabolic manner, and the position of the vertex Z is determined by the discharge flow rate V of the treatment liquid Q and the discharge angle θ, and the discharge flow rate V of the treatment liquid Q depends on the pressure from the pump 50 and the size of the discharge port 6.

In this embodiment, the discharge angle θ is designed so that the processing liquid Q discharged at the discharge flow velocity V collides with the plate-shaped workpiece 10 at the vertex Z of the parabola under the condition that the liquid discharge portion 4 (radius r) is disposed at a position a predetermined distance D from the plate-shaped workpiece 10. At the position of the vertex Z of the parabola indicated by B in fig. 6, the velocity component Vy in the vertical direction of the processing liquid Q is not present, and only the velocity component Vx in the horizontal direction at the time of ejection is left, so that the generation of bubbles can be reduced.

Further, since the liquid flow collides perpendicularly with the surface of the plate-shaped workpiece 10, the processing liquid Q colliding with the plate-shaped workpiece 10 spreads uniformly on the surface in a concentric circle shape. Further, the collision may be performed in the vicinity of the vertex, that is, in a position a predetermined distance in front of or behind the vertex.

When the processing liquid Q is not ejected obliquely upward with respect to the horizontal surface L but is ejected horizontally or horizontally downward, the velocity component Vy of the processing liquid Q in the vertical direction continues to increase, and the velocity component Vy in the vertical direction also increases at the combining velocity V, and as a result, the processing liquid Q colliding with the plate-like workpiece 10 scatters in the y direction, and bubbles are likely to be generated.

As described above, by ejecting the processing liquid in the obliquely upward direction with respect to the horizontal surface L, the generation of bubbles generated at the time of collision with the workpiece is suppressed, and an increase in the dissolved oxygen amount in the processing liquid Q can be prevented.

As shown in fig. 7, a deflector 40 for changing the flow direction of the discharged processing liquid Q may be attached to the outer periphery of the liquid discharge portion 4 so as to cover the discharge port 6. The deflector 40 is provided at a distance from the discharge port 6.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view showing a state where the direction of the discharged processing liquid Q is changed by the deflector 40, in which fig. 8a is a γ 1 sectional view of the discharged processing liquid Q (before collision with the deflector 40), and fig. 8B is a γ 2 sectional view of the processing liquid Q after collision with the deflector 40.

When the deflector 40 is used, the liquid flow (cross-sectional area shown in fig. 8 a) discharged from each discharge port 6 collides with the deflector, and the cross-sectional area increases (fig. 8B). Therefore, when colliding with the plate-shaped workpiece 10, the flows from the adjacent ejection ports 6 are connected (B in fig. 8), and the treatment liquid Q colliding with the surface of the plate-shaped workpiece 10 can be made uniform.

1.2 Contents of respective Steps of the surface treatment apparatus 300

The contents of the respective steps performed in the surface treatment apparatus 300 will be described with reference to fig. 9 and the like. In this embodiment, the treatment liquid Q used in each tank of the surface treatment apparatus 300 is circulated by the circulation pump 50 in each tank.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a connection relationship of a control unit that controls the operation of the conveyance mechanism 18, and as shown in fig. 9, the magnetic sensor 19 (fig. 4) is connected to the P L C30, and detects that the magnetic sensor reaches the upper part of the magnet disposed on the detection rail 14, and a signal detected by the magnetic sensor 19 is supplied to the P L C30, and the P L C30 that receives the signal turns on/off the motor 28 to control the operation (forward, backward, stop, etc.) of the conveyance rollers 22, 24.

First, in the loading section 302 shown in fig. 1, a plate-like workpiece 10 to be subjected to a plating process is mounted on the transfer hook 16 by an operator or a mounting device (not shown) (the state shown in fig. 2).

When the operator presses a conveyance switch (not shown), the conveyance hook 16 moves along the guide rails 12 and 14 in the 1 st rinsing bath 304, that is, P L C30 turns on the motor 28 to drive the conveyance rollers 22 and 24 forward.

Next, in the 1 st rinsing tank 304, rinsing treatment is performed by causing water to collide with both front and back surfaces of the plate-like workpiece 10. The carrier hook 16 is stopped for a predetermined time in the 1 st rinsing tank 304 and then moved into the decontamination tank 306.

For example, after P L C30 receives a signal indicating that the center of 1 st rinsing bath 304 has been reached from magnetic sensor 19, motor 28 is stopped for 1 minute, motor 28 is turned on to drive transport rollers 22 and 24 forward, and the same control is performed in 2 nd rinsing bath 308, 3 rd rinsing bath 312, and 4 th rinsing bath 314.

In the decontamination bath 306, the transfer hook 16 is stopped for a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) and a decontamination treatment liquid (a swelling liquid, a resin etching liquid, a neutralizing liquid, or the like) is allowed to collide with the plate-like work 10 from both the front and back surfaces. Here, the desmear treatment is a treatment of removing stains (resin) left in processing when the plate-shaped workpiece 10 is perforated or the like.

For example, the P L C30 stops the motor 28 for 5 minutes after receiving a signal indicating that the cleaning bath 306 has reached the center from the magnetic sensor 19, turns on the motor 28, and drives the transport rollers 22 and 24 forward, and similarly controls the following pretreatment bath 310.

Next, in the 2 nd rinsing tank 308, rinsing treatment is performed by causing water to collide with the plate-like workpiece 10 from both the front and back surfaces. The conveyance hook 16 is stopped in the 2 nd rinsing bath 308 for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute), and then moved into the front treatment bath 310.

In the pretreatment tank 310, the conveyance hook 16 is stopped for a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes), and the pretreatment liquid is allowed to collide with the plate-like workpiece 10 from both the front and back surfaces.

Next, in the 3 rd rinsing bath 312, rinsing treatment is performed by causing water to collide with the plate-like workpiece 10 from both the front and back surfaces. The conveyance hook 16 is stopped in the 3 rd rinsing bath 312 for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute).

Then, before moving into the electroless copper plating bath 200 (fig. 3 and 4), the following reciprocating movement is performed a predetermined number of times. This is because, when a hole such as a through hole is opened in the plate-like workpiece 10, air (air bubbles) may remain in the hole and the treatment liquid Q may not adhere to the plate-like workpiece 10, and therefore, it is necessary to reliably remove the air (air bubbles) before the electroless copper plating treatment is performed. Fig. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the guide rail 14 between the 3 rd rinsing bath 312 and the electroless copper plating bath 200 (fig. 1). As shown in fig. 10 and 1, the guide rail 14 is provided with 1 convex portion 26 as an impact generating portion. The water content of the processing liquid Q can be removed by the impact generated when the conveying roller 24 passes over the convex portion 26.

For example, the P L C30 controls the motor 28 to drive the conveying rollers 22 and 24 to retreat by a predetermined distance (Y1 direction shown in fig. 10) after receiving a signal indicating that the magnet 21 shown in fig. 10 reaches the center (that is, the conveying roller 24 passes over the convex portion 26) from the magnetic sensor 19, then drives the conveying rollers 22 and 24 forward until the magnet 21 is detected again (Y2 direction shown in fig. 10), stops at the center position (fig. 4) in the electroless copper plating bath 200 after repeating the above forward and backward movement for a predetermined number of times (for example, 3 times of reciprocation), and stops the conveying hook 16 in the electroless copper plating bath 200 for a predetermined time to cause the electroless copper plating solution to collide with the plate-shaped workpiece 10 from both the front and back surfaces.

For example, the P L C30 stops the motor 28 for 5 minutes after receiving a signal indicating that the center of the electroless copper plating bath 200 has been reached from the magnetic sensor 19, and thereafter turns on the motor 28 to drive the transport rollers 22 and 24 forward.

Next, in the 4 th rinsing bath 314, rinsing treatment is performed by causing water to collide with the plate-like workpiece 10 from both the front and back surfaces. The conveyance hook 16 is stopped in the 4 th rinsing bath 314 for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute), and then moved to the unloading section 316.

Finally, the transfer hook 16 moved to the unloading section 316 is stopped, for example, the P L C30 stops the motor 28 after receiving a signal indicating that the magnetic sensor 19 has reached the unloading section 316, and then the plate-shaped workpiece 10 is detached from the transfer hook by an operator or the like, thereby ending the series of steps of the electroless plating process.

In the above embodiment, the surface treatment apparatus 300 has a structure having a plurality of tanks (the 1 st rinsing tank 304, the cleaning tank 306, the pretreatment tank 310, the electroless copper plating tank 200, and the like shown in fig. 1), but the surface treatment apparatus 300 may have a structure having at least 1 tank of these tanks.

In the above embodiment, the plate-shaped workpiece 10 is subjected to electroless copper plating by the surface treatment apparatus 300, but other electroless plating (for example, electroless nickel plating, electroless tin plating, electroless gold plating, or the like) may be performed on the plate-shaped workpiece 10.

The structure of the conveyance mechanism 18 is not limited.

The scattering prevention member 60 will be described with reference to fig. 11. The scattering prevention member 60 is formed by connecting a plurality of cylindrical members each having a hexagonal hole. The shape of the scattering prevention member 60 is not limited to this, and a honeycomb-like structure in which a plurality of polygonal or circular cylindrical members other than the 6-sided shape are arranged like the scattering prevention member 60, that is, a shape in which a plurality of long individual cylindrical members are arranged so that the openings face in the vertical direction may be adopted. As described later, the droplets may be allowed to pass smoothly.

With this honeycomb member, the bounce of the liquid droplets bouncing on the surface of the treatment liquid Q can be reduced. The reason for this is as follows. A part of the droplets having passed through the through-hole (not shown) of the scattering prevention member 60 is repelled by the surface of the treatment liquid Q. At this time, part of the rebounded droplets rebounds in an oblique direction, and therefore collides with the inner wall of the through hole of the scattering prevention member 60. With such a mechanism, the amount of rebounded droplets that pass backward through the through-hole is further reduced.

In the case of using a conventional sponge, fibrous material, or the like, scattering after passing through the scattering prevention member can be prevented, but there is a problem that scattering on the surface of the scattering prevention member is large. The scattering prevention member 60 can reduce scattering on the surface.

Further, a slight scattering occurs on the surface of the scattering prevention member 60. In order to prevent the scattering, the film forming mechanism 110 may be used on the inlet side and the outlet side of each processing chamber as shown in fig. 12. In fig. 12, a suspension mechanism for the plate-like workpiece 10 is omitted.

The film formation mechanism 110 will be explained. As shown in B of fig. 12, the film formation mechanism 110 is composed of a film formation mechanism 110a and a film formation mechanism 110B.

The film forming means 110a is described, but actually, as shown in fig. 13 (perspective view), the film forming means 110a is formed as a convex portion throughout the nozzle 111 in the longitudinal direction, and a laminar liquid (water or a treatment liquid) having a pressure of about 0.01MPa is continuously ejected from the nozzle 111 at a flow rate of 5L/min to 10L/min, whereby a liquid film 113a shown in fig. 13 is formed and the film forming means 110b is also similar.

As shown in B of fig. 12, the film formation mechanism 110a and the film formation mechanism 110B are disposed apart from each other by a distance d 11. This is because the plate-like workpiece 10 is conveyed into the processing chamber in a suspended state in the surface treatment apparatus 300, and therefore a width that allows the mechanism to pass therethrough is required.

In fig. 12 a, the plating solution is sprayed in the electroless copper plating bath 200, and water is sprayed in the rinsing bath 314. In the present embodiment, a Water jet cutter (Water Knife) WK type nozzle manufactured by alligator co-production is used as the film forming means 110a and the film forming means 110b, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The liquid ejected from the film forming mechanism 110a and the film forming mechanism 110b prevents droplets bouncing and bouncing off the surface of the scattering prevention member 60 from entering the adjacent process chambers.

In the present embodiment, the film formation mechanism 110 is used on each of the inlet side and the outlet side of each processing chamber, but the film formation mechanism 110 may be used on either side.

In the present embodiment, the distance d11 may be made smaller than the width d12 of the slit 8.

This is because, even in the case where the plate-shaped workpiece 10 is shaken and the shaking is larger than the distance d11, the film formed by the film forming mechanism 110 is liquid and therefore flows along the plate-shaped workpiece 10 even if colliding with the plate-shaped workpiece 10. This also has a function of reducing the wobbling of the plate-like workpiece 10.

In addition, the film reduces the flow of air in each processing chamber in the conveying direction.

This is because the opening is narrower than the width d12 of the slit, and accordingly, the inflow of air into the processing chamber from the outside can be prevented.

In the present embodiment, the film formation mechanism 110 is used to prevent the scattering of the surface of the scattering prevention member 60, but it is needless to say that the film formation mechanism 110 can be used when another scattering prevention member is provided for the film formation mechanism 110, and the film formation mechanism 110 can be applied to a surface treatment apparatus in which the scattering prevention mechanism is not present. For example, the film formation mechanism 110 can be applied to a surface treatment apparatus of a type in which there is no scattering prevention mechanism, in which droplets bounce on the surface of the treatment liquid Q stored in the lower portion of the plate-like workpiece 10, or in a surface treatment apparatus in which the falling portion of the droplets is a floor surface.

(related to embodiment 2)

A surface treatment apparatus 410 having a mechanism for causing air to flow downward in a treatment chamber will be described with reference to fig. 14.

In the present embodiment, a tray 80 having a shape as shown in fig. 14 is provided below the scattering prevention member 60 to control the airflow. Fig. 15 is a view seen from the arrow γ direction of fig. 14. In fig. 15, the frame 54 is omitted for the sake of easy understanding.

As shown in fig. 15, trays 80 are provided at two locations in the vicinity of the slit 8 and below the plate-like workpiece 10. This is to reduce sputtering in the vicinity of the gap 8 to the adjacent processing chamber. The film forming mechanisms 110a and b are the same as those of embodiment 1, and therefore, description thereof is omitted.

The shape of the tray 80 will be described with reference to fig. 16. In fig. 16, for convenience of explanation, relative positions of the scattering prevention members 60 are shown by broken lines. A flat surface 82a is continuously formed at an end of the frame 82. A slope 84 is formed from the inner end of the flat surface 82a in the x direction. A slope 85 is formed from the end of the slope 84 in the y direction. Further, a pair of caps 81b are fitted on the upper surface of the vertical tubular member 81, and the pair of caps 81b form a groove 81 a.

In the present embodiment, the distance d1 between the grooves 81a of the 2 inclined surfaces 84 is about 2mm, and for the determination of the width, it is sufficient if the allowable amount of suction per unit time of the longitudinal tubular member 81 is made larger than the amount of liquid collected per unit time of the tray 80, but if the distance d1 is made excessively large, the flow rate is reduced in a state where the flow rate of the suction air (flow rate (Q) ═ opening area ＊ flow rate (V)) is constant, and therefore, it is preferable to be 5mm or less.

Fig. 17 shows an arrow direction view as viewed from the arrow 1 direction in fig. 14. The tray 80 is arranged such that the inclined surfaces 84 are located on both sides of the plate-shaped workpiece 10 when viewed from above, and the direction of the groove formed by the lower end portions of the 2 inclined surfaces 84 is parallel to the plate-shaped workpiece 10.

A longitudinal tubular member 81 is connected to an end of the inclined surface 85. As shown in fig. 14, the horizontal tubular member 88 is connected to communicate with the middle of the vertical tubular member 81.

In the present embodiment, the space 94 is sucked to a negative pressure state by the pump 92 provided at the end of the tube 93.

An air inlet 95 is provided in the upper portion of the processing chamber. Therefore, the air sucked from the air suction port 95 by the suction flows from the through hole 61 of the scattering prevention member 60 to the vertical tubular members 81 and the horizontal tubular members 88 through the inclined surfaces 84 and 85. The collected liquid is discharged from the horizontal tubular member 88 to the space 94.

As shown in fig. 17, the pallet 80 is arranged such that the inclined surfaces 84 are located on both sides of the plate-shaped workpiece 10, and the direction of the groove formed by the lower end portions of the 2 inclined surfaces 84 is parallel to the plate-shaped workpiece 10. Therefore, when the suction is performed by the pump 92, an air flow in the direction of the arrow 2 of fig. 14 is generated. As described above, by generating the air flow in the direction of arrow 2 in the lower portion of the plate-like workpiece 10, the effect of stabilizing the posture is achieved even if the thin plate-like workpiece 10 is used.

In the present embodiment, the tray 80 is provided below the scattering prevention member 60, but may be a member other than the scattering prevention member 60. Further, the tray 80 may be provided without the scattering prevention member 60.

The tray 80 may have a shape that facilitates air to flow in the vertical direction on the side surface of the plate-like workpiece 10, and may have a different shape.

In the present embodiment, the groove 81a is formed by the pair of covers 81b, but other forms such as a pipe having the shape of the groove 81a may be adopted.

Fig. 18A shows an embodiment in which a guide 120 for sucking air is provided. Fig. 18B, C shows a sectional view taken along line a-a and a sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 18A, respectively. The guide portion 120 is constituted by covers 121a and b. Fig. 18D shows a perspective view of the cover 121 a. The cover 121a has a side surface 122, a slope 123, and a semicircular portion 125. The side surface 122 is provided with a plurality of through holes 122 a. The cover 121b and the cover 121a have a symmetrical shape.

When the covers 121a and 121b are positioned on the tray 80, the inclined surfaces 84 and 85 and the inclined surface portion 123 are held in contact with each other, and a part of the vertical tubular member 81 is closed by the semicircular portion 125. Further, the scattering prevention members 60 are divided into 2 pieces, and a gap d1 is formed between the scattering prevention members 60 and the vertical pipe member 81 by the distance d from the side surface 122. This allows the suction port to be close to the substrate, thereby improving the suction force. In addition, since the suction port can be made narrow, the flow velocity of air under the plate-like workpiece 10 can be increased. This can reduce the bounce of the liquid droplets.

Further, the problem of accumulation of droplets in the tray 80 by the covers 121a and 121b can be solved by providing the through-holes 122 a. The positions and the number of the through holes 122a may be designed according to the amount of the liquid stored in the tray 80.

In fig. 18, covers 121a, b having side surfaces 122 are used, but if a mechanism for holding is separately provided, a slope portion 123 is not necessary. In addition, the side 122 may be absent. In this case, since the suction port can be narrowed by the cover composed of only the semicircular portion 125, the flow velocity of air under the plate-like workpiece 10 can be increased.

In addition, it is considered that the shape of the plate-like workpiece 10 causes variation in the distance from the tray 80. In this case, as shown in fig. 18B, the tray 80 may be configured to be slidable in the height direction. For this height adjustment, a pipe portion 83 having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the vertical pipe member 81 may be provided at the lower portion of the tray 80, or a corrugated structure may be employed. As a mechanism for slidably maintaining the height of the tray 80, a known mechanism may be used.

In the present embodiment, the controlled air speed in the treatment chamber is set to 0.2m/s to 0.5m/s by the suction of the pump 92. By setting to this level, it is possible to reduce the bounce of the surface of the scattering prevention member 60 while stabilizing the posture of the plate-like workpiece 10.

The control air speed in the processing chamber is not limited to the above range.

The air inlet 95 and the pump 92 may be provided in each processing chamber. Accordingly, there is almost no flow in the direction of arrow R in fig. 15 (flow in the direction of the opening 8) in the processing chamber, and the gas flow is almost vertical, so that the posture can be stabilized even for a thin plate-like workpiece.

The lower end surface of the frame 52 is located below the processing liquid Q. Therefore, the air is communicated to the space 94 through the vertical tubular members 81 and the horizontal tubular members 88.

In addition, if the substrate is thinner than 40 μm, even if there is a gas flow in the vertical direction in the processing chamber, the substrate may be shaken if there is a gas flow in the vertical direction. This problem is particularly present at a position where the processing liquid from the liquid ejecting section 4 does not collide with the processing liquid. However, in the present embodiment, since the flow in the vertical direction in the processing chamber is reduced, even such a thin substrate can be stably transported.

As in embodiment 2, when the air flow is controlled so as to flow in the substantially vertical direction in each processing chamber, the flow of air in the direction parallel to the substrate traveling direction flowing in from the slit 8 can be reduced by using the film formation mechanism 110. Therefore, even a thin plate-like workpiece can be stably conveyed in each processing chamber.

By providing such a liquid film curtain, the area of the opening portion is reduced, and the effect of blowing and sucking exhaust in the vertical direction is improved, so that external air is not easily sucked and blown. Further, the dust mist in the treatment chamber is less likely to leak to the outside.

(related to embodiment 3)

In the above embodiment, the case where the film formation mechanism 110 is provided in each processing chamber was described, but in embodiment 3, as shown in fig. 19, a front groove 303 and a rear groove 315 are provided on the loading side and the unloading side of the surface treatment apparatus 400, respectively, and the film formation mechanism 110 is used for the front groove 303 and the rear groove 315. The film forming mechanism 110 is the same as the above embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted. In this case, a water film may be used for the front groove 303 and the rear groove 315.

A, B in FIG. 20 shows the arrangement position of the film forming mechanism 110 in the front tank 303. In this way, the film formation mechanism 110 is provided in the front tank 303 between the loading unit 302 and the 1 st rinsing tank 304. This prevents outside air from being sucked from the loading unit.

C, D in FIG. 20 shows the arrangement position of the film forming mechanism 110 in the rear tank 315. In this way, the film formation mechanism 110 is provided in the back tank 315 between the unloading section 316 and the 4 th rinsing tank 314. Thereby, the suction of the outside air from the unloading section side is prevented.

In this way, a thin liquid film is formed in the direction of gravity on the surface perpendicular to the direction in which the plate-like workpiece 10 is carried in, inside the loading section 302 and inside the unloading section 316, and suction of outside air can be prevented.

(related to embodiment 4)

In each of the above embodiments, the film forming mechanism 110 is disposed substantially horizontally, but in this case, the formed liquid films 113a and 113b are affected by the surface tension of the freely falling liquid, and the widths of the liquid films (the liquid films 113a and 113b) become narrower toward their center lines as they go downward (see a in fig. 21). In order to solve this problem, as shown in B of fig. 21, the film forming mechanisms 110a and 110B may be arranged to be inclined toward the center. This reduces the gap between the liquid films 113a and 113 b.

In this case, since a gap is formed between the outer end of the liquid films 113a and 113b and the side wall of the tank body in accordance with the inclination amount, a guide plate 121 (see C, D in fig. 21) for receiving the gap may be provided. The guide plate 121 not only blocks the gap but also flows the liquid so as to spread over the guide plate 121, thereby achieving an effect of making the surface tension act and easily forming a liquid film.

(other embodiments)

In the above-described embodiments 1 and 2, the film formation mechanism 110 is disposed at two places near the inlet and the outlet in each processing chamber, and as shown in fig. 22, 1 film may be provided between each processing chamber. This can reduce the number of film forming mechanisms 110, and all the film forming mechanisms need only discharge water. In addition, since the formed liquid film can reliably prevent the mixing of the liquid droplets, the length of each processing chamber can be shortened accordingly.

Further, if the film formation means 110 is provided outside the treatment chamber, a separate structure for collecting water is required, but for example, water discharged from all the film formation means may be circulated.

In each of the above embodiments, the film forming mechanism 110 is disposed at substantially the same height as the jig 15. The film forming means 110 is preferably slightly higher than the jig 15, but may be set higher or lower than the jig 15. The same applies to the relationship with the liquid ejecting section 4.

For example, in each of the above embodiments, the pair of film formation mechanisms 110a, b are arranged so as to be spaced apart by a width through which the jig 15 that can hold the film formation mechanism 110 can pass, but the width can be made narrower by being arranged at a position (high or low) avoiding the jig 15.

The present invention has been described above as a preferred embodiment, but this is not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention is only illustrative, and modifications can be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.