阅读说明：本技术 电镀设备及其操作方法 (Electroplating apparatus and method of operating the same ) 是由 A.森 N.K.巴希拉坦 于 2019-05-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开涉及一种电镀设备,用于对基板进行电镀处理,所述电镀设备包括：槽体,适于容纳电镀液,所述槽体包括至少一个侧壁,所述至少一个侧壁设置有连通所述槽体的内侧与外侧的开口；固定装置,配置为将所述基板固定于所述侧壁的开口处。本公开还涉及一种电镀设备的操作方法,包括：将基板放置在所述侧壁的开口处,并操作所述固定装置将所述基板固定；以及对所述基板进行电镀处理。(The disclosure relates to electroplating equipment for electroplating treatment of a substrate, which comprises a tank body and a fixing device, wherein the tank body is suitable for containing electroplating solution, the tank body comprises at least side walls, and at least side walls are provided with openings communicating the inner side and the outer side of the tank body, the fixing device is configured to fix the substrate at the openings of the side walls, the operation method of electroplating equipment comprises the steps of placing the substrate at the openings of the side walls, operating the fixing device to fix the substrate, and electroplating treatment of the substrate.)

An electroplating apparatus for performing an electroplating process on a substrate (3), the electroplating apparatus comprising:

the electroplating tank comprises a tank body (1) and a plurality of electroplating tanks (L), wherein the tank body (1) is suitable for containing electroplating solution (L), the tank body (1) comprises at least side walls, and at least side walls are provided with openings (15) for communicating the inner side and the outer side of the tank body (1);

-fixing means (2) configured to fix the substrate (3) at the opening (15) of the side wall.

2. Electroplating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing device (2) is arranged outside the tank (1).

3. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a substrate mounting plate (6) fixed to an outer side of said side wall, said substrate mounting plate (6) having an opening (65) and a substrate mounting area (6A) arranged around said opening (65), a position of said opening (65) of said substrate mounting plate (6) corresponding to a position of said opening (15) of said side wall.

4. A plating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said fixing device (2) is provided on said substrate mounting plate (6).

5. Electroplating apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the fixture (2) comprises at least clamps (20), at least part of the clamps (20) being configured to be movable between the side of the substrate mounting region (6A) remote from the aperture (65) and the substrate mounting region (6A) and to apply pressure towards the substrate mounting region (6A).

6. The plating apparatus of claim 5 wherein the at least clamps (20) includes a plurality of clamps (20), the plurality of clamps (20) being disposed about the aperture (65) of the substrate mounting plate (6).

7. Electroplating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the fixture (2) comprises an -th drive mechanism (71) and a second drive mechanism (72), the -th drive mechanism (71) being configured to drive at least a portion of the clamp (20) in a -th direction to move at least a portion of the clamp (20) from a side of the substrate mounting region (6A) away from the aperture (65) to the substrate mounting region (6A), the -th direction being a direction parallel to the substrate mounting plate (6) and pointing from a side of the substrate mounting region (6A) away from the aperture (65) towards the substrate mounting region (6A), the second drive mechanism (72) being configured to drive at least a portion of the clamp (20) in a second direction to apply pressure to at least a portion of the clamp (20) towards the substrate mounting region (6A), the second direction being perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate (6).

8. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the gripper (20) includes a holder plate (21) and a gripper plate (22), the holder plate (21) including a receiving groove (21s), the gripper plate (22) being inserted in the receiving groove (21s) and being slidable in the -th direction within the receiving groove (21s), the driving mechanism (71) being configured to drive the gripper plate (22) in the -th direction to cause the gripper plate (22) to protrude from the receiving groove (21s) and move from a side of the substrate mounting region (6A) away from the substrate mounting region (6A) to the substrate mounting region (6A), the second driving mechanism (72) being configured to drive the gripper plate (22) in the second direction to cause the gripper plate (22) to apply a pressing force toward the substrate mounting region (6A).

9. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the holder (20) further includes a connecting plate (27), the connecting plate (27) being disposed on the holder plate (21) and fixedly connected to the -th driving mechanism (71), the -th driving mechanism (71) being configured to drive the connecting plate (27) in a third direction parallel to the substrate mounting plate (6) and perpendicular to the -th direction, the connecting plate (27) including a cam groove (27c), the cam groove (27c) extending between the -th direction and the third direction and forming an included angle (β) greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees with the -th direction , the holder plate (22) being fixedly provided with a projection (23p), the projection (23p) passing through the holder plate (21) and cooperating with the cam groove (27c), the cam groove (23p) sliding within the holder plate (27) in the third direction with the connecting plate (27) being driven to move via the -th driving mechanism (71) in the third direction such that the cam groove (23p) moves in the holder plate (27) in the third direction such that the cam groove (27c) extends in the third direction s of the movement of the holder plate (27).

10. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the fixing device (2) further includes a pivot shaft (29) connected to a middle portion of the holder plate (21), the second drive mechanism (72) is configured to drive a side of the holder plate (21) that is away from the aperture (65) in the th direction to move away from the substrate mounting plate (6) in the second direction, the holder plate (21) rotates about the pivot shaft (29), and a side of the holder plate (21) that is close to the aperture (65) in the th direction moves close to the substrate mounting plate (6) in the second direction, thereby causing the chucking plate (22) to apply the pressing force toward the substrate mounting region (6A).

11. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the chucking plate (22) includes a cantilever portion (23) and a card end (24), the cantilever portion (23) being adapted to be inserted into a receiving groove (21s) of the holder plate (21), the card end (24) extending from an end of the cantilever portion (23) toward a substrate mounting plate (6) and being adapted to apply a pressing force toward the substrate mounting plate (6),

in a state where the bracket plate (21) is parallel to the base plate mounting plate (6), a -th distance (L1) between the pivot shaft (29) and the second driving mechanism (72) measured in the -th direction is greater than a second distance (L2) between the pivot shaft (29) and the chucking end (24) of the chucking plate (22) measured in the -th direction.

12. The electroplating apparatus of claim 11, wherein the th distance (L1) is twice the second distance (L2).

13. A plating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the holder plate (21) is provided with a guide rail (28) extending in the third direction for guiding the connecting plate (27) to move on the holder plate (21) in the third direction.

14. The electroplating apparatus according to of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least side walls comprise a plurality of side walls, at least two of which are provided with the opening (15).

15. Electroplating apparatus according to of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a substrate stop (61), the substrate stop (61) being configured to be movable from the outside of the opening (15) to the middle of the opening (15).

16. The plating apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a plating solution driving device (8) located inside the tank (1) and facing the opening (15), the plating solution driving device (8) being configured to drive the plating solution (L) to flow toward the opening (15).

17. A plating apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said plating solution drive means (8) is mounted to said side wall having an opening (15).

18. A plating apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a distance between said plating liquid driving device (8) and said side wall having said opening (15) is in a range of 2mm to 4 mm.

19. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein said plating liquid driving device (8) comprises a plurality of blades (82), said plurality of blades (82) being arranged in a plane parallel to said side wall having said opening (15) and being configured to be movable in a plane parallel to said side wall having said opening (15).

20. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the plating liquid driving device (8) comprises a plurality of nozzles arranged in an array in a plane parallel to the side wall having the opening (15) and configured to eject the plating liquid (L) toward the side wall having the opening (15), the nozzles being configured to be movable in a plane parallel to the side wall having the opening (15).

21. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein a distance between adjacent nozzles is in a range of 1mm to 5mm, and an aperture diameter of the nozzle is in a range of 0.5mm to 1 mm.

22. Electroplating apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising at least seals, the at least seals being provided at least of the region of the substrate mounting plate (6) surrounding the aperture (65) and the region of the side wall having the opening (15) surrounding the opening (15).

23. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the chucking plate (22) includes a cantilever portion (23) and a card end (24), the cantilever portion (23) being adapted to be inserted into a receiving groove (21s) of the holder plate (21), the card end (24) extending from an end of the cantilever portion (23) toward a substrate mounting plate (6) and being adapted to apply a pressing force toward the substrate mounting plate (6),

the electroplating apparatus comprises at least seals, the at least seals being provided at least of the area of the substrate mounting plate (6) surrounding the aperture (65) and the area of the side wall with the opening (15) surrounding the opening (15), the location of the card end (24) applying pressure towards the substrate mounting plate (6) at least partially overlapping the location of the seal in a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate (6).

24. Electroplating apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the clamping plate (22) comprises a plurality of clamping ends (24), the position of the plurality of clamping ends (24) applying pressure towards the substrate mounting plate (6) at least partially overlapping the position of the seal in a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate (6).

25. Electroplating apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the substrate mounting area (6A) is provided with electrical contact points (66) for electrical connection with the substrate (3).

26. Electroplating apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the electrical contact points (66) are distributed at two opposite sides of the opening (65) of the substrate mounting plate (6) or the electrical contact points (66) are distributed at four sides of the opening (65) of the substrate mounting plate (6).

27. Electroplating apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the number of electrical contacts (66) distributed at each side is four and more.

28. Plating apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a resistance measuring device electrically connected to the electrical contact points (66) of the substrate mounting area (6A).

29. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 25, further comprising: and the anode (4) is arranged in the tank body (1).

30. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 29, further comprising: and the power supply device (5) is respectively electrically connected with the electric contact points (66) and the anode (4).

31, A method of operating the plating apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

placing a substrate (3) outside the side wall and at the opening (15) and operating the fixing means (2) to fix the substrate (3); and

and electroplating the substrate (3).

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the plating apparatus comprises a substrate mounting plate (6) fixed to an outer side of the side wall, the substrate mounting plate (6) having an opening (65) and a substrate mounting area (6A) arranged around the opening (65), a position of the opening (65) corresponding to a position of the opening (15),

the placing of the substrate (3) outside the side wall and at the opening (15) and the operating of the fixing means (2) to fix the substrate (3) comprises:

operating the fixing device (2) to fix the substrate (3) to the substrate mounting plate (6).

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the substrate mounting area (6A) is provided with electrical contact points (66) for electrical connection with the substrate (3), the plating apparatus further comprising resistance measuring means electrically connected to the electrical contact points (66),

the placing of the substrate (3) at the opening (15) of the side wall and the operating of the fixture (2) to fix the substrate (3) comprises:

the resistance measuring device measures the contact resistance between the substrate (3) and the electrical contact point (66) and determines the connection state between the substrate (3) and the electrical contact point (66).

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the electroplating apparatus further comprises an anode (4) opposite the opening (15),

the electroplating treatment of the substrate (3) comprises:

injecting a plating solution (L) into the tank (1) so that the plating solution (L) contacts at least parts of the substrate (3);

applying a cathodic voltage to the substrate (3) through the electrical contact (66) and applying an anodic voltage to the anode (4) to thereby electroplate the substrate (3).

35. The method of , according to any one of claims 31 to 33, wherein the plating apparatus includes a plating solution driving device (8) located within the tank (1) and facing the opening (15), the plating solution driving device (8) being configured to drive the plating solution (L) to flow towards the opening (15),

the electroplating treatment of the substrate (3) comprises:

the plating liquid (L) is driven to flow toward the substrate (3) by the plating liquid driving device (8).

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to electroplating apparatuses and methods of operating the same.

Background

Electroplating technology is a process of plating thin layers of other metals or alloys on certain metal surfaces by using the principle of electrolysis, and is widely applied to different industrial fields by since the advent of electroplating technology.

generally, the prior art plating technique provides a plating bath containing a plating solution, wherein the plating process includes using a substrate to be plated as a cathode, using a plating metal or other insoluble material as an anode, placing the cathode and the anode in the plating bath, and applying a dc voltage between the cathode and the anode, the surface of the substrate to be plated is reduced to form a plating layer by an electrode reaction.

Disclosure of Invention

The electroplating equipment has a simple structure, is convenient to operate, is beneficial to shortening the operation time of a substrate mounting procedure and improving the production efficiency of semiconductor packaging, and is particularly suitable for panel level semiconductor packaging.

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of aspects of the disclosure.

The disclosure provides electroplating equipment for electroplating a substrate, which comprises a tank body and a fixing device, wherein the tank body is suitable for containing electroplating solution, the tank body comprises at least side walls, and the at least side walls are provided with openings communicating the inner side and the outer side of the tank body, and the fixing device is configured to fix the substrate at the openings of the side walls.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the securing device is provided on the outside of the channel so that it can be conveniently manipulated from outside the channel.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an electroplating apparatus includes a substrate mounting plate fixed to an outer side of the side wall, the substrate mounting plate having an opening and a substrate mounting area arranged around the opening, a position of the opening of the substrate mounting plate corresponding to a position of the opening of the side wall.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixture is disposed on the substrate mounting plate.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixture includes at least clips, at least portions of which are configured to be movable between a side of the substrate mounting region away from the aperture and the substrate mounting region and to apply pressure toward the substrate mounting region.

Therefore, the fixing device can be conveniently opened and closed and is light in weight, and the substrate can be fixed on the substrate mounting plate in a mode of being beneficial to fluid sealing.

At least a portion of the clamp member is movable between an extended position and a retracted position, in the retracted position, the clamp plate is not positioned above the substrate mounting area and the substrate can pass unobstructed through a space above the substrate mounting area, thereby allowing an operation of placing the substrate on or unloading the substrate from the substrate mounting plate to be performed easily.

According to advantageous embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least clamps include a plurality of clamps disposed about the aperture of the substrate mounting plate.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure, the securing apparatus includes an th drive mechanism and a second drive mechanism, the th drive mechanism is configured to drive at least portions of the clamping members in a th direction to move at least portions of the clamping members from the side of the substrate mounting region away from the aperture to the substrate mounting region, the th direction is a direction from the side of the substrate mounting region away from the aperture toward the substrate mounting region, the second drive mechanism is configured to drive at least portions of the clamping members in a second direction to force at least portions of the clamping members toward the substrate mounting region, the second direction being perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate.

The driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism of the plurality of clamps may be connected to a control module, and the control module may simultaneously operate the plurality of clamps in response to an operator's instruction.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the clamp includes a bracket plate including a receiving groove and a clamp plate inserted into the receiving groove and slidable in the direction within the receiving groove, the drive mechanism is configured to drive the clamp plate in the direction to protrude the clamp plate from the receiving groove and move from a side of the substrate mounting area away from the substrate mounting area to the substrate mounting area, and the second drive mechanism is configured to drive the clamp plate in the second direction to apply a pressing force to the clamp plate toward the substrate mounting area.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the clamping member further includes a connecting plate disposed on the bracket plate and fixedly connected to the driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is configured to drive the connecting plate in a third direction, the third direction is parallel to the substrate mounting plate and perpendicular to the direction, the connecting plate includes a cam groove extending between the direction and the third direction and forming an included angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees with the direction, the clamping plate is fixedly provided with a protrusion, the protrusion passes through the bracket plate and is matched with the cam groove, and in case the connecting plate is driven to move in the third direction via the driving mechanism, the protrusion moves in the extending direction of the cam groove in the cam groove, so that the clamping plate slides in the direction in the receiving groove of the bracket plate.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixture further includes a pivot shaft connected to a middle portion of the bracket plate, the second driving mechanism is configured to drive a side of the bracket plate away from the aperture in the direction to move away from the substrate mounting plate in the second direction, the bracket plate rotates around the pivot shaft, and a side of the bracket plate close to the aperture in the direction moves close to the substrate mounting plate in the second direction, thereby causing the clamping plate to apply pressure toward the substrate mounting area.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the clamping plate comprises a cantilever part and a clamping end, the cantilever part is suitable for being inserted into the receiving groove of the bracket plate, and the clamping end extends from the end of the cantilever part to the substrate mounting plate and is suitable for applying pressure to the substrate mounting plate, in a state that the bracket plate is parallel to the substrate mounting plate, the -th distance between the pivot shaft and the second driving mechanism measured along the -th direction is larger than the second distance between the pivot shaft and the clamping end of the clamping plate measured along the -th direction, therefore, the force applied by the second driving mechanism can be amplified through a lever principle, so that the fixing of the substrate at the clamping plate end is firmer, the sealing effect is strengthened, and the leakage of electroplating solution in the electroplating process is prevented.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance is twice the second distance.

According to embodiments of the disclosure, the bracket plate is provided with a guide rail extending along the third direction for guiding the connecting plate to move on the bracket plate along the third direction.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least side walls include a plurality of side walls, at least two of which are provided with the opening, whereby a plurality of substrates to be plated can be simultaneously plated, thereby achieving several times of plating efficiency.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plating apparatus further comprises a substrate stopper configured to be movable from an outer side of the opening to a middle of the opening.

The substrate stop may include a support attached to the substrate mounting plate and an arm generally parallel to the substrate mounting plate. The arm is rotatable in a plane parallel to the substrate mounting plate between a rest position outside the opening and a stop position above the opening. Before the start of the plating process, the arm may be set in a rest position, in which case the stopper is located outside the opening of the sidewall to facilitate the operation of mounting and fixing the substrate to the substrate mounting plate. During the electroplating process, the arm may be rotated to a stop position, in which case the stop is located in the middle of the opening of the side wall and stops outside the substrate to prevent the substrate from deforming under the pressure of the electroplating solution inside the tank body.

According to advantageous embodiments of the present disclosure, the plating apparatus further comprises a plating solution drive device located within the tank and facing the opening, the plating solution drive device being configured to drive the plating solution toward the opening.

Therefore, the electroplating solution near the substrate can be quickly supplemented, parameters such as the temperature, the concentration, the pH value and the like of the electroplating solution near the substrate are kept , and other chemical components are uniformly dispersed, so that the plating layer deposited on the substrate can be formed in a mode of uniform thickness, and the purposes of improving the yield of electroplating treatment and reducing the production cost are achieved.

Due to this configuration, the moving process of the plating liquid driving device can be achieved in a more stable manner and allows precise control of the distance of the plating liquid driving device from the substrate to be plated.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance between the plating solution drive and the sidewall having the opening is in the range of 2mm to 4mm the placement of the plating solution drive proximate to the sidewall having the opening allows for a more uniform thickness of the plating layer.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plating solution driving device includes a plurality of blades arranged in a plane parallel to the side wall having the opening and configured to be movable in a plane parallel to the side wall having the opening.

According to another embodiments of the present disclosure, the plating solution driving device includes a plurality of nozzles arranged in an array in a plane parallel to the sidewall having the opening and configured to eject the plating solution toward the sidewall having the opening, the nozzles being configured to be movable in a plane parallel to the sidewall having the opening.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance between adjacent nozzles is in the range of 1mm to 5mm, and the aperture of the nozzles is in the range of 0.5mm to 1 mm.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plating apparatus further comprises at least seals, the at least seals being disposed at least of the area of the substrate mounting plate surrounding the aperture and the area of the side wall having the opening surrounding the opening.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the position of the clamping plate where the clamping end applies pressure towards the substrate mounting plate and the position of the sealing member at least partially overlap in a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the clamping plate may include a plurality of clamping ends, and a position of the plurality of clamping ends applying pressure toward the substrate mounting plate at least partially overlaps a position of the sealing member in a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate, whereby a sealing effect may be further steps.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the substrate mounting area is provided with electrical contacts for electrically connecting with the substrate.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical contacts are distributed at two opposite sides of the opening of the substrate mounting board, or the electrical contacts are distributed at four sides of the opening of the substrate mounting board.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of electrical contacts distributed at each side is four or more.

According to advantageous embodiments of the present disclosure, the plating apparatus further includes a resistance measuring device electrically connected to the electrical contact points of the substrate mounting area.

In particular, the resistance measuring device is electrically connected to four electrical contact points located at side edges.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plating apparatus further includes an anode disposed within the tank and facing the sidewall having the opening.

According to embodiments of the disclosure, the electroplating device further comprises power supply devices electrically connected with the electrical contact points and the anode respectively.

The present disclosure also provides methods of operating the electroplating apparatus, comprising:

placing a substrate on the outer side of the side wall and at the opening, and operating the fixing device to fix the substrate; and electroplating the substrate.

According to embodiments of the disclosure, placing a substrate at the opening of the sidewall and operating the fixture to secure the substrate includes operating the fixture to secure the substrate to the substrate mounting plate.

According to embodiments of the disclosure, the placing the substrate on the outer side of the side wall and at the opening and the operating the fixing device to fix the substrate comprises measuring the contact resistance of the substrate and the electric contact point through a resistance measuring device and judging the connection state of the substrate and the electric contact point.

According to embodiments of the disclosure, the plating treatment of the substrate includes injecting a plating solution into the tank body such that the plating solution contacts at least portions of the substrate, applying a cathodic voltage to the substrate through the electrical contact and applying an anodic voltage to the anode, thereby plating the substrate.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plating the substrate includes:

and driving the plating solution to flow toward the substrate by the plating solution driving device.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic view of an electroplating apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the electroplating apparatus is in operation and a substrate is loaded at an opening in a sidewall of a tank via a fixture;

figure 2 is a perspective view of a tank according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electroplating apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along line A-A;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a substrate mounting plate according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an overall schematic view of an electroplating apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the electroplating apparatus is in a non-operational state;

fig. 6 is a perspective view of a fixture according to embodiments of the present disclosure, viewed from the top surface, showing clamps;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view from the front of a fixture according to embodiments of the present disclosure showing clamps;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view from below of a fixture according to embodiments of the present disclosure showing clamps therein;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of the fixation device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view from the front of a fixing device of embodiments of the present disclosure showing a substrate mounting plate and a substrate;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged partial view of the card end of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view from the front of another embodiments of the fixation devices of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of an embodiment plating solution drive arrangement of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a plating solution actuation apparatus according to the disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the present disclosure mounted to a plating solution drive arrangement to a sidewall;

fig. 16 is a schematic diagram of a method of operating an electroplating apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

List of reference numerals

Front surface 215 of tank 1

Side wall S rear face 216

Inner end 217 of bottom wall B

Outer end 218 of front side wall 11

Rear sidewall 12 retainer plate 22

Cantilever part 23 of left side wall 13

Protrusion 23p of right side wall 14

Opening 15 snap end 24

Angle α of dividing wall 16a of

Second divider wall 16b includes an included angle β

Plating liquid L No. drive mechanism 71

Plating solution outlet O second drive mechanism 72

Fixture 2 support 26

Clamp 20 connects plate 27

Cam groove 27c of holder plate 21

Through-hole 21h guide rail 28

Receiving groove 21s pivot shaft 29

Upper surface 211 pivot axis P

Lower surface 212 fulcrum P1

Longitudinal axis Q of the cylinder barrel of the inner side surface 213

Extension axis R of outside surface 214 card end

Baseplate 3 support 62

th base plate 3a arm 63

Second base plate 3b stopping part 63a

Anode 4 sealing ring 64

Plating liquid driving device 8 of power supply device 5

Substrate mounting plate 6 connection frame 81

Apertured 65 vane 82

Substrate mounting area 6A slide bar 83

Apertured side 65a, 65b, 65c, 6250d conduits 84

Electrical contact 66 holder 85

Substrate stopper 61

Detailed Description

In the following description of various exemplary structures according to the present disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present disclosure and in which is shown by way of illustration various exemplary devices, systems, and environments in which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced.

In the description of the present disclosure, the orientations or positional relationships indicated by "horizontal", "vertical", "up", "down", "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "front", "rear", and the like are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, or the orientations or positional relationships that a device provided in the disclosure is usually placed in when used, or the orientations or positional relationships that a person skilled in the art conventionally understands, and are only for convenience of describing and simplifying the description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

In electroplating techniques, the substrate to be plated is placed horizontally in a plating tank with the surface to be plated facing downward and the plating solution is sprayed from below toward the surface to be plated.

In another electroplating techniques, a plating solution is injected from the lower portion of a plating tank and fills the tank, and a substrate to be plated is vertically placed in the plating tank and immersed in the plating solution, this method may be referred to as an immersion method, in which case overcomes the disadvantages of the spray method to a certain extent, although bubbles may be easily removed to form a plated surface of high quality.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of embodiments of an electroplating apparatus according to the present disclosure, and fig. 2 is a schematic view of a tank body 1 of the electroplating apparatus according to the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the electroplating apparatus may include a tank body 1 (shown in dotted lines in fig. 1) and a fixing device 2, the tank body 1 is made of, for example, an insulating material and includes a bottom wall B (fig. 2) and a plurality of side walls S, at least of the plurality of side walls S may be provided with an opening 15 communicating the inside and the outside of the tank body 1, the fixing device 2 is provided at the outside of the tank body 1 and configured to fix a substrate 3 at the outside of the side walls S and at the opening 15, whereby the opening 15 allows a surface to be plated of the substrate 3 to face the inside of the tank body 1 and to come into contact with a plating solution contained inside the tank body 1 during electroplating.

Plating baths according to the present disclosure may have the following advantages:

1. because the opening part at the lateral wall is fixed along vertical direction to the base plate, the bubble that produces in electroplating process can rise to the upper surface of plating solution because of the effect of buoyancy, can not gather the bubble in waiting to plate surface department to avoid the quality of cladding material to receive adverse effect.

2. Since the base plate is directly mounted to the outside of the side wall of the tank body, a base plate holding device having a complicated structure can be omitted as compared with the case where the base plate is vertically fixed inside the plating tank, thereby simplifying the structure of the plating apparatus. In addition, the mounting and dismounting operations of the base plate can be performed from the outside of the tank body in a simpler and quicker manner.

3. Since the structure of the electroplating equipment and the installation operation of the substrate are greatly simplified, the electroplating tank is particularly suitable for processing larger substrates, such as substrates with the size of 600mm, and is particularly suitable for large-size panel-level (panel level) semiconductor packaging.

As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of side walls S of the housing 1 may include a front side wall 11, a rear side wall 12, a left side wall 13 and a right side wall 14. the bottom wall B and the plurality of side walls S together define an accommodation space for an electroplating solution.

According to embodiments of the disclosure, at least of the side walls S of the tank 1 may be provided with openings 15 communicating the inside and outside of the tank 1. the openings 15 may have a shape substantially , for example, a substantially rectangular shape, with the area to be treated of the base plate 3.

In examples, at least two of the side walls S of the channel 1 have openings 15 provided therein that communicate the inside and outside of the channel 1. in embodiments according to the present disclosure, openings 15 are provided at two opposing side walls S of the channel 1 that communicate the inside and outside of the channel 1, such as at the front and rear side walls 11, 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. in FIG. 2, the openings at the rear side wall 12 are not visible.

The interior of the housing 1 may also include partition walls which may define a plurality of discrete plating cell portions within the housing 1 with the side walls S of the housing 1. Each plating cell portion may correspond to of the at least two side walls S having the opening 15. in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the th and second partition walls 16a, 16B extend between the left and right side walls 13, 14 parallel to the front and rear side walls 11, 12 having the opening 15 to define two discrete plating cell portions within the housing 1. the th plating cell portion is defined by the front and left side walls 11, 13, 14, th and bottom walls 11, 16a, and the second plating cell portion is defined by the rear and left side walls 12, 13, 14, 16B and bottom wall B.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of the plating apparatus of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, a th substrate 3a is fixed at the front side wall 11 and is brought into contact with a plating liquid L contained in the plating groove section of the first . As shown in FIG. 3, a th plating groove section and a second plating groove section are respectively provided at the bottom wall B thereof with an electroplating liquid inlet (not shown in the drawing). The bottom wall B of the tank body 1 between the partition wall 16a of the st groove section 1 and the partition wall 16B may be provided with a plating liquid outlet O. that is, the plating liquid outlet O is located outside the electroplating groove section of the th plating groove section and the second plating groove section.the heights of the partition wall 16a and the second partition wall 16B may be smaller than those of the front side wall 11 and the rear side wall 12. during the plating process, the plating liquid L is injected into the first th plating groove section and the second plating groove section from the plating groove inlet inside the and is gradually filled with the plating liquid L of the second plating groove section and the second partition wall . when the electroplating liquid is discharged from the electroplating groove section 3, the electroplating tank section 3 is carried out from the electroplating tank section 3, whereby the electroplating tank section 3 and the electroplating tank section 3 is carried out of the electroplating tank section 3, whereby the electroplating tank section 3, whereby the electroplating process is carried out of the electroplating tank section 3, and the electroplating process is carried out of the electroplating tank section, whereby the electroplating process is carried out by the electroplating process.

In examples, openings are provided at more than two side walls of the tank body, or more openings may be provided at each of the side walls, and separate electrolytic tank portions corresponding in number to the number of openings are divided inside the tank body to simultaneously perform the plating process on more substrates to be plated, thereby achieving several times the plating process efficiency.

As shown in fig. 3, the plating apparatus further includes an anode 4 which can be disposed inside the electrolytic bath and faces the side walls 11, 12 having the openings. The anode 4 is, for example, a plate-like member formed of a plating metal. The electroplating apparatus may further comprise a power supply device 5. The anode of the power supply device 5 is electrically connected to the anode 4, and the cathode of the power supply device 5 is electrically connected to the substrate 3 to be plated. During the electroplating, the power supply device 5 may apply a voltage between the substrate 3 to be plated and the anode 4. Thus, negatively charged electrons are accumulated on the surface to be plated of the substrate 3 to be plated, and positively charged metal ions are precipitated from the plating metal of the anode 4. The positively charged metal ions are attracted by the negative charges of the electrons gathered on the surface to be plated to flow to the surface to be plated, and are combined with the electrons to form metal atoms which are deposited on the surface to be plated to form a plated metal layer.

Referring back to fig. 1, in examples, the plating apparatus further includes a substrate mounting plate 6. the substrate 3 is fixed to the outside of the side wall S of the tank body 1 by being mounted on the substrate mounting plate 6. for example, the substrate mounting plate 6 is located between the fixing device 2 and the side wall S. an exemplary structure of the substrate mounting plate 6 is described below with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate mounting plate 6 has apertures 65. the apertures 65 may have a shape substantially equal to from the openings 15 of the sidewalls S, the area to be processed of the substrate 3. in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the apertures 56 of the substrate mounting plate 6 are substantially rectangular in shape. the substrate mounting plate 6 is secured to the outside of the sidewalls S having the openings 15 such that the locations of the apertures 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6 correspond to the locations of the openings 15 of the sidewalls S (see FIG. 5). for example, the apertures 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6 are the same in shape and size as the openings 15 of the sidewalls S, respectively, or the apertures 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6 are the same in shape as the openings 15 of the sidewalls S but are slightly larger or smaller in size than the openings of the sidewalls S, but are not limited thereto in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. for example, the locations of the apertures 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6 "correspond" to the locations of the openings 15 of the sidewalls S means that both the apertures 65 and the openings 15 overlap at least partially.

In examples, the fixation between the substrate mounting plate 6 and the sidewall S may be a removable connection using or more fasteners (e.g., screws, bolts, etc.) in examples, the fixation between the substrate mounting plate 6 and the sidewall S may be a nearly permanent connection (e.g., a welded connection, an adhesive, etc.).

The substrate mounting plate 6 is provided with a substrate mounting area 6A (shown in a dashed box portion in fig. 4.) the substrate mounting area 6A is arranged around the opening 65 and is configured to extend along each sides of the opening 65, for example, when the substrate 3 is mounted on the substrate mounting plate 6, the edge of the substrate 3 overlaps the substrate mounting area 6A.

The substrate mounting plate 6 is provided with or more electrical contact points 66 in the substrate mounting area 6A for electrical connection with the substrate 3 to be plated, the electrical contact points 66 are electrically connected to the cathode of the power supply device 5 (fig. 3) to provide electrical connection between the substrate 3 to be plated and the cathode when the substrate 3 to be plated is mounted to the substrate mounting plate 6.

The electrical contacts 66 may be located along sides of the opening 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6. in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the electrical contacts 66 are equally spaced on two opposite sides of the opening 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6. in other embodiments, the electrical contacts 66 may be equally spaced on four sides of the opening 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6. in the embodiments, the number of electrical contacts 66 on each side is four or more.

in some examples, the plating apparatus may further include a resistance measuring device (not shown) electrically connected to the electric contact points 66, after the substrate 3 is mounted to the substrate mounting board 6 using the fixing device 2, a contact resistance between the substrate 3 and the electric contact points 66 may be measured using the resistance measuring device, and thereby, whether a connection state between the substrate 3 and the electric contact points 66 is good or not may be judged, for example, the resistance measuring device is electrically connected to four electric contact points 66 located at sides of strips, and thereby, the resistance measuring device may measure a contact resistance between the substrate 3 and the electric contact points 66 using a four-point method.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 1, the fixing device 2 is fixedly disposed on the substrate mounting plate 6 and configured to mount the substrate 3 to be plated to the substrate mounting area of the substrate mounting plate 6, for example, by applying pressure to the substrate 3 in a direction toward the side wall S within the substrate mounting area.

In other embodiments, the fixing means 2 may also be arranged in a different way than in the embodiment shown in fig. 1. Alternatively, the securing means 2 may be provided directly on the side walls S of the tank 1. Alternatively, the fixing means 2 may be a pressure applying means completely independent of the tank 1 and the base plate mounting plate 6.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixture 2 may include at least clips, in examples, the fixture 2 may include a plurality of clips, as shown in fig. 1 and 5, four clips 20 are provided around the opening 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6, respectively disposed adjacent to four sides of the opening 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6, each clip 20 is configured to apply pressure to the substrate 3 at sides of the opening 65 in a direction toward the side wall S, whereby the fixture may be constructed in an easy-to-handle, lightweight manner, and the substrate 3 may be secured at the substrate mounting plate 6 in a fluid-tight manner.

An exemplary structure of the clamper 20 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is described below with reference to fig. 6 to 10, in the following description, an xyz coordinate system is defined with reference to the substrate mounting plate 6, a z-axis is perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate 6, and a positive direction thereof is a direction away from the substrate mounting plate 6, and an x-axis is perpendicular to a side of the opening 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6, and a positive direction thereof is directed from a side of the substrate mounting area 6A away from the opening 65 toward the substrate mounting area 6A, that is, from the substrate mounting area 6A toward the center of the opening 65.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 6, the clamp 20 may include a bracket plate 21 and a clamp plate 22.

The support plate 21 is a plate-shaped member extending in a length direction parallel to the side of the opening 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6 close to the support plate 21, a width direction perpendicular to the side of the opening 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6 close to the support plate 21, and a thickness direction.

Referring to fig. 7, the clamping plate 22 is a plate-shaped member having an L-shaped cross section, and includes a cantilever portion 23 and a card end 24 formed as two branches of the L-shape, the card end 24 extends from an end of the cantilever portion 23, and an extending direction of the card end 24 is substantially perpendicular to an extending direction of the cantilever portion 23, and the card end 24 is configured to contact the substrate 3 and apply pressure to the substrate 3 toward the substrate mounting plate 6.

For the convenience of description, the geometrical features of the support plate 21 are defined as follows.

Referring to fig. 6, the holder plate 21 has opposite upper and lower surfaces 211 and 212 extending in the length direction and the width direction, wherein the lower surface 212 is defined as a surface facing the substrate mounting plate 6, and the upper surface 211 is defined as a surface away from the substrate mounting plate 6, the holder plate 21 has opposite inner and outer side surfaces 213 and 214 extending in the length direction and the thickness direction, wherein a side surface facing the opening 65 side of the substrate mounting plate 6 is defined as the inner side surface 213, and a side surface facing away from the opening 65 side of the substrate mounting plate 6 is defined as the outer side surface 214, the holder plate 21 also has opposite front and rear surfaces 215 and 216 extending in the width direction and the thickness direction, the front surface 215 being defined as a surface near below the screen in fig. 6, the holder plate 21 has two opposite ends in the width direction, respectively, an inner end 217 and an outer end 218, the inner end 217 terminating at the inner side surface 213, and the outer end 218 terminating at the outer side surface 214.

The holder plate 21 includes a receiving groove 21s (see fig. 8 and 9) opened at an inner side surface 213 thereof, the cantilever portion 23 of the chucking plate 22 is inserted into the receiving groove 21s via an opening on the inner side surface 213 of the holder plate 21, the cantilever portion 23 is configured to be slidable in the x-axis direction within the receiving groove 21s so that the chucking plate 22 is movable between an extended position (see fig. 8) closer to the center of the opening 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6 in the x-axis direction than the retracted position, in the extended position, portions (e.g., the card ends 24) of the chucking plate 22 may be located above the substrate mounting area 6A, and a retracted position (see fig. 9) in which the chucking plate 22 is not located above the substrate mounting area 6A, so-called "located above the substrate mounting area 6A" here means that a projection in a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate 6 overlaps the substrate mounting area 6A, and therefore, in the retracted position of the chucking plate 22, the substrate 3 may pass through a space above the substrate mounting area 6A without hindrance, thereby allowing the mounting plate 3 to be placed on or the substrate mounting plate 6 to be conveniently carried out of unloading operation.

Referring to fig. 6, the bracket plate 21 is configured to be rotatable about a pivot axis P parallel to the y-axis so that the bracket plate 21 can move between an inclined position (see fig. 7) in which the bracket plate 21 is inclined with respect to the substrate mounting plate 6, i.e., an angle α greater than 0 ° and less than 90 ° is formed between the upper and lower surfaces 211 and 212 of the bracket plate 21 and the plane of the substrate mounting plate 6, as shown in fig. 7, so that the inner end portion 217 of the bracket plate 21 is farther from the substrate mounting plate 6 than the outer end portion 218, and a parallel position (see fig. 10) in which the bracket plate 21 is substantially parallel to the substrate mounting plate 6 and the card end 24 of the clamping plate 22 abuts the substrate 3 on the substrate mounting plate 6, as shown in fig. 7.

The operation of the fixture 2 is as follows: with the plating apparatus not operating, with the holder plate 21 in the inclined position and the chucking plate 22 in the retracted position, the operator can place the substrate 3 to be plated on the substrate mounting area 6A of the substrate mounting plate 6. After the placement is completed, the operator may first move the chucking plate 22, which is located in the receiving groove 21s of the holder plate 21, from the retracted position to the extended position, so that the card end 24 of the chucking plate 22 moves above the substrate mounting area 6A. Then, the operator may move the holder plate 21 from the inclined position to the parallel position, so that the card end 24 of the chucking plate 22 moves toward the substrate mounting area 6A and applies pressure to the substrate 3, whereby the substrate 3 is fastened to the substrate mounting plate 6 within the substrate mounting area 6A.

In the variants of the present disclosure, not shown, the clamp 20 can be formed as a plate-like member with a pressing part fixed at end, which can perform the movement in the x-axis direction and in the z-axis direction integrally, for example, guided by a guide rail in the process of mounting the substrate 3, the clamp 20 can first move the guide rail extending in the x-axis direction toward the center of the aperture 65 so that the pressing part is located above the substrate mounting area 6A, unlike the pivotal movement of the holder plate 21 about the y-axis in the above-described embodiment, in the present embodiment, the guide rail 28 extending integrally in the z-axis direction is linearly moved toward the substrate mounting plate 6 so that the pressing part applies pressure to the substrate 3 at the substrate mounting area 6A.

With respect to the design of the clamp 20, the present disclosure follows the principle that at least portion of the clamp 20 can execute movements in the x-axis direction and in the z-axis direction, its , at least portion of the clamp 20 can move in the x-axis direction between the side of the substrate mounting area 6A away from the aperture 65 (corresponding to the retracted position described above) and the substrate mounting area 6A (corresponding to the extended position described above) to leave an operating space above the substrate mounting area 6A for placement and removal of the substrate 3, and its two, at least portion of the clamp 20 (e.g., the above-described card end 24) can move in the z-axis direction to engage and apply pressure to the substrate 3 located on the substrate mounting plate 6, or release pressure and disengage from the substrate 3.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixture 2 further includes a drive mechanism for driving the movement of the clamp 20.

In examples, fixture 2 includes a drive mechanism 71 and a second drive mechanism 72, the drive mechanism 71 is configured to drive at least a portion of clamp 20 in the x-axis direction to move at least a portion of clamp 20 from the side of substrate mounting area 6A away from aperture 65 to substrate mounting area 6A, the second drive mechanism 72 is configured to drive at least a portion of clamp 20 in the z-axis direction to force at least a portion of clamp 20 toward substrate mounting area 6A.

It should be noted that "the th driving mechanism 71 drives at least the portion of the clamp member 20 along the x-axis direction" is not limited to the case where the trajectory of the movement of at least the 0 portion of the clamp member 20 along the x-axis direction "the at least the 1 portion of the clamp member 20 may also be driven by the th driving mechanism 71 to move in a direction in which forms an angle with the x-axis direction, for example, in a state where the clamp member 20 is in an inclined position as shown in fig. 7, the movement of at least the portion of the clamp member 20 forms an angle with the x-axis direction". the "the th driving mechanism 71 drives at least the portion of the clamp member 20 along the x-axis direction" should be understood that the movement of at least the portion of the clamp member 20 includes a component along the x-axis direction.

The driving mechanism 71 and the second driving mechanism 72 of the plurality of clamps 20 may be connected to a control module, which may simultaneously operate the plurality of clamps 20 in response to an operator's command.

The drive mechanism 71 and the second drive mechanism 72 according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in detail in fig. 8-10. the drive mechanism 71 and the second drive mechanism 72 are each in the form of, by way of example, a cylinder that may include a cylinder barrel and a piston rod that is linearly reciprocable within the cylinder barrel.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the fixture 2 according to the present disclosure as viewed from the lower surface 212 side of the bracket plate 21 fig. 9 is another perspective view of the fixture 2 according to the present disclosure as viewed from the lower surface 212 side of the bracket plate 21 shown in cross-section.

The fixture 2 may include two support members 26 disposed at the front face 215 and the rear face 216 of the bracket plate 21, respectively, the th drive mechanism 71 is configured such that its cylinder is fixed at of the support members 26 and such that the longitudinal axis of the cylinder extends in the y-axis direction, so that the piston rod of the th drive mechanism 71 can linearly reciprocate in the y-axis direction.

In addition to the holder plate 21 and the clamp plate 22, the clamp member 20 further includes a connecting plate 27 which is provided on the lower surface 212 of the holder plate 21 and is fixedly connected to the end of the piston rod of the th driving mechanism 71, a guide rail 28 extending in the y-axis direction may be further provided on the lower surface 212 of the holder plate 21, whereby the linear movement of the connecting plate 27 in the y-axis direction may be guided along the guide rail 28.

The link plate includes at least cam grooves 27 c. the cam grooves 27c have, for example, oblong elongated shapes with an extending axis between the x-axis and the y-axis and forming an included angle β (fig. 9) of greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees with the x-axis, in the embodiment shown in fig. 8, the number of the cam grooves 27c is two.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the cantilever portion 23 of the holding plate 22 may be fixedly provided with a protrusion 23p having, for example, a cylindrical shape. The projection 23p passes through the holder plate 21 and engages with the cam groove 27c of the connecting plate 27. For this, the holder plate 21 may be provided with a through hole 21h (fig. 9) in which the protrusion 23p freely moves, the through hole 21h communicating the receiving groove 21s of the holder plate 21 and the lower surface 212 of the holder plate 21. In the embodiment shown in fig. 8, the number of the protrusions 23p is also two.

In the case where the link plate 27 is driven to move linearly along the y-axis by the -th drive mechanism 71, the link plate 27 carries the projection 23p along the extending axis of the cam groove 27c in the cam groove 27c, so that the holding plate 22 slides in the x-axis direction in the receiving groove 21s of the holder plate 21, thereby moving between the extended position and the retracted position.

The clamping plate 22 is shown in the extended position in FIG. 8 and the clamping plate 22 is shown in the retracted position in FIG. 9 starting from the position shown in FIG. 8, when the th drive mechanism 71 drives the connecting plate 27 to move in the positive y-axis direction, the protrusion 23p moves from the center of the cam slot 27c closest to the opening 65 along the extension axis of the cam slot 27c until it reaches the position in the cam slot 27c furthest from the center of the hole 65, causing the clamping plate 22 to move to the retracted position shown in FIG. 9, whereas starting from the position shown in FIG. 9, when the drive mechanism 71 drives the connecting plate 27 to move in the negative y-axis direction, the protrusion 23p moves from the center of the cam slot 27c furthest from the center of the hole 65 along the extension axis of the cam slot 27c until it reaches the position closest to the center of the opening 65 in the cam slot 27c, causing the clamping plate 22 to move to the extended position shown in FIG. 8.

Referring to fig. 10, the second drive mechanism 72 is configured such that the cylinder thereof is fixed to the substrate mounting plate 6 and such that the longitudinal axis Q of the cylinder extends in the z-axis direction, so that the piston rod of the second drive mechanism 72 can linearly reciprocate in the z-axis direction. The outer end 218 of the bracket plate 21 is fixedly connected to the end of the piston rod of the second drive mechanism 72.

Referring back to fig. 8, the bracket plate 21 may include a pivot shaft 29 projecting from front 215 and rear 216 faces thereof to define a pivot axis p. a mounting hole is provided in the support 26 into which the pivot shaft 29 of the bracket plate 21 may be inserted, a bearing may also be provided in the mounting hole for supporting rotation of the pivot shaft 29 within the mounting hole examples in which the pivot shaft is connected to a middle portion of the bracket plate, the middle portion being a position between inner and outer ends of the bracket plate, examples in which the pivot shaft 29 is disposed about midway in the width direction of the bracket plate 21.

With the outer end 218 of the carriage plate 21 driven in a linear motion along the z-axis via the second drive mechanism 72, the carriage plate 21 may be rotated about the pivot shaft 29 so that the carriage plate 21 may be moved between a parallel position and an inclined position.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 10, with the bracket plate 21 in the parallel position, the th distance L1 between the pivot shaft 29 and the second drive mechanism 72, measured in the direction of the x-axis, is greater than the second distance L2 between the pivot shaft 29 and the clamping end 24 of the clamping plate 22, viewed in the xz plane, the pivot axis P of the pivot shaft 29 intersects the xz plane at a pivot point P1, which pivot point P1 is the pivot point of the clamping member lever movement, the th distance L1 between the pivot shaft 29 and the second drive mechanism 72 refers to the distance in the direction of the x-axis between the pivot point P1 and the longitudinal axis Q of the cylinder of the second drive mechanism 72, and the second distance L2 between the pivot shaft 29 and the clamping end 24 of the clamping plate 22 refers to the distance in the direction of the x-axis between the pivot point P1 and the extended axis R of the clamping end 24 of the clamping plate 22.

Therefore, the force applied by the second driving mechanism 72 can be amplified by the lever principle, so that the substrate 3 can be more stably fixed at the clamping end 24 of the clamping plate 22, the sealing effect is further enhanced, and the leakage of the electroplating solution in the electroplating process is prevented.

In examples, the distance L1 is twice the second distance L2.

Fig. 7 shows the fixture 2 with the bracket plate 21 in an inclined position and the clamping plate 22 in an extended position. The fixture 2 is shown in fig. 10 with the bracket plate 21 in the parallel position and the clamping plate 22 in the extended position. Starting from the position shown in fig. 7, when the second drive mechanism 72 drives the outer end 218 of the carriage plate 21 in the positive z-axis direction, the carriage plate 21 may rotate about the pivot axis 29 until the parallel position shown in fig. 10 is reached. In the process, the inner end 217 of the holder plate 21 and the clamping end 24 of the clamping plate 22 move substantially in the negative direction of the z-axis. In the parallel position shown in fig. 10, the second drive mechanism 72 pushes the outer end portion 218 of the carriage plate 21 in the positive z-axis direction, so that the card end 24 of the chucking plate 22 applies pressure to the substrate 3 in the negative z-axis direction in the substrate mounting area 6A. Thereby, the substrate 3 is firmly mounted on the substrate mounting plate 6.

In examples, the pivot shaft 29 of the bracket plate 21 may be provided differently from the above-described embodiments, for example, the pivot shaft 29 may be provided at the outer end 218 in the width direction of the bracket plate 21, and the end of the piston rod of the second drive mechanism 72 is connected to the middle in the width direction of the bracket plate 21.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, referring to FIG. 8, the second driving mechanism 72 may include a plurality of pneumatic cylinders that are equidistantly distributed along the length of the support plate 21. thus, the pushing force of the second driving mechanism 72 applied to the outer end 218 of the support plate 21 may be evenly distributed along the length of the support plate 21. further, the securing force applied to the substrate 3 may be evenly distributed along the side of the substrate mounting area 6A, which is advantageous for ensuring sealing contact between the substrate 3 and the substrate mounting plate 6 at different locations.

Referring back to fig. 1 and 5, the plating apparatus further includes a substrate stopper 61, the substrate stopper 61 being configured to be movable from an outer side of the opening 15 to a middle of the opening 15.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, referring to FIG. 1, the substrate stop 61 includes a standoff 62 attached to the substrate mounting plate 6 and an arm 63 generally parallel to the substrate mounting plate 6, the end of the arm 63 may have a hinge that mates with a receiving hole in the standoff 62 to define a hinge axis of the arm 63 that is perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate 6, the end of the arm 63 may be connected with a stop 63a, the stop 63a formed, for example, as a tab parallel to the substrate mounting plate 6, whereby the arm 63 may rotate about the hinge axis between a rest position outside the opening 15 and a stop position above the opening 15 in a plane parallel to the substrate mounting plate 6. in some examples of , the arm 63 may include an adjustment device (not shown), such as an adjustment bolt, of the stop 63a at the end of the stop 63a for adjusting the distance between the stop 63a and the substrate mounting plate 6. thus, the stop 63a may be adjusted away from the substrate mounting plate 6 during rotation to an adjustable position to avoid collision with other fixed devices, such as the fixed device 2, on the substrate mounting plate 6.

Before the plating process is started, the arm 63 may be set in a rest position (see fig. 5), in which case the stopper 63a is located outside the opening 15 of the sidewall S to facilitate the operation of mounting and fixing the substrate 3 to the substrate mounting plate 6. During the plating process, the arm 63 can be rotated to a stop position (see fig. 1), in which case the stop 63a is located in the middle of the opening 15 of the side wall S and stops outside the substrate 3 to prevent the substrate 3 from deforming under the pressure of the plating liquid L inside the tank body 1.

In examples, as shown in FIGS. 10-12, the electroplating apparatus further includes at least seals, the seals may be disposed in the area of the substrate mounting plate 6 surrounding the aperture 65 to ensure a good seal between the substrate 3 and the substrate mounting plate 6, and the seals may also be disposed in the area of the sidewall S surrounding the opening 15 to ensure a good seal between the sidewall S and the substrate mounting plate 6.

In embodiments according to the present disclosure, referring to FIG. 10, the seal is in the form of a seal ring 64, a recess may be provided in the substrate mounting plate 6 for receiving the seal ring 64, in examples, as shown in FIG. 10, the recess is open to the outside of the substrate mounting plate to ensure a good seal between the substrate 3 and the substrate mounting plate 6, in examples (not shown) the recess is open to the inside of the substrate mounting plate to ensure a good seal between the sidewall S and the substrate mounting plate 6, in examples (not shown) the sidewall S may be provided with a recess on its outside for receiving the seal ring 64 to ensure a good seal between the sidewall S and the substrate mounting plate 6. in another embodiments according to the present disclosure (not shown), the seal may be in the form of a gasket that is rectangular in shape with a hollow that is, for example, substantially in shape and size with the aperture 65 of the substrate mounting plate 6 or the opening 15 of the sidewall S.

Referring to the partial schematic view of fig. 11, the position of the seal is set such that, in a state where the holder plate 21 is in the parallel position, the position where the card end 24 of the chucking plate 22 applies pressure toward the substrate mounting plate 6 at least partially overlaps with the position of the seal along the z-axis. Thus, the sealing effect of the sealing member can be improved by the pressure applied to the sealing member, preventing leakage of the plating liquid L during the plating process.

To further enhance the sealing effect, referring to FIG. 12, the clamping plate 22 of the clamping member 20 of the fixture 2 may include a plurality of clamping ends 24. accordingly, a sealing member may be disposed at a location where the plurality of clamping ends 24 apply pressure toward the substrate mounting plate 6. in the case where the sealing member is a sealing ring 64, a plurality of sealing rings 64 may be provided at different locations from the sides of the opening 65. in the case where the sealing member is a gasket, the plurality of clamping ends 24 may apply pressure thereto at different locations from the sides of the opening 65.

It should be noted that, although in fig. 11 and 12, the sealing member is shown in the form of the seal ring 64, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and as described above, the sealing member may also take the form of a gasket, and a projection of a position of the pressing force applied by the clamping end 24 of the chucking plate 22 toward the substrate mounting plate 6 in a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting plate 6 in a state where the holder plate 21 is in the parallel position falls within an extension range of the gasket.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plating solution driving device 8 is disposed to face the opening 15 on the side wall S and is configured to drive the plating solution L to flow toward the opening 15, so that the plating solution L near the substrate 3 can be rapidly replenished, the temperature, concentration, pH value and other parameters of the plating solution L near the substrate 3 can be maintained at , and the chemical components of the plating solution L can be uniformly dispersed, thereby forming the plating layer deposited on the substrate 3 in a uniform thickness manner, and achieving the purposes of improving the yield of the plating process and reducing the production cost.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 13, the plating liquid driving device 8 includes a connection frame 81 and a plurality of blades 82 attached to the connection frame 81, the plurality of blades 82 being formed, for example, in a grid shape parallel to each other, the connection frame 81 and the plurality of blades 82 being arranged in a plane parallel to a side wall S having an opening 15 (refer to fig. 1), the connection frame 81 being connectable to the driving device via a slide bar 83, the driving device being capable of driving the connection frame 81 and the plurality of blades 82 to move in a plane parallel to the side wall S, for example, to and fro in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction, thereby bringing about the flow of the plating liquid L in the vicinity of the substrate 3.

According to another embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 14, a plating solution driving device 8 includes a connection frame 81 and a plurality of conduits 84 attached to the connection frame 81. the plurality of conduits 84 are arranged side by side in a plane parallel to the side wall S having the opening 15. a plurality of nozzles (not shown) are provided on each conduit 84 in an equidistant manner, the plurality of nozzles being open to the side wall S having the opening 15. the plurality of nozzles may thus be arranged in an array in a plane parallel to the side wall S having the opening 15. during plating, a plating solution L may flow in the conduits 84 and be ejected via the nozzles toward the substrate 3 located at the opening 15 of the side wall S. the connection frame 81 may be connected to the driving device via a slide bar 83, and the driving device may drive the connection frame 81, the plurality of conduits 84, and the plurality of nozzles to move in a plane parallel to the side wall S, for example, to reciprocate in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction, thereby ejecting the plating solution L uniformly to the surface to be plated of the substrate 3.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure at step , the plating solution drive assembly 8 may include both a plurality of blades 82 and a plurality of nozzle-carrying conduits 84. in this configuration, the movement of the blades 82 and the spraying action of the nozzles may produce a synergistic effect to better promote the flow of the plating solution for the purpose of forming a uniform coating.

In examples, the distance between adjacent nozzles is in the range of 1mm to 5mm, such as 1.5mm the nozzle has an aperture in the range of 0.5mm to 1mm, such as 0.8 mm.

To obtain a coating with a more uniform thickness, the plating solution driving device 8 may be disposed as close as possible to the side wall S having the opening 15, for example, the distance between the plating solution driving device 8 and the side wall S may be in the range of 2mm to 4 mm.

examples, the plating liquid driving device 8 can be mounted to the side wall S having the opening 15. in the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the inside of the side wall S can be provided with a holder 85 for the plating liquid driving device 8. the holder 85 is substantially perpendicular to the side wall S and projects toward the inside of the tank body 1. the holder 85 is provided on both sides of the plating liquid driving device 8. the holder 85 can have a through hole in which the slide rod 83 of the plating liquid driving device 8 can be inserted and supported, the holder 85 serves the dual function of holding the plating liquid driving device 8 and guiding the movement of the plating liquid driving device 8. due to this arrangement, the movement process of the plating liquid driving device 8 can be achieved in a more stable manner and allows precise control of the distance of the plating liquid driving device 8 to the substrate 3 to be plated.

The operation method of the above-described plating apparatus for performing the plating process on the substrate 3 to be plated will be described below.

First, the substrate 3 is placed outside the side wall and at the opening, and the fixing device 20 is operated to fix the substrate 3.

In examples, the plating apparatus 1 includes a substrate mounting plate 6 fixed to an outer side of the side wall, the substrate mounting plate 6 having an opening 65 and a substrate mounting area 6A arranged around the opening 65, a position of the opening 65 corresponding to a position of the opening, in which case, the step of operating the fixing device 20 to fix the substrate 3 further includes operating the fixing device 20 to fix the substrate 3 to the substrate mounting plate 6.

In examples, the substrate mounting area 6A is provided with an electric contact point 66 for electric connection with the substrate 3, and the plating apparatus 1 further includes a resistance measuring device electrically connected to the electric contact point 66, in which case the step of operating the holding device 20 to hold the substrate 3 further includes determining the connection state of the substrate 3 and the electric contact point 66 by measuring the contact resistance of the substrate 3 and the electric contact point 66 by the resistance measuring device.

Then, the substrate 3 is subjected to plating treatment.

In examples, the step of subjecting the substrate 3 to the plating process may include injecting a plating solution into the tank 1 so that the plating solution contacts at least portions of the substrate 3, and then applying a cathode voltage to the substrate 3 through the electrical contact 66 and applying an anode voltage to the anode of the plating apparatus 1 to thereby subject the substrate 3 to the plating process.

In examples, the plating apparatus 1 includes a plating liquid driving device 8 located within the tank 1 and facing the opening, the plating liquid driving device 8 being configured to drive the plating liquid to flow toward the opening, in which case the step of subjecting the substrate 3 to the plating process may include driving the plating liquid to flow toward the substrate 3 using the plating liquid driving device 8.

Fig. 16 illustrates a method of operation of the electroplating apparatus 1 according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the method comprising:

s1, the substrate 3 is placed outside the sidewall S at the opening 15.

S2, the fixing device 2 is operated to fix the substrate 3 to the substrate mounting plate 6.

For example, the th drive mechanism 71 is operated first to move the chucking plate 22 from the retracted position to the extended position while the card end 24 of the chucking plate 22 is moved above the substrate mounting region 6A, and then the second drive mechanism 72 is operated to rotate the holder plate 21 from the inclined position to the parallel position while the card end 24 of the chucking plate 22 applies pressure to the substrate 3 in the substrate mounting region 6A.

S3, the connection state between the substrate 3 and the substrate mounting board 6 is checked by the resistance measuring device.

And S4, opening the plating solution pumping device 8, injecting the plating solution L into the tank body 1, and contacting the plating solution L with at least parts of the substrate 3.

S5: the power supply means 5 is activated and a voltage is applied between the substrate 3 to be plated and the anode 4.

S6: and starting the electroplating solution driving device 8, enabling the electroplating solution driving device 8 to reciprocate in a plane parallel to the substrate 3, and driving the electroplating solution L to flow towards the surface to be plated of the substrate 3.

S7: and carrying out the electroplating process and timing the electroplating process.

S8: the power supply means 5 is switched off.

S9: the plating solution pumping device is closed, and the plating solution is stopped from being injected into the tank body 1.

S10: the plating liquid driving device 8 is turned off.

S11: the plating solution is discharged from the tank 1.

S12: the fixing device 2 is operated to release the substrate 3 from the substrate mounting area 6A, and the substrate 3 is unloaded from the substrate mounting plate 6.

The features and feature combinations mentioned in the description above and the features and feature combinations mentioned in the description of the figures and/or shown in the figures alone are not only for the respectively indicated combination but also for other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the disclosure.