CN116240611A - Electroplating plate, electroplating device and electroplating method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a plating plate, a plating apparatus and a plating method. An electroplating plate of one embodiment comprises: a containment zone and an annular zone, the plating plate comprising: the display device comprises a substrate, a plurality of processing positions for fixing the display substrate, and a display module, wherein the display substrate comprises a first processing end and a second processing end; a connection terminal at an edge position of the annular region, the connection terminal including a first connection terminal and a plurality of second connection terminals, the number of the second connection terminals corresponding to the number of the display substrates; a plurality of conductive rings sleeved in turn, the conductive rings comprising a first conductive ring and a plurality of second conductive rings; the first node of the first conducting ring is connected with the first connecting terminal, the other second node of the first conducting ring is connected with the second processing end of each display substrate, and the second connecting terminal is connected with the first processing end of each display substrate through a connecting wire or connected with the first processing end of each display substrate through a node connected with the second conducting ring.

Description

Electroplating plate, electroplating device and electroplating method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of display. And more particularly, to a plating plate, a plating apparatus, and a plating method.

Background

With the development of displays, high ppi display and M-LED display become a trend, which also provides greater current loading capacity for metal wires, and a thick copper process can finish the manufacture of the metal wires with greater current, but the electroplating method of the related technology has the problems of low efficiency and poor thickness uniformity.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to a plating plate, a plating apparatus, and a plating method, which solve at least one of the problems of the prior art.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

a first aspect of the present invention provides a plating plate, comprising: a receiving area and an annular area surrounding the receiving area,

the plating plate includes:

the substrate is provided with a plurality of grooves,

the processing positions are positioned in the accommodating area and used for fixing the display substrate, and the display substrate comprises a first processing end and a second processing end;

the connecting terminals are positioned at the edge positions of the annular area and used for accessing electric signals, and comprise a first connecting terminal and a plurality of second connecting terminals, and the number of the second connecting terminals corresponds to the number of the display substrates;

a plurality of sequentially sleeved conductive rings positioned in the annular region, wherein the conductive rings comprise a first conductive ring and a plurality of second conductive rings;

a first node of the first conductive ring is connected with the first connecting terminal, another second node of the first conductive ring is connected with the second processing end of each display substrate,

the second connection terminal is connected with the first processing end of each display substrate through a connecting wire or connected to the first processing end of each display substrate through a node connected with the second conductive ring.

Further, the orthographic projection of each second conductive ring on the substrate is in an annular structure, a plurality of second conductive rings are sequentially sleeved on the orthographic projection of the substrate,

the second conductive ring comprises a third node connected with the second connecting terminal and a fourth node connected with the first processing end,

in the same second conductive ring, the conductive metal between the third node and the fourth node is used as a connecting wire for connecting the first connecting terminal and the first processing end.

Further, the second connection terminals are arranged in an array along the first direction,

the plurality of processing stations includes a plurality of processing stations disposed axisymmetrically along an axis parallel to the first direction,

in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, second processing ends of two adjacent display substrates are oppositely arranged,

the first conductive ring includes a fifth node located at an edge opposite to an edge where the second node is located,

the second node and the fifth node are connected through a connecting line, the processing position adjacent to the orthographic projection of the connecting line on the substrate in the second direction is positioned in the clearance of the orthographic projection of the substrate,

the second processing end of each display substrate is respectively connected with the point position of the connecting line.

Further, the distance between the display substrate and the second conductive ring positioned at the innermost side of the ring sleeve is determined according to the design size, the electroplating thickness, the electroplating solution concentration and the electric field intensity of the display panel.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides an electroplating apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a plating anode, a plurality of first power sources and a plating plate of the first aspect of the invention, a second connection terminal of the plating plate serving as a plating cathode of the plating apparatus,

the first power supply comprises a first negative electrode and a first positive electrode, each first negative electrode is connected with the first connecting terminal and each second connecting terminal respectively, and all the first positive electrodes are connected to the electroplating anode;

the voltage of the first power supply connected to the first connection terminal is smaller than the voltage of the first power supply connected to the second connection terminal.

Further, the plating apparatus further includes a plated metal detection circuit connected to the plating plate, including:

a metal plating voltage detection circuit for detecting a voltage of a metal plating generated when each of the display substrates is plated;

a metal plating current detection circuit for detecting a metal plating current generated when each of the display substrates is plated;

a control switch for switching the electroplated metal voltage detection circuit and the electroplated metal current detection circuit; and

and the second power supply is used for supplying power to the electroplated metal voltage detection circuit and the electroplated metal current detection circuit.

Further, the control switch includes:

a first switch connected to the first connection terminal, the first switch including a first selection terminal connected to a voltmeter and a second selection terminal connected to a second negative electrode of the second power supply through a connection line, the other end of the voltmeter being connected to the second negative electrode;

and the second switches are connected with each second connecting terminal one by one, each second switch comprises a third selecting end connected with the ammeter, and the other end of the ammeter is connected to a second positive electrode of the second power supply.

Further, when the first selection end of the first switch is in a closed state, the third selection end of any one of the second switches is in a closed state, and the third selection ends of other second switches are in an open state, an electroplated metal voltage detection circuit for detecting electroplated metal formed on the display substrate corresponding to the second switch in the closed state is formed;

when the second selection end of the first switch is in a closed state, the third selection end of any second switch is in a closed state, and the third selection ends of other second switches are in an open state, an electroplated metal current detection circuit for detecting electroplated metal formed on the display substrate corresponding to the second switch in the closed state is formed.

Further, the first switch further includes a fourth selection terminal electrically connected to a first negative electrode of the first power source connected to the first connection terminal,

the second switch further includes a fifth selection terminal electrically connected to a first negative electrode of the first power source connected to the second connection terminal.

Further, when the fourth selection end of the first switch is in a closed state and all the fifth selection ends are in a closed state, the electroplating device performs electroplating.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a method of electroplating using the electroplating apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, the method comprising:

respectively fixing a display substrate to be processed in each processing station;

in response to an electroplating instruction, adjusting the voltage of the first power supply connected to the first connection terminal so that the voltage of the first power supply connected to the first connection terminal is set to be smaller than the voltage of the first power supply connected to the second connection terminal;

and powering on the first power supply in response to the electroplating instruction to form electroplated metal on the display substrate.

Further, the electroplating device also comprises an electroplated metal detection circuit connected with the electroplating plate, and the electroplated metal detection circuit comprises an electroplated metal voltage detection circuit, an electroplated metal current detection circuit and a control switch; a second power supply;

the method may further comprise the steps of,

responding to the detection instruction to switch and control the control switch, and detecting a voltage value corresponding to the electroplated metal formed on each display substrate by utilizing an electroplated metal voltage detection circuit;

responding to the detection instruction to switch and control the control switch, and detecting a current value corresponding to the electroplated metal formed on each display substrate by utilizing a voltage metal voltage detection circuit;

and determining the resistance value of the electroplated metal according to the voltage value and the current value.

Further, the method further comprises the following steps:

determining the resistance values of all display substrates in the electroplating process, and obtaining an electroplating average value according to the resistance values;

adjusting the voltage value of a first power supply connected with the display substrate according to the comparison result of the resistance value and the electroplating average value, wherein,

if the resistance value is smaller than the electroplating average value, reducing the voltage value of the first power supply;

and if the resistance value is larger than the electroplating average value, increasing the voltage value of the first power supply.

The beneficial effects of the invention are as follows:

in the embodiment of the invention, the plurality of conductive rings are arranged in the conductive area, and the connection mode of the nodes of the conductive rings and the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal and the connection mode of the display substrate and the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal are designed, so that the current collecting ring can be formed in the electroplating process to change the magnetic field distribution around each display substrate, thereby improving the electroplating uniformity.

Drawings

The following describes the embodiments of the present invention in further detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1a and 1b are schematic views each showing a related art electroplating process of a thick copper metal wire;

FIG. 2a shows a related art plating cell model;

FIG. 2b shows a three-dimensional distribution model of electric field lines of the plating cell model shown in FIG. 2 a;

FIG. 2c shows a schematic view of the plating thickness distribution of the plating sample shown in FIG. 2 a;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the structure of a plating plate according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4 a-4 c are schematic diagrams showing the electric field distribution where the width of different dummy metal lines affects the plated metal;

FIG. 5 is a graph showing data for different dummy metal line widths versus plated metal thickness;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of electric fields where dummy metal lines of a ring structure affect plated metal;

FIGS. 7 a-7 c are schematic diagrams showing electric field distribution where distances between boundaries of different dummy metal lines and plated metal affect the plated metal;

FIG. 8 is a graph showing data relating the distance of the boundaries of different dummy metal lines and plated metal to the thickness of the plated metal;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the structure of an electroplating apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an electroplating processing circuit of the electroplating apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 shows an equivalent schematic of the electroplating processing circuit shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a metal plating detection circuit of the plating apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing connection of a plated metal detection circuit corresponding to an exemplary one of the display substrates;

FIG. 14 shows an equivalent schematic diagram of the electroplated metal detection circuit depicted in FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing the overall circuit configuration of an electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16 shows an equivalent schematic of the circuit configuration schematic shown in fig. 15;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing steps of a method of performing electroplating according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to more clearly illustrate the present invention, the present invention will be further described with reference to examples and drawings. Like parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals. It is to be understood by persons skilled in the art that the following detailed description is illustrative and not restrictive, and that this invention is not limited to the details given herein.

The thick copper metal lines may be fabricated by a 'seed layer fabrication→copper plating→etching' method as shown in fig. 1a or by a 'seed layer fabrication→photoresist patterning/etching→copper plating' method as shown in fig. 1 b. The copper etching has certain precision limit, the etching boundary is not smooth, and the etching efficiency is lower; the latter causes electric field lines to gather at the edge positions of the metal lines and the edge positions of the circuit board lines due to the current clustering effect, and the edge copper plating thickness is thicker than the middle thickness along with the electroplating, so that the problem of electroplating uniformity is caused.

Experiments and researches by the inventor propose that the reasons for influencing the electroplating uniformity are as follows: fig. 2a shows a conventional electroplating cell model, fig. 2a shows a three-dimensional distribution model of electric field lines of the electroplating cell model shown in fig. 2b, and after the anode and the cathode are connected to a power supply, the electric field lines are distributed from the anode to the cathode, and fig. 2c shows a schematic diagram of the electroplating thickness distribution of the electroplating sample shown in fig. 2 a.

As shown in fig. 2b, the electric field lines in the middle region are distributed sparsely, and the electric field lines on the edge side are distributed more densely than the metal lines in the middle, so that as the electroplating proceeds, the metal lines are electroplated thicker at the edge position where the electric field lines are distributed densely, and the metal lines are electroplated thinner at the position where the electric field lines are distributed sparsely, resulting in a problem of electroplating uniformity.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 3, the embodiment of the invention provides a plating plate, a plating apparatus and a manufacturing method, so as to solve the problems of the above embodiments.

As shown in fig. 3, a first embodiment of the present invention proposes a plating plate including: a containment zone AA and an annular zone BB surrounding said containment zone AA,

the plating plate includes:

the substrate 10 is provided with a plurality of spacers,

a plurality of processing sites 11 for fixing display substrates 20 in the accommodating area AA, wherein the display substrates 20 comprise a first processing end 21 and a second processing end 22;

a connection terminal 12 located at an edge position of the annular region BB for accessing an electrical signal, the connection terminal including a first connection terminal 121 and a plurality of second connection terminals 122, the second connection terminals 122 being in one-to-one correspondence with the first processing ends 21;

a plurality of sequentially sleeved conductive rings 13 located in the annular region BB, the conductive rings 13 including a first conductive ring 131 and a plurality of second conductive rings 132;

the first node 131A of the first conductive ring 131 is connected to the first connection terminal 121, the other second node 131B of the first conductive ring 131 is connected to the second processing end 22 of each display substrate 20,

the second connection terminal 122 is connected to the first processed end 21 of each display substrate 20 through a connection line 14 or connected to the first processed end 21 of each display substrate 20 through a node connected to the second conductive ring 132.

In the embodiment of the invention, by arranging a plurality of conductive rings 13 in the conductive area and designing the connection mode of the nodes of the conductive rings 13 and the first connection terminal 121 and the second connection terminal 122 and the connection mode of the display substrate 20 and the first connection terminal 121 and the second connection terminal 122, a current collecting ring can be formed in the electroplating process to change the magnetic field distribution around each display substrate 20, thereby improving the electroplating uniformity.

The embodiment of the invention concludes that the conducting ring 13 can improve the magnetic field distribution by the following tests:

a dummy metal line, i.e., a dummy metal line, is placed over the plated metal such that the metal at the edge is in the same electric field environment as the internal metal.

In a specific example, the distance between the lower boundary of the dummy metal line and the upper boundary of the plated metal is set to be 0.15mm, the width of the dummy metal line is gradually increased, and by taking the example that the plating thickness is set to be 10mm, schematic diagrams of changing the electric field distribution by changing the width of the dummy metal line are shown in fig. 4a to 4 c.

In order to quantify the uniformity of the plated metal, as shown in fig. 5, the root mean square error of the maximum thickness, the minimum thickness, the average thickness, and the plated thickness on the plated metal line after the end of plating was counted.

The horizontal axis in FIG. 5 represents the width of the dummy wire in mm; the vertical axis represents the root mean square error of the maximum thickness, minimum thickness, average thickness, and plating thickness of the maximum plated metal. Simulation results show that when the distance between the dummy metal and the plated metal is constant, the maximum value and the minimum value of the thickness of the plated metal are continuously increased along with the increase of the width of the dummy metal, and meanwhile, the root mean square error of the plated thickness is also increased, namely, the plated uniformity is deteriorated.

Therefore, the uniformity can be improved by arranging the dummy metal wire on each side of the electroplated metal. Illustratively, after providing a dummy metal line having a ring-shaped structure, the electric field distribution is as shown in fig. 6, and it can be found that the uniformity of a plurality of plated metals is improved.

Therefore, the uniformity can be improved by arranging the dummy metal wire on each side of the electroplated metal.

Based on the above arrangement, the embodiment of the present invention provides a plurality of conductive rings 13 which are sequentially sleeved and connects the first node 131A of the first conductive ring 131 with the first connection terminal 121, the other second node 131B of the first conductive ring 131 is connected with the second processing end 22 of each display substrate 20, the second connection terminal 122 is connected with the first processing end 21 of each display substrate 20 through the connection line 14, or the node connecting the second conductive ring 132 is connected with the first processing end 21 of each display substrate 20, thereby forming a current collecting ring, and the current collecting effect of the edge side of the plated metal can be improved to improve the plating uniformity.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, each of the second conductive rings 132 is in a ring structure in front projection of the substrate 10, and a plurality of the second conductive rings 132 are sequentially arranged around the front projection of the substrate 10, in this embodiment, a plurality of conductive ring structures are arranged, so as to further improve electroplating uniformity.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the manner in which the second connection terminal 122 is connected to the first processing end 21 of each display substrate 20 is not the only manner, one is that the second connection terminal 122 is directly connected to the first processing end 21 of the display substrate 20 through the connection wire 14, the other is that a part of the metal trace of the conductive ring 13 is used as the connection wire 14 to connect the first processing end 21 of the display substrate 20, in a specific example, the second conductive ring 132 includes a third node 122C connected to the second connection terminal 122 and a fourth node 122D connected to the first processing end 21, and in the same second conductive ring 132, the conductive metal between the third node 122C and the fourth node 122D is used as the connection wire 14 connecting the first connection terminal 121 and the first processing end 21, and through this arrangement, multiplexing of the connection wire 14 is achieved, so as to reduce the complexity of the trace.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, the second connection terminals 122 are arranged in an array along a first direction,

the plurality of processing stations 11 comprises an axisymmetric arrangement along an axis parallel to said first direction,

in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second processing ends 22 of two adjacent display substrates 20 are disposed opposite.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the first direction is a row direction, the second direction is a column direction, and the 6 display substrates 20 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the axis of the transverse row direction, and in this structure, the 6 display substrates 20 include two rows of 3 each, in this embodiment, the number of the second conductive rings 132 is the same as the number of the display substrates 20 in the first direction, that is, the number of the second conductive rings 132 is 3.

With this arrangement, the display substrates 20 in the first row can be directly connected to the second connection terminals 122, while the display substrates 20 in the second row serve as the connection lines 14 through the conductive metal of the corresponding conductive ring 13, and multiplexing of the connection lines 14 is achieved by this arrangement, so that wiring complexity is reduced.

Further, in an alternative embodiment, the first conductive ring 131 includes a fifth node 131E, located at an opposite side to the second node 131B,

the second node 131B and the fifth node 131E are connected by a connection line 14, and by this arrangement, the connection line 14 connects the first connection terminal 121 and the first processing end 21 by using the connection line 14 connecting the second node 131B and the fifth node 131E, and the conductive metal of the connection line 14 and the first conductive ring 131 is used to form a current loop, so that the monitoring of the electroplating process by using the electroplating plate can be performed later.

In an alternative embodiment, the distance between the display substrate and the second conductive ring located at the innermost side of the collar is determined according to the design size of the display panel, the plating thickness, the plating solution concentration, and the electric field strength. The distance between the site 11 to be machined and the smallest second conducting ring 132 is set.

In a specific example, as shown in fig. 5, in monitoring the plating thickness for the variation in the dummy wire width based on the foregoing embodiment, when the dummy wire width is 0.1mm, the average value (10.01 mm) of the plating thickness is closest to the target plating value (10 mm) while the root mean square error of the plating thickness is also relatively small, and thus, in a preferred embodiment, the widths of the first conductive ring 131 and the second conductive ring 132 are 0.1mm.

Further, the distance between the boundary of the first conductive ring 131 near the display substrate 20 (or the processing site 11) and the boundary of the display substrate 20 (or the processing site 11) is designed according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In a specific example, when the width of the orthographic projection of the first conductive ring 131 on the substrate is not changed, the distance between the boundary of the first conductive ring 131 near the display substrate 20 and the display substrate 20 is gradually increased, and the influence of the distance between the boundary of the first conductive ring 131 near the display substrate 20 and the display substrate 20 on the plating uniformity is illustrated in fig. 7a to 7 c.

As a result of simulation, as shown in fig. 8, when the width of the orthographic projection of the first conductive ring 131 on the substrate is not changed, the distance between the boundary of the first conductive ring 131 near the display substrate 20 and the display substrate 20 is gradually increased, the maximum thickness of the plated metal is reduced, the minimum thickness variation is not large, and the root mean square error of the plated thickness tends to decrease first and then increase, in a specific example, when the distance between the boundary of the conductive ring 13 near the display substrate 20 and the display substrate 20 is 0.1mm or 0.15mm, the root mean square error of the plated thickness is minimum, that is, the plated uniformity is the best.

In one specific example, the plated metal line has a maximum thickness of 12.36mm, a minimum thickness of 8.9mm, an average thickness of 10.05mm, and a plated thickness root mean square error of 0.69, as compared to the thickness distribution diagram shown in fig. 2 c.

Based on the structural design of the plating plate of this embodiment, the maximum thickness of the plated metal wire is 11.05mm, the minimum thickness is 8.19mm, the average thickness is 9.2mm, the root mean square error of the plated thickness is 0.579, and the plating uniformity is improved to a great extent.

Further, the embodiment of the present invention designs a plating apparatus using the plating plate of the above embodiment, as a plating apparatus 3 shown in fig. 9 to 16, comprising:

a plating anode 31, a plurality of first power sources 32 (not shown in fig. 9), and a plating plate 1 according to the above embodiment of the invention, a second connection terminal 122 of the plating plate serving as a plating cathode of the plating apparatus,

the first power supply 32 includes a first negative electrode 321 and a first positive electrode 322, each first negative electrode 321 is respectively connected to the first connection terminal 121 (PIN 1) and each second connection terminal 122 (PIN 2 to PIN 7), and all the first positive electrodes 322 are connected to the electroplating anode 31;

the voltage of the first power source 32 connected to the first connection terminal 121 is smaller than the voltage of the first power source 32 connected to the second connection terminal 122.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, in the embodiment of the present invention, each display substrate 20 is connected to a first negative electrode 321 of one first power supply 32, and a first positive electrode 322 is connected to a plating anode 31, so that a plurality of plating processes of the display substrates 20 are simultaneously performed, and the voltage of the first power supply 32 connected to the first connection terminal 121 is smaller than the voltage of the first power supply 32 connected to the second connection terminal 122, and each first power supply 32 is connected to the display substrate 20 through the second connection terminal 122, so that a plurality of independent and complete plating processing circuits are formed through the circuit structure design of the circuit board.

As shown in fig. 11, in the electroplating process, after each first power supply 32 is energized, a circuit between the first connection terminal 121 and the first power supply 32 is conducted, and a circuit between the second connection terminal 122 and the first power supply 32 is conducted, so that each independent electroplating circuit is formed. Further, in an alternative embodiment, an ammeter is provided between the second connection terminal 122 and the first negative electrode 321 of the first power source 32 to monitor the current during the electroplating process, thereby monitoring the electroplating process.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 12, the plating apparatus further includes a plated metal detection circuit connected to the plating plate, comprising:

a plated metal voltage detection circuit for detecting a voltage of plated metal generated when each of the display substrates 20 is plated;

a plating metal current detecting circuit for detecting a current of a plating metal generated when each of the display substrates 20 is plated;

a control switch 34 for switching the metal plating voltage detection circuit and the metal plating current detection circuit; and

and a second power supply 33 for supplying power to the metal plating voltage detection circuit and the metal plating current detection circuit.

In the embodiment of the invention, the plating thickness process precision is tested by using the plating metal detection circuit, the resistance of the plating metal formed on each display substrate 20 is determined by using the plating metal voltage detection circuit and the plating metal current detection circuit, and whether the current plating process of the display substrate 20 has uniformity is judged by the resistance.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 12, the control switch 34 includes:

a first switch 341 connected to the first connection terminal 121, the first switch 341 including a first selection terminal a connected to a voltmeter, the other end of which is connected to the second negative electrode 331, and a second selection terminal b connected to the second negative electrode 331 of the second power supply 33 through a connection line 14;

and second switches 342 connected to each of the second connection terminals 122 one by one, the second switches 342 including a third selection terminal c connected to an ammeter, the other end of the ammeter being connected to a second positive electrode of the second power supply 33.

The first switch 341 and the second switch 342 are utilized, each selection end of the first switch 341 is designed, and each selection end of the second switch 342 is designed, so that the switching of the voltage detection circuit and the current detection circuit is realized, and the sharing of part of circuits in the two circuits is realized by utilizing the first switch 341 and the second switch 342, so that the circuit structure is simplified.

Under the circuit structure of this embodiment, the relationship between the control states of the control switch and the electroplated metal voltage detection circuit and the electroplated metal current detection circuit is:

in an alternative embodiment of the present invention,

as shown in fig. 13, when the first selection terminal a of the first switch 341 is in a closed state, the third selection terminal c of any one of the second switches 342 is in a closed state, and the third selection terminals c of the other second switches 342 are in an open state, a metal plating voltage detection circuit for detecting the metal plating formed on the display substrate 20 corresponding to the second switch 342 in the closed state is formed;

as shown in fig. 14, when the second selection terminal b of the first switch 341 is in the closed state, the third selection terminal c of any one of the second switches 342 is in the closed state, and the third selection terminals c of the other second switches 342 are in the open state, a metal plating current detection circuit for detecting the metal plating formed on the display substrate 20 corresponding to the second switch 342 in the closed state is formed.

As shown in fig. 12, 13 and 14, the 6 display substrates 20 correspond to 6 second connection terminals 122pin2 to pin7, each second connection terminal 122 is connected to one second switch 342, and the first connection terminal 121 is connected to the first switch 341.

By applying voltages between pin1 and pin2, pin1 and pin3, pin1 and pin4, pin1 and pin5, pin1 and pin6, and pin1 and pin7, the voltage and current of the corresponding display substrate 20 can be tested, and the resistance of the display substrate 20 can be determined.

In a specific example, as shown in fig. 13, the first switch 341 is disposed at the first selection terminal a, the third selection terminal c of the second switch 342 corresponding to pin2 is in a closed state, and the second switches 342 corresponding to pins 3 to pin7 are all in an open state, so as to form a voltage detection circuit for measuring the voltage of the display substrate 20 corresponding to pin 2.

In a specific example, as shown in fig. 14, the first switch 341 is disposed at the second selection terminal b, the third selection terminal c of the second switch 342s2 is in a closed state, the current flowing through the display substrate 20 is tested, and the second switches 342 corresponding to pins 3 to pin7 are all in an open state, so as to form a current detection circuit for measuring the current of the display substrate 20 corresponding to pin 2. Further, the resistance value of the display substrate 20 is calculated using the formula r=u/I.

The other circuit-on structures of the voltage and current of the display substrate 20 are similar, and will not be described here again. In an alternative embodiment, the thickness of the plated metal of the display substrate 20 is inversely proportional to the resistance.

The calculation formula of the resistance is R=ρ×L/S=ρ×L/(w×t), wherein ρ is resistivity, L is resistance length, S is resistance cross-sectional area, w is section length of equivalent resistance, and t is section width of equivalent resistance, namely, electroplated metal thickness.

The magnitude of the conductivity ρ can be known from the plating material, and since the patterns between different display substrates 20 are identical, the equivalent L and the equivalent W between different display substrates 20 are identical, and thus the magnitude of the resistance can be used to characterize the difference in plating thickness of the display substrates 20, the relationship between the thickness and the resistance can be determined by the mapping relationship through the actual mass production application.

In a specific example, based on the above formula, the larger the resistance value, the smaller the thickness t; the smaller the resistance value is, the larger the thickness is, and therefore, whether the thickness of the plated metal is in a normal state or not can be determined according to the resistance value of the resistor.

In an alternative embodiment, determining resistance values of all display substrates in the electroplating process, obtaining an electroplating average value according to the resistance values, and reducing the voltage value of the first power supply if the resistance values are smaller than the electroplating average value in comparison of the resistance values and the electroplating average value; and if the resistance value is larger than the electroplating average value, increasing the voltage value of the first power supply.

That is, when the resistance value is larger than the average value of the tested resistances of all the display substrates, it is indicated that the plating thickness of the display substrate is smaller than the average plating thickness, and at this time, the voltage difference between the display substrate and the plating anode needs to be increased, that is, the voltage of the corresponding first power supply needs to be increased to increase the plating speed; in contrast, when the resistance value is smaller than the average value, it is indicated that the plating thickness is large, and it is necessary to reduce the voltage difference between the display substrate and the anode, that is, to reduce the voltage of the corresponding first power source to reduce the plating speed, and by this arrangement, uniformity in the rate is achieved for a plurality of simultaneously plated display substrates.

In an alternative embodiment, the equivalent resistance length L, S of the display substrate 20, the resistance cross-sectional area, and the equivalent resistance cross-sectional length w of the display substrate 20 according to the present invention are designed according to the design requirements of the plating metal of the display substrate 20.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 15 and 16, the first switch 341 further includes a fourth selection terminal d, electrically connected to the first negative electrode 321 of the first power source 32 connected to the first connection terminal 121,

the second switch 342 further includes a fifth selection terminal e electrically connected to the first negative electrode 321 of the first power source 32 connected to the second connection terminal 122.

The present invention designs the dual selection terminal of the first switch 341 as a three selection terminal and sets the second switch 342 as a dual selection terminal including the third selection terminal c and the fifth selection terminal e, thereby realizing multiplexing of part of the circuits of the normal electroplating processing circuit and the resistance detection circuit to simplify the circuits.

In an alternative embodiment, when the fourth selection terminal d of the first switch 341 is in the closed state and all the fifth selection terminals e are in the closed state, the electroplating device performs electroplating, and at this time, as in the previous embodiment, each of the first power sources 32 is energized to form each independent electroplating circuit.

In an alternative embodiment, the electroplating processing period and the resistance detection period are in different periods, i.e. the normal electroplating process of the present embodiment cannot be performed simultaneously with the thickness detection of the electroplated metal, but the corresponding process is performed in different periods. The setting of the electroplating processing period and the resistance detection period is designed by a person skilled in the art according to practical application, and will not be described herein.

According to the electroplating device disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, on one hand, the current collecting ring can be formed in the electroplating process through the structural design of the electroplating plate, so that the current clustering effect is reduced, and the electroplating uniformity is improved; on the other hand, through the circuit design between each structure of electroplating plate and evaporation device, through carrying out resistance test to different display substrates 20, calculate electroplating thickness according to resistance test result, reach the purpose of electroplating thickness control. Meanwhile, according to the plating thickness monitoring result, the voltage of the first power supply 32 corresponding to the display substrate 20 is adjusted, so that the plating speed is adjusted, and therefore, all the display substrates 20 can be uniformly plated, and the plating uniformity in the plating process is improved.

Based on the foregoing embodiments, as shown in fig. 17, another embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for electroplating using the electroplating apparatus of the foregoing embodiments, the method comprising:

fixing the display substrate 20 to be processed in each processing station 11 respectively;

in response to a plating instruction, adjusting the voltage of the first power source 32 connected to the first connection terminal 121 such that the voltage of the first power source 32 connected to the first connection terminal 121 is set to be smaller than the voltage of the first power source 32 connected to the second connection terminal 122;

the first power source 32 is energized in response to a plating instruction to form a plated metal on the display substrate 20.

In this embodiment, in response to the plating instruction, the processing of the display substrates 20 can be performed simultaneously by using the circuit design of each component and the plating plate in the plating apparatus, and the current collecting effect can be improved by using the plurality of conductive rings 13 on the plating plate during the plating process, so as to improve the thickness uniformity of the plated metal formed on the display substrates 20.

The circuit utilized in the electroplating method of the present embodiment may refer to the connection relationship and the working principle of the foregoing embodiment, and will not be described herein.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 12, the plating apparatus further includes a plated metal detection circuit connected to the plating plate, including a plated metal voltage detection circuit, a plated metal current detection circuit, and a control switch; a second power supply 33;

the method may further comprise the steps of,

the control switch is controlled in response to the detection instruction, and a voltage value corresponding to the electroplated metal formed on each display substrate 20 is detected by utilizing an electroplated metal voltage detection circuit;

the control switch is controlled in response to the detection instruction, and a voltage metal voltage detection circuit is utilized to detect a current value corresponding to the electroplated metal formed on each display substrate 20;

and determining the resistance value of the electroplated metal according to the voltage value and the current value.

In this embodiment, on the basis of performing a normal electroplating process based on the electroplating processing circuit, the embodiment of the invention further designs an electroplated metal detection circuit, which can detect the voltage and the current of the electroplated metal respectively, and determine the resistance value of the electroplated metal according to the voltage value and the current value, thereby realizing the thickness detection of electroplating and timely finding the display substrate 20 with abnormal electroplating thickness in the electroplating process.

Further, based on the above process, the embodiment of the present invention further proposes an adjustment scheme for adjusting by using a resistance value, and in an optional embodiment, the method further includes:

in an alternative embodiment, determining resistance values of all display substrates in the electroplating process, obtaining an electroplating average value according to the resistance values, and reducing the voltage value of the first power supply if the resistance values are smaller than the electroplating average value in comparison of the resistance values and the electroplating average value; and if the resistance value is larger than the electroplating average value, increasing the voltage value of the first power supply.

Through the process, the abnormal display substrate 20 with the electroplating effect different from that of other display substrates 20 can be adjusted, and the increase or decrease of the electroplating speed of the abnormal display panel is realized by adjusting the voltage value of the abnormal display panel, so that the uniformity of a plurality of display substrates 20 which are electroplated at the same time in the electroplating speed is realized.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the process and the principle of the electroplating method can be referred to the electroplating plate and the electroplating apparatus of the foregoing embodiment, and will not be described herein.

In the description of the present invention, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

It should be understood that the foregoing examples of the present invention are provided merely for clearly illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention, and that various other changes and modifications may be made therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1. An electroplating plate, comprising: a receiving area and an annular area surrounding the receiving area,

the plating plate includes:

the substrate is provided with a plurality of grooves,

the processing positions are positioned in the accommodating area and used for fixing the display substrate, and the display substrate comprises a first processing end and a second processing end;

the connecting terminals are positioned at the edge positions of the annular area and used for accessing electric signals, and comprise a first connecting terminal and a plurality of second connecting terminals, and the number of the second connecting terminals corresponds to the number of the display substrates;

a plurality of sequentially sleeved conductive rings positioned in the annular region, wherein the conductive rings comprise a first conductive ring and a plurality of second conductive rings;

a first node of the first conductive ring is connected with the first connecting terminal, another second node of the first conductive ring is connected with the second processing end of each display substrate,

the second connection terminal is connected with the first processing end of each display substrate through a connecting wire or connected to the first processing end of each display substrate through a node connected with the second conductive ring.

2. The plating plate as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said second conductive rings has a ring-shaped structure in front projection of said substrate, and a plurality of said second conductive rings are arranged in turn around said second connection terminals in front projection of said substrate to be connected to said first processing end of each display substrate by connecting nodes of said second conductive rings,

the second conductive ring comprises a third node connected with the second connecting terminal and a fourth node connected with the first processing end,

in the same second conductive ring, the conductive metal between the third node and the fourth node is used as a connecting wire for connecting the first connecting terminal and the first processing end.

3. The plating plate as recited in claim 2, wherein,

the second connection terminals are arranged in an array along a first direction,

the plurality of processing stations includes a plurality of processing stations disposed axisymmetrically along an axis parallel to the first direction,

in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, second processing ends of two adjacent display substrates are oppositely arranged,

the first conductive ring includes a fifth node located at an edge opposite to an edge where the second node is located,

the second node and the fifth node are connected through a connecting line, the processing position adjacent to the orthographic projection of the connecting line on the substrate in the second direction is positioned in the clearance of the orthographic projection of the substrate,

the second processing end of each display substrate is respectively connected with the point position of the connecting line.

4. The plating plate as recited in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

and determining the distance between the display substrate and the second conductive ring positioned at the innermost side of the ring sleeve according to the design size, the electroplating thickness, the electroplating solution concentration and the electric field intensity of the display panel.

5. An electroplating apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

an electroplating anode, a plurality of first power sources and the electroplating plate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second connection terminal of the electroplating plate is used as an electroplating cathode of the electroplating device,

the first power supply comprises a first negative electrode and a first positive electrode, each first negative electrode is connected with the first connecting terminal and each second connecting terminal respectively, and all the first positive electrodes are connected to the electroplating anode;

the voltage of the first power supply connected to the first connection terminal is smaller than the voltage of the first power supply connected to the second connection terminal.

6. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electroplating apparatus comprises a plurality of electroplating cells,

the plating apparatus further includes a plated metal detection circuit connected to the plating plate, including:

a metal plating voltage detection circuit for detecting a voltage of a metal plating generated when each of the display substrates is plated;

a metal plating current detection circuit for detecting a metal plating current generated when each of the display substrates is plated;

a control switch for switching the electroplated metal voltage detection circuit and the electroplated metal current detection circuit; and

and the second power supply is used for supplying power to the electroplated metal voltage detection circuit and the electroplated metal current detection circuit.

7. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said control switch comprises:

a first switch connected to the first connection terminal, the first switch including a first selection terminal connected to a voltmeter and a second selection terminal connected to a second negative electrode of the second power supply through a connection line, the other end of the voltmeter being connected to the second negative electrode;

and the second switches are connected with each second connecting terminal one by one, each second switch comprises a third selecting end connected with the ammeter, and the other end of the ammeter is connected to a second positive electrode of the second power supply.

8. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein,

when the first selection end of the first switch is in a closed state, the third selection end of any second switch is in a closed state, and the third selection ends of other second switches are in an open state, an electroplated metal voltage detection circuit for detecting electroplated metal formed on a display substrate corresponding to the second switch in the closed state is formed;

when the second selection end of the first switch is in a closed state, the third selection end of any second switch is in a closed state, and the third selection ends of other second switches are in an open state, an electroplated metal current detection circuit for detecting electroplated metal formed on the display substrate corresponding to the second switch in the closed state is formed.

9. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein,

the first switch further includes a fourth selection terminal electrically connected to a first negative electrode of the first power source connected to the first connection terminal,

the second switch further includes a fifth selection terminal electrically connected to a first negative electrode of the first power source connected to the second connection terminal.

10. The plating apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said plating apparatus performs plating while the fourth selection terminal of the first switch is in the closed state and all of the fifth selection terminals are in the closed state.

11. A method of electroplating using the electroplating apparatus of any one of claims 5 to 10, the method comprising:

respectively fixing a display substrate to be processed in each processing station;

in response to an electroplating instruction, adjusting the voltage of the first power supply connected to the first connection terminal so that the voltage of the first power supply connected to the first connection terminal is set to be smaller than the voltage of the first power supply connected to the second connection terminal;

and powering on the first power supply in response to the electroplating instruction to form electroplated metal on the display substrate.

12. The plating method as recited in claim 11, wherein said plating apparatus further comprises a plated metal detecting circuit connected to said plating plate, comprising a plated metal voltage detecting circuit, a plated metal current detecting circuit, a control switch, and a second power supply;

the method may further comprise the steps of,

responding to the detection instruction to switch and control the control switch, and detecting a voltage value corresponding to the electroplated metal formed on each display substrate by utilizing an electroplated metal voltage detection circuit;

responding to the detection instruction to switch and control the control switch, and detecting a current value corresponding to the electroplated metal formed on each display substrate by utilizing a voltage metal voltage detection circuit;

and determining the resistance value of the electroplated metal according to the voltage value and the current value.

13. The plating method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

determining the resistance values of all display substrates in the electroplating process, and obtaining an electroplating average value according to the resistance values;

adjusting the voltage value of a first power supply connected with the display substrate according to the comparison result of the resistance value and the electroplating average value, wherein,

if the resistance value is smaller than the electroplating average value, reducing the voltage value of the first power supply;

and if the resistance value is larger than the electroplating average value, increasing the voltage value of the first power supply.

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