JP7105490B2 - Plating solution adjuster - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plating solution adjusting apparatus that adjusts the properties of the plating solution within control values by adding components necessary for plating while circulating the plating solution used in the plating tank.

Conventionally, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-76567, a plating bath for plating, a pH and temperature measuring device provided to stabilize the conditions of the plating solution, and a measuring device provided to prevent the influence of the measuring device on the plating. and an overflow plate for removing foreign matter in the plating bath generated by the plating work, feeding back the measurement result of the plating solution, and adjusting the pH and temperature of the plating solution. A circulation plating apparatus is disclosed which consists of a tank.

In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-162078 discloses copper plating using a plating apparatus equipped with an insoluble anode, an object to be plated serving as a cathode, and a plating bath filled with an electrolytic solution containing, for example, copper sulfate and free sulfuric acid. At that time, the wavelength of the measurement light is 500 nm or more, preferably by a colorimeter set to 540 nm to detect the concentration of copper in the plating bath, and based on the detected value, a replenisher such as copper oxide is replenished. A configured copper plating apparatus is disclosed.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-76567 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-162078

However, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the measuring device is provided in the plating tank, and there is a problem that the plating tank becomes narrower accordingly. Also, although an overflow plate is provided, the overflow plate is for removing foreign substances in the plating bath, and the problem is different from that of the first partition plate and the second partition plate of the present invention.

In addition, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, the colorimeter is provided independently of the plating tank, so there is no problem as in Patent Document 1 above. However, a separate pump is required to circulate the plating solution through the colorimeter, which complicates the configuration of the apparatus.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above points. By incorporating the measuring device into the plating solution adjusting device, the volume of the plating bath can be maintained without sacrificing the volume of the plating bath. It is an object of the present invention to provide a plating solution adjusting device capable of minimizing the number of pumps for transferring the plating solution by causing the transfer of the plating solution to overflow the first partition plate and the second partition plate. . Another object of the present invention is to provide a plating solution adjusting apparatus that can be retrofitted to an existing plating apparatus.

The plating solution adjusting device of the present invention is
A plating solution adjusting device that adjusts by adding components necessary for plating while circulating the plating solution used in the plating tank,
a pump for transferring the plating solution from the plating tank through a transfer pipe;
a measuring tank for storing the transferred plating solution and equipped with a measuring device to measure the components of the plating solution;
an addition tank for storing the plating solution overflowing from the measurement tank through the first partition plate and for adding the component based on the results measured by the measuring device;
a return tank for returning the plating solution overflowing from the addition tank through a second partition plate to the plating tank through a return pipe;
characterized by comprising

According to the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention, the plating solution is transferred to the measurement tank independent of the plating tank to measure the components of the plating solution. Therefore, the volume of the plating tank is not sacrificed. Further, the addition tank for adding the components necessary for plating is separated from the measurement tank by the first partition plate, and the plating solution overflowing the first partition plate falls from the measurement tank and flows into the addition tank. Therefore, the components of the added plating solution do not affect the measuring tank and the measuring device. Furthermore, no pump is required to transfer the plating solution from the measurement tank to the addition tank. Also, the plating solution whose components have been adjusted is overflowed by the second partition plate, transferred to the return tank, and then returned to the plating tank. For this reason, the added components are diffused during circulation in the addition tank and when overflowing from the second partition plate, and the plating solution containing partially concentrated components does not return to the plating tank, and plating in the plating tank is prevented. There is no deviation in the concentration distribution of the liquid. Furthermore, a pump for transferring the plating solution from the addition tank to the return tank is also unnecessary.

A preferable example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention is
In the addition tank, the added components are agitated by convection of the plating solution falling from the first partition plate.

According to a preferred example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention, the flow of the plating solution falling from the first partition plate is used for stirring the plating solution in the addition tank, so a stirring screw or the like is not required.

A preferable example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention is
A part of the upper end of the first partition plate is provided with an overflow portion that is low.

According to a preferred example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention, since the plating solution adjusting apparatus is provided with the overflow portion, the plating solution transferred from the measurement tank to the addition tank via the first partition plate mainly passes through the overflow portion. As a result, the momentum of the plating solution that overflows the first partition plate is partially increased, and the plating solution in the addition tank can be stirred more effectively.

A preferable example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention is
The return bath is arranged at a position higher than the liquid surface of the plating bath, and the return of the plating solution from the return bath is performed by gravity.

According to a preferred example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention, the return of the plating solution from the return bath to the plating bath is performed by gravity, so a pump for returning the plating solution is not required.

A preferable example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention is
The return pipe is provided on the bottom surface of the return tank, and the return pipe is branched in the horizontal direction and the downward direction, the horizontal side is returned to the plating tank, and the downward side is provided with a sampling valve. characterized by

According to a preferred example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention, since the return pipe is provided on the bottom surface of the return tank, the plating solution overflowing from the addition tank can be quickly returned to the plating tank. In addition, since the return pipe is branched and the sampling valve is provided downward, the plating solution returned to the plating tank can be easily sampled.

A preferable example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention is
An ultrasonic cleaning machine is provided in the measuring tank to clean the measuring device.

According to a preferred example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention, the measuring device is cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner, so that foreign matter adhering to the measuring device can be removed. Further, since the first partition plate separates the addition tank from the addition tank, the removed foreign matter does not flow into the addition tank.

A preferable example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention is
The pump is a circulation pump for a filtration device connected to the plating bath, and a pipe is branched from the circulation pump, one pipe is used as the transfer pipe, and the other pipe is a pipe for the filtration device. It is characterized by

According to a preferred example of the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention, since the plating solution adjusting apparatus is branched from the circulation pump for the filtration apparatus, it can be easily retrofitted to the existing plating apparatus.

As described above, according to the plating solution adjusting apparatus of the present invention, the volume of the plating bath is not sacrificed by incorporating the measuring device. In addition, the number of pumps for transferring the plating solution is minimized by overflowing the first partition plate and the second partition plate to transfer the plating solution from the measurement tank to the addition tank and from the addition tank to the return tank. be able to. Another effect of the present invention is that the plating solution adjusting apparatus can be retrofitted to an existing plating apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating connections between a plating solution adjusting apparatus, a plating tank, and a filtering apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a front view of a plating solution adjusting device; FIG. FIG. 3 is a right side view of the plating solution adjusting device; It is a figure explaining operation|movement of a plating solution adjustment apparatus. It is a figure explaining other forms of a 1st partition plate.

An embodiment of a plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 2 and 4, the interiors of the measurement tank 31, the addition tank 32, and the return tank 33 are described with the front plates removed.

First, with reference to FIG. 1, the connection between the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the plating bath 3 and the filtering apparatus 4 will be described. In general, the plating tank 3 is provided with a plating solution circulation pump 5 and a filtering device 4 for filtering the plating solution stored therein. The circulation pump 5 circulates the plating solution through the filtering device 4 to remove foreign substances generated in the plating solution. Then, the plating solution that has passed through the filtering device 4 is returned to the plating bath 3 .

The plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is branched by providing a branch pipe 6 in the pipe from the outlet of the circulation pump 5, and one pipe is used as the transfer pipe 20 in the main body portion of the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1. , and the other pipe is connected to the filtering device 4 . By using the circulation pump 5 for the filtering device 4 in this manner, retrofitting to the existing plating device 2 is facilitated. The plating solution that has passed through the main body of the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 is returned to the plating bath 3 through a return pipe 50 . The main body of the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 means the lower frame 10, the upper frame 12, the control unit 13, the circulation tank 30, and the devices and parts associated therewith shown in FIG.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the configuration of the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. The plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a lower frame 10, an upper frame 12, a control unit 13, a pump 5 (see FIG. 1), a transfer pipe 20, a circulation tank 30, and a return pipe 50. Prepare. The circulation tank 30 also includes a measurement tank 31 , an addition tank 32 , and a return tank 33 .

The lower frame 10 supports each component of the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1, and the controller 13 is arranged in the middle thereof. A drain tank 11 is provided on the upper surface of the lower mount 10 to receive the spilled plating solution, and an upper mount 12 is provided on the drain tank 11 . Furthermore, a circulation tank 30 is arranged on the upper frame 12 .

The control unit 13 is provided with a power supply circuit, a programmable controller, etc., and cooperates with each component of the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 to control the components of the plating solution wa (see FIG. 4) circulating in the circulation tank 30. Make it perform actions such as measurement and adjustment.

The pump 5 transfers the plating solution wa from the plating bath 3 to the measurement bath 31 in the circulation bath 30 . In this embodiment, as already described, the circulation pump 5 for the filtering device 4 is used as the pump 5 . The transfer pipe 20 is branched from the outlet of the pump 5 , passes through an inflow valve 21 and a U-shaped pipe 22 , and its end is placed in the measurement tank 31 .

The circulation tank 30 includes a measurement tank 31 , an addition tank 32 , a return tank 33 , and further a first partition plate 34 and a second partition plate 36 . The measurement tank 31 is a tank into which the plating solution wa transferred from the plating tank 3 through the transfer pipe 20 flows, and has the same components as the plating solution in the plating tank 3 . The measuring tank 31 is equipped with a measuring device 40 for measuring the components of the plating solution wa. In this embodiment, pH is measured, for example, as the measurement of the components of the plating solution wa. In addition, there is a possibility that foreign matter may adhere to the measurement device 40, and an ultrasonic cleaning machine 41 is provided near the tip of the measurement device 40 to remove this. Note that the measuring device 40 and the ultrasonic cleaner 41 operate through wirings 42 and 43, some of which are shown in FIG. A first drain valve 37 is provided at the bottom of the measuring tank 31, and the plating solution wa inside can be drained during maintenance such as removal of foreign matter deposited on the bottom.

The addition tank 32 is a tank provided adjacent to the measurement tank 31 and is separated from the measurement tank 31 by a first partition plate 34 . The plating solution wa transferred to the measurement tank 31 flows into the addition tank 32 by overflowing the first partition plate 34 . The addition tank 32 is provided with an addition device 44 for adding components of the plating solution wa. A chemical tank (not shown) is connected to the adding device 44 through a connection pipe 45, and in this embodiment, sulfuric acid supplied from the chemical tank is appropriately discharged and added as a component of the plating solution wa. The nozzle 46 of the addition device 44 for discharging the sulfuric acid solution is preferably provided at or near the place where the plating solution wa overflowing the first partition plate 34 falls. A second drain valve 38 is provided at the bottom of the addition bath 32, so that the plating solution wa inside can be drained during maintenance.

When the first partition plate 34 is viewed from the side of the addition tank 32 indicated by the line AA in FIG. 2, the upper end is formed in a straight line as shown in FIG. 5(A). However, as another form of the first partition plate 34, as shown in FIGS. 35b and 35c may be provided. With this configuration, the plating solution wa mainly passes through the overflow portions 35a, 35b, and 35c. In this case, it is preferable that the nozzle 46 of the adding device 44 is also arranged in the vicinity of the overflow portions 35a, 35b, 35c and at or near the place where the plating solution wa falls.

Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the return tank 33 is a tank provided adjacent to the addition tank 32 and is separated from the addition tank 32 by a second partition plate 36 . The second partition plate 36 is lower than the first partition plate 34 , and the plating solution wa transferred to the addition bath 32 overflows the second partition plate 36 to flow into the return bath 33 .

In addition, in the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the circulation bath 30 with respect to the size of the plating bath 3. For example, the plating solution stored in the plating bath 3 The amount of the plating solution wa remaining in the circulation tank 30 can be about 10 to 7 liters with respect to the volume of wa of 1000 liters. As for dimensions, the width w of the circulation tank 30 can be set to 400 to 500 mm, and the depth d can be set to about 200 mm.

The return pipe 50 is provided on the bottom surface of the return tank 33 and returns the plating solution wa that has flowed into the return tank 33 to the plating tank 3 . In the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the circulation bath 30 is placed at a position higher than the plating bath 3, so that the return of the plating solution wa from the return bath 33 is performed by gravity, and a return pump is not provided. do not have. Further, the return pipe 50 has a branch pipe 51 branched horizontally and downward under the return bath 33 , and the horizontally branched pipe is returned to the plating bath 3 as it is. On the other hand, a sampling valve 52 is provided on the downward side, and the plating solution wa returned to the plating tank 3 can be collected in a sampling bottle 53 as required.

Next, the operation of the plating solution adjustment apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 based on each component of the plating solution adjustment apparatus 1 of this embodiment described above.

First, the plating solution wa is transferred from the plating tank 3 to the measurement tank 31 through the transfer pipe 20 by the circulation pump 5 for the filtering device 4 (see arrows a and b in FIG. 4). In the measuring tank 31 , the plating solution wa is stored up to the height of the first partition plate 34 , and the pH of the plating solution wa is measured by the measuring device 40 . Next, the plating solution wa overflowing the first partition plate 34 flows into the addition tank 32 (arrow c in FIG. 4), and sulfuric acid is discharged from the nozzle 46 of the addition device 44 and added as necessary. At this time, due to the height difference between the first partition plate 34 and the second partition plate 36, the liquid level of the measurement tank 31 and that of the addition tank 32 are different. Therefore, the plating solution wa that overflows the first partition plate 34 causes convection in the plating solution wa in the addition tank 32 due to the momentum of the drop, and stirs the plating solution wa in the addition tank 32 (arrow d in FIG. 4). As a result, the added sulfuric acid can be diffused and diluted in the plating solution wa in the addition tank 32 without providing a special stirring device. This agitation due to convection caused by dropping the plating solution wa can be further improved by using first partition plates 34a, 34b, and 34c having overflow portions 35a, 35b, and 35c shown in FIGS. can be done effectively.

Next, the plating solution wa overflowing the second partition plate 36 is transferred to the return bath 33 . Then, the plating solution wa is returned to the plating tank 3 through the return pipe 50 (arrows e, f and g in FIG. 4). When the second partition plate 36 overflows and when the plating solution wa falls into the return tank 33, the plating solution wa is stirred, and the components of the plating solution wa returned to the plating tank 3 become more uniform. . By repeating these steps, the components of the plating solution wa in the plating bath 3 are kept within the control values.

As described above, according to the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the plating solution wa is pumped up from the plating bath 3 into the circulation bath 30 located at a higher position, and inside the circulation bath 30, the first partition plate 34 and the By overflowing the second partition plate 36 , the plating solution wa is transferred from the measurement tank 31 to the addition tank 32 and the return tank 33 . Further, the plating solution wa is returned from the return bath 33 to the plating bath 3 by gravity. With these configurations, the plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 can be operated with a minimum number of pumps without sacrificing the volume inside the plating bath 3 . Further, by using the circulation pump 5 for the filtering device 4 to transfer the plating solution wa to the circulation tank 30, it becomes possible to easily retrofit the existing plating device 2 without increasing the number of pumps.

In addition, since convection is generated by the plating solution wa that overflows the first partition plate 34 and falls into the addition tank 32, a stirring device for stirring the components to be added is not required, and the configuration of the device can be simplified. can do. In particular, in the configuration in which the first partition plate is provided with the overflow portions 35a, 35b, and 35c, the effect is remarkable. Furthermore, the plating solution wa can be stirred even when the plating solution wa overflows the second partition plate 36 and falls into the return tank 33, and the plating solution wa with more uniform components can be returned to the plating tank 3. can be done.

In addition, since the number of pumps 5 is the minimum required and the stirring device in the addition tank 32 is not required, the size of the device can be reduced. Further, since the sampling valve 52 is provided in the middle of the return pipe 50 and near the bottom surface of the return bath 33, it is possible to easily collect the plating solution wa whose components have been adjusted.

The plating solution adjusting apparatus 1 described above is an example of the present invention, and its configuration can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the invention.

1 Plating solution adjusting device, 2 Plating device, 3 Plating bath, 4 Filtration device, 5 Pump (circulation pump), 6 Branch pipe (exit side of circulation pump),
10... Lower mount, 11... Drain tank, 12... Upper mount, 13... Control part,
20... transfer pipe, 21... inflow valve, 22... U-shaped pipe,
30 Circulation tank 31 Measurement tank 32 Addition tank 33 Return tank 34, 34a, 34b, 34c First partition plate 35a, 35b, 35c Overflow section 36 ... second partition plate, 37 ... first drain valve, 38 ... second drain valve,
40... Measuring device, 41... Ultrasonic cleaner, 42, 43... Wiring, 44... Addition device, 45... Connecting pipe, 46... Nozzle,
50... Return pipe, 51... Branch pipe (return tank outlet side), 52... Sampling valve, 53... Sampling bottle,
wa Plating solution,

Claims (7)

A plating solution adjusting device that adjusts by adding components necessary for plating while circulating the plating solution used in the plating tank,
a pump for transferring the plating solution from the plating tank through a transfer pipe;
a measuring tank for storing the transferred plating solution and equipped with a measuring device to measure the components of the plating solution;
an addition tank for storing the plating solution overflowing from the measurement tank through the first partition plate and for adding the component based on the results measured by the measuring device;
a return tank for returning the plating solution overflowing from the addition tank through a second partition plate to the plating tank through a return pipe;
A plating solution adjustment device comprising: 2. The plating solution adjusting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in said adding tank, said added component is agitated by convection of said plating solution falling from a first partition plate. 3. The plating solution adjusting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an overflow portion formed at a lower portion at the upper end of said first partition plate. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said return bath is arranged at a position higher than the liquid surface of said plating bath, and said plating solution is returned from said return bath by gravity. Plating solution adjustment device. The return pipe is provided on the bottom surface of the return tank, and the return pipe is branched in the horizontal direction and the downward direction, the horizontal side is returned to the plating tank, and the downward side is provided with a sampling valve. The plating solution adjusting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by: 6. The plating solution adjusting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an ultrasonic cleaner is provided in said measuring tank to clean said measuring device. The pump is a circulation pump for a filtration device connected to the plating tank, and a pipe is branched from the circulation pump, one pipe is used as the transfer pipe, and the other pipe is a pipe for the filtration device. The plating solution adjusting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that:

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