KR102410120B1 - Vertical Typed Continuous Developing System Having Improved Stain Proof Function - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a system for performing surface treatment while holding a substrate such as a printed circuit board with a frame-type jig while vertically moving it. It relates to a vertical processing system. Its configuration, the main chamber is configured to be arranged in a straight line; a substrate supply unit for supplying a substrate into the main chamber; A plurality of jigs for holding the edge of the thin substrate with clamps; a jig transfer device installed inside the main chamber; a surface treatment stage for spraying a surface treatment solution on the surface of the substrate transferred inside the main chamber by the jig transfer device; a substrate washing unit for spraying and supplying washing water to the surface of the substrate that has passed through the surface treatment stage; In a non-contact vertical processing system for a substrate having a substrate drying stage for removing the washing water from the surface of the substrate that has passed through the substrate washing stage; a damping chamber for liquid cutting is provided between the surface treatment stage and the washing stage, so that the surface-treated substrate is introduced into the washing stage through the damping chamber; It is characterized in that a pre-water mechanism for spraying washing water to the substrate introduced into the damping chamber is installed inside the damping chamber.

Description

Vertical Typed Continuous Developing System Having Improved Stain Proof Function

The present invention relates to a vertical processing system for a substrate, and more specifically, in a system for performing a surface treatment operation while vertically moving a substrate such as a printed circuit board with a frame-type jig while holding it with a frame-type jig, to prevent stains on the substrate as much as possible. It relates to a vertical processing system for substrates with improved staining that can improve product quality.

There are several operations for processing substrates and several systems that perform this operation. The substrate is a typical printed circuit board used in various electronic products. Processing the substrate refers to operations such as plating, development, etching, peeling, and pretreatment.

Printed circuit boards are in a trend of becoming ultra-thin and large-sized with the development of technology. According to this trend, research on high density, high speed, and miniaturization is being actively conducted in the field of printed circuit board manufacturing.

A representative method for forming a wiring pattern on a printed circuit board is a semi-additive method. The semi-additive method is a pattern forming method in which a chemical copper plating layer, which is a seed layer, is selectively etched with respect to an electric copper plating layer, which is a wiring part. Etching refers to an operation of chemically removing the plating layer except for the circuit pattern protected by the photoresist using the erosion action of a chemical agent.

This etching operation is also performed by a continuous vertical processing system (hereinafter, referred to as a 'vertical processing apparatus') of the substrate. In a conventional vertical processing apparatus, a jig in the form of a frame has been used to hold a thin substrate. The jig has a rectangular frame, and clamps for clamping the upper and lower ends of the board are installed at the top and bottom of the jig.

The vertical processing device has a jig transport device for continuously transporting the jig. The jig transfer device continuously drives the jig similar to a conveyor.

For example, when the vertical processing apparatus is for an etching process, the substrate undergoes primary wetting, etching, water washing, and drying processes in sequence during transport. These processes are continuous, and as a result, the chemical used for etching is often transferred to the washing process. Conversely, the cleaning water used for water washing is also introduced into the chamber where the etching process is being performed. This mixing phenomenon adversely affects the quality of the substrate.

Therefore, conventionally, a liquid cutting section as a damping section is provided between the etching end and the washing end. This liquid cutting section is a section corresponding to the intermediate zone where etching chemicals and washing water are not used. By providing this section, the problem of mixing between different types of treatment liquids is eliminated. This liquid cutting section was preferably secured to a length of at least 500 mm in consideration of the scattering of the chemical sprayed through the nozzle at a pressure of 2 to 3 kgf/cm2 and the flow of the chemical due to the contact and accumulation of the spray liquid with the substrate. .

However, these systems were not without problems. The problem of stains on the substrate was raised. As a result of studying the cause of this problem, the present inventors have concluded that the chemical remaining during etching causes stains by naturally drying the substrate discharged from the etching end through the liquid cutting section.

Another problem is that, as the etchant flows to the bottom of the substrate as an inevitable phenomenon of the vertical process, the etching amount (or etch rate) is higher at the lower end of the substrate than at the upper end, resulting in variations in surface treatment. Due to the etching deviation of the substrate, there may be a difference in adhesion, and an operation error may occur due to discoloration during automatic processing.

Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0115157 Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0088002

An object of the present invention for the above problems is to provide a vertical treatment system for a substrate in which the unevenness of the substrate is improved in a system for performing a surface treatment operation while vertically moving a substrate such as a printed circuit board in a state of being held by a frame-type jig is to provide.

A specific object of the present invention is to improve the process problems that may occur between the etching stage and the washing stage, that is, the occurrence of stains due to natural drying of the etching solution and the deviation of the etching amount as the etching solution flows down. have.

The above object is to be installed on the upper part of the base frame, and a plurality of unit chambers serving as a working space are arranged in a straight line, the main chamber; a substrate supply unit for supplying a substrate into the main chamber; A plurality of jigs to hold the edge of the thin substrate with clamps so that the operation can be made in a taut state; a jig transfer device installed inside the main chamber for continuously transferring the jig holding the substrate; a surface treatment stage for spraying a surface treatment solution on the surface of the substrate transferred inside the main chamber by the jig transfer device; a washing unit for spraying and supplying washing water to the surface of the substrate that has passed through the surface treatment stage; and a drying stage for removing the washing water from the surface of the substrate that has passed through the washing stage;

a damping chamber for liquid cutting is provided between the surface treatment stage and the washing stage, so that the surface-treated substrate is introduced into the washing stage through the damping chamber;

This is achieved by a vertical processing system for substrates with improved staining, characterized in that a pre-water mechanism for spraying cleaning water to the substrate immediately after flowing into the damping chamber is installed inside the damping chamber.

According to another feature of the present invention, it may further include an air cut mechanism for spraying with compressed air the surface treatment liquid deposited on the clamp holding the substrate just before it flows into the damping chamber.

The air cut mechanism may include an air jet nozzle disposed toward the clamp, and a compressed air supply unit for jetting and supplying compressed air to the air jet nozzle.

According to another feature of the present invention, it is installed at the rear end of the last unit chamber constituting the surface treatment stage and includes a finished surface treatment mechanism for spraying and supplying a surface treatment liquid to the substrate, wherein the finished surface treatment mechanism comprises the a gap injection nozzle installed at the rear end of the last unit chamber constituting the surface treatment stage to spray the surface treatment liquid toward the substrate; It may further include; a treatment liquid supply unit for supplying the surface treatment liquid to the gap injection nozzle.

According to the above configuration, by improving the structure between the surface treatment end and the washing end in a system that performs surface treatment while holding a substrate such as a printed circuit board with a frame-type jig while holding it, the stain phenomenon is eliminated or minimized. An improved substrate processing apparatus capable of improving quality is provided.

More specifically, it is possible to prevent the surface treatment solution from drying naturally while the substrate passes through the damping section provided between the surface treatment section and the cleaning section, and the surface treatment solution flows down while passing through the damping section. By lowering, it is possible to prevent the problem that the surface treatment amount is different across the upper and lower ends of the substrate.

1 is an overall plan configuration view of a vertical processing system for a substrate in which the unevenness phenomenon is improved according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a plan view of a main part of the vertical processing system for substrates having improved spotting according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the main part.
4 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of a vertical processing system for a substrate in which unevenness is improved according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a damping chamber of a vertical processing system for substrates in which unevenness is improved according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the specific content of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the configuration of a non-contact vertical continuous processing system for a substrate according to the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1 .

The main chamber 1 is installed in the form of a box to provide a continuous working space in a straight line. The main chamber 1 is installed on the upper part of the base frame. The main chamber 1 is configured by arranging a plurality of unit chambers 1a serving as a working space in a straight line.

The substrate supply unit 3 supplies a substrate into one side of the main chamber 1 . A plurality of jigs 7 (refer to FIG. 3 ) hold the edge of the thin substrate P with the clamp 6 so that the operation can be performed in a taut state. The surface treatment stage 5 sprays a surface treatment solution on the surface of the substrate P transferred from the inside of the main chamber 1 . The surface treatment operation described below may include an etching operation, but the scope of the present invention is not necessarily limited to this process.

The washing stage 9 and the drying stage 11 perform cleaning and drying by spraying and supplying washing water and air to the surface of the substrate that has passed through the surface treatment stage 5 . The jig transport unit 13 transports the jig 5 holding the processed substrate P toward the substrate supply unit 3 , and the substrate recovery unit 15 moves the substrate P from the jig 5 . is recovered and transferred to the subsequent process, and the jig 5 is recovered through the jig transfer unit 13 .

According to the present invention, at least one of the boundary points of the substrate supply unit 3, the surface treatment stage 5, the washing stage 9, the drying stage 11 and the jig transport unit 13, a buffer unit is provided. can According to the present invention, a damping chamber 17 for blocking liquid is installed at the boundary between the surface treatment end 5 and the washing end 9 . The damping chamber 17 is a concept included in the above-described buffer unit, and has the meaning of preventing any liquid from being sprayed toward the substrate. The necessity of this damping chamber 17 is the same as mentioned in the background art.

Hereinafter, the main part of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

The substrate P is transferred in the direction of the arrow W. The damping chamber 17 is positioned between the surface treatment chamber 5' located at the most distal end of the surface treatment end 5 and the flushing chamber 9' installed at the beginning of the washing end, and has an independent space. The length L of the damping chamber 17 is usually 400 mm to 800 mm.

The core of the present invention is to prevent the substrate P after surface treatment through the liquid injection process from passing through the damping chamber 17 without any treatment. This is because, as mentioned above, as the liquid passes through the damping chamber 17 without any treatment, a stain phenomenon occurs due to natural drying of the liquid.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the pre-watering mechanism 19 is installed inside the damping chamber 17 .

The pre-water cleaning mechanism 19 is for spraying cleaning water to the substrate immediately after it flows into the damping chamber 17 . The pre-washing mechanism 19 includes a washing water jet nozzle 21 and a washing water supply unit 23 for supplying washing water to the washing water jet nozzle 21 . The supply pressure and flow rate of the washing water sprayed through the washing water jet nozzle 21 may be the same as the jet nozzle of the washing stage 9, but may be set differently due to the characteristics of the buffer unit. This is to prevent the washing water from scattering and mixing into the surface treatment stage 5 .

The spraying direction of the washing water may also be directed toward the transfer direction of the substrate P. That is, it is possible to spray the washing water in a state in which the surface treatment stage 5 is backed up.

The washing water used here may be supplied independently of the washing water used for the subsequent washing unit 9 . This is to reduce the management cost of the washing water by managing it independently of the washing water used in the washing unit 9 . For this, an independent washing water chamber 25 and a pump 27 may be included.

In addition, the washing water injection nozzle 21 is in the form of a bar as shown, and has a structure in which a plurality of injection holes 21a are installed along the longitudinal direction of the bar. The washing water spray nozzle 21 is installed at the entrance of the damping chamber 17 . This is so that the cleaning water is supplied as soon as the substrate P flows into the damping chamber 17 .

According to another feature of the present invention, an air cut mechanism (29) for spraying and dropping the surface treatment liquid on the clamp (6) holding the substrate (P) with compressed air immediately before the inflow into the damping chamber (17). ) may be further included.

The air cut mechanism 29 is installed in the surface treatment chamber 5 ′ located at the most distal end of the surface treatment end 5 , and includes an air jet nozzle 31 disposed toward the clamp 6 , and an air jet nozzle 31 . ) may include a compressed air supply unit 33 for spraying and supplying compressed air. The air jet nozzle 31 may be an air knife.

According to another feature of the present invention, it further comprises a finished surface treatment mechanism (35). The finished surface treatment mechanism 35 is for spraying and supplying the surface treatment liquid to the substrate P from the surface treatment chamber 5 ′ located at the most distal end of the surface treatment end 5 .

The finished surface treatment mechanism 35 includes a gap injection nozzle 37 disposed to spray the surface treatment liquid toward the substrate P, and a treatment liquid supply unit for supplying the surface treatment liquid to the gap injection nozzle 37 ( 41) may be further included. The surface treatment liquid used here is the same as that of the surface treatment stage 5 . As shown, the gap injection nozzle 37 is in the form of a bar installed in the vertical direction.

The finished surface treatment mechanism 35 is for going through a surface treatment process until just before leaving the surface treatment stage 5, and the surface treatment liquid flows down along the substrate P so that the surface treatment liquid flows down along the substrate P. ) to minimize the phenomenon of bias in which more is supplied to the lower end.

However, it is preferable that the injection hole of the gap injection nozzle 37 extends in the direction toward the surface treatment end 5 . This is to prevent the surface treatment liquid from flowing into the damping chamber 17 .

Meanwhile, an opening/closing shutter (not shown) for selectively opening or closing the transfer path G of the substrate may be installed on the partition plate dividing each unit chamber 1a. In addition, the jig detection sensor may detect that the jig approaches the diaphragm to open and close the opening/closing shutter.

The present invention is the key to discovering that the quality of the substrate (especially the stain phenomenon) can be adversely affected by the treatment liquid remaining on the substrate even during a short time passing through the liquid cutting section in the etching process and taking measures against it . The present inventors have solved the problem by finding a critical time period in which staining does not occur (for example, 10 seconds) and taking measures to stop natural drying within that time. And the result was obtained that this concept can be applied to substrate processing processes other than the etching process.

The configuration shown and described above is merely a preferred embodiment based on the technical idea of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will be able to make various changes based on common technical knowledge, but it should be noted that these may be included in the protection scope of the present invention. The embodiments disclosed above can be practiced in any combination by those skilled in the art, and any combination is within the scope of the present invention.

1: main chamber 3: substrate supply part
5: surface treatment end 6: clamp
7: Jig 9: Susedan
11: drying end 13: jig carrying unit
15: substrate recovery unit 17: damping chamber
19: pre-water washing mechanism 21: washing water spray nozzle
23: washing water supply unit 25: washing water chamber
27: pump 29: air cut mechanism
31: air injection nozzle 33: compressor supply part
35: finishing surface treatment mechanism 37: gap injection nozzle
39: treatment liquid supply unit
P : Substrate W : Transfer path

Claims (4)

a main chamber (1) installed on the upper portion of the base frame and configured to have a plurality of unit chambers serving as a working space arranged in a straight line;
a substrate supply unit for supplying a substrate into the main chamber (1);
A plurality of jigs to hold the edge of the thin substrate with clamps so that the operation can be made in a taut state;
a jig transfer device installed inside the main chamber (1) for continuously transferring the jig holding the substrate;
a surface treatment stage 5 for spraying a surface treatment solution on the surface of the substrate transferred from the inside of the main chamber 1 by the jig transfer device;
a washing stage 9 for spraying and supplying washing water to the surface of the substrate that has passed through the surface treatment stage 5; and
a drying stage 11 for removing the washing water from the surface of the substrate that has passed through the washing stage 9;
In a non-contact vertical processing system for a substrate having a;
A damping chamber 17 is provided between the surface treatment end 5 and the washing end 9 to provide an independent space with a length of 400 mm to 800 mm for liquid cutting. ) to pass through and to be put into the washing end (9);
A pre-watering mechanism 19 for spraying cleaning water to the substrate immediately after flowing into the damping chamber 17 is installed inside the damping chamber 17;
The pre-water pressure mechanism 19 includes: a cleaning water spray nozzle 21 installed at the entrance of the damping chamber 17 so that the spraying direction faces the transfer direction of the substrate P; it includes an independent washing water chamber 25 and a pump 27 so as to manage and supply washing water independently of the washing unit 9;
The rear end of the last unit chamber constituting the surface treatment stage 5 is subjected to a surface treatment process until just before leaving the surface treatment stage 5, and the surface treatment liquid flows down along the substrate P. Further comprising a finishing surface treatment mechanism 35 for minimizing the bias phenomenon that the surface treatment liquid is more supplied to the lower end of the substrate (P),
The finishing surface treatment mechanism 35,
a gap injection nozzle 37 installed at the rear end of the last unit chamber constituting the surface treatment stage 5 to spray the surface treatment liquid toward the substrate; and
a treatment liquid supply unit for supplying the surface treatment liquid to the gap injection nozzle (37);
A vertical processing system for a substrate with improved staining, characterized in that it comprises a.
According to claim 1,
an air cut mechanism 29 for spraying with compressed air the surface treatment liquid deposited on the clamp holding the substrate just before it flows into the damping chamber 17 and dropping it;
The air cut mechanism 29 improves the stain phenomenon, characterized in that it includes an air jet nozzle 31 disposed toward the clamp, and a compressed air supply unit for jetting and supplying compressed air to the air jet nozzle 31 One substrate vertical processing system. delete delete

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