TW202315987A - Electroplating apparatus and electroplating method - Google Patents

Abstract

An electroplating apparatus includes an electroplating tank, an anode and a cathode, a power supply and a regulating plate. The electroplating tank accommodates the electrolyte. Both the anode and the cathode are arranged in the electroplating tank. The power supply is electrically connected to the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate is arranged between the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate includes a plurality of mesh holes and a plurality of metal sheets, and at least a part of the metal sheets are electrically connected with the cathode. An electroplating method is also provided.

Description

Electroplating equipment and electroplating method

The present invention relates to a device and a method, and in particular to an electroplating device and an electroplating method.

Electroplating has been widely used in various fields. In addition to being traditionally used as a surface treatment method, it is also used in the production of circuit boards, semiconductor chips, LED conductive substrates, and semiconductor packaging. Electroplating often has a uniform thickness of metal plating sex issue.

For example, in the process of making a circuit board, the electric force line between the anode and the cathode is often affected by the properties of the upper film (such as insulation properties or other properties that affect power distribution) when it is close to the substrate to be plated. Turning to produce uneven distribution of electric power line density, so that the metal plating layer formed on the substrate to be plated will have the problem of poor uniformity of plating thickness.

The invention provides an electroplating device and an electroplating method, which can improve the problem of poor uniformity of electroplating thickness of a metal coating on a substrate to be plated.

An electroplating device of the present invention includes an electroplating tank, an anode and a cathode, a power supply and a control board. The electroplating tank accommodates an electrolytic solution. Both the anode and the cathode are arranged in the electroplating tank. The power supply is electrically connected to the anode and the cathode. The control board is arranged between the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate includes a plurality of mesh holes and a plurality of metal sheets, and at least a part of the metal sheets are electrically connected with the cathode.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned plurality of mesh holes is a part of the insulating grid plate, the plurality of metal sheets are disposed on the insulating grid plate, and the plurality of metal sheets are electrically connected to the cathode.

In an embodiment of the present invention, only the above-mentioned plurality of meshes form channels.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electroplating equipment further includes a plurality of wires connected to a plurality of metal sheets in a one-to-one manner.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electroplating equipment further includes a controller connected to multiple wires, wherein the currents of the multiple wires are converged to the cathode through the controller.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the shapes of the above-mentioned plurality of mesh holes and the plurality of metal sheets are complementary.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned plurality of mesh holes is a part of an insulating grid plate, and a plurality of metal sheets are arranged in an array on the insulating grid plate, a part of the metal sheets are electrically connected to the cathode, and the other part of the metal sheets Not electrically connected to the cathode.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the aforementioned metal sheets includes at least one hole, and at least one hole forms a channel with a plurality of mesh holes.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electroplating equipment further includes a plurality of wires connected to a plurality of metal sheets in a one-to-one manner.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electroplating equipment further includes a controller connected to the plurality of wires, wherein the controller is configured to control the electrical connection state of the regulating board.

An electroplating method of the present invention at least includes the following steps. Electroplating equipment is provided, wherein the electroplating equipment includes an electroplating tank, an anode and a cathode, a power supply and a control board. The electroplating tank accommodates an electrolytic solution. Both the anode and the cathode are arranged in the electroplating tank. The power supply is electrically connected to the anode and the cathode. The control board is arranged between the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate includes a plurality of mesh holes and a plurality of metal sheets, and at least a part of the metal sheets are electrically connected with the cathode. Fix the substrate to be plated on the cathode. After the power supply supplies power, multiple power lines are formed between the anode and the cathode, and the multiple power lines move from the anode to the cathode. A part of the plurality of electric lines drives a part of the plurality of metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the control plate to form a first metal plating layer on the substrate to be plated. Another part of the plurality of electric lines drives another part of the plurality of metal ions in the electrolyte to form a second metal plating layer on the control plate.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned plurality of mesh holes is a part of an insulating grid plate, the plurality of metal sheets are arranged on the insulating grid plate, and the plurality of metal sheets are all connected to the insulating grid plate. The cathode is electrically connected so that the plurality of metal sheets have the second metal plating layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the shapes of the above-mentioned plurality of mesh holes and the plurality of metal sheets are complementary.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electroplating equipment further includes a plurality of wires connecting the plurality of metal sheets in a one-to-one manner.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electroplating equipment further includes a controller connected to multiple wires, wherein the currents of the multiple wires are converged to the cathode through the controller.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned substrate to be plated includes a dry film having a plurality of openings, and a plurality of mesh holes are aligned with the plurality of openings.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of mesh holes described above are part of an insulating grid plate, and a plurality of metal sheets are arrayed on the insulating grid plate, and only a part of the metal sheets are electrically connected to the cathode, so that only A second metal plating layer is formed on a part of the metal sheets.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the aforementioned metal sheets includes at least one hole, and the holes of the metal sheet without the second metal plating layer and the plurality of mesh holes form channels.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electroplating equipment further includes a plurality of wires connecting the plurality of metal sheets in a one-to-one manner.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electroplating equipment further includes a controller connected to the plurality of wires, wherein the controller is configured to control the electrical connection state of the regulating board.

Based on the above, the electroplating equipment of the present invention has the design of the control plate between the anode and the cathode, so a part of the electric force lines moving from the anode to the cathode can drive some metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the mesh of the control plate to be plated. A metal coating is formed on the substrate, and another part of the aforementioned plurality of power lines can drive another part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to form a metal coating on the metal sheet on the control board. In this way, the distribution of the power lines can be redistributed, so that the substrate to be plated The part on which the circuit is to be formed has a consistent electric force line density, which can improve the problem of poor uniformity of the electroplating thickness of the metal plating layer on the substrate to be plated.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail together with the accompanying drawings.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be fully described below with reference to the drawings, but the invention may also be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, for the sake of clarity, the sizes and thicknesses of regions, parts and layers may not be drawn in actual scale. In order to facilitate understanding, the same components in the following description will be described with the same symbols.

The present invention will be described more fully with reference to the drawings of this embodiment. However, the present invention can also be embodied in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments described herein. The thickness, size or magnitude of layers or regions in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity. The same or similar reference numbers indicate the same or similar elements, and the following paragraphs will not repeat them one by one.

Directional terms (eg, up, down, right, left, front, back, top, bottom) as used herein are used pictorially by reference only and are not intended to imply absolute orientation.

It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third" and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or or parts thereof shall not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

FIG. 1A is a flowchart of an electroplating method according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of an electroplating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1C is a schematic top view of a control panel of an electroplating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1D is a schematic top view of a control plate according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C , and the main process of the electroplating method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below by using the diagrams. Firstly, an electroplating device 100 is provided, wherein the electroplating device 100 includes an electroplating tank 110 , an anode 120 and a cathode 130 , a power supply 140 and a control board 150 (step S100 ). Furthermore, the electroplating tank 110 accommodates the electrolyte solution 112, the anode 120 and the cathode 130 are both disposed in the electroplating tank 110, and the power supply 140 is electrically connected to the anode 120 and the cathode 130, and the control board 150 is disposed on the anode 120 and the cathode 130 (a control plate 150 is respectively sandwiched between the cathode 130 and the two anodes 120 schematically shown in FIG. 1B ), wherein the control plate 150 includes a plurality of mesh holes 152 and a plurality of metal sheets 154, and at least A part of the metal sheet 154 is electrically connected to the cathode 130 . Here, the materials and types of the electrolytic cell 110 , the electrolyte solution 112 , the anode 120 , and the cathode 130 can be adjusted according to the actual type of metal to be plated (such as copper plating), which is not limited by the present invention. In addition, the metal sheet 154 electrically connected to the cathode 130 may have the same metal reduction mechanism as the cathode 130 . It should be noted that other specific details of the electroplating equipment 100 will be further described below.

Next, the substrate S to be plated is fixed on the cathode 130 (step S200 ). Then, after the power supply 140 supplies power, a plurality of electric force lines L are formed between the anode 120 and the cathode 130 (it may be the movement direction of electrons dissociated after the anode 120 is energized), and the plurality of electric force lines L move from the anode 120 to the cathode 130 (step S300 ). Next, a part of a plurality of electric force lines L (such as the electric force line L1 in FIG. 1B ) drives a part of the plurality of metal ions Y in the electrolyte 112 to pass through the regulating plate 150 to form the first metal plating layer 10 on the substrate S to be plated (step S400) . In addition, another part of the plurality of electric force lines L (such as L2 in FIG. 1B ) drives another part of the plurality of metal ions Y in the electrolyte 112 to form the second metal plating layer 20 on the control plate 150 (step S500 ). Here, a plurality of lines of electric force L can be sent out from the anode 120 in parallel and evenly, and the lines of electric force L can also reach the substrate S to be plated in parallel and evenly.

Accordingly, the electroplating equipment 100 of the present embodiment has the design of the regulating plate 150 between the anode 120 and the cathode 130, so a part (power line L1) of a plurality of electric force lines L moving from the anode 120 toward the cathode 130 can drive the Part of the metal ions Y pass through the mesh 152 of the regulating plate 150 to form a metal coating (the first metal coating 10) on the substrate S to be plated, and another part (the power line L2) of the plurality of electric force lines L can drive another part of the electrolytic solution 112 The metal ions Y also form a metal coating (the second metal coating 20) on the metal sheet 154 of the regulating plate 150. In this way, the distribution of the electric line L can be redistributed, so that the part of the circuit to be formed on the substrate S to be plated has a consistent The linear density of electric force can further improve the problem of poor uniformity of the electroplating thickness of the metal coating layer (first metal coating layer 10 ) on the substrate S to be plated.

In some embodiments, the metal ion Y can be copper ion (Cu ²⁺ ), so the first metal coating layer 10 on the substrate S to be plated and the second metal coating layer 20 on the control board 150 can be reduced copper, but the present invention Not limited to this.

In this embodiment, the mesh 152 is a part of the insulating grid plate 30, and a plurality of metal sheets 154 are arranged on the insulating grid plate 30, and the plurality of metal sheets 154 are electrically connected to the cathode 130, so that the plurality of The metal sheets 154 all have the second metal plating layer 20 . Furthermore, the manufacturing method of the regulation board 150 of this embodiment includes the following steps, for example. First, an insulating grid plate 30 having substantially the same size as the substrate S to be plated is provided, wherein the insulating grid plate 30 includes the grid lines 32 and the mesh holes 152 defined by the grid lines 32 . Next, a metal plate (for example, a full copper plate) is pasted on the insulating grid plate 30 . Then, the desired pattern is formed by etching, and then a nickel-gold or nickel-palladium-gold or other metal protective layer (not shown) is plated. This protective layer will not be attacked by the etching solution, and it will be peeled off later. The barrier layer (Stop Barrier) during copper plating (such as the pattern formed by a plurality of metal sheets 154 in FIG. 1C ). Alternatively, the metal plate is directly made of a metal that will not be attacked by the etching solution (such as stainless steel), and after the pattern is made first, it is then pasted on the insulating grid plate 30, so that the metal protective layer may not be needed.

Further, the substrate S to be plated can include a dry film 40 with a plurality of openings 42, and the metal corresponding to the positions of the openings 42 of the dry film 40 is etched away (a plurality of mesh holes 152 can be located at the plurality of openings 42), Make the electric line L pass through, and the metal corresponding to the position of the covering part 44 of the dry film 40 is reserved, and it is electrically connected with the cathode 130, so that the electric line L can drive the metal ion Y to be plated, and then the electric line L is terminated at On the metal sheets 154 , the shapes of the plurality of mesh holes 152 and the plurality of metal sheets 154 may be complementary, but the invention is not limited thereto. Here, the material of the dry film 40 is, for example, an insulating material.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the aspect of the control plate 150 described above. Please refer to FIG. 1C and FIG. 150 differs in that: a plurality of metal sheets 154A are arranged in an array on the insulating grid plate 30, some of the metal sheets 154A are electrically connected to the cathode 130, and the other part of the metal sheets 154A are not electrically connected to the cathode 130, in other words, only a part The metal sheet 154A is electrically connected to the cathode 130 so that only a part of the metal sheet 154A is formed with the second metal plating layer 20 .

Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 1C, only a plurality of mesh holes 152 can form a channel, so that the electric force line L and the metal ion Y can pass through, in other words, the electric force line L and the metal ion Y will not pass through the metal sheet 154, In the embodiment of FIG. 1D , each metal sheet 154A includes at least one hole H, and the hole H of the metal sheet 154A of the second metal plating layer 20 (the metal sheet 154A that is not electrically connected to the cathode 130 ) is not formed thereon. A channel may be formed with a plurality of meshes 152 (a part or all of other meshes 152 may form a channel alone). Here, although the hole H shown in FIG. 1D is shown as a circle, the present invention does not limit the shape of the hole H, for example, it may be rectangular or polygonal, and the number of holes H in each metal sheet 154A is not limited to one. The number of holes H It can be determined according to actual design requirements. In addition, in the embodiment of FIG. 1D, the metal sheet 154A is, for example, a steel sheet or other metals that are less likely to be etched, and one metal sheet 154A can be arranged in a manner corresponding to a plurality of mesh holes 152, but the present invention is not limited thereto .

In some embodiments, the electroplating equipment 100 further includes a plurality of wires 160 , wherein the plurality of wires 160 are connected to the plurality of metal sheets 154 /metal sheets 154A in a one-to-one manner. It should be noted that, in FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D , there are only a plurality of wires 160 schematically shown for illustration, but the connection details between the wires 160 and the metal sheet 154 /metal sheet 154A are not actually shown.

In addition, in the embodiment of FIG. 1C, the electroplating equipment 100 further includes a controller 170, wherein the controller 170 is connected to the aforementioned plurality of wires 160, so that the current of the plurality of wires 160 can flow to the cathode 130 through the controller 170, and In the embodiment of FIG. 1D , the controller 170 can be further used to control the electrical connection status of the plurality of wires 160. For example, the controller 170 can only conduct a part of the wires 160 (the metal sheet 154A is electrically connected to the cathode 130), so that only a part of the metal sheet 154A is formed with the second metal plating layer 20, in other words, the controller 170 can make the other part of the wire 160 non-conductive (the metal sheet 154A is not electrically connected to the cathode 130), so The second metal plating layer 20 is not formed on another part of the metal sheet 154A, and the electric force line L can pass through the hole H on the metal sheet 154A, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the portion on the substrate S to be plated where circuits are to be formed may include a circuit-dense area and a circuit-empty area (not shown), and the problem of poor uniformity of the plating thickness of the metal plating in the circuit-intensive area will cause It is more obvious, so the electroplating equipment 100 of this embodiment can more significantly improve the problem of the poor uniformity of the electroplating thickness of the metal plating layer in the line-intensive area of the substrate S to be plated, but the present invention is not limited thereto, it can also be used in the open area of the line Has an improving effect.

In some embodiments, the substrate S to be coated may further include a seed layer 50 , so the first metal coating layer 10 may be deposited on the seed layer 50 , but the invention is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the shape of the mesh hole 152 may also be determined according to actual design requirements, which is not limited by the present invention.

In some embodiments, the distance between the regulating plate 150 and the substrate S to be plated may be between 2 millimeters (mm) and 5 centimeters (cm), but the invention is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the electroplating equipment 100 further includes a chuck 180 and a nozzle (not shown), wherein the chuck 180 is configured to clamp the substrate S to be plated, and the nozzle is configured to improve the mass transmission of metal ions, but The present invention is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the metal plating formed on the control plate can be stripped with an etching solution after the electroplating is completed, so that the control plate can be reused and the overall electroplating cost is reduced, but the invention is not limited thereto.

In summary, the electroplating equipment of the present invention has a control plate design between the anode and the cathode, so a part of the electric force lines moving from the anode to the cathode can drive part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the mesh of the control plate to A metal coating is formed on the substrate to be plated, and another part of the aforementioned plurality of power lines can drive another part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to form a metal coating on the metal sheet on the control board. In this way, the distribution of the power lines can be redistributed, so that The portion of the plated substrate to be formed with a circuit has a consistent electric force line density, which can improve the problem of poor uniformity of the plating thickness on the plated substrate.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

10: The first metal coating 20: Second metal coating 30: Insulated grid plate 32: grid line 40: dry film 42: opening 44: cover part 50: Seed layer 100: Electroplating equipment 110: electroplating tank 112: Electrolyte 120: anode 130: Cathode 140: Power supply 150: Control board 152: mesh 154, 154A: sheet metal 160: wire 170: Controller 180: Chuck H: hole S: substrate to be plated S100, S200, S300, S400, S500: steps L, L1, L2: power line Y: metal ion

FIG. 1A is a flowchart of an electroplating method according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of an electroplating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1C is a schematic top view of a control panel of an electroplating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1D is a schematic top view of a control plate according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10: The first metal coating

20: Second metal coating

40: dry film

42: opening

44: cover part

50: Seed layer

100: Electroplating equipment

110: electroplating tank

112: Electrolyte

120: anode

130: Cathode

140: Power supply

150: Control board

170: Controller

180: Chuck

S: substrate to be plated

L, L1, L2: power lines

Y: metal ion

Claims (20)

A kind of electroplating equipment, comprising: An electroplating tank containing an electrolytic solution; The anode and the cathode are both arranged in the electroplating tank; a power supply electrically connected to the anode and the cathode; and A control plate is arranged between the anode and the cathode, wherein the control plate includes a plurality of mesh holes and a plurality of metal sheets, and at least a part of the metal sheets are electrically connected to the cathode. The electroplating equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of mesh holes are part of an insulating grid plate, the plurality of metal sheets are arranged on the insulating grid plate, and the plurality of metal sheets are all connected to the insulating grid plate The cathode is electrically connected. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein only the plurality of meshes form channels. The electroplating equipment as claimed in claim 2 further includes a plurality of wires connecting the plurality of metal sheets in a one-to-one manner. The electroplating equipment according to claim 4 further includes a controller connected to the plurality of wires, wherein the current of the plurality of wires is converged to the cathode through the controller. The electroplating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of mesh holes are complementary in shape to the plurality of metal sheets. The electroplating equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of mesh holes are part of an insulating grid plate, the plurality of metal sheet arrays are arranged on the insulating grid plate, and a part of the metal sheets are electrically connected to the cathode, while another part of the metal piece is not electrically connected to the cathode. The electroplating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the metal sheets includes at least one hole, and the at least one hole forms a channel with the plurality of mesh holes. The electroplating equipment as claimed in item 7 further includes a plurality of wires connecting the plurality of metal sheets in a one-to-one manner. The electroplating equipment as claimed in claim 9 further includes a controller connected to the plurality of wires, wherein the controller is configured to control the electrical connection state of the regulating board. A method of electroplating, comprising: Electroplating equipment is provided, wherein the electroplating equipment comprises: An electroplating tank containing an electrolytic solution; The anode and the cathode are both arranged in the electroplating tank; a power supply, electrically connected to the anode and the cathode; A control plate, disposed between the anode and the cathode, wherein the control plate includes a plurality of meshes and a plurality of metal sheets, and at least a part of the metal sheets are electrically connected to the cathode; fixing the substrate to be plated on the cathode; After the power supply supplies power, a plurality of power lines are formed between the anode and the cathode, and the plurality of power lines move from the anode to the cathode; A part of the plurality of electric force lines drives a part of the plurality of metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the control plate to form a first metal plating layer on the substrate to be plated; and Another part of the plurality of electric lines drives another part of the plurality of metal ions in the electrolyte to form a second metal plating layer on the regulating plate. The electroplating method as described in claim 11, wherein the plurality of mesh holes are part of an insulating grid plate, the plurality of metal sheets are arranged on the insulating grid plate, and the plurality of metal sheets are all connected to the insulating grid plate The cathode is electrically connected so that the plurality of metal sheets all have the second metal plating layer. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plurality of mesh holes are complementary in shape to the plurality of metal sheets. The electroplating method according to claim 12, wherein the electroplating equipment further includes a plurality of wires connecting the plurality of metal sheets in a one-to-one manner. The electroplating method according to claim 14, wherein the electroplating equipment further includes a controller connected to the plurality of wires, wherein the currents of the plurality of wires flow to the cathode through the controller. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the substrate to be plated comprises a dry film having a plurality of openings, and the plurality of mesh holes are aligned with the plurality of openings. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of mesh holes are part of an insulating grid plate, the plurality of metal sheet arrays are arranged on the insulating grid plate, and only a part of the metal sheets are electroplated connected to the cathode, so that only a part of the metal sheet is formed with the second metal plating layer. The electroplating method according to claim 17, wherein each of the metal sheets includes at least one hole, and the holes of the metal sheets without the second metal plating layer form channels with the plurality of mesh holes. The electroplating method according to claim 17, wherein the electroplating equipment further includes a plurality of wires, and the plurality of metal sheets are electrically connected to the plurality of wires in a one-to-one manner. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the electroplating equipment further includes a controller configured to control the electrical connection status of the plurality of wires.

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