US20230120741A1 - Electroplating apparatus and electroplating method - Google Patents
Electroplating apparatus and electroplating method Download PDFInfo
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- US20230120741A1 US20230120741A1 US17/700,531 US202217700531A US2023120741A1 US 20230120741 A1 US20230120741 A1 US 20230120741A1 US 202217700531 A US202217700531 A US 202217700531A US 2023120741 A1 US2023120741 A1 US 2023120741A1
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- 238000009713 electroplating Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 87
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 21
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 131
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 131
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 47
- 239000003792 electrolyte Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 19
- 238000007747 plating Methods 0.000 claims description 41
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims description 30
- 229910021645 metal ion Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 17
- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000000295 complement effect Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 40
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000011241 protective layer Substances 0.000 description 3
- JPVYNHNXODAKFH-UHFFFAOYSA-N Cu2+ Chemical compound [Cu+2] JPVYNHNXODAKFH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910001431 copper ion Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000010931 gold Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052737 gold Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- MSNOMDLPLDYDME-UHFFFAOYSA-N gold nickel Chemical compound [Ni].[Au] MSNOMDLPLDYDME-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000011810 insulating material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004381 surface treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D17/02—Tanks; Installations therefor
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D5/00—Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces
- C25D5/02—Electroplating of selected surface areas
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D17/001—Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D17/007—Current directing devices
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D17/008—Current shielding devices
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D17/10—Electrodes, e.g. composition, counter electrode
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D21/00—Processes for servicing or operating cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D21/12—Process control or regulation
Definitions
- the disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method, particularly to an electroplating apparatus and an electroplating method.
- Electroplating is a technique widely used in various fields. Besides being a surface treatment, electroplating is also applied in the production of circuit boards, semiconductor chips, LED conductive substrates, and semiconductor packages. Common and conventional as the technique is, electroplating still often has the issues of producing metal layers with non-uniform thickness.
- the power lines between the anode and the cathode are often affected and steered by the upper layer (with, for example, insulation characteristics that affect the power distribution) when they are close to the to-be-plated substrate, which makes the distribution density of power line uneven.
- the metal layer formed on the to-be-plated substrate is troubled by poor uniformity in thickness.
- the disclosure provides an electroplating apparatus and an electroplating method that resolve the problem of poor electroplating thickness uniformity of a metal plating layer on a to-be-plated substrate.
- An electroplating apparatus of the present disclosure includes an electroplating tank, an anode and a cathode, a power supply, and a regulating plate.
- the electroplating tank accommodates electrolyte. Both the anode and the cathode are disposed in the electroplating tank.
- the power supply is electrically connected to the anode and the cathode.
- the regulating plate is disposed between the anode and the cathode.
- the regulating plate includes multiple mesh openings and multiple metal sheets, and at least part of the metal sheets is electrically connected with the cathode.
- the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel, the metal sheets are disposed on the insulating mesh panel, and the metal sheets are all electrically connected with the cathode.
- channels are only formed by the above-mentioned mesh openings.
- the electroplating apparatus further includes multiple wires connecting to the metal sheets one-to-one.
- the electroplating apparatus further includes a controller connected to the wires, wherein currents of the wires are collected to the cathode by the controller.
- the shape of the mesh openings re complementary to the shape of the metal sheets.
- the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel
- the metal sheets are disposed into arrays on the insulating mesh panel, part of the metal sheets is electrically connected to the cathode, and the other part of the metal sheets is not electrically connected to the cathode.
- each of the metal sheets includes at least one hole, and the holes and the mesh openings form channels.
- the electroplating apparatus further includes multiple wires connecting to the metal sheets one-to-one.
- the electroplating apparatus further includes a controller connected with the wires, where the controller is configured to control electrical connection states of the regulating plate.
- An electroplating method of the disclosure at least includes the following steps.
- An electroplating apparatus is provided, and the electroplating apparatus includes an electroplating tank, an anode and a cathode, a power supply, and a regulation plate.
- the electroplating tank accommodates electrolyte. Both the anode and the cathode are disposed in the electroplating tank.
- the power supply is electrically connected to the anode and the cathode.
- the regulating plate is disposed between the anode and the cathode.
- the regulating plate includes multiple mesh openings and multiple metal sheets, and at least part of the metal sheets is electrically connected with the cathode.
- a to-be-plated substrate is fixed on the cathode.
- a first metal plating layer is formed on the to-be-plated substrate, as part of the power lines drives part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the regulating plate.
- a second metal plating layer is formed on the regulating plate, as another part of the power lines drives another part of the metal ions in the electrolyte.
- the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel
- the metal sheets are disposed on the insulating mesh panel
- the metal sheets are all electrically connected with the cathode to form the second metal plating layer on all of the metal sheets.
- the shape of the mesh openings is complementary to the shape of the metal sheets.
- the electroplating apparatus further includes multiple wires connecting to the metal sheets one-to-one.
- the electroplating apparatus further includes a controller connected with the wires, and the currents of the wires are collected to the cathode by the controller.
- the to-be-plated substrate includes a dry film having multiple openings, and the mesh openings are aligned with the openings.
- the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel
- the metal sheets are disposed into arrays on the insulating mesh panel, and only part of the metal sheets is electrically connected to the cathode to form the second metal plating layer only on part of the metal sheets.
- 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 mesh openings.
- the electroplating apparatus further includes multiple wires electrically connected to the metal sheets one-to-one.
- the electroplating apparatus further includes a controller connected with the wires, and the controller is configured to control electrical connection states of the regulating plate.
- part of the power lines moving from the anode to the cathode may drive part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the mesh openings of the regulating plate and form a metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate, whereas another part of the of power lines may drive another part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to form a metal plating layer on the metal sheets on the regulating plate.
- the power lines may be redistributed, and the part where circuits are formed on the to-be-plated substrate has a consistent density of the power lines, thereby resolving the problem of poor plating thickness uniformity of the metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate.
- FIG. 1 A is a flowchart of an electroplating method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 1 B is a schematic side view of an electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 1 C is a schematic top view of a regulating plate of an electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 1 D is a schematic top view of a regulating plate according to another embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 1 A is a flowchart of an electroplating method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 1 B is a schematic side view of an electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 1 C is a schematic top view of a regulating plate of an electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 1 D is a schematic top view of a regulating plate according to another embodiment of the disclosure.
- an electroplating apparatus 100 is provided, and the electroplating apparatus 100 includes an electroplating tank 110 , an anode 120 and a cathode 130 , a power supply 140 , and a regulating plate 150 (step S 100 ).
- the electroplating tank 110 accommodates electrolyte 112 .
- Both the anode 120 and the cathode 130 are disposed in the electroplating tank 110 , and the power supply 140 is electrically connected to the anode 120 and the cathode 130 .
- the regulating plate 150 is disposed between the anode 120 and the cathode 130 (two anodes 120 respectively sandwich a regulating plate 150 with a cathode 130 , as shown in FIG. 1 B schematically).
- the regulating plate 150 includes a plurality of mesh openings 152 and a plurality of metal sheets 154 , and at least part of the metal sheets 154 is electrically connected to the cathode 130 .
- the materials and types of the electroplating tank 110 , the electrolyte 112 , the anode 120 , and the cathode 130 may be adjusted according to the type of the actual metal to be plated (e.g., copper), which is not limited in the disclosure.
- the metal sheets 154 electrically connected to the cathode 130 may have the same reducing metal mechanism as the cathode 130 . Other details of the electroplating apparatus 100 are described further below.
- a substrate S to be plated is fixed on the cathode 130 (step S 200 ).
- a plurality of power lines L are formed between the anode 120 and the cathode 130 (which may be in the moving direction of electrons released after the anode 120 is powered on), and the power lines L move from the anode 120 to the cathode 130 (step S 300 ).
- part of the power lines L (such as the power line L 1 in FIG. 1 B ) drives part of the metal ions Y in the electrolyte 112 to pass through the regulating plate 150 and form a first metal plating layer 10 on the to-be-plated substrate S (step S 400 ).
- Another part of the power lines L (L 2 in FIG.
- step S 500 drives another part of the metal ions Y in the electrolyte 112 to form a second metal plating layer 20 on the regulating plate 150 (step S 500 ).
- the power lines L may be emitted from the anode 120 in parallel uniformly, and the power lines L also reach the to-be-plated substrate S in parallel uniformly.
- part of the power lines L (the power lines L 1 ) moving from the anode 120 to the cathode 130 drives part of the metal ions Y in the electrolyte 112 to pass through the mesh openings 152 of the regulating plate 150 to form a metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate S (the first metal plating layer 10 ), whereas another part of the power lines L (the power line L 2 ) drives another part of the metal ions Y in the electrolyte 112 to form a metal plating layer (the second metal plating layer 20 ) on the metal sheets 154 of the regulating plate 150 .
- the power lines L may be redistributed, and the part where circuits are formed on the to-be-plated substrate S has a consistent density of the power lines, thereby resolving the problem of poor plating thickness uniformity of the metal plating layer (the first metal plating layer 10 ) on the to-be-plated substrate S.
- the metal ions Y may be copper ions (Cu 2+ ), so the first metal plating layer 10 on the to-be-plated substrate S and the second metal plating layer 20 on the regulating plate 150 may be reduced copper, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
- the mesh openings 152 are part of an insulating mesh panel 30
- the metal sheets 154 are disposed on the insulating mesh panel 30
- the metal sheets 154 are all electrically connected to the cathode 130 , so that the metal sheets 154 are coated with the second metal plating layer 20 .
- the manufacturing process of the regulating plate 150 of the present embodiment includes, for example, the following steps. First, an insulating mesh panel 30 having substantially the same size as the to-be-plated substrate S is provided, and the insulating mesh panel 30 includes the mesh lines 32 and the mesh openings 152 defined by the mesh lines 32 . Next, metal plates (such as a full copper plate) are adhered to the insulating mesh panel 30 .
- a pattern as requested is formed by etching, and a nickel-gold or nickel-palladium-gold or other metal protective layer (not shown) is plated.
- the protective layer will not be attacked by the etching solution and is used as a stop barrier when the copper plating is to be stripped later (as in the pattern formed by the metal sheets 154 in FIG. 1 C ).
- the metal plates directly made of metal e.g., stainless steel
- the metal protective layer are adhered to the insulating mesh panel 30 after the pattern is made, such that the metal protective layer is not required.
- the to-be-plated substrate S may include a dry film 40 having a plurality of openings 42 .
- the metal corresponding to the position of the opening 42 of the dry film 40 is etched away (and the mesh openings 152 may be aligned with the openings 42 ) to allow the electric power line L to pass through, while the metal corresponding to the position of covering portions 44 of the dry film 40 are retained and in electrical connection with the cathode 130 , so that the power line L drives the metal ions Y to be plated and the power line L terminates at the metal sheets 154 .
- the shape of the mesh openings 152 and the shape of the metal sheets 154 may be complementary, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
- the material of the dry film 40 is, for example, an insulating material.
- the regulating plate of the disclosure is not limited to the above configuration of the regulating plate 150 . Please refer to both FIG. 1 C and FIG. 1 D .
- the regulating plate may also be replaced with a regulating plate 150 A of another embodiment.
- the regulating plate 150 A is provided with a plurality of metal sheets 154 A disposed in arrays on the insulating mesh panel 30 ; while part of the metal sheets 154 A is electrically connected to the cathode 130 , other part of the metal sheets 154 A is not electrically connected to the cathode 130 . In other words, only part of the metal sheets 154 A is electrically connected to the cathode 130 , so that only part of the metal sheets 154 A is formed with the second metal plating layer 20 .
- each of the metal sheets 154 A includes at least one hole H, and the holes H of the metal sheets 154 A without the second metal plating layer 20 formed thereon (namely, the metal sheets 154 A that are not electrically connected to the cathode 130 ) may form channels with the mesh openings 152 (while part or all of the other mesh openings 152 also form channels on their own).
- the hole H is shown to be circular in FIG.
- the disclosure does not limit the shape of the hole H thereto, as the hole H may also be in the shape of, for example, a rectangle or a polygon.
- the number of the holes H in each metal sheet 154 A is also not limited to one, as the number of holes H may be determined depending on the actual design requirements.
- the metal sheets 154 A are, for example, steel sheets or elements made by other metal less likely to be etched. And it is also possible that one metal sheet 154 A is configured to correspond to a plurality of mesh openings 152 , but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
- the electroplating apparatus 100 further includes a plurality of wires 160 connected to the metal sheets 154 /metal sheets 154 A one-to-one. Note that FIG. 1 C and FIG. 1 D only schematically show the wires 160 and do not show the actual connection details between the wires 160 and the metal sheets 154 /metal sheets 154 A.
- the electroplating apparatus 100 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 C further includes a controller 170 connected to the wires 160 , so that the currents of the wires 160 may be collected to the cathode 130 by the controller 170 .
- the controller 170 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 D may be further configured to control electrical connection states of the wires 160 .
- the controller 170 conducts only part of the wires 160 (the metal sheets 154 A are electrically connected to the cathode 130 ), so that only part of the metal sheets 154 A is formed with the second metal plating layer 20 .
- the controller 170 does not conduct the other part of the wires 160 (the metal sheets 154 A are not electrically connected to the cathode 130 ). Therefore, the second metal plating layer 20 is not formed on the said other part of the metal sheets 154 A, and the power line L passes through the holes H on the metal sheets 154 A, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
- the part where circuits are formed on the to-be-plated substrate S includes a circuit dense area and a circuit empty area (both not shown).
- the electroplating apparatus 100 of the present embodiment may resolve the problem of poor electroplating thickness uniformity of the metal plating layer more significantly in the circuit dense area of the to-be-plated substrate S, but the disclosure is not limited thereto; effects may also be seen in the circuit empty area.
- the to-be-plated substrate S may further include a seed layer 50 , and the first metal plating layer 10 may be plated on the seed layer 50 , but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
- the shape of the mesh opening 152 may also be determined by the actual design requirements, as the disclosure does not limit the shapes of the elements.
- the distance between the regulating plate 150 and the to-be-plated substrate S may be range from 2 mm to 5 cm, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
- the electroplating apparatus 100 further includes a chuck 180 and a nozzle (not shown), and the chuck 180 is configured to clamp the to-be-plated substrate S, and the nozzle is configured to improve the problem of metal ion mass transmission, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
- the metal plating layer formed on the regulating plate may be stripped using an etching solution after the electroplating is completed, so that the regulating plate may be reused and the overall electroplating cost may be reduced, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
- part of the power lines moving from the anode to the cathode may drive part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the mesh openings of the regulating plate and form a metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate, whereas another part of the of power lines may drive another part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to form a metal plating layer on the metal sheets on the regulating plate.
- the power lines may be redistributed, and the part where circuits are formed on the to-be-plated substrate has a consistent density of the power lines, thereby resolving the problem of poor plating thickness uniformity of the metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate.
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- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
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Abstract
Provided is an electroplating apparatus including an electroplating tank, an anode and a cathode, a power supply, and a regulating plate. The electroplating tank accommodates electrolyte. Both the anode and the cathode are disposed in the electroplating tank. The power supply is electrically connected to the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate is disposed between the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate includes a plurality of mesh openings and a plurality of metal sheets, and at least part of the metal sheets is electrically connected with the cathode. An electroplating method is also provided.
Description
- This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/255,438, filed on Oct. 14, 2021, and Taiwan application serial no. 111106298, filed on Feb. 22, 2022. The entirety of each of the above-mentioned patent applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
- The disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method, particularly to an electroplating apparatus and an electroplating method.
- Electroplating is a technique widely used in various fields. Besides being a surface treatment, electroplating is also applied in the production of circuit boards, semiconductor chips, LED conductive substrates, and semiconductor packages. Common and conventional as the technique is, electroplating still often has the issues of producing metal layers with non-uniform thickness.
- One of the reasons is that, in the manufacturing process of circuit boards, the power lines between the anode and the cathode are often affected and steered by the upper layer (with, for example, insulation characteristics that affect the power distribution) when they are close to the to-be-plated substrate, which makes the distribution density of power line uneven. As a result, the metal layer formed on the to-be-plated substrate is troubled by poor uniformity in thickness.
- The disclosure provides an electroplating apparatus and an electroplating method that resolve the problem of poor electroplating thickness uniformity of a metal plating layer on a to-be-plated substrate.
- An electroplating apparatus of the present disclosure includes an electroplating tank, an anode and a cathode, a power supply, and a regulating plate. The electroplating tank accommodates electrolyte. Both the anode and the cathode are disposed in the electroplating tank. The power supply is electrically connected to the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate is disposed between the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate includes multiple mesh openings and multiple metal sheets, and at least part of the metal sheets is electrically connected with the cathode.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel, the metal sheets are disposed on the insulating mesh panel, and the metal sheets are all electrically connected with the cathode.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, channels are only formed by the above-mentioned mesh openings.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the electroplating apparatus further includes multiple wires connecting to the metal sheets one-to-one.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the electroplating apparatus further includes a controller connected to the wires, wherein currents of the wires are collected to the cathode by the controller.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the shape of the mesh openings re complementary to the shape of the metal sheets.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel, the metal sheets are disposed into arrays on the insulating mesh panel, part of the metal sheets is electrically connected to the cathode, and the other part of the metal sheets is not electrically connected to the cathode.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, each of the metal sheets includes at least one hole, and the holes and the mesh openings form channels.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the electroplating apparatus further includes multiple wires connecting to the metal sheets one-to-one.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the electroplating apparatus further includes a controller connected with the wires, where the controller is configured to control electrical connection states of the regulating plate.
- An electroplating method of the disclosure at least includes the following steps. An electroplating apparatus is provided, and the electroplating apparatus includes an electroplating tank, an anode and a cathode, a power supply, and a regulation plate. The electroplating tank accommodates electrolyte. Both the anode and the cathode are disposed in the electroplating tank. The power supply is electrically connected to the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate is disposed between the anode and the cathode. The regulating plate includes multiple mesh openings and multiple metal sheets, and at least part of the metal sheets is electrically connected with the cathode. A to-be-plated substrate is fixed on the cathode. After the power supply supplies power, multiple power lines are formed between the anode and the cathode, and the power lines move from the anode to the cathode. A first metal plating layer is formed on the to-be-plated substrate, as part of the power lines drives part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the regulating plate. A second metal plating layer is formed on the regulating plate, as another part of the power lines drives another part of the metal ions in the electrolyte.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel, the metal sheets are disposed on the insulating mesh panel, and the metal sheets are all electrically connected with the cathode to form the second metal plating layer on all of the metal sheets.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the shape of the mesh openings is complementary to the shape of the metal sheets.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the electroplating apparatus further includes multiple wires connecting to the metal sheets one-to-one.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the electroplating apparatus further includes a controller connected with the wires, and the currents of the wires are collected to the cathode by the controller.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the to-be-plated substrate includes a dry film having multiple openings, and the mesh openings are aligned with the openings.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel, the metal sheets are disposed into arrays on the insulating mesh panel, and only part of the metal sheets is electrically connected to the cathode to form the second metal plating layer only on part of the metal sheets.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, 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 mesh openings.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the electroplating apparatus further includes multiple wires electrically connected to the metal sheets one-to-one.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the electroplating apparatus further includes a controller connected with the wires, and the controller is configured to control electrical connection states of the regulating plate.
- Based on the above, with the design of a regulating plate between the anode and the cathode in the electroplating apparatus of the disclosure, part of the power lines moving from the anode to the cathode may drive part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the mesh openings of the regulating plate and form a metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate, whereas another part of the of power lines may drive another part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to form a metal plating layer on the metal sheets on the regulating plate. With this configuration, the power lines may be redistributed, and the part where circuits are formed on the to-be-plated substrate has a consistent density of the power lines, thereby resolving the problem of poor plating thickness uniformity of the metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate.
- To make the above features and advantages of the disclosure to be understood easily, the following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the following drawings.
-
FIG. 1A is a flowchart of an electroplating method according to an embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of an electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIG. 1C is a schematic top view of a regulating plate of an electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIG. 1D is a schematic top view of a regulating plate according to another embodiment of the disclosure. - Explanatory embodiments of the disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings. As the disclosure may also be embodied in many different forms, the embodiments described herein should not be construed as a limitation to the disclosure. For the sake of clarity, the size and thickness of various regions, parts, and layers may not be drawn to scale in the drawings. For the ease of comprehension, the same or similar elements adopt the same reference numerals in the following description, and the same descriptions are not repeated in the paragraphs to come.
- Directional terms (e.g., up, down, right, left, front, back, top, bottom) used herein are only for reference shown in the drawings and are not intended to imply absolute orientation.
- Although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or or parts 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 defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
-
FIG. 1A is a flowchart of an electroplating method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of an electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.FIG. 1C is a schematic top view of a regulating plate of an electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.FIG. 1D is a schematic top view of a regulating plate according to another embodiment of the disclosure. - Please refer to
FIG. 1A ,FIG. 1B , andFIG. 1C . The following passages describe the main flow of the electroplating method according to an embodiment of the disclosure with reference to the drawings. First, anelectroplating apparatus 100 is provided, and theelectroplating apparatus 100 includes anelectroplating tank 110, ananode 120 and acathode 130, apower supply 140, and a regulating plate 150 (step S100). Theelectroplating tank 110 accommodateselectrolyte 112. Both theanode 120 and thecathode 130 are disposed in theelectroplating tank 110, and thepower supply 140 is electrically connected to theanode 120 and thecathode 130. The regulatingplate 150 is disposed between theanode 120 and the cathode 130 (twoanodes 120 respectively sandwich a regulatingplate 150 with acathode 130, as shown inFIG. 1B schematically). The regulatingplate 150 includes a plurality ofmesh openings 152 and a plurality ofmetal sheets 154, and at least part of themetal sheets 154 is electrically connected to thecathode 130. Here, the materials and types of theelectroplating tank 110, theelectrolyte 112, theanode 120, and thecathode 130 may be adjusted according to the type of the actual metal to be plated (e.g., copper), which is not limited in the disclosure. In addition, themetal sheets 154 electrically connected to thecathode 130 may have the same reducing metal mechanism as thecathode 130. Other details of theelectroplating apparatus 100 are described further below. - Next, a substrate S to be plated is fixed on the cathode 130 (step S200). After the
power supply 140 supplies power, a plurality of power lines L are formed between theanode 120 and the cathode 130 (which may be in the moving direction of electrons released after theanode 120 is powered on), and the power lines L move from theanode 120 to the cathode 130 (step S300). Next, part of the power lines L (such as the power line L1 inFIG. 1B ) drives part of the metal ions Y in theelectrolyte 112 to pass through the regulatingplate 150 and form a firstmetal plating layer 10 on the to-be-plated substrate S (step S400). Another part of the power lines L (L2 inFIG. 1B ) drives another part of the metal ions Y in theelectrolyte 112 to form a secondmetal plating layer 20 on the regulating plate 150 (step S500). Here, the power lines L may be emitted from theanode 120 in parallel uniformly, and the power lines L also reach the to-be-plated substrate S in parallel uniformly. - Accordingly, with the design of the regulating
plate 150 between theanode 120 and thecathode 130 in theelectroplating apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, part of the power lines L (the power lines L1) moving from theanode 120 to thecathode 130 drives part of the metal ions Y in theelectrolyte 112 to pass through themesh openings 152 of the regulatingplate 150 to form a metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate S (the first metal plating layer 10), whereas another part of the power lines L (the power line L2) drives another part of the metal ions Y in theelectrolyte 112 to form a metal plating layer (the second metal plating layer 20) on themetal sheets 154 of the regulatingplate 150. In this way, the power lines L may be redistributed, and the part where circuits are formed on the to-be-plated substrate S has a consistent density of the power lines, thereby resolving the problem of poor plating thickness uniformity of the metal plating layer (the first metal plating layer 10) on the to-be-plated substrate S. - In some embodiments, the metal ions Y may be copper ions (Cu2+), so the first
metal plating layer 10 on the to-be-plated substrate S and the secondmetal plating layer 20 on the regulatingplate 150 may be reduced copper, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. - In this embodiment, the
mesh openings 152 are part of an insulatingmesh panel 30, themetal sheets 154 are disposed on the insulatingmesh panel 30, and themetal sheets 154 are all electrically connected to thecathode 130, so that themetal sheets 154 are coated with the secondmetal plating layer 20. Furthermore, the manufacturing process of the regulatingplate 150 of the present embodiment includes, for example, the following steps. First, an insulatingmesh panel 30 having substantially the same size as the to-be-plated substrate S is provided, and the insulatingmesh panel 30 includes themesh lines 32 and themesh openings 152 defined by the mesh lines 32. Next, metal plates (such as a full copper plate) are adhered to the insulatingmesh panel 30. Then, a pattern as requested is formed by etching, and a nickel-gold or nickel-palladium-gold or other metal protective layer (not shown) is plated. The protective layer will not be attacked by the etching solution and is used as a stop barrier when the copper plating is to be stripped later (as in the pattern formed by themetal sheets 154 inFIG. 1C ). Alternatively, the metal plates directly made of metal (e.g., stainless steel) that cannot be etched by the etching solution are adhered to the insulatingmesh panel 30 after the pattern is made, such that the metal protective layer is not required. - Furthermore, the to-be-plated substrate S may include a
dry film 40 having a plurality ofopenings 42. The metal corresponding to the position of theopening 42 of thedry film 40 is etched away (and themesh openings 152 may be aligned with the openings 42) to allow the electric power line L to pass through, while the metal corresponding to the position of coveringportions 44 of thedry film 40 are retained and in electrical connection with thecathode 130, so that the power line L drives the metal ions Y to be plated and the power line L terminates at themetal sheets 154. Therefore, the shape of themesh openings 152 and the shape of themetal sheets 154 may be complementary, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Here, the material of thedry film 40 is, for example, an insulating material. - It should be noted that the regulating plate of the disclosure is not limited to the above configuration of the regulating
plate 150. Please refer to bothFIG. 1C andFIG. 1D . The regulating plate may also be replaced with a regulatingplate 150A of another embodiment. Different from the regulatingplate 150, the regulatingplate 150A is provided with a plurality ofmetal sheets 154A disposed in arrays on the insulatingmesh panel 30; while part of themetal sheets 154A is electrically connected to thecathode 130, other part of themetal sheets 154A is not electrically connected to thecathode 130. In other words, only part of themetal sheets 154A is electrically connected to thecathode 130, so that only part of themetal sheets 154A is formed with the secondmetal plating layer 20. - Furthermore, in the embodiment of
FIG. 1C , only themesh openings 152 may form channels to allow the power lines L and the metal ions Y to pass through. In other words, the power lines L and the metal ions Y do not pass through themetal sheets 154. In the embodiment ofFIG. 1D , each of themetal sheets 154A includes at least one hole H, and the holes H of themetal sheets 154A without the secondmetal plating layer 20 formed thereon (namely, themetal sheets 154A that are not electrically connected to the cathode 130) may form channels with the mesh openings 152 (while part or all of theother mesh openings 152 also form channels on their own). Here, although the hole H is shown to be circular inFIG. 1D , the disclosure does not limit the shape of the hole H thereto, as the hole H may also be in the shape of, for example, a rectangle or a polygon. The number of the holes H in eachmetal sheet 154A is also not limited to one, as the number of holes H may be determined depending on the actual design requirements. In addition, in the embodiment ofFIG. 1D , themetal sheets 154A are, for example, steel sheets or elements made by other metal less likely to be etched. And it is also possible that onemetal sheet 154A is configured to correspond to a plurality ofmesh openings 152, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. - In some embodiments, the
electroplating apparatus 100 further includes a plurality ofwires 160 connected to themetal sheets 154/metal sheets 154A one-to-one. Note thatFIG. 1C andFIG. 1D only schematically show thewires 160 and do not show the actual connection details between thewires 160 and themetal sheets 154/metal sheets 154A. - Moreover, the
electroplating apparatus 100 in the embodiment ofFIG. 1C further includes acontroller 170 connected to thewires 160, so that the currents of thewires 160 may be collected to thecathode 130 by thecontroller 170. Thecontroller 170 in the embodiment ofFIG. 1D may be further configured to control electrical connection states of thewires 160. For example, thecontroller 170 conducts only part of the wires 160 (themetal sheets 154A are electrically connected to the cathode 130), so that only part of themetal sheets 154A is formed with the secondmetal plating layer 20. In other words, thecontroller 170 does not conduct the other part of the wires 160 (themetal sheets 154A are not electrically connected to the cathode 130). Therefore, the secondmetal plating layer 20 is not formed on the said other part of themetal sheets 154A, and the power line L passes through the holes H on themetal sheets 154A, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. - In some embodiments, the part where circuits are formed on the to-be-plated substrate S includes a circuit dense area and a circuit empty area (both not shown). As the problem of poor plating thickness uniformity of the metal plating layer is severer in the circuit dense area, the
electroplating apparatus 100 of the present embodiment may resolve the problem of poor electroplating thickness uniformity of the metal plating layer more significantly in the circuit dense area of the to-be-plated substrate S, but the disclosure is not limited thereto; effects may also be seen in the circuit empty area. - In some embodiments, the to-be-plated substrate S may further include a
seed layer 50, and the firstmetal plating layer 10 may be plated on theseed layer 50, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. - In some embodiments, the shape of the
mesh opening 152 may also be determined by the actual design requirements, as the disclosure does not limit the shapes of the elements. - In some embodiments, the distance between the regulating
plate 150 and the to-be-plated substrate S may be range from 2 mm to 5 cm, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. - In some embodiments, the
electroplating apparatus 100 further includes achuck 180 and a nozzle (not shown), and thechuck 180 is configured to clamp the to-be-plated substrate S, and the nozzle is configured to improve the problem of metal ion mass transmission, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. - In some embodiments, the metal plating layer formed on the regulating plate may be stripped using an etching solution after the electroplating is completed, so that the regulating plate may be reused and the overall electroplating cost may be reduced, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
- To sum up, with the design of a regulating plate between the anode and the cathode in the electroplating apparatus of the disclosure, part of the power lines moving from the anode to the cathode may drive part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the mesh openings of the regulating plate and form a metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate, whereas another part of the of power lines may drive another part of the metal ions in the electrolyte to form a metal plating layer on the metal sheets on the regulating plate. With this configuration, the power lines may be redistributed, and the part where circuits are formed on the to-be-plated substrate has a consistent density of the power lines, thereby resolving the problem of poor plating thickness uniformity of the metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate.
- Although the disclosure has been disclosed as above with examples, it is not intended to limit the disclosure. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The protection scope of the disclosure shall be determined by the scope of the appended patent application.
Claims (20)
1. An electroplating apparatus, comprising:
an electroplating tank, accommodating electrolyte;
an anode and a cathode, both disposed in the electroplating tank;
a power supply, electrically connected to the anode and the cathode; and
a regulating plate, disposed between the anode and the cathode, and comprising a plurality of mesh openings and a plurality of metal sheets, wherein at least part of the metal sheets is electrically connected with the cathode.
2. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel, the metal sheets are disposed on the insulating mesh panel, and the metal sheets are all electrically connected with the cathode.
3. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein channels are only formed by the mesh openings.
4. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of wires connecting to the metal sheets one-to-one.
5. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising a controller connected to the wires, wherein currents of the wires are collected to the cathode by the controller.
6. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a shape of the mesh openings are complementary to a shape of the metal sheets.
7. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel, the metal sheets are disposed into arrays on the insulating mesh panel, part of the metal sheets is electrically connected to the cathode, and an other part of the metal sheets is not electrically connected to the cathode.
8. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each of the metal sheets comprises at least one hole, and the at least one hole and the mesh openings form channels.
9. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising a plurality of wires connecting to the metal sheets one-to-one.
10. The electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising a controller connected with the wires, wherein the controller is configured to control electrical connection states of the regulating plate.
11. An electroplating method, comprising:
providing an electroplating apparatus, wherein the electroplating apparatus comprises:
an electroplating tank, accommodating electrolyte;
an anode and a cathode, both disposed in the electroplating tank;
a power supply, electrically connected to the anode and the cathode;
a regulating plate, disposed between the anode and the cathode, and comprising a plurality of mesh openings and a plurality of metal sheets, wherein at least part of the metal sheets is electrically connected to the cathode;
fixing a to-be-plated substrate on the cathode;
after the power supply supplies power, forming a plurality of power lines between the anode and the cathode, wherein the power lines move from the anode to the cathode;
forming a first metal plating layer on the to-be-plated substrate, as part of the power lines drives part of metal ions in the electrolyte to pass through the regulating plate; and
forming a second metal plating layer on the regulating plate, as another part of the power lines drives another part of the metal ions in the electrolyte.
12. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel, the metal sheets are disposed on the insulating mesh panel, and the metal sheets are all electrically connected with the cathode to form the second metal plating layer on all of the metal sheets.
13. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein a shape of the mesh openings are complementary to a shape of the metal sheets.
14. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the electroplating apparatus further comprises a plurality of wires connecting to the metal sheets one-to-one.
15. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the electroplating apparatus further comprises a controller connected with the wires, wherein currents of the wires are collected to the cathode by the controller.
16. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the to-be-plated substrate comprises a dry film having a plurality of openings, and the mesh openings are aligned with the openings.
17. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the mesh openings are part of an insulating mesh panel, the metal sheets are disposed into arrays on the insulating mesh panel, and only part of the metal sheets is electrically connected to the cathode to form the second metal plating layer only on part of the metal sheets.
18. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein each of the metal sheets comprises at least one hole, and the at least one hole of the metal sheets without the second metal plating layer forms channels with the mesh openings.
19. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the electroplating apparatus further comprises a plurality of wires electrically connected to the metal sheets one-to-one.
20. The electroplating method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the electroplating apparatus further comprises a controller configured to control electrical connection states of the wires.
Priority Applications (1)
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US17/700,531 US20230120741A1 (en) | 2021-10-14 | 2022-03-22 | Electroplating apparatus and electroplating method |
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US202163255438P | 2021-10-14 | 2021-10-14 | |
TW111106298A TWI801144B (en) | 2021-10-14 | 2022-02-22 | Electroplating apparatus and electroplating method |
TW111106298 | 2022-02-22 | ||
US17/700,531 US20230120741A1 (en) | 2021-10-14 | 2022-03-22 | Electroplating apparatus and electroplating method |
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US20230120741A1 true US20230120741A1 (en) | 2023-04-20 |
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US17/700,531 Abandoned US20230120741A1 (en) | 2021-10-14 | 2022-03-22 | Electroplating apparatus and electroplating method |
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