Apparatus and method for electroless plating or cleaningTechnical Field
The invention belongs to the field of chemical plating, and relates to a device and a method for chemical plating or cleaning.
Background
Circuit boards are one of the key components of electronic products, and it is usually necessary to provide internal conductive structures (e.g., conductive vias) in the circuit boards to establish electrical connection between internal circuits or between internal circuits and external circuits. However, as electronic products increasingly emphasize miniaturization and multi-functional design, the size of the circuit board, which is connected with its circuitry and internal conductive structures, must also be continuously reduced. Existing electroless plating techniques still face challenges in forming high aspect ratio internal conductive structures. For example, as the aperture of the via is smaller and the aspect ratio is larger, the electroless plating solution is difficult to enter the via by diffusion, and even more, the via is usually air-blocked.
In order to solve the above problems, although the conventional electroless plating techniques mostly adopt jet flow, bubble generation and other methods to disturb the electroless plating solution, the disturbance range generated by these methods is too small, the electroless plating solution is not easy to enter the through hole for plating metal, and the conductive structure in the through hole has defects (the conductive structure is discontinuous). In the cleaning process, the problem that cleaning liquid is difficult to enter into the through holes with high aspect ratio also exists, and the cleaning effect is not ideal.
Therefore, an innovative electroless plating technology is needed to ensure that electroless plating solution or cleaning solution can enter the through hole with high aspect ratio to obtain a high-quality through hole product with high aspect ratio.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above technical problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for electroless plating or cleaning, which solves the problem that an electroless plating solution or a cleaning solution is difficult to enter a through hole with a high aspect ratio for electroless plating and cleaning of a product with a through hole with a high aspect ratio, and improves the quality of a plated film.
In order to achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the technical scheme that:
a device for chemical plating or cleaning comprises a groove body and a product placing frame detachably inserted into the groove body, the device has a working state, when the device is in the working state, the product placing frame is inserted into the groove body, a first cavity is formed on one side of the product placing frame, a second cavity is formed on the other side of the product placing frame, and the first cavity and the second cavity can only be communicated through holes on products;
at least one of the first cavity and the second cavity is communicated with a liquid inlet mechanism, at least the other one of the first cavity and the second cavity is communicated with a liquid discharging mechanism and a vacuum pumping port.
Preferably, the device further comprises a vacuum pumping device capable of being connected with the vacuum pumping port, when the device is in the working state, the first cavity and the second cavity have a pressure difference, and the vacuum pumping device is communicated with the cavity with a lower liquid level.
Preferably, feed liquor mechanism includes first feed liquor mechanism and second feed liquor mechanism, drainage mechanism includes first drainage mechanism and second drainage mechanism, the vacuum extraction opening includes first vacuum extraction opening and second vacuum extraction opening, first cavity with first feed liquor mechanism first drainage mechanism reaches first vacuum extraction opening intercommunication, the second cavity with second feed liquor mechanism second drainage mechanism reaches second vacuum extraction opening intercommunication.
Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a first sealing box movably disposed at one side within the tank, the first sealing box and the product placement frame being in sealing contact to form the first cavity when the apparatus is in the operating state; the device also comprises a second sealing box movably arranged on the other side in the groove body, and when the device is in the working state, the second sealing box is in sealing contact with the product placing frame to form the second cavity.
More preferably, the liquid inlet mechanism has a forced liquid inlet opening on the first sealed box or the second sealed box, the liquid outlet mechanism has a forced liquid outlet opening on the first sealed box or the second sealed box, and the vacuum pumping opening is opened on the first sealed box or the second sealed box.
Further, the apparatus further comprises a pressure dispersion plate located inside the forced liquid inlet and offset a distance from the forced liquid inlet.
Further, the device also comprises a first bracket and a second bracket which are fixedly arranged in the groove body, the first sealing box is movably arranged on the first bracket, and the second sealing box is movably arranged on the second bracket; the device also comprises a driving cylinder for driving the first sealing box and the second sealing box to move, the driving cylinder is arranged on the first support or the second support, and a piston rod of the driving cylinder is connected to the first sealing box or the second sealing box.
Furthermore, a first water baffle is arranged between the first support and the first sealing box, a second water baffle is arranged between the second support and the second sealing box, and holes or grooves for the liquid inlet mechanism, the liquid discharge mechanism and the driving mechanism to pass through are formed in the first water baffle and the second water baffle.
Furthermore, a first sealing strip used for being in sealing contact with the product placing frame is arranged on the end face of the first sealing box, and a second sealing strip used for being in sealing contact with the product placing frame is arranged on the end face of the second sealing box.
Preferably, the device also comprises a flushing liquid feeding assembly facing the inside of the tank body and a liquid outlet pipe connected to the lower part of the tank body.
More preferably, the rinse solution feed assembly includes a plurality of spray nozzles disposed on a spray pipe.
The invention also adopts the following technical scheme:
a method for electroless plating or cleaning comprising the steps of:
A. providing a product having a through hole;
B. mounting the product to a product mounting bracket;
C. inserting a product placing frame provided with products into a groove body, so that a first cavity is formed on one side of the product placing frame, and a second cavity is formed on the other side of the product placing frame;
D. introducing a plating solution or a cleaning solution into the first cavity;
E. vacuumizing the second cavity, so that plating solution or cleaning solution flows into the second cavity from the first cavity through the through hole on the product;
F. and vacuumizing the first cavity to enable plating solution or cleaning solution to flow into the first cavity from the second cavity through the through hole on the product.
Preferably, said steps E and F are performed sequentially and cyclically.
Herein, products include, but are not limited to, substrates, wafers, PCBs, and glass, the products having through-holes with aspect ratios greater than or equal to 20.
Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following advantages by adopting the scheme:
in the device and the method, one of the cavities is vacuumized, so that pressure difference exists between the first cavity and the second cavity, and liquid flow (plating solution or cleaning solution) flows through the through hole on the product under the driving of the pressure difference, so that the problem that the liquid flow is difficult to enter the through hole with the high depth-width ratio of the product can be effectively solved, the coating quality is improved, and the condition that the coating is uneven in thickness or the coating is discontinuous is avoided.
Drawings
In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on the drawings without creative efforts.
FIG. 1 is a front view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the internal structure of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a portion of the tank is not shown;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of the portion B in FIG. 4;
fig. 6 is a partially enlarged view at C in fig. 4.
Wherein:
1. a trough body; 11. a first bracket; 12. a second bracket; 13. a first water baffle; 14. a second water baffle; 15. a guide shaft;
2. placing a product rack; 20. hooking; 21. producing a product;
3. a first cavity; 30. a first seal box; 31. a pressure dispersion plate; 32. a first seal strip;
4. a second cavity; 40. a second sealed box; 41. a pressure dispersion plate; 42. a second seal strip;
51. a first liquid inlet mechanism; 52. a second liquid inlet mechanism; 53. a first draining mechanism; 54. a second drainage mechanism; 501. a first liquid inlet pipe; 502. a second liquid inlet pipe; 503. a forced liquid inlet; 504. a liquid discharge pipe;
61. a first vacuum pumping port; 62. a second vacuum pumping port;
7. a driving cylinder;
81. spray washing the tube; 82. a nozzle; 83. a liquid outlet pipe.
Detailed Description
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the advantages and features of the invention may be more readily understood by those skilled in the art. It should be noted that the description of the embodiments is provided to help understanding of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the technical features involved in the embodiments of the present invention described below may be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.
It should be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used primarily to distinguish one element from another. In addition, the term "or" as used herein should be taken to include any one or combination of more of the associated listed items as the case may be. The terms "a" and "an," as used herein, mean one or more.
The embodiment provides an apparatus for electroless plating or cleaning, which can be applied to metal layer preparation or subsequent cleaning processes of products with through holes. The product includes but is not limited to a substrate, a wafer, a PCB and glass, and the through hole on the product refers to a through hole with an aspect ratio of more than 20.
As shown in fig. 1 to 6, the device includes atrough 1 and aproduct rack 2 detachably inserted in thetrough 1. The device has an active state and a ready state. When the device is in a working state, theproduct placing frame 2 is inserted into thegroove body 1, theproduct 21 is placed in theproduct placing frame 2, afirst cavity 3 is formed on one side of theproduct placing frame 2, asecond cavity 4 is formed on the other side of theproduct placing frame 2, and thefirst cavity 3 and thesecond cavity 4 can only be communicated through a through hole in theproduct 21. When the device is in the ready state, the product of theproduct rack 2 is exposed and can be rinsed for pre-cleaning after the initial placement of the product. Theproduct placement frame 2 is in the form of a hanger having ahook 20, and aproduct 21 is installed in a through hole in the middle of theproduct placement frame 2.
At least one of thefirst cavity 3 and thesecond cavity 4 is communicated with a liquid inlet mechanism, at least the other one is communicated with a liquid outlet mechanism and a vacuum pumping port. The apparatus further comprises a vacuum pumping device (not shown in the figures) connectable to the vacuum pumping port. When the device is in a working state, thefirst cavity 3 and thesecond cavity 4 have liquid level difference, and the vacuumizing equipment is communicated with the cavity with lower liquid level. Plating solution or cleaning solution is introduced into thefirst cavity 3 or thesecond cavity 4 through the liquid inlet mechanism, the cavity with lower liquid level is vacuumized through the vacuumizing equipment, the plating solution or the cleaning solution is forced to flow through the through hole on the product, and the used plating solution or the cleaning solution is discharged through the liquid discharge mechanism.
Further, the liquid inlet mechanism includes a firstliquid inlet mechanism 51 and a secondliquid inlet mechanism 52, the liquid discharge mechanism includes a firstliquid discharge mechanism 53 and a secondliquid discharge mechanism 54, and the vacuum suction port includes a firstvacuum suction port 61 and a secondvacuum suction port 62. Thefirst cavity 3 is communicated with the firstliquid inlet mechanism 51, the firstliquid discharge mechanism 53 and the firstvacuum pumping port 61, and thesecond cavity 4 is communicated with the secondliquid inlet mechanism 52, the secondliquid discharge mechanism 54 and the secondvacuum pumping port 62.
The device also comprises afirst sealing box 30 which is movably arranged at one side in thegroove body 1 and asecond sealing box 40 which is movably arranged at the other side in thegroove body 1. When the device is in a working state, thefirst sealing box 30 is in sealing contact with theproduct placing frame 2 to form afirst cavity 3; the second sealedbox 40 is in sealing contact with theproduct placement frame 2 to form asecond chamber 4. The firstliquid inlet mechanism 51 has a forcedliquid inlet 503 opened in the first sealedbox 30 and opened substantially in the middle of the first sealedbox 30; thefirst drain mechanism 53 has adrain pipe 504 connected to the first sealedcase 30, and is specifically connected to the lower portion of the first sealedcase 30; the firstvacuum suction port 61 is opened in thefirst sealing box 30, specifically, in the upper portion of thefirst sealing box 30. The secondliquid inlet mechanism 52 has a forcedliquid inlet 503 opened in the second sealedbox 40 and opened substantially in the middle of the second sealedbox 40; thesecond drain mechanism 54 has adrain pipe 504 connected to the second sealedcase 40, and is specifically connected to the lower portion of the second sealedcase 40; the secondvacuum suction port 62 is opened in thesecond sealing box 40, specifically, in an upper portion of thesecond sealing box 40.
The apparatus further comprises twopressure dispersion plates 31 and 41, onepressure dispersion plate 31 or 41 being provided inside each of the forcedliquid inlets 503, thepressure dispersion plate 31 or 41 facing the forcedliquid inlets 503 at a distance away from the forcedliquid inlets 503. The leftpressure dispersion plate 31 is fixedly provided to thefirst seal box 30, and the rightpressure dispersion plate 41 is fixedly provided to thesecond seal box 40. The end face of thefirst seal box 30 is provided with afirst seal strip 32 for sealing contact with the left side surface of theproduct placement frame 2, and the end face of thesecond seal box 40 is provided with asecond seal strip 42 for sealing contact with the right side surface of theproduct placement frame 2.
The device also comprises afirst bracket 11 and asecond bracket 12 which are fixedly arranged in thetank body 1. Thefirst seal box 30 is movably arranged on thefirst support 11, a drivingcylinder 7 for driving thefirst seal box 30 to move is arranged on thefirst support 11, and a piston rod of the drivingcylinder 7 is connected to thefirst seal box 30. Thesecond seal box 40 is movably arranged on thesecond support 12, a drivingcylinder 7 for driving thesecond seal box 40 to move is arranged on thesecond support 12, and a piston rod of the drivingcylinder 7 is connected to thesecond seal box 40. Thefirst seal box 30 is movably disposed on thefirst bracket 11 through a plurality ofguide shafts 15, specifically, theguide shafts 15 are fixedly disposed on thefirst bracket 11, and thefirst seal box 30 is movably sleeved on theguide shafts 15. Thesecond seal box 40 is movably disposed on thesecond bracket 12 through a plurality ofguide shafts 15, specifically, theguide shafts 15 are fixedly disposed on thesecond bracket 12, and thesecond seal box 40 is movably sleeved on theguide shafts 15.
Afirst water baffle 13 is arranged between thefirst bracket 11 and thefirst sealing box 30, and asecond water baffle 14 is arranged between thesecond bracket 12 and thesecond sealing box 40. Thefirst water baffle 13 is fixedly arranged on thefirst bracket 11, and thesecond water baffle 14 is fixedly arranged on thesecond bracket 12. Thefirst water baffle 13 and thesecond water baffle 14 are both provided with a pipe (such as a second liquid inlet pipe 502) for a liquid supply mechanism, a pipe (such as a liquid discharge pipe 504) for a liquid discharge mechanism, and a hole or a groove for a piston rod of the drivingcylinder 7 and theguide shaft 15 to pass through. Thefirst water baffle 13 and thesecond water baffle 14 can prevent water vapor from contacting components such as cylinders, and the service life of the components such as the cylinders is prevented from being influenced.
The device also comprises a flushing liquid feeding assembly facing the inside of thetank body 1 and aliquid outlet pipe 83 connected to the lower part of thetank body 1. The rinse solution feed assembly includes a plurality ofspray nozzles 82 disposed on aspray tube 81. The top of thefirst chamber 3 and thesecond chamber 4 are both provided with the above-mentionedspray pipe 81. Furthermore, thewashing nozzles 82 in each cavity are arranged at equal intervals, eachwashing nozzle 82 is provided with aliquid outlet pipe 83 which is inclined downwards and faces theproduct placing frame 2, and an included angle (for example, 45 degrees) smaller than 90 degrees is formed between the central line of the liquid outlet hole and the plane where theproduct placing frame 2 is located.
Each liquid inlet mechanism comprises a firstliquid inlet pipe 501 and a secondliquid inlet pipe 502 arranged on thefirst support 11 or thesecond support 12, wherein an inlet of the firstliquid inlet pipe 501 is communicated with the outside and an outlet is formed on thetank body 1, an outlet of the secondliquid inlet pipe 502 is communicated with the forcedliquid inlet 503, and the plating solution or the cleaning solution flows into an inlet of the secondliquid inlet pipe 502 from the outlet of the first liquid inlet pipe 501 (the plating solution or the cleaning solution and the inlet can be communicated through a hose and the like) and then flows into thefirst cavity 3 or thesecond cavity 4 through the forcedliquid inlet 503. Each of the liquid discharging mechanisms includes aliquid discharging pipe 504, theliquid discharging pipe 504 is disposed on thefirst support 11 or thesecond support 12, the plating solution or the cleaning solution in the chamber is discharged through the liquid discharging pipe, and theliquid discharging pipe 504 is communicated with theliquid outlet pipe 83 on thetank body 1, so that the plating solution or the cleaning solution is finally discharged out of the apparatus. When the device is in operation, thedrain pipe 504 of the cavity on the side with lower pressure is always in an open state.
The embodiment also provides an electroless plating method which adopts the device. The general flow of the chemical plating method is as follows:
s101, providing a product with a through hole;
s102, mounting a product on a product mounting rack;
s103, inserting theproduct placing rack 2 provided with the product into thegroove body 1, so that afirst cavity 3 is formed on one side of theproduct placing rack 2, and asecond cavity 4 is formed on the other side of theproduct placing rack 2;
s104, introducing a plating solution into thefirst cavity 3;
s105, the secondvacuum pumping hole 62 is communicated with a vacuum pumping device, and thesecond cavity 4 is pumped vacuum, so that the plating solution flows into thesecond cavity 4 from thefirst cavity 3 through a through hole on the product;
s106, the firstvacuum pumping hole 61 is communicated with a vacuum pumping device to pump vacuum to thefirst cavity 3, so that the plating solution flows into thefirst cavity 3 from thesecond cavity 4 through the through hole on the product.
Steps S105 and S106 are performed sequentially and cyclically.
In step S106, the plating solution is introduced into thesecond chamber 4, and then thefirst chamber 3 is evacuated.
In step S103, the piston rods of the drivingcylinders 7 on both sides extend out to respectively push thefirst seal box 30 and thesecond seal box 40 to press on theproduct placement frame 2, so that thefirst seal box 30 is in sealing contact with the left side surface of theproduct placement frame 2 to form afirst cavity 3, and thesecond seal box 40 is in sealing contact with the right side surface of theproduct placement frame 2 to form asecond cavity 4.
The embodiment also provides a cleaning method which adopts the device. The general flow of the cleaning method is as follows:
s201, providing a product with a through hole;
s202, mounting a product on a product mounting rack;
s203, inserting theproduct placing rack 2 provided with the product into thegroove body 1, so that afirst cavity 3 is formed on one side of theproduct placing rack 2, and asecond cavity 4 is formed on the other side of theproduct placing rack 2;
s204, introducing cleaning liquid into thefirst cavity 3;
s205, the secondvacuum pumping hole 62 is communicated with a vacuum pumping device to pump vacuum to thesecond cavity 4, so that the cleaning solution flows into thesecond cavity 4 from thefirst cavity 3 through the through hole on the product;
s206, the firstvacuum pumping hole 61 is communicated with a vacuum pumping device to pump vacuum to thefirst cavity 3, so that the cleaning solution flows into thefirst cavity 3 from thesecond cavity 4 through the through hole on the product.
Steps S205 and S206 are performed sequentially and cyclically.
In step S206, a cleaning solution is first introduced into thesecond chamber 4, and thefirst chamber 3 is evacuated.
In step S203, the piston rods of the drivingcylinders 7 on both sides extend out to respectively push thefirst seal box 30 and thesecond seal box 40 to press on theproduct placing rack 2, so that thefirst seal box 30 and the left side surface of theproduct placing rack 2 are in sealing contact to form afirst cavity 3, and thesecond seal box 40 and the right side surface of theproduct placing rack 2 are in sealing contact to form asecond cavity 4.
In the device and the method of the embodiment, one of the cavities is alternately vacuumized, so that pressure difference exists between the first cavity and the second cavity, and liquid flow (plating solution or cleaning solution) alternately flows through the through hole in the product in a left-to-right and right-to-left mode under the driving of the pressure difference, so that the problem that the liquid flow is difficult to enter the through hole with the high depth-to-width ratio of the product can be effectively solved, and the coating quality is improved.
The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical ideas and features of the present invention, and are preferred embodiments, which are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the contents of the present invention and implement the present invention, and not to limit the scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.