Film forming apparatus for forming metal film

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11459667-B2
Application number	US-202016841801-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2020
Priority date	Apr 26, 2019
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a metal film forming apparatus capable of forming a uniform metal film on a surface of a substrate by uniformly pressurizing an electrolyte membrane against the surface of the substrate. The film forming apparatus includes first and second film forming units, a coupling portion that couples the first and second film forming units together, a pressure device including a pressure unit that pressurizes substrates with electrolyte membranes of the respective film forming units via the coupling portion, and a power supply unit adapted to apply a voltage across each anode and each substrate. The film forming units are coupled to the coupling portion via their respective first elastic bodies that elastically deform in the pressurization direction of the pressure unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A film forming apparatus for forming a metal film on a surface of a substrate by reducing metal ions, comprising:
a plurality of film forming units each including an anode, an electrolyte membrane disposed between the anode and the substrate, and a liquid housing portion having the electrolyte membrane attached thereto, the liquid housing portion being adapted to house a metal solution containing the metal ions such that the metal solution is sealed in the liquid housing portion and the metal solution is in contact with the electrolyte membrane;
a pressure device including a coupling portion and a pressure unit, the coupling portion coupling the film forming units together, and the pressure unit pressurizing the substrates with the electrolyte membranes of the respective film forming units via the coupling portion; and
a power supply unit adapted to apply a voltage across each anode and each substrate so that metal derived from the metal ions with which each electrolyte membrane is impregnated are deposited on a surface of the substrate in a state in which the electrolyte membrane of each film forming unit is in contact with the substrate,
wherein:
each film forming unit is coupled to the coupling portion via a first elastic body, each of the first elastic bodies being adapted to elastically deform in a pressurization direction of the pressure unit;
wherein the coupling portion is joined to the pressure unit by a pin, and the plurality of film forming units are rotatable about the pin; and
wherein the coupling portion is pivotally attached to the pressure unit so that the coupling portion pivots when each first elastic body has elastically deformed in response to a pressure applied by the pressure unit.

2. The film forming apparatus for forming a metal film according to claim 1 ,
wherein:
the electrolyte membrane is attached to the liquid housing portion via a second elastic body, the second elastic body being adapted to elastically deform in the pressurization direction, and
a spring constant of the first elastic body in the pressurization direction is smaller than that of the second elastic body in the pressurization direction.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sato Yuki

Classifications

• C25D3/00

  Electroplating: Baths therefor · CPC title

• C25D5/04

  Electroplating with moving electrodes · CPC title

• C25D17/14 Primary

  for pad-plating · CPC title

• C25D5/02

  Electroplating of selected surface areas · CPC title

• C25D17/005

  Contacting devices · CPC title