Electroplating apparatus and electroplating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11859302-B2
Application number	US-202217705405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2022
Priority date	Oct 14, 2021
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

An electroplating apparatus includes an anode and a cathode, a power supply, a regulating plate, and a controller. 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 an insulation grid plate and a plurality of wires. The controller is electrically connected to the plurality of wires to control a state of an electromagnetic field around the plurality of wires. An electroplating method is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electroplating method, comprising:
providing an electroplating apparatus, wherein the electroplating apparatus comprises:
an anode and a cathode;
a power supply electrically connected to the anode and the cathode;
a regulating plate disposed between the anode and the cathode, wherein the regulating plate comprises an insulation grid plate and a plurality of wires; and
a controller electrically connected to the plurality of wires;

fixing a substrate to be plated on the cathode, wherein the substrate to be plated comprises a dry film, the dry film has at least a first opening and a second opening, and the first opening is smaller than the second opening;
after the power supply supplies a power, a plurality of electric lines of force moving from the anode to the cathode are formed;
the controller controls a state of an electromagnetic field around the plurality of wires to change an incident angle of the plurality of electric lines of force passing through the regulating plate relative to the substrate to be plated, such that a number of the electric lines of force entering the first opening is less than a number of the electric lines of force entering the second opening; and
forming a metal coating on the substrate to be plated.

2. The electroplating method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electric lines of force are moved linearly before passing through the regulating plate, and the plurality of electric lines of force show a spiral movement after passing through the regulating plate.

3. The electroplating method of claim 1 , wherein the first opening has a first opening angle, the second opening has a second opening angle, the first opening angle is less than the second opening angle, the incident angles of the lines of force entering the first opening are all less than or equal to the first opening angle, and the incident angles of the lines of force entering the second opening are all less than or equal to the second opening angle.

4. The electroplating method of claim 1 , wherein the state of the electromagnetic field is controlled by setting a current intensity of the plurality of wires.

5. The electroplating method of claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the current intensity of the plurality of wires repeatedly during a forming of the metal coating.

6. The electroplating method of claim 4 , wherein the current intensity of each of the wires is different.

7. The electroplating method of claim 1 , wherein a current direction of the plurality of wires is the same as a moving direction of the plurality of electric lines of force before passing through the regulating plate.

8. The electroplating method of claim 1 , wherein a current direction of the plurality of wires is toward the cathode.

9. The electroplating method of claim 1 , wherein there is no magnetic field generated by a magnetic substance around the regulating plate.

10. The electroplating method of claim 9 , wherein the magnetic substance comprises a magnet, a magnetic material, or a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Unimicron Technology Corp

Inventors

• Nien Heng-Ming
• Lu Chih-Chiang
• Chan Chih-Kai
• Cheng Shih-Lian

Classifications

• C25D5/007 Primary

  Electroplating using magnetic fields, e.g. magnets · CPC title

• C25D21/12

  Process control or regulation (controlling or regulating in general G05) · CPC title

• H05K3/188

  by direct electroplating · CPC title

• C25D5/022

  using masking means · CPC title

• C25D17/007

  Current directing devices · CPC title