Film formation method for metallic coating and film formation device for metallic coating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11913129-B2
Application number	US-202117484045-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2021
Priority date	Sep 29, 2020
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

It is determined whether an imaginary component at a predetermined frequency of an alternating current impedance is equal to or more than a preliminarily set film-formable value or not. The metallic coating is formed in a state where the substrate is pressed by the solid electrolyte membrane when the imaginary component is equal to or more than the film-formable value in the determining. The metallic coating is formed in a state where the pressing of the substrate by the solid electrolyte membrane is released to separate the solid electrolyte membrane from the substrate, the solid electrolyte membrane is re-tensioned with a constant tensile force, and subsequently, the substrate is pressed by the re-tensioned solid electrolyte membrane when the imaginary component is smaller than the film-formable value in the determining.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A film formation method for a metallic coating,
wherein the metallic coating is derived from metal ions and is formed on a surface of a substrate by disposing a solid electrolyte membrane between an anode and the substrate that serves as a cathode, pressing the substrate by the solid electrolyte membrane with a fluid pressure of an electrolyte that is disposed between the anode and the solid electrolyte membrane and contains the metal ions, and applying a voltage between the anode and the substrate in a state of pressing the substrate, the method comprises:
measuring an alternating current impedance between the anode and the substrate in a state where the solid electrolyte membrane is in contact with the substrate;
determining whether an imaginary component at a predetermined frequency of the alternating current impedance is equal to or more than a preliminarily set film-formable value or not, the imaginary component at the predetermined frequency indicating a contact state between the solid electrolyte membrane and the substrate, and a film formation becoming performable at the film-formable value;
when the imaginary component is equal to or more than the film-formable value in the determining, forming the metallic coating in a state where the substrate is pressed by the solid electrolyte membrane; and
when the imaginary component is smaller than the film-formable value in the determining, forming the metallic coating in a state where the pressing of the substrate by the solid electrolyte membrane is released to separate the solid electrolyte membrane from the substrate, the solid electrolyte membrane is re-tensioned with a constant tensile force, and subsequently, the substrate is pressed by the re-tensioned solid electrolyte membrane.

2. The film formation method for the metallic coating according to claim 1 , further comprising:
remeasuring the alternating current impedance after the re-tensioning of the solid electrolyte membrane, and redetermining whether the imaginary component of the remeasured alternating current impedance is equal to or more than the film-formable value or not;
when the imaginary component is equal to or more than the film-formable value in the redetermining, forming the metallic coating in a state where the substrate is pressed by the re-tensioned solid electrolyte membrane; and
when the imaginary component is smaller than the film-formable value in the redetermining, forming the metallic coating in a state where poles of the anode and the substrate that serves as the cathode are inverted in the state where the substrate is pressed by the re-tensioned solid electrolyte membrane, subsequently, the surface of the substrate is etched by applying a voltage between the anode and the substrate until the imaginary component reaches the film-formable value, and the etched substrate is pressed by the re-tensioned solid electrolyte membrane.

3. A film formation device for a metallic coating, comprising:
an anode;
a solid electrolyte membrane disposed between the anode and a substrate that serves as a cathode;
a housing that houses an electrolyte containing metal ions, the solid electrolyte membrane being mounted to the housing, the electrolyte being disposed between the anode and the solid electrolyte membrane;
an elevating device that moves up and down the housing in an interval from a position at which the solid electrolyte membrane is separated from the substrate to a position at which the solid electrolyte membrane contacts the substrate;
a pressing mechanism that pressurizes the electrolyte housed in the housing to press the substrate in contact with the solid electrolyte membrane by the solid electrolyte membrane; and
a power supply unit that applies a voltage between the anode and the substrate,
wherein a metallic coating derived from the metal ions is formed on a surface of the substrate by applying the voltage between the anode and the substrate in a state where the substrate is pressed,
wherein the film formation device further includes:
an impedance measurement device that measures an alternating current impedance between the anode and the substrate in a state where the solid electrolyte membrane is in contact with the substrate;
a re-tensioning mechanism that re-tensions the solid electrolyte membrane mounted to the housing with a constant tensile force; and
a control device that controls at least the moving up and down by the elevating device, the pressing by the pressing mechanism, the applying the voltage by the power supply unit, executing the measurement by the impedance measurement device, and the re-tensioning by the re-tensioning mechanism,

wherein the control device includes:
a measurement execution unit that causes the impedance measurement device to execute the measurement of the alternating current impedance in a state where the housing is moved down by the elevating device to the position at which the solid electrolyte membrane contacts the substrate to bring the solid electrolyte membrane into contact with the substrate;
a film formation execution determination unit that determines to permit the film formation of the metallic coating when an imaginary component at a predetermined frequency of the alternating current impedance measured by the measurement execution unit is equal to or more than a preliminarily set film-formable value at which the film formation becomes performable, and determines to inhibit the film formation of the metallic coating when the imaginary component is smaller than the film-formable value, the imaginary component at the predetermined frequency indicating a contact state between the solid electrolyte membrane and the substrate;
a film formation execution unit that forms the metallic coating by causing the pressing mechanism to press the substrate by the solid electrolyte membrane and causing the power supply unit to apply the voltage when the film formation execution determination unit has determined to permit the film formation; and
a re-tensioning execution unit that causes the pressing mechanism to release the pressing of the substrate by the solid electrolyte membrane, causes the elevating device to move up the housing to the position at which the solid electrolyte membrane is separated from the substrate, and causes the re-tensioning mechanism to re-tension the solid electrolyte membrane with the constant tensile force when the film formation execution determination unit has determined to inhibit the film formation.

4. The film formation device for the metallic coating according to claim 3 ,
wherein the control device further includes:
a remeasurement execution unit that causes the measurement execution unit to execute a remeasurement of the alternating current impedance by the impedance measurement device after the re-tensioning of the solid electrolyte membrane by the re-tensioning execution unit;
a film formation redetermination unit that determines to permit the film formation of the metallic coating when the imaginary component of the alternating current impedance remeasured by the remeasurement execution unit is equal to or more than the preliminarily set film-formable value at which the film formation becomes performable, and determines to inhibit the film formation of the metallic coating and permit an etching of the substrate when the imaginary component is smaller than the film-formable value; and
an etching execution unit that etches the surface of the substrate by causing the pressing mechanism to press the substrate by the solid electrolyte membrane, and causing the power supply unit to invert poles of the anode and the substrate that serves as the cathode and apply a voltage until the imaginary component reaches the film-formable value when the film formation redetermination unit has determined to permit t

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kondoh Haruki
• Kato Akira
• Okamoto Kazuaki
• Kuroda Keiji

Classifications

• C25D21/12 Primary

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

• C25D5/06 Primary

  Brush or pad plating · CPC title

• C25D17/005

  Contacting devices · CPC title

• C25D17/28

  with means for moving the objects individually through the apparatus during treatment · CPC title

• C25D5/18

  Electroplating using modulated, pulsed or reversing current · CPC title