Optimized method and device for insoluble anode acid sulfate copper electroplating process

Abstract

The present invention provided an optimized method for an insoluble anode acid sulfate copper electroplating process, comprising following steps: providing an insoluble anode made of coated titanium in the form of a mesh or a perforated plate; providing at least one liquid outlet pipe/port on the side of the insoluble anode away from the cathode, to generate a liquid flow of an electroplating solution by overflow and/or power driven suction at the liquid outlet pipe/port; initiating an electroplating process by switching on an electroplating power supply, while the electroplating solution flows away due to the overflow and/or power driven suction at the liquid outlet pipe/port, the electroplating solution in the electroplating cell forms a liquid flow towards the liquid outlet pipe/port, and accordingly, adding electroplating solution to the electroplating cell to maintain the liquid volume in the cell until the electroplating process is completed and the electroplated cathode is removed.

1 . An optimized method for an insoluble anode acid sulfate copper electroplating process, comprising an electroplating cell ( 5 ), an electroplating power supply ( 6 ), an insoluble anode ( 1 ), a cathode ( 4 ), and an acid sulfate copper electroplating solution as an electroplating solution, wherein the method comprises following steps:
 step 1: providing an insoluble anode ( 1 ) made of coated titanium in the form of a mesh or a perforated plate, and then the insoluble anode ( 1 ) and the cathode ( 4 ) are placed in the electroplating cell; providing at least one liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) on a side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) away from the cathode ( 4 ), to generate a liquid flow of the electroplating solution by overflow and/or power driven suction at the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ); and   step 2: initiating an electroplating process by switching on the electroplating power supply ( 6 ), while the electroplating solution flows away due to the overflow and/or the power driven suction at the liquid outlet pipe/port, the electroplating solution in the electroplating cell ( 5 ) forms the liquid flow towards the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ), and accordingly, adding another electroplating solution to the electroplating cell ( 5 ) to maintain a liquid volume in the cell until the electroplating process is completed and the electroplated cathode is removed.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one liquid ejecting pipe/port ( 10 ) is provided on a side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) facing the cathode ( 4 ); the liquid ejecting pipe/port ( 10 ) connects to an external liquid ejecting pipeline to spray liquid towards the anode; and in conjunction with the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ), produces the more stable and more controllable liquid flow in a vicinity of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) that flows away from the cathode ( 4 ). 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein a gas-liquid separator ( 8 ) is further provided, so that a gas-liquid mixture from the electroplating cell ( 5 ) is discharged via the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) and a connecting pipe into the gas-liquid separator ( 8 ); a gas in the gas-liquid mixture is released inside the gas-liquid separator ( 8 ) and a liquid is then diverted back to the electroplating cell ( 5 ) for circulation. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein an electroplating cell divider ( 11 ) is provided in the electroplating cell ( 5 ), dividing the electroplating cell into an electroplating anode zone and an electroplating cathode zone; the electroplating solution in the electroplating anode zone is an anolyte, which is specifically composed of an aqueous solution comprises at least one inorganic acid and/or at least one inorganic salt, or the acid sulfate copper electroplating solution; the electroplating solution in the electroplating cathode zone is the acid sulfate copper electroplating solution; during the electroplating process, the insoluble anode ( 1 ) and the cathode ( 4 ) are placed separately in the electroplating anode zone and the electroplating cathode zone; the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) and the liquid ejecting pipe/port ( 10 ) are located within the electroplating anode zone. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the electroplating anode zone is in the form of an anode box ( 13 ) inside the electroplating cell ( 5 ), dividing the electroplating cell into the electroplating anode zone and the electroplating cathode zone; particularly, the anode box ( 13 ) is shaped as a cubic box, in which the insoluble anode ( 1 ) is provided; a side of the anode box ( 13 ) facing the cathode ( 4 ) is the electroplating cell divider ( 11 ), making an inner space of the anode box ( 13 ) to be the electroplating anode zone, and a space in the electroplating cell ( 5 ) outside the anode box ( 13 ) to be the electroplating cathode zone; the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) is provided at the anode box ( 13 ), specifically in an area inside the anode box ( 13 ) or on a wall of the anode box ( 13 ) on the side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) away from the cathode ( 4 ); furthermore, the liquid ejecting pipe/port ( 10 ) is provided in the area inside the anode box ( 13 ) between the anode and the nearby wall of the anode box on the side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) facing the cathode ( 4 ). 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a fixed frame ( 16 ) is provided at edges of the insoluble anode; the fixed frame ( 16 ) is made of material that is insoluble as an anode, heat-resisting, acid-resisting and relatively rigid. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein a conductor ( 17 ) connected to a positive electrode of the electroplating power supply ( 6 ) is attached to the insoluble anode ( 1 ) on the side away from the cathode ( 4 ). 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the insoluble anode ( 1 ) and/or the fixed frame ( 16 ) and/or the conductor ( 17 ) is provided on its side facing the cathode ( 4 ) with a reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ), and the reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ) is made of uncoated titanium in the form of a protrusion, or a protruding mesh or bar. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein when the reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ) is provided attaching to the insoluble anode ( 1 ), the reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ) is made of uncoated titanium in the form of the protrusion, or the protruding mesh or bar, protruding from the side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) facing the cathode ( 4 ) and directly connecting to a titanium substrate of the insoluble anode ( 1 ); when the reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ) is provided with the fixed frame ( 16 ) made of uncoated or coated titanium, the reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ) is connected to either the titanium substrate of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) or the titanium of the fixed frame ( 16 ), or to both; when the reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ) is provided on the conductor ( 17 ), the reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ) extends out of a surface of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) through the holes of the anode and towards the cathode ( 4 ). 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the protrusion is in any one of the form of a bump, a spike, or a vertical bar; the protruding mesh or bar is a mesh or bar extending towards the cathode with its supporting foot fixed on the side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) and/or the fixed frame ( 16 ) and/or the conductor ( 17 ) facing the cathode, or a mesh or bar formed by interconnecting an upper part of the protrusions, a plane surface formed by the protruding mesh or bar is parallel or substantially parallel to the surface of the anode ( 1 ). 
     
     
         11 . An optimized device for an insoluble anode acid sulfate copper electroplating process, comprising an electroplating cell ( 5 ), an insoluble anode ( 1 ), a cathode ( 4 ), and an electroplating power supply ( 6 ), wherein:
 the electroplating cell is provided with at least one liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) on a side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) away from the cathode, to generate a liquid flow in the electroplating cell ( 5 ) by overflow and/or power driven suction of an electroplating solution at the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 );   the insoluble anode ( 1 ) is made of coated titanium in the form of a mesh or a perforated plate;   a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the electroplating power supply ( 6 ) are respectively connected to the insoluble anode ( 1 ) and the cathode ( 4 ) in the electroplating process.   
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 11 , wherein the electroplating cell ( 5 ) is provided with at least one liquid jet pipe/port ( 10 ), the liquid jet pipe/port ( 10 ) is located in an area on a side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) facing the cathode ( 4 ) and between the anode and the cathode; the liquid ejecting pipe/port ( 10 ) connects to an external liquid ejecting pipeline to spray liquid towards the anode ( 1 ); the device is provided with a fluid circulating system, which mainly consists of a power driven device and a connecting pipe, with one end connecting to the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) and the other end connecting to the liquid ejecting pipe/port ( 10 ); the fluid circulating system is utilized to make the electroplating solution flow away from the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) and return to the electroplating cell ( 5 ), forming the liquid flow in the electroplating cell ( 5 ) towards the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) located at the anode. 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 12 , wherein the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) is connected to a gas-liquid separator ( 8 ) via a connection pipe; the gas-liquid separator ( 8 ) is also connected to the electroplating cell ( 5 ) via a pump and the connection pipe to form a fluid circulating system, which returns the gas-released liquid back into the electroplating cell ( 5 ) for circulation. 
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 13 , wherein an electroplating cell divider ( 11 ) is provided in the electroplating cell ( 5 ), dividing the electroplating cell ( 5 ) into an electroplating anode zone and an electroplating cathode zone. 
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein an anode box ( 13 ) is provided inside the electroplating cell ( 5 ), dividing the electroplating cell into the electroplating anode zone and the electroplating cathode zone: the anode box ( 13 ) is shaped as a cubic box, in which the insoluble anode ( 1 ) is provided; a side of the anode box ( 13 ) facing the cathode ( 4 ) is the electroplating cell divider ( 11 ), making an inner space of the anode box ( 13 ) to be the electroplating anode zone, and a space in the electroplating cell outside the anode box to be the electroplating cathode zone; the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) is provided at the anode box ( 13 ), specifically in an area inside the anode box ( 13 ) or on a wall of the anode box on the side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) away from the cathode ( 4 ); furthermore, the liquid ejecting pipe/port ( 10 ) is provided inside the anode box ( 13 ), specifically in the area inside the anode box ( 13 ) between the anode and the nearby wall of the anode box on the side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) facing the cathode ( 4 ). 
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 15 , wherein an electroplating solution ejecting pipe ( 14 ) is provided at a side edge of the anode box on the side facing the cathode, and each electroplating solution ejecting pipe ( 14 ) is equipped with a flow regulator to adjust an ejection effect of the electroplating solution towards the cathode. 
     
     
         17 . The device according to  claim 16 , wherein the insoluble anode ( 1 ) is provided with a reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ), the reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ) is made of uncoated titanium protruding from the side of the insoluble anode ( 1 ) facing the cathode ( 4 ) and directly connecting to a titanium substrate of the insoluble anode ( 1 ); the reverse-pulse protective screen is in any one of the form of a bump, a spike, a vertical bar, or a mesh or bar connected to the protrusions. 
     
     
         18 . The device according to  claim 17 , wherein the insoluble anode ( 1 ) is further provided with a fixed frame ( 16 ) at its edges. 
     
     
         19 . The device according to  claim 18 , wherein a conductor ( 17 ) connected to the positive electrode of the electroplating power supply ( 6 ) is attached to the insoluble anode ( 1 ) on the side away from the cathode ( 4 ). 
     
     
         20 . The device according to  claim 19 , wherein an insoluble anode ( 1 ) with the reverse-pulse protective screen ( 15 ), the fixed frame ( 16 ) and the conductor ( 17 ), together with the insoluble anode accessories including the liquid outlet pipe/port ( 2 ) and the liquid ejecting pipe/port ( 10 ) are provided in the anode box ( 13 ) as an anode box assembly.