KR-102962726-B1 - A Solid Electrolyte Electroplating System Using a Membrane-Based Electroplating Apparatus

KR102962726B1KR 102962726 B1KR102962726 B1KR 102962726B1KR-102962726-B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device, wherein the movement and precipitation of metal ions are controlled through a solid ion-conducting medium by applying a membrane-based electroplating device, and particularly applicable to metal components requiring selective partial plating, such as semiconductor lead frames, display electrodes, solar electrodes, and TGVs, thereby enabling simultaneous precise control of the plating area and stabilization of plating quality. More specifically, the system comprises: a DC power supply that operates to selectively apply current; A plating device comprising: a mold body having an inner chamber with an open bottom and an ion-permeable membrane installed to traverse the inner chamber, wherein the inner chamber is divided into an upper chamber for receiving a plating solution and a lower chamber in which a space is formed; a positive electrode disposed in the upper chamber of the mold body and connected to the positive (+) electrode of the DC power supply; and a negative electrode block having a seating surface on which a workpiece to be plated is placed, which is inserted into the lower chamber of the mold body to ensure the workpiece placed thereon adheres to the ion-permeable membrane and is connected to the negative (-) electrode of the DC power supply; and a control unit that controls the operation of the DC power supply and monitors the plating process of the plating device.

Inventors

설필수

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251219

Claims (14)

A DC power supply that operates to selectively apply current; A plating apparatus comprising: a mold body having an inner chamber with an open bottom and an ion-permeable membrane installed to traverse the inner chamber in a transverse direction, wherein the inner chamber is divided into an upper chamber for receiving a plating solution and a lower chamber in which a space is formed; an anode disposed in the upper chamber of the mold body and connected to the positive (+) electrode of the DC power supply; and a cathode block having a seating surface on its upper side for placing a workpiece, which is introduced into the lower chamber of the mold body and causes the workpiece placed thereon to be in close contact with the ion-permeable membrane and is connected to the negative (-) electrode of the DC power supply; and A control unit that controls the operation of the above-mentioned DC power supply and monitors the plating process of the above-mentioned plating device; comprising, The above plating device is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device, characterized by further including a variable connection bar that penetrates the center of the mold body in a vertical direction and is connected to the anode, and is equipped with a moving means for moving the anode in a vertical direction so that the distance between the anode and the cathode block is variable.
In Article 1, The above ion-permeable membrane is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating apparatus characterized by comprising a porous support and an ion-conducting polymer layer formed on one side and the other side of the support, respectively, which selectively transmits metallic ions.
In Paragraph 2, The above ion-conducting polymer layer is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device characterized by being formed by impregnating or coating one side and the other side of the support in the form of a resin.
In Paragraph 3, The above ion-conducting polymer layer is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device characterized by being formed from a cation exchange polymer resin containing a sulfonic acid group (-SO3H).
In Paragraph 4, The above cation exchange polymer resin is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device characterized by further including organic plating additive ions.
In Article 1, The above anode is, A pattern of a predetermined shape is formed on the opposite surface facing the above-mentioned cathode block, wherein The above pattern is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device, characterized by being formed by directly forming a raised structure on the opposite surface of the anode or by stacking a conductive pattern electrode on the opposite surface of the anode.
In Article 1, The above ion-permeable membrane is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device characterized by having a pattern of a predetermined shape and an insulating coating layer formed in the pattern area.
In Article 1, The above mold body is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating apparatus, characterized in that an upper mold forming the upper chamber and a lower mold forming the lower chamber are mutually separably connected with respect to the ion-permeable membrane, and a first packing member interposed between the upper mold and the lower mold is provided.
In Paragraph 8, The above upper mold is, An inlet hole and an outlet hole are provided, each communicating with the upper chamber at mutually spaced positions, and A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device, further comprising: a connecting line connecting the inlet hole and the outlet hole, and a flow control means including a flow pump mounted on the connecting line, which performs any one of circulation, stirring, or flow rate control of a plating solution contained in the upper chamber under the control of the control unit.
In Paragraph 8, The above cathode block is, A second packing member is provided, which is mounted to surround the outer surface and adheres to the inner surface of the lower chamber. The above lower mold is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device, characterized by having one or more flow holes formed through a position higher than the position where the second packing member is placed while the cathode block is inserted.
delete
In Article 1, The above control unit is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device, characterized by having a first sensor for measuring current and voltage values applied from the above-mentioned DC power supply to monitor the current density distribution, and controlling a moving means of the variable connection bar so as to adjust the separation distance of the anode based on the result of comparing and analyzing the current density distribution and a preset threshold value.
In Article 1, The device further comprises a pressure regulating means including an opening/closing valve and a supply pump for supplying a plating solution to an inner chamber of the plating device; and The above control unit is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device, characterized by having a second sensor mounted in the inner chamber to measure a pressure value, monitoring the pressure formed in each of the upper chamber and the lower chamber, analyzing the pressure difference between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and controlling the operation of the pressure regulating means to maintain pressure balance based on the analysis results.
In Article 1, It further includes a heating means mounted in the inner chamber of the plating device to heat the temperature of the plating solution and the ion-permeable membrane. The above control unit is, A solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device, characterized by including a third sensor for measuring the temperature of the inner chamber to monitor the temperature of the inner chamber, and controlling the heating means to maintain the temperature of the inner chamber within a preset temperature range.

Description

A Solid Electrolyte Electroplating System Using a Membrane-Based Electroplating Apparatus The present invention relates to a solid electroplating system using a membrane-based electroplating device, wherein the movement and precipitation of metal ions are controlled through a solid ion-conducting medium by applying a membrane-based electroplating device, and particularly applied to metal components requiring selective partial plating such as semiconductor lead frames, display electrodes, solar electrodes, and TGVs, thereby enabling precise control of the plating area and stabilization of plating quality simultaneously. Generally, for electrode plating of semiconductor lead frames, display electrodes, solar electrodes, TGVs, etc., an electroplating method has been widely applied in which an anode and a cathode are fixedly placed in an open plating tank using conductive salts and metal ions, and the method consists of a soluble metal and an insoluble metal anode and a workpiece. However, this traditional method has a fundamental limitation in that sludge, metal fragments, and oxidation byproducts generated at the anode diffuse into the entire plating solution, contaminating the plating solution on the cathode side. To address such problems, an electroplating structure has been proposed that selectively moves metal ions by interposing an ion exchange membrane between the anode and the cathode. For example, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2001-0096219 discloses an electrolytic structure in which metal ions generated at the anode are moved to the cathode side through the membrane using an ion exchange membrane. According to the prior art, an improvement to the conventional liquid electroplating method is presented in that the electrochemical reaction can be controlled without directly immersing the anode and cathode in the same plating bath. However, the aforementioned conventional technology focuses primarily on the ion transport structure between electrodes using an ion exchange membrane, but has not sufficiently considered the configuration for stably operating the electroplating process at the system level. In other words, specific solutions have not been presented regarding the method of supplying metal ions, the management of impurities and sludge generated during the plating process, the reproducibility of plating quality in repeated plating processes, and the overall system configuration in which the plating device and the ion-conducting medium are organically combined. In addition, in the manufacturing process of electronic components such as semiconductor lead frames, a technology is required to selectively plate silver (Ag) only on specific areas to ensure wire bonding characteristics and electrical reliability. Conventionally, a method of performing selective plating by immersing the workpiece in a plating bath and using a masking means has been generally used, but problems such as the complexity of the mask process, reduced precision due to repeated use, and contamination and defects occurring during the mask removal process have been continuously raised. Furthermore, in order to apply to objects with microstructures and requiring selective plating, such as semiconductor lead frames, display electrodes, solar electrodes, and TGVs, an electroplating device containing an ion-conducting medium needs to be implemented in the form of a system linked with power application, metal ion supply, and process control elements, going beyond the level of a single device. Nevertheless, conventional technology lacks specific technical presentations regarding solid electroplating systems that satisfy these requirements. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a plating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded assembly diagram of a plating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4a and FIGS. 4b are side views showing the configuration of a mold body according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5A and FIGS. 5B are side views showing the configuration of a cathode block according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an operating state diagram of a plating device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view showing a flow hole of a lower mold according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a side view showing the configuration of a variable adjustment bar according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. In describing the present invention, terms and words used in this specification and claims must be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the