PLATING DEVICE FOR IMPROVING PLATING QUALITY AND PREVENTING GLOSS DETERIORATION OF OBJECTS TO BE PLATED

Abstract

The present invention relates to a plating device for improving plating quality and preventing gloss deterioration of an object to be plated. An object of the present invention is to improve both plating quality and manufacturing yield of a vertical continuous plating bath or a general dip-type plating bath. In an embodiment, the present invention provides a plating device for improving plating quality and preventing gloss deterioration of an object to be plated, wherein the plating device includes a plating bath, an e-duct, a substrate mounting bar, and a mounting bar moving unit. Thus, the inventive plating device injects pressure through the e-duct while moving the to-be-plated object in the forward/rearward, left/right, and upward/downward directions within the plating bath, so that the influence of the e-duct can be evenly applied to to-be-plated objects with different aspect ratios and thicknesses.

Claims

1. A plating device for improving plating quality and preventing gloss deterioration of objects to be plated, wherein the plating device comprises: a plating bath (110) configured to allow a plating solution to be filled therein; an e-duct (120) configured to be supported at its upper end by an e-duct support (121) mounted at an upper portion of the plating bath (110), and mounted on the inner sidewalls of the plating bath (110) so as to be movable in the left/right direction (i.e., x-axis direction) of the plating bath, the e-duct being connected to a circulation pump (122), which sucks in and discharges the plating solution in the plating bath (110), by means of a connection tube (123) so as to inject the plating solution discharged from the circulation pump (122) into the plating bath (110) under high pressure; a substrate mounting bar (130) disposed at the upper portion of the plating bath (110) so as to be movable in the left/right direction (i.e., x-axis direction) and the forward/rearward direction (i.e., y-axis direction) of the plating bath, and configured to grip an object (101) to be plated to allow the object to be moved and electrically conducted in the left/right and forward/rearward directions within the plating bath (110); and a mounting bar moving unit (140) disposed on an upper portion of the substrate mounting bar (130), and configured to independently move the substrate mounting bar (130) in the left/right and forward/rearward directions of the plating bath, respectively, so as to adjust the position of the to-be-plated object (101) within the plating bath (110) or the separation distance between the e-duct (120) and the to-be-plated object (101), wherein the mounting bar moving unit 140 comprises: a base frame (141) comprising a plurality of vertical supports (141a) which are respectively installed on the left and right sides of both the front and rear of the outer periphery of the plating bath so as to be opposed to each other on the left and right sides to perform a vertical supporting function, and a plurality of horizontal supports (141b) configured to horizontally interconnect the respective vertical supports in the forward/rearward and left/right directions thereof; an upper support (142) installed to extend vertically upward from the top surfaces of the left and right horizontal supports (141b) of the base frame (141), the upper support being opposed to each other on the left and right sides at a position retracted from the front by a predetermined distance; a y-axis moving support (143) respectively installed on the left and right sides thereof, and configured to horizontally interconnect the intermediate portions of the left and right upper supports (142); a y-axis driving cylinder (144) respectively installed underneath each of the left and right y-axis moving supports (143) along the longitudinal direction of the y-axis moving support (143), and connected to a second motor (144a) and a second cam (144b) so as to be operated in cooperation with the y-axis moving support (143) by the rotational movement of the second motor (144a) and the linear movement of the second cam (144b), allowing the y-axis driving cylinder 144 and the y-axis moving support (143) to reciprocate simultaneously along the forward/rearward direction (i.e., y-axis) of the plating bath; a y-axis moving bar (145) horizontally disposed above the plating bath and is vertically fixed at both ends to the left and right y-axis driving cylinders (144) to allow the y-axis moving bar (145) to be horizontally moved in the forward/rearward direction (i.e., y-axis) of the plating bath by the simultaneous reciprocating movement of the left and right y-axis driving cylinders (144); an x-axis moving bar (146) coupled to the underside of the y-axis moving bar (145) by means of a third motor (146a), a third cam (146b), and an x-axis driving cylinder (146c) so that the x-axis moving bar (146) can be horizontally moved in the forward/rearward direction (i.e., y-axis) of the plating bath together with the y-axis moving bar (145), and further can reciprocate along the second x-axis (i.e., an x-axis positioned at a different height from the first x-axis, while being oriented in the left/right direction of the plating bath) in cooperation with the y-axis moving bar (145) through the linear movement of the third cam (146b), which is caused by the rotational movement of the third motor (146a), and the reciprocating movement of the x-axis driving cylinder (146c); and a V-saddle assembly (147) respectively detachably mounted to the left and right ends of the x-axis moving bar (146), and configured to support the substrate mounting bar (130) at both the left and right ends of the x-axis moving bar (146) so as to be movable along the second x-axis of the plating bath (110) at a position higher than that of the e-duct support (121), whereby the mounting bar moving unit (140) independently moves the substrate mounting bar (130) in the left/right (i.e., second x-axis) and forward/rearward (i.e., y-axis) directions of the plating bath (110), respectively, so as to adjust the position of the to-be-plated object (101) within the plating bath (110) or the separation distance between the e-duct (120) and the to-be-plated object (101).

2. The plating device according to claim 1, wherein the plating bath (110) is one of a general dip-type plating bath and a vertical continuous plating bath, where copper (Cu), gold (Au), or nickel (Ni) is electroplated on a single or multiple to-be-plated objects (101).

3. The plating device according to claim 1, wherein the e-duct (120) is arranged in such a manner as to be equidistantly spaced apart from each other, extending downward from the e-duct support (121) and oriented perpendicular to the upper portion of the plating bath (110), and wherein the e-duct (120) comprises a first nozzle (120a) and a second nozzle (120b), which are different in the diameter of the injection hole and the intensity of the injection pressure, and are alternatively arranged adjacent to each other.

4. The plating device according to claim 1, wherein the e-duct (120) is mounted on the front and rear inner sidewalls of the plating bath (110) so as to be opposed to each other in order to improve the ability to remove air adhered to the to-be-plated object (101) or the ability to stir, filter, and circulate the plating solution.

5. The plating device according to claim 1, wherein the e-duct (120) is connected to the circulation pump (122) by means of the flexible connection tube (123) in order to allow for the smooth movement of the e-duct support (121).

6. The plating device according to claim 1, wherein the e-duct support (121) is supported at its left and right ends by a mounting bar moving unit (140), and comprises: a first motor (121a) and a first cam (121b), which are installed at one side thereof, to provide a power necessary for the horizontal movement thereof in the first x-axis direction; and a plurality of first cylinders (121c) interposed between the e-duct support (121) and the horizontal support (141b) to reciprocate in the first x-axis direction, whereby the e-duct support (121) is horizontally moved in the first x-axis direction of the plating bath 110 by the rotational movement of the first motor (121a), the linear movement of the first cam (121b), and the reciprocating movement of the first cylinder (121c).

7. The plating device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting bar moving unit 140 further comprises a z-axis moving bar (148) coupled to the top of the y-axis moving bar (145) by means of a fourth motor (148a), a fourth cam (148b), and a z-axis driving cylinder (148c) in a state of being supported at both ends by the upper supports (142) so as to be liftable orthogonally to the upper supports (142) so that the z-axis moving bar 148 can reciprocate in the upward/downward direction (i.e., z-axis) of the plating bath in cooperation with the y-axis moving bar (145) through the rotational movement of the fourth motor 148a, the linear movement of the fourth cam 148b, and the reciprocating movement of the z-axis driving cylinder 148c, whereby the mounting bar moving unit moves the substrate mounting bar (130) in the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions of the plating bath (110) above the plating bath (110).

8. The plating device according to claim 1, further comprising a shield (150) disposed in front of the e-duct (120) so as to be spaced apart from the e-duct (120) inwardly from the inner sidewalls of the plating bath (110) in such a manner as to be positioned beyond the size of the to-be-plated object (101), the shield being configured to block the migration of metal irons caused by the e-duct (120) at the position beyond the size of the to-be-plated object (101), thereby preventing excessive plating at the edge of the to-be-plated object (101).

9. The plating device according to claim 8, wherein the shield (150) is disposed in pairs on both the left and right sides within the plating bath (110).

10. The plating device according to claim 8, wherein the shield (150) is disposed in pairs on both the front and rear sides of the substrate mounting bar (130) within the plating bath (110) so as to be opposed to each other.

11. The plating device according to claim 8, wherein the shield (150) comprises: a shield plate mounting bar (151) with a rectangular frame shape, which is mounted at both ends on the V-saddle assembly (147) of the mounting bar moving unit (140); a plurality of plates (150a, 150b) fixedly shield supported by the shield plate mounting bar (151) so as to be horizontally movable along the x-axis of the plating bath, and respectively disposed on both the front and rear sides of the substrate mounting (130), the bar shield plates being configured to block the flow of the plating solution high-pressure injected from the e-duct (120) respectively mounted on the front and rear inner sidewalls of the plating bath (110); and a plurality of fastening members (153) configured to fasten the plurality of shield plates (150a and 150b) to the shield plate mounting bar (151) in a horizontally movable manner.

12. The plating device according to claim 11, wherein each of the shield plates (150a and 150b) comprises a slot-shaped fastening member through-hole (150c) horizontally formed at an upper end thereof, wherein the shield plate mounting bar (151) comprises a slot-shaped shield plate engaging hole (151a) formed along the longitudinal direction thereof, whereby the shield (150) is configured as a foldable type structure in which the plurality of shield plates (150a and 150b) can be folded or unfolded to adjust their width or size depending on the size of the to-be-plated object (101) by the plurality of fastening members (153) through the fastening member through-hole (150c) and the shield plate engaging hole (151a), thereby enabling the overall area or size of the shield to be adjusted.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating a general plating device with a plating bath, a conventional vertical continuous plating device, and an e-duct affecting area (i.e., a bright/gloss area) after plating, respectively;

[0023] FIG. 2 is a schematic top plan view illustrating an arrangement state of substrates of the conventional vertical continuous plating device;

[0024] FIG. 3 is a schematic top plan view illustrating an oblique arrangement state of substrates in an improved conventional vertical continuous plating device;

[0025] FIGS. 4A and 4B are reference diagrams illustrating a difference in the e-duct effect based on the thickness of substrates in an improved conventional vertical continuous plating device;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the main elements of a vertical continuous plating device enabling deviation based on a thickness the control of plating difference of to-be-plated objects, which was previously filed by the applicant of the present invention;

[0027] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a plating device for improving plating quality and preventing gloss deterioration of an object to be plated according to present invention;

[0028] FIGS. 7A to 7D schematically illustrate a perspective view, a top plan view, and detailed views of the main elements of the present invention;

[0029] FIG. 8 is a detailed view illustrating a nozzle structure of the e-duct of FIG. 6;

[0030] FIG. 9 is a detailed view illustrating a shield of FIG. 6;

[0031] FIGS. 10A and 10B are magnified cross-sectional photographs of an upper portion, an intermediate portion, and a lower portion of each of sample substrates 1 and 2 in Example 1 of the present invention; and

[0032] FIGS. 11A and 11B are magnified surface photographs of each of sample substrates 1 and 2 in Example 2 of the present invention.

TABLE-US-00001 [Description of Reference Numerals] 101: to-be-plated object 102: phosphorus copper pocket 102a: phosphorus copper 110: plating bath 120: e-duct 120a, 120b: nozzle 121: e-duct support 121a, 144a, 146a, 148a: motor 121b, 144b, 146b, 148b: cam 121c, 144c, 146c, 148c: cylinder 122: circulation pump 123: connection tube 130: substrate mounting bar 131: clamp 132: V-saddle 140: mounting bar moving unit 141: base frame 141a: vertical support 141b: horizontal support 142: upper support 143: y-axis moving support 145: y-axis moving bar 146: x-axis moving bar 147: V-saddle assembly 148: z-axis moving bar 148d: auxiliary support 150: shield 150a, 150b: shield plate 150c: fastening member through-hole 151: shield plate mounting bar 151a: shield plate engaging hole 153: fastening member

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] Hereinafter, the configuration, operation and effect of a plating device for improving plating quality and preventing gloss deterioration of an object to be plated according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing.

[0034] The terms or words used in the specification and the claims of the present invention should not be construed as being typical or dictionary meanings, but should be construed as meanings and concepts conforming to the technical spirit of the present invention on the basis of the principle that an inventor can properly define the concepts of the terms in order to describe his or her invention in the best way. Therefore, embodiments described herein and configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention. Thus, it should be understood that various equivalents or modifications which may replace the embodiments could exist at a time point of the application of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a plating device for improving plating quality and preventing gloss deterioration of an object to be plated according to present invention, FIGS. 7A to 7D schematically illustrate a perspective view, a top plan view, and detailed views of the main elements of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a detailed view illustrating a nozzle structure of the e-duct of FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is a detailed view illustrating a shield of FIG. 6.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6 and FIGS. 7A to 7C, the plating device for improving plating quality and preventing gloss deterioration of an object to be plated according to the present invention may include a plating bath 110, an e-duct 120, a substrate mounting bar 130, and a mounting bar moving unit 140. The plating device according to the present invention may further include a shield 150 in order to implement another embodiment. Each of the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by being applied to the plating device in which the plating batch 110 is mounted with the e-duct 120 for particularly circulating a plating solution, removing air adhered to the to-be-plated object that is a substrate, and maximizing plating in holes.

[0037] The plating bath 110 is a tank that allows a plating solution to be filled therein. The plating bath 110 is either a general dip-type plating bath or a vertical continuous plating bath, where copper (Cu), gold (Au), or nickel (Ni) is electroplated on a single or plural to-be-plated object 101. In addition, the plating bath 110 includes a phosphorus copper pocket 102 mounted on the left and right outer sidewalls thereof and having phosphorus copper 102a filled therein to function as a source in copper (Cu) plating. This plating bath may be filled with a plating solution containing sulfuric acid, copper sulfate, chloride ions, a brightener, a wetting agent, or the like added thereto. In addition, an electrode for electrical conduction that can be used herein may include an anode made of phosphorus copper or an insoluble anode made of iridium. It is, of course, noted that in the case of gold (Au) or nickel (Ni) plating, a pocket or an electrode functioning as each source may also be used, and a plating solution appropriate for the gold (Au) or nickel (Ni) plating may be filled in the plating bath.

[0038] The e-duct 120 is arranged in such a manner as to be equidistantly spaced apart from one another, while it is oriented perpendicular to an upper portion of the plating bath 110 and extends vertically downward from an e-duct support 121 with a rectangular frame shape mounted at the upper portion of the plating bath. In other words, the e-duct 120 is mounted on the front and back inner sidewalls of the plating bath 110 to inject the plating solution into the plating bath 110 under high pressure. In this case, the e-duct 120 is mounted on the front/back or left/right inner sidewalls of the plating bath 110 so as to be opposed to each other in order to improve the ability capable of removing air adhered to the to-be-plated object 101 or the ability capable of stirring, filtering and circulating the plating solution as show in FIG. 7B.

[0039] For the purpose of the high-pressure injection of the plating solution by the e-duct 120, as shown FIG. 6, a circulation pump 122 is mounted at one side of a lower portion of the plating bath 110 so as to suck in and discharge the plating solution in the plating bath 110, and a connection tube 123 is connected to the circulation pump 122 and connected at its distal end to the e-duct 120 to allow the e-duct 120 to inject the plating solution into the plating bath 110 under high pressure.

[0040] In the plating device of the present invention, particularly the e-duct 120 is installed to be horizontally movable within the plating bath 110 in order to increase the plating effect in the holes of the to-be-plated object 101 by the stirring, filtering and circulation of the plating solution in the plating bath. To this end, the e-duct 120 is supported by the e-duct support 121 mounted at the upper portion of the plating bath 110 so as to be horizontally movable in a first x-axis direction (i.e., the left/right direction) of the plating bath 110, and is arranged to extend vertically downward from the e-duct 121 so that a nozzle installation part of the e-duct 120 is submerged in the plating solution within the plating bath 110, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A. Herein, the e-duct support 121 is supported at its left and right ends by a horizontal support 141b at the left and right sides of a base frame 141 of a mounting bar moving unit 140 which will be described later. The e-duct support 121 includes a first motor 121a and a first cam 121b, which are installed at one side thereof, to provide a power necessary for the horizontal movement thereof in the first x-axis direction, and a plurality of first cylinders 121c interposed between the e-duct support 121 and the horizontal support 141b to reciprocate in the first x-axis direction. Thus, the e-duct support 121 is horizontally moved in the first x-axis direction (i.e., the left/right direction) of the plating bath 110 by the rotational movement of the first motor 121a, the linear movement of the first cam 121b, and the reciprocating movement of the first cylinder 121c. As used herein, the term first x-axis is defined as representing an x-axis at a different height from that of a second x-axis, which will be described later, while being oriented in the left/right direction of the plating bath. Hereinafter, the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction will be defined as the left/right direction (or longitudinal direction), the forward/rearward direction (or transverse direction), and the upward/downward direction (or vertical direction) of the plating bath, respectively.

[0041] In addition, for the purpose of horizontal movement of the e-duct 120, the connection tube 123 is preferably made of a flexible material that does not affect chemicals used for plating copper (Cu), gold (Au), or nickel (Ni), while being flexible enough to be easily bent or curved to allow for the smooth horizontal movement of the e-duct support 121.

[0042] Herein, particularly, the e-duct 120 includes a first nozzle 120a and a second nozzle 120b, which are different in the diameter of the injection hole and the intensity of the injection pressure. The first nozzle 120a and the second nozzle 120b are configured such that two or more types of nozzles, different in the diameter of the injection hole and the intensity of the injection pressure are alternatively arranged adjacent to each other, as shown in FIG. 8. Thus, the injection pressure of the e-ducts, with different injection speeds or intensities for each large or small hole of the to-be-plated objects with different aspect ratios and thicknesses, is evenly applied across all of the to-be-plated objects. In this case, each of the nozzles that can be used for the e-duct 120 of the present invention preferably has an injection hole inner diameter of 0.5 to 3.0 mm

[0043] The substrate mounting bar 130, on which one or more clamps 131 are installed to fixedly hold a substrate, allows the clamps 131 to grip the to-be-plated object 101. Further, the substrate mounting bar 130, with the to-be-plated object gripped thereby, is moved to the upper portion of the plating bath 110 by a separate mounting bar carrier in another process so as to be seated on a V-saddle 132, or is separated from the plating bath 110 and moved to another process. The substrate mounting bar 130 is supported at both ends by the V-saddle 132 and is moved in the left/right (i.e., second x-axis) and forward/rearward (i.e., y-axis) directions of the plating bath 110 at the upper portion of the plating bath 110 by the mounting bar moving unit 140. Accordingly, the to-be-plated object 101 within the plating bath 110 also moves together with the substrate mounting bar 130 in the same direction as the movement direction of the substrate mounting bar 130 and is then electrically conducted. As used herein, the term second x-axis is defined as representing another x-axis that is parallel with the first x-axis at a different height from the first x-axis, while being oriented in the same left/right direction (i.e., x-axis) of the first x-axis in the plating bath.

[0044] The mounting bar moving unit 140, as shown in FIG. 6, includes a base frame 141, an upper support 142, left/right a y-axis moving support 143, left/right a y-axis driving cylinder 144, a y-axis moving bar 145, an x-axis moving bar 146, and left/right a V-saddle assembly 147. Thus, the mounting bar moving unit 140, independently moves the substrate mounting bar 130 in the left/right (i.e., second x-axis) and forward/rearward (i.e., y-axis) directions of the plating bath 110, respectively, so as to adjust the position of the to-be-plated object 101 within the plating bath 110 or the separation distance between the e-duct 120 and the to-be-plated object 101.

[0045] The base frame 141, as shown in FIG. 6, includes a plurality of vertical supports 141a respectively installed on the left and right sides of both the front and rear of the outer periphery of the plating bath so as to be opposed to each other on the left and right sides to vertically support the plating bath, and a plurality of horizontal supports 141b that horizontally interconnect the respective vertical supports in the forward/rearward and left/right directions thereof. The base frame 141 functions to support the mounting bar moving unit 140 as a whole.

[0046] The upper support 142 is installed to extend vertically upward from the top surfaces of the left and right horizontal supports 141b of the base frame 141 and is opposed to each other on the left and right sides at a position retracted from the front by a predetermined distance.

[0047] The y-axis moving support 143 is respectively installed on the left and right sides to horizontally interconnect the intermediate portions of the left and right upper supports 142.

[0048] The y-axis driving cylinder 144 is respectively installed underneath the left and right y-axis moving supports 143 along the longitudinal direction of the y-axis moving support 143 and is connected to a second motor 144a and a second cam 144b so as to be operated in cooperation with the y-axis moving support 143 by the rotational movement of the second motor 144a and the linear movement of the second cam 144b, allowing the y-axis driving cylinder 144 and the y-axis moving support 143 to reciprocate simultaneously in the forward/rearward direction (i.e., y-axis) of the plating bath. The y-axis driving cylinder 144 is respectively installed on the left and right sides thereof.

[0049] The y-axis moving bar 145 is horizontally disposed above the plating bath and is vertically fixed at both ends to the left and right y-axis driving cylinders 144 to allow the y-axis moving 145 to be horizontally moved in the forward/rearward direction (i.e., y-axis) of the plating bath by the simultaneous reciprocating movement of the left and right y-axis driving cylinders 144.

[0050] The x-axis moving bar 146 is coupled to the underside of the y-axis moving bar 145 by means of a third motor 146a, a third cam 146b, and an x-axis driving cylinder 146c so that the x-axis moving bar 146 can be horizontally moved in the forward/rearward direction (i.e., y-axis) of the plating bath together with the y-axis moving bar 145, and further can reciprocate along the second x-axis (i.e., an x-axis positioned at a different height from the first x-axis, while being oriented in the left/right direction of the plating bath) in cooperation with the y-axis moving bar 145 through the linear movement of the third cam 146b, which is caused by the rotational movement of the third motor 146a, and the reciprocating movement of the x-axis driving cylinder 146c, as shown in FIG. 7C.

[0051] The V-saddle assembly 147 is respectively detachably attached or mounted to the left and right ends of the x-axis moving bar 146, and supports the substrate mounting bar 130 at the left and right ends of the x-axis moving bar 146 so as to be movable along the second x-axis of the plating bath 110 at a position higher than that of the e-duct support 121. The V-saddle assembly 147 is respectively installed on the left and right sides thereof.

[0052] The mounting bar moving unit 140 may further include a z-axis moving bar 148, as shown in FIG. 7D, although it is not shown in FIG. 6.

[0053] The z-axis moving bar 148, as shown in FIG. 7D, is coupled to the top of the y-axis moving bar 145 by means of a fourth motor 148a, a fourth cam 148b, and a z-axis driving cylinder 148c in a state of being supported at both ends by the upper supports 142 so as to be liftable orthogonally to the upper supports 142 so that the z-axis moving bar 148 can reciprocate in the upward/downward direction (i.e., z-axis) of the plating bath in cooperation with the y-axis moving bar 145 through the rotational movement of the fourth motor 148a, the linear movement of the fourth cam 148b, and the reciprocating movement of the z-axis driving cylinder 148c. Thus, the z-axis moving bar 148 allows the y-axis moving bar 145, the x-axis moving bar 146 and the substrate mounting bar 130 to reciprocate together in the upward/downward direction (i.e., z-axis) of the plating bath. Herein, the fourth motor 148a and the fourth cam 148b may be securely fixed, for example, to a ceiling or the like using an auxiliary support 148d. In this case, the mounting bar moving unit 140 may move the substrate mounting bar 130 in the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions above the plating bath 110.

[0054] Therefore, the mounting bar moving unit 140 moves the substrate mounting bar 130 in the left/right (i.e., x-axis), forward/rearward direction (i.e., y-axis), and upward/downward (i.e., z-axis) direction, or along the XY, YZ, and XZ planes of the plating bath depending on the size or thickness of the to-be-plated object 101 to adjust the position of the to-be-plated object 101 within the plating bath 110 or the separation distance between the e-duct 120 and the to-be-plated object 101 so that the influence of the e-duct can be evenly applied to all the objects to be plated within the plating bath, thereby reducing the plating deviation among the to-be-plated objects.

[0055] The first to fourth motors 121a, 144a, 146a, and 148a of the mounting bar moving unit 140 may be configured to allow a reducer to be additionally installed or removed so that the respective moving bars can move at a speed within the range of 0 to 500 mm/sec during the left/right, forward/rearward, or upward/downward movement thereof. The mounting bar moving unit 140 may further include a motor control unit that receives a user-inputted value for the size or thickness of the to-be-plated object 101, and in response thereto, outputs a driving signal to the respective motors to move the substrate mounting bar 130 along the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions or along the XY, YZ, and XZ planes.

[0056] As described above, the plating device of the present invention allows the substrate mounting bar 130 to be moved above the plating bath 110 in the upward/downward (i.e., vertical), left/right (i.e., longitudinal), and forward/rearward (i.e., transverse) directions of the plating bath, or along the XY, YZ, and XZ planes to adjust the position of the to-be-plated object 101 within the plating bath 110 or the separation distance between the e-duct 120 and the to-be-plated object 101, thereby improving the e-duct effect. Furthermore, the substrate mounting bar 130 is moved together with the e-duct in the left/right direction (i.e., the longitudinal direction) of the plating bath, thereby maximizing the e-duct effect.

[0057] The shield 150 is disposed in front of the e-duct 120 so as to be spaced apart from the e-duct 120 inwardly from the inner sidewalls of the plating bath 110 in such a manner as to be positioned beyond the size of the to-be-plated object 101. The shield is configured to block the migration of metal irons caused by the e-duct 120 at the position beyond the size of the to-be-plated object 101, thereby preventing excessive plating at the edge of the to-be-plated object 101. The shield 150 is fixedly supported by the shield plate mounting bar 151 so as to be horizontally movable along the x-axis of the plating bath 110 by a shield plate mounting bar 151 with a rectangular frame shape, which is mounted at both ends on the V-saddle assembly 147. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the shield 150 is respectively disposed on both the front and rear sides of the substrate mounting bar 130 to block the flow of the plating solution high-pressure injected from the e-duct 120 respectively mounted on the front and rear inner sidewalls of the plating bath 110.

[0058] The shield 150 may consist of a plurality of shield plate 150a and 150b as shown in FIG. 9. In addition, the shield 150 includes a plurality of fastening members (153) that fastens the plurality of shield plates 150a and 150b to the shield plate mounting bar 151 with a rectangular frame shape in a horizontally movable manner. Further, the shield 150 may be disposed in pairs on both the left and right sides within the plating bath 110, and/or disposed in pairs on both the front and rear sides of the substrate mounting bar 130 within the plating bath 110 so as to be opposed to each other.

[0059] Particularly, as shown FIG. 9, the shield plate mounting bar 151 of the shield 150 includes a slot-shaped shield plate engaging hole 151a formed in the longitudinal direction of the body thereof to allow the plurality of shield plates 150a and 150b to be engaged thereto and to be horizontally moved therein. Each of the shield plates 150a and 150b includes a slot-shaped fastening member through-hole 150c horizontally formed at an upper end thereof. Accordingly, the shield plates 150a and 150b may be successively assembled in common by the plurality of fastening members 153 through the fastening member through-hole 150c and the shield plate engaging hole 151a. Thus, the shield 150 may be configured as a foldable type structure in which the plurality of shield plates 150a and 150b can be folded (see the right side of FIG. 9.) or unfolded (see the left side of FIG. 9.) to adjust their width or size depending on the size of the to-be-plated object 101, thereby enabling the overall area or size of the shield to be adjusted.

[0060] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to Comparative Examples and Examples.

[0061] It will be obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art that these Comparative Examples and Examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed to limit the scope of the present invention. Thus, the substantial scope of the present invention will be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Example 1: Comparison of Plating Quality in Holes Based on e-Duct Nozzle Structure and Substrate Movement

[0062] (a1) Plating baths A and B were prepared such that plating bath A is equipped with an e-duct having a nozzle diameter of 1.5 mm, and plating bath B is equipped with an e-duct whose nozzles with diameters of 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm are alternately arranged with one another. Thereafter, plating solutions with the same component contents and conditions were prepared for both plating baths A and B by introducing 120 g/L of sulfuric acid, 60 g/L of copper sulfate, 45 ppm of chloride ions, 2 ml/L of a brightener, and 20 ml/L of a wetting agent into each bath. The plating conditions for both plating baths A and B were set to a bath temperature of 22 C., a current density of 0.8 A/dm.sup.2, a plating time of 350 minutes, and an anode made of phosphorus copper.

[0063] (a2) Substrates 1 and 2 were prepared which have a thickness of 6.2 mm, a size of 410340 mm, and plating holes formed to have a hole diameter of 0.15 mm (aspect ratio of 41:1) through a drilling process.

[0064] (a3) Substrates 1 and 2 were put into plating baths A and B, respectively. Thereafter, a plating process was performed such that only vibration and shocking are applied to substrate 1 without any movement in plating bath A, while in plating bath B, vibration and shocking were applied to substrate 2 as it was reciprocated in the forward/rearward direction at a speed of 50 mm/min and in the left/right direction at a speed of 20 mm/min. Consequently, sample substrate 1 and sample substrate 2, each having a plating layer formed thereon were obtained in Comparative Example 1 and Example 1, respectively. Subsequently, the cross-sections of the plating layers of sample substrates 1 and 2 were magnified and photographed using a microscope, respectively.

[0065] FIGS. 10A and 10B are magnified cross-sectional photographs of the upper, intermediate, and lower portions of each of sample substrates 1 and 2. It can be observed from FIGS. 10A and 10B that in Example 1 illustrated in FIG. 10B where substrate 2 was reciprocated forward and rearward along the transverse direction of plating bath B while being reciprocated leftward and rightward along the longitudinal direction of plating bath B by applying the inventive plating device to form a plating layer, the influence of the e-ductors was controlled much more effectively than in Comparative Example 1 illustrated in FIG. 10A where only a single type of a nozzle was used, and sample substrate 1 remained stationary. As a result, the hole plating layer in Example 1 had a thickness of about 27 m, compared to about 13 m in Comparative Example. This suggests that uniformity of plating thickness is improved not only at the upper and lower portions of the hole but also at the intermediate portion, while the plating time is also reduced by half.

Example 2: Comparison of Plating Quality in Holes with and without a Shield

[0066] (a1) Plating baths A and B were prepared, each equipped with an e-duct whose nozzles with diameters of 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm are alternately arranged with one another. Thereafter, plating solutions with the same component contents and conditions were prepared for both plating baths C and D by introducing 120 g/L of sulfuric acid, 60 g/L of copper sulfate, 45 ppm of chloride ions, 2 ml/L of a brightener, and 20 ml/L of a wetting agent into each bath. The plating conditions for both plating baths C and D were set to a bath temperature of 22 C., a current density of 0.8 A/dm.sup.2, a plating time of 350 minutes, and an anode made of phosphorus copper, with vibration and shocking applied along with forward and rearward reciprocating movement at a speed of 50 mm/min and left and right reciprocating movement at a speed of 20 mm/sec.

[0067] (a2) Substrates 3 and 4 were prepared which have a thickness of 1.6 mm, a size of 410340 mm, and plating holes formed to have a hole diameter of 0.15 mm through a drilling process.

[0068] (a3) Substrates 3 and 4 were put into plating baths C and D, respectively. Thereafter, a plating process was performed on substrate 3 without a shield installed in plating bath C, while in plating bath D, the plating process was performed on substrate 4 after installing a shield at a position beyond the size of the substrate 4 within the plating bath. Consequently, sample substrate 3 and sample substrate 4, each having a plating layer formed thereon were obtained in Comparative Example 2 and Example 2, respectively. Subsequently, the plating surfaces of sample substrates 3 and 4 were magnified and photographed using a microscope, respectively.

[0069] FIGS. 11A and 11B are magnified surface photographs of sample substrates 3 and 4 in Example 2 of the present invention. It can be observed from FIGS. 11A and 11B that in Comparative Example 2 illustrated in FIG. 11A, the absence of a shield resulted in excessive plating at the substrate edge, leading to gloss deterioration which in turn spread inward from the edge. In contrast, in Example 2 illustrated in FIG. 11B, a shield was used in combination with the plating device of the present invention, ensuring a uniformly clean plating finish with maintained gloss and no excessive plating.

[0070] As described above, according to the present invention, pressure can be injected while moving a to-be-plated object in the left/right and forward/rearward directions of the vertical continuous plating bath or the general dip-type plating bath, where copper (Cu), gold (Au), nickel (Ni) or the like is electroplated on the to-be-plated object within the plating bath, using an e-duct in which nozzles having different injection apertures and injection intensities are alternatively arranged with each other and which is moved in the left/right direction, so that the influence of the e-duct can be evenly applied to all the objects to be plated, which have different aspect ratios and thicknesses, to maximize the e-duct effect.

[0071] Further, according to the present invention, the flow of metal ions moving around the to-be-plated object can be controlled by the variable shield installed at a position beyond the size of the to-be-plated object so as to be adjustable in size depending on the size of the to-be-plated object within the plating bath to prevent gloss deterioration caused by excessive plating at the edge of the to-be-plated object, thus resulting in improvements in both plating quality and manufacturing yield, as well as an increase in space utilization to allow for the installation of multiple plating lines, thereby ensuring advantageous application of the plating device to both multi-variety, small-batch production and mass production.

[0072] While the present invention has been described in connection with the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, they are merely illustrative and the invention is not limited to these embodiments. It will be appreciated by a person having an ordinary skill in the art that various equivalent modifications and variations of the embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should be understood only by the claims set forth below, and all equivalent modifications and variations thereof shall fall within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.