ELECTROPLATING FLUID DISTURBANCE DEVICE AND ELECTROPLATING TANK DEVICE

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electroplating fluid disturbance device and an electroplating tank device.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

In general, electroplating is an importance process in manufacturing a circuit board, and the jet plating method is currently one of the popular electroplating methods. For the jet plating method, in an electroplating tank, electroplating fluid having metal ions is directly sprayed on the circuit board to be plated. However, at present the spraying range of the jet plating method is limited, and due to the differences in electric fields at every locations on the circuit board, it is easy to cause that the metal ions in the electroplating fluid cannot be distributed uniformly on the circuit board, thereby affecting the entire electroplating quality of the circuit board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A technical aspect of the present invention is an electroplating fluid disturbance device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electroplating fluid disturbance device includes a first supporting plate, a linking member and at least one fan. The first supporting plate is provided at least with a pivoting portion. The linking member is provided with a first portion, and the first portion is close to the pivoting portion of the first supporting plate. The fan is connected to the first portion of the linking member and is pivoted to the pivoting portion. The fan is configured to be immersed in the electroplating fluid. The first portion of the linking member drives the fan to move, so that the fan rotates relative to the pivoting portion to disturb the electroplating fluid.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the abovementioned fan is provided with an initial disturbance direction, and the fan rotates so that the fan has a first predetermined disturbance direction. A first included angle between the initial disturbance direction and the first predetermined disturbance direction is smaller than 25 degrees. In addition, the fan rotates so that the fan has a second predetermined disturbance direction opposite to the first predetermined disturbance direction, and a second included angle between the initial disturbance direction and the second predetermined disturbance direction is smaller than 25 degrees.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the abovementioned linking member is provided with an initial position, as well as a first extreme position and a second extreme position opposite to two sides of the initial position. The time period in which the linking member moves from the initial position to the first extreme position, from the first extreme position to the second extreme position, and from the second extreme position back to the initial position, is between 0.5 seconds and 1.5 seconds.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the number of abovementioned fan is equal to the number of pivoting portion.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a third side wall of the abovementioned fan form a staircase structure.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the third side wall of the abovementioned fan is closer to the pivoting portion of the first supporting plate than the first side wall.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the abovementioned first supporting plate is provided with a first slide rail, and the first portion of the linking member is disposed in the first slide rail.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first portion of the abovementioned linking member is provided with a first contact portion, and one end of the first contact portion is disposed in the fan.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the abovementioned linking member is provided with a second portion, and the second portion is provided with a second contact portion; whereas, one end of the second contact portion is disposed in the fan.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the abovementioned electroplating fluid disturbance device also includes a second supporting plate. The second supporting plate is provided with a second slide rail, and the second portion of the linking member is disposed in the second slide rail.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when the fan faces a circuit board exactly, a distance between the fan and the circuit board is in a range from 1 mm to 10 mm.

A technical aspect of the present invention is an electroplating tank device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electroplating tank device includes the abovementioned electroplating fluid disturbance device and a push rod. The push rod is extended into the electroplating fluid disturbance device, and a third portion of the linking member is connected to one end of the push rod; whereas, the third portion of the linking member is connected to the first portion and the second portion.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the abovementioned electroplating tank device also includes an actuating element. The actuating element is disposed outside the electroplating fluid disturbance device and is connected to the other end of the push rod.

In the abovementioned embodiments of the present invention, the electroplating fluid disturbance device in the electroplating tank device can drive the fan to move by the linking member. The fan rotates relative to the pivoting portion of the first supporting plate, and the fan moves along with the linking member and rotates relative to the pivoting portion, so as to disturb the electroplating fluid in the electroplating fluid disturbance device, allowing the metal ions in the electroplating fluid to be distributed uniformly on the circuit board. Therefore, when the circuit board is energized to carry out the electroplating, the uniformity of the thickness of a plating film on the circuit board can be improved, thereby increasing the entire electroplating quality.

When read in conjunction with the accompanying illustrations, the following detailed description provides the best understanding of one implementation of the present invention. It should be emphasized that, in accordance with industry-standard practices, various features are not drawn to scale and are intended for illustrative purposes only. In fact, for clarity of description, the sizes of various features may be arbitrarily enlarged or reduced.

To enable a further understanding of the said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of an electroplating tank device, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a cutaway view of the electroplating tank device along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a local blowup view of the electroplating tank device in a first slide rail in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a local blowup view of the electroplating tank device in a second slide rail in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a fan at a position when the electroplating tank device operates, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the fan at another position when the electroplating tank device operates, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 a schematic view of the fan at still another position when the electroplating tank device operates, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The implementation methods disclosed below provide numerous distinct implementations or examples of the different features used to achieve the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and configurations are described below to simplify the description of present invention. Of course, these examples are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. Moreover, the components symbols and/or letters may be repeated across various examples in the description of present invention. Such repetition is intended for convenience and clarity and does not in itself specify relationships between the various implementations and/or configurations described.

Spatial relative terms such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like may be used herein for the purpose of convenience in describing the relationship between one component or feature and another component or feature as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation beyond the orientations shown in the drawings. The device may be oriented differently (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of an electroplating tank device 200, according to one embodiment of the present invention; whereas, FIG. 2 shows a cutaway view of the electroplating tank device 200 along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the electroplating tank device 200 can be applied to electroplating equipment, especially the equipment used in a vertical plating process. The electroplating tank device 200 comprises an electroplating fluid disturbance device 100, and the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100 comprises a first supporting plate 110, a linking member 120 and a fan 130. The first supporting plate 110 is provided with a pivoting portion 112, and for example, the pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110 can be, but not limited to, a cylinder. The linking member 120 is provided with a first portion 122 and a second portion 124. The first portion 122 of the linking member 120 is close to the pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110. The first portion 122 of the linking member 120 is disposed at one side of the pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110 and is not in contact with the pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110. The fan 130 is connected to the first portion 122 of the linking member 120 and is pivoted to the pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110. The pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110 is provided with a pivot (not shown in the drawings), allowing the fan 130 to be pivoted in the pivoting portion 112. The fan 130 is configured to be immersed in electroplating fluid L (referring to FIG. 5 for detailed description). The first portion 122 of the linking member 120 drives the fan 130 to move, so that the fan 130 rotates relative to the pivoting portion 112, thereby disturbing the electroplating fluid L in a tank of the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100.

In some embodiments, the linking member 120 is provided with a third portion 126. The third portion 126 of the linking member 120 is perpendicular to the first portion 122 of the linking member 120, and is also perpendicular to the second portion 124 of the linking member 120. The second portion 124 of the linking member 120 is parallel to the first portion 122 of the linking member 120. The third portion 126 of the linking member 120 is disposed between the first portion 122 and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120. Moreover, the electroplating tank device 200 also includes a push rod 210 and an actuating element 220. The push rod 210 is extended into the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100, and the third portion 126 of the linking member 120 is connected to one end of the push rod 210. The third portion 126 of the linking member 120 is connected to the first portion 122 and the second portion 124. The actuating element 220 is disposed outside the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100 and is connected to the other end of the push rod 210. The actuating element 220 can push the push rod 210 to move and the third portion 126 of the linking member 120 connecting the push rod 210 can drive the first portion 122 and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 to move. The fan 130 moves along with the first portion 122 and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120, and rotates relative to the pivoting portion 112, thereby disturbing the electroplating fluid L in the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100.

Specifically, the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100 in the electroplating tank device 200 can drive the fan 130 to move by the linking member 120, and the fan 130 can rotate relative to the pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110. The fan 130 that moves along with the linking member 120 can disturb the electroplating fluid L in the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100, allowing metal ions in the electroplating fluid L to be distributed uniformly on a circuit board W (referring to FIG. 5 for detailed description). Therefore, when the circuit board W is energized to carry out the electroplating, the uniformity of the thickness of a plating film on the circuit board W can be improved, thereby increasing the entire electroplating quality.

FIG. 3 shows a local blowup view of the electroplating tank device 200 in a first slide rail 114 of the first supporting plate 110, in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the number of fan 130 can be equal to the number of pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110. For example, the number of fan 130 in FIG. 3 is eleven, and the number of pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110 is also eleven. The fans 130 are evenly configured in the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100, and the pivoting portions 112 of the first supporting plate 110 are evenly configured on the first supporting plate 110. The evenly configured fans 130 and pivoting portions 112 can increase the disturbing effect of the electroplating fluid L, and one fan 130 fitting with one pivoting portion 112 forms a mechanism to disturb the electroplating fluid L.

Furthermore, the first supporting plate 110 is provided with a first slide rail 114. The first slide rail 114 can be a long strip, and the first portion 122 of the linking member 120 can be also a long strip. The first portion 122 of the linking member 120 is disposed in the first slide rail 114 of the first supporting plate 110, and can move back and forth in the first slide rail 114. In some embodiments, a first side wall 132, a second side wall 134 and a third side wall 136 of the fan 130 form a staircase structure. The first side wall 132, the second side wall 134 and the third side wall 136 in the staircase structure can increase the effect that the fan 130 disturbs the electroplating fluid L, so that the metal ions in the electroplating fluid L can be distributed uniformly. Besides, the third side wall 136 of the fan 130 is closer to the pivoting portion 112 of the first supporting plate 110 than the first side wall 132. The first side wall 132 of the fan 130 can be a vertical wall, the second side wall 134 of the fan 130 can be a horizontal wall, and the third side wall 136 of the fan 130 can be a vertical wall, thereby forming the staircase structure.

In some embodiments, the first portion 122 of the linking member 120 is provided with a first contact portion 122a. For example, the first contact portion 122a of the linking member 120 is extended from the first portion 122 of the linking member 120 to the center of fan 130, and the first contact portion 122a of the linking member 120 can be, but not limited to, a cylinder. One end of the first contact portion 122a of the linking member 120 is disposed in the fan 130, and the other end is disposed on the first portion 122 of the linking member 120. The first contact portion 122a of the linking member 120 is used to transmit the force of movement of the first portion 122 of the linking member 120 to the fan 130, allowing the fan 130 to move in the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100.

FIG. 4 shows a local blow up view of the electroplating tank device 200 in a second slide rail 144 of a second supporting plate 140 in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100 also includes a second supporting plate 140. The second supporting plate 140 can be configured opposite to the first supporting plate 110, and the fan 130 can be disposed between the second supporting plate 140 and the first supporting plate 110. The second supporting plate 140 is provided with a second slide rail 144, and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 can be disposed in the second slide rail 144. The second portion 124 of the linking member 120 is connected to the third portion 126 of the linking member 120, and the third portion 126 of the linking member 120 can drive the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 to move in the second slide rail 144 of the second supporting plate 140. The second slide rail 144 of the second supporting plate 140 can be a long strip, and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 can be also a long strip.

In some embodiments, the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 is provided with a second contact portion 124a, and one end of the second contact portion 124a of the second portion 124 is disposed in the fan 130. For example, the second contact portion 124a of the linking member 120 moves from the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 to the center of fan 130, and the second contact portion 124a of the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 can be, but not limited to, a cylinder. The second contact portion 124a of the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 is used to transmit the force of movement of the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 to the fan 130, allowing the fan 130 to disturb in the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100.

FIGS. 5 to 7 show schematic views of the fan 130 that is at different positions when the electroplating tank device 200 operates, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, and FIGS. 5 to 7, first of all, the linking member 120 is provided with an initial position, and the fan 130 is provided with an initial disturbance direction D3, meaning that when the linking member 120 is disposed at the initial position, the fan 130 will face the circuit board W exactly, as shown in FIG. 5, and the distance between the fan 130 and the circuit board W is in a range from 1 mm to 10 mm. For example, the distance between the fan 130 and the circuit board W is preferably 2 mm. Since the mechanism will accumulate errors during installation, if the distance is less than 1 mm, a risk that the fan 130 touches the circuit board W may be generated. In addition, if the distance between the fan 130 and the circuit board W is greater than 10 mm, the disturbance effect of the fan 130 will become worse. Next, the electroplating fluid L is filled into the entire tank of the electroplating fluid disturbance device 100, allowing the fan 130 to be immersed in the electroplating fluid L. After the fan 130 is immersed in the electroplating fluid L, the push rod 210 is pushed to move backward by the actuating element 220, so that the third portion 126 of the linking member 120 moves along with the push rod 210 to drive the first portion 122 and the second portion 124 to move backward (the linking member 120 is away from the initial position and moves to the first extreme position). The first portion 122 and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 can then drive the fan 130 to move backward. In the process that the fan 130 moves backward, the fan 130 rotates relative to the pivoting portion 112 and swings leftward to disturb the electroplating fluid L on the left side of circuit board W. The left-swinging fan 130 allows the fan 130 to have a first predetermined disturbance direction D4, and a first included angle θ1 between the initial disturbance direction D3 and the first predetermined disturbance direction D4 is smaller than 25 degrees. The linking member 120 moves from the initial position to the first extreme position relative to the initial position.

Next, after the third portion 126 of the linking member 120 moves backward, the push rod 210 can be pushed to move forward by the actuating element 220, allowing the third portion 126 of the linking member 120 to move forward along with the push rod 210, so that the first portion 122 and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 are driven to move (the linking member 120 is away from the first extreme position and moves to the second extreme position). The first portion 122 and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 can drive the fan 130 to move forward, and in the process that the fan 130 moves forward, the fan 130 rotates relative to the pivoting portion 112 and swings rightward, so as to disturb the electroplating fluid L on the right side of circuit board W. The right-swinging fan 130 allows the fan 130 to have a second predetermined disturbance direction D5 opposite to the first predetermined disturbance direction D4, and a second included angle θ2 between the initial disturbance direction D3 and the second predetermined disturbance direction D5 is smaller than 25 degrees. The forward-moving linking member 120 passes through the initial position and moves to the second extreme position opposite to the first extreme position.

In some embodiments, the actuating element 220 pushes the push rod 210 back and forth, allowing the first portion 122 and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120 to move back and forth. The fan 130 also moves back and forth along with the first portion 122 and the second portion 124 of the linking member 120, and rotates relative to the pivoting portion 112. The fan 130 that swings back and forth can disturb the electroplating fluid L completely, so as to distribute the metal ions on the circuit board W uniformly. The concentration of metal ions on the circuit board W approaches to a constant due to the back-and-forth swinging of the fan 130. Thus, when the circuit board W is energized to carry out the electroplating, the uniformity of the thickness of a plating film on the circuit board W can be improved, thereby increasing the entire electroplating quality. Moreover, the time period in which the linking member 120 moves from the initial position to the first extreme position, from the first extreme position to the second extreme position, and from the second extreme position back to the initial position, is between 0.5 seconds and 1.5 seconds, e.g. 1 second. In other words, the time for completing one round of swinging for the fan 130 is about 1 second.

It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.