TW201923158A - Surface treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

A surface treatment device (1) comprising: a treatment tank (3-1) accommodating a treatment fluid; at least one positive electrode (20) disposed inside the treatment tank; at least one negative electrode rail (40-1); intermittent conveyance devices (70, 72) that intermittently convey, using a plurality of stop positions inside the treatment tank as start points and/or end points, a plurality of jigs (30) that suspend and hold each of a plurality of workpieces (2) immersed in treatment fluid, said jigs also coming in contact with the at least one negative electrode rail and setting a plurality of workpieces as negative electrodes; a plurality of nozzle tubes (60) that spray treatment fluid on to the plurality of workpieces, at least one nozzle tube being arranged, in the planar view inside the treatment tank, between the at least one positive electrode and a workpiece that stops at each of the plurality of stop positions; and a movement mechanism that moves each of the plurality of nozzle tubes along a horizontal direction parallel to each of the plurality of workpieces.

Description

Surface treatment device

The present invention relates to a surface treatment device and the like for intermittently transferring workpieces.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a plating apparatus that intermittently transports workpieces in an electroplating tank that contains a plating solution, and supplies current between anode and workpiece (cathode) at each stop position to plate the workpiece. In this device, a circular intermittent conveying device (sprocket and chain) is used to intermittently convey the workpiece. The circular intermittent conveying device is used in the plating tank and other pretreatments arranged upstream and / or downstream of the plating tank. Tanks and / or post-processing tanks allow intermittent workpiece handling.

Especially in this electroplating device, the amount of current supplied to the workpiece is accumulated at each stop position in the electroplating tank. With the control device, when the accumulated value reaches the amount of current required by the workpiece, the lifting device is driven and used for A hanger supporting and carrying the workpiece is moved above the plating tank, and the power to the workpiece is released. In this way, for example, the amount of current flowing to a variety of small workpieces can be individually adjusted, and the thickness of the plating film can be individually adjusted for each workpiece.
[Prior technical literature]
[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 2727250

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

As an electrolytic plating device, it is known to fix a nozzle which discharges a plating solution toward a workpiece in a plating bath. The plating apparatus of Patent Document 1 does not use a nozzle, and does not recognize a problem when the nozzle is arranged in a plating tank that is intermittently transported.

The electroplating device of Patent Document 1 uses a circulating intermittent conveying device (sprocket and chain) for intermittently conveying workpieces in an electroplating tank and other processing tanks, and a lifting device for lifting and lowering a jig (suspender) of each workpiece individually. Mechanism, so the device becomes larger. In addition, the throughput is affected by the entire length of the plating tank whether it is intermittent or continuous. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a line-up of various plating apparatuses having different lengths of the plating tank. In this case, it is necessary to redesign the entire device including the circulating intermittent conveying device.

It is an object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide an intermittent conveyance type surface treatment device, which can ensure the workpiece to be processed even if a nozzle for spraying a processing liquid toward a workpiece being intermittently stopped in a processing tank is used in combination In-plane uniformity.

It is an object of another aspect of the present invention to provide an intermittent-conveying surface treatment device that connects processing tank units having a common structure and can perform current control and intermittent current flow to a workpiece across the entire length of the processing tank. Moving.

[Technical means to solve the problem]

(1) An aspect of the present invention relates to a surface treatment device having a treatment tank, at least one anode, at least one cathode track, an intermittent transfer device, a plurality of nozzles, and a moving mechanism.
The processing tank is used to store a processing liquid,
The at least one anode is disposed in the processing tank.
The intermittent conveying device intermittently transports a plurality of jigs with a plurality of stop positions in the processing tank as a starting point and / or an end point. The plurality of jigs each compress a plurality of workpieces immersed in the processing liquid to The plurality of workpieces are set as cathodes while being held in a hanging manner and in contact with the at least one cathode rail,
The plurality of nozzles are arranged in the processing tank in plan view between at least one workpiece stopped at each of the plurality of stopped positions and the at least one anode, and are used to spray the processing liquid onto the workpiece,
The moving mechanism is configured to scan and move each of the plurality of nozzles with respect to a workpiece corresponding to an intermittent stop.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to scan and move at least one nozzle provided corresponding to the stop position of the workpiece with respect to the intermittently stopped workpiece. In this way, the area that becomes the shadow of the nozzle located between the workpiece and the anode in plan view and disturbs the electric field between the anode and the cathode moves with the scanning movement of the nozzle. Therefore, the area where the electric field is disturbed by the nozzle is not fixed, and the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece to be processed is improved.

(2) In one aspect of the present invention (1), the moving mechanism may be configured to scan at least once in a length range corresponding to at least a horizontal width of each of the plurality of workpieces stopped at the plurality of stop positions. Way, let the aforementioned plurality of nozzles move. In this way, the uniformity of the workpiece to be processed is improved. Preferably, the nozzle is scanned at least once from the initial position and then returned to the initial position. This is because the shadow of the nozzle becomes substantially uniform within the workpiece surface.

(3) In one aspect of the present invention (1) or (2), the plurality of nozzles may include a plurality of nozzles arranged at positions opposite to each of the plurality of workpieces stopped at the plurality of stop positions. The at least two nozzles and the at least two nozzles each include a plurality of nozzles of the processing liquid at different positions in the vertical direction. By allowing the at least two nozzles to scan and move the workpiece, the deviation in which the processing liquid is not directly sprayed is reduced, and the in-plane uniformity of the processed workpiece is improved.

(4) In one aspect of the present invention (1) to (3), the processing tank may include a plurality of divided processing tanks connected to each other, and the adjacent two divided processing tanks may be configured by letting the plurality of workpieces The one opening, the at least one cathode track, the at least one nozzle, the intermittent conveying device, and the moving mechanism are respectively communicated through the openings, and are respectively disposed in the plurality of division processing tanks, and are disposed in the plurality of divisions. The aforementioned at least one anode and the aforementioned at least one cathode track of each of the processing tanks are connected to at least one rectifier. In this way, it is not necessary to redesign the entire device, and it can be easily constituted as an intermittent conveyance type surface treatment device having a treatment tank with a length that meets the requirements of the user by adjusting the number of divided processing tanks.

(5) Another aspect of the present invention relates to a surface treatment device, which is a surface treatment device connected by a plurality of processing units.
Each of the plurality of processing units has: a divided processing tank, at least one anode, at least one cathode track, an intermittent transfer device, and at least one rectifier,
The division processing tank is used to store a processing liquid,
The at least one anode is disposed in the division processing tank.
The intermittent conveying device intermittently conveys a plurality of jigs with a plurality of stop positions in the divided processing tank as a starting point and / or an end point. The plurality of jigs respectively immerse a plurality of workpieces immersed in the processing liquid. Hold, and contact the at least one cathode rail to set the plurality of workpieces as cathodes,
The at least one rectifier is connected to the at least one anode and the at least one cathode track.
Two adjacent divided processing tanks communicate with each other through an opening through which the plurality of workpieces pass.

According to other aspects of the present invention, each of the plurality of processing units has a separate processing tank, an anode, at least one cathode track, an intermittent transfer device, and at least one rectifier. Therefore, it is not necessary to redesign the entire device, and it can be easily configured as an intermittent conveyance type surface treatment device having a treatment tank with a length that meets the user's requirements by adjusting the number of processing units.

(6) In another aspect of the present invention (5), the intermittent conveying device may include a pusher provided with a plurality of pushers and driven forward and backward, and the pusher may be driven by the plurality of pushers in advance. The plurality of pushed pieces of the plurality of jigs are pushed to advance the plurality of workpieces, and when retreating, the engagement between the plurality of pushed pieces and the plurality of pushed pieces is released and returned to the initial position. In this way, a plurality of jigs are simultaneously moved by one step in the divided processing tank or between adjacent divided processing tanks by the pusher to be intermittently transported.

(7) In another aspect of the present invention (5), the intermittent conveyance device may include a pusher provided with a plurality of pushers and driven forward and backward and lifted and driven, and the plurality of pushers may include: One of the upward and downward movements of the pusher is configured to arrange the recessed portions of the plurality of pushed pieces that are provided on the plurality of jigs, and the plurality of pushed pieces are separated from the concave portion by the other of the upward and downward movements of the pusher. In the pusher, the plurality of pushed pieces are pushed by the plurality of pushing pieces to advance the plurality of workpieces when the forward advancement is made, and the plurality of workpieces are stopped when the forward movement is stopped, and the plurality of pushed pieces are stopped from the recess when the forward movement is stopped. Return to the initial position when you retreat. In this way, a plurality of jigs are simultaneously moved by one step in the divided processing tank or between adjacent divided processing tanks by the pusher to be intermittently transported. In particular, by engaging the recessed portion with the pushed piece, a plurality of jigs can be stopped at a predetermined position, and intermittent conveyance at a higher speed can be performed.

(8) In one aspect (4) and other aspects (5) to (7) of the present invention, the at least one rectifier may include: a plurality of rectifiers consistent with the number of the plurality of stop positions, the foregoing At least one cathode track system includes: a plurality of conductive portions which are in contact with and electrically insulated from the plurality of jigs stopped at the plurality of stop positions, respectively, and the plurality of conductive portions are connected to each of the plurality of rectifiers. In this way, since the cathode sides of the plurality of workpieces are insulated and connected to each of the plurality of rectifiers, the current flowing through the plurality of workpieces can be individually controlled.

(9) In another aspect of the present invention (8), the at least one anode system may include a plurality of anodes consistent with the number of the plurality of stop positions, and the plurality of anodes are respectively connected to each of the plurality of rectifiers. . As described above, since each of the plurality of workpieces is insulated, the cathode and the anode can be individually and individually powered.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. In addition, this embodiment described below is not intended to improperly limit the content of the present invention described in the scope of patent application, and the entire structure described in this embodiment is not necessarily necessary as a means of solving the present invention.

1. A plurality of processing units FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a batch-type plating apparatus (broadly speaking, a surface treatment apparatus) according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, in the plating apparatus 1, a plating processing unit for plating a workpiece 2 such as a circuit board is configured by connecting a plurality of processing units 3-1 to 3-n (n is an integer of 2 or more). The plurality of processing units 3-1 to 3-n may have substantially the same structure. In each of the plurality of processing units 3-1 to 3-n, at least one of them can be stopped intermittently, as shown in FIG. FIG. 1 shows a workpiece 2 of the largest size, and the electroplating device 1 has the versatility to process the workpiece 2 below the largest size.

The workpiece 2 is intermittently transported in order from the current stop position to the next stop position in the direction A by an intermittent conveyance device described later. In this embodiment, one workpiece 2 is stopped at, for example, four places in each processing unit. The carry-in unit 4 may be connected upstream of the processing unit 3-1 on the most upstream side. The carry-in unit 4 may carry in the workpiece 2 by moving downward in the B direction. When the workpiece 2 in the processing unit 3-1 is intermittently transferred, the workpiece 2 in the loading unit 4 is also intermittently transferred and moved to the processing unit 3-1. The unloading unit 5 may be connected to the downstream side of the most downstream processing unit 3-n. The unloading unit 5 raises the workpiece 2 horizontally moved from the processing unit 3-n to the C direction and unloads it. Before the workpiece 2 in the processing unit 3-n is intermittently transferred, the workpiece 2 in the unloading unit 5 is unloaded upward. However, the carrying-in unit 4 and / or the carrying-out unit 5 may be omitted. In this case, the workpiece 2 is lowered at the most upstream stop position of the processing unit 3-1, and the workpiece 2 at the most downstream stop position of the processing unit 3-n is raised and carried out.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a processing unit 3-1 having a structure common to the processing units 3-2 to 3-n. The processing unit 3-1 includes a divided processing tank 6 for containing a plating solution (broadly speaking, a processing solution). The work 2 is immersed in a plating solution in the division processing tank 6. The divided processing tank 6 is a roughly box body opened at the upper side, and openings 6A and 6B are provided on the partition walls on the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively, thereby allowing workpieces between adjacent units (processing unit, carry-in unit, or carry-out unit). 2 horizontal movement.

In this embodiment, at least one anode 20 is provided on at least one of the front surface and the back surface of a plurality of workpieces 3-1 in the processing unit 3-1, for example, at four stop positions. In this embodiment, an anode 20A facing the surface of each work 2 located at each stop position and an anode 20B facing the back surface of the work 2 are provided. Each of the anodes 20 (20A, 20B) may include: a plurality of divided anodes which are conductive with each other. In this embodiment, it is divided into an upstream divided anode 20A1 (20B1) and a downstream divided anode 20A2 (20B2). The anode 20 may also include three or more divided anodes, which can be regarded as one anode because of mutual conduction.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the anodes 20A1, 20A2 (20B1, 20B2) and the workpiece 2 disposed in the processing unit 3-1. As shown in FIG. 3, the workpiece 2 is held by a transfer jig 30. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the anodes 20 (20A, 20B) are each arranged so as to face the workpiece 2 located at the four stop positions. The point is that, as shown in FIG. 2, a uniform electric field may be formed between the workpiece 2 set as a cathode and the anode 20. The shape of the anode 20 is not particularly limited. Although the outline of the anode shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is rectangular, the outline in plan view may be circular. The anode may be either an insoluble anode or a soluble anode.

This embodiment may include a shielding plate 23 that divides one processing unit 3-1 into four tank chambers 11-1 to 11-4. In each of the chambers 11-1 to 11-4, anodes 20 (20A1, 20A2, 20B1, 20B2) are arranged on both sides of the workpiece 2 in a plan view. The shielding plate 23 is used to shield the influence of the electric field (the electric field between the anode and the cathode shown by the arrow in FIG. 2) between the adjacent cells. The shielding plate 23 is formed with an opening 23A through which the workpiece 2 passes.

2. Carrying Jig FIG. 4 shows an example of a carrying jig 30. The transport jig 30 includes a horizontal arm portion 300, a vertical arm portion 310, a work holding portion 320, a guided portion 330, a powered portion 340, and a pushed piece 350. The horizontal arm portion 300 extends in a direction B orthogonal to the intermittent conveying direction A. The vertical arm portion 310 is held down by the horizontal arm portion 300. The work holding portion 320 is fixed to the vertical arm portion 310. The work holding unit 320 includes an upper frame 321 and a lower frame 322 supported by the upper frame 321 so as to be movable up and down, for example. The upper frame 321 is provided with a plurality of holders 323 for holding the upper portion of the work 2. The lower frame 322 is provided with a plurality of holders 324 for holding the lower portion of the workpiece 2. The lower gripper 324 applies downward tension to the work 2. However, when the workpiece 2 is thick or when no power is supplied from the lower portion of the workpiece 2, the lower frame 322 and the holder 324 may be omitted.

The guided portion 330 is guided by a guide (not shown) that is divided along each of the processing units 3-2 to 3-n by being arranged along the processing units 3-2 to 3-n. , And is used to linearly guide the carrying jig 30. The guided portion 330 may include a roller 331 in rotational contact with the top surface of the guide rail, and rollers 332 in rotational contact with both sides of the guide rail (in FIG. 4, only the rollers in rotational contact with one side are shown) .

The powered portion 340 is in contact with the cathode rail described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, and sets the workpiece 2 as a cathode through the horizontal arm portion 300, the vertical arm portion 310, and the workpiece holding portion 320 of the conveyance jig 30. The powered portion 340 includes two contacts 342 and 343 supported by the upstream and downstream sides of the support arm 341 extending along the intermittent conveying direction A. The contacts 342 and 343 are supported by a support arm 341 through a parallel link mechanism, and are charged by a spring so as to be crimped to the cathode track. The two contacts 342 and 343 are electrically connected to at least one of the holders 323 and 324 to set the workpiece 2 as a cathode.

The pushed piece 350 is fixed to, for example, the vertical arm portion 310, and the pushed piece 350 is vertically arranged at a position directly above the workpiece holding portion 320. The pushed piece 350 is pushed from the direction C shown in the figure by an intermittent conveying device described later, and transmits the intermittent conveying force to the conveying jig 30. The conveyance jig 30 shown in FIG. 4 is provided with an engaged portion 360 for continuous conveyance, and the conveyance jig 30 can be used for both intermittent conveyance and continuous conveyance.

3. Cathode track and rectifier As shown in FIG. 5, each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n (only two processing units are shown in FIG. 5) has at least one cathode track 40. The cathode rails 40 may be arranged in parallel in parallel to the conveyance direction A. In this case, the plurality of cathode rails 40 can be connected to the same rectifier or different rectifiers, and the current value can be controlled independently for each power supply part. In this embodiment, one cathode track 40 is provided. One cathode track 40 is preferably provided with a plurality of divided cathode tracks 40-1 to 40 divided by each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n. -n (only two divided cathode rails 40-1 and 40-2 are shown in FIG. 5), and are connected to be continuous in the conveying direction A. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 (A), each of the cathode rails 40-1 to 40-n is divided, and each of the tank chambers for stopping the workpiece 2 is separated from each other by a gap (non-conductive portion) 42 on the insulating rail 41. One conductive part 43 is provided, that is, a total of four conductive parts 43 are provided. Each of the four conductive parts 43 is a stop position at four of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n, and after holding the workpiece 2 to stop The powered part 340 (two contacts 342, 343) of the carrying jig 30 shown in FIG. 4 is electrically conductive. FIG. 5 also shows a liquid surface L of the plating solution contained in each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n, and the workpiece 2 is immersed in the plating solution. As shown in FIG. 6 (B), partition walls 44 and 44 are provided at both ends in the width direction of the cathode rail 40, so that a non-oily conductive fluid (for example, water) 45 can be held on the conductive portion 43. In this way, the electrical contact between the power-supplying portion 340 (two contacts 342 and 343) and the conductive portion 43 can be more reliably ensured through the conductive fluid 45. However, since the conductivity of water is much lower than that of the conductive portion 43 made of metal, the insulation between adjacent conductive portions 43 and 43 is maintained. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6 (B), the bolts 46 for fixing the conductive portion 43 to the insulating rail 41 may be disposed on both sides of the travel route across the powered portion 340. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a countersunk hole of a bolt in the conductive portion 34, and the main cause of resistance formation can be eliminated.

Each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n is provided with a rectifier 50 in each of the chambers for stopping the workpiece 2, that is, a total of four rectifiers 50 (only one rectifier 50 is shown in FIG. 5). One positive terminal 51 of each of the four rectifiers 50 is connected to an anode 20 (20A1, 20A2, 20B1, 20B2) arranged in each tank. One negative terminal 52 of each of the four rectifiers 50 is connected to the conductive portion 43 corresponding to each of the compartments of the divided cathode rails 40-1 to 40-n.

4. Current control when the workpiece is stopped 4 currents of 2 workpieces flow through the stopping positions (slot chambers) at 4 places of each processing unit 3-1 ~ 3-n. The rectifiers 50 are each independently controlled. In addition, since the cathodes are insulated from each other and the anodes are insulated from each other between the chambers, each work 2 is insulated and separated, and the work 2 can be individually controlled for power supply by each rectifier 50. In addition, since the electric field is separated between the chambers by the shielding plate 23, the influence between the chambers can be eliminated, and the individual power supply of each workpiece 2 can be guaranteed. In this way, the plating quality of the workpiece 2 can be improved.

As a result of the comparison between the intermittent conveyance method of this embodiment and the conventional continuous conveyance method, the positional relationship between the workpiece (cathode) being continuously conveyed and the fixed anode is known to change continuously. Instead, the stopped workpiece ( The cathode) 2 is directly opposite the anode 20. In this way, when the workpiece 2 is stopped, the positional relationship between the cathode and the anode becomes constant, and the workpieces are under the same plating conditions. Therefore, the improvement in the plating quality can be expected. In particular, if the workpiece 2 is stopped, fluctuations in the contact resistance do not occur, so precise current control can be performed. In addition, since a long cathode track used for continuous transportation is provided with countersunk holes for fixing bolts and the like, the resistance value of the cathode track varies depending on the location, and cannot be a uniform resistance. Therefore, depending on the position of the workpiece during continuous transportation, the current flowing through the workpiece will be different, and intermittent transportation can solve this problem. Moreover, this embodiment is not like continuous conveyance, and the plating quality is not adversely affected by the continuous conveyance speed of the workpiece.

However, it is not necessary to implement the above-mentioned completely separate power supply to intermittently transport the workpiece 2. That is, in the four tank chambers 11-1 to 11-4 of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n, one or both of the cathode and the anode can be set to be shared (shared cathode and / or shared anode).

5. Current control during intermittent transfer of workpieces While the workpiece 2 is intermittently transferred between the chambers, current is also supplied to the workpiece 2 through the rectifier 50. Here, in the intermittent conveyance, at least one of the two contacts 342 and 343 of the conveyance jig 30 shown in FIG. 4 is in contact with the conductive portion 43 on the cathode track. That is, even if the contactor 342 on the upstream side of the conveyance contacts the insulated rail 41 at the position of the interval 42, the contactor 343 on the downstream side of the conveyance contacts the conductive portion 43. Similarly, even if the contactor 343 on the downstream side of the conveyance is in contact with the insulating rail 41 at the interval 42, the contactor 342 on the upstream side of the conveyance is still in contact with the conductive portion 43 of the adjacent tank. In these processes, the contactor 343 on the downstream side is in contact with, for example, the conductive portion 43 of the tank chamber 11-1, and the contactor 342 on the upstream side is in contact with the conductive portion 43 of the tank chamber 11-2. In this case, the current is supplied to the workpiece 2 from two rectifiers 50 corresponding to the tank chamber 11-1 and the tank chamber 11-2. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state (transfer state) of a process of moving between tank chambers. In FIG. 7, the powered portion 340 of the transport jig 30 shown in FIG. 4 is schematically shown, and the powered portion 340 is in contact with the conductive portion 43 of the upstream tank and the conductive portion 43 of the downstream tank. Here, if the workpiece 2 is intermittently transported while maintaining the output of the rectifier 50 when the workpiece 2 is stopped, there is a concern that the workpiece 2 during the transfer connected to the two rectifiers 50 may cause a double current to flow transiently. In particular, the slower the intermittent transfer speed, the greater the effect of the transient current.

In the present embodiment, in the intermittent conveyance of the workpiece 2, either of the following two types of current control is used. When the intermittent conveying speed is slow, in order to reduce or prevent the above-mentioned transient current, the output of the rectifier 50 (for example, 100%) when the workpiece 2 is stopped is gradually reduced (for example, gradually reduced to 50%) and then increased (returned to 100) %). When the intermittent conveying speed is fast, it can be ignored because the period during which the transient current flows is extremely short. As such, in this case, it is not necessary to control the output of the rectifier 50 to be different when the workpiece 2 is stopped and when the workpiece 2 is intermittently conveyed. For example, when the width in the conveying direction of the workpiece 200 is 800 mm, and the intermittent conveying speed is 12 m / min, and the width in the conveying direction of the power-supplying section 430 shown in FIG. 7 is 60 mm, the intermittent conveying time becomes 5 sec. The time required for 430 to transfer the conductive portion 43 between the chambers (the time during which a transient current can flow) is only 0.3 sec.

6. Nozzle movement scans in the four tank chambers 11-1 ~ 11-4 of each processing unit 3-1 ~ 3-n, as shown in Fig. 8, each side of the workpiece 2 located at the stop position in a plan view. (Front and back) and the anode 20, at least one nozzle 60 may be further provided. Because the nozzles 60 shield the electric field formed between the workpiece (cathode) 2 and the anode 20, when a plurality of nozzles 60 are provided, the smaller the number, the better. As shown in FIG. 9, the nozzle 60 has a plurality of nozzles 60A for discharging a plating solution. The discharge port 60A of the nozzle 60 shown in FIG. 9 can have a vertical pitch P that is smaller than the pitch (for example, 7.5 mm) used in the conventional continuous conveying type, and can be set to be larger than the outer diameter of the discharge port 60A and 5mm or less. This is because the supply amount of the plating solution per unit time can be increased. In addition, in order to uniformly supply the plating solution to small-sized wafers and precise patterns, the smaller the pitch P, the better. In FIG. 9, although the nozzles 60 on the front and back sides of the work 2 are opposed to each other with the work 2 interposed therebetween, the nozzles 60 may be provided at non-opposing positions. If they face each other, the problem of deformation of the workpiece 2 due to the hydraulic pressure can be solved. When the workpiece 2 is not disposed in the opposite direction, it is easy to supply the plating solution to the through holes of the workpiece 2. Even though the continuous conveying method is also provided with nozzles, the number is as many as a dozen in a processing unit.

In the continuous conveying method of the workpiece, although most of the nozzles are fixed, in this embodiment adopting the intermittent conveying method, in the four tank chambers 11-1 to 11-4 of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n, let At least one nozzle 60 performs a horizontal scanning movement along, for example, an arrow A1 direction and an A2 direction (both parallel to the intermittent conveyance direction A) in FIG. 8. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the plating solution can be sprayed uniformly across the workpiece 2. In addition, the moving speed of the nozzle 60 can be set faster than the moving speed (for example, 0.8 m / min) of the workpiece 2 in the continuous conveyance method. In this way, the supply amount of the plating solution per unit time can be increased. In the continuous conveying method, when the speed of the workpiece is increased, the total length of the processing tank becomes longer and the apparatus becomes larger. However, the intermittent conveyance as in this embodiment does not increase the apparatus.

Although the reciprocating mechanism of the nozzle 60 is not shown in the figure, a known mechanism that reciprocates linearly (for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism driven by a reversible motor, a piston-crank mechanism, etc.) may be used. The reciprocating mechanism can move the two nozzles 60 at least once in a cycle scan in a length range corresponding to at least the horizontal width of the workpiece 2 stopped in each tank chamber. In this way, the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece 2 to be processed is improved. It is also preferable that the nozzle 60 be scanned at least once from the initial position and then returned to the initial position. This is because the shadow of the nozzle 60 is made substantially uniform within the workpiece surface. The reciprocating scanning movement of the nozzle 60 may be continuously performed during the operation of the apparatus, or the reciprocating scanning movement of the nozzle 60 may be stopped during the intermittent conveyance of the workpiece 2.

According to the present embodiment, at least one, for example, two nozzles 60 can be scanned and moved with respect to the workpiece 2 according to the stop position of the workpiece 2 with respect to the workpiece 2 that is intermittently stopped. In this way, the area that becomes the shadow of the nozzle 60 located between the workpiece 2 and the anode 20 and interferes with the electric field between the anode and the cathode in plan view moves as the nozzle 60 moves. Therefore, the area where the electric field is disturbed by the nozzle 60 is not fixed, and the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece 2 to be processed is improved. The scanning movement direction of the nozzle 60 is not limited to the horizontal direction. For example, the nozzles 60 may be horizontally arranged to scan and move in the vertical direction, and the scanning movement direction may be any of horizontal and vertical directions.

The nozzle 60 may have a well-known structure and wind up the plating solution in the vicinity of the nozzle 60A in the divided processing tank and discharge the plating solution. In this way, a plating solution rich in metal ions in the vicinity of the anode 20 can be sprayed toward the workpiece 2 and the throughput can be increased.

The scanning movement of the nozzle 60 can be widely applied to the surface treatment device of the intermittent conveyance method, and is not limited to the structure of the above embodiment, that is, it is not limited to the connection structure of a plurality of processing units, the cathode division structure, and the anode division Structure, structure including an intermittent conveyance mechanism using a pusher described later, and the like.

7. Intermittent conveying device of each processing unit In this embodiment, it is preferable to provide an intermittent conveying device at each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n. This is because even if the number n of processing units is changed, it is not necessary to redesign the intermittent conveying device. If the convenience is not required, a cyclic intermittent conveying device such as Patent Document 1 may be used, or a single intermittent conveying device shared by each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n may be used. The intermittent conveyance device described below is not limited to those in which a plurality of processing units are connected to form a plating tank.

As the intermittent conveying device provided in each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n, one shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 can be used. The intermittent conveyance device shown in FIG. 10 is constituted by a pusher 70 that can advance and retreat in forward and reverse directions A1 and A2 parallel to the intermittent conveyance direction A by, for example, an air cylinder. The pusher 70 has push pieces 71 at four positions. The four push pieces 71 can push the pushed pieces 350 of the four carrying jigs 30 (see FIG. 4). The four push pieces 71 are rotated toward the clockwise direction D in FIG. 10 to accumulate potential.

When the pusher 70 advances in the direction A1, the four pushing pieces 71 push the pushed pieces 350 of the four transport jigs 30 to intermittently transfer the four workpieces 2. When the pusher 70 retreats in the direction A2, if the push piece 71 contacts the pushed piece 350, the push piece 71 rotates in a direction opposite to the arrow D against the stored force in the direction of the arrow D, and is not affected by the pushed piece 350. Obstacles and return to the initial position. In this way, the four workpieces 2 located in each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n are intermittently conveyed by the one-step movement of the pusher 70 at the same time. As a result, the three workpieces 2 other than the most upstream position in the processing unit are moved one step in the same processing unit, and the workpieces 2 located at the most upstream position in the same or previous processing unit are moved to the processing unit in the subsequent The most downstream location within. In this way, the four workpieces 2 held by the four transfer jigs 30 are intermittently transferred with the four stop positions in the processing unit as the starting point and / or the ending point.

Since the intermittent conveyance device shown in FIG. 10 only pushes the conveyance jig 30, it cannot control the stop position of the conveyance jig 30. This intermittent conveying device can be used for a case where the intermittent conveying speed is slow, and the inertia force that causes the conveying jig 30 to continue to move after the pushing by the pusher 70 stops. Alternatively, in the case where at least one of the rollers 331, 332 cited in the guide 30 of the conveyance jig is provided with the braking mechanism contained in the international patent application PCT / JP2018 / 020119 filed by the applicant of the present case, the intermittent conveyance device can also be adopted.

The intermittent conveyance device shown in FIGS. 11 (A) and (B) includes a pusher 72 that includes four push pieces 73 and is driven forward and backward (drive in the directions of A1 and A2) and lift drive (drive in the direction of the arrow E). The four pushing pieces 73 include, for example, a recessed portion 73A in which the pushed piece 350 of the conveyance jig 30 is fitted and is opened upward. As shown in FIG. 11 (A), when the pusher 72 is raised, the pushed piece 350 of the transport jig 30 is fitted into the four recessed portions 73A. Then, as shown in FIG. 11 (B), when the pusher 72 is advanced in the direction of A1, the four transport jigs 30 are moved simultaneously by one step and intermittently transported. Further, when the advancement of the pusher 72 is ended, the recessed portion 73A is used to determine the stop position of the pushed piece 350 without distinction. Then, the pusher 72 is lowered, further retracted, and returned to the initial position. In particular, by engaging the recessed portion 73A and the pushed piece 350, the plurality of transport jigs 30 can be stopped at a predetermined position, and intermittent transport can be performed at a higher speed.

Although the present embodiment has been described in detail as described above, those skilled in the art can easily understand that there are many variations within the scope of not substantially departing from the new matters and effects of the present invention. Therefore, all such modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, a term that appears together with a different broader or synonymous different term that appears at least once in the description or the drawing can be replaced with the different term in any part of the description or the drawing. All combinations of the embodiment and the modifications are included in the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a modified example in which the workpiece holding portion 320 in the transfer jig 30 shown in FIG. 8 is changed to a workpiece holding portion 320A. In FIG. 12, a virtual to-be-processed portion 80 is provided in a square frame area indicated by a hatched line surrounding the workpiece 2. The virtual to-be-processed portion 80 is a region to be surface-treated (plated) together with the workpiece 2. The virtual processed part 80 is connected to the power supply part 81 shown in FIG. 12. This power supply unit 81 is electrically connected to the power supply unit 340 shown in FIG. 4, and thereby sets the virtual processing unit 80 as a cathode in the same manner as the workpiece 2.

Since the peripheral edge of the workpiece 2 is located inside the virtual processed portion 80, the peripheral edge of the workpiece 2 does not become an edge. In this way, no electric field concentration occurs at the periphery of the workpiece 2 and a so-called thick film portion of a dog bone does not occur. As long as the resistance of the dummy to-be-processed part 80 is set to be substantially the same as the resistance in the plane of the workpiece 2, the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece 2 can be improved. Further, the plating apparatus 1 has a peeling groove in a subsequent step of the plating processing section. After the plating, the transfer jig 30 is put into the peeling groove to peel the plating film. At this time, the plating film formed on the dummy to-be-processed portion 80 is also peeled off, and therefore the transport jig 30 can be reused.

FIG. 13 shows a transport jig 30A in a modified example in which the cleaning function of the cathode rail 40 is added to the power-supply portion 340 of the transport jig 30 shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 13, in addition to the contactors 342 and 343, the support arm 341 supports at least one rail cleaning portion 344 that contacts the cathode rail 40 and cleans the cathode rail 40. The track cleaning unit 344 shown in FIG. 13 includes, for example, a scraper 344A that grinds the conductive portion 43 of the cathode track 40 and removes a stacked layer (such as an oxide film on the conductive portion) as an abrasive, and grinds powder and garbage At least one or both of the brushes 344B swept out. The brush 344B may be provided on the downstream side of the scraper 344A. With the same structure as the contacts 342, 344, the cleaning portion 344 (344A, 344B) is crimped to the cathode rail 40.

By using the transport jig 30A having a cleaning unit 344 shown in FIG. 13 as at least one of the plurality of transport jigs that are circulated in the plating apparatus 1, the cathode track 40 can be cleaned while the plating apparatus 1 is running, thereby preventing a defective current . In this way, abnormalities such as an increase in the resistance value of the conductive portion 43 of the cathode rail 40 can be suppressed, and the maintenance frequency that has been performed conventionally at a frequency of once a week can be reduced.

Also, the transport jig 39A shown in FIG. 13 is not limited to the above-mentioned intermittent transport type surface treatment apparatus, and can also be used in a continuous transport type surface treatment apparatus having a cathode track in which the conductive portion 34 is continuously provided.

1‧‧‧ surface treatment device

2‧‧‧ Workpiece

3-1 ~ 3-n‧‧‧ processing tank (divided processing tank)

20 (20A1,20A2,20B1,20B2) ‧‧‧Anode

30,30A‧‧‧Handling fixture

40, 40-1, 40-2‧‧‧ cathode track (split cathode track)

41‧‧‧ insulated track

42‧‧‧space (non-conductive part)

43‧‧‧Conducting part

50‧‧‧ Rectifier

51‧‧‧Positive terminal

52‧‧‧Negative terminal

60‧‧‧ Nozzle

60A‧‧‧Spout

70, 72‧‧‧ Pusher (Intermittent Handling Device)

71,73‧‧‧Push

73A‧‧‧Concave

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electroplating treatment section of an electroplating apparatus of a batch conveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of one processing unit of the plating apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

Figure 3 shows the positional relationship between the workpiece and the anode stopped in a processing unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a transport jig for transporting a workpiece.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the connection of the conductive part and the rectifier on the anode and cathode tracks.

Figure 6 (A) (B) is a front view and a sectional view of a cathode track.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a state in which a powered part of a transport jig is transferred between conductive parts of a cathode track between tank chambers.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a nozzle that reciprocates horizontally in a tank chamber.

Fig. 9 shows the arrangement pitch of the nozzles of the nozzle.

FIG. 10 shows an example of an intermittent conveyance device arranged in each processing unit.

11 (A) and 11 (B) are diagrams showing another example of an intermittent conveyance device arranged in each processing unit.

FIG. 12 shows a modified example of a transfer jig suitable for an intermittent transfer method.

FIG. 13 shows a modified example of a transport jig with a cleaning function of a cathode track.

Claims (9)

A surface treatment device, comprising: a treatment tank, at least one anode, at least one cathode track, an intermittent transfer device, a plurality of nozzles, and a moving mechanism, The processing tank is used to store a processing liquid, The at least one anode is disposed in the processing tank. The intermittent conveying device intermittently transports a plurality of jigs with a plurality of stop positions in the processing tank as a starting point and / or an end point. The plurality of jigs each compress a plurality of workpieces immersed in the processing liquid to The plurality of workpieces are set as cathodes while being held in a hanging manner and in contact with the at least one cathode rail, The plurality of nozzles are arranged in the processing tank in plan view between at least one workpiece stopped at each of the plurality of stopped positions and the at least one anode, and are used to spray the processing liquid onto the workpiece, The moving mechanism is configured to scan and move each of the plurality of nozzles with respect to a workpiece corresponding to an intermittent stop. The surface treatment device according to claim 1, wherein: The moving mechanism moves the plurality of nozzles at least once in a cycle scanning manner in a length range corresponding to at least the horizontal width of each of the plurality of workpieces stopped at the plurality of stop positions. The surface treatment device according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of nozzles include at least two nozzles arranged at positions opposite to each of the plurality of workpieces stopped at the plurality of stopping positions, The at least two nozzles are a plurality of nozzles containing the processing liquid at different positions in the vertical direction. The surface treatment device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing tank includes a plurality of divided processing tanks connected to each other, and adjacent two divided processing tanks communicate through an opening through which the plurality of workpieces pass. The one anode, the at least one cathode track, the at least one nozzle, the intermittent conveying device, and the moving mechanism are respectively arranged in the plurality of divided processing tanks. The at least one anode and the at least one cathode track provided in each of the plurality of divided processing tanks are connected to at least one rectifier. A surface treatment device is a surface treatment device connected by a plurality of processing units, characterized in that: Each of the plurality of processing units has: a divided processing tank, at least one anode, at least one cathode track, an intermittent transfer device, and at least one rectifier, The division processing tank is used to store a processing liquid, The at least one anode is disposed in the division processing tank. The intermittent conveying device intermittently conveys a plurality of jigs with a plurality of stop positions in the divided processing tank as a starting point and / or an end point. The plurality of jigs respectively immerse a plurality of workpieces immersed in the processing liquid. Hold, and contact the at least one cathode rail to set the plurality of workpieces as cathodes, The at least one rectifier is connected to the at least one anode and the at least one cathode track. Two adjacent divided processing tanks communicate with each other through an opening through which the plurality of workpieces pass. The surface treatment device according to claim 5, wherein: The intermittent conveying device includes a pusher provided with a plurality of pushers and driven forward and backward, In the aforementioned pusher, the plurality of pushed pieces of the plurality of jigs are pushed by the plurality of pushed pieces to advance the plurality of workpieces in advance, and the plurality of pushed pieces and the plurality of pushed pieces are caused to move forward when retreating. The engagement is released and returns to the initial position. The surface treatment device according to claim 5, wherein: The intermittent conveying device includes a pusher provided with a plurality of pushing pieces and driven forward and backward and lifted. The plurality of pushing pieces include: the concave portions of the plurality of pushed pieces provided on the plurality of jigs are arranged by one of the lifting actions of the pushers, and the other is caused by the other of the lifting actions of the pushers. The plurality of pushed pieces are separated from the aforementioned recesses, In the pusher, the plurality of pushed pieces are pushed by the plurality of pushing pieces to advance the plurality of workpieces when the forward advancement is made, and the plurality of workpieces are stopped when the forward movement is stopped, and the plurality of pushed pieces are stopped from the recess when the forward movement is stopped. Return to the initial position when you retreat. The surface treatment device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein: The at least one rectifier includes a plurality of rectifiers consistent with the number of the plurality of stop positions, The at least one cathode track system includes: a plurality of conductive portions that are in contact with and electrically insulated from the plurality of jigs that stop at the plurality of stopping positions, respectively, and the plurality of conductive portions are connected to each of the plurality of rectifiers. The surface treatment device according to claim 8, wherein: The at least one anode includes a plurality of anodes consistent with the number of the plurality of stopping positions, and the plurality of anodes are respectively connected to each of the plurality of rectifiers.