ELECTRODE PLATE AND ELECTROPLATING DEVICE WITH SAME

An electrode plate and an electroplating device having the electrode plate is used as an anode electrode. The electrode plate includes a substrate, N electrode patterns and N wirings. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other and has a plurality of through holes. The N electrode patterns are disposed on the first surface of the substrate, and are spaced apart from each other. The N wirings are disposed on the second surface of the substrate. Each of the N wirings has a first end and a second end. The first end of the N wirings is connected to the corresponding N electrode patterns via at least one through hole. The second ends of the N wirings are used to connect to power modules respectively, wherein each of the N electrode patterns receives a current provided by a corresponding power module.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

a) Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to an electrode plate, and more particularly to an anode electrode plate used for an electroplating device.

b) Description of the Prior Art

Generally speaking, during the manufacturing process of a circuit board, electroplating treatment is an important manufacturing step therein, and the jet electroplating method is one of the more commonly used electroplating methods currently. The jet electroplating method mainly comprises spraying an electroplating liquid having metal ions in an electroplating trough directly on a circuit board to be electroplated. Subsequently, an anode electrode on an anode electrode plate located on one side of the electroplating trough receives a current by means of a rectifier, and then an electric field is formed between same and the circuit board serving as a cathode, thereby electrolyzing the electroplating liquid and enabling the metal ions in the electroplating liquid to be separated out and become attached to a surface of the circuit board, after a period of time, a metal thin film is formed and thereby completing the electroplating.

However, the anode electrode of the prior anode electrode plates receives the same current from the same rectifier, and since the electroplating liquid sprayed on the circuit board may be uneven, the electric field formed on the whole circuit board is uneven, while the uneven electric field distribution will lead to uneven film thickness formed by electroplating, which ultimately affects the reliability and quality of a circuit board.

Therefore, the issue of how to improve the aforesaid shortcoming has become a matter to be addressed urgently for the technical personnel in the field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the above-mentioned issue, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an electrode plate and an electroplating device having the electrode plate, so as to improve the evenness of an electric field formed thereby.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a form of the present disclosure provides an electrode plate suitable for being used as an anode electrode of an electroplating device. The electrode plate comprises a substrate, N electrode patterns and N wirings, in which N being a value of positive integer which is greater than 1. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface which are opposite to each other and has a plurality of through holes. The N electrode patterns are disposed on the first surface of the substrate, and the N electrode patterns are spaced apart from each other. The N wirings are disposed on the second surface of the substrate. Each of the N wirings has a first end and a second end. The first end of each of the N wirings is connected to a corresponding electrode pattern from the N electrode patterns via at least a corresponding through hole from the through holes. The second ends of the N wirings are used to connect to N power modules respectively, so that each of the N electrode patterns receives a current provided by a corresponding power module from the N power modules.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second ends of the N wirings are all extended outwards from the same side of the substrate.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, N is two and the N electrode patterns comprise a first electrode pattern and a second electrode pattern. The first electrode pattern is located in the middle of the substrate, and the second electrode pattern encloses around the first electrode pattern.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, N is three and the N electrode patterns comprise a first electrode pattern, a second electrode pattern and a third electrode pattern. The first electrode pattern, the second electrode pattern and the third electrode pattern are sequentially arranged along one direction.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the N wirings comprise a first wiring, a second wiring and a third wiring which are respectively connected to the first electrode pattern, the second electrode pattern and the third electrode pattern. The second ends of the first wiring, the second wiring and the third wiring are all extended outwards from the same side of the substrate and are sequentially arranged along said direction.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, N is twelve and the N electrode patterns comprise a first electrode pattern, a second electrode pattern, a third electrode pattern, a fourth electrode pattern, a fifth electrode pattern, a sixth electrode pattern, a seventh electrode pattern, an eighth electrode pattern, a ninth electrode pattern, a tenth electrode pattern, an eleventh electrode pattern and a twelfth electrode pattern. The first electrode pattern, the second electrode pattern, the third electrode pattern and the fourth electrode pattern are respectively located in four corners of the substrate. The fifth electrode pattern, the sixth electrode pattern, the seventh electrode pattern and the eighth electrode pattern are respectively located on four sides of the substrate. The fifth electrode pattern is located between the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern, the sixth electrode pattern is located between the second electrode pattern and the third electrode pattern, the seventh electrode pattern is located between the third electrode pattern and the fourth electrode pattern, the eighth electrode pattern is located between the fourth electrode pattern and the first electrode pattern, and the fifth electrode pattern, the sixth electrode pattern, the seventh electrode pattern and the eighth electrode pattern enclose around the ninth electrode pattern, the tenth electrode pattern, the eleventh electrode pattern and the twelfth electrode pattern which are sequentially arranged along one direction.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the N wirings comprise a first wiring, a second wiring, a third wiring, a fourth wiring, a fifth wiring, a sixth wiring, a seventh wiring, an eighth wiring, a ninth wiring, a tenth wiring, an eleventh wiring and a twelfth wiring which are respectively connected to the first electrode pattern, the second electrode pattern, the third electrode pattern, the fourth electrode pattern, the fifth electrode pattern, the sixth electrode pattern, the seventh electrode pattern, the eighth electrode pattern, the ninth electrode pattern, the tenth electrode pattern, the eleventh electrode pattern and the twelfth electrode pattern. The second ends of the first wiring, the second wiring, the fifth wiring, the eighth wiring, the ninth wiring, the tenth wiring, the eleventh wiring, the twelfth wiring, the sixth wiring, the seventh wiring, the third wiring and the fourth wiring are all extended outwards from the same side of the substrate and are sequentially arranged along said direction.

Another form of the present disclosure provides an electroplating device comprising a trough, a plurality of fan blades and the electrode plates of any one of the above-mentioned embodiments. The trough comprises a base and a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall which are connected to the base. The first sidewall, the second sidewall, the third sidewall and the fourth sidewall are connected to form an accommodation space. The first sidewall has an opening. The fan blades are disposed in the accommodation space, and the fan blades are used for disturbing an electroplating liquid. The electrode plate is disposed in the accommodation space, and is located between the fan blades and the third sidewall. The N electrode patterns of the electrode plate face towards the fan blades.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second ends of the N wirings are all extended outwards from the same side of the substrate, in a direction vertical to the base.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electroplating device further comprises N power modules. The N power modules are respectively connected to the second ends of the N wirings, so as to provide currents to the N electrode patterns.

In summary, the present disclosure provides multiple embodiments which include electrode plates having different quantities of electrode patterns. Since these electrode patterns respectively receive currents provided by independent power modules via independent wirings, the potential (equivalent to the electric field to be formed) of each of the electrode patterns can be adjusted by means of the independently connected power module. In this way, the electric fields formed by respective electrode patterns can be controlled by means of each independent power module, so as to enable distribution of all electric fields to be approximately the same, such that a metal film formed on the circuit board can be evenly distributed on the surface of the circuit board, that is, enabling the circuit board to have an even metal film thickness, thereby improving the reliability and quality of the circuit board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following disclosed embodiments provide various implementations or examples for implementing the different features of the provided object. The following description describes specific examples of elements and arrangements, so as to simplify the present application. It is to be understood that said examples are only examples and not to be used to limit the present application. In addition, in the various embodiments of the present application, the element symbols and/or alphabets can be repeatedly used. The repeated usage is for the purpose of convenience and clarification, and the usage itself does not assign relationships between the discussed various embodiments and/or configurations.

For instance, relative spatial descriptions such as “below . . . ” “under . . . ”, “a lower portion”, “above . . . ” and “an upper portion” may be used in the text in order to facilitate description, so as to describe the relationship between an element or feature and another element or feature shown in the drawings. The relative spatial descriptions are intended to cover different orientations of a device in use or operations apart from the orientations shown in the drawings. The device may be oriented by other means (rotated 90 degrees or oriented in other ways), and the relative spatial descriptions used in the text can be explained correspondingly in the same way.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electroplating device 100 drawn in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The electroplating device 100 comprises a trough 110, a plurality of fan blades 130 and an electrode plate 150. The trough 110 comprises a base 115 and a first sidewall 111, a second sidewall 112, a third sidewall 113 and a fourth sidewall 114 which are connected to the base 115, wherein the first sidewall 111 has an opening OP. The first sidewall 111, the second sidewall 112, the third sidewall 113 and the fourth sidewall 114 are connected to form an accommodation space AS. Multiple fan blades 130 are provided in the accommodation space AS. Each of the fan blades 130 is used for disturbing and splattering an electroplating liquid on the electrode plate. It should be noted that, in fact, the electrode plate 150 of the electroplating device 100 is disposed in the accommodation space AS, and is located between the fan blades 130 and the third sidewall 113. The first sidewall 111, the second sidewall 112, the third sidewall 113 and the fourth sidewall 114 together form a sealed accommodation space AS. The electrode plate 150 can serve as an anode electrode of the electroplating device 100, which can comprise a substrate 151 and a substrate 153, N wirings 152 and N electrode patterns (not shown in FIG. 1, refer to FIGS. 2B, 3B and 4B). The substrate 151 has a first surface and a second surface which are opposite to each other and has multiple through holes (not shown in FIG. 1, refer to FIGS. 2B, 3B and 4B). The N electrode patterns are disposed on the first surface of the substrate 151 and are spaced apart from each other, and face towards the fan blades 130. The N wirings 152 are respectively disposed on the second surface of the substrate 151, and each of the N wirings 152 is connected to a corresponding electrode pattern from the N electrode patterns via at least a through hole (not shown in the drawings, refer to FIGS. 2B, 3B and 4B). The substrate 153 is further disposed on another side of where the N wirings 152 and the substrate 151 is connected, so as to protect the wirings 152. In one embodiment, the N wirings 152 are all extended outwards from the same side of the substrate 151 (or the substrate 153) and along a direction V1 vertical to the base 115, so as to facilitate subsequent wiring planning.

In one embodiment, the electroplating device 100 may further comprise N power modules W which are respectively connected to the N wirings 152, so that each of the power modules W can provide a current to a corresponding independent electrode pattern via a corresponding independent wiring. The power modules W may be, for instance, a power supply including a rectifier, which can provide a current or voltage of a corresponding value to the electrode pattern serving as an anode electrode according to requirements.

In an operation, when a circuit board to be electroplated is located outside the accommodation space AS (the circuit board is fixed in a specific position outside the accommodation space AS by using a clamp or other means), the fan blades 130 can be used to disturb and splatter the electroplating liquid on a surface of the circuit board to be electroplated, and the electrode pattern of the electrode plate 150 has a corresponding potential since same receives a current from the power module W via a wiring, which forms an electric field between the same and the electrode plate serving as a cathode, therefore, the electroplating liquid on the surface of the circuit board can be electrolyzed, thereby enabling metal ions in the electroplating liquid to be separated out and become attached to the surface of the circuit board, thus forming a metal film.

In the electroplating device 100 of the present disclosure, since the N electrode patterns on the electrode plate 150 respectively receive currents provided by corresponding power modules W via N wirings, the potential (equivalent to the electric field to be formed) of each of the electrode patterns can be adjusted by means of the independently connected power module W. In this way, the electric fields formed by each of the electrode patterns can be independently controlled by means of each of the power modules W, so as to enable distribution of the overall electric fields to be approximately the same, such that the metal film formed on the circuit board can be evenly distributed on the surface thereof, that is, enabling the circuit board to have an even metal film thickness, thereby improving the reliability and quality of the circuit board.

In short, in the present disclosure, the potentials of the N electrode patterns on the electrode plate 150 of the anode electrode of the electroplating device 100 can be independently adjusted, and in order to achieve said object, the structure of the electrode plate 150 requires a special design, and the electrode plates according to the various embodiments will be further described hereafter.

Refer to FIGS. 2A and 2B, FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of an electrode plate 200 drawn in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the electrode plate 200 of FIG. 2A. The electrode plate 200 can be used as the electrode plate 150 of the electroplating device 100 of FIG. 1, and serves as an anode electrode. The electrode plate 200 comprises a substrate 210, multiple wirings 220 and multiple electrode patterns 230. In the present embodiment, the quantities of the electrode patterns 230 and the wirings 220 are both two. The electrode patterns 230 can comprise electrode patterns 231 and 232, the electrode pattern 231 can be referred to as a first electrode pattern and the electrode pattern 232 can be referred to as a second electrode pattern. It should be particularly noted that, for the purpose of simplification, the order numbering for multiple electrode patterns in the following embodiments can be referred to in this way. The wirings 220 can comprise wirings 221 and 222, the wiring 221 can be referred to as a first wiring and the wiring 222 can be referred to as a second wiring. It should be particularly noted that, for the purpose of simplification, the order numbering for multiple wirings in the following embodiments can be referred to in this way. The electrode patterns 231 and 232 are disposed on a surface of the substrate 210 and are spaced apart from each other. The electrode pattern 231 can be located in the middle of the substrate 210, and the electrode pattern 232 encloses around the electrode pattern 231. In the present embodiment, a shape of the electrode pattern 231 can be quadrilateral, and the electrode pattern 232 can be square-shaped, so as to enclose around the electrode pattern 231 but is also spaced apart from the electrode pattern 231 at a fixed interval. In one embodiment, the electrode patterns 231 and 232 can be formed by metal materials (such as titanium). For instance, the electrode patterns 231 and 232 are mesh layers of titanium metal, after being used for a period of time, the electrode patterns 231 and 232 are gradually worn down with increased times of use, and an operator can replace old titanium meshes with new titanium meshes. That is, the electrode patterns 231 and 232 can be replaced as consumables.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the wirings 221 and 222 can be disposed on another surface of the substrate 210. The wiring 221 has a first end 221A and a second end 221B. The wiring 222 has a first end 222A and a second end 222B. The first end 221A of the wiring 221 can be connected to the electrode pattern 231 via at least one through hole 211 (three through holes are shown in the drawing) of the substrate 210, and the first end 222A of the wiring 222 can be connected to the electrode pattern 232 via at least one through hole 211 (three through holes are shown in the drawing) of the substrate 210. On the other hand, the second end 221B of the wiring 221 and the second end 222B of the wiring 222 can be respectively used to connect to different power modules W, so that the electrode patterns 231 and 232 can receive currents provided by the power modules W respectively connected thereto via the wirings 221 and 222, thereby realizing the effect of respectively and independently adjusting potentials thereof.

In one embodiment, the second end 221B of the wiring 221 and the second end 222B of the wiring 222 can be extended outwards from the same side of the substrate 210, so as to facilitate wiring connected to a power module W. In one embodiment, as indicated in FIG. 1, the second end 221B of the wiring 221 and the second end 222B of the wiring 222 can be extended outwards from a lateral side of the substrate 210 which is closest to the base 115 of the trough 110 and along the direction V1 which is vertical to the base 115.

Refer to FIGS. 3A and 3B, FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of an electrode plate 300 drawn in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of the electrode plate 300 of FIG. 3A. The electrode plate 300 can be used as the electrode plate 150 of the electroplating device 100 of FIG. 1, and serves as an anode electrode. The electrode plate 300 comprises a substrate 310, multiple wirings 320 and multiple electrode patterns 330. In the present embodiment, the quantities of the electrode patterns 330 and the wirings 320 are both three. The electrode patterns 330 can comprise electrode patterns 331, 332 and 333. The wirings 320 can comprise wirings 321, 322 and 323. The electrode patterns 331, 332 and 333 are disposed on a surface of the substrate 310, and are spaced apart from each other and are sequentially arranged along a direction D1, that is, along the direction D1, the electrode patterns 331, 332 and 333 are sequentially arranged. Similarly, the electrode patterns 331, 332 and 333 can be formed by metal materials (such as titanium). For instance, the electrode patterns 331, 332 and 333 are mesh layers of titanium metal, after being used for a period of time, the electrode patterns 331, 332 and 333 are gradually worn down with increased times of use, and an operator can replace old titanium meshes with new titanium meshes.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the wirings 321, 322 and 323 can be disposed on another surface of the substrate 310. The wiring 321 has a first end 321A and a second end 321B. The wiring 322 has a first end 322A and a second end 322B. The wiring 323 has a first end 323A and a second end 323B. The first end 321A of the wiring 321 can be connected to the electrode pattern 331 via at least one through hole 311 (three through holes are shown in the drawing) of the substrate 310, the first end 322A of the wiring 322 can be connected to the electrode pattern 332 via at least one through hole 311 (three through holes are shown in the drawing) of the substrate 310, and the first end 323A of the wiring 323 can be connected to the electrode pattern 333 via at least one through hole 311 (three through holes are shown in the drawing) of the substrate 310. On the other hand, the second end 321B of the wiring 321, the second end 322B of the wiring 322 and the second end 323B of the wiring 323 can be respectively used to connect to different power modules W, so that the electrode patterns 331, 332 and 333 can receive currents provided by the power modules W respectively connected thereto via the wirings 321, 322 and 323, thereby realizing the effect of respectively and independently adjusting potentials thereof.

In one embodiment, the second end 321B of the wiring 321, the second end 322B of the wiring 322 and the second end 323B of the wiring 323 can be extended outwards from the same side of the substrate 310, and are sequentially arranged along the direction D1 (that is, along the direction D1, the outwardly extended wirings 321, 322 and 323 are sequentially arranged), so as to facilitate wiring connected to a power module W. In one embodiment, as indicated in FIG. 1, the second end 321B of the wiring 321, the second end 322B of the wiring 322 and the second end 323B of the wiring 323 can be extended outwards from a lateral side of the substrate 310 which is closest to the base 115 of the trough 110 and along the direction V1 which is vertical to the base 115, and are sequentially arranged along the direction D1.

Refer to FIGS. 4A and 4B, FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of an electrode plate 400 drawn in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of the electrode plate 400 of FIG. 4A. The electrode plate 400 can be used as the electrode plate 150 of the electroplating device 100 of FIG. 1, and serves as an anode electrode. The electrode plate 400 comprises a substrate 410, multiple wirings 4201-4212 and multiple electrode patterns 4301-4312. In the present embodiment, the quantities of the electrode patterns and the wirings are both twelve. The electrode patterns 4301-4312 are disposed on a surface of the substrate 410 and are spaced apart from each other. In one embodiment, the electrode patterns 4301, 4302, 4303 and 4304 can be respectively located in four corners of the substrate 410, and shapes thereof can all be triangular. The electrode patterns 4305, 4306, 4307 and 4308 can be respectively located on four sides of the substrate 410, wherein the electrode pattern 4305 is between the electrode patterns 4301 and 4302, the electrode pattern 4306 is between the electrode patterns 4302 and 4304, the electrode pattern 4307 is between the electrode patterns 4303 and 4304, and the electrode pattern 4308 is between the electrode patterns 4304 and 4301. The electrode patterns 4309, 4310, 4311 and 4312 can be sequentially arranged along the direction D1, and are enclosed by the electrode patterns 4305, 4306, 4307 and 4308. Similarly, the electrode patterns 4301-4312 can be formed by metal materials (such as titanium). For instance, the electrode patterns 4301-4312 are mesh layers of titanium metal, after being used for a period of time, the electrode patterns 4301-4312 are gradually worn down with increased times of use, and an operator can replace old titanium meshes with new titanium meshes.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the wirings 4201-4212 can be disposed on another surface of the substrate 410. Similarly, each of the wirings 4201-4212 has a first end and a second end which are opposite to each other (for ease of reading, the element annotations of the first ends and the second ends of each of the wirings 4201-4212 are omitted), and the first end of each of the wirings 4201-4212 can be connected to a corresponding electrode pattern from the electrode patterns 4301-4312 via at least a corresponding through hole 411 of the substrate 410. In addition, the second end of each of the wirings 4201-4212 can be used to connect to different power modules W, so that the electrode patterns 4301-4312 can receive currents provided by the power modules W respectively connected thereto via the wirings 4201-4212, thereby realizing the effect of respectively and independently adjusting potentials thereof.

In one embodiment, the second ends of the wiring 4201, 4202, 4205, 4208, 4209, 4210, 4211, 4212, 4206, 4207, 4203 and 4204 can be extended outwards from the same side of the substrate 410, and are sequentially arranged along the direction D1 (that is, along the direction D1, the outwardly extended wirings 4201, 4202, 4205, 4208, 4209, 4210, 4211, 4212, 4206, 4207, 4203 and 4204 are sequentially arranged), so as to facilitate wiring connected to a power module W. In one embodiment, as indicated in FIG. 1, the second ends of the wirings 4201, 4202, 4205, 4208, 4209, 4210, 4211, 4212, 4206, 4207, 4203 and 4204 can be extended outwards from a lateral side of the substrate 410 which is closest to the base 115 of the trough 110 and along the direction V1 which is vertical to the base 115, and are sequentially arranged along the direction D1.

In summary, with respect to the anode electrode of an electroplating device, the present disclosure provides multiple embodiments which include electrode plates having different quantities of electrode patterns. Since these electrode patterns respectively receive currents provided by independent power modules via independent wirings, the potential (equivalent to the electric field to be formed) of each of the electrode patterns can be adjusted by means of the independently connected power module. In this way, the electric fields formed by respective electrode patterns can be controlled by means of each independent power module, so as to enable distribution of all electric fields to be approximately the same, so that a metal film formed on the circuit board can be evenly distributed on the surface of the circuit board, that is, enabling the circuit board to have an even metal film thickness, thereby improving the reliability and quality of the circuit board.

The features of several embodiments are described in the above-mentioned paragraphs, such that a person skilled in the art can better understand the forms of the present disclosure. A person skilled in the art should understand that they can easily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures, so as to realize an object the same as that of the embodiments introduced in the text, and/or realize the same advantages. A person skilled in the art should understand that said equivalent structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and various alterations, substitutions and modifications can be made provided that they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.