Electrolysis: processes – compositions used therein – and methods – Electrolytic coating – Coating selected area
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-07
2001-11-27
Gorgos, Kathryn (Department: 1741)
Electrolysis: processes, compositions used therein, and methods
Electrolytic coating
Coating selected area
C205S128000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322684
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for electroplating and/or electroetching a substrate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are several applications where conductive patterns on a substrate are subsequently plated with a metal or etched to remove a metal. Many of these conductive patterns are discontinuous, making subsequent plating difficult. Examples of such processes can be found in the printed wiring board manufacturing industry, plastic foil etching processes, or other processes where re-plating or additional electroplating of the existing discontinuous conducting patterns is desired. Discontinuous conducting patterns are used herein to describe patterns that are not electrically connected.
Current direct metallization processes use electroless plating processes to deposit a metal on conducting patterns formed on the surface of a substrate. In these methods, conductive patterns are formed lithographically using stabilized colloidal graphite, colloidal palladium, or conducting polymer films as a conducting material. When the conducting patterns are electroplated, the process is slow and the deposited metal spreads out slowly from a point of electrical contact made with the patterns. Due to this slow electroplating process it is very important to achieve a uniform electric field distribution in the electroplating bath to obtain metal deposits of uniform thickness.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and a method for electroplating and/or electroetching metal layers on one or more conductive patterns formed on a substrate, that provides uniform plating and/or electroetching of the desired metal and minimizes plating of the metal on the contact cathode surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus comprising: at least one cathode adapted to maintain a line of contact with at least one substrate surface during relative movement therebetween; at least one anode located in a spaced relationship to the cathode; and an electronically insulating member located between the at least one anode and the at least one cathode adapted to provide a gap between the substrate surface and the insulating member. Preferably, the cathode is selected from a cylinder, a cone, a brush or a belt. A cylindrical cathode may have a longitudinal axis and be adapted to rotate about the longitudinal axis.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a method for electroplating discontinuous conducting elements on a substrate, comprising: disposing an electroplating solution over a substrate surface having discontinuous conducting elements formed thereon; providing a line of contact between a cathode and one or more of the discontinuous conducting elements; disposing an anode in the electroplating solution adjacent the line of contact; disposing an electronically insulating member between the anode and cathode; and moving the line of contact over the substrate surface to contact a plurality of the discontinuous conducting elements.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3847786 (1974-11-01), Landauer
patent: 5476578 (1995-12-01), Forand et al.
patent: 5543028 (1996-08-01), Herbert et al.
patent: 5804052 (1998-09-01), Schneider
patent: 6176995 (2001-01-01), Schneider
Dillon Jeffrey
Hodko Dalibor
Murphy Oliver J.
Singh Waheguru Pal
Gorgos Kathryn
Lynntech, Inc
Smith-Hicks Erica
Streets Jeffrey L.
Streets & Steele
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