Device for single-sided electrolytic treatment of a flat substrate

• US 9,593,428 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meco Equipment Engineers B.V. (Be Semiconductor Industries NV)
• Original Assignee: Meco Equipment Engineers B.V. (Be Semiconductor Industries NV)
• Inventors: Loermans, Peter Jacobus Gerardus
• Primary Examiner(s): Wittenberg, Stefanie S
• Application Number:
  US13/878,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20140076732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/001 Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/005 Contacting devices
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/06 Suspending or supporting devices for articles to be coated
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/028 one side electroplating, e.g. substrate conveyed in a bath with inhibited background plating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0322 comprising only AIBIIICVI chalcopyrite compounds, e.g. Cu In Se2, Cu Ga Se2, Cu In Ga Se2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/541 CuInSe2 material PV cells

Abstract

The present invention provides a device for single-sided electrolytic treatment of a flat substrate. The device comprises a bath for electrolytic fluid and conveying means for conveying the flat substrate in a conveying direction at the free surface of the fluid in the bath, with the flat substrate being horizontally oriented such that the underside of the flat substrate makes contact with the free surface of the fluid in the bath. The conveying means comprise two conveying elements disposed opposite each other, which extend along two respective conveying paths, which conveying paths each comprise an electrolytic part, which electrolytic parts extend on two opposite longitudinal sides of the bath.

Claims

1. A device for single-sided electrolytic treatment of a flat substrate, comprising

a bath for electrolytic fluid, wherein the bath for electrolytic fluid has a free surface,

a conveying means for conveying the flat substrate in a conveying direction at the free surface of the electrolytic fluid in the bath,

wherein the conveying means is configured to convey the flat substrate in a horizontal orientation such that the underside of the flat substrate is able to make contact with the free surface of the electrolytic fluid in the bath,

said conveying means comprising two conveying elements disposed opposite each other,

wherein the two conveying elements extend along two respective conveying paths,

wherein the two conveying paths each comprise an electrolytic part which each extend on two opposite longitudinal sides of the bath,

wherein each of the two conveying elements comprises

at least one carrier body of a dielectric material, wherein each carrier body has, at least at the location of the associated electrolytic part, a support edge directed toward the bath for supporting, with an upper side thereof, the flat substrate on one side thereof, which support edge forms a moving part of a longitudinal wall of the bath, and

at least one guide member of an electrically conductive material, wherein the at least one guide member is connected to said at least one carrier body for cathodically connecting the underside of the substrate on the side of the support edge remote from the bath,

wherein the at least one guide member comprises at least one spring means having an upper side which, in unloaded condition, is located above the level of the upper side of the support edge, at least at the location of the bath, the upper side of which spring means is elastically compressible in a downward direction under the influence of a downward force exerted on the spring means by the substrate, to the level at which the upper side of the spring means is located at the same level as the upper side of the support edge.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the support edge forms a screen for preventing the electrolytic fluid coming into contact with said at least one spring means from the bath.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying means are provided with a number of spring means for each carrier body.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein at least one recess is provided in each support edge for each accommodating at least one spring means associated with the carrier body.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein each support edge has a continuous part on the side facing the bath and wherein said at least one recess is provided on the side of the continuous part remote from the bath.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein each guide member is provided with a number of spring means.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the spring means are configured as spring lips.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein each carrier body is provided with a single guide member.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one guide member is exchangeably connected to the associated at least one carrier body.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said at least one guide member is connected to the associated at least one carrier body by means of a snap connection.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises cathodic contact means which are in electrically conducting contact, or at least can be placed into electrically conducting contact, with said at least one guide member at the location of the electrolytic part.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the conveying paths is an endless conveying path.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein each conveying element comprises an endless row of successive carrier bodies.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein the successive carrier bodies of each conveying element are pivotally interconnected about pivot axes via the conveying element.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein said pivot axes extend vertically.

16. The device according to claim 12, wherein the conveying elements each comprise an endless conveyor chain which passes over two sprockets, upstream and downstream of the bath, respectively, which sprockets are rotatable about axes of rotation, wherein carrier bodies associated with the respective conveying element are pivotally interconnected about pivot axes via the conveyor chain.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein said axes of rotation extend vertically.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the pivot axes are formed by pivot pins of the conveyor chain, which extend outside links of the conveyor chain, which pivot pins pivotally interconnect the links of the conveyor chain.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein each conveying element is connected to the associated conveyor chain via two pivot pins, wherein one of the two pivot pins extends into a circular hole provided in the conveying element and the other of the two pivot pins extends into a slotted hole of the conveying element.

20. The device according to claim 1, wherein the bath has two opposite stationary longitudinal walls.

21. The device according to claim 1, wherein the bath has a transverse wall both on the upstream side of the bath and on the downstream side of the bath, the upper sides of which transverse walls extend at most 5 mm, below the level of the upper sides of the support edge.

22. The device according to claim 1, wherein the bath is provided with agitator means comprising at least one rotary element which rotates about a further rotary shaft, which further rotary shaft extends transversely to the conveying direction in the fluid in the bath so as to create a counterflow of electrolytic fluid near the substrate.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein said at least one rotary element extends over at least substantially the entire width of the bath.

24. The device according to claim 22, wherein said at least one rotary element comprises a number of elongated rotary members arranged in a circular pattern around and parallel to said further rotary shaft.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein said rotary members are rod-shaped.

26. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises recirculation means for recirculating the electrolytic fluid in the bath.

27. The device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying means further comprise hold-down means for pressing the substrate down against the action of the spring means, at least at the location of the electrolytic part of the respective conveying paths.

28. The device according to claim 27, wherein the hold-down means move along in the conveying direction with the substrate at the location where contact is made with the substrate.

29. The device according to claim 28, wherein the hold-down means are configured as rollers or belts.