Method of processing articles and corresponding apparatus
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.
InventorPaolo Crema
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Articles such as substrates for semiconductor products comprising metal and resin portions with adhesion promoter material are processed in a plating bath, wherein the adhesion promoter material is exposed to dissolution as a result of prolonged exposure to the plating bath. The articles are processed by dipping them in the processing bath so that they have opposed surfaces exposed to the processing bath. The movement of the articles through the processing bath B may occur to be halted. In that case a gas flow is provided lapping the opposed surfaces of the articles to shield the opposed surfaces of the articles from exposure to the processing bath.
Claims13
A method, comprising:
- processing articles by dipping the articles in a processing bath wherein the articles have opposed surfaces configured to be exposed to the processing bath and applying to the articles a movement through the processing bath, and
- in response to the movement of the articles through the bath being halted, deploying partitioning walls of the processing bath from a retracted configuration to an extended configuration, wherein, with the partitioning walls deployed in the extended configuration, the processing bath is partitioned in a first cell outwardly of the deployed partitioning walls and a second cell inwardly of the deployed partitioning walls, wherein the articles lie in the second cell of the processing bath, and providing a gas flow lapping the opposed surfaces of the articles within the second cell of the processing bath, wherein gas flow shields the opposed surfaces from exposure to the processing bath.
A method, comprising:
- dipping articles in a processing bath in a container, the articles have opposed surfaces exposed to the processing bath;
- moving the articles along the container through the processing bath;
- activating a gas source in response to moving the articles through the bath;
- providing a gas flow lapping the opposed surfaces of the articles by halting the moving, the gas flow shielding the opposed surfaces from exposure to the processing bath;
- and
- deploying partitioning walls in the container in response to the moving of the articles halting, including partitioning the container in a first cell outwardly of the deployed partitioning walls and a second cell inwardly of the deployed partitioning walls, wherein the partitioning walls are selectively controllable in one of a first configuration and a second configuration, the partitioning walls are retracted with respect to the container in the first configuration, and the partitioning walls are extended in the container and partitioning the container into the first cell and the second cell in the second configuration, and the articles lie in the second cell of the container.
A method, comprising:
- moving article through a processing bath for a time period;
- shielding the article with a gas flow in the processing bath after the time period while the article is in the processing bath;
- and
- deploying a partitioning wall surrounding the article and the gas flow in the processing bath after the time period while the article is in the processing bath;
- wherein the partitioning wall is switchable between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration, and the partitioning wall is switched from the retracted configuration to the extended configuration to surround the article and the gas flow after the time period while the article is in the processing bath.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.