Sealed substrate carrier for electroplating
AssigneeSunPower Corporation
InventorKalyana Bhargava GANTI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment relates to a substrate carrier for use in electroplating a plurality of substrates. The substrate carrier includes a non-conductive carrier body on which the substrates are held, and conductive lines are embedded within the carrier body. A conductive bus bar is embedded into a top side of the carrier body and is conductively coupled to the conductive lines. A thermoplastic overmold covers a portion of the bus bar, and there is a plastic-to-plastic bond between the thermoplastic overmold and the non-conductive carrier body. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.
Claims15
A substrate carrier for use in electroplating a plurality of substrates, the substrate carrier comprising:
- a non-conductive carrier body on which the substrates are held;
- conductive lines embedded within the carrier body;
- a conductive bus bar is embedded into a top side of the carrier body and is conductively coupled to the conductive lines;
- a thermoplastic overmold covering a portion of the bus bar;
- and
- a plastic-to-plastic bond between the thermoplastic overmold and the non-conductive carrier body.
14-20. (canceled)
A method of electroplating a plurality of substrates, the method comprising:
- mechanically holding the plurality of substrates onto a substrate carrier having a non-conductive carrier body and an electrically-conductive path through the carrier body to substrates;
- mounting the substrate carrier on a work arm using a metal bus bar having a lower thermoplastically-encased portion embedded into a top side of the non-conductive carrier body so as to form a hermetic seal at the top side.
- dipping the carrier body with the hermetically-sealed top side into an electroplating bath;
- and
- applying a voltage to the substrates via the electrically-conductive path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.