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AssigneeMykrolis Corporation
InventorsBrett Matthew Belongia, Zhen Wu Lin, John E. Pillion, Jieh-Hwa Shyu
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The present invention provides a system and method for selectively removing one or more organic and also preferably one or more inorganic contaminants from plating baths. More particularly, the invented method relates to the use of a source of energy in combination with chemical oxidants, alone or in conjunction with a catalyst to oxidize organic contaminants in the plating bath to a level such that the electroplating bath can be recovered and reused after appropriate chemical adjustment. The oxidative treatment method may be a continuous process or a batch process that is performed in a single pass and the endpoint of the oxidative process detected by a sensor. Residual organics, if desired, and chloride ions in the bath are removed from the solution by a chemisorption or physisorption treatment. Inorganic contaminants are removed from the electroplating bath by selective ion exchange resins or electrodialysis, while particulate and suspended colloidal particles are removed by filtration before the treated plating bath is recycled.
A system for the recycling of spent fluid from a plating bath comprising an outlet from a plating bath, one or more oxidation units connected to the outlet from the bath, each said oxidation unit coupled to one or more controlled sources of energy and chemical oxidants that are directed to the fluid of the bath as said fluid passes through each said oxidation unit in order to break down one or more selected organic contaminants to form one or more oxidized organics, one or more sensors for sensing the state of an oxidation reaction, an arrestor for removing chemical oxidant and thermal energy from the fluid and an outlet from the system.
A process for the recycling of a spent fluid of a plating bath comprising the steps of providing a conduit from an electroplating bath to one or more oxidation units, said units comprising one or more controlled sources of energy and chemical oxidants, supplying said spent fluid to the oxidation unit, exposing the spent fluid to the one or more sources of energy and oxidant within the one or more oxidation units to form one or more oxidized organics so as to reduce one or more selected organic contaminants in the fluid as determined by a sensor, removing thermal energy, chemical oxidant, and oxidized organics from the fluid, and returning the spent fluid to the electroplating bath.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.