Electroplating device and method

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for electroplating at least one electrically conductive substrate (8), or an electrically conductive structure situated on a non-conductive substrate (8). Said device comprises at least one bath, an anode and a cathode (2). The bath contains an electrolyte solution, which comprises at least one metal salt and from which metal ions are deposited on electrically conductive surfaces of the substrate, as the cathode is brought into contact with the surface of the substrate to be coated and said substrate is conveyed through the bath. The cathode comprises at least one strip (2) with at least one electrically conductive segment (12) and is guided around at least two rotating shafts (3). The invention also relates to a method for electroplating at least one substrate that is carried out in a device according to the invention. According to said method, to produce the coating, the strip lies on the substrate and circulates at a speed corresponding to the speed at which the substrate is conveyed through the bath. The invention further relates to the use of said device for electroplating electrically conductive structures situated on an electrically non-conductive support.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a device for the electrolytic coating of at least one conductive substrate or a structured or full-surface conductive surface on a non-conductive substrate, said device comprising at least one tank, an anode and a cathode, said The tank holds an electrolytic solution containing at least one metal salt from which metal ions are deposited on the conductive surface of the substrate to form a metal layer. [0002] The invention also relates to a method for the electrolytic coating of at least one substrate, which is carried out in a device designed according to the invention. Background technique [0003] For example, electrolytic coating methods are used to coat conductive substrates, or structured or full-surface conductive surfaces on non-conductive substrates. For example, these methods enable the formation of conductor tracks on printed circuit boards, RFID antennas, flat cables, thin metal foils, conductor tracks on solar ce...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, the disadvantage of this configuration is that for structures with a shorter length, seen in the direction of transport, the voltage is only applied to the structure for a shorter time; structure, but a voltage has been applied to the structure for a considerable period of time

[0006] A disadvantage of the methods disclosed in the prior art is that they cannot be used to coat very short structures, especially structures which are very short when viewed in the direction of substrate transport

Another disadvantage: a lot of rollers connected in series are needed to get a long enough contact time and therefore a very long setup

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