Plating using an insoluble anode and separately supplied plating material

Abstract

Plating an article in a plating system having a solution at relatively low temperatures is provided. The plating system contains a cathode and an insoluble anode. The plating material can include copper dissolved from small size copper particles placed in a reaction tank. The copper particles are contacted by oxygen in the form of air bubbles. The flow of air to produce the air bubbles can be automatically or manually controlled. The copper particles can be immersed in solution in the reaction tank or, alternatively, desired solution can be controllably sprayed on the copper particles in conjunction with dissolving thereof. Preferably, the weight of the copper particles that can be ionized per volume of the reaction tank is optimized, such as for each particle of a majority of particles placed in the reaction tank, it weighs no greater than 0.001 of the total weight of all copper particles then placed into the reaction tank. The plating material output from the reaction tank is supplied to the plating system through a filter so that only desired plating material is supplied to the plating system. The cathode in the plating system can be a circuit board that is copper plated using as the supplied copper plating material.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for plating, comprising: 
 providing a plating system with a solution and having an insoluble anode material and a cathode material;    producing at least reaction tank plating material using a reaction tank including controlling oxygen input to said reaction tank; and    supplying at least said reaction tank plating material to said plating system for use in plating said cathode material.    
     
     
         2 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said cathode material includes a circuit board and said reaction tank plating material includes copper.  
     
     
         3 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said controlling includes controlling airflow rate to said reaction tank.  
     
     
         4 . A method of  claim 3  wherein said controlling includes controlling automatically said airflow rate.  
     
     
         5 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said airflow rate is no greater than 1.0 standard cubic feet per minute per pound of material contained in said reaction tank from which said reaction tank plating material is to be produced.  
     
     
         6 . A method of  claim 4  wherein said controlling includes using at least one of the following: current being provided to said plating system and a plating system plating material obtained from said plating system that is sensed.  
     
     
         7 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said producing includes having dissolvable material in said reaction tank from which said reaction tank plating material is produced and said dissolvable material comprises a substantial number of particles.  
     
     
         8 . A method of  claim 7  wherein said having includes placing said particles in said reaction tank, wherein for at least a majority of said particles at the time said majority is placed into said reaction tank, each thereof weighs less than two ounces.  
     
     
         9 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said producing includes having dissolvable material in said reaction tank from which said reaction tank plating material is produced and said dissolvable material comprises a substantial number of particles, wherein for at least a majority of said particles at the time said majority is placed in said reaction tank, each thereof weighs no greater than 0.001 of a total weight of said particles placed into said reaction tank.  
     
     
         10 . A method of  claim 7  wherein said producing includes distributing solution into said reaction tank for contacting said particles.  
     
     
         11 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said producing includes passing the oxygen through a sub-floor structure in said reaction tank that includes at least first and second layers, said first layer having a number of holes and said second layer outputting bubbles of a smaller size than each of said holes.  
     
     
         12 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said producing includes inclining a floor member in said reaction tank.  
     
     
         13 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said producing includes receiving plating tank plating material in said reaction tank from said plating tank.  
     
     
         14 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said supplying includes removing at least reaction tank plating material from a section of said reaction tank that is located closer to the top thereof than to its bottom.  
     
     
         15 . A method of  claim 14  further including: 
 substantially preventing bubbles from passing from said reaction tank.  
 
     
     
         16 . A method of  claim 7  wherein said producing includes spraying at least plating material on said particles.  
     
     
         17 . A method of  claim 16  wherein said plating material being sprayed includes plating material from said plating tank.  
     
     
         18 . A method of  claim 7  further including avoiding formation of a single mass of said particles.  
     
     
         19 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said supplying includes filtering said reaction tank plating material before being received by said plating tank.  
     
     
         20 . A method of  claim 1  wherein solution in said plating tank has a temperature in the range of 40° F.-100° F.  
     
     
         21 . A method of  claim 1  wherein said supplying includes supplying said reaction tank plating material at a flow rate no greater than 1.0 gallons per minute per pound of material contained in said reaction tank that is used to produce said reaction tank plating material.  
     
     
         22 . An apparatus for producing reaction tank plating material for sending to a plating system, comprising: 
 a reaction tank containing particles of a dissolvable plating material from which reaction tank plating material is produced that can be provided to the plating system;    plumbing joined to said reaction tank and including first hardware for carrying fluid including oxygen to said reaction tank and including second hardware for removing at least reaction tank plating material from said reaction tank; and    control hardware for use in providing the fluid to said dissolving tank.    
     
     
         23 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein each particle of at least a majority of said particles when first placed in said reaction tank weighs no greater than two ounces and each of said particles of said majority of particles includes at least 50% copper by weight.  
     
     
         24 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein each particle of at least a majority of said particles when placed in said reaction tank weighs no greater than 0.001 of said total weight of said particles that are placed in said reaction tank.  
     
     
         25 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said reaction tank has a sub-floor structure that includes at least first and second layers, said first layer having a number of holes and in which said second layer is air permeable, said sub-floor structure for supporting said particles and for allowing the fluid to pass to said particles.  
     
     
         26 . An apparatus of  claim 25  wherein said sub-floor structure includes a third layer, said second layer being positioned between said first and third layers and said third layer being more similar in size and shape to said first layer than to said second layer.  
     
     
         27 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said reaction tank has an upper half and a lower half with said lower half having an inclined floor member for use in at least controlling movement of liquid.  
     
     
         28 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said reaction tank has a lid with an internal volume that is in the range of 0.01 to 5 times the volume of said reaction tank.  
     
     
         29 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said control hardware includes a valve that is at least one of: manually controlled and automatically controlled.  
     
     
         30 . An apparatus of  claim 29  wherein said control hardware includes a rotometer for displaying information related to fluid flow and said valve is manually controlled based on determinations made related to plating material in the plating system and information obtained using said rotometer.  
     
     
         31 . An apparatus of  claim 29  wherein said valve is automatically controlled using a controller of said control hardware.  
     
     
         32 . An apparatus of  claim 31  wherein said controller receives an input associated with at least one parameter that said controller processes in controlling said valve.  
     
     
         33 . An apparatus of  claim 32  wherein said at least one parameter relates to at least one of: current being monitored for use with the plating system and a plating system plating material that is sensed.  
     
     
         34 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said plumbing includes third hardware for carrying plating system plating material from the plating system to said reaction tank.  
     
     
         35 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said reaction tank has an upper half and a lower half and said second hardware includes a pump that is connected to said upper half for carrying said reaction tank plating material to the plating system.  
     
     
         36 . An apparatus of  claim 35  wherein said upper half of said reaction tank has a protuberance for use in substantially preventing cavitation of said pump.  
     
     
         37 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said reaction tank has at least one wedge for preventing all said particles from being joined together.  
     
     
         38 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said particles are one of: immersed in a solution and non-immersed.  
     
     
         39 . An apparatus of  claim 22  further including a filter in communication with said reaction tank plating material.  
     
     
         40 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said reaction tank plating material includes copper.  
     
     
         41 . An apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said reaction tank has a number of vertical partitions for distributing fluid flow relative to said particles.