Method and apparatus for washing, etching, rinsing, and plating substrates

1. An apparatus having an immersible rotatable carousel for wetting a plurality of disks which are supported on at least one disk support mandrel, comprising:

a support frame having an immersible section;

a central axle fixedly mounted on said support frame;

a first mandrel support plate and a second mandrel support plate mounted for rotation in unison on said central axle, said first mandrel support plate having a plurality of circumferentially spaced bearing apertures therein, said second mandrel support plate having a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially extending recesses which are circumferentially aligned with said bearing apertures;

a sun gear fixedly mounted to said first mandrel support plate;

a rotatable ring gear mounted for selective rotation on said frame;

a plurality of disk support mandrels each having a first bearing end received in one of said bearing apertures and a second bearing end received in one of said recesses, said mandrels being supported by said first mandrel support plate and said second mandrel support plate to form a rotatable carousel; and

drive means for rotating said sun gear attached to said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel, wherein rotating said sun gear causes said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said mandrels each having a mandrel axis that extends generally parallel to said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of selective rotation around their own mandrel axis, wherein each of said mandrels having a mandrel gear affixed thereto and said mandrel gears having teeth in meshing engagement with external teeth on said rotatable ring gear such that said mandrels rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating and do not rotate around their own axis when said ring gear selectively rotates.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said rotatable ring gear is mounted for selective rotation on a plurality of pulleys mounted on said frame.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said rotatable ring gear is prevented from rotating by a striker pin when the striker pin is inserted into an aperture in said rotatable ring gear by a striker assembly to engage said rotatable ring gear.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said striker assembly includes the striker pin, a lever arm, at least one striker arm, and a spring, wherein the lever arm pivots about a pin when the striker arm is moved in a vertical direction to compress the spring, the striker pin attached to an end of the lever arm moves in a substantially horizontal plane and disengages from the ring gear, allowing said mandrel gears to impart rotation to the rotatable ring gear.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a stationary C-shaped keeper ring attached to said frame and substantially surrounding said second mandrel support plate having said radially extending recesses therein.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said C-shaped keeper further includes a radially extending gap of width greater than the width of said recesses, said gap being disposed to extend generally upwardly and a moveable gate means for opening and closing said gap to retain said ends of said mandrels in said recesses during rotation of said carousel.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein said gate means comprises a block having a concave arcuate surface of slightly larger radius than the radius of said wheel having said recesses therein, said gate block being pivotally affixed to a support arm and said arm being pivotally mounted on said frame.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a gate lock comprising a grippable spring loaded detent pin mounted for movement in said block, said pin being receivable in a hole in said arm for locking said gate block in said keeper gap.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said frame has a pair of spaced apart end plates and a top plate spanning the end plates.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein drive means includes a motor coupled to a transmission gear.

11. An apparatus having an immersible rotatable carousel for wetting a plurality of disks which are supported on at least one disk support mandrel, comprising:

a first mandrel support plate and a second mandrel support plate mounted for rotation in unison on a central axle;

a rotatable ring gear mounted for selective rotation around said central axle;

a plurality of disk support mandrels, said mandrels being supported by said first mandrel support plate and said second mandrel support plate to form said rotatable carousel; and

a drive means for rotating said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel, wherein rotating said first mandrel support plate causes said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said mandrels each having a mandrel axis that extends generally parallel to said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of selective rotation around their own mandrel axis, wherein each of said mandrels having a mandrel gear affixed thereto and said mandrel gears having teeth in meshing engagement with external teeth on said rotatable ring gear such that said mandrels rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating and do not rotate around their own axis when said ring gear selectively rotates.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein said rotatable ring gear is prevented from rotating by a striker pin when the striker pin is inserted into an aperture in said rotatable ring gear by a striker assembly to engage said rotatable ring gear.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said striker assembly includes the striker pin, a lever arm, at least one striker arm, and a spring, wherein the lever arm pivots about a pin when the striker arm is moved in a vertical direction to compress the spring, the striker pin attached to an end of the lever arm moves in a substantially horizontal plane and disengages from the ring gear, allowing said mandrel gears to impart rotation to the rotatable ring gear.

14. A method of wetting a plurality of disks using an apparatus having an immersible, rotatable carousel, comprising:

providing at least one process tank filled with a solution;

providing the apparatus having the immersible rotatable carousel, said apparatus including a first mandrel support plate and a second mandrel support plate mounted for rotation in unison on a central axle, a rotatable ring gear mounted for selective rotation around said central axle, a plurality of disk support mandrels, said mandrels being supported by said first mandrel support plate and said second mandrel support plate to form the rotatable carousel, and a drive means for rotating said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel, wherein rotating said first mandrel support plate causes said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said mandrels each having a mandrel axis that extends generally parallel to said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of selective rotation around their own mandrel axis, wherein each of said mandrels having a mandrel gear affixed thereto and said mandrel gears having teeth in meshing engagement with external teeth on said rotatable ring gear such that said mandrels rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating by a striker assembly having a striker pin and do not rotate around their own axis when said ring gear selectively rotates;

providing at least one disk mounted on one of said plurality of mandrels;

mounting said apparatus having said rotatable carousel into said process tank having said solution such that said striker assembly causes said striker pin to couple to said ring gear to prevent the ring gear from rotating;

actuating said drive means to rotate said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel to cause said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of rotation around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating by said striker pin.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said rotatable ring gear is prevented from rotating by a striker pin when the striker pin is inserted into an aperture in said rotatable ring gear by the striker assembly to engage said rotatable ring gear.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said striker assembly includes the striker pin, a lever arm, at least one striker arm, and a spring, wherein the lever arm pivots about a pin when the striker arm is moved in a vertical direction to compress the spring, the striker pin attached to an end of the lever arm moves in a substantially horizontal plane and disengages from the ring gear, allowing said mandrel gears to impart rotation to the rotatable ring gear.

17. A method of wetting a plurality of disks using an apparatus having an immersible, rotatable carousel, comprising:

providing a first process tank filled with a first solution and a second process tank filled with a second solution;

providing a striker support block in said second process tank;

providing the apparatus having the immersible rotatable carousel, said apparatus including a first mandrel support plate and a second mandrel support plate mounted for rotation in unison on a central axle, a rotatable ring gear mounted for selective rotation around said central axle, a plurality of disk support mandrels, said mandrels being supported by said first mandrel support plate and said second mandrel support plate to form the rotatable carousel, and a drive means for rotating said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel, wherein rotating said first mandrel support plate causes said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said mandrels each having a mandrel axis that extends generally parallel to said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of selective rotation around their own mandrel axis, wherein each of said mandrels having a mandrel gear affixed thereto and said mandrel gears having teeth in meshing engagement with external teeth on said rotatable ring gear such that said mandrels rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating by the striker assembly having a striker pin and do not rotate around their own axis when said ring gear selectively rotates;

providing at least one disk mounted on one of said plurality of mandrels;

mounting said apparatus having said rotatable carousel into said first process tank having said first solution such that said striker assembly causes said striker pin to couple to said ring gear to prevent the ring gear from rotating;

actuating said drive means to rotate said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel to cause said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of rotation around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating by said striker pin;

mounting said apparatus having said rotatable carousel into said second process tank having said second solution such that said striker assembly is actuated by said striker support blocks causing said striker pin to uncouple from said ring gear to allow said ring gear to rotate;

actuating said drive means to rotate said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel to cause said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said plurality of mandrels do not rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is rotating.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said rotatable ring gear is prevented from rotating by a striker pin when the striker pin is inserted into an aperture in said rotatable ring gear by the striker assembly to engage said rotatable ring gear.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein said striker assembly includes the striker pin, a lever arm, at least one striker arm, and a spring, wherein the lever arm pivots about a pin when the striker arm is moved in a vertical direction to compress the spring, the striker pin attached to an end of the lever arm moves in a substantially horizontal plane and disengages from the ring gear, allowing said mandrel gears to impart rotation to the rotatable ring gear.