Continuously regenerating coppercontaining etching solutions

Claim 1

A METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY ETCHING COPPER OR COPPER ALLOYS WITH AN AQUEOUS COPPER-II-ETCHING (CUPRIC) SOLUTION CONTAINING HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND AMMONIUM CHLORIDE, WHICH SOLUTION BECOMES ENRICHED WITH COPPERI-IONS (CUPRIOUS IONS) INCIDENT TO THE ETCHING, AND CONTINUOUSLY REGENERATING THE ETCHING SOLUTION, WHEREBY THE REGENERATION IS EFFECTED BY AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AND AN AMOUNT OF THE SOLUTION CONTAINING THE EXCESS OF COPPER IONS, PRODUCED IN THE ETCHING OPERATION IS REMOVED FROM THE ETHCING SOLUTION AND IS REPLACED BY A LIKE AMOUNT OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING HYDROCHLORIC ACID CORRESPONDING TO THE AMOUNT CONSUMED IN THE REGENERATION AND WITHDRAWN WITH THE REMOVED AMOUNT, AND ALSO CONTAINING AMMONIUM CHLORIDE CORRESPONDING TO THE AMOUNT WITHDRAWN WITH THE REMOVED AMOUNT OF ETCHING SOLUTION, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CARRYING OUT THE ETCHING AND THE REGENERATION, RESPECTIVELY, IN SEPARATE DEVICES THROUGH WHICH THE ETCHING SOLUTION IS CAUSED TO FLOW, INJECTING THE OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS EFFECTING THE REGENERATION IN FINELY DISPERSED FORM TO MAINTAIN LARGE BOUNDARY AREAS BETWEEN THE ETCHING SOLUTION AND THE OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AND TO SECURE EXTENDED RETENTION OF THE GAS IN THE ETCHING SOLUTION, FOR THE REGENERATION OF THE LATTER, THEREBY ADJUSTING AN EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN THE ETCHING OPERATION AND THE REGENERATION OF THE ETCHING SOLUTION WITH THE OXYGENCONTAINING GAS.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY ETCHING COPPER OR COPPER ALLOYS WITH AN AQUEOUS COPPER-II-ETCHING (CUPRIC) SOLUTION CONTAINING HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND AMMONIUM CHLORIDE, WHICH SOLUTION BECOMES ENRICHED WITH COPPERI-IONS (CUPRIOUS IONS) INCIDENT TO THE ETCHING, AND CONTINUOUSLY REGENERATING THE ETCHING SOLUTION, WHEREBY THE REGENERATION IS EFFECTED BY AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AND AN AMOUNT OF THE SOLUTION CONTAINING THE EXCESS OF COPPER IONS, PRODUCED IN THE ETCHING OPERATION IS REMOVED FROM THE ETHCING SOLUTION AND IS REPLACED BY A LIKE AMOUNT OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING HYDROCHLORIC ACID CORRESPONDING TO THE AMOUNT CONSUMED IN THE REGENERATION AND WITHDRAWN WITH THE REMOVED AMOUNT, AND ALSO CONTAINING AMMONIUM CHLORIDE CORRESPONDING TO THE AMOUNT WITHDRAWN WITH THE REMOVED AMOUNT OF ETCHING SOLUTION, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CARRYING OUT THE ETCHING AND THE REGENERATION, RESPECTIVELY, IN SEPARATE DEVICES THROUGH WHICH THE ETCHING SOLUTION IS CAUSED TO FLOW, INJECTING THE OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS EFFECTING THE REGENERATION IN FINELY DISPERSED FORM TO MAINTAIN LARGE BOUNDARY AREAS BETWEEN THE ETCHING SOLUTION AND THE OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AND TO SECURE EXTENDED RETENTION OF THE GAS IN THE ETCHING SOLUTION, FOR THE REGENERATION OF THE LATTER, THEREBY ADJUSTING AN EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN THE ETCHING OPERATION AND THE REGENERATION OF THE ETCHING SOLUTION WITH THE OXYGENCONTAINING GAS.