Volume measurement apparatus and method

• US 20050077182A1
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Balisky, Todd A., Cameron, Donald A., Rabinovich, Yevgeniy
• Application Number:
  US10/683,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20050077182A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 205/82
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/001 Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/12 Process control or regulation controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/14 Controlled addition of electrolyte components
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/123 Semiconductors first coated with a seed layer or a conductive layer

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide an electrochemical processing system configured to provide selected amounts of electrolyte composition components for single plating process. The selected amounts of components to be added to an electrolyte composition may be achieved by a volume measurement device using an ultrasonic sensor to measure volume of a vessel.

Claims

1. A method for supplying a fluid to a substrate processing apparatus, the method comprising:

measuring a first level in the vessel with a first ultrasonic signal to provide a first volume measurement;

delivering at least one chemical component to the vessel;

measuring a second level in the vessel with a second ultrasonic signal to provide a second volume measurement;

determining the difference in volume between the first volume measurement and the second volume measurement;

comparing the difference in volume with a pre-determined value; and

discharging chemical components from the vessel to the substrate processing apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering a catholyte to the vessel prior to measuring the volume in the vessel with the first ultrasonic signal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising purging gas from the vessel prior to measuring the volume in the vessel with the first ultrasonic signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the discharging chemical components from the vessel to the substrate processing apparatus comprises closing a vent, opening a discharge valve, and pressure discharging the chemical components by a material selected from the group of an inert gas, water, or an electrolyte composition.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus comprises a plating cell, an unitary plating system platform, or a spin-rinse processing cell.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring the level in the vessel with the first ultrasonic signal further comprises measuring the temperature in the vessel.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising continuously delivering the at least one chemical component to the vessel and measuring the level in the vessel until the pre-determined value is achieved.

8. A method for electroplating at least one layer onto a surface of a substrate surface, the method comprising:

positioning the substrate in a plating cell on a unitary system platform for a plating technique;

supplying an electrolyte composition to the plating cell by supplying an electrolyte and an amount of one or more chemical components, wherein the amount of one or more chemical components are provided by;

measuring the first level of a vessel with a first ultrasonic signal to provide a first volume measurement;

delivering at least one chemical component to the vessel;

measuring a second level in the vessel with a second ultrasonic signal to provide a second volume measurement;

determining the difference in volume between the first volume measurement and the second volume measurement;

comparing the difference in volume with a pre-determined value; and

discharging chemical components from the vessel to the plating cell; and

depositing a conductive material from the electrolyte composition to the surface of the substrate.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising delivering a catholyte to the vessel prior to measuring the volume in the vessel with the first ultrasonic signal.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising purging gas from the vessel prior to measuring the volume in the vessel with the first ultrasonic signal.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the discharging chemical components from the vessel to the substrate processing apparatus comprises closing a vent, opening a discharge valve, and pressure discharging the chemical components by a material selected from the group of an inert gas, water, or an electrolyte composition.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the substrate processing apparatus comprises a plating cell, an unitary plating system platform, or a spin-rinse processing cell.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising rinsing the substrate.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising spin drying the substrate.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the measuring the level in the vessel with the first ultrasonic signal further comprises measuring the temperature in the vessel.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising continuously delivering the at least one chemical component to the vessel and measuring the level in the vessel until the pre-determined value is achieved.

17. An electrochemical processing system, comprising:

a system platform having one or more processing cells positioned thereon;

at least one robot positioned to transfer substrates between the one or more processing cells; and

a fluid delivery system in fluid communication with each of the one or more processing cells, the fluid delivery system comprising;

one or more chemical component sources;

a metering pump in fluid communication with each of the chemical component sources;

an electrolyte source in fluid communication with the metering pump; and

a vessel in fluid communication with the metering pump at an input and with the one or more processing cells at an output, the vessel comprising a charging cell, an ultrasonic sensor, and a controller.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more chemical component sources further comprise:

a first source for providing an electrochemical plating accelerator;

a second source for providing an electrochemical plating leveler; and

a third source for providing an electrochemical plating suppressor.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more chemical component sources further comprises:

at least one bulk chemical component container; and

at least one buffer container having a volume less than the bulk chemical component container and being in fluid communication with an associated bulk chemical component container and the metering pump.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least two of the one or more processing cells comprise electrochemical plating cells.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more processing cells comprise a spin rinse dry processing cell.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more processing cells comprise a substrate bevel edge clean processing cell.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising at least one annealing chamber in communication with the system platform.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the anneal chamber includes at least one heating position and at least one cooling position.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the annealing chamber further comprises a substrate transfer robot positioned between the at least one heating position and the at least one cooling position, the substrate transfer robot is configured to transfer substrates between the heating and cooling positions.

26. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the fluid delivery system is further configured to supply an anolyte to an anode chamber of at least one plating cell positioned on the system platform.

27. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the measuring the level in the vessel with the ultrasonic signal further comprises measuring the temperature in the vessel.

28. An electrochemical processing system, comprising:

a processing system base having one or more process cell locations thereon;

at least two electrochemical plating cells positioned at two of the process cell locations;

at least one spin rinse dry cell positioned at one of the process cell locations;

at least one substrate bevel clean cell positioned at another one of the process cell locations; and

a fluid delivery system in fluid communication with each of the one or more processing cells, the fluid delivery system comprising;

one or more chemical component sources;

a metering pump in fluid communication with each of the chemical component sources;

a first virgin electrolyte source in fluid communication with the metering pump; and

a vessel in fluid communication with the metering pump at an input and with the one or more processing cells at an output, the vessel comprising a charging cell, an ultrasonic sensor, and a controller.

29. The electrochemical processing system of claim 28, further comprising a factory interface in communication with the processing system base.

30. The electrochemical processing system of claim 28, further comprising at least one annealing chamber in communication with at least one of the factory interface and the processing base.

31. The electrochemical processing system of claim 30, wherein the at least one annealing chamber comprises a heating location, a cooling location, and a robot positioned to transfer substrates between the heating location and the cooling location.

32. The electrochemical processing system of claim 28, wherein the one or more plating solution chemical component containers comprise a containers in fluid communication with a buffer container, the buffer container being in fluid communication with the metering pump.

33. The electrochemical processing system of claim 28, wherein the metering pump comprises a precise fluid delivery pump having one or more inputs and at least one output, the metering pump being configured to mix a predetermined ratio of fluid components received at the one or more inputs and output the predetermined ratio of fluid components from the at least one output.

34. The electrochemical processing system of claim 28, wherein the multiple chemistry plating solution delivery system further comprises a second virgin electrolyte solution container in fluid communication with the metering pump, the second virgin electrolyte solution-container being configured to provide a second virgin electrolyte.

35. The electrochemical processing system of claim 28, wherein the vessel further comprises a temperature measuring apparatus.