LEAK CHECKING METHOD, LEAK CHECKING APPARATUS, ELECTROPLATING METHOD, AND ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS

• US 20180135198A1
• Filed: 11/09/2017
• Published: 05/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Inventors: OGATA, Shoichiro, KIMURA, Masaaki, YAHAGI, Mitsutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,458,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/001 Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/004 Sealing devices
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/02 Tanks; Installations therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/06 Suspending or supporting devices for articles to be coated
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/04 Removal of gases or vapours ; Gas or pressure control
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/06 Filtering particles other than ions filtering ions C25D21/22
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/10 Agitating of electrolytes; Moving of racks
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/12 Process control or regulation controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/34 Pretreatment of metallic surfaces to be electroplated
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/123 Semiconductors first coated with a seed layer or a conductive layer
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/3209 Details, e.g. container closure devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/3263 using a differential pressure detector G01M3/3245, G01M3/3272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/3281 removably mounted in a test cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2885 using an external electrical current, i.e. electro-deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68721 characterised by edge clamping, e.g. clamping ring

Abstract

There is disclosed an improved leak checking method which can accurately test a sealing performance of a substrate holder more than conventional leak check techniques. The leak checking method includes: holding a substrate with a substrate holder, the substrate holder including a first holding member and a second holding member, the second holding member having an opening through which a surface of the substrate is exposed; pressing a sealing projection of the second holding member against the surface of the substrate when holding the substrate with the substrate holder; covering the surface of the substrate, exposed through the opening, and the sealing projection with a sealing cap; forming a hermetic space between the sealing cap and the substrate holder; introducing a pressurized gas into the hermetic space; and detecting a decrease in pressure of the pressurized gas in the hermetic space.

Claims

1. A leak checking method comprising:

holding a substrate with a substrate holder, the substrate holder including a first holding member and a second holding member, the second holding member having an opening through which a surface of the substrate is exposed;

pressing a sealing projection of the second holding member against the surface of the substrate when holding the substrate with the substrate holder;

covering the surface of the substrate, exposed through the opening, and the sealing projection with a sealing cap;

forming a hermetic space between the sealing cap and the substrate holder;

introducing a pressurized gas into the hermetic space; and

detecting a decrease in pressure of the pressurized gas in the hermetic space.

2. The leak checking method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a pressure command value from a preset pressure range;

sending the selected pressure command value to a pressure regulator; and

regulating the pressure of the pressurized gas in the hermetic space with the pressure regulator based on the pressure command value.

3. The leak checking method according to claim 2, wherein the pressure range includes a pressure of a plating solution which is expected to be applied to the sealing projection when the substrate, held by the substrate holder, is immersed in the plating solution.

4. The leak checking method according to claim 3, wherein a lower limit of the pressure range is a value of a pressure of the plating solution which is expected to be applied to an uppermost portion of the sealing projection when the substrate, held by the substrate holder in a vertical position, is immersed in the plating solution.

5. The leak checking method according to claim 3, wherein an upper limit of the pressure range is a value obtained by multiplying a factor by a value of a pressure of the plating solution which is expected to be applied to a lowermost portion of the sealing projection when the substrate, held by the substrate holder in a vertical position, is immersed in the plating solution.

6. The leak checking method according to claim 1, wherein forming the hermetic space between the sealing cap and the substrate holder comprises pressing the sealing cap against the substrate holder to form a hermetic space between the sealing cap and the substrate holder.

7. The leak checking method according to claim 1, further comprising:

pressing a partition seal of the sealing cap against the substrate holder to divide the hermetic space into a first hermetic space and a second hermetic space,

wherein introducing the pressurized gas into the hermetic space comprises supplying the pressurized gas into either the first hermetic space or the second hermetic space,

wherein the sealing projection comprises a first sealing projection, and the second holding member further includes a second sealing projection which contacts the first holding member, and

wherein the first sealing projection and the second sealing projection face the first hermetic space and the second hermetic space, respectively.

13. An electroplating method comprising:

setting a substrate, to be plated, on a substrate holder in a substrate attachment and detachment section;

performing the leak checking method according to claim 1;

immersing the substrate, held by the substrate holder, in a plating solution; and

plating the substrate.

14. The electroplating method according to claim 13, wherein the leak checking method is performed in the substrate attachment and detachment section.

8. A leak checking method comprising:

holding a substrate with a substrate holder, the substrate holder including a first holding member and a second holding member, the first holding member having a first opening and a back-side sealing projection, the second holding member having a second opening and a front-side sealing projection;

pressing the front-side sealing projection and the back-side sealing projection against a front surface and a back surface, respectively, of the substrate when holding the substrate with the substrate holder;

covering the front surface of the substrate, exposed through the second opening, and the front-side sealing projection with a front-side sealing cap;

forming a front-side hermetic space between the front-side sealing cap and the substrate holder;

covering the back surface of the substrate, exposed through the first opening, and the back-side sealing projection with a back-side sealing cap;

forming a back-side hermetic space between the back-side sealing cap and the substrate holder;

introducing a pressurized gas into the front-side hermetic space and/or the back-side hermetic space; and

detecting a decrease in pressure of the pressurized gas in the front-side hermetic space and/or the back-side hermetic space.

9. The leak checking method according to claim 8, further comprising:

selecting a pressure command value from a preset pressure range;

sending the selected pressure command value to a pressure regulator; and

regulating the pressure of the pressurized gas in the front-side hermetic space and/or the back-side hermetic space with the pressure regulator based on the pressure command value.

10. The leak checking method according to claim 9, wherein the pressure range includes a pressure of a plating solution which is expected to be applied to the front-side sealing projection and the back-side sealing projection when the substrate, held by the substrate holder, is immersed in the plating solution.

11. The leak checking method according to claim 10, wherein a lower limit of the pressure range is a value of a pressure of the plating solution which is expected to be applied to an uppermost portion of the front-side sealing projection or an uppermost portion of the back-side sealing projection when the substrate, held by the substrate holder in a vertical position, is immersed in the plating solution.

12. The leak checking method according to claim 10, wherein an upper limit of the pressure range is a value obtained by multiplying a factor by a value of a pressure of the plating solution which is expected to be applied to a lowermost portion of the front-side sealing projection or a lowermost portion of the back-side sealing projection when the substrate, held by the substrate holder in a vertical position, is immersed in the plating solution.

15. A leak checking apparatus for checking for leakage of a fluid through a sealing projection of a substrate holder when the sealing projection is being pressed against a surface of a substrate held by the substrate holder which includes a first holding member and a second holding member, the second holding member having the sealing projection and an opening through which a surface of the substrate is to be exposed, said apparatus comprising:

a sealing cap having a shape that covers the opening and the sealing projection;

a pressurized-gas supply system configured to introduce a pressurized gas into a hermetic space formed between the sealing cap and the substrate holder; and

a pressure decrease detector configured to detect a decrease in pressure of the pressurized gas in the hermetic space.

16. The leak checking apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a pressure regulator configured to regulate the pressure of the pressurized gas based on a pressure command value; and

an operation controller that stores a preset pressure range therein,

wherein the operation controller is configured to send the pressure command value, which has been selected from the pressure range, to the pressure regulator.

17. An electroplating apparatus comprising:

a substrate attachment and detachment section configured to set a substrate, to be plated, on a substrate holder;

a plating tank configured to hold a plating solution therein; and

the leak checking apparatus according to claim 15.

18. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the leak checking apparatus is incorporated in the substrate attachment and detachment section.

19. A leak checking apparatus for checking for leakage of a fluid through a front-side sealing projection and a back-side sealing projection of a substrate holder when the front-side sealing projection and the back-side sealing projection are being pressed against a front surface and a back surface, respectively, of a substrate held by the substrate holder which includes a first holding member and a second holding member, the first holding member having a first opening and the back-side sealing projection, the second holding member having a second opening and the front-side sealing projection, said apparatus comprising:

a front-side sealing cap having a shape that covers the second opening and the front-side sealing projection;

a back-side sealing cap having a shape that covers the first opening and the back-side sealing projection;

a pressurized-gas supply system configured to introduce a pressurized gas into a front-side hermetic space formed between the front-side sealing cap and the substrate holder, and into a back-side hermetic space formed between the back-side sealing cap and the substrate holder; and

a pressure decrease detector configured to detect a decrease in pressure of the pressurized gas in the front-side hermetic space and the back-side hermetic space.

20. The leak checking apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising:

a pressure regulator configured to regulate the pressure of the pressurized gas based on a pressure command value; and

an operation controller that stores a preset pressure range,

wherein the operation controller is configured to send the pressure command value, which has been selected from the pressure range, to the pressure regulator.

21. An electroplating apparatus comprising:

a substrate attachment and detachment section configured to set a substrate, to be plated, on a substrate holder;

a plating tank configured to hold a plating solution therein; and

the leak checking apparatus according to claim 19.

22. The electroplating apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the leak checking apparatus is incorporated in the substrate attachment and detachment section.