PLATING METHOD AND PLATING APPARATUS

• US 20190249325A1
• Filed: 04/23/2019
• Published: 08/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Inventors: MINAMI, Yoshio, FUJIKATA, Jumpei, KISHI, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,677 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 17/06 Suspending or supporting devices for articles to be coated
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/12 Process control or regulation controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/20 using special tracer materials, e.g. dye, fluorescent material, radioactive material
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/26 by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors
• 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: G01M 3/34 by testing the possibility of maintaining the vacuum in containers, e.g. in can-testing machines

Abstract

A plating method includes holding a substrate with a substrate holder while bringing a sealing member into pressure contact with a peripheral portion of the substrate to form an enclosed internal space in the substrate holder; performing a first-stage leakage test of the substrate holder by producing a vacuum in the internal space and checking whether pressure in the internal space reaches a predetermined vacuum pressure within a certain period of time; and if the substrate holder has passed the first-stage leakage test, performing a second-stage leakage test of the substrate holder by closing off the internal space after producing the vacuum therein and checking whether a change in the pressure in the internal space reaches a predetermined value within a certain period of time.

Claims

1. A method of checking leakage of a substrate holder, comprising:

supporting one surface of a substrate with a first holding member of the substrate holder while placing a second holding member of the substrate holder in contact with other surface of the substrate, with the other surface of the substrate exposed through an opening of the second holding member;

sealing a gap between the first holding member and the second holding member with a first protruding portion of the second holding member, and sealing a peripheral portion of the substrate with a second protruding portion of the second holding member, thereby forming an internal space in the substrate holder with the first holding member, the second holding member, and the substrate;

performing a first-stage leakage test of the substrate holder by producing a vacuum in the internal space and checking whether pressure in the internal space reaches a predetermined vacuum pressure within a predetermined period of time to check a sealed state provided by the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion; and

performing a second-stage leakage test of the substrate holder, which has passed the first-stage leakage test, by closing off the internal space after producing the vacuum therein and checking whether a change in the pressure in the internal space reaches a predetermined value within a predetermined period of time to further check the sealed state provided by the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein checking whether the change in the pressure in the internal space reaches the predetermined value within the predetermined period of time comprises:

producing a vacuum in a leak-free master container;

closing off the master container in which the vacuum is produced;

measuring pressure difference between the pressure in the internal space and pressure in the master container by a differential pressure sensor; and

checking whether the pressure difference reaches a predetermined value within a certain period of time.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing a third-stage leakage test of the substrate holder, which has passed the second-stage leakage test, by

locating a seal case so as to cover the surface, which is exposed through the opening, of the substrate held by the substrate holder,

sealing a gap between the first holding member of the substrate holder and the seal case, thereby forming a hermetic space between the substrate holder and the seal case,

supplying a tracer gas into the hermetic space while evacuating air from the internal space, and

checking whether the air evacuated from the internal space contains the tracer gas to further check the sealed state provided by the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein:

the hermetic space is divided into a substrate-side hermetic space and a holder-side hermetic space by sealing a gap between the second holding member of the substrate holder and the seal case, the second protruding portion being located in the substrate-side hermetic space, and the first protruding portion being located in the holder-side hermetic space; and

the third-stage leakage test is performed on at least one of the substrate-side hermetic space and the holder-side hermetic space.