Rotating anode for a wafer processing chamber

• US 6,077,412 A
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CuTek Research, Inc. (KSBG Kommunale Beteiligungsgesellschaft GmbH & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: CuTek Research, Inc. (KSBG Kommunale Beteiligungsgesellschaft GmbH & Company KG)
• Inventors: Holtkamp, William H., Ting, Chiu H., Ko, Wen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Valentine, Donald R.
• Application Number:
  US09/183,754
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 204/212, 204/273, 204/205, 204/224 R, 204/224 M, 205/143, 205/148, 205/157, 205/291, 205/671, 205/686, 205/137
• US Class Current: 205/143
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/001 Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/02 Tanks; Installations therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/12 Shape or form C25D17/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/00 Processes for servicing or operating cells for electrolytic coating
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/123 Semiconductors first coated with a seed layer or a conductive layer
• CPC Class Codes: C25F 7/00 Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic removal of material from objects for both electrolytic coating and removal C25D; Servicing or operating

Abstract

A processing chamber for depositing and/or removing material onto/from a semiconductor wafer when the wafer is subjected to an electrolyte and in an electric field, and in which a rotating anode is used to agitate and distribute the electrolyte. A hollow sleeve is utilized to form a containment chamber for holding the electrolyte. A wafer residing on a support is moved vertically upward to engage the sleeve to form an enclosing floor for the containment chamber. One electrode is disposed within the containment chamber while the opposite electrode is comprised of several electrodes distributed around the circumference of the wafer. The electrodes are also protected from the electrolyte when the support is raised and engaged to the sleeve. In one embodiment, the support and the sleeve are stationary during processing, while a rotating anode is used to agitate and distribute the electrolyte. With a stationary sleeve, fluid feed and evacuation lines can be coupled through the sleeve to access the containment chamber.

Claims

1. A process chamber comprising:

a support to support a material when the material is placed thereon;

a housing to provide a containment chamber to process the material when the material is placed therein and processing fluid is introduced into said housing;

a first electrode coupled to reside within said housing and made rotatable so that rotation or oscillation agitates the processing fluid for distribution; and

a second electrode coupled to the material to subject the material and the processing fluid to an electric field generated by a potential difference between said first and second electrodes, said second electrode coupled to a processing side of the material, but protected from exposure to the processing fluid during processing.

2. The process chamber of claim 1 wherein said first electrode is an anode electrode and said second electrode is a cathode electrode to electroplate the material, when the material is subjected to an electroplating fluid in the electric field.

3. The process chamber of claim 2 wherein said support engages said housing, in which the material residing on said support forms an enclosing floor to retain the processing fluid therein.

4. The processing chamber of claim 3 wherein said second electrode is comprised of a plurality of electrodes.

5. The process chamber of claim 1 wherein said first electrode is a cathode electrode and said second electrode is an anode electrode to electropolish the material, when the material is subjected to an electropolishing fluid in the electric field.

6. The process chamber of claim 5 wherein said support engages said housing, in which the material residing on said support forms an enclosing floor to retain the processing fluid therein.

7. The processing chamber of claim 6 wherein said second electrode is comprised of a plurality of electrodes.

8. The processing chamber of claim 1 wherein said first electrode has at least one opening for injection of the processing fluid into the containment chamber through the first electrode.

9. A process chamber for processing a semiconductor wafer residing therein comprising:

a support to support the semiconductor wafer when the semiconductor wafer is placed thereon;

a hollow sleeve to provide a containment chamber to process the semiconductor wafer when the semiconductor wafer is engaged to said hollow sleeve to form an enclosing floor and electrolyte is introduced into said hollow sleeve;

a first electrode coupled to reside within said hollow sleeve and made rotatable so that rotation or oscillation agitates the electrolyte for distribution; and

a second electrode coupled to the semiconductor wafer to subject the semiconductor wafer and the electrolyte to an electric field generated by a potential difference between said first and second electrodes.

10. The process chamber of claim 9 wherein said first electrode is an anode electrode and said second electrode is a cathode electrode to electroplate material onto the semiconductor wafer.

11. The process chamber of claim 10 wherein said sleeve is open at one end and said support is raised to engage the semiconductor wafer at the open end to form the enclosing floor to retain the electrolyte therein.

12. The processing chamber of claim 11 wherein said second electrode is comprised of a plurality of electrodes coupled to a processing side of the semiconductor wafer but protected from exposure to the electrolyte during processing.

13. The processing chamber of claim 10 wherein said first electrode has at least one opening for injection of the electrolyte into the containment chamber through the first electrode.

14. The process chamber of claim 9 wherein said first electrode is a cathode electrode and said second electrode is an anode electrode to electropolish material from the semiconductor wafer.

15. The process chamber of claim 14 wherein said sleeve is open at one end and said support is raised to engage the semiconductor wafer at the open end to form the enclosing floor to retain the electrolyte therein.

16. The processing chamber of claim 15 wherein said second electrode is comprised of a plurality of electrodes coupled to a processing side of the semiconductor wafer but protected from exposure to the electrolyte during processing.

17. The processing chamber of claim 14 wherein said first electrode has at least one opening for injection of the electrolyte into the containment chamber through the first electrode.

18. A method of processing a substrate material residing in a containment chamber comprising:

placing the substrate material to be processed on a support;

providing a hollow sleeve to form the containment chamber to contain a processing fluid for processing the material, the sleeve having an open end in which the support is engaged to the sleeve, such that the material forms an enclosing floor to retain the processing fluid therein;

providing a first electrode within the hollow sleeve, in which the first electrode is made rotatable, so that rotation or oscillation agitates the processing fluid for distribution;

providing a second electrode coupled to the material to subject the material and the processing fluid to an electric field, which field is generated by a potential difference between the first and second electrodes;

filling the containment chamber with the processing fluid;

applying a potential across the first and second electrodes;

rotating or oscillating the first electrode for the processing fluid distribution.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said providing the second electrode includes providing a plurality of second electrodes which are distributed around an outer circumference of the material and are protected from the processing fluid during processing.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said filling the containment chamber includes filling it with a processing fluid for electroplating or electropolishing the material.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein said filling the containment chamber includes filling it with a processing fluid for electroplating or electropolishing copper and in which the material being electroplated or electropolished is a semiconductor wafer.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein said providing a first electrode includes providing the first electrode in which at least one opening is present for injection of the processing fluid into the containment chamber.