Electro-chemical deposition system

• US 6,258,220 B1
• Filed: 04/08/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Marohl, Dan, Dordi, Yezdi, Morad, Ratson, Cheung, Robin, Sugarman, Michael, Shin, Ho Seon, Tepman, Avi, Birkmaier, George, Denome, Mark, Ravinovich, Eugene, Hey, Peter, Lloyd, Mark, Sinha, Ashok K., Stevens, Joseph, Olgado, Donald J., Carl, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Valentine, Donald R.
• Application Number:
  US09/289,074
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 204/198, 204/224.R, 204/240, 204/252, 204/297.01, 204/297.03, 204/269, 204/270, 204/263, 204/282
• US Class Current: 204/198
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/001 Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/06 Suspending or supporting devices for articles to be coated
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/02 Heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/12 Process control or regulation controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/123 Semiconductors first coated with a seed layer or a conductive layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2885 using an external electrical current, i.e. electro-deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67051 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6708 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67167 surrounding a central transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67184 characterized by the presence of more than one transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6723 comprising at least one plating chamber electroless plating apparatuses C23C, electroplating apparatuses C25D
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67745 characterized by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68721 characterised by edge clamping, e.g. clamping ring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68728 characterised by a plurality of separate clamping members, e.g. clamping fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68742 characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/241 characterised by the electroplating method; means therefor, e.g. baths or apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides an electro-chemical deposition system that is designed with a flexible architecture that is expandable to accommodate future designs and gap fill requirements and provides satisfactory throughput to meet the demands of other processing systems. The electro-chemical deposition system generally comprises a mainframe having a mainframe wafer transfer robot, a loading station disposed in connection with the mainframe, one or more processing cells disposed in connection with the mainframe, and an electrolyte supply fluidly connected to the one or more electrical processing cells. Preferably, the electro-chemical deposition system includes a spin-rinse-dry (SRD) station disposed between the loading station and the mainframe, a rapid thermal anneal chamber attached to the loading station, and a system controller for controlling the electro-chemical deposition process and the components of the electro-chemical deposition system.

Claims

1. An electro-chemical deposition system, comprising:

a) a mainframe having a mainframe wafer transfer robot;

b) a loading station disposed in connection with the mainframe;

c) one or more processing cells disposed in connection with the mainframe; and

d) an electrolyte supply fluidly connected to the one or more processing cells, wherein the mainframe wafer transfer robot comprises a plurality of individually operable robot arms.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each robot arms includes an end effector comprising a flipper robot having a vacuum gripper robot blade.

3. An electro-chemical deposition system, comprising:

a) a mainframe having a mainframe wafer transfer robot;

b) a loading station disposed in connection with the mainframe;

c) one or more processing cells disposed in connection with the mainframe, wherein the processing cell comprises;

i) a head assembly comprising a cathode and a wafer holder disposed above the cathode;

ii) a process kit comprising an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet and an anode disposed in the electrolyte container;

iii) an electrolyte overflow catch disposed below the weir; and

iv) a power supply connected to the cathode and the anode; and

d) an electrolyte supply fluidly connected to the one or more processing cells.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the head assembly is attached to a rotatable arm adapted to rotate the head assembly away from the process kit.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the head assembly is attached to a cantilever arm extending from the rotatable arm.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the process kit is removably disposed on the mainframe.

7. An electro-chemical deposition system, comprising:

a) a mainframe having a mainframe wafer transfer robot;

b) a loading station disposed in connection with the mainframe;

c) one or more processing cells disposed in connection with the mainframe; and

d) an electrolyte supply fluidly connected to the one or more processing cells, wherein the electrolyte supply comprises;

i) a main tank connected through a pump to the processing cells;

ii) one or more filter tanks connected to the main tank; and

iii) one or more source tanks connected to the main tank, wherein the source tanks comprises color coded modular tanks having individual mating connectors.

8. An electro-chemical deposition system, comprising:

a) a mainframe having a mainframe wafer transfer robot;

b) a loading station disposed in connection with the mainframe;

c) one or more processing cells disposed in connection with the mainframe;

d) an electrolyte supply fluidly connected to the one or more processing cells; and

e) one or more degassers disposed between the electrolyte supply and the processing cells.

9. An apparatus for electro-chemically depositing a metal onto a substrate, comprising:

a) a head assembly comprising;

i) a cathode; and

ii) a wafer holder disposed above the cathode;

b) a process kit disposed below the head assembly, comprising;

i) an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet; and

ii) an anode disposed in the electrolyte container;

c) an electrolyte overflow catch disposed below the weir, the electrolyte overflow catch having an electrolyte outlet; and

d) a power supply connected to the cathode and the anode, wherein the cathode comprises a cathode contact ring.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the cathode contact ring comprises a wafer seating surface having a plurality wafer contact pads.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the cathode contact ring has a hydrophilic surface.

12. An apparatus for electro-chemically depositing a metal onto a substrate, comprising:

a) a head assembly comprising;

i) a cathode; and

ii) a wafer holder disposed above the cathode;

b) a process kit disposed below the head assembly, comprising;

i) an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet;

ii) an anode disposed in the electrolyte container, wherein the process kit further comprises a filter disposed in the electrolyte container above the anode;

c) an electrolyte overflow catch disposed below the weir, the electrolyte overflow catch having an electrolyte outlet; and

d) a power supply connected to the cathode and the anode.

13. An apparatus for electro-chemically depositing a metal onto a substrate, comprising:

a) a head assembly comprising;

i) a cathode; and

ii) a wafer holder disposed above the cathode;

b) a process kit disposed below the head assembly, comprising;

i) an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet; and

ii) an anode disposed in the electrolyte container;

c) an electrolyte overflow catch disposed below the weir, the electrolyte overflow catch having an electrolyte outlet;

d) a power supply connected to the cathode and the anode; and

e) an electrolyte supply comprising;

i) a main tank connected through a pump to the electrolyte inlet on the electrolyte container;

ii) one or more filter tanks connected to the main tank; and

iii) one or more source tanks connected to the main tank.

14. An apparatus for electro-chemically depositing a metal onto a substrate, comprising:

a) a head assembly comprising;

i) a cathode; and

ii) a wafer holder disposed above the cathode;

b) a process kit disposed below the head assembly, comprising;

i) an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet; and

ii) an anode disposed in the electrolyte container, wherein the anode comprises;

a consumable anode plate; and

a permeable encapsulation member enclosing the consumable anode plate;

c) an electrolyte overflow catch disposed below the weir, the electrolyte overflow catch having an electrolyte outlet; and

d) a power supply connected to the cathode and the anode.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the anode further comprises:

c) a plurality of electrical contact members extending through the encapsulation member into the anode plate, each electrical contact member extends through and is secured to the electrolyte container.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the encapsulation member comprises a hydrophilic membrane.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the encapsulation member comprises a top hydrophilic membrane and a bottom hydrophilic membrane attached to a membrane support ring disposed therebetween.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the bottom hydrophilic membrane includes an opening adapted to facilitate flow of electrolyte into a gap between the encapsulation member and the anode plate.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the anode further comprises:

d) a bypass outlet connected to the membrane support ring and extending through the electrolyte container.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the anode further comprises:

d) a bypass electrolyte inlet connected through the bottom hydrophilic membrane.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the anode further comprises:

e) a bypass outlet connected to the membrane support ring and extending through the electrolyte container.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the bypass inlet includes a flow control valve.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the electrolyte inlet includes a flow control valve.

24. An apparatus for electro-chemically depositing a metal onto a substrate, comprising:

a) a head assembly comprising;

i) a cathode; and

ii) a wafer holder disposed above the cathode;

b) a process kit disposed below the head assembly, comprising;

i) an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet; and

ii) an anode disposed in the electrolyte container;

c) an electrolyte overflow catch disposed below the weir, the electrolyte overflow catch having an electrolyte outlet;

d) a power supply connected to the cathode and the anode; and

e) a rotating actuator connected and adapted to rotate the head assembly.

25. An apparatus for electro-chemically depositing a metal onto a substrate, comprising:

a) a head assembly comprising;

i) a cathode; and

ii) a wafer holder disposed above the cathode;

wherein the wafer holder comprises a bladder assembly,

wherein the bladder assembly comprises an inflatable bladder attached to a back surface of an intermediary wafer holder plate and an O-ring disposed in an annular groove on a front surface of the intermediary wafer holder plate,

wherein the intermediary wafer holder plate includes a plurality of bores extending through the plate and disposed in fluid communication with a vacuum port;

b) a process kit disposed below the head assembly, comprising;

i) an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet; and

ii) an anode disposed in the electrolyte container;

c) an electrolyte overflow catch disposed below the weir, the electrolyte overflow catch having an electrolyte outlet; and

d) a power supply connected to the cathode and the anode.

26. An apparatus for electro-chemically depositing a metal onto a substrate, comprising:

a) a head assembly comprising;

i) a cathode; and

ii) a wafer holder disposed above the cathode;

wherein the wafer holder comprises a bladder assembly,

wherein the bladder assembly comprises an inflatable bladder attached to a back surface of an intermediary wafer holder plate and an O-ring disposed in an annular groove on a front surface of the intermediary wafer holder plate,

wherein one or more surfaces of the O-ring and the intermediary wafer holder plate comprise a hydrophilic surface;

b) a process kit disposed below the head assembly, comprising;

i) an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet; and

ii) an anode disposed in the electrolyte container;

c) an electrolyte overflow catch disposed below the weir, the electrolyte overflow catch having an electrolyte outlet; and

d) a power supply connected to the cathode and the anode.