Plating method and plating apparatus

• US 6,375,823 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2000
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Okumura, Katsuya, Matsuda, Tetsuo, Kaneko, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Edna
• Application Number:
  US09/500,645
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 205/117, 205/118, 204/224.R, 204/271
• US Class Current: 205/117
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/001 Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/12 Shape or form C25D17/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/02 Electroplating of selected surface areas
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/06 Brush or pad plating
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/16 Electroplating with layers of varying thickness
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/611 Smooth layers
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/617 Crystalline layers
• 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 21/76877 Filling of holes, grooves or trenches, e.g. vias, with conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/423 characterised by electroplating method

Abstract

A cathode potential is applied to a conductive layer formed on a substrate having a depression pattern. A plating solution in electrical contact with an anode is supplied to the conductive layer to form a plating film on the conductive layer. At this time, the plating solution is supplied by causing an impregnated member containing the plating solution to face the conductive layer. Since the plating solution stays in the depression, a larger amount of plating solution is supplied than on the upper surface of the substrate, and the plating rate of the plating film in the depression increases. Consequently, the plating film can be preferentially formed in the depression such as a groove or hole.

Claims

1. A plating method comprising:

preparing a substrate to be processed which has a base plate and a conductive layer formed on at least part of the base plate;

applying a potential of a cathode to the conductive layer;

causing an impregnated member containing a plating solution in electrical contact with an anode to face the conductive layer in a spaced apart relationship with the conductive layer; and

relatively moving at least part of the impregnated member with respect to the conductive layer in order to form a plating film on at least part of the conductive layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said relatively moving at least part of the impregnated member with respect to the conductive layer includes vertically moving the at least part of the impregnated member with respect to the conductive layer.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said vertically moving at least part of the impregnated member with respect to the conductive layer includes moving the anode in contact with the impregnated member further apart from the conductive layer in accordance with plating of the plating film.

4. A plating method comprising:

preparing a substrate to be processed which comprises a base plate having a depression and a conductive layer formed on at least part of the base plate and having a groove pattern formed on the depression;

preparing an impregnated member containing a plating solution;

applying a potential of a cathode to the conductive layer;

causing the impregnated member containing the plating solution in electrical contact with an anode to face the conductive layer; and

relatively and horizontally moving at least part of the impregnated member with respect to the conductive layer in order to form a plating film on at least part of the conductive layer.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said relatively moving at least part of the impregnated member with respect to the conductive layer includes controlling at least one of a moving speed of relative movement in a horizontal direction and an application current in accordance with plating of the plating film.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said relatively moving at least part of the impregnated member with respect to the conductive layer includes forming the plating film while alternately repeating an operation of causing the conductive layer and the impregnated member to face each other and an operation of dipping the impregnated member into a plating bath containing the plating solution.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising measuring a film thickness of the plating film by a film thickness measuring mechanism arranged on the conductive layer in a different region from a region where the impregnated member comes into facing the conductive layer.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising additionally forming the plating film by bringing the impregnated member into facing the conductive layer in accordance with a measurement result of the film thickness measuring mechanism.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the film thickness measuring mechanism performs the same relative movement as the impregnated member.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein said relatively and horizontally moving at least part of the impregnated member with respect to the conductive layer includes bringing at least part of the impregnated member into contact with the conductive layer, and moving the plating solution on an upper surface of the base plate into the groove pattern formed in the conductive layer by sliding movement.

11. The method according to claim 4, wherein said causing the impregnated member containing the plating solution in electrical contact with an anode to face the conductive layer includes making the impregnated member in pressure-contact with the conductive layer.

12. The method according to claim 4, wherein said causing the impregnated member containing the plating solution in electrical contact with an anode to face the conductive layer includes using the plating solution comprising a plating rate increasing agent.