Apparatus for electroless deposition

• US 7,341,633 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2004
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Lopatin, Sergey, Lubomirsky, Dmitry, Shanmugasundram, Arulkumar, Pancham, Ian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): EDWARDS, LAURA ESTELLE
• Application Number:
  US10/965,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20050081785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 204/227, 204/232, 204/242, 204/275.1, 204/267, 204/269, 134/84, 134/88, 134/902, 118/410, 118/423, 118/428, 118/429, 118/50, 118/719, 414/217, 414/939, 156/345.31, 156/345.32
• US Class Current: 118/429
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1601 Process or apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1619 Apparatus for electroless plating
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1628 Specific elements or parts of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1678 Heating of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1682 Control of atmosphere
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1872 by chemical pretreatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/28 Sensitising or activating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/288 from a liquid, e.g. electrolytic deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76838 characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the conductors etching for patterning the conductors H01L21/3213
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a fluid processing platform. The platform includes a mainframe having a substrate transfer robot, at least one substrate cleaning cell on the mainframe, and at least one processing enclosure. The processing enclosure includes a gas supply positioned in fluid communication with an interior of the processing enclosure, a first fluid processing cell positioned in the enclosure, a first substrate head assembly positioned to support a substrate for processing in the first fluid processing cell, a second fluid processing cell positioned in the enclosure, a second head assembly positioned to support a substrate for processing in the second fluid processing cell, and a substrate shuttle positioned between the first and second fluid processing cells and being configured to transfer substrates between the fluid processing cells and the mainframe robot.

Claims

1. A fluid deposition system for semiconductor processing, comprising:

a mainframe having a substrate transfer robot positioned thereon;

at least two substrate processing enclosures positioned on the mainframe, wherein each of the at least two substrate processing enclosures is environmentally controlled from the mainframe and is accessible to the substrate transfer robot via an access port formed through a wall of the substrate processing enclosure, each of the substrate processing enclosures has at least two substrate fluid processing cells positioned therein; and

a processing gas source and a processing gas exhaust system in fluid communication with each of the at least two substrate processing enclosures, wherein the at least two substrate fluid processing cells comprise an electroless fluid activation cell and an electroless fluid deposition cell positioned adjacent each other in the substrate processing enclosure.

2. The fluid deposition system of claim 1, further comprising a substrate transfer shuttle positioned between the electroless fluid activation cell and the electroless fluid deposition cell, the substrate transfer shuffle being configured to transfer substrates between the electroless fluid activation cell and the electroless fluid deposition cell.

3. The fluid deposition system of claim 1, wherein the electroless fluid activation cell and the electroless fluid deposition cell each comprise a substrate support member configured to support a substrate during fluid processing in the respective cells, the substrate support member having a temperature control assembly therein.

4. The fluid deposition system of claim 3, wherein the temperature control assembly comprises a plurality of individually controlled heating elements positioned in the substrate support member.

5. The fluid deposition system of claim 3, wherein the temperature control assembly further comprises a plurality of fluid conduits formed into the substrate support member, the plurality of fluid conduits being in fluid communication with a cooled fluid source.

6. The fluid deposition system of claim 4, wherein the electroless fluid activation cell and an electroless fluid deposition cell each comprise:

a processing fluid basin having a fluid retention weir surrounding the processing fluid basin; and

at least one processing fluid supply aperture positioned on the processing fluid basin, the processing fluid supply aperture being in fluid communication with a processing fluid source.

7. The fluid deposition system of claim 6, wherein the substrate support member further comprises a substrate support surface positioned facing the fluid basin such that a substrate supported thereon is processed in a face-down configuration.

8. An electroless fluid processing assembly, comprising

a processing enclosure positioned on a substrate processing system, the substrate processing enclosure having an access port configured to allow access to an interior portion of the processing enclosure by an external robot;

an electroless activation cell positioned in the interior portion of the processing enclosure;

an electroless deposition cell positioned in the interior portion of the processing enclosure;

a processing gas supply in selective fluid communication with the interior portion of the processing enclosure;

a processing gas exhaust system in selective fluid communication with the interior portion of the processing enclosure;

a substrate transfer shuffle positioned in the interior portion of the processing enclosure between the electroless activation cell and the electroless deposition cell; and

at least one of an annealing station and a cleaning cell disposed in an exterior portion of the processing enclosure in the substrate processing system.

9. The electroless fluid processing assembly of claim 8, further comprising:

a controller in electrical communication with the processing gas supply and the processing gas exhaust system.

10. The electroless fluid processing assembly of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to cooperatively control the operation of the processing gas supply and the processing gas exhaust to generate an oxygen content of less than about 100 ppm in the interior portion of the processing enclosure during substrate processing.

11. The electroless fluid processing assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of the electroless activation cell and the electroless deposition cell comprise a heated substrate support member.

12. The electroless fluid processing assembly of claim 11, wherein the heated substrate support member comprises a substantially planar substrate support platen configured to support a substrate for processing, the platen having a plurality of individually controlled heating sources positioned therein.

13. electroless fluid processing assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of the electroless activation cell and the electroless deposition cell comprise a cooled substrate support member.

14. electroless fluid processing assembly of claim 12, wherein the substrate support platen is positioned facing at least one of the electroless activation and the electroless deposition cells, such that a substrate supported on the platen is supported in a face-down configuration.

15. A fluid processing platform, comprising:

a mainframe having a substrate transfer robot positioned thereon;

at least one substrate cleaning cell positioned on the mainframe; and

at least one processing enclosure positioned on the mainframe, the processing enclosure comprising;

a gas supply positioned in fluid communication with an interior of the processing enclosure;

a first fluid processing cell positioned in the interior of the processing enclosure;

a first head assembly positioned to support a substrate for processing in the first fluid processing cell;

a second fluid processing cell positioned in the interior of the processing enclosure;

a second head assembly positioned to support a substrate for processing in the second fluid processing cell; and

a substrate shuffle positioned between the first and second fluid processing cells and being configured to transfer substrates between the fluid processing cells and the substrate transfer robot of the mainframe,

wherein an access port is formed through a wall of the processing enclosure and is configured to provide access between the substrate transfer robot of the mainframe and the interior of the processing enclosure.

16. The fluid processing platform of claim 15, wherein the first fluid processing cell comprises an activation cell.

17. The fluid processing platform of claim 16, wherein the second fluid processing cell comprises an electroless deposition cell.

18. The fluid processing platform of claim 15, wherein the first and second head assemblies comprise:

a substantially planar substrate support surface;

a seal circumscribing the support surface;

a plurality of vacuum apertures formed into the support surface; and

an actuator assembly configured to vertically, horizontally, and rotationally actuate the substrate support surface.

19. The fluid processing platform of claim 15, wherein the first head assembly comprises a heated substrate support member.

20. The fluid processing platform of claim 19, further comprising at least one individually controlled resistive heater band positioned in the substrate support member.

21. The fluid processing platform of claim 15, wherein the first and second fluid processing cells comprise:

a cell body having a substantially planar fluid basin positioned therein;

a weir surrounding the fluid basin, the weir having a height of between about 2 mm and about 20 mm; and

a plurality of fluid apertures formed into the fluid basin, the apertures being in fluid communication with a processing fluid source.

22. A fluid deposition system for semiconductor processing, comprising:

a mainframe having a substrate transfer robot positioned thereon; and

at least two substrate processing enclosures positioned on the mainframe and accessible to the substrate transfer robot via an access port formed through a wall of the corresponding substrate processing enclosure, each of the substrate processing enclosures having at least one substrate fluid processing cell positioned therein;

wherein the at least one substrate fluid processing cell comprises an electroless fluid activation cell and an electroless fluid deposition cell positioned adjacent each other in the substrate processing enclosure, the electroless fluid activation cell and the electroless fluid deposition cell each comprise a substrate support member configured to support a substrate during fluid processing in the respective cells, the substrate support member having a temperature control assembly therein, the temperature control assembly comprises a plurality of individually controlled heating elements positioned in the substrate support member, the electroless fluid activation cell and an electroless fluid deposition cell each comprises a processing fluid basin having a fluid retention weir surrounding the processing fluid basin and at least one processing fluid supply aperture positioned on the processing fluid basin, the processing fluid supply aperture being in fluid communication with a processing fluid source.

23. The fluid deposition system of claim 22, wherein the substrate support member further comprises a substrate support surface positioned facing the fluid basin such that a substrate supported thereon is processed in a face-down configuration.