Apparatus and methods for electrochemical processing of microfeature wafers

• US 7,842,173 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2007
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Semitool Incorporated (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Inventors: Woodruff, Daniel J., McHugh, Paul R., Wilson, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Van; Luan V
• Application Number:
  US11/699,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20080179180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 205/96, 205/97, 204/194, 204/242, 204/260, 204/261, 204/272, 204/273
• US Class Current: 204/272
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/001 Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/10 Electrodes , e.g. composition, counter electrode
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/123 Semiconductors first coated with a seed layer or a conductive layer
• CPC Class Codes: C25F 3/30 of semiconducting materials

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for electrochemically processing microfeature wafers. The apparatus can have a vessel including a processing zone in which a microfeature wafer is positioned for electrochemical processing. The apparatus further includes at least one counter electrode in the vessel that can operate as an anode or a cathode depending upon the particular plating or electropolishing application. The apparatus further includes a supplementary electrode and a supplementary virtual electrode. The supplementary electrode is configured to operate independently from the counter electrode in the vessel, and it can be a thief electrode and/or a de-plating electrode depending upon the type of process. The supplementary electrode can further be used as another counter electrode during a portion of a plating cycle or polishing cycle. The supplementary virtual electrode is located in the processing zone, and it is configured to counteract an electric field offset relative to the wafer associated with an offset between the wafer and the counter electrode in the vessel when the wafer is in the processing zone.

Claims

1. An apparatus for electrochemically processing a microfeature wafer, comprising:

a vessel having a processing zone;

a wafer holder associated with the vessel and adapted to hold a wafer in the processing zone of the vessel for electrochemical processing;

at least one counter electrode in the vessel;

a supplementary electrode configured to operate independently from the counter electrode; and

a supplementary virtual electrode below the supplementary electrode, wherein the supplementary virtual electrode is configured to counteract an electric field offset relative to the wafer associated with an offset between the wafer and the counter electrode when the wafer is in the processing zone, and wherein the supplementary electrode comprises an inclined annular ring oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the supplementary virtual electrode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the supplementary virtual electrode is located between the wafer holder and an annular member substantially surrounding the wafer holder.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the supplementary virtual electrode is oriented in a plane substantially parallel to a plane of a wafer held in the wafer holder.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the supplementary virtual electrode has an aperture for shaping an electric field component from the supplementary electrode, and wherein the aperture is formed, at least in part, by an inner edge of an annular member around the wafer holder.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of counter electrodes, and wherein the counter electrodes are configured to be operated independently from each other and the supplementary electrode.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a plurality of virtual counter electrodes corresponding to the counter electrodes, wherein the virtual counter electrodes have apertures located below the supplementary virtual electrode.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 with the wafer holder having a wafer support configured to hold a microfeature wafer and an electrical contact, and wherein the supplementary virtual electrode has an aperture defined, at least in part, by the vessel and the wafer holder.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the vessel includes a member having an inner edge, a rim above the inner edge, and a perimeter; and

the wafer holder has a wafer support configured to hold a microfeature wafer and an electrical contact configured to contact a plating surface of the wafer, and wherein the supplementary virtual electrode has an aperture defined, at least in part, by the inner edge of the member and the wafer support of the wafer holder.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the aperture of the supplementary virtual electrode has an outer diameter defined by the inner edge of the member and an inner diameter defined by an outer diameter of a portion of the wafer support.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the aperture of the supplementary virtual electrode has a first width at one side of the wafer holder and a second width different than the first width at an opposing side of the wafer holder.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the supplementary virtual electrode has an aperture with a first width at one side of the processing zone and a second width different than the first width at an opposing side of the processing zone when a central axis of the wafer is offset relative to a central axis of an electric field of the counter electrode.

12. An apparatus for electrochemically processing a microfeature wafer, comprising:

a vessel having a processing zone through which a processing fluid can flow upward, a rim over which the processing fluid can flow out of the processing zone, and a perimeter radially outward from the rim over which the processing fluid can flow downwardly;

a wafer holder having a support configured to hold a microfeature wafer in the processing zone and at least one electrical contact configured to provide an electrical current to the wafer;

at least one counter electrode in the vessel;

a supplementary electrode spaced apart from the wafer holder; and

a supplementary virtual electrode having an aperture configured to shape an electric field component from the supplementary electrode, wherein the aperture is shaped, at least in part, by alignment between the wafer holder and the vessel to counteract non-uniformities associated with an offset between the wafer holder and the vessel when the wafer holder holds a wafer in the processing zone and wherein the supplementary electrode comprises an inclined annular ring oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the supplementary virtual electrode.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the supplementary virtual electrode is located between the wafer holder and an annular member substantially surrounding the wafer holder.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the aperture of the supplementary virtual electrode has an outer diameter defined by a portion of the vessel and an inner diameter defined by an outer diameter of a portion of the support of the wafer holder.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the aperture of the supplementary virtual electrode has a first width at one side of the wafer holder and a second width different than the first width at an opposing side of the wafer holder.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the supplementary virtual electrode has an aperture with a first width at one side of the processing zone and a second width different than the first width at an opposing side of the processing zone when a central axis of the wafer is offset relative to a central axis of an electric field of the counter electrode.

17. An apparatus for electrochemically processing a microfeature wafer, comprising:

a vessel configured to direct a flow of processing fluid upward, wherein the vessel includes a processing zone through which the upward flow of processing fluid can pass;

a wafer holder having a wafer support configured to hold a microfeature wafer at the processing zone in a position transverse to the upward flow of processing fluid and at least one electrical contact configured to contact a plating surface of the wafer;

at least one counter electrode in the vessel;

a stationary supplementary electrode; and

a supplementary virtual electrode associated with the supplementary electrode, wherein the supplementary virtual electrode has an aperture with an outer edge defined at least in part by the vessel and an inner edge defined at least in part by the wafer holder when the wafer holder holds a wafer in the processing zone and wherein the supplementary electrode comprises an inclined annular ring oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the supplementary virtual electrode.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the supplementary virtual electrode is located between the wafer holder and an annular member substantially surrounding the wafer holder.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of counter electrodes, and wherein the counter electrodes are configured to be operated independently from each other and the supplementary electrode.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of virtual counter electrodes corresponding to the counter electrodes, wherein the virtual counter electrodes have apertures located below the supplementary electrode.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein an outermost virtual counter electrode has an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the wafer.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising an agitator between the virtual counter electrodes and the wafer holder.

23. An apparatus for electrochemically processing a microfeature wafer, comprising:

a vessel having a processing zone;

a wafer holder associated with the vessel to hold a wafer in the processing zone for electrochemical processing, with the vessel including a member having an inner edge, a rim above the inner edge, and a perimeter, and the vessel adapted to hold a processing fluid;

a mount above the member, with the mount and the member forming a compartment having a first flow outlet between the mount and the member through which processing fluid can exit the processing zone and flow over the perimeter of the member, and the mount including a brim defining a second flow outlet for processing fluid;

at least one counter electrode in the vessel;

a supplementary electrode in the compartment at a radial position between the inner edge and the perimeter, with the supplementary electrode operable independently from the counter electrode; and

a supplementary virtual electrode in the processing zone configured to counteract an electric field offset relative to the wafer associated with an offset between the wafer and the counter electrode when the wafer is in the processing zone.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the supplementary virtual electrode has an aperture for shaping an electric field component from the supplementary electrode, and wherein the aperture is formed, at least in part, by the inner edge of the member.