WO2004110698A2 - Methods and systems for processing microfeature workpieces with flow agitators and/or multiple electrodes - Google Patents
Methods and systems for processing microfeature workpieces with flow agitators and/or multiple electrodes Download PDFInfo
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- WO2004110698A2 WO2004110698A2 PCT/US2004/017670 US2004017670W WO2004110698A2 WO 2004110698 A2 WO2004110698 A2 WO 2004110698A2 US 2004017670 W US2004017670 W US 2004017670W WO 2004110698 A2 WO2004110698 A2 WO 2004110698A2
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- agitator
- workpiece
- tool
- process location
- electrode
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Classifications
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D7/00—Electroplating characterised by the article coated
- C25D7/12—Semiconductors
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D17/001—Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D17/007—Current directing devices
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D17/008—Current shielding devices
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D21/00—Processes for servicing or operating cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D21/10—Agitating of electrolytes; Moving of racks
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D5/00—Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces
- C25D5/08—Electroplating with moving electrolyte e.g. jet electroplating
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67155—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations
- H01L21/6719—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67155—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations
- H01L21/67196—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations characterized by the construction of the transfer chamber
Definitions
- the present invention is directed toward methods and systems for processing microfeature workpieces with flow agitators and/or multiple electrodes, including reactors and tools having multiple electrodes and/or enclosed reciprocating agitators.
- Microdevices are manufactured by depositing and working several layers of materials on a single substrate to produce a large number of individual devices. For example, layers of photoresist, conductive materials, and dielectric materials are deposited, patterned, developed, etched, planarized, and otherwise manipulated to form features in and/or on a substrate. The features are arranged to form integrated circuits, micro-fluidic systems, and other structures.
- Wet chemical processes are commonly used to form features on microfeature workpieces.
- Wet chemical processes are generally performed in wet chemical processing tools that have a plurality of individual processing chambers for cleaning, etching, electrochemical Iy depositing materials, or performing combinations of these processes.
- Each chamber typically includes a vessel in which wet processing fluids are received, and a workpiece support (e.g., a lift-rotate unit) that holds the workpiece in the vessel during processing.
- a robot moves the workpiece into and out of the chambers.
- the electrochemical deposition chambers housed in the tool may also suffer from several drawbacks.
- a diffusion layer develops at the surface of the workpiece in contact with an electrolytic liquid.
- the concentration of the material applied to or removed from the workpiece varies over the thickness of the diffusion layer.
- it is desirable to reduce the thickness of the diffusion layer so as to allow an increase in the speed with which material is added to or removed from the workpiece.
- it is desirable to otherwise control the material transfer at the surface of the workpiece for example, to control the composition of an alloy deposited on the surface, or to more uniformly deposit materials in surface recesses having different aspect ratios.
- One approach to reducing the diffusion layer thickness is to increase the flow velocity of the electrolyte at the surface of the workpiece.
- some vessels include paddles that translate or rotate adjacent to the workpiece to create a high speed, agitated flow at the surface of the workpiece.
- the workpiece is spaced apart from an anode by a first distance along a first axis (generally normal to the surface of the workpiece) during processing.
- a paddle having a height of about 25% of the first distance along the first axis oscillates between the workpiece in the anode along a second axis transverse to the first axis.
- the paddle rotates relative to the workpiece.
- fluid jets are directed at the workpiece to agitate the flow at the workpiece surface.
- the foregoing arrangements suffer from several drawbacks. For example, it is often difficult even with one or more paddles or fluid jets, to achieve the flow velocities necessary to significantly reduce the diffusion layer thickness at the surface of the workpiece.
- a paddle when used to agitate the flow adjacent to the microfeature workpiece, it can create "shadows" in the electrical field within the electrolyte, causing undesirable nonuniformities in the deposition or removal of material from the microfeature workpiece.
- a potential drawback associated with rotating paddles is that they may be unable to accurately control radial variations in the material application/removal process, because the speed of the paddle relative to the workpiece varies as a function of the radius and has a singularity at the center of the workpiece.
- the reactors in which such paddles are positioned may also suffer from several drawbacks.
- the electrode in the reactor may not apply or remove material from the workpiece in a spatially uniform manner, causing some areas of the workpiece to gain or lose material at a greater rate than others.
- Existing devices are also not configured to transfer material to and/or from different types of workpieces without requiring lengthy, unproductive time intervals between processing periods, during which the devices must be reconfigured (for example, by moving the electrode and/or a shield to adjust the electric field within the electrolyte).
- Another drawback is that the paddles can disturb the uniformity of the electric field created by the electrode, which further affects the uniformity with which material is applied to or removed from the workpiece.
- the vessel may also include a magnet positioned proximate to the workpiece to control the magnetic orientation of material applied to the workpiece.
- the present invention is a tool that includes a processing chamber having an agitator, a workpiece transport for moving workpieces to and from the processing chamber, and a registration system for locating the processing chamber and the transport relative to each other.
- the tool includes a mounting module having positioning elements and attachment elements for engaging the chamber and the transport. The positioning elements maintain their relative positions so that the transport does not need to be recalibrated when the processing chamber is removed and replaced with another processing chamber.
- the mounting module includes a deck that has a rigid outer member, a rigid interior member, and bracing between the outer member and the interior member.
- the processing chamber is then attached to the deck.
- the module further includes a platform that has positioning elements for locating the transport.
- the agitator in the processing chamber is positioned within an agitator chamber, with tight clearances around the agitator to increase the fluid agitation, and therefore enhance mass transfer effects at the surface of the workpiece.
- the agitator can include multiple agitator elements and can reciprocate through a stroke that changes position over time to reduce the likelihood for electrically shadowing the workpiece.
- Multiple electrodes e.g., including a thieving electrode
- An electric field control element can be positioned between electrodes of the chamber and the process location to circumferential Iy vary the electric current density in the processing fluid at different parts of the process location, thereby counteracting potential three-dimensional effects created by the paddles as they reciprocate relative to the workpiece.
- a magnet can be positioned proximate to a location at which the workpiece is processed (e.g., to control the application of magnetically directional materials) but not adjacent the path along which an electrode is moved when it is installed or removed.
- Figure 1 is a schematic top plan view of a wet chemical processing tool in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 2A is an isometric view illustrating a portion of a wet chemical processing tool in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 2B is a top plan view of a wet chemical processing tool arranged in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 3 is an isometric view of a mounting module for use in a wet chemical processing tool in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 4 is cross-sectional view along line 4-4 of Figure 3 of a mounting module for use in a wet chemical processing tool in accordance with an embodiment to the invention.
- Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a deck of a mounting module in greater detail.
- Figure 6A is a partially schematic, isometric illustration of a processing station having features configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 6B is a top isometric view of the processing station shown in Figure 6A.
- FIGS. 6C and 6D are schematic illustrations of a reactor having agitators and electrodes configured in accordance with embodiments of the invention.
- Figure 6E is a partially schematic, isometric illustration of an actuated agitator configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 8 is a partially schematic, cross-sectional view of the reactor shown in Figure 7.
- Figure 9 is a schematic illustration of an electric field control element configured to circumferentially vary the effect of an electrode in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 10 is a partially schematic illustration of another embodiment of an electric field control element.
- Figure 11 is a partially schematic, isometric illustration of an electric field control element that also functions as a gasket in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- Figures 12A-12G illustrate agitators having shapes and configurations in accordance with further embodiments of the invention.
- Figure 13 is an isometric illustration of an agitator having a grid configuration.
- Figure 14 schematically illustrates flow into and out of an agitator chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 15 is a partially schematic illustration of a reactor having an agitator chamber in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- Figures 16A-16B illustrate a bottom plan view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a portion of an agitator chamber having agitator elements of different sizes in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view of a plurality of agitators that reciprocate within an envelope in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 18 is a partially schematic, isometric illustration of an agitator element having a height that changes over its length.
- Figures 19A-19F schematically illustrate a pattern for shifting the reciprocation stroke of agitator elements in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- microfeature workpiece or “workpiece” refer to substrates on and/or in which microelectronic devices are integrally formed.
- Typical microdevices include microelectronic circuits or components, thin-film recording heads, data storage elements, microfluidic devices, and other products.
- Micromachines or micromechanical devices are included within this definition because they are manufactured using much of the same technology that is used in the fabrication of integrated circuits.
- the substrates can be semiconductive pieces (e.g., doped silicon wafers or gallium arsenide wafers), nonconductive pieces (e.g., various ceramic substrates), or conductive pieces.
- the workpieces are generally round and in other cases, the workpieces have other shapes, including rectilinear shapes.
- integrated tools for wet chemical processing of microfeature workpieces are described in the context of depositing metals or electrophoretic resist in or on structures of a workpiece.
- the integrated tools in accordance with the invention can also be used in etching, rinsing or other types of wet chemical processes in the fabrication of microfeatures in and/or on semiconductor substrates or other types of workpieces.
- tools and chambers in accordance with the invention are set forth in Figures 1-19F and the following text to provide a thorough understanding of particular embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an integrated tool 100 that can perform one or more wet chemical processes.
- the tool 100 includes a housing or cabinet 102 that encloses a deck 164, a plurality of wet chemical processing stations 101 , and a workpiece transport or transport system 105.
- Each processing station 101 includes a vessel, chamber, or reactor 110 and a workpiece support (for example, a lift-rotate unit) 113 for transferring microfeature workpieces W into and out of the reactor 110.
- the stations 101 can include rinse/dry chambers, cleaning capsules, etching capsules, electrochemical deposition chambers, or other types of wet chemical processing vessels.
- the transport system 105 includes a linear track 104 and a robot 103 that moves along the track 104 to transport individual workpieces W within the tool 100.
- the integrated tool 100 further includes a workpiece load/unload unit 108 having a plurality of containers 107 for holding the workpieces W.
- the robot 103 transports workpieces W to/from the containers 107 and the processing stations 101 according to a predetermined workflow schedule within the tool 100.
- FIG. 2A is an isometric view showing a portion of an integrated tool 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- the integrated tool 100 includes a frame 162, a dimensionally stable mounting module 160 mounted to the frame 162, a plurality of wet chemical processing chambers 110, and a plurality of workpiece supports 113.
- the mounting module 160 carries the processing chambers 110 and the workpiece supports 113, as well as the transport system 105.
- the frame 162 has a plurality of posts 163 and cross-bars 161 that are welded together in a manner known in the art.
- a plurality of outer panels and doors (not shown in Figure 2A) are generally attached to the frame 162 to form an enclosed cabinet 102 ( Figure 1 ).
- the mounting module 160 is at least partially housed within the frame 162. In one embodiment, the mounting module 160 is carried by the cross-bars 161 of the frame 162, but the mounting module 160 can alternatively stand directly on the floor of the facility or other structures.
- the mounting module 160 is a rigid, stable structure that maintains the relative positions between the wet chemical processing chambers 110, the workpiece supports 113, and the transport system 105.
- One aspect of the mounting module 160 is that it is much more rigid and has a significantly greater structural integrity than the frame 162 so that the relative positions between the wet chemical processing chambers 110, the workpiece supports 113, and the transport system 105 do not change over time.
- Another aspect of the mounting module 160 is that it includes a dimensionally stable deck 164 with positioning elements at precise locations for positioning the processing chambers 110 and the workpiece supports 113 at known locations on the deck 164. In one embodiment (not shown), the transport system 105 is mounted directly to the deck 164.
- the mounting module 160 also has a dimensionally stable platform 165 and the transport system 105 is mounted to the platform 165.
- the deck 164 and the platform 165 are fixedly positioned relative to each other so that positioning elements on the deck 164 and positioning elements on the platform 165 do not move relative to each other.
- the mounting module 160 accordingly provides a system in which wet chemical processing chambers 110 and workpiece supports 113 can be removed and replaced with interchangeable components in a manner that accurately positions the replacement components at precise locations on the deck 164.
- the tool 100 is particularly suitable for applications that have demanding specifications which require frequent maintenance of the wet chemical processing chambers 110, the workpiece support 113, or the transport system 105.
- a wet chemical processing chamber 110 can be repaired or maintained by simply detaching the chamber from the processing deck 164 and replacing the chamber 110 with an interchangeable chamber having mounting hardware configured to interface with the positioning elements on the deck 164. Because the mounting module 160 is dimensionally stable and the mounting hardware of the replacement processing chamber 110 interfaces with the deck 164, the chambers 110 can be interchanged on the deck 164 without having to recalibrate the transport system 105. This is expected to significantly reduce the downtime associated with repairing or maintaining the processing chambers 110 so that the tool 100 can maintain a high throughput in applications that have stringent performance specifications.
- Figure 2B is a top plan view of the tool 100 illustrating the transport system 105 and the load/unload unit 108 attached to the mounting module 160.
- the track 104 is mounted to the platform 165 and in particular, interfaces with positioning elements on the platform 165 so that it is accurately positioned relative to the chambers 110 and the workpiece supports 113 attached to the deck 164.
- the robot 103 (which includes end-effectors 106 for grasping the workpiece W) can accordingly move the workpiece W in a fixed, dimensionally stable reference frame established by the mounting module 160.
- the tool 100 can further include a plurality of panels 166 attached to the frame 162 to enclose the mounting module 160, the wet chemical processing chambers 110, the workpiece supports 113, and the transport system 105 in the cabinet 102.
- the panels 166 on one or both sides of the tool 100 can be removed in the region above the processing deck 164 to provide an open tool.
- FIG 3 is an isometric view of a mounting module 160 configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention for use in the tool 100 ( Figures 1- 2B).
- the deck 164 includes a rigid first panel 166a and a rigid second panel 166b superimposed underneath the first panel 166a.
- the first panel 166a is an outer member and the second panel 166b is an interior member juxtaposed to the outer member.
- the first and second panels 166a and 166b can have different configurations than the one shown in Figure 3.
- a plurality of chamber receptacles 167 are disposed in the first and second panels 166a and 166b to receive the wet chemical processing chambers 110 ( Figure 2A).
- the deck 164 further includes a plurality of positioning elements 168 and attachment elements 169 arranged in a precise pattern across the first panel 166a.
- the positioning elements 168 include holes machined in the first panel 166a at precise locations, and/or dowels or pins received in the holes.
- the dowels are also configured to interface with the wet chemical processing chambers 110 ( Figure 2A).
- the dowels can be received in corresponding holes or other interface members of the processing chambers 110.
- the positioning elements 168 include pins, such as cylindrical pins or conical pins, that project upwardly from the first panel 166a without being positioned in holes in the first panel 166a.
- the deck 164 has a set of first chamber positioning elements 168a located at each chamber receptacle 167 to accurately position the individual wet chemical processing chambers at precise locations on the mounting module 160.
- the deck 164 can also include a set of first support positioning elements 168b near each receptacle 167 to accurately position individual workpiece supports 113 ( Figure 2A) at precise locations on the mounting module 160.
- the first support positioning elements 168b are positioned and configured to mate with corresponding positioning elements of the workpiece supports 113.
- the attachment elements 169 can be threaded holes in the first panel 166a that receive bolts to secure the chambers 110 and the workpiece supports 113 to the deck 164.
- the mounting module 160 also includes exterior side plates 170a along longitudinal outer edges of the deck 164, interior side plates 170b along longitudinal inner edges of the deck 164, and endplates 170c attached to the ends of the deck 164.
- the transport platform 165 is attached to the interior side plates 170b and the end plates 170c.
- the transport platform 165 includes track positioning elements 168c for accurately positioning the track 104 ( Figures 2A and 2B) of the transport system 105 ( Figures 2A and 2B) on the mounting module 160.
- the track positioning elements 168c can include pins or holes that mate with corresponding holes, pins or other interface members of the track 104.
- the transport platform 165 can further include attachment elements 169, such as tapped holes, that receive bolts to secure the track 104 to the platform 165.
- Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one suitable embodiment of the internal structure of the deck 164
- Figure 5 is a detailed view of a portion of the deck 164 shown in Figure 4.
- the deck 164 includes bracing 171 , such as joists, extending laterally between the exterior side plates 170a and the interior side plates 170b.
- the first panel 166a is attached to the upper side of the bracing 171
- the second panel 166b is attached to the lower side of the bracing 171.
- the deck 164 can further include a plurality of throughbolts 172 and nuts 173 that secure the first and second panels 166a and 166b to the bracing 171.
- the bracing 171 has a plurality of holes 174 through which the throughbolts 172 extend.
- the nuts 173 can be welded to the bolts 172 to enhance the connection between these components.
- the panels and bracing of the deck 164 can be made from stainless steel, other metal alloys, solid cast materials, or fiber-reinforced composites.
- the panels and plates can be made from Nitronic 50 stainless steel, Hastelloy 625 steel alloys, or a solid cast epoxy filled with mica.
- the fiber-reinforced composites can include a carbon-fiber or Kevlar® mesh in a hardened resin.
- the material for the panels 166a and 166b should be highly rigid and compatible with the chemicals used in the wet chemical processes. Stainless steel is well-suited for many applications because it is strong but not affected by many of the electrolytic solutions or cleaning solutions used in wet chemical processes.
- the panels and plates 166a-b and 170a-c are 0.125 to 0.375 inch thick stainless steel, and more specifically they can be 0.250 inch thick stainless steel.
- the panels and plates can have different thicknesses in other embodiments.
- the bracing 171 can also be stainless steel, fiber-reinforced composite materials, other metal alloys, and/or solid cast materials.
- the bracing can be 0.5 to 2.0 inch wide stainless steel joists, and more specifically 1.0 inch wide by 2.0 inches tall stainless steel joists.
- the bracing 171 can be a honey-comb core or other structures made from metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, etc.), polymers, fiber glass or other materials.
- the mounting module 160 is constructed by assembling the sections of the deck 164, and then welding or otherwise adhering the end plates 170c to the sections of the deck 164.
- the components of the deck 164 are generally secured together by the throughbolts 172 without welds.
- the outer side plates 170a and the interior side plates 170b are attached to the deck 164 and the end plates 170c using welds and/or fasteners.
- the platform 165 is then securely attached to the end plates 170c, and the interior side plates 170b.
- the order in which the mounting module 160 is assembled can be varied and is not limited to the procedure explained above.
- the mounting module 160 provides a heavy-duty, dimensionally stable structure that maintains the relative positions between the positioning elements 168a-b on the deck 164 and the positioning elements 168c on the platform 165 within a range that does not require the transport system 105 to be recalibrated each time a replacement processing chamber 110 or workpiece support 113 is mounted to the deck 164.
- the mounting module 160 is generally a rigid structure that is sufficiently strong to maintain the relative positions between the positioning elements 168a-b and 168c when the wet chemical processing chambers 110, the workpiece supports 113, and the transport system 105 are mounted to the mounting module 160.
- the mounting module 160 is configured to maintain the relative positions between the positioning elements 168a- b and 168c to within 0.025 inch. In other embodiments, the mounting module is configured to maintain the relative positions between the positioning elements 168a- b and 168c to within approximately 0.005 to 0.015 inch. As such, the deck 164 often maintains a uniformly flat surface to within approximately 0.025 inch, and in more specific embodiments to approximately 0.005-0.015 inch.
- FIG. 6A is an isometric illustration of a processing station 101 having features in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- the station 101 includes a vessel 112 configured to carry an electrochemical processing fluid, a workpiece support 113 positioned to releasably carry a microfeature workpiece W in contact with the processing fluid, and an agitator 140 or other flow control device positioned to agitate the processing fluid proximate to a surface of the microfeature workpiece W.
- the agitator 140 can include one or more agitator elements 141 (e.g., paddles or paddle elements).
- the workpiece support 113 includes a head 185 carried by a head support 186 which moves upwardly and downwardly relative to the vessel 112 along a track 187.
- Conduits 188 provide for fluid and electrical communication between the workpiece support 113 and the rest of the tool 100 ( Figure 1 ) via a first connector 189a (attached to the workpiece support 113) and a second connector 189b (attached to the tool 100).
- the head 185 rotates between a face up position (to load and unload the microfeature workpiece W) and a face down position (for processing). When the workpiece W is in the face down position, the head 185 descends to bring the workpiece W into contact with the processing fluid in the vessel 112.
- the head 185 can also spin the workpiece W about an axis generally normal to the downwardly facing surface of the workpiece W.
- the head 185 spins the workpiece W to a selected orientation prior to processing (e.g., when the process is sensitive to the orientation of the workpiece W, including during deposition of magnetically responsive materials). In other embodiments, the head 185 spins the workpiece W during processing (e.g., during material application, removal and/or rinsing).
- the head 185 does not spin, e.g., when spinning before, during or after processing is not beneficial to the performed process. In any of these embodiments, the head 185 ascends after processing and then inverts to unload the workpiece W from the processing station 101.
- the processing station 101 includes a generally horseshoe-shaped magnet 195 disposed around the vessel 112.
- the magnet 195 includes a permanent magnet and/or an electromagnet positioned to orient molecules of material applied to the workpiece W in a particular direction.
- such an arrangement is used to apply permalloy and/or other magnetically directional materials to the workpiece W.
- the magnet 195 is eliminated.
- FIG. 6B is a top isometric view of an embodiment of the processing station 101 described above with reference to Figure 6A, with the workpiece support 113 removed for purposes of illustration.
- the agitator elements 141 are positioned in a chamber 130 (e.g., an agitator chamber or flow control chamber) just beneath the microfeature workpiece W (which is shown in phantom lines in Figure 6B). Accordingly, the microfeature workpiece W forms a portion of a top surface for the agitator chamber 130.
- a chamber 130 e.g., an agitator chamber or flow control chamber
- processing fluid is introduced into the agitator chamber 130 laterally (as represented by arrow A) so as to traverse the agitator chamber 130 and emerge from beneath the workpiece W through collection ports 139a (as indicated by arrows B).
- the processing fluid then travels around the agitator chamber 130 as indicated by arrows C and is collected in a series of drain ports 139b for removal or recirculation (as indicated by arrow D).
- the drain ports 139b define a fluid plane at the maximum height of the processing fluid in the vessel. At least a portion of the agitator chamber 130 (and, as shown in Figure 6B, the entirety of the agitator chamber 130) is immersed in processing fluid beneath the fluid plane.
- the agitator elements 141 While the processing fluid moves through the agitator chamber 130, the agitator elements 141 , positioned just beneath the workpiece W, reciprocate back and forth along a generally linear motion path (as indicated by arrow E) to enhance the mass transfer process at the surface of the workpiece W.
- FIG. 6C is a schematic illustration of a reactor 110 configured to process microfeature workpieces in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- the reactor 110 includes an inner vessel 112 disposed within an outer vessel 111.
- Processing fluid e.g., an electrolyte
- An electrode 121 is positioned in the inner vessel 112 and an agitator chamber 130 is positioned downstream of the electrode 121.
- the agitator chamber 130 includes an agitator 140 (e.g., a paddle device) having agitator elements 141 (e.g., paddles) that reciprocate back and forth relative to a central position 180, as indicated by arrow R.
- the chamber 130 also has an aperture 131 defining a process location P.
- a microfeature workpiece W is supported at the process location P by a workpiece support 113, so that a downwardly facing process surface 109 of the workpiece W is in contact with the processing fluid.
- the workpiece support 113 can rotate or not rotate, depending on the nature of the process carried out on the workpiece W.
- the workpiece support 113 can rotate or not rotate, depending on the nature of the process carried out on the workpiece W.
- a workpiece contact 115 e.g., a ring contact
- a seal
- the mass transfer process includes other deposition processes (e.g., electroless deposition) or other material removal processes.
- the processing fluid flows through the agitator chamber 130 while the agitator elements 141 reciprocate adjacent to the workpiece W to enhance the mass transfer process taking place at the process surface 109.
- the shapes, sizes and configurations of the agitator elements 141 , the manner in which they reciprocate, and the confined volume of the agitator chamber 130 further enhance the mass transfer process and reduce the impact of the agitator elements 141 on the electric field in the reactor 110. Further aspects of these features are described later with reference to Figures 7-19F.
- FIG. 6D is a schematic illustration of the reactor 110 having an electrode support 120 configured in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- the electrode support 120 includes a plurality of generally annular electrode compartments 122, separated by compartment walls 123.
- a corresponding plurality of annular electrodes 121 are positioned in the electrode compartments 122.
- the compartment walls 123 are formed from a dielectric material, and the gaps between the top edges of the compartment walls 123 define a composite virtual anode location V just beneath the agitator chamber 130.
- the terms "virtual anode location” and “virtual electrode location” refer to a plane spaced apart from the physical anodes or electrodes through which all the current flux for one or more of the electrodes or anodes passes.
- the polarity of the electrical potential applied to each of the electrodes 121 , and/or the current flowing through each of the electrodes 121 may be selected to control a manner in which material is added to or removed from the workpiece W at the process location P.
- the electrodes 121 may be eliminated when the reactor 110 is used to perform processes (such as electroless deposition processes) that still benefit from enhanced mass transfer effects at the process surface 109, provided by the agitator 140.
- FIG 6E is a partially schematic, isometric illustration of an agitator system 142 having an agitator 140 configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- the agitator 140 includes a plurality of agitator elements 141 (six are shown in Figure 3), each having outwardly facing agitator surfaces 147. Accordingly, the agitator surfaces 147 of neighboring agitator elements 141 are spaced apart from each other.
- the agitator 140 further includes a support 144 that is driven by a motor 143 to move the agitator 140 in a linear, reciprocal manner, as indicated by arrow R.
- the motor 143 is coupled to the support 144 with a coupler 145 (e.g., a lead screw).
- a bellows 146 is positioned around the coupler 145 and protects the coupler 145 from exposure to the processing fluid described above.
- a controller 152 directs the motion of the agitator 140.
- Elongated flow restrictors extend transverse to the agitator elements 141 to restrict and/or prevent fluid from escaping directly out of the agitator chamber 130 ( Figure 2).
- the agitator elements 141 are shaped to agitate the processing fluid in which they reciprocate, without creating a significant impact on the local electric field.
- FIG. 7 is a partially schematic, cutaway illustration of a reactor 710 configured in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- the reactor 710 includes a lower portion 719a, an upper portion 719b above the lower portion 719a, and an agitator chamber 730 above the upper portion 719b.
- the lower portion 719a houses an electrode support or pack 720 which in turn houses a plurality of annular electrodes 721 (shown in Figure 7 as electrodes 721a-721d).
- the lower portion 719a is coupled to the upper portion 719b with a clamp 726.
- a perforated gasket 727 positioned between the lower portion 719a and the upper portion 719b allows fluid and electrical communication between these two portions.
- the agitator chamber 730 can include a base 733, and a top 734 having an aperture 731 at the process location P.
- the agitator chamber 730 houses an agitator 740 having multiple agitator elements 741 that reciprocate back and forth beneath the workpiece W (shown in phantom lines in Figure 7) at the process location P.
- a magnet 795 is positioned adjacent to the process location P to control the orientation of ma ⁇ netically directional materials deposited on the workpiece W by the processing fluid.
- An upper ring portion 796 positioned above the process location P collects exhaust gases during electrochemical processing, and collects rinse fluid during rinsing.
- the rinse fluid is provided by one or more nozzles 798.
- the nozzle 798 projects from the wall of the upper ring portion 796. In other embodiments, the nozzle or nozzles 798 are flush with or recessed from the wall. In any of these arrangements, the nozzle or nozzles 798 are positioned to direct a stream of fluid (e.g., a rinse fluid) toward the workpiece W when the workpiece W is raised above the process location P and, optionally, while the workpiece W spins. Accordingly, the nozzle(s) 798 provide an in-situ rinse capability, to quickly rinse processing fluid from the workpiece W after a selected processing time has elapsed. This reduces inadvertent processing after the elapsed time, which might occur if chemically active fluids remain in contact with the workpiece W for even a relatively short post-processing time prior to rinsing.
- a stream of fluid e.g., a rinse fluid
- Processing fluid enters the reactor 710 through an inlet 716. Fluid proceeding through the inlet 716 fills the lower portion 719a and the upper portion 719b, and can enter the agitator chamber 730 through a permeable portion 733a of the base 733, and through gaps in the base 733. Some of the processing fluid exits the reactor 710 through first and second flow collectors, 717a, 717b. Additional processing fluid enters the agitator chamber 730 directly from an entrance port 716a and proceeds through a gap in a first wall 732a, laterally across the agitator chamber 730 to a gap in a second wall 732b. At least some of the processing fluid within the agitator chamber 730 rises above the process location P and exits through drain ports 797..
- the reactor 710 is mounted to a rigid deck 764 in a manner generally similar to that described above with reference to Figures 2A-5. Accordingly, the deck 764 includes a first panel 766a supported relative to a second panel 766b by fasteners and bracing (not shown in Figure 7). Chamber positioning elements 768a (e.g., dowel pins) project upwardly from the first panel 766a and are received in precisely positioned holes in a base plate 777 of the reactor 710.
- the base plate 777 is attached to the deck 764 with fasteners (not shown in Figure 7), e.g., nuts and bolts.
- the base plate 777 is also aligned and fastened to the rest of the reactor 710 with additional dowels and fasteners. Accordingly, the reactor 710 (and any replacement reactor 710) is precisely located relative to the deck 764, the corresponding workpiece support 113 ( Figure 1) and the corresponding transport system 105 ( Figure 1).
- the lower portion 719a (which houses the electrode support 720) is coupled to and decoupled from the upper portion 719b by moving the electrode support 720 along an installation/removal axis A, as indicated by arrow F. Accordingly, the electrode support 720 need not pass through the open center of the magnet 795 during installation and removal.
- An advantage of this feature is that the electrode support 720 and/or the electrodes 721 (which may include a magnetically responsive material, such as a ferromagnetic material) will be less likely to be drawn toward the magnet 795 during installation and/or removal. This feature can make installation of the electrode support 720 substantially simpler.
- this feature can eliminate the need for specialized hoist equipment to handle installation and/or removal of the magnet 745.
- This feature can also reduce the likelihood for damage to either the electrode support 720 or other portions of the reactor 710 (including the magnet 795). Such damage can result from collisions caused by the attractive forces between the magnet 795 and the electrode support 720 or electrodes 721.
- Figure 8 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of an embodiment of the reactor 710 taken substantially along line 8-8 of Figure 7.
- the lower and upper portions 719a, 719b include multiple compartment walls 823 (four are shown in Figure 8 as compartment walls 823a-823d) that divide the volume within these portions into a corresponding plurality of annular compartments 822 (four are shown in Figure 8 as compartments 822a-822d), each of which houses one of the electrodes 721.
- the gaps between adjacent compartment walls 823 e.g., at the tops of the compartment walls 823) provide for "virtual electrodes" at these locations.
- the permeable base portion 733a can also provide a virtual electrode location.
- the electrodes 721a-721d are coupled to a power supply 828 and a controller 829.
- the power supply 828 and the controller 829 together control the electrical potential and current applied to each of the electrodes 721a-721d, and the workpiece W. Accordingly, an operator can control the rate at which material is applied to and/or removed from the workpiece W in a spatially and/or temporally varvin ⁇ manner.
- the operator can select the outermost electrode 721 d to operate as a current thief. Accordingly, during a deposition process, the outermost electrode 721 d attracts ions that would otherwise be attracted to the workpiece W.
- the operator can temporally and/or spatially control the current distribution across the workpiece W to produce a desired thickness distribution of applied material (e.g., flat, edge thick, or edge thin).
- the multiple electrodes provide the operator with increased control over the rate and manner with which material is applied to or removed from the workpiece W.
- Another advantage is that the operator can account for differences between consecutively processed workpieces or workpiece batches by adjusting the current and/or electric potential applied to each electrode, rather than physically adjusting parameters of the reactor 710..
- the reactor 710 includes a first return flow collector 717a and a second return flow collector 717b.
- the first return flow collector 717a collects flow from the innermost three electrode compartments 822a-822c
- the second return flow collector 717b collects processing fluid from the outermost electrode compartment 822d to maintain electrical isolation for the outermost electrode 721 d.
- this arrangement can also reduce the likelihood for particulates (e.g., flakes from consumable electrodes) to enter the agitator chamber 730.
- particulates e.g., flakes from consumable electrodes
- One feature of an embodiment of the reactor 710 described above with reference to Figures 7 and 8 is that the electrodes 721 are positioned remotely from the orocess location P.
- An advantage of this feature is that the desired distribution of current density at the process surface 109 of the workpiece W can be maintained even when the electrodes 721 change shape.
- the electrodes 721 include consumable electrodes and change shape during plating processes, the increased distance between the electrodes 721 and the process location P reduces the effect of the shape change on the current density at the process surface 109, when compared with the effect of electrodes positioned close to the process location P.
- This advantage applies as well to electrodes that operate as current thieves and change shape by gaining rather than losing conductive material.
- Such electrodes need not be cleaned as often as electrodes positioned close to the process location P.
- Another advantage is that shadowing effects introduced by features in the flow path between the electrodes 721 and the workpiece W (for example, the gasket 727) can be reduced due to the increased spacing between the electrodes 721 and the process location P.
- the electrodes 721 have other locations and/or configurations.
- the chamber base 733 houses one or more of the electrodes 721.
- the chamber base 733 may include a plurality of concentric, annular, porous electrodes (formed, for example, from sintered metal) to provide for (a) spatially and/or temporally controllable electrical fields at the process location P, and (b) a flow path into the agitator chamber 730.
- the agitator elements 741 themselves may be coupled to an electrical potential to function as electrodes, in particular, when formed from a non- consumable material.
- the reactor 710 may include more or fewer than four electrodes, and/or the electrodes may be positioned more remotely from the process location P, and may maintain fluid and electrical communication with the process location P via conduits.
- Figure 9 is a partially schematic illustration looking downwardly on a reactor 910 having an agitator 940 positioned in an agitator chamber 930 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- the agitator chamber 930 and the agitator 940 are arranged generally similarly to the agitator chambers and the agitators described above with reference to Figures 6-8.
- the agitator 940 includes a plurality of agitator elements 941 elongated parallel to an agitator axis 990 and movable relative to a workpiece W (shown in phantom lines in Figure 9) along an agitator motion axis 991.
- the elongated agitator elements 941 can potentially affect the uniformity of the electric field proximate to the circular workpiece W in a circumferentially varying manner. Accordingly, the reactor 910 includes features for circumferentially varying the effect of the thieving electrode (not visible in Figure 9) to account for this potential circumferential variation in current distribution.
- the agitator chamber 930 shown in Figure 9 includes a base 933 formed by a permeable base portion 933a and by the upper edges of walls 923 that separate the electrode chambers below (a third wall 923c and a fourth or outer wall 923d are visible in Figure 9).
- the third wall 923c is spaced apart from the permeable base portion 933a by a third wall gap 925c
- the fourth wall 923d is spaced apart from the third wall 923c by a circumferentially varying fourth wall gap 925d.
- Both gaps 925c and 925d are shaded for purposes of illustration.
- the shaded openings also represent the virtual anode locations for the outermost two electrodes, in one aspect of this embodiment.
- the fourth wall gap 925d has narrow portions 999a proximate to the 3:00 and 9:00 positions shown in Figure 9, and wide portions 999b proximate to the 12:00 and 6:00 positions shown in Figure 9.
- the disparities between the narrow portions 999a and the wide portions 999b are exaggerated in Figure 9.
- the narrow portions 999a have a width of about 0.16 inches
- the wide portions 999b have a width of from about 0.18 inches to about 0.22 inches.
- the narrow portions 999a and the wide portions 999b create a circumferentially varying distribution of the thief current (provided by a current thief located below the fourth wall gap 925d) that is stronger at the 12:00 and 6:00 positions than at the 3:00 and 9:00 positions.
- the thief current can have different values at different circumferential locations that are approximately the same radial distance from the center of the process location P and/or the workpiece VV.
- a circumferentially varying fourth wall gap 925d or a circumferentially varying third wall gap 925c or other gap can be used to deliberately create a three dimensional effect, for example on a workpiece W that has circumferentially varying plating or deplating requirements.
- Such a workpiece W includes a patterned wafer having an open area (e.g., accessible for plating) that varies in a circumferential manner.
- the gap width or other characteristics of the reactor 910 can be tailored to account for the conductivity of the electrolyte in the reactor 910.
- Figure 10 illustrates an arrangement in which the region between the third wall 923c and the fourth wall 923d is occupied by a plurality of holes 1025 rather than a gap.
- the spacing and/or size of the holes 1025 varies in a circumferential manner so that a current thief positioned below the holes 1025 has a stronger effect proximate to the 12:00 and 6:00 positions then proximate to the 3:00 and 9:00 positions.
- Figure 11 is a partially cut-away, isometric view of a portion of a reactor 1110 having an electric field control element 1192 that is not part of the agitator chamber.
- the reactor 1110 includes an upper portion 1119b that replaces the upper portion 719b shown in Figure 7.
- the electric field control element 1192 is positioned at the lower end of the upper portion 1119b and has openings 1189 arranged to provide a circumferentially varying open area.
- the openings 1189 are larger at the 12:00 and 6:00 positions than they are at the 3:00 and 9:00 positions.
- the relative number of openings 1189 may be greater at the 12:00 and 6:00 positions in a manner generally similar to that described above with reference to Figure 10.
- the upper portion 1119b also includes upwardly extending vanes 1188 that maintain the circumferentially varying electrical characteristics caused by the electric field control element 1192, in a direction extending upwardly to the process location P.
- the reactor 1110 may include twelve vertically extending vanes 1188, or other numbers of vanes 1188, depending, for example, on the degree to which the open area varies in the circumferential direction.
- the electric field control element 1192 also functions as a gasket between the upper portion 1119b and a lower portion 1119a of the reactor 1110, and can replace the gasket 727 described above with reference to Figure 7 to achieve the desired circumferential electric field variation.
- the electric field control element 1192 may be provided in addition to the gasket 727, for example, at a position below the gasket 727 shown in Figure 7. In either case, an operator can select and install an electric field control element 1192 having open areas configured for a specific workpiece (or batch of workpieces), without disturbing the upper portion 1119b of the reactor 1110.
- An advantage of this arrangement is that it reduces the time required by the operator to service the reactor 1110 and/or tailor the electric field characteristics of the reactor 1110 to a particular type of workpiece W.
- FIGS 12A-12G illustrate agitator elements 1241a-1241g, respectively, having shapes and other features in accordance with further embodiments of the invention, and being suitable for installation in reactors such as the reactors 110, 710 and 1110 described above.
- Each of the agitator elements (referred to collectively as agitator elements 1241) has opposing agitator surfaces 1247 (shown as agitator surfaces 1247a-1247g) that are inclined at an acute angle relative to a line extending normal to the process location P. This provides the agitator elements 1241 with a downwardly tapered shape that reduces the likelihood for shadowing or otherwise adversely influencing the electric field created by the electrode or electrodes 121 ( Figure 12A) while maintaining the structural integrity of the paddles.
- each agitator element 1241a has a generally diamond-shaped cross-sectional configuration with flat agitator surfaces 1247a.
- the agitator element 1241b has concave agitator surfaces 1247b.
- the agitator element 1241c has convex agitator surfaces 1247c, and the agitator element 1241d ( Figure 12D) has flat agitator surfaces 1247d positioned to form a generally triangular shape.
- the agitator elements 1241 have other shapes that also agitate the flow at the process location P and reduce or eliminate the extent to which they shadow the electrical field created by the nearby electrode or electrodes 121.
- the agitation provided by the agitator elements 1241 may also be supplemented by fluid jets.
- the agitator element 1241e ( Figure 12E) has canted agitator surfaces 1247e that house jet apertures 1248.
- the jet apertures 1248 can be directed generally normal to the process location P (as shown in Figure 12E); alternatively, the jet apertures 1248 can be directed at other angles relative to the process location P.
- the processing fluid is provided to the jet apertures 1248 via a manifold 1249 internal to the agitator element 1241e. Jets of processing fluid exiting the jet apertures 1248 increase the agitation at the process location P and enhance the mass transfer process taking place at the process surface 109 of the workpiece W ( Figure 6).
- Figures 12F and 12G illustrate agitator elements having perforations or other openings that allow the processing fluid to flow through the agitator elements from one side to the other as the agitator elements move relative to the processing fluid.
- the agitator element 1241f has opposing agitator surfaces 1247f, each with pores 125Of.
- the volume of the agitator element 1241f between the opposing agitator surfaces 1247f is also porous to allow the processing fluid to pass through the agitator element 1241f from one side surface 1247f to the other.
- the agitator element 1241f may be formed from a porous metal (e.g., titanium) or other materials, such as porous ceramic materials.
- Figure 12G illustrates an agitator element 1241g having agitator surfaces 1247g with through- holes 125Og arranged in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- Each of the through-holes 125Og extends entirely through the agitator element 1241g along a hole axis 1251 , from one agitator surface 1247g to the opposing agitator surface 1247g.
- One feature of the agitator elements described above with reference to Figures 12F and 12G is that the holes or pores have the effect of increasing the transparency of the agitator elements to the electric field in the adjacent processing fluid.
- An advantage of this arrangement is that the pores or holes reduce the extent to which the agitator elements add a three-dimensional component to the electric fields proximate to the workpiece W, and/or the extent to which the agitator elements shadow the adjacent workpiece W. Nonetheless, the agitator elements still enhance the mass transfer characteristics at the surface of the workpiece W by agitating the flow there.
- FIG. 13 is a partially schematic illustration of an agitator 1340 having a three-dimensional arrangement of agitator elements 1341 (shown in Figure 13 as first agitator elements 1341a and second agitator elements 1341b).
- the agitator elements 1341a, 1341 b are arranged to form a grid, with each of the agitator elements 1341a, 1341 b oriented at an acute angle relative to the motion direction R (as opposed to being normal to the motion direction R). Accordingly, the grid arrangement of agitator elements 1341 can increase the agitation created by the agitator 1340 and create a more uniform electric field.
- One aspect of the present invention is that, whatever shape and configuration the agitator elements have, they reciprocate within the confines of a close-fitting agitator chamber.
- the confined volume of the agitator chamber can further enhance the mass transfer effects at the surface of the workpiece W. Further details of the agitator chamber and the manner in which the agitator elements are integrated with the agitator chamber are described below with reference to Figures 14-19F.
- Figure 14 is a schematic illustration of the upper portion of a reactor 1410 having an agitator 1440 disposed in a closely confined agitator chamber 1430 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- the chamber 1430 includes a top 1434 having an aperture 1431 to receive the workpiece W at the process location P.
- Opposing chamber walls 1432 (shown as a left wall 1432a and a right wall 1432b) extend downwardly away from the top 1434 to a base 1433 that faces toward the process location P.
- the agitator 1440 includes a plurality of agitator elements 1441 positioned between the process location P and the chamber base 1433.
- the agitator 1430 has a height H1 between the process location P and the chamber base 1433, and the agitator elements 1441 have a height H2.
- the tops of the agitator elements 1441 are spaced apart from the process location P by a gap distance D1
- the bottoms of the agitator elements 1441 are spaced apart from the chamber base 1433 by a gap distance D2.
- the agitator height H2 is a substantial fraction of the chamber height H1 , and the gap distances D1 and D2 are relatively small.
- the agitator height H2 is at least 30% of the chamber height H1. In further particular examples, the agitator height H2 is equal to at least 70%, 80%, 90% or more of the chamber height H1.
- the chamber height H1 can be 30 millimeters or less, e.g., from about 10 millimeters to about 15 millimeters. When the chamber height H1 is about 15 millimeters, the agitator height H2 can be about 10 millimeters, with the gap distances D1 and D2 ranging from about 1 millimeter or less to about 5 millimeters.
- the chamber height H1 is 15 millimeters
- the agitator height H2 is about 11.6 millimeters
- D1 is about 2.4 millimeters
- D2 is about 1 millimeter.
- Other arrangements have different values for these dimensions.
- the amount of flow agitation within the agitator chamber 1430 is generally correlated with the height H2 of the agitator elements 1441 relative to the height H1 of the agitator chamber 1430, with greater relative agitator element height generally causing increased agitation, all other variables being equal.
- the plurality of agitator elements 1441 more uniformly and more completely agitates the flow within the agitator chamber 1430 (as compared with a single agitator element 1441 ) to enhance the mass transfer process at the process surface 109 of the workpiece W.
- the narrow clearances between the edges of the agitator elements 1441 and (a) the workpiece W above and (b) the chamber base 1433 below, within the confines of the agitator chamber 1430, also increase the level of agitation at the process surface 109.
- the movement of the multiple agitator elements 1441 within the small volume of the agitator chamber 1430 forces the processing fluid through the narrow gaps between the agitator elements 1441 and the workpiece W (above) and the chamber base 1433 (below).
- the confined volume of the agitator chamber 1430 also keeps the agitated flow proximate to the process surface 109.
- An advantage of the foregoing arrangement is that the mass transfer process at the process surface 109 of the workpiece W is enhanced. For example, the overall rate at which material is removed from or applied to the workpiece W is increased. In another example, the composition of alloys deposited on the process surface 109 is more accurately controlled and/or maintained at target levels. In yet another example, the foregoing arrangement increases the uniformity with which material is deposited on features having different dimensions (e.g., recesses having different depths and/or different aspect ratios), and/or similar dimensions. The foregoing results can be attributed to reduced diffusion layer thickness and/or other mass transfer enhancements resulting from the increased agitation of the processing fluid.
- the processing fluid enters the agitator chamber 1430 by one or both of two flow paths. Processing fluid following a first path enters the agitator chamber 1430 from below. Accordingly, the processing fluid passes through electrode compartments 1422 of an electrode support 1420 located below the agitator chamber 1430. The processing fluid passes laterally outwardly through gaps between compartment walls 1423 and the chamber base 1433.
- the chamber base 1433 includes a permeable base portion 1433a through which at least some of the processing fluid passes upwardly into the agitator chamber 1440.
- the permeable base portion 1433a includes a porous medium, for example, porous aluminum ceramic with 10 micron pore openings and approximately 50% open area. Alternatively, the permeable base portion 1433a may include a series of through- holes or perforations.
- the permeable base portion 1433a may include a perforated plastic sheet.
- the processing fluid can pass through the permeable base portion 1433a to supply the agitator chamber 1430 with processing fluid; or (if the permeable base portion 1433a is highly flow restrictive) the processing fluid can simply saturate the permeable base portion 1433a to provide a fluid and electrical communication link between the process location P and annular electrodes 1421 housed in the electrode support 1420, without flowing through the permeable base portion 1433a at a high rate.
- the permeable base portion 1433a can be removed, and (a) replaced with a solid base portion, or (b) the volume it would normally occupy can be left open.
- Processing fluid following a second flow path enters the agitator chamber 1430 via a flow entrance 1435a.
- the processing fluid flows laterally through the agitator chamber 1430 and exits at a flow exit 1435b.
- the relative volumes of processing fluid proceeding along the first and second flow paths can be controlled by design to (a) maintain electrical communication with the electrodes 1421 and (b) replenish the processing fluid within the agitator chamber 1430 as the workpiece W is processed.
- FIG. 15 illustrates further details of the reactor 710 described above under Sections C and D.
- the agitator chamber 730 has a permeable base portion 733a with an upwardly canted conical lower surface 1536. Accordingly, if bubbles are present in the processing fluid beneath the base 733, they will tend to migrate radially outwardly along the lower surface 1536 until they enter the agitator chamber 730 through base gaps 1538 in the base 733. Once the bubbles are within the agitator chamber 730, the agitator elements 741 of the agitator 740 tend to move the bubbles toward an exit gap 1535b where they are removed. As a result, bubbles within the processing fluid will be less likely to interfere with the application or removal process taking place at the process surface 109 of the workpiece W.
- the workpiece W (e.g., a round workpiece W having a diameter of 150 millimeters, 300 millimeters or other values) is supported by a workpiece support 1513 having a support seal 1514 that extends around the periphery of the workpiece W.
- the support seal 1514 can seal against a chamber seal 1537 located at the top of the agitator chamber 730.
- the support seal 1514 can be spaced apart from the chamber seal 1537 to allow fluid and/or gas bubbles to pass out of the agitator chamber 730 and/or to allow the workpiece W to spin or rotate.
- the processing fluid exiting the agitator chamber 730 through the exit gap 1535b rises above the level of the chamber seal 1537 before exiting the reactor 710. Accordingly, the chamber seal 1537 will tend not to dry out and is therefore less likely to form crystal deposits, which can interfere with its operation.
- the chamber seal 1537 remains wetted when the workpiece support 1513 is moved upwardly from the process location P (as shown in Figure 15) and, optionally, when the workpiece support 1513 carries the workpiece W at the process location P.
- the linearly reciprocating motion of the plurality of agitator elements 741 is a particularly significant method by which to reduce the diffusion layer thickness by an amount that would otherwise require very high workpiece spin rates to match.
- a paddle device having six agitator elements 741 moving at .2 meters/second can achieve an iron diffusion layer thickness of less than 18 microns in a permalloy bath. Without the agitator elements, the workpiece W would have to be spun at 500 rpm to achieve such a low diffusion layer thickness, which is not feasible when depositing magnetically responsive materials.
- Figure 16A is a partially schematic view looking upwardly at a workpiece W positioned just above an agitator 1640 housed in an agitator chamber 1630.
- Figure 16B is a partially schematic, cross-sectional view of a portion of the workpiece W and the agitator 1640 shown in Figure 16A, positioned above a chamber base 1633 of the agitator 1630 and taken substantially along lines 16B- 16B of Figure 16A.
- the agitator 1640 includes agitator elements having different shapes to account for the foregoing three-dimensional effects.
- the agitator 1640 includes a plurality of agitator elements 1641 (shown as four inner agitator elements 1641a positioned between two outer agitator elements 1641 b).
- the agitator elements 1641 are elongated generally parallel to an agitator elongation axis 1690, and reciprocate back and forth along an agitator motion axis 1691 , in a manner generally similar to that described above.
- the workpiece W is carried by a workpiece support 1613 which includes a support seal 1614 extending below and around a periphery of the downwardly facing process surface 109 of the workpiece W to seal an electrical contact assembly 1615.
- the agitator elements 1641 are spaced more closely to the support seal 1614 than to the process surface 109.
- the agitator elements 1641 move back and forth, passing directly beneath the support seal 1614, they can form vortices 1692 and/or high speed jets as flow accelerates through the relatively narrow gap between the agitator elements 1641 and the support seal 1614.
- the vortices 1692 can form as the agitator elements 1641 pass beneath and beyond the support seal 1614, or the vortices 1692 can form when the agitator elements 1641 become aligned with the support seal 1614 and then pass back over the process surface 109 of the workpiece W.
- These vortices 1692 may not have a significant impact on the mass transfer at the process surface 109 where the support seal 1614 is generally parallel to the agitator motion axis 1691 (e.g., proximate to the 12:00 and 6:00 positions shown in Figure 16A), but can have more substantial effects where the support seal 1614 is transverse to the agitator motion axis 1691 (e.g., proximate to the 3:00 and 9:00 positions of Figure 16A).
- the outer agitator elements 1641 b (aligned with outer regions of the workpiece W and the process location P) can have a different size than the inner agitator elements 1641a (aligned with the inner regions of the workpiece W and the process location P) to counteract this effect.
- Figure 16B illustrates the left outer agitator element 1641 b and the left-most inner agitator element 1641a shown in Figure 16A.
- the inner agitator element 1641a is spaced apart from the workpiece W by a gap distance D1 and from the chamber base 1633 by a gap distance D2. If the inner agitator element 1641a were to reciprocate back and forth beneath the support seal 1614 at the 9:00 position, significant portions of the inner agitator element 1641 a would be spaced apart from the support seal 1614 by a gap distance D3, which is significantly smaller than the gap distance D1.
- Vortices 1692 Figure 16A
- vortices 1692 can more greatly enhance the mass transfer characteristics at the process surface 109 of the workpiece W at this position than at other positions (e.g., the 12:00 or 6:00 positions).
- vortices can form across the entire process surface 109, but can be stronger at the 9:00 (and 3:00) positions than at the 12:00 (and 6:00) positions.
- the outer agitator element 1641 b has a different (e.g., smaller) size than the inner agitator element 1641a so as to be spaced apart from the support seal 1614 by a gap distance D4, which is approximately equal to the gap distance D1 between the inner agitator element 1641a and the workpiece W.
- the enhanced mass transfer effect at the periphery of the workpiece W can be at least approximately the same as the enhanced mass transfer effects over the rest of the workpiece W.
- FIG 17 is a cross-sectional illustration of an agitator 1740 positioned in an agitator chamber 1730 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- the agitator 1740 includes agitator elements 1741 configured to move within the agitator chamber 1730 in a manner that also reduces disparities between the mass transfer characteristics at the periphery and the interior of the workpiece W.
- the agitator elements 1741 move back and forth within an envelope 1781 that does not extend over a support seal 1714 proximate to the 3:00 and 9:00 positions. Accordingly, the agitator elements 1741 are less likely to form vortices (or disparately strong vortices) or other flow field disparities adjacent to the workpiece W proximate to the 3:00 and 6:00 positions.
- FIG 18 is an isometric illustration of an agitator element 1841 configured in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- the agitator element 1841 has a height H3 proximate to its ends, and a height H4 greater than H3 at a position between the ends. More generally, the agitator element 1841 can have different cross-sectional shapes and/or sizes at different positions along an elongation axis 1890.
- the inner agitator elements 1641a described above with reference to Figure 16A may have a shape generally similar to that of the agitator element 1841 shown in Figure 18, for example, to reduce the likelihood for creating disparately enhanced mass transfer effects proximate to the 12:00 and 6:00 positions shown in Figure 16A.
- any of the agitators described above with reference to Figures 6-18 can reciprocate in a changing, repeatable pattern.
- the agitator 140 reciprocates one or more times from the central position 180, and then shifts laterally so that the central position 180 for the next reciprocation (or series of reciprocations) is different than for the preceding reciprocation.
- the central position 180 shifts to five points before returning to its original location.
- the agitator 140 reciprocates within an envelope 181 before shifting to the next point.
- the central position 181 shifts to from two to twelve or more points.
- the agitator 140 reciprocates within an envelope 181 that extends from about 15-75 millimeters (and still more particularly, about 30 millimeters) beyond the outermost agitator elements 141 , and the central position 180 shifts by about 15 millimeters from one point to the next. In other arrangements, the central position 180 shifts to other numbers of points before returning to its original location.
- Shifting the point about which the agitator 140 reciprocates reduces the likelihood for forming shadows or other undesirable patterns on the workpiece W. This effect results from at least two factors. First, shifting the central position 180 reduces electric field shadowing created by the physical structure of the agitator elements 141. Second, shifting the central position 180 can shift the pattern of vortices that may shed from each agitator element 141 as it moves. This in turn distributes the vortices (or other flow structures) more uniformly over the process surface 109 of the workpiece W. The agitator element 140 can accelerate and decelerate quickly (for example, at about 8 meters/second 2 ) to further reduce the likelihood for shadowing. Controlling the speed of the agitator elements 141 will also influence the diffusion layer thickness. For example, increasing the speed of the agitator elements 141 from 0.2 meters/second to 2.0 meters per second is expected to reduce the diffusion layer thickness by a factor of about 3.
- the number of agitator elements 141 may be selected to reduce the spacing between adjacent agitator elements 141 , and to reduce the minimum stroke length over which each agitator element 141 reciprocates. For example, increasing the number of agitator elements 141 included in the agitator 140 can reduce the spacing between neighboring agitator elements 141 and reduce the minimum stroke length for each agitator element 141. Each agitator element 141 accordingly moves adjacent to only a portion of the workpiece W rather than scanning across the entire diameter of the workpiece W. In a further particular example, the minimum stroke length for each paddle 141 is equal to or greater than the distance between neighboring agitator elements 141.
- the increased number of agitator elements 141 increases the frequency with which any one portion of the workpiece W has an agitator element 141 pass by it, without requiring the agitator elements 141 to travel at extremely high speeds. Reducing the stroke length of the agitator elements 141 (and therefore, the paddle device 140) also reduces the mechanical complexity of the drive system that moves the agitator elements 141.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP04754300A EP1638732A4 (en) | 2003-06-06 | 2004-06-03 | Methods and systems for processing microfeature workpieces with flow agitators and/or multiple electrodes |
JP2006515180A JP2007527948A (en) | 2003-06-06 | 2004-06-04 | Method and system for processing microfeature workpieces using a flow stirrer and / or multiple electrodes |
Applications Claiming Priority (12)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US47678603P | 2003-06-06 | 2003-06-06 | |
US60/476,786 | 2003-06-06 | ||
US48460303P | 2003-07-01 | 2003-07-01 | |
US48460403P | 2003-07-01 | 2003-07-01 | |
US60/484,604 | 2003-07-01 | ||
US60/484,603 | 2003-07-01 | ||
US10/733,807 US7393439B2 (en) | 2003-06-06 | 2003-12-11 | Integrated microfeature workpiece processing tools with registration systems for paddle reactors |
US10/734,098 | 2003-12-11 | ||
US10/734,100 US7390382B2 (en) | 2003-07-01 | 2003-12-11 | Reactors having multiple electrodes and/or enclosed reciprocating paddles, and associated methods |
US10/733,807 | 2003-12-11 | ||
US10/734,098 US7390383B2 (en) | 2003-07-01 | 2003-12-11 | Paddles and enclosures for enhancing mass transfer during processing of microfeature workpieces |
US10/734,100 | 2003-12-11 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2004110698A2 true WO2004110698A2 (en) | 2004-12-23 |
WO2004110698A3 WO2004110698A3 (en) | 2006-08-24 |
Family
ID=33556803
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2004/017670 WO2004110698A2 (en) | 2003-06-06 | 2004-06-03 | Methods and systems for processing microfeature workpieces with flow agitators and/or multiple electrodes |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1638732A4 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2007527948A (en) |
KR (1) | KR20060024792A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2004110698A2 (en) |
Cited By (8)
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US7161689B2 (en) | 2000-07-08 | 2007-01-09 | Semitool, Inc. | Apparatus and method for processing a microelectronic workpiece using metrology |
US7390382B2 (en) | 2003-07-01 | 2008-06-24 | Semitool, Inc. | Reactors having multiple electrodes and/or enclosed reciprocating paddles, and associated methods |
EP2000564A1 (en) * | 2007-06-06 | 2008-12-10 | C. Uyemura & Co., Ltd. | Workpiece surface treatment systems and methods |
JP2009517543A (en) * | 2005-11-23 | 2009-04-30 | セミトゥール・インコーポレイテッド | Apparatus and method for vibrating liquids during wet chemical processing of microstructured workpieces |
US7842173B2 (en) | 2007-01-29 | 2010-11-30 | Semitool, Inc. | Apparatus and methods for electrochemical processing of microfeature wafers |
US8486234B2 (en) | 2007-12-04 | 2013-07-16 | Ebara Corporation | Plating apparatus and plating method |
US9647151B2 (en) | 2010-10-18 | 2017-05-09 | Nexcis | Checking the stoichiometry of I-III-VI layers for use in photovoltaic using improved electrolysis conditions |
CN111809206A (en) * | 2019-04-11 | 2020-10-23 | Spts科技有限公司 | Apparatus and method for processing substrate |
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JP5184308B2 (en) | 2007-12-04 | 2013-04-17 | 株式会社荏原製作所 | Plating apparatus and plating method |
JP6100049B2 (en) * | 2013-03-25 | 2017-03-22 | 株式会社荏原製作所 | Plating equipment |
KR102194716B1 (en) * | 2014-03-06 | 2020-12-23 | 삼성전기주식회사 | Plating apparatus |
JP6411943B2 (en) * | 2014-05-26 | 2018-10-24 | 株式会社荏原製作所 | Substrate electrolytic treatment apparatus and paddle used for the substrate electrolytic treatment apparatus |
US10227706B2 (en) * | 2015-07-22 | 2019-03-12 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Electroplating apparatus with electrolyte agitation |
US10240248B2 (en) * | 2015-08-18 | 2019-03-26 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Adaptive electric field shielding in an electroplating processor using agitator geometry and motion control |
JP6890528B2 (en) * | 2017-12-15 | 2021-06-18 | 株式会社荏原製作所 | Plating device with wave-dissipating member and wave-dissipating member that can be attached to the paddle |
JP6790016B2 (en) * | 2018-04-10 | 2020-11-25 | 上村工業株式会社 | Surface treatment equipment, surface treatment method and paddle |
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US3477051A (en) * | 1967-12-26 | 1969-11-04 | Ibm | Die casting of core windings |
US4749601A (en) * | 1985-04-25 | 1988-06-07 | Hillinger Brad O | Composite structure |
US5516412A (en) * | 1995-05-16 | 1996-05-14 | International Business Machines Corporation | Vertical paddle plating cell |
US6099702A (en) * | 1998-06-10 | 2000-08-08 | Novellus Systems, Inc. | Electroplating chamber with rotatable wafer holder and pre-wetting and rinsing capability |
US6136163A (en) * | 1999-03-05 | 2000-10-24 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Apparatus for electro-chemical deposition with thermal anneal chamber |
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US6916412B2 (en) * | 1999-04-13 | 2005-07-12 | Semitool, Inc. | Adaptable electrochemical processing chamber |
US6379511B1 (en) * | 1999-09-23 | 2002-04-30 | International Business Machines Corporation | Paddle design for plating bath |
US6231743B1 (en) * | 2000-01-03 | 2001-05-15 | Motorola, Inc. | Method for forming a semiconductor device |
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- 2004-06-03 KR KR1020057023444A patent/KR20060024792A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2004-06-03 EP EP04754300A patent/EP1638732A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2004-06-03 WO PCT/US2004/017670 patent/WO2004110698A2/en active Application Filing
- 2004-06-04 JP JP2006515180A patent/JP2007527948A/en active Pending
Non-Patent Citations (1)
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Cited By (14)
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US7161689B2 (en) | 2000-07-08 | 2007-01-09 | Semitool, Inc. | Apparatus and method for processing a microelectronic workpiece using metrology |
US7390382B2 (en) | 2003-07-01 | 2008-06-24 | Semitool, Inc. | Reactors having multiple electrodes and/or enclosed reciprocating paddles, and associated methods |
US7390383B2 (en) | 2003-07-01 | 2008-06-24 | Semitool, Inc. | Paddles and enclosures for enhancing mass transfer during processing of microfeature workpieces |
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US8313631B2 (en) | 2007-01-29 | 2012-11-20 | Applied Materials Inc. | Apparatus and methods for electrochemical processing of microfeature wafers |
US7842173B2 (en) | 2007-01-29 | 2010-11-30 | Semitool, Inc. | Apparatus and methods for electrochemical processing of microfeature wafers |
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CN101319345B (en) * | 2007-06-06 | 2011-07-27 | 上村工业株式会社 | Workpiece surface treatment systems |
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US9242281B2 (en) | 2007-06-06 | 2016-01-26 | C. Uyemura & Co., Ltd. | Workpiece surface treatment system |
US8486234B2 (en) | 2007-12-04 | 2013-07-16 | Ebara Corporation | Plating apparatus and plating method |
USRE45687E1 (en) | 2007-12-04 | 2015-09-29 | Ebara Corporation | Plating apparatus and plating method |
US9647151B2 (en) | 2010-10-18 | 2017-05-09 | Nexcis | Checking the stoichiometry of I-III-VI layers for use in photovoltaic using improved electrolysis conditions |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
KR20060024792A (en) | 2006-03-17 |
EP1638732A2 (en) | 2006-03-29 |
EP1638732A4 (en) | 2007-06-06 |
JP2007527948A (en) | 2007-10-04 |
WO2004110698A3 (en) | 2006-08-24 |
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