JP2003277995A - Substrate holder, and plating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent any ingress (or leakage) of the liquid such as the plating solution from a space between a seal ring to seal an outer circumferential part of a substrate and the substrate, a support or the like in contact with the seal ring. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate holder to interpose a substrate W between a fixed holding member 54 and a seal ring 60 fitted to a movable holding member 58, and press the seal ring 60 against the fixed holding member 54 to attachably/ detachably hold the substrate W presses the inside of a space R held between the substrate W and the fixed holding member 54 when the substrate W is held, and surrounded by the seal ring 60. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to, for example, a plating apparatus for plating a surface of a substrate to be plated, especially a fine wiring groove or hole provided on the surface of a semiconductor wafer or the like, and a plating film on a resist opening. The present invention relates to a substrate holder used in a plating apparatus or the like for forming or forming bumps (projecting electrodes) electrically connected to electrodes of a package or the like on the surface of a semiconductor wafer, and a plating apparatus having the substrate holder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, TAB (Tape Automated Bondi)
ng) or flip chip, gold, copper, solder, or nickel, or a protruding connection electrode (bump) in which these are laminated in multiple layers is formed at a predetermined location (electrode) on the surface of the semiconductor chip on which wiring is formed. However, it is widely practiced to electrically connect to the electrodes of the package and the TAB electrodes via the bumps. As a method of forming this bump,
There are various methods such as the electrolytic plating method, the vapor deposition method, the printing method, and the ball bump method, but miniaturization is possible and the performance is relatively stable as the number of I / O of the semiconductor chip increases and the pitch becomes finer. The electrolytic plating method has been widely used.

Here, the electrolytic plating method includes a jet type or a cup type in which a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is placed horizontally with its surface to be plated facing down (face down) and a plating solution is sprayed from below to perform plating. It is roughly classified into a dip type in which a substrate is placed vertically in a plating tank and a plating solution is poured from under the plating tank to cause overflow while performing plating.
The electroplating method that uses the dip method has the advantages that bubbles that adversely affect the plating quality are well removed and that the footprint is small.For this reason, the size of the plating hole is relatively large and It is considered to be suitable for bump plating that requires a long time.

In the conventional electroplating apparatus adopting the dip method, air bubbles can be easily removed, but on the other hand, a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is attached and detached by sealing the end face and the back face of the substrate and exposing the surface (the surface to be plated). A substrate holder that holds the substrate freely is provided, and the substrate holder together with the substrate is immersed in a plating solution to plate the surface of the substrate.

Since the substrate holder is used by immersing it in the plating solution, when the substrate is held by the substrate holder, the plating solution is prevented from entering the back surface (anti-plated surface) side of the substrate. It is necessary to securely seal the outer peripheral portion. For this reason, for example, in the case of a substrate holder in which a pair of supports (holding members) hold the substrate in a removable manner, a seal ring is attached to one support, and this seal ring is placed and held on the other support. The outer peripheral portion of the substrate is sealed by being pressed against the peripheral portion of the substrate.

[0006]

In the conventional substrate holder of this type, the shape and fixing method of the seal ring are optimized, the seal ring is regularly cleaned (including each leaf), and the like. Periodically replace the seal ring, improve the accuracy of substrate pretreatment (formation of seed layer and photoresist film), minimize the setting error of the substrate to the substrate holder, and We will make a readjustment to prevent the leakage of plating solution.

However, it is quite difficult to ensure the integrity of the seal due to deterioration of the seal ring and the like. In particular, when plating is performed so that the plating film is embedded inside the fine recesses, a plating solution with good permeability is generally used to ensure that the plating solution easily and reliably penetrates into the fine recesses. It has been used, which makes it more difficult to provide a complete seal. Further, even if the leakage of the plating solution or the like can be detected, the subsequent processing is difficult.

Once the leakage of the plating solution occurs, not only the leaking plating solution inside the substrate holder adheres to the back surface of the substrate and transfers to the substrate transfer device to contaminate the entire apparatus with the plating solution. The leaked plating solution corrodes the contacts and interrupts energization. Even if the contact is made of a corrosion-resistant material to prevent the contact from being corroded by the plating solution, if the contact part is plated or the plating solution adheres to the contact part and accumulates, the energization failure will occur at the next plating. It may happen.

Further, when the plating process is constructed on the assumption that the plating solution leaks, the leaking plating solution is removed into the substrate holder before proceeding to the next step, and the plating solution adhering to the substrate holder is removed. In order to prevent the substrate holder from being attached to the substrate, it is necessary to devote a great deal of effort to the cleaning process to regularly clean the substrate holder.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and a liquid such as a plating solution does not enter the inside from between a seal ring that seals the outer peripheral portion of a substrate and a substrate or a support that contacts the seal ring ( It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate holder that does not leak and a plating apparatus having the substrate holder.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a substrate is interposed between a fixed holding member and a seal ring attached to a movable holding member, and the seal ring is directed toward the fixed holding member. In a substrate holder that is pressed to hold the substrate detachably, when holding the substrate,
The substrate holder is characterized in that it is sandwiched between the substrate and the fixed holding member and pressurizes the inside of the space surrounded by the seal ring. As a result, even if there is a gap between the seal ring that seals the outer peripheral portion of the substrate and the substrate, support, or the like that contacts the seal ring, the space surrounded by the seal ring is pressurized, The gas in the created space (pressurized space) flows through this gap, and this gas pushes back the liquid such as the plating solution to prevent it from entering the inside of the substrate holder, thereby preventing the leakage of the plating solution or the like. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the substrate holder is provided with a tube communicating with the space, and gas is supplied from a gas supply source by the tube to pressurize the inside of the space. The substrate holder according to claim 1.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate holder which has a hand for holding the substrate holder by bringing it into contact with a pedestal, and a tube for connecting the hand and the fixed holding member to communicate with the space. 3. The substrate holder according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply path connected to the connection port provided in the pedestal and the tube communicate with each other when held on the pedestal. Thus, the space in the space can be pressurized by introducing gas such as air or N ₂ gas into the space through the gas supply path and the tube while the substrate holder is held by the pedestal.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate holder according to the third aspect, wherein each of the connection portions of the tube with the pedestal and the fixed holding member is hermetically sealed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent gas such as air or N ₂ gas introduced into the space for pressurization from leaking to the outside from each connection portion between the tube pedestal and the fixed holding member.

The invention according to claim 5 is the substrate holder according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that a valve is provided in the middle of a gas supply system path extending from the gas supply path to the tube. Thus, by supplying the gas for pressurization into the space only when necessary through the valve, it is possible to reduce wasteful gas and power.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric contact which is arranged inside the fixed holding member and which is connected to an external contact through a wiring, and a connecting portion of the wiring with the fixed holding member and a conductor. The substrate holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each exposed portion of the substrate is hermetically sealed. This makes it possible to prevent gas such as air or N ₂ gas introduced into the space for pressurization from leaking to the outside from the connection portion of the wiring with the fixed holding member and the exposed portion of the conductor.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seal ring attached to the fixed holding member and the movable holding member, and the substrate is held when the seal ring is pressed toward the fixed holding member to hold the substrate. The plating apparatus is characterized in that it has a substrate holder which is sandwiched between the stationary holding member and the fixing holding member so as to pressurize the inside of the space surrounded by the seal ring.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overall layout of a plating apparatus equipped with a substrate holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1
As shown in FIG. 2, the plating apparatus includes two cassette tables 12 on which cassettes 10 for storing substrates W such as semiconductor wafers are mounted, and an aligner 14 for aligning the orientation flats and notches of the substrates in a predetermined direction. , A spin dryer 16 for drying the plated substrate by rotating it at a high speed
Are provided along the same circumferential direction. Further, at a position along the tangential direction of the circumference, a substrate attaching / detaching portion 20 for mounting the substrate holder 18 and attaching / detaching the substrate to / from the substrate holder 18 is provided. A substrate transfer device 22 including a transfer robot that transfers a substrate between the two is disposed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate transfer device 2
2, the resist stripping portion 600 for stripping and removing the resist 502 (see FIG. 36) applied to the surface of the substrate W, and the seed layer 500 (see FIG. 36) that is no longer needed after plating are removed. A seed layer removal unit 602 and a heat treatment unit 604 that heat-treats the substrate W after plating may be provided. Further, instead of the heat treatment section 604, as shown in FIG. 3, a reflow section 606 for reflowing the plating film 504 (see FIG. 36) and an annealing section 608 for annealing after the reflow may be provided.

A stocker 24 for storing and temporarily placing the substrate holder 18 in order from the substrate attaching / detaching portion 20 side,
A pre-wet bath 26 for improving the hydrophilicity of the surface by immersing the substrate in pure water to wet it, and an oxide film having a large electric resistance on the surface of the seed layer formed on the surface of the substrate is removed by etching with a chemical solution such as sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid. A pre-soak bath 28, a first washing bath 30a for washing the surface of the substrate with pure water, a blow bath 32 for draining the washed substrate, a second washing bath 30b, and a copper plating bath 34 are sequentially arranged. The copper plating tank 34 is configured by accommodating a plurality of copper plating units 38 inside an overflow tank 36, and each copper plating unit 38 accommodates one substrate inside and performs copper plating. ing. In this example, copper plating will be described, but it goes without saying that the same applies to nickel, solder, silver, and gold plating.

Further, located on the side of each of these devices,
A substrate holder transfer device (substrate transfer device) 40 that transfers the substrate holder 18 together with the substrate W between these respective devices is provided. The substrate holder transfer device 40 includes a first transporter 42 that transfers a substrate between the substrate attachment / detachment unit 20 and the stocker 24, a stocker 24, a pre-wet tank 26, a pre-soak tank 28, washing tanks 30a and 30b, and a blower. It has a second transporter 44 for transporting the substrate between the bath 32 and the copper plating bath 34. Note that the second transporter 44 may not be provided, and only the first transporter 42 may be provided. Further, on the opposite side of the substrate holder transfer device 40 with the overflow tank 36 sandwiched between them, a paddle 202 as a stirring rod located inside each copper plating unit 38 for stirring the plating solution is provided.
A paddle drive device 46 for driving (see FIGS. 31 and 32, etc.) is arranged.

The substrate attaching / detaching portion 20 is provided with a flat plate-like mounting plate 52 which is slidable in the lateral direction along the rail 50, and two substrate holders 18 are arranged in parallel on the mounting plate 52 in a horizontal state. The substrate is transferred between the substrate holder 18 and the substrate transfer device 22 on one side, and then the mounting plate 52 is slid in the horizontal direction to transfer the substrate to the other substrate holder 18 and the substrate transfer device. Substrate W between 22 and
Are to be handed over.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 16, the substrate holder 18 is mounted on the fixed holding member 54, which is made of vinyl chloride, for example, in the form of a rectangular flat plate, and the hinge 56, which is openable and closable. And a movable holding member 58. The movable holding member 58 has a base portion 58a and a ring-shaped portion 58b, is made of, for example, vinyl chloride, and has good sliding with a pressing ring 62 described below.
A ring-shaped seal ring 60 having a substantially U-shaped cross section and having one leg lengthened is attached to the surface of the fixing holding member 54 on the side of b on the fixed holding member 54 side so as to open.

That is, the seal ring 6 is formed on the surface of the ring-shaped portion 58b of the movable holding member 58 on the side of the fixed holding member 54.
Fitting portion 58c integrally covering the surface of the movable holding member 58 on the side of 0
Is provided, and a locking projection 58d as a locking portion is provided on the free end of the fitting portion 58c over the entire circumference of the ring-shaped portion 58b. On the other hand, at the position of the seal ring 60 facing the locking projection 58d, the locking projection 5 is formed.
As a locking portion that locks with 8d, a locking recess 60a is provided over the entire circumference of the seal ring 60. Then, the end of the seal ring 60 on the side of the fixed holding member 54 is fitted in the fitting portion 58c of the movable holding member 58, and the locking projection 58d is fitted (locked) in the locking recess 60a. The seal ring 60 is attached to the ring-shaped portion 58b of the movable holding member 58.

With this structure, the seal ring 60 is attached to the movable holding member 58 without using a bolt, thereby eliminating the need to provide an attachment hole for inserting the bolt in the seal ring 60. It is possible to prevent the plating solution from leaking into the seal ring 60 from the mounting hole.

That is, the attachment of the seal ring 60 is generally performed by bolts. However, when the seal ring 60 is attached to the ring-shaped portion 58b of the movable holding member 58 by the bolts, the bolt attachment portion and its periphery are provided. Can secure a sufficient tightening force,
For example, when the substrate is removed, the seal ring 60 located between the bolts adjacent to each other is loosened, and the plating solution enters between the movable holding member 58 and the seal ring 60 from there. Contamination accumulates here and a gap is created between the movable holding member 58 and the seal ring 60, and the plating solution that has penetrated into this gap passes through the bolt mounting hole and enters the seal ring 60. It will leak. According to this example, it is possible to prevent the leakage of the plating solution from such a through hole by eliminating the need to provide a hole (through hole) for mounting a bolt that causes such a leakage of the plating solution. .

Further, in this example, the locking projection 58d is provided over the entire circumference of the ring-shaped part 58b, and the locking recess 6 is provided.
0a also shows an example in which it is provided over the entire circumference of the seal ring 60, but it may be provided in portions facing each other. By providing over the entire circumference, the locking projection 58d and the locking recess 60a are locked over the entire circumference, and the seal ring 60 and the movable holding member 58 are interposed via this locking portion. It is possible to prevent the plating solution from penetrating into.

On the opposite side of the movable holding member 58 to the fixed holding member 54, a holding ring 62 is held rotatably and undetachably via a first slide plate 64 fixed to the holding ring 62. The holding ring 62 is made of, for example, titanium, which has excellent corrosion resistance against an oxidizing environment and has sufficient rigidity. That is, as shown in detail in FIGS. 10 and 13, the first slide plate 64 extends from the top plate portion 64a and both end portions of the top plate portion 64a to the sides of the ring-shaped portion 58b of the movable holding member 58. It is formed in a U-shaped cross section from a pair of extending leg portions 64b. Then, at the lower end of each leg portion 64b, an engaging convex portion 64c protruding toward the ring-shaped portion 58b of the movable holding member 58 is provided. On the other hand, the pressing ring 62 has a flange piece 62a protruding outward in the diametrical direction.
And a recess 58e for engagement extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the outer peripheral end surface of the movable holding member 58 at a position facing the protrusion 64c for engagement.

As a result, the flange piece 62a of the pressing ring 62 is inserted into the first slide plate 64, and the bolt 66 is screwed into the first slide plate 64 to attach the pressing ring 62 to the first slide plate 64. The engaging convex portion 64c of the plate 64 is fitted into the engaging concave portion 58e provided in the movable holding member 58, and the convex portion 64c is slid along the concave portion 58e. The holding ring 62 is attached to the movable holding member 58.
It is designed to be rotatable and non-escapeable.

As described above, the presser ring 62 is rotatably and irremovably held by the movable holding member 58 via the first slide plate 64 attached to the presser ring 62, so that the presser ring 62 has a long hole inside. It is possible to secure the workability of the pressing ring 62 by preventing the pressing ring 62 from being provided, and to prevent the pressing ring 62 from partially lowering its strength (rigidity) along its length (circumferential direction). be able to. By thus preventing the pressing ring 62 from partially lowering in strength (rigidity) along the length (circumferential) direction thereof, the movable holding member can be moved through the pressing ring 62 as described below. When the short foot of the seal ring 60 is pressed against the surface of the substrate W and the long foot is pressed against the surface of the fixed holding member 54 by pressing 58 against the movable holding member 58, the pressing ring 62 is partially pushed by this reaction force. By preventing the bending, the seal ring 60 is uniformly pressed without excess or deficiency, whereby the plating solution leaks between the seal ring 60 and the substrate W and between the seal ring 60 and the fixed holding member 54. Can be prevented.

That is, in order to hold the holding ring 62 as described above, generally, a long hole is provided inside the holding ring 62, and a pin member fixed to the movable holding member 58 is inserted into the inside of the long hole, and this pin member is inserted. This is done by providing a head portion for preventing the escape at the exposed end portion of the above. However, according to this example, an elongated hole or the like that causes such deterioration of workability and rigidity is provided inside the pressing ring 62. Can be eliminated.

In this example, the pressing ring 62 has three first slide plates 64 which also function to hold the pressing ring 62 on the movable holding member 58, and these first slide plates 64.
An example is shown in which three second slide plates 68 which do not have such a role and which are located between the slide plates 64 are attached at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. That is,
As shown in FIG. 9, the second slide plate 68 is
The flange piece 62a of the holding ring 62 is inserted into the inside of the holding ring 62, and the bolt 66 is screwed into the holding piece 62, whereby the holding ring 62 is attached.

The fixing and holding member 54 is located outside the first slide plate 64 and the second slide plate 68.
An inverted L-shaped clamper 70 having an inwardly projecting portion 70a is erected at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. The surfaces of the first slide plate 64 and the second slide plate 68 and the lower surface of the inward protruding portion 70a of the clamper 70 positioned so as to cover the surfaces are tapered surfaces that are inclined in opposite directions along the rotation direction. Has become.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the substrate W is placed on the fixed holding member 54, the outer peripheral end face of the substrate W is guided to position the substrate W. A plurality of conical guide pins 71 (for example, 6
It is provided). A bulging portion 58f that bulges outward is provided at a position opposed to the diametrical direction of the movable holding member 58, and the fixed holding member 54 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral end surface of the bulging portion 58f and pressed. A vibration-blocking block 72 made of, for example, vinyl chloride is installed to prevent vibration of the ring 62 (prevention of displacement during rotation). Further, at a plurality of places (for example, four places) along the circumferential direction on the surface of the presser ring 62,
For example, a protrusion 73 formed of a rotary pin screwed into the pressing ring 62 is provided, and the protrusion 73 is hooked by a rotating mechanism to attach the pressing ring 62 to the first slide plate 64 and the second slide plate.
It is designed to rotate integrally with the slide plate 68.

In this way, the vibration-blocking block 72 provided on the fixed holding member 54 is brought into contact with the bulging portion 58f of the movable holding member 58 to vibration-proof the pressing ring 62, and the projection provided on the pressing ring 62. By rotating the presser ring 62 via 73, it is not necessary to provide a hole or the like in the presser ring 62, and the rigidity of the presser ring 62 is locally increased in a part along the length (circumferential direction) thereof. It is possible to prevent the deterioration.

As a result, when the substrate W is inserted into the central portion of the fixed holding member 54 with the movable holding member 58 open, the substrate W is positioned at a predetermined position by the guide pin 71. In this state, the movable holding member 5 is inserted through the hinge 56.
After closing 8, the pressing ring 62 is rotated clockwise to slide the slide plates 64 and 68 into the protruding portion 70a of the clamper 70.
4 and the movable holding member 58 are tightened and locked to each other via the tapered surface, and the pressing ring 62 is rotated counterclockwise to pull out the slide plates 64 and 68 from the protruding portion 70a of the inverted L-shaped clamper 70. Then, I am supposed to unlock this lock.

Then, in this way, the movable holding member 58
When locked, as shown in FIG. 9, the seal ring 60
The short foot on the inner peripheral surface side is in pressure contact with the surface of the substrate W, and the long foot on the outer peripheral surface side is in pressure contact with the surface of the fixed holding member 54. Moreover, as described above, the length of the pressing ring 62 is ( Since there is no place where the strength (rigidity) is partially reduced along the (circumferential) direction, the seal ring 60 is uniformly pressed to surely seal it.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the fixed holding member 54 has an external contact 400 provided on the hand 76 described below.
A plurality of (eight in the figure) conductors (electrical contacts) 74 respectively connected to a plurality of wirings 402 extending from (FIG. 6) are arranged, and when the substrate W is placed on the fixed holding member 54, the conductors The end of 74 is fixed to the side of the substrate W and the fixed holding member
It is exposed on the surface of.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, a rectangular accommodating recess 60c is provided at a position facing the exposed portion of the conductor 74 of the seal ring 60.
A state in which an electrical contact 75, which has a substantially U-shaped cross section and opens toward the fixing and holding member 54 side, and which has a leg portion 75a expanded outward, is exposed to the outside of the leg portion 75a. And is fixed by adhesion with an adhesive 77 such as silicon.

As described above, by accommodating and holding the electric contact 75 in the accommodating recess 60c provided in the seal ring 60, it is necessary to provide the seal ring 60 with a mounting hole (through hole) for mounting the electric contact 75. It is possible to prevent the plating solution from leaking into the seal ring 60 from such a through hole. It should be noted that in this example, the adhesive 77 is embedded in the storage recess 60 c to form the storage recess 6 c.
Although the adhesive force is obtained between the adhesive 77 and the seal ring 60 on the side surface of 0c, the electric contact 75 is attached to the seal ring 60 via the adhesive on the back side of the electric contact 75.
You may make it adhere | attach to.

In this example, the electric contact 75 is formed by bundling a plurality of thin wires 78 made of a conductive spring material such as a gold wire into a plate shape. At the tip of each leg 75a, the electric contact 75 is formed. Each thin wire 78 forming 75 is individually separated to have a spring property due to the rigidity of each thin wire 78 itself.

FIG. 15 shows an example of manufacturing the electric contact 75. First, as shown in FIG. 15A, a plurality of thin wires 78 are arranged in parallel, and as shown in FIG. The regions F excluding both outer peripheral edge portions are joined by, for example, pressing or soldering. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the regions joined to each other are manufactured into a predetermined shape by, for example, press molding.

As described above, the electric contact 75 is constituted by a plurality of thin wires 78 forming a contact of a spring structure like an aggregate of the contacts, and each thin wire 78 is individually contacted. It is possible to prevent one-sided contact even when is moved, to secure a contact point with a plurality of thin wires 78, and reduce contact failure. Moreover, by using a relatively inexpensive thin wire 78, and by providing both ends of each thin wire 78 with spring properties due to the rigidity of the thin wire 78 itself, as compared with a conventional electrical contact having a metal contact piece and a coil spring, The structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. In particular, by using a gold wire having a low electric resistance and excellent corrosion resistance as the thin wire 78, the electric resistance as a contact is kept low, and the electric contact 75 is prevented from corroding due to the leakage of the plating solution or the cleaning solution. Can be prevented.

Further, according to this example, the seal ring 60
By storing the electrical contact 75 in the storage recess 60c provided in the storage recess 60c, the seal ring 60 has an effect of absorbing the contact size, and the storage recess 60c is filled with the adhesive 77 to secure the electric contact 75. By fixing, this recess 60 for storage
It is possible to prevent the inside of c from getting wet with the leaked plating solution or cleaning solution.

As a result, when the movable holding member 58 is locked as described above, the exposed portion of the conductor 74 is located at the position where it is sealed by the seal ring 60, that is, in the region between the pair of legs of the seal ring 60. Contacts the tip of one leg 75a located on the outer peripheral side of the electrical contact 75 by the elastic force of each thin wire 78, and the substrate W is attached to the tip of the other leg 75a located on the inner peripheral side of the electrical contact 75. The elastic force of the thin wire 78 makes contact. As a result, with the substrate W sealed by the seal ring 60 and held by the substrate holder 18, the electrical contact 75
Power can be supplied to the substrate W via the. It is preferable that at least the surface of the surface of the conductor 74 that contacts the electrical contact 75 is coated with gold or platinum, for example.

The opening and closing of the movable holding member 58 is performed by the cylinder (not shown) and the own weight of the movable holding member 58. That is, the fixed holding member 54 is provided with a through hole 54a, and a cylinder is provided at a position facing the through hole 54a when the substrate holder 18 is placed on the placing plate 52. As a result, the cylinder rod is extended and the through hole 5
The base 58 of the movable holding member 58 is pushed by the pressing rod 79 through the 4a.
The movable holding member 58 is opened by pushing up a and the movable holding member 58 is closed by its own weight by contracting the cylinder rod.

When opening the movable holding member 58, as shown in FIG.
As indicated by a phantom line, from the air ejection nozzle N arranged at a position facing the substrate W held by the substrate holder 18 on the movable holding member 58 side toward the substrate W, for example, 0.4 M
Oil-free air (OFA) or N ₂ with pressure of about Pa
By blowing out the gas, the movable holding member 58 is opened while the substrate W after the plating treatment is attached to the movable holding member 58 side, and the substrate W is prevented from falling off.

In this example, the movable holding member 58 is locked / unlocked by rotating the pressing ring 62. This locking / unlocking mechanism is provided on the ceiling side. ing. That is, when the substrate holder 18 is placed on the placing plate 52, this locking / unlocking mechanism is positioned at a position corresponding to each protrusion 73 of the pressing ring 62 of the substrate holder 18 located on the center side. The holding plate 62 is rotated, and the holding plate 62 is rotated by raising the mounting plate 52 and rotating the holding member around the axis of the holding ring 62 in a state where the protrusion 73 is held by the holding member. Has been done. One lock / unlock mechanism is provided, and the mounting plate 52
After locking (or unlocking) one of the two substrate holders 18 placed on the table, the mounting plate 52 is slid laterally to lock (or unlock) the other substrate holder 18. It has become.

Further, the substrate holder 18 is provided with a sensor for confirming a contact state between the substrate W and a contact when the substrate W is mounted, and a signal from this sensor is inputted to a controller (not shown). It has become so.

A pair of substantially T-shaped hands 76, which serve as a support when the substrate holder 18 is transported or suspended and supported, are connected to the end of the fixed holding member 54 of the substrate holder 18. There is. In the stocker 24, the protruding end of the hand 76 is hooked on the upper surface of the peripheral wall to vertically suspend and hold the hand 76 of the substrate holder 18 which is suspended and held. The transporter 42 is gripped by the transporter 42 to convey the substrate holder 18. In the pre-wet tank 26, the pre-soak tank 28, the water washing tanks 30 a and 30 b, the blow tank 32, and the copper plating tank 34, the substrate holder 18 is also suspended and held by the peripheral walls thereof via the hand 76.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, one hand 7
An external contact 400, which is formed of a spring probe and is connected to the cathode of the power supply, is provided on the lower surface of the projecting portion projecting outward of 6, and the wiring 402 extending from this external contact 400.
Is a pair of wiring grooves 54b, 54 provided inside the fixed holding member 54 from the wiring groove 76b provided inside the hand 76.
It is connected to the conductor 74 through the inside of each of c. The wiring 402 is covered with a wiring cover 404. In addition, a gas flow hole 76c that is bent in a hook shape from the lower surface and extends through inward is provided on the protruding portion of the other hand 76 that protrudes outward, and the air flow hole 76c includes a tube. One end of 406 is connected to this tube 4
The other end of 06 is connected to one wiring groove 54 c provided inside the fixed holding member 54.

At the entrance of the wiring groove 54b provided inside the fixed holding member 54, a caulking material 408a for filling a gap between the wiring groove 54b and the wiring 402 inserted through the wiring groove 54b is provided. Caulking material 408b that fills a gap between the wiring groove 54c and the wiring 402 and the tube 406 inserted through the inside of the wiring groove 54c is filled and sealed. Also, tube 4
The caulking material 408 is also attached to the connection part of the 06 to the hand 76.
c is filled and sealed.

As shown in FIG. 12A, each wiring 402 is made of, for example, Pt, Au, Cu or the like, and the end portion of the conductor 410 having a diameter of about 0.5 mm or 0.7 mm is externally covered with the coating tube 412. The exposed conductor 410 is rolled into a ball shape and wound around a bolt to form a conductor 74.
Connected to. The exposed end of the conductor 410 is filled with a caulking material 408d that fills the gap between the conductor 410 and the covering tube 412, and is sealed. Accordingly, when a gas such as air is introduced into the space R to pressurize the interior of the space R as described below, the gas in the pressurized space (hereinafter referred to as a pressurization space) R Does not leak to the outside from the connection portion of the tube 406 and the wiring grooves 54b and 54c. As shown in FIG. 12B, the covered tube 41 with the conductor 410 exposed.
A heat-shrinkable tube 413, which shrinks when heated, is attached to the position of the end of the second conductor 410 over the exposed conductor 410, and the heat-shrinkable tube 413 is heated to seal the gap between the conductor 410 and the covering tube 412. You may do it.

Here, the substrate holder 18 is used for the hand 7
6 is hung and held at a predetermined position of each copper plating unit 38 of the copper plating tank 34 via the 6, and each copper plating unit 38 has a pedestal 414 as shown in FIG.
Is provided, and a connection port 414a penetrating vertically is provided at a position corresponding to the gas circulation hole 76c provided in the hand 76 of the pedestal 414. And this connection port 4
14a is connected to a gas supply path 418 extending from a gas supply source 416 for supplying a gas such as air or pure N ₂ gas, and the gas supply path 418 is opened / closed, for example, Open / close valve 42 consisting of a solenoid valve
0 is installed. Also, the hand 76 of the cradle 414
An O-ring 422 that seals the outer peripheral portion of the connection port 414a is attached to the upper surface of the position surrounding the guide connection port 414a when the substrate holder 18 is suspended and supported by the hand 76 of the receiving stand 414. There is.

As a result, when the substrate W is held inside the substrate holder 18 as described above, the substrate W is sandwiched between the substrate W and the fixed holding member 54, and the circumference is surrounded by the seal ring 60 to be hermetically sealed. A pressurizing space R is formed. And
The hand 76 of the board holder 18 is hooked on the pedestal 414 of the copper plating tank 34 to move the board holder 18 to the copper plating tank 34.
Suspend and hold the gas supply passage 418 and the tube 4
06 is communicated with each other, and in this state, the on-off valve 420 is opened and gas such as air or N ₂ gas is introduced into the pressurizing space R, thereby pressurizing the inside of the pressurizing space R. ing.

By thus pressurizing the pressurizing space R, the seal ring 60 for sealing the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W, the substrate W in contact with the seal ring 60, and the fixed holding member 54.
Even if a gap is formed between the substrate and the like, the gas pressurized in the pressurizing space R flows through this gap, and this gas pushes back the plating solution to prevent the plating solution from entering the inside of the substrate holder 18. As a result, it is possible to prevent the plating solution from leaking.

Since the pressure of this gas has only to overcome the hydrostatic pressure due to the level of the plating solution, a relatively low pressure, for example, about 0.005 Mpa is sufficient. If this pressure is too high, the substrate may be destroyed, and if an air current leaking from the inside to the outside of the substrate rises on the surface of the substrate, it hinders plating, which is not desirable. Air is generally used as the gas to be introduced into the pressurization space R. However, by introducing an inert gas such as pure N ₂ gas, it is possible to prevent the substrate from being contaminated with air. You can

In this example, an opening / closing valve 420 is provided in the gas supply passage 418, and gas is supplied into the pressurizing space R only when necessary through the opening / closing valve 420, thereby wasting power. This on-off valve 42
0 may be omitted, and the gas may always be jetted upward from the connection port 414a provided in the pedestal 414. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, a valve seat surface 414b having an inner diameter that gradually decreases upward is provided inside a connection port 414a that penetrates vertically in the pedestal 414, and abuts against the valve seat surface 414b. Ball 42 for check valve
4 is built in and is closed by a joint 426, and the gas supply path 418 is connected to this joint 426. On the other hand, the shaft portion 42 of the stem 428 having an arcuate flow path portion on the outer peripheral portion inside the vertical portion of the gas flow hole 76c provided in the hand 76 of the substrate holder 18.
8a is fitted and the leg portion 428b of the stem 428 is projected downward. Accordingly, when the substrate holder is not installed, the ball 424 is seated on the valve seat surface 414b to prevent the gas from being consumed, and the hand 76 of the substrate holder 18 is installed on the pedestal 414 to prevent the gas from being consumed. Stem 4 provided on this hand 76 when 18 is suspended and held.
28 may push down the ball 424 downward to release the seating of the ball 424 on the valve seat surface 414b and introduce gas such as air or N ₂ gas into the pressurized space R.

Further, although not shown, the transporter 44
In addition, a pedestal having the same configuration as that described above is provided, a check valve is built in the substrate holder 18, and when the substrate holder 18 is held by the transporter 44, air or N ₂ gas is introduced into the pressurizing space R. It is possible to prevent the plating solution from leaking while the substrate holder 18 is submerged in the plating solution held in the copper plating unit 38 by introducing gas such as the above and pressurizing it. As described above, when the transporter 44 is provided with the pedestal having the same configuration as described above, by sealing the gas for a certain period of time and detecting whether or not the pressure of the gas drops during that period, the seal ring 60 and It is possible to detect whether gas is leaking from between the substrate W and the fixed holding member 54.

17 and 18 show the linear motor section 80 which is the traveling section of the substrate holder transfer device 40.
The linear motor unit 80 includes a base 82 extending in a long shape.
And the two sliders 8 traveling along the base 82.
4, 86, and each of these sliders 84, 8
Transporters 42 and 44 are mounted on the upper surface of 6. Further, a cable bear (registered trademark) bracket 88 and a cable bear receiver 90 are provided on a side portion of the base 82, and a cable bear 92 extends along the cable bear bracket 88 and the cable bear receiver 90. .

As described above, by adopting the linear motor method as the moving method of the transporters 42 and 44, it becomes possible to move the transporters 42 and 44 over a long distance.
It is possible to reduce the length of 44 to shorten the total length of the device, and to reduce the precision and maintenance parts such as a longer ball screw.

19 to 22 show one transporter 42. Since the other transporter 44 has basically the same configuration, the description thereof is omitted here. The transporter 42 is a transporter main body 100.
An arm portion 102 laterally protruding from the transporter main body 100, an arm portion elevating mechanism 104 for elevating and lowering the arm portion 102, an arm portion rotating mechanism 106 for rotating the arm portion 102, and an inside of the arm portion 102. It is mainly configured of a gripping mechanism 108 which is provided and grips the hand 76 of the substrate holder 18 in a detachable manner.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the arm portion lifting mechanism 104 has a rotatable ball screw 110 extending in the vertical direction and a nut 112 screwed onto the ball screw 110. LM base 114
Are connected. And the transporter main body 100
A timing belt 122 is stretched between a drive pulley 118 fixed to the drive shaft of the lifting motor 116 fixed to the above and a driven pulley 120 fixed to the upper end of the ball screw 110. As a result, the ball screw 110 rotates as the lifting motor 116 is driven, and the ball screw 1
LM base 11 connected to a nut 112 that screws into 10
4 moves up and down along the LM guide.

As shown by the phantom line in FIG. 20, the arm rotating mechanism 106 has a sleeve 134 rotatably accommodating the rotating shaft 130 and fixed to the LM base 114 via a mounting base 132, and this sleeve 134. And a rotation motor 138 attached to the end of the motor through a motor base 136. The timing belt 14 is interposed between the drive pulley 140 fixed to the drive shaft of the rotation motor 138 and the driven pulley 142 fixed to the end of the rotary shaft 130.
4 has been passed over. As a result, the rotation motor 1
The rotary shaft 130 rotates as the drive shaft 38 is driven. Then, the arm portion 102 has the rotating shaft 130.
Is connected to the rotary shaft 130 via a coupling 146.
It is designed to move up and down and rotate together.

The arm portion 102 is shown in phantom in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 22, a pair of side plates 150, 1 connected to the rotary shaft 130 and rotating integrally with the rotary shaft 130.
50, and the gripping mechanism 10 is provided between the side plates 150, 150.
8 are arranged. In this example, two gripping mechanisms 108 are provided, but since they have the same configuration, only one will be described.

The gripping mechanism 108 has the end portions of the side plates 150, 1
There is a fixed holder 152 housed between 50 in the width direction, a guide shaft 154 inserted through the inside of the fixed holder 152, and a movable holder 156 connected to one end (lower end in FIG. 22) of the guide shaft 154. is doing. The fixed holder 152 is connected to the width direction moving cylinder 158 attached to the one side plate 150 via a cylinder joint 160. On the other hand, a shaft holder 162 is attached to the other end (upper end in FIG. 22) of the guide shaft 154.
2 is a cylinder connector 1 for the vertically moving cylinder 166.
They are connected via 64.

As a result, the width direction moving cylinder 158
The fixed holder 152 moves along with the movable holder 156.
Along with the movement of the vertical movement cylinder 166, the movable holder 1 is moved between the side plates 150, 150 in the width direction thereof.
The reference numeral 56 is adapted to move vertically while being guided by the guide shaft 154.

When the hand 76 of the substrate holder 18 suspended and held on the stocker 24 or the like is held by the holding mechanism 108, the movable holder 15 is prevented while preventing interference with the hand 76.
6 is lowered to the lower side, and then the width direction moving cylinder 158 is operated to position the fixed holder 152 and the movable holder 156 at a position where the hand 76 is sandwiched from above and below. In this state, the vertically moving cylinder 166 is operated to sandwich and hold the movable holder 156 between the fixed holder 152 and the movable holder 156. Then, the gripping is released by performing the reverse operation.

As shown in FIG. 6, the substrate holder 18
A concave portion 76a is provided on one side of the hand 76, and a projection 168 that fits into the concave portion 76a is provided at a position of the movable holder 156 corresponding to the concave portion 76a to secure the grip. Is configured to be able to.

23 to 26 show a copper plating tank 34 in which four copper plating units 38 are accommodated in two rows. Note that the copper plating tank 34 shown in FIG. 1 in which the eight plating units 38 are accommodated in two rows basically has the same configuration. The same is true even if the number of copper plating units is increased.

The copper plating bath 34 is provided with an overflow bath 36 formed in the shape of a rectangular box that opens upward. The upper end of the peripheral wall 170 of the overflow bath 36 is
The peripheral wall 17 of each copper plating unit 38 housed inside this
The second upper end 180 is configured to project upward. When the copper plating unit 38 is housed inside, a plating solution flow path 174 is formed around the copper plating unit 38, and a pump suction port 178 is provided in the plating solution flow path 174. As a result, the plating solution overflowing the copper plating unit 38 flows through the plating solution flow path 174 and is discharged to the outside from the pump suction port 178. The overflow tank 36 is provided with a liquid leveler for uniformly adjusting the liquid level of the plating solution in each copper plating unit 38. Here, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 25, a fitting groove 182 serving as a guide for the substrate holder 18 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the copper plating unit 38.

Then, as shown in FIG. 25, the plating solution Q overflowing the copper plating unit 38 is collected in the overflow tank 36, and this is collected by the vacuum pump 320, and the temperature adjusting tank 321, the filtration filter 322, and the deaeration unit (deaeration unit). (Equipment) 328, a dissolved oxygen concentration measuring device 340, and a plating solution circulation system C ₃ for returning to the inside of the copper plating unit 38 via a flow meter 323. Degassing unit 3
Numeral 28 is provided with a vacuum pump 329 for removing various dissolved gases such as oxygen, air, carbon dioxide gas existing in the liquid through a diaphragm which does not allow the liquid to permeate the flow path of the plating liquid Q but permeates only the gas. ing.

Further, the plating solution circulation system C ₃ is branched to extract, for example, 1/10 of the total amount of the plating solution and analyze the plating solution. Based on this analysis result, the components lacking in the plating solution are added. A plating solution management device 610 is provided. The plating solution management device 610 includes a plating solution adjustment tank 612, and is configured to add a component that is insufficient in the plating solution adjustment tank 612. A temperature controller 614 and a sample are added to the plating solution adjustment tank 612. A plating solution analysis unit 616 for taking out and analyzing is attached. Then, as the pump 618 is driven,
The plating solution returns from the plating solution adjustment tank 612 through the filter 620 to the plating solution circulation system C ₃ .

In this example, the feedforward control of predicting the disturbance such as the plating treatment time and the number of the plated substrates and adding the deficient components, the plating solution was analyzed, and the plating solution was analyzed based on the analysis result. It is also used in combination with feedback control that adds a component that is lacking. Of course, only feedback control may be used.

The plating solution management device 610 is, for example,
As shown in FIG. 4, the cassette table 12, the substrate attaching / detaching part 20, the stocker 24, the pre-wet tank 26, the pre-soak tank 28, the washing tanks 30 a and 30 b, the copper plating tank 34, and the like are arranged inside a housing 609. But
As shown in FIG. 5, it may be arranged outside the housing 609.

Further, as shown in FIG. 26, a cathode 184 and an anode 186 for empty electrolysis are arranged inside the plating solution flow path 174 of the overflow tank 36. The anode 186 is made of, for example, a basket made of titanium, and has a chip such as copper put therein.
As a result, the overflow tank 36 serves as a plating tank to eliminate unevenness of the plating film between the copper plating units 38, and to enlarge the electrode surface for empty electrolysis to increase the efficiency of empty electrolysis. It is possible to facilitate formation of a uniform plating solution state by allowing most of the circulating plating solution to pass through the empty electrolysis section.

Also in the pre-wet tank 26, as shown in FIG. 27, the pure water that has overflowed from the pre-wet unit 26a is collected in the overflow tank 26b, and this is collected by the vacuum pump 320 in the temperature adjusting tank 321, the filter 322, and the filter 322. Degassing unit (degassing device) 328, flow meter 3
A pure water circulation system C ₄ is provided for returning to the inside of the pre-wet unit 26a via 23. Degassing unit 328
Is equipped with a vacuum pump 329 that removes various dissolved gases such as oxygen, air, and carbon dioxide present in the liquid through a membrane that does not allow the liquid to permeate the pure water flow path but allows only the gas to permeate. . Further, a pure water tank 330 for supplying pure water to the pure water circulation system C ₄ is provided.

FIG. 28 shows a cross section of the copper plating unit 38. As shown in FIG. 28, when the substrate holder 18 on which the substrate W is mounted is arranged along the fitting groove 182 (see FIGS. 23 and 25) inside the copper plating unit 38,
An anode 200 is arranged at a position facing the surface of the substrate W, and a paddle (stirring bar) 202 is arranged substantially vertically between the anode 200 and the substrate W. The paddle 202 is a paddle drive device 46 described in detail below.
Thus, it is possible to reciprocate in parallel with the substrate W.

As described above, by arranging the paddle 202 between the substrate W and the anode 200 and reciprocating the paddle 202 in parallel with the substrate W, the flow of the plating solution along the surface of the substrate W is made to flow on the surface of the substrate W. By making the entire surface more uniform, it is possible to form a plating film having a more uniform film thickness over the entire surface of the substrate W. Further, in this example, a regulation plate (mask) 204 having a central hole 204a corresponding to the size of the substrate W is arranged between the substrate W and the anode 200. Thereby, the potential of the peripheral portion of the substrate W can be lowered by the regulation plate 204, and the film thickness of the plating film can be made more uniform.

FIG. 29 shows a copper plating tank 3 of this plating apparatus.
4 shows a cross section of the portion where 4 is arranged, and FIG. 30 shows the details of the plating solution injection part in FIG. As shown in FIG. 29, the plating solution is supplied to the inside of the copper plating unit 38 from a plating solution supply pipe 206 located below the copper plating unit 38, and the plating solution overflowing the overflow tank 36 passes through a lower plating solution discharge pipe 208. Is discharged.

Here, as shown in FIG. 30, the plating solution supply pipe 206 is opened inside the copper plating unit 38 at the bottom of the copper plating unit 38, and the rectifying plate 210 is attached to this opening end. Then, the plating solution is injected into the copper plating unit 38 through the current plate 210. One end of the drainage pipe 212 is attached to the copper plating unit 38 so as to open at a position surrounding the plating liquid supply pipe 206, and the plating liquid discharge pipe 208 is attached to the other end of the drainage pipe 212 via a vent pipe 214. It is connected. As a result, the plating solution in the vicinity of the plating solution supply pipe 206 is discharged from the drainage pipe 212 and the plating solution discharge pipe 208, so that the plating solution is prevented from staying there.

31 and 32 show a paddle drive device 46.
Indicates. In this example, a plurality of paddle drive devices 46
31 and 32 show only two of them, but since they have the same configuration, only one of them will be described and the other parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. .

The paddle drive device 46 includes a paddle drive motor 220, a crank 222 whose base end is connected to the drive shaft of the motor 220, a cam follower 224 attached to the tip of the crank 222, and the cam follower 2.
A slider 228 having a grooved cam 226 with which 24 slides. The paddle shaft 230 is connected to the slider 228, and the paddle shaft 230 is
Are arranged so as to cross the copper plating bath 34. A paddle 202 is vertically provided at a predetermined position along the length direction of the paddle shaft 230, and is supported by a shaft guide 232 so as to allow only reciprocal movement along the length direction.

As a result, the crank 222 rotates as the paddle drive motor 220 is driven, and the rotational movement of the crank 222 causes the slider 228 and the cam follower 2 to rotate.
The paddle shaft 230 is converted into a linear motion of the paddle shaft 230 via
However, as described above, it reciprocates in parallel with the substrate W.

If the diameters of the substrates are different, this can be easily dealt with by arbitrarily adjusting the mounting position of the paddle 202 with respect to the paddle shaft 230. Further, since the paddle 202 is constantly reciprocating during the plating process, wear occurs and causes particles due to mechanical sliding. In this example, the structure of the paddle support portion is improved. By doing so, durability can be improved and the occurrence of problems can be greatly reduced.

A series of bump plating processes performed by the plating apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 36A, a seed layer 500 as a power feeding layer is formed on the surface, and, for example, the height H is 2 on the surface of the seed layer 500.
After applying a resist 502 of 0 to 120 μm on the entire surface,
For example, the diameter D is 2 at a predetermined position of the resist 502.
The cassette 10 with the substrate (the surface to be plated) having the opening 502a of about 0 to 200 μm facing up
Then, the cassette 10 is mounted on the cassette table 12.

From the cassette 10 mounted on the cassette table 12, one substrate is taken out by the substrate transfer device 22.
It is placed on the aligner 14 and the orientation flat, notch, etc. are aligned in a predetermined direction. The substrate whose direction is aligned by the aligner 14 is transported to the substrate attachment / detachment unit 20 by the substrate transport device 22.

In the board attaching / detaching part 20, the stocker 24
The two substrate holders 18 accommodated therein are simultaneously gripped by the gripping mechanism 108 of the transporter 42 of the substrate holder transfer device 40, and the arm portion 102 is lifted via the arm portion elevating / lowering mechanism 104. The substrate holder 18 is conveyed to 20, and the arm portion 102 is rotated 90 ° through the arm portion rotation mechanism 106 to bring the substrate holder 18 into a horizontal state. Thereafter, the arm section 102 is lowered via the arm section raising / lowering mechanism 104, whereby the two substrate holders 18 are simultaneously placed on the placing plate 52 of the substrate attaching / detaching section 20, and the cylinder is operated. Movable holding member 58 of substrate holder 18
Keep open.

In this state, the substrate transferred by the substrate transfer device 22 is inserted into the substrate holder 18 located on the center side, the cylinder is reversely operated to close the movable holding member 58, and then the lock / unlock mechanism is used. The movable holding member 58 is locked. Then, after the mounting of the substrate on one of the substrate holders 18 is completed, the mounting plate 52 is slid laterally to mount the substrate on the other substrate holder 18 in the same manner, and then the mounting plate is mounted. Return 52 to its original position.

As a result, the substrate is exposed in the state where the surface to be plated is exposed from the opening of the substrate holder 18.
The periphery is sealed by a seal ring 60 so that the plating solution does not enter, and is fixed by the seal so as to be electrically connected to a plurality of contacts at a portion that does not come into contact with the plating solution. Here, wiring is connected from the contact point to the hand 76 of the substrate holder 18, and power can be supplied to the seed layer 500 of the substrate by connecting a power source to the portion of the hand 76.

Next, the two substrate holders 18 on which the substrates are mounted are simultaneously grasped by the grasping mechanism 108 of the transporter 42 of the substrate holder transfer device 40, and the arm portion 102 is raised via the arm portion elevating mechanism 104. , To the stocker 24 and the arm unit 1 via the arm unit rotation mechanism 106.
02 is rotated 90 ° to bring the substrate holder 18 into a vertical state, and then the arm portion 102 is lowered through the arm portion elevating mechanism 104, whereby the two substrate holders 18 are hung on the stocker 24. Hold (temporarily store).

The substrate transfer device 22 and the substrate attaching / detaching unit 2
0 and the transporter 42 of the substrate holder transfer device 40, the above-described work is sequentially repeated to sequentially attach the substrates to the substrate holders 18 accommodated in the stocker 24, and to suspend and hold the substrates at predetermined positions of the stocker 24 ( (Temporary placement). The sensor provided on the substrate holder 18 for confirming the contact state between the substrate and the contact point, when the contact state is determined to be defective, inputs the signal to a controller (not shown).

On the other hand, in the other transporter 44 of the substrate holder transfer device 40, the substrate is mounted and the stocker 2
The two substrate holders 18 temporarily placed on No. 4 are simultaneously gripped by the gripping mechanism 108, the arm unit 102 is lifted via the arm unit elevating mechanism 104, and then transported to the pre-wet tank 26, and then the arm unit. The arm portion 102 is lowered via the elevating mechanism 104, whereby the two substrate holders 18 are placed in the pre-wet bath 26, for example, soaked in deionized water to wet the surface of the substrate to make the surface hydrophilic. Improve Needless to say, the material is not limited to pure water as long as it can wet the surface of the substrate and replace the air in the holes with water to improve hydrophilicity.

At this time, a sensor for confirming the contact state between the substrate and the contact provided on the substrate holder 18 determines that the contact state is defective. Leave it temporarily in place. Accordingly, even if a contact failure occurs between the substrate and the contact when the substrate is mounted on the substrate holder 18, the plating operation can be continued without stopping the apparatus.
The substrate having the contact failure is not subjected to the plating treatment, but in this case, this can be dealt with by removing the unplated substrate from the cassette after returning the cassette.

Next, a substrate holder 18 having this substrate mounted thereon
In the same manner as described above, the substrate is transported to the pre-soak tank 28, and the substrate is dipped in a chemical solution such as sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid placed in the pre-soak tank 28 to etch the oxide film having a large electric resistance on the surface of the seed layer, and clean metal Expose the surface. Further, the substrate holder 18 on which this substrate is mounted is transported to the water washing tank 30a in the same manner as described above, and the surface of the substrate is washed with pure water put in this water washing tank 30a.

The substrate holder 18 on which the substrate that has been washed with water is mounted is transported to the copper plating tank 34 filled with the plating solution and suspended and held in the copper plating unit 38 in the same manner as described above. Transporter 44 of substrate holder transfer device 40
Repeats the above work in sequence to sequentially convey the substrate holders 18 on which the substrates are mounted to the copper plating unit 38 of the copper plating tank 34 and suspend and hold them at a predetermined position.

As described above, when the substrate holder 18 is suspended and held by the copper plating unit 38, the gas supply path 418 and the tube 406 communicate with each other, and thus the opening / closing valve immediately before or after holding the substrate holder 18 in this manner. 420
Open and introduce a gas such as air or N ₂ gas into the pressurizing space R to pressurize the interior of the pressurizing space R, thereby preventing the plating solution from entering the inside of the substrate holder 18. Prevent the plating solution from leaking.

After the suspension holding of all the substrate holders 18 is completed, the plating solution in the overflow tank 36 is circulated from the plating solution supply pipe 206 to the plating tank, and while overflowing, the plating solution is discharged between the anode 200 and the substrate W. By applying a plating voltage to the paddle and simultaneously moving the paddle 202 back and forth in parallel with the surface of the substrate by the paddle drive device 46,
Plate the surface of the substrate. At this time, the substrate holder 18
Is hung and fixed by the hand 76 on the upper part of the copper plating unit 38.
0, the wire 402, the conductor 74, and the electrical contact 75, and the seed layer 500 (see FIG. 36) is supplied with power.

The plating solution is used in the copper plating unit 38.
Flows into the copper plating unit 38 from the lower part of the copper plating unit 38, overflows from the outer peripheral part of the upper part of the copper plating unit 38, and after adjusting the concentration and removing foreign matter by the filter, flows into the copper plating unit 38 from the lower part of the copper plating unit 38 again To do. By this circulation, the concentration of the plating solution is always kept constant. At this time, the state of the plating solution can be made more uniform by applying a voltage for air electrolysis between the cathode 184 and the anode 186 for air electrolysis.

After the plating is completed, a plating power source is applied,
The supply of the plating solution and the reciprocating motion of the paddle are stopped, and the two substrate holders 18 on which the plated substrates are mounted are simultaneously gripped by the gripping mechanism 108 of the transporter 44 of the substrate holder transfer device 40, and washed with water in the same manner as described above. The substrate is conveyed to the bath 30b and immersed in pure water contained in the washing bath 30b to wash the surface of the substrate with pure water. At this time, when the substrate holder 18 is pulled up from the plating solution, the on-off valve 420 is closed and the introduction of gas into the pressurizing space R is stopped. Next, the substrate holder 18 on which this substrate is mounted is transported to the blow tank 32 in the same manner as described above, and here, the water droplets attached to the substrate holder 18 are removed by blowing air. After that, the substrate holder 18 on which this substrate is mounted is returned to a predetermined position of the stocker 24 and suspended and held in the same manner as described above.

The transporter 44 of the substrate holder transfer device 40 sequentially repeats the above-mentioned operation, and sequentially returns the substrate holder 18 on which the plated substrate is mounted to the stocker 24 at a predetermined position and holds it.

On the other hand, in the other transporter 42 of the substrate holder transfer device 40, the two substrate holders 18 on which the plated substrates are mounted and returned to the stocker 24 are gripped by the gripping mechanism 108 at the same time. In the same manner as above, it is placed on the placing plate 52 of the substrate attaching / detaching part 20. At this time, a sensor provided on the substrate holder 18 for confirming the contact state between the substrate and the contact, and the substrate holder 18 which is determined to have a bad contact state is mounted on the substrate holder 18 which is temporarily placed in the stocker 24. At the same time, they are conveyed and placed on the placing plate 52.

The substrate holder 18 located on the center side
Of the movable holding member 58 is unlocked via the lock / unlock mechanism, and the cylinder is operated to move the movable holding member 58.
open. At this time, the substrate W is attached to the movable holding member 58 by ejecting oil-free air or N ₂ gas toward the substrate W held by the substrate holder 18 from the air ejection nozzle N arranged on the movable holding member 58 side. The movable holding member 58 is prevented from opening while being held. In this state, the plated substrate in the substrate holder 18 is taken out by the substrate transfer device 22 and carried to the spin dryer 16, and the substrate spin-dried by the high speed rotation of the spin dryer 16 is transferred by the substrate transfer device 22. Return to cassette 10.

Then, after the substrate mounted on one substrate holder 18 is returned to the cassette 10 or in parallel with this, the mounting plate 52 is slid laterally, and similarly, the other substrate holder 18 is moved. The substrate mounted on the substrate is spin-dried and returned to the cassette 10.

After returning the mounting plate 52 to the original state,
The substrate holder 18 from which the substrate is taken out
The two gripper mechanisms 108 of the transporter 42 of 0 are gripped at the same time, and are returned to the predetermined position of the stocker 24 in the same manner as described above. After that, two substrate holders 18 on which the plated substrates are mounted and returned to the stocker 24 are simultaneously gripped by the gripping mechanism 108 of the transporter 42 of the substrate holder transfer device 40, and the substrate attaching / detaching part 20 is carried out in the same manner as described above. The plate is placed on the mounting plate 52 and the same operation as described above is repeated.

Then, all the substrates are taken out from the substrate holder 18 in which the substrates after the plating process are mounted and returned to the stocker 24, spin-dried and returned to the cassette 10 to complete the work. As a result, as shown in FIG. 36B, a substrate W having a plated film 504 grown in the opening 502a formed in the resist 502 is obtained.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the plating apparatus having the resist stripping section 600, the seed layer removing section 602 and the heat treatment section 604, the substrate W spin-dried as described above is first treated with the resist. The resist 502 on the substrate W is peeled and removed as shown in FIG. 36C by being transported to the peeling unit 600 and being immersed in a solvent such as acetone having a temperature of 50 to 60 ° C. And this resist 50
The substrate W from which 2 has been removed is transported to the seed layer removal unit 602,
As shown in FIG. 36D, the unnecessary seed layer 500 exposed to the outside after plating is removed. Next, the substrate W is transferred to the heat treatment unit 604 including, for example, a diffusion furnace, and the plating film 504 is reflowed, whereby the substrate W shown in FIG.
As shown in (e), the bump 50 rounded by surface tension
6 is formed. Furthermore, this substrate W is, for example, 100 ° C.
Annealing is performed at the above temperature to remove the residual stress in the bump 506. Note that, as described below, in the case of bumps formed by multi-layer plating, the annealing is performed in this manner to alloy the bumps 506. Then, the annealed substrate is returned to the cassette 10 to complete the work.

Further, as shown in FIG.
In a plating apparatus including a reflow section 606 and an annealing section 608 instead of 04, the reflow section 606
Then, the plating film 504 is reflowed, and the substrate after the reflow is transported to the annealing unit 608 and annealed.

In this example, a stocker 24 for vertically storing the substrate holder 18 is arranged between the board attaching / detaching section 20 and the copper plating unit 38, and the board between the board attaching / detaching section 20 and the stocker 24 is arranged. The transfer of the holder 18 is performed by the first transporter 42 of the substrate holder transfer device 40 using the stocker 2
The second holder transporter 44 transports the board holder 18 between the No. 4 and the copper plating unit 38, so that the board holder 18 can be stored in the stocker 24 when not in use, and the stocker 24 can be sandwiched. The substrate holder 18 is smoothly transported before and after this to improve the throughput. Of course, one transporter may be used to carry out all the transportation.

Further, a robot having a dry hand and a wet hand is used as the substrate transfer device 22, the wet hand is used only when the substrate after plating is taken out from the substrate holder 18, and the other dry hand is used. ing. The back surface of the substrate is kept by the seal of the substrate holder 18 so as not to come into contact with the plating solution. In principle, it is not always necessary to use a wet hand. It is possible to prevent the plating solution from being contaminated due to wraparound and poor sealing, and thus contaminating the back surface of a new substrate.

A substrate cassette 10 with a bar code is used, and the stocker 24 of the substrate holder 18 is used.
The usage state of the substrate holder 18 such as the storage position inside, the relationship between the substrate cassette 10 and the substrate W stored in the cassette 10, the substrate W taken out from the substrate holder 18 and the substrate holder 1
8 is input from the control panel, for example, the pre-plating substrate taken out from the substrate cassette 10 is returned to the original position after the plating process, and the processing state of the substrate W and the state of the substrate holder 18 are performed. Can be monitored. The board itself may be managed as it is by attaching a barcode to the board itself.

FIG. 33 and FIG. 34 show another example of the plating apparatus, which is provided with a plating tank for performing different kinds of plating so that the process can be freely performed. That is, FIG. 33 shows a plating processing section provided with a plating tank for performing different types of plating, which includes the stocker 24, the temporary placing table 240, and the pre-wet tank 2.
6, a pre-soak tank 28, a first water washing tank 30a, a nickel plating tank 244 containing a plurality of nickel plating units 242 for nickel plating the surface of the substrate in an overflow tank 36a, a second water washing tank 30b, a surface of the substrate Copper plating tank 34 in which a plurality of copper plating units 38 for copper plating are housed in overflow tank 36, third washing tank 30c, blow tank 32, fourth washing tank 30d, and solder plating is applied to the surface of the substrate. It has a solder plating tank 248 in which a plurality of solder plating units 246 are housed in the overflow tank 36b.

Incidentally, these nickel plating units 2
The configuration of the solder plating unit 42 and the solder plating unit 246 is basically the same as that of the copper plating unit 38, and the nickel plating tank 2 in which these units are housed in an overflow tank is used.
44 and the solder plating bath 248 are basically the same as the copper plating bath 34. In addition, other configurations are the same as those described above.

According to this plating apparatus, the surface of the substrate mounted on the substrate holder 18 is nickel-plated,
Nickel-
Bumps and the like formed by copper-solder multilayer plating can be formed by a series of operations. In this example, four nickel plating units 242, four copper plating units 38 and 14 solder plating units 246 (22 plating units in total) are provided, but for example, FIG. , Four nickel plating units 242, four copper plating units 38 and 18
It is needless to say that the number of each of these plating units can be arbitrarily changed, for example, by including one solder plating unit 246 (total of 26 plating units), and that the metal to be plated by each plating unit can be arbitrarily changed. Of course.

As a bump formed by multi-layer plating, this N
In addition to i-Cu-solder, Cu-Au-solder, Cu-
Ni-solder, Cu-Ni-Au, Cu-Sn, Cu-
Pd, Cu-Ni-Pd-Au, Cu-Ni-Pd, N
Examples thereof include i-solder and Ni-Au. Here, the solder may be either a high melting point solder or a eutectic solder.

It is also possible to form bumps by Sn-Ag multi-layer plating or bumps by Sn-Ag-Cu multi-layer plating and anneal them to alloy them as described above. As a result, the conventional Sn-P
Unlike b solder, Pb-free can solve the environmental problems caused by α rays.

Here, in this example, a local exhaust duct 250 is provided on the substrate holder transfer device 40 side in parallel therewith, and as shown in FIG. 34, a plurality of exhaust ducts communicating with the local exhaust duct 250 are provided. By sucking through the holes 252, a one-way air flow toward the local exhaust duct 250 is generated, and a one-way air flow from below each plating tank or the like to the ceiling is enabled. In this way, a flow of air in one direction toward the local exhaust duct 250 is generated, and steam evaporated from each plating tank is placed on this flow, whereby it is possible to prevent the substrate and the like from being contaminated by this steam.

As described above, according to this plating apparatus, the cassette containing the substrate is set on the cassette table and the apparatus is started, whereby the electrolytic plating adopting the dip method is performed automatically to obtain the substrate. A metal plating film suitable for bumps or the like can be automatically formed on the surface of the.

[0119]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Even if there is a gap between the seal ring that seals the outer peripheral portion of the substrate and the substrate or support that contacts the seal ring,
The gas pressurized in the pressurization space flows through this gap, and this gas pushes back the liquid such as the plating solution to prevent the liquid such as the plating solution from entering the inside of the substrate holder. It is possible to prevent the liquid from leaking.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall layout diagram of a plating apparatus including a substrate holder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall layout diagram of a plating apparatus showing a modified example of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an overall layout diagram of a plating apparatus showing another modification of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a layout view of a plating apparatus showing still another modified example of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a layout view of a plating apparatus showing still another modified example of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a substrate holder.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 9B of FIG. 6 with the substrate holder locked.
It is a -B line sectional view.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion D of FIG. 7 in a state where the substrate holder is unlocked.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a C portion of FIG. 7 in a state where the substrate holder is unlocked.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing end portions of different wirings.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a slide plate.

FIG. 14 is a rear view showing the mounting portion of the electrical contacts of the seal ring.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of manufacturing an electrical contact in the order of steps.

16A is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the relationship between the pedestal and the hand of the substrate holder, FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view of the stem portion of the stem, and FIG. 16C is a perspective view of the stem. Is.

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a linear motor portion (traveling portion) of the substrate holder transfer device.

FIG. 18 is a front view of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a front view of the transporter.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing an arm rotation mechanism of the transporter by an imaginary line.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of a gripping mechanism included in the arm unit.

FIG. 22 is likewise a vertical sectional front view.

FIG. 23 is a plan view of a copper plating bath.

FIG. 24 is a vertical sectional front view of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a vertical sectional side view of a copper plating tank.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged sectional view of a copper plating bath.

FIG. 27 is a vertical sectional side view of the pre-wet tank.

FIG. 28 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a copper plating unit.

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of the copper plating bath placement portion in FIG. 1.

FIG. 30 is an enlarged cross-sectional view near the plating solution injection hole of the copper plating unit.

FIG. 31 is a plan view of the paddle drive device.

FIG. 32 is likewise a vertical sectional front view.

FIG. 33 is a layout view showing still another example of the plating apparatus provided with the substrate holder of the present invention.

34 is a diagram showing the local exhaust duct in FIG. 33 and an exhaust duct hole communicating with the exhaust duct.

FIG. 35 is a layout view of a plating apparatus showing a modification of FIG. 33.

FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view showing the process of forming bumps (protruding electrodes) on the substrate in the order of steps.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Cassette 12 Cassette Table 14 Aligner 16 Spin Dryer 18 Substrate Holder 20 Substrate Attachment / Detachment 22 Substrate Transfer Device 24 Stocker 26 Pre-wet Tank 28 Pre-soak Tank 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d Rinse Tank 32 Blow Tank 34 Copper Plating Tank 38 Copper Plating Unit 40 substrate holder transfer device 42,44 transporter 46 paddle drive device 54 fixed holding members 54b, 54c wiring groove 56 hinge 58 movable holding member 58b ring-shaped part 58c fitting part 58d locking convex part (locking part) 58e concave part (Engagement part) 60 Seal ring 60a Engagement recess (engagement part) 60c Storage recess 62 Pressing ring 62a Flange pieces 64, 68 Slide plate 64c Convex part (engagement part) 66 Bolt 70 Clamper 70a Projection 71 Guide Pin 72 Swing blocking block 73 Origin 74 Conductor 75 Electric contact 76 Hand 76b Wiring groove 76c Gas flow port 78 Fine wire 80 Linear motor part 84, 86 Slider 100 Transporter body 102 Arm part 104 Arm part elevating mechanism 106 Arm part rotating mechanism 108 Grip mechanism 400 External contact 402 Wiring 406 Tubes 408a, 408b, 408c, 408d Caulking material 410 Conductor 412 Covering tube 414 Cradle 414a Connection port 416 Gas supply source 418 Gas supply path 420 Open / close valve

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A substrate is interposed between a fixed holding member and a seal ring attached to a movable holding member, and the seal ring is pressed toward the fixed holding member to detachably hold the substrate. In the substrate holder, when the substrate is held, it is sandwiched between the substrate and the fixed holding member to pressurize the inside of the space surrounded by the seal ring. 2. The substrate holder is provided with a tube communicating with the space, and gas is supplied from a gas supply source by the tube to pressurize the interior of the space. Substrate holder. 3. When the substrate holder is held on the pedestal, the hand is held in contact with the pedestal and holds the substrate holder, and the tube which connects the hand and the fixed holding member to communicate with the space is provided. 3. The substrate holder according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply path connected to the connection port provided in the pedestal and the tube communicate with each other. 4. The substrate holder according to claim 3, wherein a connection portion of the tube with the pedestal and the fixed holding member is hermetically sealed. 5. The substrate holder according to claim 3, wherein a valve is provided in the middle of a gas supply system path extending from the gas supply path to the tube. 6. An electric contact disposed inside the fixed holding member, the electric contact being connected to an external contact via a wiring, and a connecting portion of the wiring to the fixed holding member and an exposed portion of a conductor are hermetically sealed. The substrate holder according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holder is sealed. 7. A fixed holding member and a seal ring attached to the movable holding member, wherein when the seal ring is pressed toward the fixed holding member to hold the substrate, the substrate and the fixed holding member are separated from each other. A plating apparatus, comprising: a substrate holder sandwiched therebetween and adapted to pressurize the inside of the space surrounded by the seal ring.