JP2003528214A - Electrochemical deposition equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a flexible structure designed electrochemical deposition system that is scalable to accommodate future designs and the need to fill gaps, and to provide an alternative to other processing systems. Provide sufficient throughput to meet demand. The electrochemical deposition system typically includes a mainframe having a mainframe wafer transfer robot, a loading station positioned to contact the mainframe, and one or more processes positioned to contact the mainframe. A cell and an electrolyte supply fluidly connected to the one or more electrical processing cells. Preferably, the electrochemical deposition system is mounted on the edge bead removal / spin rinse dry (EBR / SRD) station and the loading station located on the mainframe adjacent to the loading station. A rapid thermal annealing chamber, a seed layer repair station located on the mainframe, and a system controller for controlling the electrochemical deposition process and components of the electrochemical deposition system.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the deposition of metal layers on wafers / substrates. In particular, the present invention is directed to an electro-chemical deposition apparatus for forming a metal layer on a wafer / substrate.
deposition: abbreviated as ECD), which is also called an electroplating apparatus.

[Background of Related Art] Sub-quarter micron (0.25 μm or less) multilevel metallization is one of the next-generation core technologies for ultra large scale integrated (ULSI) devices. The core of this technology, multi-level interconnection, requires planarization of structural interconnect features formed in high aspect ratio holes, which include contact, Vias, lines and other features are included. Reliable formation of these interconnect features is critical to the success of ULSI and the continued technological efforts to improve circuit density and quality on individual substrates and dies.

As circuit densities increase, the width of vias, contacts or contacts and other features and their dielectric relative to each other is reduced to less than 250 nm, while the thickness of the dielectric layer remains substantially constant. The result is an increase in the aspect ratio of the feature, that is, the height divided by the width. Traditional thin film deposition methods such as physical vapor deposition (PC
D) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are difficult to fill structural features when the aspect ratio exceeds 4: 1, especially above 10: 1. Therefore, much effort is currently being made towards the formation of void-free nanometer sized features with high aspect ratios where the feature height to width ratio is 4.1 or greater. Furthermore, as the feature width decreases, the device current remains constant or increases, resulting in an increase in feature current density.

Aluminum (Al) and its alloys as the metal element are the metals traditionally used to form lines and plugs in semiconductor processing. This is because aluminum has a considerably low electric resistivity or resistivity, and silicon dioxide (S
This is because the adhesiveness to iO ₂ ) is excellent, the pattern formation is easy, and a very pure form can be obtained. However, aluminum has a higher resistivity than other more conductive metals, such as copper, and aluminum also suffers from electromigration which causes voids to form in the conductor.

Copper and its alloys have a lower resistivity than aluminum and have a significantly higher resistance to electromigration than aluminum. These features are important in withstanding the high current densities that occur at high integration levels and high device speeds. Copper also has good thermal conductivity and can be obtained in very high purity. Thus, copper is an option as the metal of choice for filling sub-quarter micron, high aspect ratio interconnect features on semiconductor substrates.

Despite the desirability of using copper in the fabrication of semiconductor devices, copper is used for structural features with very high aspect ratios, such as aspect ratios of 4: 1 and widths of 0.35 μm (or (Less than this) there is a limited choice of manufacturing methods to deposit in features. As a result of these process constraints, plating, which was previously limited to forming wiring on circuit boards, is now being used to fill vias and contacts on semiconductor devices.

The metal electroplating method is generally known and can be achieved by various methods. A typical method generally involves physically vapor depositing a barrier layer on the surface of the feature and physically depositing a conductive metal seed layer, preferably copper, on the barrier layer, and then conducting metal. Are electroplated on the seed layer to provide structure / feature filling. Finally, the deposited layer and the dielectric layer are planarized by, for example, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) to form conductive interconnect features.

FIG. 1 shows a simplified representative founta with contact pins.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the in) type plating apparatus 10. Generally, fountain type plating apparatus 10
Is an electrolytic solution-containing container 12 having a top opening, a substrate holder 14 provided on the electrolytic solution-containing container 12, an anode 16 and a substrate 22 provided on the bottom of the electrolytic solution container 12.
Has a contact ring 20 that contacts the. A plurality of grooves 24 are formed on the lower surface of the substrate holder 14. A vacuum pump (not shown) is coupled to the substrate holder 14 and is in communication with the groove 24 to create a vacuum condition that allows the substrate 22 to be secured to the substrate holder 14 during processing. The contact ring 20 has a plurality of metallic or semi-metallic contact pins 26 distributed around a peripheral portion of the substrate 22 to form a central substrate plated surface. The plurality of contact pins 26 are provided on the substrate 2
2 extends radially inwardly over the narrow peripheral portion of the two and contacts the conductive seed layer of the substrate 22 at the top of the contact pins 26. Power supply (not shown) is pin 2
6 to provide an electrical bias to the substrate 22. The substrate 22 is positioned above the cylindrical electrolyte-containing vessel 12 and the electrolyte flow impinges vertically on the substrate plating surface during operation of the cell 10.

While today's electroplating cells, such as that shown in FIG. 1, achieve acceptable levels of results on large scale integrated substrates, many problems have resulted in micron-sized high aspect ratio structural features. The consistent and reliable electroplating on the provided substrate is compromised. In general, these problems result in a uniform power distribution and current density on the plated surface of the substrate to form a metal layer of uniform thickness, undesired edge and backside or backside deposition. Preventing and controlling contamination of the substrate being processed and the resulting substrate, and maintaining vacuum conditions that secure the substrate to the substrate holder during processing. In addition, today's electroplating cells do not provide sufficient throughput to meet the requirements of other processing equipment, and a flexible architecture that can be expanded to meet future design rules and gap filling requirements. Not designed in a ready state. Moreover, current equipment does not solve the problem of insufficient or discontinuous seed layers prior to performing the electroplating process. Further, current electroplater platforms do not provide electrochemical post-deposition treatments, such as rapid thermal anneal, to improve deposition or plating results within the same electroplater platform.

Another particular problem that arises with typical electroplating methods is that the edges of the seed layer experience excessive deposition or plating volume (commonly referred to as edge beads) during electroplating. FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the edge of wafer 30 showing overdeposit 36 at edge 32 of seed layer 34. As shown in FIG. 1A, a seed layer 34 is deposited on the wafer 30, and an electroplating layer 38 is electrochemically deposited on the seed layer 34. It has been found that the edge 32 of the seed layer 34 has a higher current density than the rest of the seed layer 34, resulting in a higher deposition rate at the edge 32 of the seed layer 34. The mechanical stress at the edge 32 of the seed layer 34 is also higher than at the rest of the seed layer, causing the deposition at the edge of the seed layer to stop and move away from the edge of the wafer 30. The excessive deposition portion 36 is generally removed by the CMP method. However,
During CMP, the overdeposit 36 at the edge of the wafer may typically be stripped from the edge of the seed layer and damage adjacent portions of the wafer. Stripped metal can also damage devices formed on the wafer. Thus, the number of properly manufactured devices is reduced and the cost per formed device is high.

Moreover, current-based electroplating equipment cannot perform the necessary processing steps without the use of peripheral components and time-consuming efforts. For example, during the plating process, the analysis of processing chemicals is regularly required. Such an analysis determines the composition of the electrolyte to ensure the correct proportions of the components. Conventional analysis is performed by taking a sample of electrolyte from a test port and sending the sample to a remote analyzer. Next, the composition of the electrolytic solution is manually adjusted according to the result of the analysis. The analysis should be performed frequently due to the constant flow of various chemicals. However, the methods described above are time consuming and limit the number of analyzes that can be performed.

Therefore, a design with a flexible architecture that does not yield sufficient throughput to meet the requirements of other processing equipment and can be expanded to meet future design rules and gap filling requirements. There is a need for electrochemical deposition equipment. Also, electrochemical deposition that produces a uniform power distribution and current density on the substrate plating surface to form a metal layer of uniform thickness and maintains a vacuum condition that secures the substrate to the substrate holder during processing. A device is desired. Further, it is desirable that such a device have a device that enhances the reliability of the deposition or deposition within the structural features by enhancing the quality of the first conductive layer for subsequent electroplating processes.

The electrochemical deposition apparatus desirably prevents and / or removes unwanted edge and backside or backside deposition to control contamination of the substrate being processed and the resulting substrate, and It is desirable that the apparatus be capable of performing a wafer cleaning method, for example, a spin-rinse-dry method, after removing an excessive deposited portion from the wafer. It is also desirable for the electrochemical deposition apparatus to have one or more chemical analyzers that are integrated with the processing equipment and allow for real-time analysis of electrolyte composition. Further, it is desirable that the electrochemical deposition apparatus allow for electrochemical deposition or post-deposition treatments to improve deposition or plating results, such as rapid thermal annealing treatments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally does not yield sufficient throughput to meet the requirements of other processing equipment and is flexible enough to be extended to meet future design rules and gap filling requirements. Provided is an electrochemical deposition apparatus designed with a certain architecture. An electrochemical deposition apparatus generally includes a mainframe having a mainframe wafer transfer robot, a loading station provided in association with the mainframe, one or more processing cells provided in association with the mainframe, and one or two or more. An electrolytic supply source fluidly connected to the electroprocessing cell of. Preferably, the mainframe further comprises an edge bead removal (edge clean) / spin-rinse-dry (EBR / SRD) station and a seed layer repair station. Preferably, the electrochemical deposition apparatus includes a rapid thermal anneal chamber attached to the loading station, an electrolyte replenishment apparatus including an integrated chemical analyzer, an electrochemical deposition method, and a system controller for controlling components of the electrochemical deposition apparatus. Further has.

One feature of the present invention is that it produces a uniform power distribution and current density on a substrate plated surface to form a metal layer of uniform thickness and secures the substrate to a substrate holder during processing. An electrochemical deposition apparatus that maintains a vacuum condition is provided.

Another feature of the invention is electrochemical deposition that prevents and / or removes unwanted edge and backside or backside deposition to control contamination of the substrate being processed and the resulting substrate. Provide a device.

Another feature of the present invention is an apparatus for electrochemically depositing or depositing a metal on a substrate, which comprises a head assembly having a cathode and a wafer holder, a treatment container having an electrolyte solution and an anode. An apparatus comprising a kit, an electrolyte overflow catch, and a power supply connected to the cathode and anode. Preferably, the cathode has a cathode contact ring and the wafer holder has a bladder system that brings the cathode contact ring into proper contact with the wafer. Preferably, the surface of the cathode contact ring exposed to the electrolyte is coated or treated to provide a hydrophilic surface.

The invention, in yet another aspect, provides a permeable encapsulated anode adapted to remove anode sludge and other particles produced by dissolution of the anode. Preferably, the encapsulated anode has a hydrophilic membrane that traps or filters contaminants from the electrolyte. The encapsulated anode preferably further comprises a bypass electrolyte inlet and a bypass outlet to facilitate the flow of electrolyte within the encapsulated anode.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides an electrolyte replenishment device having a real-time chemical analyzer module and an injection module. The chemical analyzer module includes at least one, and preferably two, analyzers operated by the controller and integral with the controller of the electrochemical deposition apparatus. The sample line produces a continuous flow of electrolyte from the main electrolyte tank to the chemical analyzer module. The first analyzer determines the concentration of organic substances in the electrolytic solution, and the second analyzer determines the concentration of inorganic substances. The injection module is then activated to deliver the correct proportion of chemicals to the main tank in response to the information provided by the chemical analyzer module.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a real-time chemical analyzer module. The chemical analyzer module includes at least one, and preferably two, analyzers operated by the controller and integral with the controller of the electrochemical deposition apparatus. The sample line
Produces a continuous flow of electrolyte from the main electrolyte tank to the chemical analyzer module. The first analyzer determines the concentration of organic substances in the electrolytic solution, and the second analyzer determines the concentration of inorganic substances.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides an apparatus for removing excess deposits at the edge of a wafer without damaging the devices formed on the wafer surface. This apparatus is capable of performing a wafer cleaning method, for example, a spin-rinse-dry method, after removing an excessive deposited portion from the wafer.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus that enhances the reliability of deposition or deposition within structural features by enhancing the quality of the first conductive layer for subsequent electroplating processes. To do.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides an electrochemical post-deposition treatment method, such as a rapid thermal anneal method, for improving deposition or plating results. The apparatus for performing the rapid thermal anneal process preferably has a rapid thermal anneal chamber located adjacent to the loading station of the electrochemical deposition apparatus.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides a rotatable head assembly for an electroplating cell that causes rotation of a wafer during processing to improve uniformity of deposition or plating. The rotatable head assembly also facilitates removal of residual electrolyte from the wafer holder assembly after performing the electroplating process. Preferably, the components of the wafer holder assembly including the inflatable bladder and the cathode contact ring have a hydrophilic surface that facilitates drip and removal of residual electrolyte.

In order to provide a detailed understanding of the manner of carrying out or attaining the above-mentioned features, advantages and objects of the present invention, reference is made to the embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings. The present invention described in the section will be described more specifically.

However, the attached drawings show only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention can be implemented in other equivalent forms.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a platform 200 of the electroplating system or apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an electroplating apparatus platform 200 of the present invention. Referring to both FIGS. 2 and 3, the electroplating apparatus platform 200 includes a loading station 210, a thermal annealing chamber 211 as main components.
, A main frame 214 and an electrolyte replenishing device 220. Preferably,
The electroplater platform 200 is contained in a clean environment using panels, such as Plexiglas panels. The mainframe 214 has a mainframe transfer station 216, a spin-rinse-dry (SRD) station 212, a seed layer repair station 215, and a plurality of processing stations 218 as main components. The main frame 214 has a base 217 with notches that support the various stations needed to complete the electrochemical deposition process. The base 217 is preferably made of aluminum, stainless steel or other rigid material capable of supporting various stations. A chemical overcoat, such as Halar®, ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE) or other overcoat, is preferably deposited on the surface of base 217 that is subject to potential chemical corrosion. Preferably, a good conformal coating material on the metal base 217, good adhesion to the metal base 217, good ductility,
Provides crack resistance under normal operating conditions of the system. Each processing station 2
18 has one or more processing cells 240. The electrolytic solution replenishing device 220 is provided adjacent to the main frame 214 in a state of being individually connected to the processing cell 240, and circulates the electrolytic solution used in the electroplating method. The electroplating machine platform 200 further includes a power supply station 221 for supplying power to the electroplating machine and a controller 222, typically a programmable microprocessor.

Loading station 210 preferably includes one or more wafer cassette receiving areas 224, one or more loading station transfer robots 228 and at least one wafer orienter 230. The number of wafer cassette receiving areas provided in the loading station 210, the loading station transfer robot 228, and the number of wafer orienters can be set according to a desired throughput (processing amount) of the apparatus. As shown for one embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, loading station 210 has two wafer cassette receiving areas 224, two loading station transfer robots 228 and one wafer orienter 230. A wafer cassette 232 containing a wafer 234 is placed on the wafer cassette receiving area 224, thereby introducing the wafer 234 into the electroplater platform. The loading station transfer robot 228 transfers the wafer 234 between the wafer cassette 232 and the wafer orienter 230. The loading station transfer robot 228 comprises a typical transfer robot commonly known in the art. Wafer orienter 230 positions each wafer 234 in the desired orientation so that the wafers are processed correctly. The loading station transfer robot 228 also transfers the wafer 234 between the loading station 210 and the SRD station 212 and between the loading station 210 and the thermal annealing chamber 211. Loading station 210 further includes an additional wafer cassette 231 for temporary storage of wafers as needed to facilitate efficient transport of wafers through the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a spin-rinse-dry (SRD) module of the present invention having a rinse fluid and a dissolving fluid inlet. FIG. 5 shows the spin-rinse-of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of a dry (SRD) module, showing a substrate in a processing position vertically disposed between fluid inlets. Preferably, the SRD station 21
2 has one or more SRD modules 236 and one or more wafer passage cassettes 238. Preferably, the SRD station 212 has two SRD modules 236 corresponding to the number of loading station transfer robots 228, and a wafer passing cassette 238 is positioned above each SRD module 236. Wafer passing cassette 238 facilitates wafer transfer between loading station 210 and main frame 214. The wafer passage cassette 238 can approach and move away from both the loading station transfer robot 228 and the robots within the mainframe transfer station 216.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the SRD module 236 has a bottom 330a, sidewalls 330b and an upper shield 330c, which together form an SRD module bowl 330d, where the shields are sidewalls. Attached to the SRD module to help retain the fluid within the SRD module. As a modification, a detachable cover may be used. The pedestal 336 provided in the SRD module
It has a pedestal support 332 and a pedestal actuator 334. The pedestal 336 supports a substrate 338 (shown in FIG. 5) on the pedestal top surface during processing. Pedestal actuator 334 rotates the pedestal to spin the substrate and raise and lower the pedestal as described below. The substrate may be held in place on the pedestal by a plurality of clamps 337. The clamp is rotated by centrifugal force and preferably engages the edge exclusion area of the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the clamp engages the substrate only when the substrate lifts from the pedestal during processing. A vacuum passage (not shown) may be used with other holding elements. The pedestal has a plurality of pedestal arms 336a, 336b such that fluid through the second nozzle will impinge on the underside of the substrate over as much surface area as is actually the case. The outlet 339 allows fluid to be removed from the SRD module. As used herein, “bottom”, “top”, “bottom”, “top”, “top”, “bottom”,
The terms "upper", "lower" and other positions refer to the embodiment described in the drawings and may change depending on the relative movement of the processing device.

A first conduit 346, which allows the first fluid 347 to flow therethrough, is connected to the valve 347 a. The conduit may be a hose, tube, tube or other fluid containing conduit. The valve 347a controls the flow rate of the first fluid 347 and may be selected from a variety of valves including needle valves, globe valves, butterfly valves or other valves. Types of valves, the valve 347a may further include a valve actuator, such as a solenoid, that can be controlled by the controller 362. Conduit 346 is connected to a first fluid inlet 340 located above the machine, the first fluid inlet being SR
It has a mounting portion 342 attached to the D module and a connecting portion 344 attached to the conduit 346. The first fluid inlet is shown with a single first nozzle 348 that delivers the first fluid 347 under pressure onto the top surface of the substrate. However, multiple nozzles may be used and multiple fluid lines may be placed around the inner periphery of the SRD module. Preferably, the nozzle located above the substrate should be located outside the outer periphery of the substrate to reduce the risk of the nozzle falling onto the substrate. The first fluid inlet can be arranged at various positions, and such a disposing place can be provided by penetrating a cover positioned above the substrate. In addition, the nozzle can be articulated in various positions using articulation members 343, such as ball joints.

Similar to the first conduit and related elements described above, the second conduit 352 has a control valve 349.
The second fluid inlet 350 is connected to a and includes a second nozzle 351. Second
The fluid inlet 350 of is located below the substrate and is shown tilted upward to direct the second fluid through the second nozzle 351 and into the substrate. Similar to the first fluid inlet, the second fluid inlet may have a plurality of orientations, including a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of fluid inlets and attachment locations, and orientations for using the articulation member 353. Each fluid inlet may extend into the SRD module at various locations. For example, if it is desired that the flow be angled backwards along the edge of the substrate towards the perimeter of the SRD module, the nozzle may be extended radially inward so that the ejection from the nozzle results in the perimeter of the SRD module. It may be directed rearward toward.

The controller 362 can individually control the two fluids and their respective flow rates, pressures and timings, and any associated valving and spin cycles. The control device may be located remotely, for example in a control panel or control room, and the water supply and drainage facility may be controlled by remote actuators. An alternate embodiment, shown in phantom, has a supplemental fluid inlet 346a connected to the first conduit 346 and having a conduit 346b and a control valve 346c, which allows the backside of the substrate after flowing the lysing fluid. Alternatively, the rinse fluid can be flowed to the back side, in which case it is not necessary to redirect the substrate or switch the flow through the second fluid inlet to the rinse fluid.

In one embodiment, the substrate is provided with the deposition or plating surface facing up in the SRD module bowl. As will be explained below, in such a configuration, the first fluid inlet will generally pass a rinse fluid, such as deionized water or alcohol. As a result, the backside of the substrate is provided facing down and the fluid flowing through the fluid inlet of the valve is a dissolving fluid, e.g. an acid, such acid depending on the substance to be dissolved. Mention may be made of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid or other solutions or fluids. Alternatively, when attempting to rinse the treated substrate in the desired step, the first fluid and the second fluid are both rinse fluids, such as deionized water or alcohol.

To explain the principle of operation, the pedestal is in the raised position shown in FIG. 4, and the robot (not shown) places the substrate on the pedestal face-up. The pedestal lowers the substrate to a processing position where the substrate is vertically disposed between the first fluid inlet and the second fluid inlet. Generally, the pedestal actuator rotates the pedestal at about 5 to about 5000 rpm, with a typical range of speeds being about 20 to about 2000 rpm for a 200 mm substrate. The lower end 337a of the clamp is rotated.
Rotates outwardly around the pivot 337b toward the periphery of the SRD module sidewall due to centrifugal force. Rotation of the clamp pushes the upper end 337c of the clamp inward and downward toward the center, holding the substrate 338 in place on the pedestal 336, preferably along the edge of the substrate. The clamp can be rotated into place without hitting the substrate, holding the substrate in place on the pedestal only if the substrate has lifted significantly from the pedestal during processing. With the pedestal rotating the substrate, the rinse fluid is pumped through the first fluid inlet 340 onto the front side of the substrate. A second fluid, such as acid, is pumped through the second fluid inlet to the backside to remove unwanted deposits or deposits. The lysing fluid chemically reacts with and dissolves the deposit, and then rinses the deposit from the backside of the substrate and other areas where the unwanted deposit is located. In a preferred embodiment, the rinse fluid is adjusted to flow at a faster rate than the dissolution fluid to help protect the front side or surface of the substrate from the dissolution fluid. The first and second fluid inlets are arranged for optimum performance depending on the size of the substrate, the respective flow rates, the spray pattern and the amount and type of deposits to be removed, among other factors. . In some cases, the rinsing fluid may be directed to the second fluid inlet to rinse the backside of the substrate after the lysing fluid has dissolved the unwanted deposits. In other cases, an auxiliary fluid inlet coupled to flow the rinse fluid over the backside of the substrate may be used to rinse the dissolution fluid residue from the backside. After rinsing the front and / or back side of the substrate, the fluid flow is stopped and the pedestal continues to spin, spinning the substrate and thus effectively drying the surface.

The fluid is generally delivered in a spray pattern, which may vary depending on the particular nozzle spray pattern desired, such patterns including fan-shaped, jet-shaped, conical and other patterns. . One spray pattern for the first and second fluids through the first and second fluid inlets, respectively, is a fan-shaped pattern when the first fluid is a rinse fluid and a 200 mm wafer,
The pressure is about 10 to about 15 psi (pounds per square inch) and the flow rate is about 1 to about 3 gpm (gallons per minute).

The present invention can also be used to remove unwanted deposits along the edges of a substrate to create edge exclusion areas. The nozzle orientation and location can also be adjusted to control the fluid flow rate, substrate rotation rate and fluid chemical composition to remove unwanted deposits from the edge and / or edge exclusion areas of the substrate. Thus, substantially preventing dissolution of the deposited material on the front surface does not necessarily include the edges or edge exclusion areas of the substrate. Also, inhibiting dissolution of the deposited material on the front surface includes at least inhibiting dissolution so that the surface with the deposit is not damaged beyond commercial value.

One way to achieve the edge exclusion zone dissolution method is to rotate the disk at a slow speed, eg, about 100 to about 1000 rpm while dispensing the dissolution fluid onto the backside of the substrate. The centrifugal force causes the lysing fluid to move toward the edge of the substrate and the surface tension of the fluid creates a layer of fluid around the edge, thus causing the lysing fluid to overlap from the back side to the front side of the edge area of the substrate. Using the rotation speed of the substrate and the flow rate of the dissolving fluid, the degree of overlap on the front side can be determined. For example, decreasing the rotational speed or increasing the flow rate will result in less overlap of fluid on the opposite side, eg the front side. further,
Adjusting the flow rate and flow angle of the rinse fluid delivered to the front side can shift the layer of dissolving fluid on the edge of the substrate and / or on the front side. In some cases,
The lysing fluid may be used first without the rinsing fluid to remove the edges and / or edge exclusion areas, and then the rinsing / melting method of the present invention as described above may be performed.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of an edge bead removal (sometimes referred to as edge clean) / spin-rinse-dry (EBR / SRD) module combination with the substrate positioned vertically between fluid inlets. It is shown in the processing position. This embodiment of the invention provides edge beam removal (EBR) and spin-rinse-dry (SR).
D) It is useful for both methods. The EBR / SRD module is preferably provided within the SRD station 212 (see Figure 3). EBR / SRD module 22
00 has a wafer holder assembly 2104 and a fluid / chemical delivery assembly 2106 in a container 2100. The container 2102 is preferably a cylindrical sidewall 21.
08, a container bottom 2110 having a central opening 2112, and an upward facing inner wall 2114 extending upward from the peripheral edge of the central opening 2112. A fluid outlet 2116 is coupled to the bottom 2110 of the container to facilitate draining used fluids and chemicals from the EBR / SRD module 2200.

Wafer holder assembly 2104 is provided above central opening 2112, which includes a lift or lift assembly 2118 and central opening 2.
It has a rotating assembly 2120 extending through 112. The lift assemblies 2118 preferably comprise bellows type lifts or lead screw stepper motor type lift assemblies, which are well known in the art and are commercially available. The lift assembly 2118 serves for transporting the wafer 2122 and facilitates positioning of the wafer 2122 on the wafer holder assembly 2104 between various vertical positions. The rotary assembly 2120 preferably comprises a rotary motor mounted below the lift assembly. Rotation assembly 2120 rotates wafer 2122 during edge bead removal.

Wafer holder assembly 2104 preferably includes a vacuum chuck 2124,
This vacuum chuck holds the wafer 2122 from the backside of the wafer and does not interfere with the wafer edge 2126. Preferably, an annular seal 2128, such as a compressible O-ring, is provided at a peripheral portion of the vacuum chuck surface to seal the vacuum chuck 2124 from fluids and chemicals used during edge bead removal. Wafer holder assembly 2104 preferably includes a wafer lift 2130 that facilitates transfer of wafers from the robot blades of the transfer robot to wafer holder assembly 2104. The wafer lift 2130 has a spider clip assembly, as shown in FIG. 27, which can also be used to secure the wafer during a spin-rinse-dry operation. The spider clip assembly includes a plurality of arms 2134 extending from the annular pace 2136 and a spider clip 2138 rotatably mounted on the distal end of the arms 2134. The annular base 2136 has a downwardly extending wall 2137 that overlaps the upwardly facing inner wall 2114 to contain the fluid used during processing inside the vessel 2102. The spider clip 2138 has a top surface 2140 for receiving the wafer, a clamp portion 2142 for clamping the wafer and a lower portion 2144, which allows the clamp portion 2142 to be subjected to centrifugal force when the wafer holder assembly is rotated. Engage with the edge of the wafer. Alternatively, the wafer lift 2130 comprises a wafer lift commonly used in various wafer processing equipment, such as a set of lift pins or lift hoops on a lift platform or lift rings provided in or around a vacuum chuck body. .

The fluid / chemical delivery assembly 2106 has one or more nozzles 2150 mounted on one or more dispense arms 2152. Dispense arm 2152 extends through container side wall 2108 and provides actuator 2154.
Mounted on the substrate 2122, the actuator 2154 expands and contracts to change the position of the nozzle 2150 on the substrate 2122. Extendable dispensing arm 215
The provision of 2 allows the nozzle to be positioned on the wafer such that the nozzle is directed from the inner portion of the wafer to the edge of the wafer, which provides better control of the etchant / fluid delivery to the wafer edge. . Alternatively, dispense arm 2152 is rigidly attached to container side wall 2108 and nozzle 2150 is secured to the dispense arm in a position that does not interfere with vertical wafer movement within container 2102.

Dispense arm 2152 preferably has one or more conduits extending therethrough that connect nozzle 2150 to a source of etchant. Various etchants for removing deposited metals from substrates, such as nitric acid and other commercially available acids, are well known in the art. Alternatively, the nozzle 2150 is coupled into a flexible tube 2156 provided through a conduit in the dispense arm 2152.
Nozzle 2150 is connected to one or more chemical / fluid sources, eg, deionized water source 2
160 and etchant source 2162 may be selectively coupled and computer controller 2164 may switch this coupling between one or more fluid / chemical sources according to a desired program. Alternatively, a first set of nozzles is connected to a source of deionized water, a second set of nozzles is connected to an etchant source, and the nozzles are selectively activated to deliver fluid to the wafer. It

Preferably, an additional set of lower nozzles 2170, preferably nozzles 215.
It is provided at a position below the wafer in a state of being aligned with the 0 position in the vertical direction. The lower nozzle 2170 is selectively connected to a source of deionized water 2160 and a source of etchant 2162, and the fluid delivered by the nozzle 2170 is controlled by the controller 21.
Controlled by 64. Preferably, the nozzle 2170 is oriented to deliver fluid to the peripheral portion of the backside of the wafer. The lower nozzle 2170 is preferably provided at a position that does not interfere with the operation of the wafer lift 2130. Lower nozzle 2
170 may be attached to actuator 2174 via arm 2176, which expands and contracts to position nozzle 2170 in the desired position. Alternatively, the wafer lift 2130 is not rotated during processing to avoid obstructing the lower nozzle 2170. The EBR / SRD module 2200 preferably further comprises a dedicated deionized water nozzle 2172 arranged to deliver deionized water to the central portion of the upper surface of the wafer.

Preferably, the nozzles 2150 are angled to bring the fluid substantially tangentially near the peripheral portion of the wafer. FIG. 28 is a plan view of an EBR / SRD module showing an example of nozzle positions for performing edge beam removal. As shown, the three nozzles 2150 are substantially evenly spaced around the inner surface of the side wall 2108 of the container. The angular nozzle 2150 is positioned to bring fluid to the edge portion of the wafer and is positioned to open enough space to allow vertical movement of the wafer between processing and transfer positions. Preferably, the fluid delivery or spray pattern is controlled by the nozzle geometry and fluid pressure, thereby limiting fluid delivery to selected edge exclusion areas. For example, the etchant is confined to the outer 3 mm annulus of the wafer to achieve 3 mm of edge exclusion. The nozzle is positioned to provide the etchant at an angle of incidence on the wafer surface that controls the splash of the etch as the etchant contacts the wafer. FIG. 29 is a side view of the nozzle 2150 provided for the wafer 2122 being processed. Preferably, the angle of incidence α of the etchant on the wafer is from about 0 ° to about 45 °, more preferably from about 10 ° to about 30 °.

The wafer 2122 is rotated during edge beam removal to substantially equalize the exposure to etching at the peripheral portion of the wafer. Preferably, the wafer 2122 is rotated in the same direction as the spray pattern of the etchant to facilitate control of edge beam removal. For example, as shown in FIG. 28, the wafer is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (arrow A) that matches the counterclockwise spray pattern. The wafer is preferably rotated at about 100 rpm to about 1000 rpm, more preferably about 500 rpm to about 700 rpm. Effective etching rate (
That is, the amount of copper removed divided by the time required for removal) is a function of the etch rate of the etchant, the rate of etchant in contact with the edge of the wafer, the temperature of the etchant, and the rotational speed of the wafer. Varying these parameters can achieve certain desired results.

To explain the operation principle, the wafer 2122 is mounted on the EBR / SRD module 210.
0 wafer holder assembly 2104 and 2130 lifts the wafer from the transfer robot blade. The robot blade retracts and the wafer lift 2130 lowers the wafer onto the vacuum chuck 2124. The vacuum system is activated to secure the wafer 2122 thereon and rotate the wafer holder assembly 2104 on which the wafer rests as the nozzle 2150 delivers the etchant onto the peripheral portion of the wafer 2122. Preferably, lower nozzle 2170 also delivers etchant to the backside of the wafer during edge beam removal. Preferably, the deionized water nozzle 2172 delivers deionized water to the central portion of the wafer during edge beam removal to prevent unintentional etching by the etchant splashing on the central portion of the wafer surface. The etching operation is performed for a predetermined period of time sufficient to remove excess deposits (ie, edge beads) on the wafer edge. Preferably, the wafer is cleaned by spin-rinse-dry method with deionized water. Spin-rinse-dry methods typically include the steps of pumping deionized water to the wafer to wash residual etchant from the wafer and spinning the wafer at high speed to dry the wafer. For spin-rinse-dry operations, preferably nozzles 2150, 2170, 2172 all deliver deionized water to rinse the wafer during wafer rotation. After rinsing the wafer, spin dry the wafer to EBR / SRD for further processing.
Carry out of module 2200.

The EBR / SRD module 2200 or SRD module 238 is provided adjacent to the loading station 210 and serves as a connecting means between the loading station 210 and the main frame 214. Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3, the mainframe 214 has two processing stations 218 on opposite sides, as shown, each processing station 218 having two processing cells 240. Have The mainframe transfer station 216 includes a mainframe transfer robot 242 provided at the center thereof to enable transfer of substrates between various stations on the mainframe. Preferably, the mainframe transfer robot 242 has a plurality of individual robot arms 2102.
These robot arms 2402 independently access wafers in processing station 218, SRD station 212, seed layer repair station and other processing stations located on or associated with the mainframe. it can. As shown in FIG. 3, the mainframe transfer robot 242 has two robot arms 2402 corresponding to the number of processing cells 240 per processing station 218. Each robot arm 2402 has an end effector 2404 that holds a wafer during wafer transfer. Preferably, each robot arm 2402 is operable independently of the other arms to facilitate independent transfer of wafers in the system. As a modification, the robot arm 2402 operates in a linked state such that when one robot arm extends, the other robot arm retracts.

Preferably, the mainframe transfer station 216 includes flipper-like robot end effectors 2404 provided on the mainframe transfer robot 242, which flipper-like robot end effectors face down on the wafer. For process cells 240 that require processing, it facilitates transfer of the wafer from a face-up position to a face-down position. Flippers robot end effector 240
4 enables rotational movement along the horizontal axis along the flipper robot end effector 2404. Preferably, the flipper robot end effector 2404.
A vacuum suction gripper 254 located at the distal end of the device holds the wafer as it is flipped over and carried by the flipper robot end effector 2404. The flipper robot end effector 2404 positions the wafer 234 within the processing cell 240 to enable face down processing. The details of the electroplating cell of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 3 shows a mainframe transfer robot incorporating a flipper robot. The mainframe transfer robot 242 serves to transfer wafers between various stations mounted on the mainframe, as shown in FIG. 24, including processing stations and SRD stations. The mainframe transfer robot 242 includes a plurality of robot arms 24.
02 (two shown) with a flipper robot 2402 attached as an end effector for each of the robot arms 2402. A flipper robot is generally known in the art and is attached to it as a wafer handling robot, such as the model RR701 end effector available from Rorze Automation, Inc. of Milpitas, Calif. be able to. The mainframe transfer robot 242 equipped with a flipper robot as an end effector can transfer a substrate between various stations attached to the mainframe and can turn over the substrate being transferred to a desired surface orientation state. For example, the treated surface of the substrate faces downward in the case of electroplating. For example, a flipper-like robot can
Flip face down for electroplating in process cell 240, and for other processes, such as spin-rinse-dry operations, flip the process face of the substrate face up. Preferably, the mainframe transfer robot 242 allows independent robot movements along the XYZ axes by the robot arm 2402 and independent flip-board rotations by the flipper robot end effector 2402. . By incorporating the flipper robot 2404 as an end effector of the mainframe transfer robot, the wafer transfer operation is simplified because the wafer transfer step from the mainframe transfer robot to the flipper robot is omitted.

Preferably, one or more electroless (or electroless) plating cells or modules are provided in the seed layer repair station 215. An electroless plating cell (herein, referred to as an electroless plating (EDP) cell) performs an electroless plating method. The EDP cell may be located at a rear portion of the electroplater platform 200, which is located far from the substrate entrance. In the illustrated embodiment, two EDP cells may be juxtaposed to increase throughput.

FIG. 24 is a sectional view of one EDP cell 3010. The EDP cell 3010 has a bottom portion 3012, a side wall 3014 and an obliquely arranged upper shield 3016, and the upper shield is attached to the side wall 3014, and an intermediate portion thereof is open. As a modification, a detachable cover (not shown) may be used. A pedestal 3018 is generally provided within the central portion of cell 3010 and has a pedestal actuator 3020. The pedestal actuator 3020 is
Rotate the pedestal 3018 to move the substrate 3022 mounted on it about 10 times.
~ Rotate at about 2000 rpm. The pedestal may be heated to bring the temperature of the substrate to about 15 ° C to about 100 ° C, preferably about 60 ° C. Pedestal lift 3
024 raises and lowers pedestal 3018. The substrate 3022 is attached to the pedestal 30.
A vacuum chuck 3026 attached to the top of 18 may be held in place. In addition, the pedestal 3018 attaches the substrate 3022 to the plurality of clamps 3028.
Can be lowered to a vertical position aligned with. Clamp 3028 is rotated by centrifugal force to engage substrate 3022, preferably at the edge of the substrate. The pedestal 3018 further includes an annular shield 3030 disposed below, the annular shield 3030 having a larger diameter than a corresponding annular shield 3032 disposed above the bottom of the cell 3010. . The interaction of the two annular shields 3030, 3032 protects the pedestal 3018 and associated components from the fluid in the cell 3010. At least one fluid outlet 3034
Located at the bottom of cell 3010 to allow fluid to exit the cell.

A first conduit 3036 for flowing electroless plating fluid is coupled to the cell 3010. Conduit 3036 may be a hose, pipe, tubing or other fluid containing conduit. An electroless plating fluid valve 3038 controls the flow rate of the electroless plating fluid and the valves disclosed herein may be needle valves, globe valves, butterfly valves or other types of valves, and these The valve may have a valve actuator, such as a solenoid. Valve 3 in which electroless plating fluid container 3044 can be controlled by control device 3040
038. A series of valves 3042a-3042f are coupled to various chemical sources (not shown), in which case valves 3042a-3042f can be independently controlled using controller 3040. Preferably, the electroless plating fluid is optionally pre-deposited on substrate 3022 to avoid premature electroless plating on conduit 3036 and its associated elements.
Mix at individual coat weights for deposition on top. Therefore, the valves 3038, 304
2a-3042f are preferably placed in close proximity to the cell 3010. A first conduit 3036 is coupled to a first fluid inlet 3046 located above the substrate 3022 when the substrate is positioned in the lower position, and is preferably coupled to an articulating member 3048, such as a ball joint, inlet 3046. Of the inlet 3046 within the cell 3010 and the angular adjustment of the inlet 3046 within the cell 3010. The first nozzle 3050 has an inlet 3
It is connected to the end of 046 and is directed to the pedestal 3018. The fluid as a whole is delivered in a spray pattern, which may vary depending on the particular desired nozzle spray pattern, such as fan-shaped, jet-shaped, conical and other patterns. To be Preferably,
The nozzle 3050 allows the substrate 302 to move up and down without obstructing the substrate.
It is provided outside the periphery of 2. Alternatively, an actuator (not shown) may be used to move the nozzle 3050 laterally, vertically, or some combination thereof to create a vertical gap in the substrate when raising or lowering the substrate. 3050 may be articulated towards the periphery of cell 3010.

Similar to the first conduit and related elements, the second conduit 3052 is provided through the sidewall 3014. The second conduit 3052 provides a path for a rinse fluid, such as deionized water or alcohol, which rinse fluid, after electroless plating.
Used to rinse 22. The second inlet 3054 has a second conduit 3052.
And a second nozzle 3056 is connected to the second inlet 3054. An articulation member 3059 may be coupled to the second inlet 3054 and may be used to allow movement and angular adjustment of the inlet relative to the cell 3010.
A second valve 3058 is connected to the second conduit 3052, which preferably controls the timing and flow rate of the rinse fluid. The second conduit may also be coupled to a source of dilute acid or fluid and a valve for controlling the fluid. Alternatively, the acid source may be coupled to a separate conduit (not shown). Exemplary fluids include those used to coat the substrate surface after electroless plating to protect the layer from hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid, or oxidation and other contaminants prior to electroplating. Other liquids or fluids are possible. Thus, the substrate may be transferred for subsequent processing, for example, electroplating in the "wet" state to minimize oxides and other contaminants. If the substrate is maintained in a position with its surface up for a predetermined period after the electroless plating method, it becomes easier to carry it in a wet state.

Controller 3040 preferably controls each valve and thus each fluid timing and flow rate. Controller 3040 preferably controls the spin and pedestal of the substrate and thus the elevation of the substrate mounted thereon. The controller 3040 may be located remotely, for example in a control panel or control room, and the water supply and drainage facility may be controlled by remote actuators.

To explain the operation principle, a robot (not shown) moves the substrate 3022 upward with an E.
Send to DP cell 3010. A seed layer has already been deposited on the substrate 3022, for example by PVD or IMP processing. The pedestal 3018 rises and the vacuum chuck 3026 engages the bottom surface of the substrate 3022. The robot retracts and the pedestal 3018 descends to the processing height position. The control device 3040 includes valves 3042a to 3042a.
3042f is actuated to place the chemicals in the electroless fluid container 3044 to mix the chemicals and the controller actuates electroless plating fluid valve 3038 to open it;
This injects a quantity of electroless plating fluid into the first inlet 3046 and
Through the nozzle 3050. Preferably, pedestal 3018 is about 10 to about 500.
It rotates at a relatively slow speed of rpm, thus allowing a certain amount of fluid to uniformly coat the substrate 3022. The orientation of the substrate may be alternated to help spread the fluid evenly across the substrate. Electroless plating fluid valve 303
Close 8. Electroless plating fluids form a layer on a pre-deposited seed layer by autocatalysis and bond the voids of the previously deposited layer to each other to provide a high aspect ratio feature. Ensure that a complete coating is obtained. Preferably, the electroless plating process deposits about 100Å to about 400Å for most substrates.

The second valve 3058 opens and the rinse fluid flows through the second conduit 3052 and is sprayed through the second nozzle 3056 onto the substrate 3022. Preferably, pedestal 3018 spins at a high speed of about 100 to about 500 rpm while rinsing the rest of the electroless plating fluid from substrate 3022 and draining through outlet 3034 for disposal. The substrate may be coated with acid or other coating fluid. In some cases,
The pedestal 3018 can be spun at a fast rate of about 500 to about 2000 rpm to spin dry the substrate 3022.

The pedestal 3018 stops rotating and raises the substrate 3022 to a position above the EDP cell 3010. The vacuum chuck 3026 releases the substrate 3022 and the robot removes the substrate for subsequent processing in the electroplating cell.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the electroplating cell 400 of the present invention. The electroplating cell 400 as shown in FIG. 6 is the same as the electroplating cell 240 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The processing cell 400 includes a head assembly 41 as a main component.
0, a processing kit 420 and an electrolyte collector 440. Preferably, the electrolyte collector 440 is fixed to the main body 442 of the main frame 214 while covering the opening 443 that defines the location where the processing kit 420 is disposed. The electrolyte collector 440 includes an inner wall 446, an outer wall 448 and a bottom portion 44 connecting these walls to each other.
Have 7. An electrolyte outlet 449 is provided through the bottom 447 of the electrolyte collector 440, which outlet is connected to the electrolyte replenisher 220 (see FIG. 2) via a tube, hose, pipe or other fluid carrying connector. Has been done.

The head assembly 410 is attached to the head assembly frame 452.
The head assembly frame 452 has a mounting post 454 and a cantilever arm 456. The mounting post 454 is attached to the body 442 of the main frame 214, and the cantilever arm 456 extends laterally from an upper portion of the mounting post 454. Preferably, the mounting struts 454 provide rotational movement about a vertical axis along the mounting struts to allow rotation of the head assembly 410. The head assembly 410 is attached to a mounting plate 460 provided at the distal end of the cantilever arm 456. The lower end of the cantilever arm 456 is attached to the mounting post 4.
It is connected to a cantilever arm actuator 457 attached to 54, for example a pneumatic cylinder. The cantilever arm actuator 457 is a cantilever arm 456.
Enables pivoting movement of the cantilever arm 456 with respect to the connection between the and mounting struts 454. When the cantilever arm actuator 457 is retracted, the cantilever arm 4
56 creates the spacing required to move the head assembly 410 away from the processing kit 420 and remove and / or replace the processing kit 420 from the electroplating processing cell 400. When the cantilever arm actuator 457 is extended, the cantilever arm 456 brings the head assembly 410 closer to the processing kit 420 and the head assembly 4 is moved.
The wafer in 10 is positioned at the processing position.

The head assembly 410 has a wafer holder assembly 450 and a wafer assembly actuator 458 as main components. Wafer assembly actuator 458 is mounted on mounting plate 460 and has a head assembly shaft 462 extending downwardly through mounting plate 460. The lower end of the head assembly shaft 462 is connected to the wafer holder assembly 450 to position the wafer holder assembly 450 in the processing position and the wafer loading position.

The wafer holder assembly 450 has a wafer holder 464 and a cathode contact ring 466 as main components. FIG. 7 illustrates a cathode contact ring 466 of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of FIG. Contact ring 466 generally comprises an annular body provided with a plurality of electrically conductive members. The annular body is made of an insulating material to electrically insulate the plurality of conductive members. The body and the conductive member together form a diametrically inner substrate seating surface that supports and carries electrical current to the substrate during processing.

Referring now to FIG. 7 in detail, the contact ring 466 has, as a major component, a plurality of conductive members 765 at least partially disposed within the annular insulating body 770. The insulating body 770 includes a flange 762 and a downwardly sloping shoulder portion 764.
With the shoulder portion communicating with a substrate seating surface 768 located below the flange 762 such that the flange 762 and the substrate seating surface 768 are offset from each other and are substantially parallel to each other. It is located inside. Thus, the flange 762 can be considered as constituting a first plane and the substrate seating surface 768.
Defines a second plane parallel to the first plane, with a shoulder 764 located between the two planes. However, the contact ring of the design shown in FIG. 7 is intended to be exemplary only. In another embodiment, the shoulder portion 764 may be steep, including a substantially vertical angle such that it is substantially perpendicular to both the flange 762 and the substrate seating surface 768. Alternatively, contact ring 466 may be substantially flat, thereby eliminating shoulder portion 764. However, for reasons explained below, the preferred embodiment has a shoulder portion 764 shown in FIG. 6 or some design modification thereof.

The conductive member 765 includes a plurality of outer electric contact pads 780 provided annularly on the flange 762, a plurality of inner electric contact pads 772 and pads 772, 780 provided on a part of the substrate seating surface 768. Are connected to each other by a plurality of embedded conductive connectors 776. The conductive member 765 is the insulating body 7
Insulated from each other by 70, which is a plastic such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), perfluoroalkoxy resin (PFA), Teflon®, Tefzel® or any other It may be made of an insulating material such as alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) or other ceramics. The outer contact pad 780 is coupled to a power source (not shown) and is adapted to deliver current and voltage to the inner contact pad 772 via the in-process connector 776. Inner contact pads 772 supply current and voltage to the substrate by maintaining contact around the perimeter of the substrate. Thus, during operation, the conductive member 765
Serve as separate current paths electrically connected to the substrate.

Low resistivity, or conversely high conductivity, is directly related to good plating. To reduce the resistivity, the conductive member 765 is preferably copper (Cu).
, Platinum (Pt), tantalum (Ta), titanium (Ti), gold (Au), silver (A
g), made of stainless steel or other conductive material. Low resistivity and low contact resistance can also be achieved by coating the conductive member 765 with a conductive material. Thus, the conductive member 765 is made of, for example, copper (copper has a resistivity of about 2 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ω · m) and platinum (platinum has a resistivity of about 10.6 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ω · m). It is better to coat with. A coating, such as tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium nitride (TiN), rhodium (Rh), Au, Cu, or Ag, is deposited on a conductive substrate such as stainless steel, molybdenum (Mo), Cu and Ti. Good. Furthermore, the contact pad 77
Since the 2,780 are typically separate units glued to the conductive connector 776, the contact pads 772,780 are made of one material, such as Cu, and the other conductive member 765, such as stainless steel. Good. Either or both pads 772 and 780 and conductive connector 776 may be coated with a conductive material. In addition, the inner contact pad 772 is preferably an oxidation resistant material, such as P because the reproducibility of the plating may be adversely affected by the oxide acting as an insulator.
It consists of t, Ag or Au.

In addition to the total resistance of each circuit being a function of the contact material, the inner contact pad 77
2 geometry or shape and the force provided by the contact ring 466. These factors are caused by the unevenness between the two surfaces, which results in the inner contact pad 77.
The concentrated resistance R _CR is defined at the boundary between the substrate 2 and the substrate seating surface 768. In general, the larger the applied force, the larger the apparent area. Since the apparent area is inversely proportional to R _CR , increasing the apparent area results in a decrease in R _CR . Thus, to minimize total resistance it is preferable to maximize the force. The maximum force exerted during operation is limited by the yield strength of the substrate, which can be damaged under excessive force and the resulting pressure. However, since pressure is related to both force and area, the maximum force that can be withheld is also the inner contact pad 7
It depends on 72 geometries. Thus, contact pad 772 may have a flat top surface as shown in FIG. 7, although other shapes may also be used to advantage. For example, two preferred shapes are shown in Figures 8 and 9. FIG. 8 shows a contact pad in the shape of a cutting edge (knife edge), and FIG. 9 shows a hemispherical contact pad. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other shapes may be used to advantage. A more detailed explanation of the relationship between contact geometry, force and resistance can be found in "Ney Contact Manual" by Kenneth E. Pitney.
e JM Companey, 1973), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The number of connectors 776 may vary depending on the particular number of contact pads 772 (shown in FIG. 7) desired. For a 200 mm board, at least 24 connectors 776 are preferably equiangularly spaced over 360 °. However, when the number of connectors reaches a critical level, the compliance of the substrate with the contact ring 466 is adversely affected. Therefore, 25 or more connectors 776
Can be used, but ultimately the contact uniformity may be reduced depending on the topographical features of the contact pads 772 and the stiffness of the substrate. Similarly, with less than 23 connectors 776, the current is more and more limited and localized, which results in poor plating results. The dimensions and shapes of the present invention may be used for specific applications (eg, 30
The optimum number can be easily determined according to various ratios and embodiments because it can be easily changed according to the 0 mm substrate).

As shown in FIG. 10, the substrate seating surface 768 is provided on the insulating body 770 and extends diametrically inward to the inner contact pad 772 to form the inner periphery of the contact ring 466. have. Insulation gasket 782 preferably extends slightly (eg, a few mils) over inner contact pad 772 and is preferably an elastomer such as Viton®, Teflon:
(Registered trademark), beech rubber (buna rubber: registered trademark), and the like. If the insulating body 770 also comprises an elastomer, the insulating gasket 782 may be made of the same material. In such an embodiment, insulating gasket 782 and insulating body 770 may be formed in one piece, i.e., a single piece. However, the insulating gasket 782 is preferably separate from the insulating body 770 and is easily removable for replacement or cleaning.

While FIG. 10 shows a preferred embodiment of the insulating gasket 782 in which the entire insulating gasket sits on the insulating body 770, FIGS. 8 and 9 show a modified embodiment. In such a modified embodiment, the insulating body 770 is partially cut to expose the top surface of the connecting member 776 and the insulation is provided on the sket 782. Thus, the insulating gasket 782 is in contact with a portion of the connecting member 776. With this design, the amount of material required for the inner contact pad 772 is low, which is advantageous if the material cost is significant, for example if the inner contact pad 772 is made of gold. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other embodiments that do not depart from the scope of the invention.

During processing, the insulating gasket 782 is compressed to maintain contact with the surrounding portion of the substrate plating surface and to form a seal between the remaining cathode contact ring 466 and the substrate. The seal prevents the electrolyte from contacting the edges and backside of the substrate. As mentioned above, maintaining a clean contact surface is necessary to achieve high plating reproducibility. Conventionally designed contact rings do not produce consistent plating results. This is because the topographical features of the contact surface change over time.
The contact ring of the present invention comprises an inner contact pad 7 if not configured as in the present invention.
Deposition on 72, eliminating or even minimizing deposits that can alter these properties, thereby providing high reproducibility, consistency and uniform plating over the plating surface of the substrate. You get a degree.

FIG. 11 is a simplified schematic diagram showing a possible configuration of the electrical circuit of the contact ring 446. An external resistor 700 is connected in series with each of the conductive members 765 to obtain a uniform current distribution between the conductive members 765. Preferably, the resistance value of external resistor 700 (represented by R _EXT ) is much greater than the resistance of any other component of the circuit. As shown in FIG. 11, the electrical circuit through each conductive member 765 is represented by the resistance of each of the components connected in series with the power source 702. R _E represents the resistance of the electrolyte, which generally depends on the distance between the anode and cathode contact rings and the chemical composition of the electrolyte. Thus, R _A represents the resistance of the electrolyte adjacent the plated surface 754 of the substrate. R _S is the plated surface 7 of the substrate
54 represents the resistance of 54 and _RC represents the resistance of the cathode conductive member 765 plus the resulting concentrated resistance at the interface between the inner contact pad 772 and the substrate plating layer 754. . Generally, the resistance value (R _EXT ) from the external resistor is ΣR
Is at least greater than, where ΣR is equal to the sum of R _E , R _A , R _S, and R _C. Preferably, the resistance value (R _EXT ) of the external resistor is much larger than ΣR, ΣR is negligible, and the resistance of each series circuit is approximately R _EXT .

Typically, one power supply is connected to all of the outer contact pads 780 of the cathode contact ring 466, forming a parallel circuit through the inner contact pads 772. However, since the resistance at the boundary between the inner contact pad and the substrate is different for each inner contact pad 772, more current flows at the lowest resistance,
Thus a large amount of plating will result. However, by providing an external resistor in series with each conductive member 765, the value or amount of current flowing through each conductive member 765 will be controlled primarily by the value of the external resistor. As a result, variations in the electrical properties between the inner contact pads 772 do not affect the current distribution on the substrate and a uniform current density occurs across the plating surface, which results in a uniform plating thickness. Will be caused. Internal resistors also produce a uniform current distribution between different substrates of the process sequence.

Although the contact ring 466 of the present invention is designed to resist the formation of deposits on the inner contact pads 772, the resistance at the substrate-pad interface may increase over many substrate plating cycles. Yes, the value will eventually exceed the allowable limit. An electronic sensor / alarm 704 may be connected across the external resistor 700 to monitor the voltage / current across the external resistor to solve this problem. When the voltage / current across the external resistor 700 deviates from the predetermined operating range, which represents a high resistance between the substrate and the pad, the sensor / alarm 704 triggers corrective action, for example decommissioning of the plating method, and eventually a problem. Will be corrected by the operator.
Alternatively, a separate power source may be connected to each of the leaky members 765 and controlled and monitored separately to produce a uniform current distribution across the substrate. Very smart system (VS) to regulate the current flow
It is better to use S) further. The VSS typically comprises any combination of processing units and devices known in the art used to supply and / or control current, such as variable resistors, separate power supplies, and the like. The physico-chemical and hence electrical properties of the inner contact pad 772 change over time, so VSS
Processes and analyzes data feedback. The data is compared to preset values and VSS then makes appropriate current and voltage changes to obtain uniform deposition or plating.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the cathode contact ring. The cathode contact ring 1800, as shown in FIG. 18, includes a conductive metal or metal alloy, such as stainless steel,
It consists of copper, silver, gold, platinum, titanium, tantalum and other conductive materials, or a combination of stainless steel coated with a conductive material such as platinum. The cathode contact ring 1800 has an upper mounting portion 1810 adapted to attach the cathode contact ring to a wafer holder assembly and a lower substrate receiving portion 1820 adapted to receive a substrate. The substrate receiving portion 1820 includes an annular substrate seating surface 18 having a plurality of contact pads or bumps 1824, preferably equiangularly spaced.
22. When the substrate is placed on the substrate seating surface 1822, the contact pads 1824
Physically contact the peripheral region of the substrate to electrically contact the electroplating seed layer on the substrate deposition surface. Contact pad 1824 is preferably coated with a noble metal that is resistant to oxidation, such as platinum or gold.

The exposed surface of the cathode contact ring is preferably treated to be a hydrophilic surface or coated with a material that exhibits hydrophilicity, except for the surface of the contact pad that contacts the substrate. Hydrophilic substances and hydrophilic surface treatments are known in the art. One of the providers of hydrophilic surface treatment methods is Millipore Corporation of Redford, Massachusetts. The hydrophilic surface significantly reduces the bead formation of the electrolyte on the surface of the cathode contact ring, and after the cathode contact ring is removed from the electroplating bath or the electrolyte, a smooth drop of the electrolyte from the cathode contact ring. Promote. Providing the cathode contact ring with a hydrophilic surface that facilitates the outflow of the electrolyte significantly reduces plating defects caused by residual electrolyte on the cathode contact ring. The present inventor has made this an alternative embodiment of the cathode contact ring to reduce bead formation by residual electrolyte on the cathode contact ring and the resulting plating defects on the subsequently processed substrate. It also plans to utilize hydrophilic treatments or coatings. In the electroplating cell of the present invention, contact rings of other designs, for example, co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 201,486 filed Nov. 30, 1998, with the same assignee (Title of Invention: Cathode Contact Ring F
Contact rings of the design described in US Pat.

With reference to FIGS. 12 and 12A, the wafer holder 464 is preferably positioned above the cathode contact ring 466, which exerts pressure on the backside of the wafer, the wafer plating surface and the cathode contact ring 466. A bladder assembly 470 for electrically contacting each other. Inflatable bladder assembly 470
Are provided on the wafer holder plate 832. Thus, the bladder 836 provided on the lower surface of the wafer holder plate 832 has the cathode contact ring 46.
6 is provided on the opposite side adjacent to the contact point between the substrate 6 and the substrate 821 interposed therebetween. A fluid source 838 can supply a fluid, gas or liquid, to the bladder 836 to inflate the bladder 836 to varying degrees.

Next, the bladder assembly 470 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 12, 12A, and 13. Wafer holder plate 832 is shown substantially in the shape of a disk and has an annular recess 840 formed in the lower surface and a vacuum port 841 in the center. The one or more inlets 842 are provided in the wafer holder plate 8
A relatively enlarged annular mounting channel 843 and annular recess 84 formed in 32.
It leads to 0. A quick disconnect hose 844 is adapted to couple the fluid source 838 to the inlet 842 and provide fluid thereto. The vacuum port 841 is preferably
It is attached to a vacuum / pressurizing and pressure-feeding device 859 adapted to selectively supply pressure to the back surface of the substrate 821 or generate a vacuum. The pressure feeding device 859 shown in FIG. 12 includes a pump 858, a crossover valve 847, and a vacuum ejector 849 (commonly called a Venturi pipe). One vacuum ejector that can be used to advantage with the present invention is available from SMC Pneumatics, Inc. of Indianapolis, Ind. Pump 8
45, which may be a commercially available compressed gas source, is coupled to one end of hose 852 and the other end of hose 851 is coupled to vacuum port 841. The hose 851 is connected to the pressure line 853 and the vacuum line 855 in a shunt relationship, and the vacuum line 855 is provided with a vacuum ejector 849. The flow rate of the fluid is controlled by a crossover valve 847, which selectively switches the communication state of the pump 845 between the pressurization line 853 and the vacuum line 855. Preferably, the crossover valve prevents fluid from flowing through hose 851 in either direction.
It has an FF setting position. A shutoff valve 861 is provided on the hose 851, which blocks fluid from flowing upstream from the pressurization line 855 through the vacuum ejector 849. The desired flow direction of the fluid is indicated by the arrow.

Those skilled in the art can easily devise other configurations that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, if fluid source 838 is a gas source, connect it to hose 85.
1 to thereby eliminate the need for a separate source of compressed gas, ie pump 858. Further, separate gas supplies and vacuum pumps can provide back pressure and vacuum conditions. If it is desired to accommodate both the back pressure and the vacuum applied to the back side, then the simplified embodiment may have a pump that can only supply vacuum to the back side. However, as will be explained below, if pressure is applied to the backside during processing, the uniformity of plating will improve. Therefore, the above-described configuration including the vacuum ejector and the crossover valve is preferable.

Referring now to FIGS. 12A and 14, a substantially circular ring-shaped manifold 846 is provided within the annular recess 840. The manifold 846 includes a mounting rail 852 provided between an inner shoulder 848 and an outer shoulder 850.
The mounting rail 852 is adapted to be at least partially inserted into the annular mounting channel 843. Multiple fluid outlets 854 formed in manifold 846
Communicates the inlet 842 and the bladder 836 with each other. Annular manifold channel 8 with seal 837, eg, O-ring, aligned with inlet 842 and outlet 854.
The wafer holder plate 8 is provided inside the reference numeral 43 so that a seal can be obtained.
It is fixed by 32. Wafer the manifold 846 through conventional mounting fasteners (not shown), such as screws, through screw holes (not shown) formed in cooperating relationship with the manifold 846 and wafer holder plate 832. It is preferably fixed to the holder plate 832.

Referring now to FIG. 15, bladder 836 is shown in cross-section as an elongated substantially semi-tubular piece of material with an annular lip seal 856 or protrusion at each edge. In FIG. 12A, the lip seal 856 has an inner shoulder 848 and an outer shoulder 85.
0 is provided. The bladder 836 has a portion of the manifold 836
Pressed against the wall of the annular recess 840 by this manifold, the manifold
The width is slightly smaller than 0 (for example, several mm). Thus, the manifold 846, bladder 836 and annular recess 840 cooperate with each other to form a fluid tight seal. To prevent loss of fluid, the bladder 836 is preferably chemically inert to the electrolyte and exhibits some reliable elasticity, such as some fluid impermeable material such as silicone rubber or the like. Made of any elastomer. If desired, a flexible dressing 857 may be placed over the bladder 836 as shown in FIG. 15 and secured using an adhesive or thermal bond. The dressing 857 preferably comprises an elastomer such as Viton®, buna rubber®, etc., which may be reinforced by, for example, Kevlar®.
In one embodiment, the dressing 857 and the bladder 836 are made of the same material. Dressing 8
57 is especially utilized when the bladder 836 is prone to bursting. Alternatively, simply increasing the thickness of bladder 836 during its manufacture reduces the risk of rupture. Preferably, the exposed surface of the bladder 836 (if uncoated) and the exposed surface of the coating 857 are hydrophilic surfaces that facilitate dripping and removal of residual electrolyte after the head assembly is lifted above the processing cell. Coated or treated to provide (as described above for the surface of the cathode contact ring).

The exact number of inlets 842 and outlets 854 may vary depending on the particular application without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, while FIG. 12 shows two inlets and corresponding outlets, alternative embodiments may employ a single fluid inlet that supplies fluid to bladder 836.

To explain the operation principle, the substrate 821 is introduced into the container body 802 by fixing it to the lower side of the wafer holder plate 832. To accomplish this, the pumping device 159 is coordinated to evacuate the space between the substrate 821 and the wafer holder plate 832 via the port 841 thereby creating a vacuum condition. The bladder 836 is then inflated by supplying a fluid, such as air or water, from the fluid source 838 to the inlet 842. Fluid is pumped through the manifold outlet 854 into the bladder 836, which forces the substrate 821 against the contacts of the cathode contact ring 466 uniformly. Next, an electroplating method is carried out. Next, the electrolytic solution is pressure-fed into the processing kit 420 toward the substrate 822 and applied to the exposed substrate plating surface 820. The power supply applies a negative bias to the substrate plating surface 82 via the cathode contact ring 466.
Multiply by 0. While the electrolyte is flowing over the substrate plated surface 820, the ions in the electrolyte solution are attracted to and adhere to the surface 820, thereby forming the desired film.

Because of its flexibility, the bladder 836 is deformed to accommodate the backside of the substrate and the contact irregularities of the cathode contact ring 466, thereby causing the conductive cathode contact ring 4 to move.
Make sure that there is no misalignment with 66. Flexible bladder 8
36 forms a fluid tight seal at the perimeter of the backside of substrate 821 to prevent the electrolyte from contaminating the backside of substrate 821. Once inflated, a uniform pressure is directed downwardly toward the cathode contact ring 466 to create a substantially equal force at every interface between the substrate 821 and the cathode contact ring 466. The force can be varied as a function of the pressure applied by the fluid source 838. Moreover, the effectiveness of the bladder assembly 470 is independent of the shape of the cathode contact ring 466. For example, although FIG. 12 shows a pin structure with multiple separate contacts, the cathode contact ring 466 can be a continuous surface.

Since the force transmitted by the bladder 836 to the substrate 821 is variable, adjustments can be made to the flow provided by the contact ring 466. As mentioned above, an oxide layer may be formed over the cathode contact ring 466 and behave to limit flow. However, increasing the pressure of bladder 836 may counteract flow restriction by oxidation. When the pressure is increased, the malleable oxide layer is damaged and good contact is made between the cathode contact ring 466 and the substrate 821. The effectiveness of the bladder 836 in this performance may be further enhanced by changing the shape of the cathode contact ring 466. For example, a knife-edge shape will penetrate the oxide layer more easily than a blunt rounded edge or a flat edge.

Additionally, the fluid tight seal provided by the expanded bladder 836.
The d tight seal allows the pump 845 to maintain a backside vacuum or pressure selectively or continuously before, during, and after processing. However, in general, the bladder 836 has been found to be capable of maintaining a backside vacuum during processing without continuous pumping, so that the pump 845 can drive the electroplating process cell 400, and Only while moving the board from there,
Run to maintain vacuum. Thus, as described above, while inflating the bladder 836, the backside vacuum condition is simultaneously released, for example, by releasing the pumping system 859 by selecting the off position at the cross valve 847. Releasing the pumping system 859 may be abrupt and may include a gradual process where the vacuum condition forms a gradient. The gradient allows for controlled exchange between the expansion bladder 836 and the simultaneously reduced backside vacuum condition. This exchange may be manual or computer controlled.

As mentioned above, continuous backside vacuum pumping is not required while the bladder 836 is inflated, and may actually distort or bend the substrate 820, leading to undesirable deposition results. Absent. However, substrate "bowing"
) ”It may be desirable to provide backside pressure to the substrate 820 to allow the effect to be processed. The inventor of the present invention has discovered that the bowing effect produces a fine deposit. The pumping system 859 can optionally provide a vacuum or pressure condition on the backside of the substrate. For 200 mm wafers, backside pressures up to 5 psi are preferred for bending the substrate. The substrate typically exhibits some flexibility so that back pressure causes the substrate to bend or assume a recessed shape against upward flow of electrolyte. The degree of bending is
It is variable according to the pressure supplied by the system 859.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments that the present invention contemplates. For example, FIG. 12A shows a preferred bladder 836 having a diameter substantially equal to the cathode contact ring 466 and having sufficient surface area to cover the relatively small perimeter of the backside of the substrate, while bladder assembly 470 comprises: It may change in shape. Thus, the bladder assembly may be constructed using materials that are less fluid permeable to cover the increased surface area of the substrate 821.

FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a wafer holder assembly. Alternative wafer holder assembly 1
The 900 comprises a bladder assembly 470 having an inflatable bladder 836 attached to the rear surface of the intermediate wafer holder plate 1910, as described above. Preferably, a portion of the inflatable bladder 836 is adhesively attached to the back surface 1912 of the intermediate wafer holder plate 1910 using an adhesive or other bonding material. The front surface 1914 of the intermediate wafer holder plate 1910 is adapted to receive a wafer or substrate 821 to be processed, and an elastomeric o-ring 1916 contacts the peripheral portion of the wafer back surface. Front surface 1914 of the intermediate wafer holder plate 1910
Located in the upper, annular groove 1918. Elastomer O-ring 1916 provides a seal between the wafer back and front of the intermediate wafer holder plate.
Preferably, the intermediate wafer holder plate has a vacuum port 841 to facilitate securing the wafer on the wafer holder using a vacuum force applied to the back surface of the wafer. And fluid contact (fluid communic
a plurality of holes 1920 extending through the plate. According to this alternative embodiment of the wafer holder assembly, the inflatable bladder does not directly contact the wafer being processed and the risk of cutting or damaging the inflatable bladder during wafer transfer is significant. Will be reduced. The elastomeric O-ring 1916 is preferably coated or treated to provide a hydrophilic surface (as described above for the cathode contact ring) for contacting the wafer, and the elastomeric O-ring 1916 comprises: It is replaced if needed to ensure proper contact and sealing to the wafer. Other bladders
The system is in accordance with the present invention, eg, commonly assigned and pending US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 201,796, “Inflatable Compliant Bladder Assembly”, November 30, 1998.
It is useful in electroplating cells according to the present invention, such as the bladder system described in US Pat.

FIG. 25 is an alternative embodiment of a processing head assembly having a rotatable head assembly 2410. Preferably, a rotary actuator is disposed on the cantilevered arm and is attached to the head assembly for rotating the head assembly during wafer processing. The rotating head assembly 2410 is mounted on the head assembly frame 2452. Alternate head assembly frame 2452 and rotating head assembly 2410 are shown in FIG. 6 and described above, with head assembly frame 452 and head assembly 4
It is mounted on a mainframe similar to the 10. Head assembly frame 2452 includes mounting post 2454, post cover 2455, and cantilever arm 2456. The mounting post 2454 is mounted on the main body of the main frame 214, and the post cover 2455 covers the upper portion of the mounting post 2454. Preferably, the mounting post 454 is a head assembly frame 245.
To allow two rotations, a rotational movement (marked by arrow A1) is provided with respect to the longitudinal axis along the mounting post. The cantilever arm 2456 extends laterally from the top of the mounting post 2454, and has a pivot joint 2459.
At, is pivotally connected to post cover 2455. The rotating head assembly 2410 is attached to a mounting slide 2460 located at the distal end of a cantilever arm 2456. The mounting slide 2460 guides the vertical movement of the head assembly 2410. Head lift actuator 2458 is positioned on the head of mounting slide 2460 to provide vertical movement of head assembly 2410.

The lower end of cantilever arm 2456 is connected to shaft 2453 of cantilever arm actuator 2457, such as an air cylinder or lead screw actuator, mounted on mounting post 2454, for example. The cantilever arm actuator 2457 includes a cantilever arm 2456 with respect to a joint 2459 between the cantilever arm 2456 and the post cover 2454.
Providing 56 swirling movements (indicated by arrow A2). When the cantilever arm actuator 2457 is retracted, the cantilever arm 2456 provides the processing kit 420 to provide the space needed to remove and / or replace the processing kit 420 from the electroplating processing cell 240. Away the head assembly 2410. As the cantilever arm actuator 2457 extends, the cantilever arm 2456 moves the head assembly 2410 to the processing kit 420 to place the wafer on the head assembly 2410 in the processing position.

The rotary head assembly 2410 includes a rotary actuator 2464 slidably connected to a mounting slide 2460. The shaft 2468 of the head lift actuator 2458 is inserted through a lift guide 2466 attached to the body of the rotary actuator 2464. Preferably, shaft 2468 is a lead screw type shaft that moves the lift guide (described by arrow A3) between various vertical positions. The rotary actuator 2464 is connected to the wafer holder assembly 2450 through the shaft 2470 and rotates the wafer holder assembly 2450 (indicated by arrow A4). Wafer holder assembly 2450 includes a bladder assembly such as the embodiments described above with respect to FIGS. 12-15 and 19, and a cathode contact ring such as the embodiments described above with respect to FIGS. 7-10 and 18.

Rotation of the wafer during the electroplating process usually promotes deposition results. Preferably, the head assembly rotates between about 2 rpm and about 20 rpm during the electroplating process. The head assembly contacts the electrolyte during processing, as well as when it is lifted to remove the wafer from the electrolyte in the processing cell,
It can also rotate when lowered to position the wafer. The head assembly preferably rotates at high speed (ie> 20 rpm) after the head assembly is lifted from the processing cell to facilitate removal of residual electrolyte in the head assembly.

In one embodiment, the standard electroplating process typically achieves a uniformity within the best of about 5.5%, while the inventors have found that the uniformity of the deposited film is about 2%.
Improved (ie, the maximum deviation in deposited film thickness is about 2% of the average film thickness). However, in some instances, a uniform electroplating deposition is achieved, especially if uniformity of the electroplating deposition is achieved by adjusting process parameters such as electrolyte chemistry, electrolyte flow and other parameters. No rotation of the head assembly is required to achieve

Referring back to FIG. 6, a cross-sectional view of the electroplating cell 400,
The wafer holder assembly 450 is located on the processing kit 420. The processing kit 420 typically comprises a bowl 430, a container body 472, an anode assembly 474 and a filter 476.
Preferably, the anode assembly 474 is disposed below the container body 472 and attached to the lower portion of the container body 472, and the filter 476 is
Located between the anode assembly 474 and the container body 472. The container body 472 is made of ceramic, plastic, plexiglass (acrylic),
It is a cylindrical body made of an electrically insulating material such as lexane, PVC, CPVC, and PVDF. Alternatively, the container body 472 can be made of a metal such as stainless steel, nickel, and titanium, which does not dissolve in Teflon®, PVDF, plastic, rubber, and electrolytes, and can be electrically ( That is, it is covered with another combination of materials that can be insulated from the electroplating system's anode and cathode). The container body 472 is preferably
It is sized and adapted to fit the shape of the wafer being plated through the system and the wafer being processed through the system, usually a circular or rectangular shape. One preferred embodiment of the container body 472 comprises a cylindrical ceramic tube having an inner diameter approximately the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the wafer. The inventor has found that the rotational motion required in conventional electroplating systems is not required to achieve uniform plating results when the size of the container body approximately matches the size of the wafer plating surface. I found that.

The upper portion of the container body 472 extends radially outward to form an annular weir 478. The weir 478 extends over the inner wall 446 of the electrolyte collector 440 to allow the electrolyte to flow into the electrolyte collector 440. The upper surface of the weir 478 preferably matches the lower surface of the cathode contact ring 466. Preferably, the upper surface of the weir 478 includes an inner annular flat portion 480, an intermediate sloped portion 482, and an outer downward sloped portion 484. When the wafer is placed in the processing position, the wafer plating surface is placed over the cylindrical opening in the container body 472 and a gap for electrolyte flow is provided by the lower surface of the cathode contact ring 466 and the weir 478. Formed between the upper surface of the. The lower surface of the cathode contact ring 466 is disposed on the inner flat portion 480 and the mid-sloped portion of the weir 478. The outer downward beveled portion 484 is beveled downward to facilitate the flow of electrolyte into the electrolyte collector 440.

The lower portion of the container body 472 extends radially outward to form a lower annular flange for securing the container body 472 to the bowl 430. The outer size of the annular flange 486 (ie,
The perimeter is smaller than the size of the opening 444 and inner circumference of the electrolyte collector 440 to allow removal and replacement of the process kit 420 from the electroplating process cell 400. A plurality of bolts are preferably secured to the annular flange 486 and extend downward through matching bolt holes in the bowl 430. A plurality of removable fastener nuts 490 secure the processing kit 420 to the bowl 430. A seal 487, such as an elastomer O-ring, radially extends inwardly from the bolts 488 to prevent leakage from the process kit 420 and the container body 472.
And the bowl 430. The nut / bolt combination facilitates quick and easy removal and replacement of components of the process kit 420 during maintenance.

Preferably, the filter 476 is attached to and completely covers the lower opening of the container body 472, and the anode assembly 474 is located below the filter 476. Spacer 492 is disposed between filter 476 and anode assembly 474. Preferably filter 476,
Spacer 492 and anode assembly 474 are attached to the lower surface of container body 472 using removable fasteners, such as screws and / or bolts. Alternatively, filter 476, spacer 492, and anode
Assembly 474 is secured to bowl 430 so that it can be removed. The filter 476 is preferably a ceramic diffuser that also functions to control the pattern of electrolyte flow to the substrate plating surface.
) Is provided.

The anode assembly 474 is preferably a metal source (me) in the electrolyte.
a consumable anode that functions as a tal source). Alternatively, the anode
Assembly 474 comprises a non-consumable anode, and the metal to be electroplated is supplied into the electrolyte from electrolyte replenishment system 220. As shown in FIG. 6, the anode assembly 474 is preferably a porous anode enclosure made of the same metal as the metal to be electroplated, such as copper.
nclosure) 494 is a self-contained module. Alternatively, the anode enclosure 494 may be a ceramic or polymeric membranes, etc.
Made of porous material. A soluble metal 496, such as high purity copper for electrochemical deposition of copper, is placed in the anode enclosure 494. The soluble metal 496 is preferably metal particles, wires or perforated sheets.
It is equipped with. Porous anode enclosure 494 also functions as a filter to retain particles produced by the molten metal within anode enclosure 494. Compared to non-consumable anodes, consumable (ie, soluble) anodes provide a gas-free electrolyte and minimize the need to continually replenish metal in the electrolyte.

Anode electrode contact 498 is inserted through anode enclosure 494 to provide an electrical connection from a power source to soluble metal 496. Preferably, the anode electrode contact 498 is made from a conductive material that is insoluble in the electrolyte, such as titanium, platinum, and platinized stainless steel. The anode electrode contact 498 extends through the bowl 430 and is connected to a power source. Preferably, the anode electrical contact 498 includes a threaded portion 497 for the fastener nut 499 to secure the anode electrical contact 498 to the bowl 430, and the elastomer washer (4).
A seal 495, such as an elastomer washer), is placed between the fastener nut 499 and the bowl 430 to prevent leakage from the processing kit 420.

The bowl 430 typically comprises a cylindrical portion 502 and a bottom 504. The upper annular flange 506 extends radially outward from the top of the cylindrical portion 502. The upper annular flange 506 is the lower annular flange 48 of the container body 472.
It includes a plurality of holes 508 to accommodate the number of bolts 488 from six. Bolts 488 are inserted through holes 508 to secure the upper annular flange 506 of the bowl 430 and the lower annular flange 486 of the container body 472, and fasteners.
The nut 490 is fixed to the bolt 488. Preferably, the outer size (ie, circumference) of the upper annular flange 506 is approximately the same as the outer size (ie, circumference) of the lower annular flange 486. Preferably, the lower surface of the upper annular flange 506 of the bowl 430 rests on the support flange of the main frame 214 when the processing kit 420 is placed on the main frame 214.

The inner circumference of the cylindrical portion 502 has an anode assembly 474 and a filter 47.
Accommodates 6. Preferably, the outer dimensions of the filter 476 and the anode assembly 474 are cylindrical so that a substantial portion of the electrolyte is first forced through the anode assembly 474 before flowing through the filter 476. It is slightly smaller than the inner size of the portion 502. The bottom 504 of the bowl 430 includes an electrolyte inlet 510 that connects to the electrolyte supply line from the electrolyte replenishment system 220. Preferably, the anode assembly 474 is located at the bottom 504 in the middle of the cylindrical portion 502 of the bowl 430 to provide a gap for electrolyte flow between the anode assembly and the electrolyte inlet 510. It is placed around the part.

The electrolyte inlet 510 and the electrolyte supply line are preferably connected by a releasable connector that facilitates easy removal and replacement of the process kit 420.
When the treatment kit 420 needs maintenance, the electrolyte is treated in the treatment kit 420.
The electrolyte flow is stopped and the electrolyte flow in the electrolyte supply line is stopped and drained. The connector for the electrolyte supply line is released from the electrolyte inlet 510 and the electrical connection to the anode assembly 474 is also disconnected. Head assembly 4
The 10 is lifted or rotated to provide a cleanup of the treatment kit 420. The processing kit 420 is removed from the mainframe 214 and a new or reconditioned processing kit is replaced with the mainframe 214.

Alternatively, the bowl 430 can be secured to the support flange of the main frame 214 and the container body 472, along with the anode and filter, removed for maintenance. In this case, the anode assembly 474
And the nuts that secure the container body 472 to the bowl 430 are
The assembly 474 and container body 472 are removed to facilitate removal. The new or reconditioned anode assembly 474 and container body 472 are replaced into the main frame 214 and secured to the bowl 430.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of an encapsulated anode. Encapsulated anode 2000 includes a permeable anode enclosure that filters or traps "anode sludge" or particles that are created when metal dissolves from anode plate 2004. Figure 20
The consumable anode plate 2004 is solid copper, preferably
It contains high purity, oxygen-free copper wrapped in a hydrophilic anode encapsulation membrane 2002.
Anode plate 2004 is secured and supported by a plurality of electrical contacts or feedthroughs 2006 extending through the bottom of bowl 430.
The electrical contactor or feedthrough 2006 is an anode encapsulation membrane 2002.
Through to the bottom of the anode plate 2004. The flow of electrolyte is shown by arrow A from the electrolyte inlet 510 located at the bottom of the bowl 430 through the gap between the anode and the bowl sidewall. The electrolyte also flows through the anode encapsulation membrane 2002 by permeation into or out of the gap between the anode encapsulation membrane and the anode plate, as indicated by arrow B. Preferably, the anode encapsulation membrane 2002 has a porosity of between about 60% and 80%, more preferably about 70%, such as a modified polyvinylidene-fluorine membrane, and the pore size is about 0. It comprises a hydrophilic porous membrane between 025 μm and about 1 μm, more preferably between about 0.1 μm and about 0.2 μm. An example of a hydrophilic porous membrane is the Durapore Hydrophilic Membrane (Durap) available from Millipore Corporation of Bedford, Mass.
ore Hydrophilic Membrane). As the electrolyte flows through the encapsulated membrane, the anode sludge and particles produced by the dissolved anode are filtered or trapped by the encapsulated membrane. Thus, the encapsulated membrane improves the purity of the electrolyte solution during the electroplating process and significantly reduces the defect formation on the substrate during the electroplating process caused by anode sludge and contaminant particles. To be done.

FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view of a second embodiment of an encapsulated anode. Similar to the first embodiment of the encapsulated anode, the anode plate 2004 is fixed and supported by an electrical feedthrough 2006. Each anode plate 20
Top encapsulation membrane 2008 and bottom encapsulation membrane 2010, located above and below 04, are attached to a membrane support ring 2012 located around anode plate 2004. Top and bottom encapsulated membranes 2008, 2
010 comprises the material from the list above for the encapsulation membrane of the first embodiment of the encapsulated anode. The membrane support ring 2012 preferably comprises a relatively stiff material (compared to the encapsulating membrane) such as plastic or other polymers. Bypass fluid inlet 2014 is positioned through the bottom of bowl 430 and through bottom encapsulating membrane 2010 to direct the electrolyte into the gap between the encapsulating membrane and the anode plate. The bypass outlet 2016 is
Facilitates the flow of excess electrolyte to an exhaust drain (not shown) connected to the membrane support ring 2012 and with the anode sludge or generated particles from the encapsulated anode. To extend through bowl 430.

Preferably, the flow of electrolyte in the bypass fluid inlet 2014 and the main electrolyte inlet 510 is respectively arranged along a fluid line connected to the inlet,
Individually controlled by flow control valves 2020, 2022, and the fluid pressure at bypass fluid inlet 2014 is preferably maintained above the pressure at main electrolyte inlet 510. Bowl 430 from main electrolyte inlet 510
The flow of electrolyte within is indicated by arrow A, and the flow of electrolyte inside the encapsulated anode 2000 is indicated by arrow B. A portion of the electrolyte that is directed to the encapsulated anode exits the encapsulated anode and flows through bypass outlet 2016. By providing a dedicated bypass electrolyte supply to the encapsulated anode, the anode sludge or particles produced from the melt-depleted anode are continuously removed from the anode, thereby improving the purity of the electrolyte during the electroplating process. To do.

FIG. 22 is a cross sectional view of a third embodiment of an encapsulated anode. Enclosed anode 2
Third embodiment of 000 includes an anode plate 2004 fixed and supported by a plurality of electrical feedthroughs 2006, a top and bottom encapsulation membrane 2008, 2010 attached to a membrane support ring 2012, and a membrane support. A bypass outlet 2016 connected to the annulus 2012 and extending through the bowl 430. This third embodiment of the encapsulated anode preferably comprises the materials described above with respect to the first and second embodiments of the encapsulated anode. The bottom encapsulating membrane 2010 according to the third embodiment includes one or more openings 2024 substantially disposed above the main electrolyte inlet 510. The opening 2024 is adapted to receive the flow of electrolyte from the main electrolyte inlet 510 and is preferably about the same size as the inner circumference of the main electrolyte inlet 510. Main electrolyte inlet 510
The flow of electrolyte from the is indicated by arrow A and the flow of electrolyte in the encapsulated anode is indicated by arrow B. A portion of the electrolyte exits the encapsulated anode and flows through the bypass outlet 2016, carrying some of the node sludge and particles produced from the anodic dissolution.

FIG. 23 is a cross sectional view of a fourth embodiment of an encapsulated anode. Enclosed anode 2
000 fourth embodiment includes an anode plate 2002 fixed and supported by a plurality of electrical feedthroughs 2006, a top and bottom encapsulation membrane 2008, 2010 attached to a membrane support ring 2012, and an encapsulation membrane. To guide the electrolyte into the gap between the anode plate, bowl 4
Bypass fluid inlet 2014 disposed through the bottom of 30 as well as through the bottom encapsulating membrane 2010. This fourth embodiment of the encapsulated anode preferably comprises the materials described above with respect to the first as well as the second embodiment of the encapsulated anode. Preferably, the flow of electrolyte through bypass fluid inlet 2014 and main electrolyte inlet 510 is individually controlled by control valves 2020 and 2022, respectively. The flow of electrolyte from the main electrolyte inlet 510 is indicated by arrow A, while the flow of electrolyte through the encapsulated anode is indicated by arrow B. For this embodiment, the anode sludge and particles produced by the fused anode plate are filtered and trapped by the encapsulating membrane as the electrolyte passes through the membrane.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of the electrolyte replenishment system 220. Electrolyte replenishment system 2
20 supplies an electrolytic solution to the electroplating cell for electroplating. The electrolyte replenishment system 220 typically includes an analysis module 61 with a main electrolyte tank 602, a dosing module 603, a filtration module 605, a chemical analyzer module 616, and an electrolyte waste drain 620.
6 includes an electrolyte waste disposal system 622 connected to the No. One or more controllers control the synthesis of electrolyte in the main tank 602 and the operation of the electrolyte replenishment system 220. Preferably, the controllers are individually operable, but control system 222 of electroplating system platform 200.
May be integrated with.

A main electrolyte tank 602 supplies a reservoir for the electrolyte and is connected to each of the electroplating cells through one or more fluid pumps 608 and valves 607. Including line 612. A heat exchanger 624 or heater / chiller arranged to be in thermal connection with the main tank 602.
Controls the temperature of the electrolytic solution stored in the main tank 602. The heat exchanger 624 is
Connected to and operated by controller 610.

The dosing module 603 is connected to the main tank 602 by a supply line, and has a plurality of source tanks 606, or feed bottles.
tle), a plurality of valves 609, and a controller 611. Source tank 606 contains the chemicals needed to synthesize the electrolyte, and typically includes a deionized water source tank and a copper sulfate (CuSO ₄ ) source tank for synthesizing the electrolyte. Other source tanks 606 include hydrogen sulfate (H ₂ SO ₄ ), hydrochloride (HC
L) and various additives such as glycols may be included. Each source tank is
It is provided with its own connection outflow connector, which is preferably color-coded and adapted to connect to a matching inflow connector in the dosing module. By color-coding the source tank and providing the source tank with its own connector, the errors made by a human operator when replacing or replacing the source tank are significantly reduced.

The deionized water source tank preferably also supplies deionized water to the system for cleaning the system during maintenance. A valve 609 associated with each source tank 606 regulates the flow of chemicals to the main tank 602, and includes butterfly valves, throttle valves, etc.
It may be any of a number of commercially available valves. The actuation of valve 609 is preferably connected to system control 222 to receive signals therefrom.
This is achieved by the controller 611.

The electrolyte filtration module 605 includes a plurality of filter tanks 604. The electrolyte return line 614 includes each of the processing cells and one or more filter tanks 604.
Connected between and. The filter tank 604 removes unwanted inclusions in the used electrolyte prior to returning the electrolyte to the main tank 602 for reuse. Main tank 602 is also connected to filter tank 604 to facilitate recirculation and filtration of electrolyte in main tank 602. Main tank 60
By recirculating the electrolyte from 2 through the filter tank 604, the unwanted inclusions in the electrolyte are continuously removed by the filter tank 604 to maintain a certain level of purity. Further, by recirculating the electrolyte solution between the main tank 602 and the filtration module 605, the various chemicals within the electrolyte solution are thoroughly mixed.

The electrolyte replenishment system 220 also includes a chemical analyzer module 616 that provides real-time chemical analysis of the chemical synthesis of the electrolyte. The analyzer module 616 is fluidly coupled to the main tank 602 by a sample line 613 and to a waste disposal system 622 by an outflow line 621.
The analyzer module 616 typically comprises at least one analyzer and controller for operating the analyzer. The number of analyzers required for a particular processing tool depends on the electrolyte synthesis. For example, the first analyzer
While it may be used to monitor the concentration of organics, a second analyzer is needed for inorganic chemicals. In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 16, the chemical analyzer module 616 includes an automatic titration analyzer 615 and a cyclic voltametric stripper (CV).
S) 617 is provided. Both analyzers are commercially available from various suppliers. An automated titration analyzer that may be used effectively is Parker
Systems are available from Systems and cyclic voltammetric strippers are available from ECI. An automatic titration analyzer 615 determines the concentration of inorganic substances such as copper chloride and acids. The CVS 617 is returned to the main tank 602 from various additives that may be used in the electrolyte and from the processing cell.
Determine the concentration of organic substances, such as by-products from processing.

The analyzer module described in FIG. 16 is merely exemplary. In other embodiments, each analyzer may be coupled to the main electrolyte tank by a separate supply line and operated by a separate controller. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other embodiments.

In operation, a sample of electrolyte flows through sample line 613 to analyzer module 616. Samples may be taken periodically, but preferably a continuous flow of electrolyte to the analyzer module 616 is maintained. A portion of the sample is delivered to an automatic titration analyzer 615 and a portion is delivered to CVS 617 for proper analysis. The controller 619 initiates command signals for operating the analyzers 615, 617 to generate the data. Information from the chemical analyzers 615,617 is sent to the control system 222. The control system 222 processes the information and sends a signal to the dosing controller 611 that includes user defined chemical dosage parameters. The received information is used to provide a real-time adjustment to the source chemical replenishment rate by operating one or more of valves 609, thereby providing a desired electrolyte solution during the electroplating process. , Preferably maintaining a constant chemical synthesis. The waste electrolyte from the analyzer module flows to the waste disposal system 622 via the outflow line 621.

Although the preferred embodiment utilizes real-time monitoring and conditioning of the electrolyte,
Various alternatives may be employed in accordance with the present invention. For example, dosing module 603 may be manually controlled by an operator looking at the output value provided by chemical analyzer module 616. Preferably, the system software allows both an automatic (real-time) adjustment mode as well as an operator (manual) mode. Further, although multiple controllers are shown in FIG. 16, one controller is the chemical analyzer module 61.
6, dosing module 603, and heat exchanger 624 may be used to operate various components of the system. Other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art.

[0118] Preferably, the analyzer includes a standard and reference system that facilitates the controller to compensate for drifts in measurements when electrodes or sensors in the analyzer are corroded by repeated use. . The standards and reference systems are preferably classified according to the substance being analyzed by the analyzer. For example, automatic titration analyzer 615 includes a standard and reference system for inorganic substances, and CVS 617 includes a standard and reference system for organic substances. For example, as set forth in Table 1, three standards are presented for analysis of copper and chloride content in electrolytes.

Table 1: Standards for Copper and Chloride Content Copper Chloride Standard 1 (Low) 49 g / l 40 ppm Standard 2 (Medium) 50 g / l 70 ppm Standard 3 (High) 60 g / l 100 ppm Analyzer is copper and chloride The standard is used to determine the deviation or metrological drift of the electrodes or sensors as they are corroded by repeated use as the electrodes or sensors for the content analyzers are corroded. A linear relationship between the known inclusions in the standard and the analyzer measurement.
By interpolating, the analyzer is calibrated to provide an accurate analysis of the material in the electrolyte sample. The data measured from the electrolyte sample is
In order to provide an accurate measurement, compensation is made for the measurement drift of the electrodes or sensors. By using standards and reference systems, the present invention provides accurate, real-time, online analysis of electrolytes and facilitates closed loop analysis that can be performed by an analyzer attached to the system. The present invention also extends the useful life of the electrodes or sensors and reduces the frequency of system shutdowns due to replacement of these components.

The electrolyte replenishment system 220 was also connected to an electrolyte waste disposal system 622 for the safe disposal of used electrolytes, chemistries, and other fluids used in the electroplating system. Also, an electrolyte waste liquid drain 620 is included. Preferably, the electroplating cell includes a direct line connection to an electrolyte waste drain 620 or an electrolyte waste disposal system 622 to drain the electroplating cell without returning the electrolyte through the electrolyte replenishment system 220. Electrolyte replenishment system 22
0 also preferably includes a bleed off connection for draining excess electrolyte to the electrolyte waste drain 620.

Electrolyte replenishment system 220 also preferably includes one or more degassing modules 630 adapted to remove unwanted gases from the electrolyte. Venting modules typically include a venting module for removing released gas and a membrane that separates the gas from the fluid passing through the vacuum system. The degassing module 630 is preferably arranged in a row in the electrolyte supply line 612 adjacent the processing cell 240. The degassing module 630 is preferably located as close as possible to the processing cell 240 so that most of the gas from the electrolyte replenishment system is removed by the degassing module before the electrolyte enters the processing cell. . Preferably, each degassing module 630 includes two outlets for supplying degassed electrolyte to the two processing cells 240 of each processing station 218. Alternatively, a degassing module 630 is provided for each processing cell. The degassing module can be located in many other locations. For example, the degassing module may be located elsewhere in the electrolyte replenishment system, such as with the filter section or in a closed loop system with a main tank or process cell. As another example, one degassing module is arranged in line with the electrolyte supply line 612 to supply degassed electrolyte to all of the processing cells 240 of the electrochemical deposition system. Furthermore, the individual degassing modules are arranged in series or in a closed loop with the deionized water supply line and are dedicated to removing oxygen from the deionized water source. Since deionized water is used to wash the treated substrate, the free oxygen gas is preferably deoxygenated prior to reaching the SRD module so that the electroplated copper is less susceptible to oxidation by the washing process. Removed from ionized water. Venting modules are well known in the art and commercial embodiments are available and adapted for use in various applications. A commercially available degassing module is available from Millipore Corporati, Bedford, Mass.
available from on.

As shown in FIG. 26a, one embodiment of the degassing module 630 includes a fluid (ie, electrolyte) passageway 634 on one side of the membrane 632 and a vacuum system 636 located on the opposite side of the membrane. Having a hydrophobic membrane 63
Including 2. The degassing module enclosure 638 includes an inlet 640 and one or more outlets 642. As the electrolyte passes through the degassing module 630, gases and other micro-bubbles in the electrolyte are separated from the electrolyte through the hydrophobic membrane and removed by the vacuum system. Another embodiment of the degassing module 630 'includes a hydrophobic membrane tube 632' and a vacuum system 636 disposed around the hydrophobic membrane tube 632 'as described in Figure 26b. The electrolyte is guided inside the tube of the hydrophobic membrane, and as the electrolyte passes through the fluid passages 634 in the tube, the gas and other microbubbles in the electrolyte pass through the tube 632 'of the hydrophobic membrane. , And removed by a vacuum system 636 surrounding the tube. A more complex design of the degassing module is contemplated by the present invention, which has a design with serpentine paths of electrolyte across the membrane and other multi-section (de-) of the degassing module. sectioned) Including design.

Although not shown in FIG. 16, electrolyte replenishment system 220 may include many other components. For example, the electrolyte replenishment system 220 preferably also includes one or more additional tanks for the storage of chemicals for wafer cleaning systems, such as SRD stations. Hazardous material connection
Double enclosed piping for connections may also be employed to provide safe transport of chemicals throughout the system. Optionally, electrolyte replenishment system 220 includes a connection to an additional or external electrolyte treatment system to provide additional electrolyte supply to the electroplating system.

FIG. 17 illustrates a thermal anneal chamber according to the present invention.
mber). The rapid thermal anneal (RTA) chamber 211 is preferably connected to a loading station 210, and the substrate is transferred to or from the RTA chamber 211 by a loading station transfer robot 228. The electroplating system comprises two RTA chambers 211, preferably on opposite sides of the loading station, corresponding to the symmetrical design of the loading station 210, as described in FIGS. 2 and 3. . Thermal anneal processing chambers are generally well known in the art, and rapid thermal anneal chambers are typically utilized in substrate processing systems to improve the properties of deposited materials. The present invention is
It is intended to utilize a variety of thermal anneal chamber designs, including hot plate designs and heat ramp designs, to improve electroplating results. One particular thermal annealing chamber useful with the present invention is San San, Calif.
Applied material Inc., Ta Clara. , WxZ chamber available from Although the present invention has been described using a hot plate rapid thermal anneal chamber, the present invention contemplates other thermal anneal chamber applications as well.

RTA chamber 211 typically includes enclosure 902, heater plate 9
04, a heater 907, and a plurality of substrate support pins 906. Enclosure 902 includes base 908, sidewalls 910, and top 912. Preferably,
A cold plate 913 is located below the top 912 of the enclosure. Alternatively, the cold plate is integrally formed as part of the top 912 of the enclosure. Preferably, the reflector insulator dish 914 is the substrate 9
It is located inside the enclosure 902 on the 08. The reflective isolation dish 914 can typically withstand quartz, alumina, or high temperatures (ie, above about 500 ° C.) and can act as a thermal insulator between the heater 907 and the enclosure 902. Made of other substances. The dish 914 may be covered with a reflective material such as gold to conduct heat back to the heater plate 906.

The heater plate 904 preferably has a high mass as compared to the substrate being processed in the system and is preferably non-responsive to ambient gas in, for example, silicon carbide, quartz, or RTA chambers, or Manufactured from materials such as other materials that do not react with the substrate material. The heater 907 typically comprises a resistive heating element or a conductive / radiative heat source, and a heated plate 906 and a reflective insulating dish 914.
It is placed between and. The heater 907 is connected to a power supply 906 that supplies the energy required to heat the heater 907. Preferably, thermocouple 920 is positioned in conduit 922, positioned through substrate 908 and pan 914, and extends to heater plate 904. The thermocouple 920 is connected to the controller (ie, the system controller described below) and provides temperature measurement to the controller. The controller uses the heater 9 according to the temperature measurement and the desired annealing temperature.
Increases or decreases the heat supplied by 07.

Enclosure 902 preferably includes a cooling member 918 disposed outside enclosure 902 that is in thermal contact with sidewall 910 to cool enclosure 902. Alternatively, one or more cooling channels (not shown) are formed in the sidewall 910 to control the temperature of the enclosure 902. The cold plate 913 disposed on the inner surface of the upper portion 912 is the cold plate 91.
3. Cool the substrate located near 3.

RTA chamber 211 includes a slit valve 922 located in sidewall 910 of enclosure 902 to facilitate the transfer of substrates to and from the RTA chamber. The slit valve 922 is selectively
The opening 924 in the side wall 910 of the enclosure that communicates with the loading station 210 is sealed. Loading station transfer robot 228
(See FIG. 2) transfers the substrate through opening 924 to and from the RTA chamber.

The substrate support pins 906 are preferably quartz, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide,
Alternatively, it comprises a member tapering towards the end made of another high temperature resistant material. Each substrate support pin 906 is disposed within a tubular conduit 926 and is preferably made of a heat and oxidation resistant material and extends through heater plate 904. The substrate support pins 906 are connected to a lift plate 928 for moving the substrate support pins 906 in a uniform manner. The lift plate 928 moves the lift plate 928 to facilitate placement of the substrate in various vertical positions within the RTA chamber, through a lift shaft 932, stepper motor, etc. , Attached to the actuator 930. The lift shaft 932 extends through the base 908 of the enclosure 902 and is sealed by a sealing flange 934 located around the shaft.

To transfer the substrate to the RTA chamber 211, the slit valve 922 is opened and the loading station transfer robot 228 causes its robot blade with the substrate placed therein to Extend through the opening 924 and into the RTA chamber. The robot blade of the loading station transfer robot 228 moves the substrate R onto the heater plate 904.
Placed in the TA chamber, and substrate support pins 906 extend upward to lift the substrate onto the robot blade. The robot blade is withdrawn from the RTA chamber and the slit valve 922 closes the opening. The substrate support pins 906 are retracted to lower the substrate a desired distance from the heater plate 904. Optionally, the substrate support pins 906 may be fully retracted to place the substrate in direct contact with the heater plate.

[0131] Preferably, the gas inlet 936 is configured to allow the RTA chamber 2 to be treated during the annealing process.
11 is positioned through side wall 910 of enclosure 902 to allow the selected gas to flow into it. The gas inlet 936 is a gas source through a valve 940 to control the flow of gas into the RTA chamber 211.
) 938. The gas outlet 942 is preferably located in the lower portion of the side wall 910 of the enclosure 902 for venting gas in the RTA chamber, and preferably back to the atmosphere from outside the chamber.
Relief / check valve to prevent streaming
) 944. Optionally, the gas outlet 942 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) to evacuate the RTA chamber to the desired vacuum level during the annealing process.

[0132]   In accordance with the present invention, the substrate is electroplated in an electroplating cell and the SRD plate is
And then annealed in the RTA chamber 211.
It Preferably, the RTA chamber 211 is maintained at about atmospheric pressure and the RTA chamber
The oxygen content in the chamber 211 is about 100 ppm or less during the annealing process.
Controlled under. Preferably, the ambient environment within the RTA chamber 211 is nitrogen (N 2 ₂ ) Or nitrogen (N₂) Compound and hydrogen (H₂) Is included, RTA
The flow of ambient gas to the chamber 211 controls the oxygen content below 100 ppm.
Therefore, it is maintained above 20 liters / min. Electroplated
The deposited substrate is preferably about 30 seconds to 30 minutes, about 200 degrees Celsius to about 4 degrees Celsius.
At temperatures between 50 degrees, more preferably from about 1 to 5 minutes, from about 250 degrees Celsius
Anneal at a temperature of about 400 degrees Celsius. The rapid thermal anneal process is typically
Requires a temperature rise of at least 50 degrees Celsius per second. During annealing, the substrate
A heater plate is preferred to provide the required rate of temperature rise for
Preferably, the temperature is maintained between about 350 degrees Celsius and about 450 degrees Celsius, and the substrate is
More preferably, it is about 0 mm (ie,
Contacting the data plate) to about 20 mm. Preferably,
The control system 222 controls the desired ambient environment and heaters in the RTA chamber.
Operation of RTA chamber 211, including maintaining plate temperature
To control.

After the annealing process is completed, the substrate support pins 906 are removed from the RTA chamber 21.
Lift the substrate into position for transfer from 1. Slit valve 922
The robot blade of the loading station transfer robot 228 extends into the RTA chamber and is positioned below the substrate. Board support pin 9
06 is retracted to lower the substrate to the robot blade, which is retracted from the RTA chamber. The loading station transfer robot 228 transfers the processed substrates into a cassette 232 for removal from the electroplating processing system (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

Referring back to FIG. 2, the electroplating system platform 200 is
It includes a control system 222 that controls the function of each component of the platform. Preferably, the control system 222 is mounted on the mainframe 214,
And a programmable microprocessor. The programmable microprocessor is typically programmed using software specifically designed to control all components of the electroplating system platform 200. The control system 222 also includes power to the components of the system and includes a control panel 223 that allows an operator to monitor and operate the electroplating system platform 200. Control panel 2
23 is a stand-alone module that connects to the control system 222 through a cable, as described in FIG. 2, and provides easy access to the operator. Typically, the control system 222 will include the loading station 210, RTA
It coordinates the operation of chamber 211, SRD station 212, mainframe 214 and processing station 218. Further, the control system 222
Includes an electrolyte replenishment system 22 for supplying the electrolyte for the electroplating process.
Coordinated with 0 controllers.

The following description is a description of a typical wafer electroplating process sequence through the electroplating system platform 200 as described in FIG. The process sequences described below are exemplary of various other process sequences or combinations that may be performed utilizing an electrochemical deposition system in accordance with the present invention. A wafer cassette containing a plurality of wafers is loaded into a wafer cassette receiving area 224 at loading station 210 of electroplating system platform 200. Loading station transfer robot 2
28 picks up the wafer from the wafer slot in the wafer cassette and picks up the wafer from the wafer orientor 2.
Place at 30. Wafer orienter 230 determines and directs the wafer to a desired location for processing through the system. The loading station transfer robot 228 then transfers the positioned wafer to the wafer.
Transferred from the orienter 230, the wafer is placed in one of the wafer slots in the wafer pass cassette 238 at the SRD station 212. The mainframe transfer robot 242 picks up the wafer from the wafer passage cassette 238 and secures the wafer to a flipper robot end effector 2404. The mainframe transfer robot 242 transfers the wafer to the EDP cell 3010,
The seed layer repair process is performed utilizing electroless deposition.

After the seed layer repairing process, the mainframe transfer robot transfers the wafer to the processing cell 240 for the electroplating process. The flipper robot end effector 2404 is rotated and positioned in the wafer holder assembly 450 so that the surface of the wafer is facing down. The wafer is a wafer
It is located below the holder 464, but above the cathode contact ring 466. The flipper robot end effector 2404 then releases the wafer for placement on the cathode contact ring 466. The wafer holder 464 moves towards the wafer and the vacuum chuck
The wafer is fixed to the wafer holder 464. A bladder assembly 470 on the wafer holder assembly 450 applies pressure to the backside of the wafer to ensure electrical contact between the wafer plating surface and the cathode contact ring 466.

The head assembly 452 is lowered to the processing position on the processing kit 420. At this point, the wafer is below the upper plane of the weir 478 and is in contact with the electrolyte contained in the processing kit 420. The power supply operates to provide electrical power (ie, voltage and current) to the cathode and anode to enable the electroplating process. The electrolyte is typically continuously pumped into the processing kit during the electroplating process. The power supplied to the cathode and anode, and the flow of electrolyte, are controlled by the control system 2 to achieve the desired electroplating results.
Controlled by 22. Preferably, the head assembly rotates as the head assembly is lowered and during the electroplating process.

After the electroplating process is complete, the head assembly 410 lifts the wafer holder assembly to remove the wafer from the electrolyte. Preferably,
The head assembly rotates for a period of time to facilitate removal of residual electrolyte from the wafer holder assembly. The vacuum chuck and wafer holder bladder assembly releases the wafer from the wafer holder, and the wafer holder allows the flipper robot end effector 2404 to pick up the processed wafer from the cathode contact ring. In order to
Can be lifted. The flipper robot end effector 2404 is moved to a position above the backside of the processed wafer in the cathode contact ring, and a vacuum suction gripper on the flipper robot end effector.
ripper) is used to pick up the wafer. The mainframe transfer robot retracts the flipper robot end effector with the wafer from the processing cell 240, and the flipper robot end effector moves from a surface-down position to a surface-up position. Flip the wafer.

The wafer is transferred to the EBR / SRD module 2200. EBR
The / SRD wafer support lifts the wafer and the mainframe transfer robot is retracted from the EBR / SRD module 2200. Wafers
Placed on a vacuum wafer holder in an EBR / SRD cell, to remove excess deposition at the edge of the wafer, as described in detail above, the edge
An edge bead removal process is executed. The wafers were subjected to spin-rinse-dry process in an EBR / SRD module using deionized water or a combination of deionized water and clean fluid as described in detail above. Be cleaned using. Wafer is EBR / S
Arranged for transfer from the RD module.

The loading station transfer robot 228 picks the wafers from the EBR / SRD module 236 and transfers the processed wafers to the RTA chamber 211 for an annealing process to improve the properties of the deposited material. To do. The annealed wafer is loaded by the loading station robot 22.
8 from the RTA chamber 211 and back into the wafer cassette and placement for removal from the electroplating system. The sequence described above may be performed on multiple wafers substantially simultaneously at the electroplating system platform 200 of the present invention. Also, the electroplating system according to the present invention may be adapted to provide multi-stack wafer processing.

While the above description is for the preferred embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from its basic scope. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a simplified representative fountain-type plating apparatus 10 incorporating contact pins.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of an edge of a wafer 30, showing an overdeposited portion 36 at an edge 32 of a seed layer 34.

[Fig. 2]   1 is a perspective view of an electroplating apparatus platform 200 of the present invention.

[Figure 3]   1 is a perspective view of an electroplating apparatus platform 200 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 Spin-rinse-dry (SRD) of the present invention with rinse and dissolution fluid inlets.
It is a perspective view of a module.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the spin-rinse-dry (SRD) module of FIG. 4, showing the substrate in a processing position with the substrates arranged vertically between fluid inlets.

[Figure 6]   It is sectional drawing of the electroplating cell 400 of this invention.

[Figure 7]   It is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a cathode contact ring.

[Figure 8]   It is a sectional perspective view of a cathode contact ring, and is a figure showing a modification of a contact pad.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a cathode contact ring, showing a modified example of the contact pad and an insulating gasket.

[Figure 10]   It is a cross-sectional perspective view of a cathode contact ring and is a view showing an insulating gasket.

FIG. 11   3 is a schematic diagram of an electric circuit of an electroplating apparatus via each contact pin.

[Fig. 12]   4 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer assembly 450 of the present invention.

FIG. 12A   It is an expanded sectional view of the bladder area | region of FIG.

[Fig. 13]   It is a fragmentary sectional view of a wafer holder plate.

FIG. 14   It is a fragmentary sectional view of a manifold.

FIG. 15   It is a fragmentary sectional view of a bladder.

FIG. 16   5 is a schematic diagram of an electrolyte replenishing device 220.

FIG. 17   FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a rapid thermal anneal chamber.

FIG. 18   It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a cathode contact ring.

FIG. 19   It is a fragmentary sectional view of the modification of a wafer holder assembly.

FIG. 20   1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of an encapsulated anode.

FIG. 21   FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of an encapsulated anode.

FIG. 22   FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of an encapsulated anode.

FIG. 23   FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of an encapsulated anode.

FIG. 24   It is sectional drawing of an electroless plating (EDP) cell.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a modified embodiment of a processing head assembly including a rotatable head assembly 2410.

FIG. 26A   FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a getter module.

FIG. 26B   FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the getter module.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of an edge clean and spin-rinse-dry (EBR / SRD) module, showing a substrate in a processing position with the substrates arranged vertically between fluid inlets.

FIG. 28 is a plan view of an EBR / SRD module showing one embodiment of nozzle positions for edge cleaning.

FIG. 29 is a side view of a nozzle 2150 provided in association with a wafer 2122 being processed.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (31) Priority claim number 09 / 289,074 (32) Priority date April 8, 1999 (April 4, 1999) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 09/350, 210 (32) Priority date July 9, 1999 (July 9, 1999) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE), CN, JP, K R (72) Inventor Olga Donald Jay             United States California             94301 Palo Alto Melville Av             Menu 831 (72) Inventor Morad Ratson             United States California             94306 Palo Alto Solana Drive               4157 (72) Inventor Hay Peter             United States California             94087 Sunnyvale Robbie Dora             Eve 1087 (72) Inventor Denome Mark             United States California             95134 San Jose # 8 Galleria             Live 418 (72) Inventor Sugarman Michael             United States California             94117 San Francisco Belvede             Ru Street 134 (72) Inventor Lloyd Mark             United States California             94555 Fremont Casio Circle               33852 (72) Inventor Stevens Joe             United States of America California Sun               Jose Ening Avenue 5653 (72) Inventor Marol Dan             United States California             95171 San Jose Haron Aveni             193 (72) Inventor Shin Haoseon             United States California             94040 Mountain View Bacon             Street 115 (72) Inventor Ravinovich Eugene             United States California             94539 Fremont Corte 41952 (72) Inventor Chaeun Robin             United States California             95014 Kupartino Clitch Play             Space 21428 (72) Inventor Singha Shock Kay             United States California             94304 Palo Alto Hubbert Dora             Eve 4176 (72) Inventor Tepman Avi             United States California             95014 Cupertino Rainbow Dora             Eve 21610 (72) Inventor Karl Dan             United States California             94566 Pleasanton Pomezia Court               2161 (72) Inventor Burkmeir George             United States California             95014 Cupertino Country Sp             Ring coat 11553 (72) Inventor Shen Ben             United States California             95131 San Jose Lakeshire Sir             Curu 1361 F-term (reference) 4K024 AA09 AB01 BA11 BB12 CB01                       CB02 CB03 CB04 CB11 CB26                 4M104 BB04 DD52

Claims (63)

[Claims] 1.   a) a mainframe having a mainframe / wafer transfer robot;   b) A loading stage arranged to connect to the mainframe.         And;   c) one or more processing cells arranged to connect to the mainframe         And; and   d) an electrolyte supply fluidly connected to the one or more processing cells; An electrochemical deposition system comprising: 2.   e) System controller for controlling the electrochemical deposition process The system of claim 1, further comprising: 3.   f) on the mainframe adjacent to the loading station         Placed edge bead removal / spin rinse dry (EBR         / SRD) station The system of claim 2, further comprising: 4.   g) A thermal annealer arranged to connect with the loading station.         Chamber The system of claim 3, further comprising: 5.   The loading station is:   1) one or more wafer cassette receiving areas;   2) One for transferring wafers in the loading station.         One or more loading station wafer transfer robots;         And   3) With wafer orientor The system of claim 1, comprising: 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mainframe wafer transfer robot comprises a plurality of individually manipulatable robot arms. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein each robot arm includes an end effector with a flipper robot having a vacuum gripper robot blade. 8. The processing cell comprises: 1) a head assembly comprising a cathode and a wafer holder disposed on the cathode; 2) an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet. A treatment kit comprising an anode arranged in the electrolyte container; and 3) an excess electrolyte catch located under the weir.
And; 4) a system according to claim 1, comprising a power supply connected to the cathode and the anode. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the head assembly is mounted on a rotating arm adapted to rotate the head assembly away from the process kit. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the head assembly is attached to a cantilever arm extending from the rotating arm. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing kit is removably disposed on the mainframe. 12. The electrolytic solution supply comprises an electrolytic solution replenishment system arranged to connect to the main frame: (1) an electrolytic solution supply tank; (2) one communicating with the electrolytic solution supply tank. A chemical analyzer module comprising one or more chemical analyzers; (3) a chemical supply module in communication with the electrolyte supply tank; and (4) one or more controls for operating the electrolyte replenishment station. The system of claim 1, further comprising: 13. The chemical supply module comprises one or more source tanks, including color-coded module tanks with individual mating connectors. The system described in. 14.   The electrolyte replenishment system is:   (5) Filtration including one or more filters connected to the electrolyte supply tank           module The system of claim 12, further comprising: 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more chemistry analyzers comprises an organic chemistry analyzer and an inorganic chemistry analyzer. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the organic chemistry analyzer comprises a cyclic voltammetric stripper. 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the inorganic chemistry analyzer comprises an automatic titration analyzer. 18. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more chemical analyzers include one or more standards and one or more reference systems. 19.   e) one or more vents located between the electrolyte supply and the processing cell.         Device The system of claim 1, further comprising: 20.   g) Seed layer repair station located on the mainframe The system of claim 1, further comprising: 21. The seed layer station comprises an electroless deposition cell.
The system according to claim 20. 22. The system of claim 1, wherein the mainframe includes a base with a protective coating. 23. The coating comprises ethylene chloro tri fluoro ethylene (ethyle).
23. System according to claim 22, characterized in that it comprises n-chloro-tri-fluoro-ethaylene (ECTFE). 24.   a) Electrolyte supply tank in fluid communication with one or more electrochemical treatment cells         And; and   b) comprises one or more chemical analyzers in communication with the electrolyte supply tank         With a chemical analyzer module An electrochemical deposition system comprising: 25. The system of claim 24, further comprising a controller connected to the one or more chemical analyzers. 26. The system of claim 24, further comprising a filtration module including one or more filters connected to the electrolyte supply tank. 27. The system of claim 24, wherein the one or more chemical analyzers comprises an organic chemical analyzer and an inorganic chemical analyzer. 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the organic chemistry analyzer comprises a cyclic voltammetric stripper. 29. The system of claim 27, wherein the inorganic chemistry analyzer comprises an automatic titration analyzer. 30.   c) Chemical supply module in fluid communication with the electrolyte supply tank 25. The system of claim 24, further comprising: 31. The system of claim 30, further comprising: d) a control system coupled to the chemical analyzer module and the chemical supply module for operating an electrochemical deposition process. . 32. The system of claim 30, further comprising a controller connected to the chemical supply module. 33. The system of claim 30, further comprising a controller connected to the chemical supply module and the chemical analyzer module. 34. A method for analyzing an electrolyte in an electrochemical deposition system comprising one or more processing cells in communication with a main electrolyte supply tank: a) at least a portion of the electrolyte Flowing from the main electrolyte supply tank to one or more chemical analyzers; and b) analyzing the electrolyte. 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of analyzing the electrolyte solution comprises the step of determining the concentrations of inorganic and organic substances. 36. The step of analyzing the electrolyte solution comprises an automatic titration analyzer and a cyclic
35. The method of claim 34, comprising operating a voltammetric stripper. 37.   c) adding one or more chemicals from one or more source tanks to the main electrolysis         Flow to liquid supply tank 35. The method of claim 34, further comprising steps. 38.   c) flowing at least a portion of the electrolyte into one or more processing cells 35. The method of claim 34, further comprising steps. 39. When executed by a processor, to one or more controllers: a) flowing at least a portion of the electrolyte from the electrolyte supply tank to the one or more chemical analyzers; and b). A single-bearing medium including a program for executing data generating data for evaluating the composition of the electrolyte.
). 40. The single bearing medium of claim 39, wherein step (b) comprises operating an automatic titration analyzer and a cyclic voltammetric stripper. 41. The single bearing medium of claim 39, wherein step (b) comprises the step of determining the concentrations of inorganic and organic materials. 42. Further comprising the step of: (c) flowing one or more chemicals from one or more source tanks to the electrolyte supply tank based on the data generated in step (b). 40. A single bearing medium according to claim 39, characterized in that 43. A head assembly comprising: a) 1) a cathode; and 2) a wafer holder disposed on the cathode, and b) 1) an electrolyte container having a weir and an electrolyte inlet. And 2) a treatment kit located under the head assembly, comprising: an anode located in the electrolyte container; and c) an excess electrolysis located under the weir, having an electrolyte outlet. An apparatus for electrochemically depositing a metal on a substrate, comprising a liquid receiver; and d) a power source connected to the cathode and the anode. 44. The device of claim 43, wherein the cathode comprises a cathode contact ring. 45. The cathode contact ring comprises a wafer seating surface having a plurality of wafer contact pads.
The device according to 4. 46. The device according to claim 44, wherein the cathode contact ring has a hydrophilic surface. 47. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the treatment kit further comprises a filter disposed in the electrolyte container above the anode. 48.   e)     1) Connect to the electrolyte inlet on the electrolyte container through a pump         The main tank that was opened;     2) one or more filter tanks connected to the main tank; and     3) One or more source tanks connected to the main tank   Electrolyte supply with 44. The device of claim 43, further comprising: 49.   The anode is:   a) with a consumable anode plate; and   b) a permeable encapsulation member surrounding the consumable anode plate. 44. The device of claim 43, comprising: 50. The anode is: c) a plurality of electrical contact members extending through the encapsulation member to the anode plate, each extending through the electrolyte container and fixed thereto. 50. The device of claim 49, further comprising a member. 51. The encapsulation member comprises a hydrophilic membrane.
9. The device according to item 9. 52. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the encapsulation member comprises a top hydrophilic membrane and a bottom hydrophilic membrane attached to a membrane support ring disposed therebetween. . 53. The bottom hydrophilic membrane is characterized in that it comprises an opening adapted to facilitate the flow of electrolyte into the gap between the encapsulation member and the anode plate. 53. The device of claim 52. 54.   The anode is:   d) Connected to the membrane support ring and through the electrolyte container.         Bypass outlet that extends 54. The device of claim 53, further comprising: 55.   The anode is:   d) A bypass electrolyte inlet connected through the bottom hydrophilic membrane. 53. The device of claim 52, further comprising: 56.   The anode is:   e) Connected to the membrane support ring and passing through the electrolyte container.         Bypass outlet that extends 56. The device of claim 55, further comprising: 57. The bypass inlet comprises a flow control valve.
5. The device according to item 5. 58. The electrolyte inlet port according to claim 57, further comprising a flow control valve.
The device according to. 59.   e) connected to said head assembly, and said head assembly         Rotary actuator adapted to rotate 44. The device of claim 43, further comprising: 60. The wafer holder comprises a bladder assembly,
The device of claim 43. 61. The bladder assembly includes an inflatable bladder attached to the backside of the intermediate wafer holder plate and an O-ring disposed in an annular groove on the front side of the intermediate wafer holder plate. 7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:
0. The device according to 0. 62. The intermediate wafer holder plate includes a plurality of holes extending through the plate and arranged in fluid communication with the vacuum port.
62. The device of claim 61. 63. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein one or more surfaces of the O-ring and the intermediate wafer holder plate comprise hydrophilic surfaces.