KR20060024792A - Methods and systems for processing microfeature workpieces with flow agitators and/or multiple electrodes - Google Patents

Abstract

Tools having mounting modules with registration systems are disclosed. The mounting includes positioning elements for precisely locating a reactor and a workpiece transport that moves workpieces to and for the reactor. The relative positions between positioning elements of the reactor are fixed so that the workpiece transport does not need to be recalibrated when the reactor is removed and replaced with another reactor. The reactor includes an agitator for agitating processing fluid at a process surface of the workpiece. The agitator, the reactor, and electrodes within the reactor are configured to reduce the likelihood for electrical shadowing created by the agitator at the surface of the workpiece, and to account for three-dimensional effects on the electrical field as the agitator and/or the workpiece reciprocate relative to each other.

Description

METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROCESSING MICROFEATURE WORKPIECES WITH FLOW AGITATORS AND / OR MULTIPLE ELECTRODES

This application is pending US Provisional Application No. 60 / 484,603, filed July 1, 2003, pending US Provisional Application No. 60 / 484,604, filed July 1, 2003, filed June 6, 2003. For pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 476,786, pending U.S. Application No. 10 / 734,098, filed December 11, 2003, and pending U.S. Application No. 10 / 734,100, filed December 11, 2003. Priority claims, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for treating microfeature workpieces with flow stirrers and a plurality of electrodes, including tools and reactors with a plurality of electrodes and / or housed reciprocating agitators.

Microdevices are manufactured by processing and depositing several layers of materials on a single substrate to create a large number of individual devices. By way of example, layers of photoresist, conductive materials and dielectric materials may be fabricated, deposited, patterned, developed, etched, planarized, and otherwise manipulated to form features in and / or on the substrate. The features are arranged to form integrated circuits, micro-flowable systems, and other structures.

Wet chemical processing is generally used to form features on microfeature workpieces. Wet chemical processing is generally performed in a wet chemical processing tool, which has a plurality of individual processing chambers for cleaning, etching, electrochemical deposition of materials, or for performing combinations of these processes. Each chamber typically has a vessel in which wet processing fluids are received and a workpiece support (eg, a flotation-rotating unit) that holds the workpiece within the vessel during processing. The robot moves the workpiece into and out of the chamber.

One consideration with integrated wet chemical processing tools is that the processing chambers must be serviced and / or repaired periodically. In electrochemical deposition chambers, for example, consumable electrodes deteriorate over time because the reaction between the electrodes and the electrolyte degrades the electrodes. Thus, the shapes of the consumable electrodes change to cause variations in the electric field. As a result, the consumable electrodes must be replaced periodically to maintain the desired deposition parameters across the workpiece. Electrical contacts in contact with the workpiece may also need to be cleaned or replaced periodically. To service and repair the electrochemical deposition chambers, they are typically removed from the tool and replaced with a spare chamber.

One problem with the repair or maintenance of existing wet chemical processing chambers is that the tool must be shut down for an extended period of time to remove and replace the processing chamber. When the process chamber is removed from the tool, a previously serviced process chamber is mounted in place. The robot and flotation-rotating unit are then recalibrated to operate using the new processing chamber. Recalibrating the robot and flotation-rotating unit is a time consuming process, which increases downtime for repairing or servicing the processing chambers. As a result, when only one processing chamber of the tool does not meet the specifications, it is better to continue to operate the tool without stopping to repair one processing chamber until more processing chambers fail to meet the performance specifications. It is often efficient. Thus, the loss of throughput of a single processing chamber is less severe than the loss of throughput caused by bringing down the tool to repair or service only one of the processing chambers.

The practice of operating the tool until at least two processing chambers do not meet the specifications has a significant impact on the throughput of the tool. For example, if a tool is not repaired or serviced until at least two or three processing chambers are out of specification, the tool operates only as part of its overall function for a time period before it is shut down for maintenance. This increases the operating cost of the tool, because not only will the throughput be lost while the tool is shut down to replace the wet processing chambers and recalibrate the robot, but only its full function while the tool is running. This is because throughput is reduced because only a part of the operation is performed. In addition, as feature sizes of the processed workpiece decrease, the electrochemical deposition chamber must consistently meet much higher performance specifications. This causes the processing chambers to leave the specification more quickly, which results in more frequent tool downtime. Thus, the downtime associated with repairing and / or servicing other types of electrochemical deposition chambers and wet chemical processing chambers significantly increases the operating cost of wet chemical processing tools.

Electrochemical deposition chambers housed in a tool can also have a number of disadvantages. For example, during the electrolytic treatment in these chambers, a diffusion layer occurs on the surface of the workpiece in contact with the electrolyte. The concentration of material applied to or removed from the workpiece varies over the thickness of the diffusion layer. In many cases, it is desirable to reduce the thickness of the diffusion layer to increase the rate at which material is added to or removed from the workpiece. In other cases, controlling material transfer at the surface of the workpiece in another way, such as controlling the composition of the alloy deposited on the surface, or depositing materials more uniformly in surface recesses having different aspect ratios It is preferable to make it.

One approach to reducing the diffusion layer thickness is to increase the flow rate of the electrolyte at the surface of the workpiece. By way of example, some containers include paddles that rotate or translate adjacent to the workpiece to produce a high speed, agitated flow at the surface of the workpiece. In one particular arrangement, the workpiece is spaced apart from the anode by a first distance along the first axis (generally, perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece) during processing. A paddle having a height of about 25% of the first distance along the first axis vibrates between the workpieces in the anode along a second axis traversing the first axis. In other arrangements, the paddle rotates relative to the workpiece. In still other arrangements, fluid jets are directed to the workpiece to agitate the flow at the workpiece surface.

The arrangements have a number of disadvantages. As an example, even one or more paddles or fluid jets are often difficult to achieve the flow rates necessary to sufficiently reduce the diffusion layer thickness at the surface of the workpiece. In addition, when a paddle is used to agitate the flow adjacent to the microfeature workpiece, it may create "shadows" in the electric field in the electrolyte, which is desirable for the removal or deposition of material from the microfeature workpiece. Cause inhomogeneities that do not occur. In addition, a potential disadvantage associated with rotating paddles is that they may not be able to accurately control the radial variations of the material application / removal process, because the speed of the paddle relative to the workpiece changes as a function of radius, This is because it has singularity in the center of the workpiece.

Reactors in which such paddles are placed can also have a number of disadvantages. As an example, an electrode in a reactor may not be able to apply material to or remove material from a workpiece in a spatially uniform manner, resulting in loss or loss of material at a greater rate than others in some areas of the workpiece. . In addition, existing devices require long, unproductive time intervals between processing periods, during which time the devices are reconfigured (eg, by moving the electrode and / or shield to adjust the electric field in the electrolyte). It is not configured to transfer the material to and / or from the different types of workpieces without. Another disadvantage is that the paddles can disturb the uniformity of the electric field generated by the electrodes, which further affects the uniformity that the material is applied to or removed from the workpiece. Another disadvantage of the arrangements is that the container may also include a magnet located near the workpiece to control the magnetic orientation of the material applied to the workpiece. When the electrode is removed from the container for service or replacement, it is difficult to do this without interfering with the magnet and / or damaging the magnet.

The present invention is a tool comprising a processing chamber having an agitator, a workpiece transport for moving the workpiece into and out of the processing chamber and a mating system for positioning the processing chamber and the transport with respect to each other. The tool includes a mounting module, the mounting module having attachment elements and positioning elements for engaging the chamber and the transport. The positioning elements maintain their relative positions so that the transport does not need to be recalibrated when the processing chamber is removed and replaced with another processing chamber.

In a particularly useful embodiment of the tool, the mounting module comprises a deck, the deck having a rigid outer member, a rigid inner member and a bracing between the outer member and the inner member. The processing chamber is then attached to the deck. The module further includes a platform having a positioning element for placing the transport.

In other useful embodiments, the stirrer in the processing chamber is located in the stirrer chamber at tight intervals around the stirrer to increase fluid agitation, thus improving mass transfer effects at the surface of the workpiece. The stirrer may include a number of stirrer elements and may reciprocate through a stroke that changes position over time to reduce the likelihood of electrically shadowing the workpiece. Multiple electrodes (including, for example, thieving electrodes) provide spatial and temporal control over the current density at the surface of the workpiece. The electric field control element may be located between the processing position and the electrodes of the chamber to circumferentially change the current density in the processing fluid at different parts of the processing position, thereby allowing the paddles as they reciprocate with respect to the workpiece. Offsets potential three-dimensional effects that occur. The magnet may be arranged adjacent to the location where the workpiece is to be treated (eg, to control the application of the magnetic directional material) but not adjacent to the path that the electrode moves along upon installation or removal.

1 is a schematic top view of a wet chemical treatment tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is an isometric view illustrating a portion of a wet chemical processing tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2B is a top view of a wet chemical treatment tool arranged in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an isometric view of a mounting module for use in a wet chemical processing tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 of a mounting module for using a wet chemical processing tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating in more detail a portion of the deck of the mounting module.

6A is a partial schematic isometric view of a processing station having features constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

6B is an isometric top view of the processing station shown in FIG. 6A.

6C and 6D are schematic views of a reactor having electrodes and agitators constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

6E is a partial schematic isometric view of an automatic stirrer constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a partially broken isometric view of a reactor having magnets and electrodes positioned relative to an agitator chamber in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a partial schematic cross-sectional view of the reactor shown in FIG. 7.

9 is a schematic diagram of an electric field control element configured to circumferentially influence the influence of another electrode in an embodiment of the invention.

10 is a partial schematic view of another embodiment of an electric field control element.

11 is a partial schematic isometric view of an electric field control element that also functions as a gasket according to an embodiment of the invention.

12A-12G illustrate agitators having shapes and configurations in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

13 is an isometric view of a stirrer having a lattice structure.

14 schematically illustrates the flow into and out of an agitator chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a partial schematic view of a reactor having a stirrer chamber in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

16A and 16B are bottom and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a portion of an agitator chamber having agitator elements of different sizes in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.

17 is a cross-sectional view of a plurality of stirrers reciprocating in an envelope according to another embodiment of the present invention.

18 is a partial schematic isometric view of an agitator element having a height varying over its length.

19A-19F schematically illustrate a pattern for displacing a reciprocating stroke of agitator elements according to an embodiment of the invention.

As used herein, the term “microfeature workpiece” or “workpiece” refers to substrates on which microelectronic devices are integrally formed thereon and / or inside thereof. Typical microdevices include microelectronic circuits or components, thin film write heads, data storage elements, microfluidic devices and other products. Micromechanicals or micromechanical devices are included within this definition because they are manufactured using the very same technology used to manufacture integrated circuits. Substrates may be semiconducting fragments (eg, doped silicon wafers or gallium arsenide wafers), nonconductive fragments (eg, various ceramic substrates) or conductive fragments. In some cases, the workpieces are substantially rounded, and in other cases, the workpieces have other shapes, including straight shapes.

Numerous embodiments of integrated tools for wet chemical processing of microfeature workpieces are described with respect to depositing electrophoretic resistors or metals thereon floating within the structures of the workpieces. However, integrated tools according to the present invention may be used for etching, rinsing or other types of wet chemical processes in the manufacture of microfeatures in and / or on semiconductor substrates or other types of workpieces. In order to provide a general understanding of a particular embodiment of the present invention, numerous examples of tools and chambers according to the present invention are described in FIGS. 1 to 19F and the description below. The description is divided into the following chapters: (A) embodiments of integrated tools with mounting modules, (B) embodiments of dimensionally stable mounting modules, (C) having a plurality of electrodes and housed agitators Embodiments of the reactors, (D) embodiments of the reactors having electric field control elements for circumferentially changing the electric field, (E) embodiments of the agitators for the agitator chambers, and (F) for reducing the electric field shield Embodiments of reactors with round trip schedules and agitators. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may have additional embodiments and that the present invention may be practiced without having many of the details of the embodiments shown in FIGS.

A. Embodiments of integrated tools with mounting modules

1 schematically illustrates an integrated tool 100 that may perform one or more wet chemical processes. Tool 100 includes a housing or cabinet 102 that houses deck 164, a plurality of wet chemical processing stations 101, and a workpiece transporter or transport system 105. Each processing station 101 is a workpiece support (eg, flotation-rotating unit) 113 for delivering microfeature workpieces W into and out of the vessel, chamber or reactor 110 and reactor 110. It includes. Station 101 may include rinse / dry chambers, cleaning capsules, etch capsules, electrochemical deposition chambers or other types of wet chemical processing vessels. The transport system 105 includes a linear track 104 and a robot 103, which moves along the track 104 to transport the individual workpieces W within the tool 100. The integrated tool 100 further includes a workpiece load / unload unit 108, which has a plurality of containers 107 for holding the workpieces W. As shown in FIG. In operation, the robot 103 transports the workpieces W to and from the containers 107 and the processing stations 101 in accordance with a predetermined workflow schedule within the tool 100.

2A is an isometric view of a portion of an integrated tool 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The integrated tool 100 includes a frame 162, a dimensionally stable mounting module 160 mounted to the frame 162, a plurality of wet chemical processing chambers 110 and a plurality of workpiece supports 113. do. Mounting module 160 includes processing chambers 110 and workpiece supports 113 and transport system 105.

Frame 162 has a plurality of posts 163 and crossbars 161 welded together in a manner known in the art. A plurality of exterior panels and doors (not shown in FIG. 2A) are generally attached to the cabinet 102 housed in the frame 162 (FIG. 1). Mounting module 160 is at least partially contained within frame 162. In one embodiment, the mounting module 160 is supported by the crossbars 161 of the frame 162, but the mounting module 160 may alternatively be erected directly on the floor or other structures of the installation. have.

The mounting module 160 is a rigid stable structure that maintains relative positions between the wet chemical processing chambers 110, the workpiece supports 113, and the transport system 105. One aspect of the mounting module 160 is much more rigid and the frame 162 such that the relative positions between the wet chemical processing chambers 110, the workpiece supports 113, and the transport system 105 do not change over time. ) Have significantly greater structural integrity. Another aspect of the mounting module 160 is dimensionally with the workpiece supports 113 at known locations on the deck 164 and positioning elements at the correct locations for positioning the processing chambers 110. It includes a stable deck 164. In one embodiment (not shown), the transportation system 105 is mounted directly to the deck 164. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 2A, the mounting module 160 also has a dimensionally stable platform 165, and the transport system 105 is mounted to the platform 165. Deck 164 and platform 165 are fixedly positioned relative to each other, so that positioning elements on deck 164 and positioning elements on platform 165 do not move relative to each other. Thus, the mounting module 160 allows components to be removed and replaced by the wet chemical processing chambers 110 and the workpiece support 113 in such a way that the replacement components are accurately positioned at the correct positions on the deck 164. It provides a system that can be replaced with.

The tool 100 is particularly suitable for applications with the required specifications requiring frequent maintenance of the wet chemical processing chambers 110, the workpiece support 113, or the transportation system 105. The wet chemical processing chamber 110 is repaired by simply separating the chamber from the processing deck 164 and replacing the chamber with a replaceable chamber having mounting hardware configured to interface with the positioning elements on the deck 164. Or can be maintained. Because the mounting module 160 is dimensionally stable and the mounting hardware of the replacement processing chamber 110 is associated with the deck 164, the chamber 110 does not recalibrate the transportation system 105 but the deck ( 164) may be replaced. This is expected to significantly reduce the downtime associated with repairing or servicing the processing chambers 110 such that the tool 100 can maintain high throughput in applications with stringent performance specifications.

2B is a top view of the tool 100 illustrating the load / unload unit 108 and the transport system 105 attached to the mounting module 160. Referring together to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the track 104 is mounted to the platform 165, in particular associated with positioning elements on the platform 165, so that a workpiece attached to the deck 164 is provided. It is precisely positioned relative to the supports 113 and the chambers 110. The robot 103 (including the end-effectors 106 for gripping the workpiece W) thus has the workpiece in a fixed, dimensionally stable reference frame formed by the mounting module 160. You can move (W). Referring to FIG. 2B, the tool 100 includes a frame for storing the mounting module 160, the wet chemical processing chambers 110, the workpiece supports 113, and the transport system 105 in the cabinet 102. It may further include a plurality of panels 166 attached to 162. Alternatively, the panel 166 on one or both sides of the tool 100 may be removed in the area above the treatment deck 164 to provide an open tool.

B. Embodiments of Dimensionally Stable Mounting Modules

3 is an isometric view of mounting module 160 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention for use with tool 100 (FIGS. 1-2B). Deck 164 includes a rigid first panel 166a and a rigid second panel 166b superimposed beneath the first panel 166a. The first panel 166a is an outer member, and the second panel 166b is an inner member juxtaposed with the outer member. Alternatively, the first and second panels 166a and 166b may have structures other than those shown in FIG. 3. A plurality of chamber receptacles 167 are disposed within the first and second panels 166a and 166b to accommodate the wet chemical processing chambers 110 (FIG. 2A).

Deck 164 further includes a plurality of positioning elements 168 and attachment elements 169 arranged in a precise pattern across first panel 166a. The positioning elements 168 include holes machined in the first panel 166a and / or dowels or pins received in the holes at the correct positions. The nails are also configured to engage wet chemical processing chambers 110 (FIG. 2A). By way of example, the nails may be received in other interface members or corresponding holes of the processing chambers 110. In other embodiments, the positioning elements 168 are not located in the holes in the first panel 166a and include pins such as cylindrical pins or conical pins that project upwardly from the first panel 166a. Deck 164 has a set of first chamber positioning elements 168a located in each chamber receptacle 167 to accurately position individual wet chemical processing chambers at precise locations on mounting module 160. . Deck 164 also includes first support positioning elements near each receptacle 167 to position the individual workpiece supports 113 (FIG. 2A) precisely at the correct positions on mounting module 160. 168b). The first support positioning elements 168b are positioned and configured to mate with corresponding positioning elements of the workpiece supports 113. Attachment elements 169 may be a spiral hole in first panel 166a that receives bolts to secure workpiece supports 113 and chambers 110 to deck 164.

Furthermore, mounting module 160 includes outer side plates 170a along the longitudinal outer edges of deck 164, inner side plates 170b along the longitudinal inner edges of deck 16, and deck 164. End plates 170c attached to the ends of the substrate. The transport platform 165 is attached to the inner side plates 170b and the end plates 170c. The transport platform 165 is provided with track positioning elements 168c for accurately positioning the track 104 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) of the transport system 105 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) on the mounting module 160. ). By way of example, the track positioning elements 168c may include holes or pins that mate with corresponding holes, pins or other interface members of the track 104. The transport platform 165 may be connected to the platform 165. Attachment elements 169, such as tapped holes, that receive bolts to secure the track 104 may be further included.

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one suitable embodiment of the internal structure of deck 164, and FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a portion of deck 164 shown in FIG. 4. Deck 164 includes a bracing 171 such as joists extending laterally between inner side plates 170b and outer side plates 170a. The first panel 166a is attached to the upper side of the bracing 171, and the second panel 166b is attached to the lower side of the bracing 171. Deck 164 may further include a plurality of through bolts 172 and nuts 173, which secure the first and second panels 166a and 166b to the bracing 171. As best shown in FIG. 5, the bracing 171 has a plurality of holes 174 through which the through bolts 172 extend. Nuts 173 may be welded to bolts 172 to enhance the connection between these components.

The bracing and panels of deck 164 may be made of stainless steel, other metal alloys, solid cast materials or fiber reinforced composites. By way of example, the panels and plates may be made of Nitronic 50 stainless steel, Hastelloy 625 steel alloys or solid cast epoxy filled with mica. Fiber reinforced composites can include carbon-fibers or Kevlar® mesh in the cured resin. The material for panels 166a and 166b must be very rigid and able to coexist with the chemicals used in wet chemical processes. Stainless steel is well suited for many applications because it is strong but is not affected by the many electrolytes or cleaning solutions used in wet chemical treatments. In one embodiment, panels and plates 166a-b and 170a-c are 0.125 to 0.375 in thick stainless steel, and more specifically, they may be 0.250 in thick stainless steel. However, the panels and plates may have different thicknesses in other embodiments.

The bracing 171 may also be stainless steel, fiber reinforced synthetic materials, other metal alloys and / or solid cast materials. In one embodiment, the bracing may be 0.5 to 2.0 in wide stainless steel joists, and more specifically 1.0 in high x 2.0 in high stainless steel joists. In other embodiments, the bracing 171 may be a honeycomb core or other structures made of metal (eg, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, etc.), polymers, fiber glass, or other materials.

Mounting module 160 is constructed by assembling sections of deck 164 and then attaching end plates 170c to sections of deck 164 by welding or otherwise. The components of deck 164 are generally secured together by through bolts 172 without welds. Outer side plates 170a and inner side plates 170b are attached to deck 164 and end plates 170c using welds and / or fasteners. Thereafter, the platform 165 is firmly attached to the end plates 170c and the inner side plates 170b. The order in which the mounting module 160 is assembled may vary and is not limited to the above-described procedure.

Returning to FIG. 3, the mounting module 160 eliminates the need for the transport system 105 to be recalibrated each time the replacement processing chamber 110 or workpiece support 113 is mounted to the deck 164. Within range, a heavy-duty dimensional stability structure is provided that maintains relative positions between positioning elements 168c on platform 165 and positioning elements 168a-b on deck 164. Mounting module 160 generally includes positioning elements 168a-b when wet chemical processing chambers 110, workpiece supports 113, and transport system 105 are mounted to mounting module 160. And a rigid structure strong enough to maintain relative positions between and 168c). In many embodiments, mounting module 160 is configured to maintain relative positions between positioning elements 168a-b and 168c within 0.025in. In other embodiments, the mounting module is configured to maintain the relative positions between the positioning elements 168a-b and 168c within about 0.005 to 0.015in. As such, deck 164 often maintains a uniformly flat surface within about 0.025 inches, and in more specific embodiments within about 0.005 to 0.015 inches.

C. Embodiments of Reactors with Multiple Electrodes and Receiving Stirrer

6A is an isometric view of processing station 101 having features in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The station 101 includes a container 112 configured to contain an electrochemical treatment fluid, a workpiece support 113 and a microfeature workpiece positioned to releasably support the microfeature workpiece W in contact with the treatment fluid. An agitator 140 or other fluid control device positioned to agitate the processing fluid adjacent the surface of W). Stirrer 140 may include one or more stirrer elements 141 (eg, paddles or paddle elements). In a particular aspect of this embodiment, the workpiece support 113 includes a head 185 supported by a head support 186 that moves up and down relative to the container 112 along the track 187. Conduits 188 are attached to tool 100 (FIG. 1) via first connector 189a (attached to workpiece support 113) and second connector 189b (attached to tool 100). Fluid and electrical communication between the remainder of the workpiece support and the workpiece support 113.

The head 185 rotates between an upward facing position (to load and unload the microfeature workpiece W) and a downward facing position (for processing). When the workpiece W is in the downward facing position, the head 185 is lowered to bring the workpiece W into contact with the processing fluid in the container 112. In addition, the head 185 may spin the workpiece W around an axis substantially perpendicular to the downward surface of the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. In one aspect of this embodiment, the head 185 spins the workpiece W in a selected orientation prior to processing (eg, during the deposition of magnetically responsive materials, such that the treatment is performed on the workpiece W). Sensitive to the orientation of). In still other embodiments, the head 185 does not spin, for example, when it is not advantageous for the processing to be performed before, during or after the processing. In any of these embodiments, head 185 is raised after processing, and then inverted to unload workpiece W from processing station 101.

In a particular aspect of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6A, the processing station 101 includes a substantially horseshoe magnet 195 disposed around the vessel 112. The magnet 195 includes an electromagnet and / or a permanent magnet positioned to orient molecules of the material applied to the workpiece W in a particular direction. As an example, this arrangement is used to apply permalloy and / or other magnetically directional materials to the workpiece W. In other embodiments, the magnet 195 is removed.

6B is an isometric top view of one embodiment of the processing station 101 described above with reference to FIG. 6A, with the workpiece support 113 removed for illustration. As shown in FIG. 6B, the agitator elements 141 are placed directly below the chamber 130 (eg, an agitator chamber or flow control chamber) under the microfeature workpiece W (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 6B). Disposed within. Thus, the microfeature workpiece W forms part of the top surface for the stirrer chamber 130. In a particular aspect of this embodiment, the processing fluid crosses the stirrer chamber 130 laterally (arrow A) to emerge from below the workpiece W through collection ports 139a (as indicated by arrows B). Is introduced into the stirrer chamber 130. The processing fluid then moves around the agitator chamber 130 as indicated by arrows C and is collected in a series of drain ports 139b for removal or recycle (as indicated by arrow D). Thus, in one embodiment, the drain ports 139b form a fluid plane at the maximum height of the processing fluid in the vessel. At least a portion of the stirrer chamber 130 (and the entirety of the stirrer chamber 130 as shown in FIG. 6B) is immersed in the processing fluid below the fluid plane. While the processing fluid is moving through the agitator chamber 130, the agitator elements 141 located directly below the workpiece W move back and forth along the substantially linear path of motion (indicated by arrow E) and the workpiece W Improve the mass transfer process at the surface of

6C is a schematic diagram of a reactor 110 configured to process microfeature workpieces in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Reactor 110 includes an inner vessel 112 disposed within an outer vessel 111. Process fluid (eg, electrolyte) is supplied to the inner container 112 at the inlet 116 and flows upwardly to the outer container 111 over the weir 118. The processing fluid leaves reactor 110 at drain 117. The electrode 121 is disposed in the inner container 112, and the stirrer chamber 130 is disposed downstream of the electrode 121. The stirrer chamber 130 includes a stirrer 140 (eg paddle device) with stirrer elements 141 (eg paddle) reciprocating back and forth with respect to the central position 180 as indicated by arrow R. FIG. Include. The chamber 130 also has an opening 131 forming a processing position P. The microfeature workpiece W is supported at the processing position P by the workpiece support 113, so that the downward facing treatment surface 109 of the workpiece W is in contact with the processing fluid. The workpiece support 113 may or may not rotate depending on the nature of the processing performed on the workpiece W. FIG. The workpiece support 113 also includes a workpiece contact 115 (eg, ring contact) for supplying current to the front or rear face of the workpiece W. FIG. A seal 114 extends around the workpiece contact 115 to protect it from exposure to the processing fluid. In other arrangements, the seal 114 can be removed.

During electrolytic deposition, the workpiece contact 115 and the workpiece W function as a cathode, and the electrode 121 functions as an anode. The processing fluid flows past the electrode 121 and through the paddle chamber 130 to supply ions to the processing surface 109 of the workpiece W. During electrolytic etching, the workpiece W functions as an anode and the electrode 121 functions as a cathode to remove material from the treatment surface 109. In other embodiments, the mass transfer process includes other deposition processes (eg, electroless deposition) or other material removal processes. In any of these arrangements, the treatment fluid may move the stirrer chamber 130 while the agitator elements 141 reciprocate adjacent to the workpiece W to enhance the mass transfer process occurring at the treatment surface 109. Flows through. The sizes, shapes and configurations of the stirrer elements 141, the way they reciprocate, and the limited volume of the stirrer chamber 130 reduce the effect of the stirrer elements 141 on the electric field in the reactor 110. Further improves the mass transfer process. Other aspects of these features are described below with reference to FIGS. 7-19F.

6D is a schematic diagram of a reactor 110 having an electrode support 120 constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Electrode support 120 includes a plurality of common annular electrode compartments 122 separated by compartment wall 123. Corresponding plurality of annular electrodes 121 are disposed in the electrode compartments 122. The compartment walls 123 are formed of a dielectric material, and the gaps between the edges of the compartment walls 123 form a synthetic virtual anode position V directly under the stirrer chamber 130. As used herein, the terms “virtual anode position” and “virtual electrode position” refer to a plane spaced apart from the physical anodes or electrodes through which all current flux for one or more electrodes or anodes passes. . The polarity of the current flowing through each of the electrodes 121 and / or the potential applied to each of the electrodes 121 may be selected to control the manner in which material is added or removed from the workpiece W at the processing position P. FIG. Can be. Alternatively, when reactor 110 is used to perform processes (such as electroless deposition processes) that still benefit from improved mass transfer effects at treatment surface 109 provided by stirrer 140. The electrodes 121 may be removed.

6E is a partial schematic isometric view of a stirrer system 142 having a stirrer 140 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Agitator 140 includes a plurality of agitator elements 141 (six are shown in FIG. 3), each of which has outwardly directed agitator surfaces 147. Thus, agitator surfaces 147 of neighboring agitator elements 141 are spaced apart from each other. The stirrer 140 further includes a support 144 driven by the motor 143 to move the stirrer 140 in a linear reciprocating manner, as indicated by arrow R. FIG. Motor 143 is coupled to support 144 with coupler 145 (eg, lead screw). Bellows 146 are disposed around coupler 145 to protect coupler 145 from exposure to the treatment fluid described above. The controller 152 introduces the motion of the stirrer 140. Elongated flow regulators traverse and extend stirrer elements 141 to restrict and / or prevent fluid escape directly outside stirrer chamber 130 (FIG. 2). As described below (see, eg, FIGS. 12A-13), the stirrer elements 141 are shaped to stir the processing fluid they reciprocate therein without creating a significant impact on the local electric field. .

7 is a partial schematic cross-sectional view of a reactor 710 constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Reactor 710 includes a lower portion 719a, an upper portion 719b above the lower portion 719a and an agitator chamber 730 above the upper portion 719b. Lower portion 719a houses electrode support or pack 720, which in turn houses a plurality of annular electrodes 721 (shown as electrodes 721a through 721d in FIG. 7). Lower portion 719a is coupled to upper portion 719b with clamp 726. Perforated gasket 727 disposed above lower portion 719a and upper portion 719b enables fluid and electrical communication between these two portions.

Stirrer chamber 730 may include a top portion 734 having an opening 731 at base 733 and processing position P. The stirrer chamber 730 houses a stirrer 740 having a plurality of stirrer elements 741 reciprocating back and forth under workpiece W (shown as phantom lines in FIG. 7) at processing position P. FIG. A magnet 795 is disposed adjacent to treatment position P to control the orientation of the self-directed materials deposited on the workpiece W by the treatment fluid P. Upper ring portion 796 positioned above treatment position P ) Collects the exhaust gases during the electrochemical treatment, and collects the rinsing fluid during the rinse, which is provided by one or more nozzles 798. In one embodiment, the nozzle 798 is an upper ring portion 796. In other embodiments, the nozzle or nozzles 798 are coincident with the wall or formed concave from the wall In any of these arrangements, the nozzle or nozzles 798 ) Is selected when the workpiece W is raised above the processing position P, and Alternatively, while workpiece W is spinning, it is arranged to direct a stream of fluid (eg, rinsing fluid) towards workpiece W. Thus, nozzle (s) 798 may be Provides an in situ rinsing function to quickly rinse off the processing fluid from the workpiece W after elapse of, if the chemically active fluids remain in contact with the workpiece W for a relatively short post treatment time prior to rinsing. Reduces unintentional processing after elapsed time that may occur.

Process fluid enters reactor 710 through inlet 716. Fluid traveling through the inlet 716 fills the lower portion 719a and the upper portion 719b and through the gaps in the permeable portion 733a and the base 733 of the base portion 733 through the agitator chamber 730. Enter Some of the processing fluid leaves the reactor 710 through the first and second flow collectors 717a and 717b. Additional processing fluid is introduced into the stirrer chamber 730 directly from the inlet port 716a and through the gap in the first wall 732a, the second wall 732b laterally across the stirrer chamber 730. Proceed to the interval within. At least a portion of the processing fluid in stirrer chamber 730 rises above processing position P and is discharged through drain ports 797.

Reactor 710 is mounted to rigid deck 764 in a manner substantially similar to that described above with reference to FIGS. 2A-5. Thus, deck 764 includes a first panel 766a supported against second panel 766b by fasteners and bracing (not shown in FIG. 7). Chamber positioning elements 768a (eg, nail pins) project upwardly from the first panel 766a and are received in holes located precisely in the base plate 777 of the reactor 710. Base plate 777 is attached to deck 764 with fasteners (not shown in FIG. 7), such as nuts and bolts. Base plate 777 is also aligned and secured to the rest of reactor 710 with additional nails and fasteners. Thus, reactor 710 (and any replacement reactor 710) is accurately positioned relative to deck 764, corresponding workpiece support 113 (FIG. 1) and corresponding transport system 105 (FIG. 1). .

One feature of the arrangement shown in FIG. 7 is that the lower portion 719a (which houses the electrode support 720) is moved upward by moving the electrode support 720 along the install / remove axis A as indicated by arrow F. FIG. Coupled to and separated from portion 719b. Thus, electrode support 720 need not pass through the open center of magnet 795 during installation and removal. The advantage of this feature is that electrode support 720 and / or electrode 721 (which may include a magnetically responsive material, such as a ferromagnetic material) is less likely to be pulled toward magnet 795 during installation and / or removal. . This feature substantially simplifies the installation of the electrode support 720. As an example, this feature may eliminate the need for specialized hoist equipment to handle the installation and / or removal of the magnet 745. This feature can also reduce the likelihood of damage to either the electrode support 720 or other portions of the reactor 710 (including the magnet 795). Such damage may result from the impact caused by the electrode support 720 or the attractive forces between the electrodes 721 and the magnet 795.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of the reactor 710 substantially taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. Lower and upper portions 719a, 719b include a plurality of compartment walls 823 (four shown in compartments 823a through 823d in FIG. 8), which correspond to the volume within these portions. Split into a plurality of annular compartments 822 (four are shown as compartments 822a through 822d in FIG. 8), each containing one of the electrodes 721. The gaps between adjacent compartment walls 823 (eg, at the upper ends of compartment walls 823) provide “virtual electrodes” at these locations. The transparent base portion 733a may also provide a virtual electrode position.

Electrodes 721a-721d are coupled to power supply 828 and controller 829. The power supply 828 and controller 829 together control the current and potential applied to the workpiece W and the electrodes 721a-721d, respectively. Thus, the operator can control the rate at which the material is applied to the workpiece W and / or the material is removed from the workpiece W in a spatially and / or temporally varying manner. In particular, the operator may choose to operate the outermost electrode 721d as a current thief. Thus, during the deposition process, the outermost electrode 721d pulls ions that would otherwise be attached to the workpiece W. This is the tendency of the workpiece W to, for example, cause the workpiece contact 115 (FIG. 6) to be plated more rapidly at its periphery than at its center when in contact with the periphery of the workpiece W. FIG. Can be offset. Alternatively, the operator may temporally and / or spatially alter the current distribution across the workpiece W to produce a desired thickness distribution of the applied material (eg, flat, edge thick or edge thinning). Can be controlled.

An advantage of the arrangement described above is that the multiple electrodes provide the operator with increased control over the speed and the manner in which material is applied to or removed from the workpiece W. FIG. Another advantage is that the operator can take into account variations between workpieces or workpiece batches that are processed continuously by adjusting the current and / or potential applied to each electrode rather than the physical control parameters of the reactor 710.

When the outermost electrode 721d operates as a current dip, it is desirable to maintain electrical isolation between the outermost electrode 721d on the one hand and the innermost electrodes 721a to 721c on the other. Thus, reactor 710 includes a first return flow collector 717a and a second return flow collector 717b. The first return flow collector 717a collects flow from the innermost three electrode compartments 822a-822c, and the second return flow collector 717b collects processing fluid from the outermost electrode compartment 822d. Thus, electrical isolation for the outermost electrode 721d is maintained. By draining the processing fluid downward toward the electrodes 721, this arrangement may also reduce the likelihood that particulates (eg, flakes from consumable electrodes) enter the stirrer chamber 730. By disposing the outermost electrode 721d away from the processing position P, it can be easily removed and installed without disturbing the structures adjacent to the processing position P. FIG. This is different from certain existing arrangements with current dips disposed immediately adjacent to the processing position.

One feature of the embodiment of the reactor 710 described above with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 is that the electrodes 721 are remotely located from the processing position P. FIG. The advantage of this feature is that the desired distribution of current density at the processing surface 109 of the workpiece W can be maintained even when the electrodes 721 change shape. For example, when the electrodes 721 include consumable electrodes, and the shape changes during the plating processes, the increased distance between the electrodes 721 and the processing position P is the electrode disposed close to the processing position P. FIG. Compared to these effects, the effect of shape change on the current density in the treatment surface 109 is reduced. This advantage applies equally to electrodes that change shape by operating instead of losing conductive material while operating as a current dip. Another advantage is that the shadowing effects introduced by the features in the flow path between the electrodes 721 and the workpiece W (eg, the gasket 727) are between the processing position P and the electrodes 721. It can be reduced due to the increased interval of.

In other arrangements, the electrodes 721 have other positions and / or configurations. As an example, in one arrangement, chamber base 733 houses one or more electrodes 721. Thus, chamber base 733 includes a plurality of concentric, annular, porous electrodes (eg, formed of sintered metal), so that (a) a spatially and / or temporally controllable electric field at treatment location P And (b) provide a flow path into the stirrer chamber 730. Alternatively, the stirrer elements 741 themselves may be coupled to the electric field to function as electrodes, especially when formed from a non-consumable material. In still other arrangements, the reactor 710 may include more or less than four electrodes, and / or the electrodes may be disposed further away from the treatment position P, and the treatment position P may be via conduits. ) And fluid and electrical communication can be maintained.

D. Embodiments of Reactors with Electric Field Control Elements for Circumferentially Changing Electric Fields

9 is a partial schematic view from above of the reactor 910 having a stirrer 940 disposed within the stirrer chamber 930 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The stirrer chamber 930 and the stirrer 940 are arranged generally similarly to the stirrers and stirrer chambers described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. Thus, the stirrer 940 is movable with respect to the workpiece W along the stirrer axis of motion 991 (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 9), and a plurality of stirrer elements elongate parallel to the stirrer axis 990. Ones 941.

The elongate stirrer elements 941 potentially affect the uniformity of the electric field adjacent to the circular workpiece W in a circumferentially varying manner. Thus, the reactor 910 includes features for circumferentially changing the effect of a diving electrode (not shown in FIG. 9) to account for potential circumferential changes in this current distribution.

The agitator chamber 930 shown in FIG. 9 can be seen by the upper edges of the walls 932 separating the electrode chambers below (in FIG. 9 the third wall 923c and the fourth or outer wall 923d). And a base 933 formed by the transparent base portion 933a. The third wall 923c is spaced apart from the permeable base portion 933a by a third wall spacing 925c, and the third wall 923d is third wall by the fourth wall spacing 925d that changes in the circumferential direction. It is spaced apart from 923c. The gaps 925c and 925d are both shaded for illustrative purposes. The shaded openings also represent virtual anode positions for the outermost two electrodes in one aspect of this embodiment.

The fourth wall spacing 925d is narrow portion 999a adjacent to the 3:00 and 9:00 positions shown in FIG. 9 and wide portions adjacent to the 12:00 and 6:00 positions shown in FIG. 999b). For purposes of illustration, imbalances between the narrow portions 999a and the wide portions 999b are exaggerated in FIG. 9. In a particular example, narrow portions 999a have a width of about 0.16 inches and wide portions 999b have a width of about 0.18 inches to about 0.22 inches. Narrow portions 999a and wide portions 999b produce a circumferentially varying distribution of stronger deep current at 12:00 and 6:00 positions than at 3:00 and 9:00 positions (first 4 provided by the current deep located below the wall gap 925d). In particular, the diff currents have different values at different circumferential positions, which are approximately the same radial distance from the center of the workpiece W and / or the processing position P. Alternatively, the fourth wall spacing 925d that changes in the circumferential direction or the third wall spacing 925c that changes in the circumferential direction, or another spacing, may be, for example, a workpiece having plating or deplating requirements that change in the circumferential direction. Can be used to deliberately create a three-dimensional effect on (W). One example of such a workpiece W includes a patterned wafer having an opening area (eg, accessible for plating) that varies in a circumferential manner. In other embodiments, the gap width or other characteristics of the reactor 910 may be customized to account for the conductivity of the electrolyte in the reactor 910.

FIG. 10 illustrates an arrangement in which the area between the third wall 923c and the fourth wall 923d is occupied by a plurality of holes 1025 rather than a gap. The spacing and / or size of the holes 1025 is stronger in the vicinity of 12:00 and 6:00 than the current dip located below the holes 1025 is adjacent to the 3:00 and 9:00 positions. It changes in a circumferential manner to have an effect.

11 is a partial cross-sectional isometric view of a portion of a reactor 1110 having an electric field control element 1192 that is not part of an agitator chamber. The reactor 1110 includes an upper portion 1119b that replaces the upper portion 719b shown in FIG. 7. The electric field control element 1192 is located at the lower end of the upper portion 1119b and has openings 1187 arranged to provide a circumferentially varying opening area. Openings 1189 are larger at 12:00 and 6:00 positions than at 3:00 and 9:00 positions. Alternatively, the number of relative openings 1189 (in addition to or instead of the size of the openings 1187) is positioned at 12:00 and 6:00 in a manner generally similar to that described above with reference to FIG. 10. Can be larger than In addition, the upper portion 1119b includes upwardly extending vanes 1188 for maintaining the circumferentially varying electrical characteristics caused by the electric field control element 1192 in the upwardly extending direction at the processing position P. FIG. You may. The reactor 1110 may include twelve vertically extending vanes 1188 or other numbers of vanes 1188, for example, depending on the extent to which the opening area varies circumferentially.

In addition, the electric field control element 1192 functions as a gasket between the lower portion 1119a and the upper portion 1119b of the reactor 1110, and the gasket described above with reference to FIG. 7 to achieve a desired circumferential electric field change. 727). Alternatively, electric field control element 1192 may be provided in addition to gasket 727, eg, at a location below gasket 727 shown in FIG. 7. In either case, the operator can select and install an electric field control element 1192 having opening areas configured for a particular workpiece (or arrangement of workpieces) without disturbing the upper portion 1119b of the reactor 1110. have. The advantage of this arrangement is that it reduces the time required for the operator to operate the reactor 1110, and / or can customize the electric field characteristics of the reactor 1110 to a particular type of workpiece W.

E. Embodiments of Agitators for Agitator Chambers

12A-12G illustrate agitator elements 1241a-1241g having shapes and other features in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, suitable for installation in reactors such as the reactors 110, 710, 1110 described above. Respectively. Each stirrer element (collectively referred to as stirrer elements 1241) has opposing stirrer surfaces 1247 (stirrer surfaces 1247a to 1247g) that are inclined at an acute angle with respect to a line extending perpendicular to the processing position P. Shown). This maintains the structural integrity of the paddles while maintaining the structural integrity of the paddles, with a stirrer element having a downward tapered shape that reduces the likelihood of negative effects in other directions on the shadowing or on the electric field produced by the electrodes 121 (FIG. 12A). 1241). As an example, the stirrer element 1241a (FIG. 12A) has a substantially diamond shaped cross-sectional structure with flat stirrer surfaces 1247a. Stirrer element 1241b (FIG. 12B) has concave stirrer surfaces 1247b. Stirrer element 1241c (FIG. 12C) has convex agitator surfaces 1247c and agitator elements 1241d (FIG. 12D) have flat agitator surfaces 1247d arranged to form a substantially triangular shape. In other embodiments, agitator surfaces 1241 also have another shape that agitates the flow at processing location P and ranges from shadowing the electric field generated by the nearby electrode or electrodes 121. Remove

Agitation provided by agitator elements 1241 may also be complemented by fluid jets. As an example, stirrer element 1241e (FIG. 12E) has sloped stirrer surfaces 1247e that receive jet openings 1248. The jet openings 1248 may be oriented substantially perpendicular to the treatment position P (as shown in FIG. 12E), or alternatively, the jet openings 1248 may be at different angles with respect to the treatment position P. Can be directed to. Process fluid is provided to the jet openings 1248 via the manifold 1249 within the agitator element 1241e. Jets of treatment fluid leaving jet openings 1248 increase agitation at treatment location P and enhance the mass transfer process that occurs at the treatment surface of workpiece W (FIG. 6).

12F and 12G illustrate stirrer elements having penetrations or other openings that allow processing fluid to flow through the stirrer elements from one side to the other as the stirrer elements move relative to the processing fluid. For example, referring to FIG. 12F, stirrer element 1241f has opposing stirrer surfaces 1247f, each having voids 1250f. The volume of the stirrer element 1241f between the opposing stirrer surfaces 1247f is also porous to allow processing fluid to pass through the stirrer element 1241f from one side face 1247f to the rest. Stirrer element 1241f may be formed of other materials, such as porous metal (eg titanium) or porous ceramic materials. 12G illustrates agitator element 1241g with agitator surfaces 1247g having through holes 1250g arranged in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Each of the through holes 1250g extends entirely through the stirrer element 1241g along the hole axis 1251 from one stirrer surface 1247g to the opposite stirrer surface 1247g.

One feature of the agitator elements described above with reference to FIGS. 12F and 12G is that the holes or pores have the effect of increasing the permeability of the agitator elements to the electric field in the adjacent processing fluid. The advantage of this arrangement is that the voids or holes reduce the extent to which the stirrer elements add a three-dimensional component to the electric fields adjacent to the workpiece W and / or the extent to which the stirrer elements are shadowing the adjacent workpiece W. to be. In addition, the stirrer elements still improve mass transfer characteristics at the surface of the workpiece W by stirring the flow there. By way of example, the holes or voids in the stirrer elements are sized such that the viscous effects of the flow through the stirrer elements are strong, and that the corresponding restriction by the stirrer elements to the passage flow is relatively high. Thus, the porosity of the stirrer elements can be selected to provide the required electric field permeability level while maintaining the desired level of fluid agitation.

FIG. 13 is a partial schematic diagram of a stirrer 1340 having a three-dimensional arrangement of stirrer elements 1341 (shown as FIG. 13 as first stirrer elements 1341a and second stirrer elements 1341b). Stirrer elements 1341a and 1341b are arranged to form a lattice, and each stirrer elements 1341a and 1341b are oriented at an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement R (as opposed to the normal of the direction of movement R). Thus, the lattice arrangement of stirrer elements 1341 may increase the agitation generated by stirrer 1340 and may produce a more uniform electric field.

One aspect of the invention is that whatever the shape and configuration of the stirrer elements, they reciprocate within the limits of a tightly fitted stirrer chamber. The limited volume of the agitator chambers can further enhance mass transfer effects at the surface of the workpiece W. Additional details of how the stirrer chamber and the stirrer elements are integrated into the stirrer chamber are described below with reference to FIGS. 14-19F.

F. Embodiments of Reactors with Reciprocating Schedules and Agitators to Reduce Electric Field Shielding and Improve Mass Transfer Uniformity

14 is a schematic diagram of an upper portion of a reactor 1410 having a stirrer 1440 disposed in a tightly limited stirrer chamber 1430 in accordance with an embodiment of the spring invention. The chamber 1430 includes an upper end 1434 having an opening 1431 for receiving the workpiece W at the processing position P. FIG. Opposite chamber walls 1432 (shown as left wall 1432a and right wall 1432b) extend downward to facing base 1433 toward processing position P in a direction away from top 1434.

The stirrer 1440 includes a plurality of stirrer elements 1442 located between the processing position P and the chamber base 1433. The stirrer 1430 has a height H1 between the processing position P and the chamber base 1433, and the stirrer elements 1441 have a height H2. The upper ends of the agitator elements 1442 are spaced apart from the processing position P by the spacing distance D1, and the bottom portions of the agitator elements 1441 are spaced apart from the chamber base 1433 by the spacing distance D2. . In particular, at processing position P, to increase the level of agitation in stirrer chamber 1430, stirrer height H2 is a significant fraction of chamber height H1 and the spacing distances D1 and D2 are relatively small. In certain embodiments, the stirrer height H2 is at least 30% of the chamber height H1. In other particular embodiments, the stirrer height H2 is equal to at least 70%, 80%, 90% or more of the chamber height H1. Chamber height H1 is 30 mm or less, for example from about 10 mm to about 15 mm. When the chamber height H1 is about 15 mm, the stirrer height H2 may be about 10 mm and the spacing distances D1 and D2 range from about 1 mm or less to about 5 mm. In another specific embodiment, the chamber height H1 is 15 mm, the stirrer height H2 is about 11.6 mm, D1 is about 2.4 mm, and D2 is about 1 mm. Different arrangements have different values for these dimensions. In any of these arrangements, the amount of flow agitation in the stirrer chamber 1430 is generally correlated with the height H2 of the stirrer elements 1441 relative to the height H1 of the stirrer chamber 1430, with all other variables If the same, higher relative stirrer element heights generally result in increased agitation.

The plurality of stirrer elements 1441 allow for more uniform and more complete flow in the stirrer chamber 1430 (compared to the single stirrer element 1441) to improve mass transfer at the treatment surface of the workpiece W. Stir. Within the scope of the stirrer chamber 1430, the narrow gaps between the edges of the stirrer elements 1442 and (a) above the workpiece W and (b) below the chamber base 1433 are also treated by the treatment surface 109. Increase the level of agitation). In particular, the movement of the plurality of stirrer elements 1421 in the small volume of the stirrer chamber 1430 is caused between the stirrer elements 1441 and the workpiece W (above) and the chamber base 1433 (below). Force the treatment fluid through narrow gaps. The limited volume of stirrer chamber 1430 also maintains a stirred flow adjacent to treatment surface 109.

An advantage of the above arrangement is that the mass transfer process at the treatment surface 109 of the workpiece W is improved. By way of example, the overall speed at which material is removed from or applied to the workpiece W is increased. In another embodiment, the composition of the alloys deposited on the treatment surface 109 is more accurately controlled and / or maintained at target levels. In another embodiment, the above-described arrangement provides uniformity in which the material is deposited on features having different dimensions (eg, recesses having different depths and / or different aspect ratios) and / or similar dimensions. Increase. The results described above may contribute to other mass transfer improvements and / or reduced diffusion layer thickness resulting from increased agitation of the processing fluid.

The processing fluid enters the stirrer chamber 1430 by one or both of the two flow paths. The processing fluid flowing through the first path enters the stirrer chamber 1430 from below. Thus, the processing fluid passes through the electrode compartments 1422 of the electrode support 1420 located below the stirrer chamber 1430. The processing fluid passes laterally outward through the gap between the compartment walls 1423 and the chamber base 1433. The chamber base 1433 includes a permeable base portion 1433a through which at least a portion of the processing fluid passes upwardly into the stirrer chamber 1440. Permeable base portion 1433a comprises a porous medium, such as a porous aluminum ceramic having 10 micron pore openings and about 50% opening area. Alternatively, the permeable base portion 1433a may comprise a series of through holes or perforations. By way of example, the permeable base portion 1433a may comprise a perforated plastic sheet. In any of these arrangements, the processing fluid may pass through the permeable base portion 1433a to supply the processing fluid to the stirrer chamber 1430, or (if the permeable base portion 1433a is highly flow resistant). The fluid does not flow through the permeable base portion 1433a at a high rate, but the permeable base portion to provide a fluid and electrical communication link between the annular electrodes 1421 housed in the electrode support 1420 and the processing position P. FIG. It is possible to simply saturate 1433a. Alternatively (eg, when permeable base portion 1433a is trapping bubbles that interfere with uniform fluid flow and / or current distribution), permeable base portion 1433a may be removed and (a) of It may be replaced with an entity base, or (b) the normally occupying volume may be left open.

Process fluid flowing through the second flow path enters the stirrer chamber 1430 via the flow inlet 1435a. The processing fluid flows laterally through the agitator chamber 1430 and exits the flow outlet 1435b. Relative volumes of processing fluid running along the first and second flow paths are (a) to maintain electrical communication with the electrode 1421, and (b) when the workpiece W is processed, the stirrer chamber ( Can be controlled by the design to replenish the processing fluid within 1430.

15 illustrates additional details of reactor 710 described above in chapters C and D. FIG. The stirrer chamber 730 has a permeable base portion 733a with an upwardly inclined conical bottom surface 1536. Thus, when bubbles are present in the processing fluid below the base 733, they are along the lower surface 1536 through the base gaps 1538 in the base 733 until they enter the stirrer chamber 730. Tend to move radially outward. Once the bubbles enter the stirrer chamber 730, the stirrer elements 741 of the stirrer 740 tend to move the bubbles towards the discharge interval 1535b from which they are removed. As a result, bubbles in the processing fluid are less likely to interfere with the application or removal treatment that occurs at the treatment surface 109 of the workpiece W.

The workpiece W (eg, a round workpiece W having a diameter of 150 mm, 300 mm or other values) is a workpiece support having a workpiece seal 1514 extending around the outer circumference of the workpiece W. Supported by 1513. When the workpiece support 1513 lowers the workpiece W to the processing position P, the support seal 1514 may seal against the chamber seal 1537 located at the upper end of the agitator chamber 730. Can be. Alternatively, the support seal 1514 allows the fluid and / or gas bubbles to pass out of the stirrer chamber 730 and / or to allow the workpiece W to rotate or spin. 1537 may be spaced apart. The processing fluid leaving stirrer chamber 730 through outlet gap 1535b rises above the level of chamber seal 1537 prior to leaving reactor 710. Thus, the chamber seal 1537 tends not to dry and is less likely to form crystalline deposits that may interfere with its operation. When the workpiece support 1513 is moved upward from the processing position P (as shown in FIG. 15), and, optionally, the workpiece support 1513 moves the workpiece W to the processing position P. FIG. When supported at, the chamber seal 1537 remains wet.

When a magnetic directional material is applied thereto (eg, in connection with the use of magnet 795), since the workpiece W typically does not rotate, linear reciprocation of the plurality of stirrer elements 741 results in a match. This is a particularly meaningful way to reduce the diffusion layer thickness by an amount that does not require very high workpiece spinning speeds. As an example, a paddle device with six stirrer elements 741 moving at 0.2 m / s may achieve a steel diffusion layer thickness of less than 18 microns in a permalloy bath. Without stirrer elements, workpiece W must be spun at 500 rpm to achieve this low diffusion layer thickness, which is impossible in the deposition of self-responsive materials.

When the linear elongated stirrer element 741 described above reciprocates transversely below the circular workpiece W, they may tend to produce three-dimensional effects in the flow field adjacent to the workpiece W. Embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to FIGS. 16A-18 address these effects. By way of example, FIG. 16A is a partial schematic drawing upward from a workpiece W disposed directly above agitator 1640 contained within agitator chamber 1630. FIG. 16B schematically illustrates a portion of a portion of the stirrer 1640 and workpiece W shown in FIG. 16A, disposed above the chamber base 1633 of the stirrer 1630, substantially taken along line 16B-16B in FIG. 16A. It is a cross section. As described below, the stirrer 1640 has different shapes to account for the three-dimensional effects described above.

First, referring to FIG. 16A, stirrer 1640 includes a plurality of stirrer elements 1641 (shown as four internal stirrer elements 1641a positioned between two external stirrer elements 1641b). do. Stirrer elements 1641 are elongate in shape substantially parallel to the stirrer long axis 1690 and reciprocate back and forth along the stirrer axis of motion 1171 in a manner substantially similar to that described above. The workpiece W includes a workpiece support comprising a support seal 1614 extending around and below the outer periphery of the downward facing treatment surface 109 of the workpiece W to seal the electrical contact assembly 1615. 1613).

Since the support seal 1614 projects downward in a direction away from the treatment surface 109 of the workpiece W (ie, outward from the plane of FIG. 16A), the stirrer elements 1641 are treated with a treatment surface 109. It is more closely spaced with respect to the support seal 1661 than with respect to. As stirrer elements 1641 move back and forth just below support seal 1614, they are driven by high velocity jets because the flow is accelerated through a relatively narrow gap between stirrer elements 1641 and support seal 1614. And / or vortices 1662. By way of example, the vortices 1662 are formed when the stirrer elements 1641 pass down beyond the support seal 1614 or the vortices 1662 are formed by the stirrer elements 1641 with the support seal. Aligned with 1614 and then formed upon passing back over the treatment surface 109 of the workpiece W. FIG. These vortices 1662 have a treatment surface 109 in which the support seal 1614 is substantially parallel to the stirrer axis of motion 1701 (eg, adjacent to the 12:00 and 6:00 positions shown in FIG. 16A). May not have a significant effect on mass transfer, however, the position where the support seal 1614 traverses the stirrer axis of motion 1701 (eg, adjacent to the 3:00 and 9:00 positions of FIG. 16A). ) Has more significant effects. As described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 16B, the external stirrer elements 1641b (aligned with the outer regions of the processing position P and the workpiece W) have internal stirrer elements ( 1641a (aligned with the processing position P and the inner regions of the workpiece W).

FIG. 16B illustrates the leftmost inner stirrer element 1641a and left outer stirrer element 1641b shown in FIG. 16A. The inner stirrer element 1641a is spaced apart from the workpiece W by the spacing distance D1 and spaced apart from the chamber base 1633 by the spacing distance D2. In the case where the inner stirrer element 1641a reciprocates back and forth under the support seal 1614 at the 9:00 position, most of the inner stirrer elements 1641a are supported by the spacing distance D3 which is significantly smaller than the spacing distance D1. Spaced apart from the seal 1614. As described above, this may cause the vortices 1662 (FIG. 16A) to be formed, which may cause the workpiece (at At the treatment surface 109 of W), mass transfer properties can be significantly improved. Alternatively, the vortices are formed across the entire treatment surface 109 but may be stronger at 9:00 (and 3:00) positions than at 12:00 (and 6:00) positions.

In order to counteract the aforementioned effects, the outer stirrer element 1641b has a different (eg smaller) size than the inner stirrer element 1641a, so that between the workpiece W and the inner stirrer element 1641a It may be spaced apart from the support seal 1614 by an interval distance D4 that is approximately equal to the interval distance D1. Thus, the improved mass transfer effect on the outer periphery of the workpiece W (and in particular, the outer periphery adjacent to the 3:00 and 9:00 positions shown in FIG. 16A) results in an improved mass over the remainder of the workpiece W. It can be at least nearly identical to the transfer effects.

17 is a cross-sectional view of a stirrer 1740 disposed in a stirrer chamber 1730 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Stirrer 1740 includes stirrer elements 1741 configured to move within stirrer chamber 1730 in a manner that also reduces non-uniformity between mass transfer characteristics at the inner and outer circumferences of workpiece W. FIG. In particular, stirrer elements 1741 move back and forth within an envelope 1701 that does not extend above the support seal 1714 adjacent the 3:00 and 9:00 positions. Thus, the agitator elements 1741 are less likely to form vortices (or strong non-uniform vortices) or other flow field nonuniformities close to the workpiece W adjacent to the 3:00 and 6:00 positions.

18 is an isometric view of agitator element 1841 configured in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Stirrer element 1841 has a height H3 adjacent its ends, and has a height H4 greater than H3 in the position between the ends. More generally, the stirrer element 1841 may have different cross-sectional shapes and / or sizes at different locations along the long axis 1890. In a particular embodiment, the internal stirrer elements 1641a described above with reference to FIG. 16A have the potential to produce non-uniformly enhanced transfer effects, eg, adjacent to the 12:00 and 6:00 positions shown in FIG. 16A. To reduce, it may have a shape substantially similar to that of the stirrer element 1841 shown in FIG. 18.

Any stirrer described above with reference to FIGS. 6-18 can reciprocate in varying repeatable patterns. For example, in one arrangement shown in FIGS. 19A-19F, the stirrer 140 reciprocates one or more times from the central position 180, and then laterally displaces, so that the next reciprocation (or series of reciprocations) The center position 180 of) is different from the center position for the previous round trip. In the particular embodiment shown in FIGS. 19A-19F, the central position 180 is displaced by five points before returning to its original position. At each point, stirrer 140 reciprocates within envelope 181 before displacing to the next point. In other particular embodiments, the central position 181 is displaced to two to twelve or more points. As the central position 181 shifts to twelve points, at each point, the stirrer 140 extends about 15 to 75 mm (and also especially about 30 mm) therefrom beyond the outermost stirrer elements 141. Reciprocating within the envelope 181, the central position 180 is shifted by about 15 mm from one point to the next. In other arrangements, the central position 180 displaces to a different number of points before returning to its original position.

Displacing the point at which stirrer 140 reciprocates around it reduces the likelihood of forming shadowing or other undesirable patterns on workpiece W. This effect results from at least two factors. First, displacing the central position 180 reduces the electric field shadowing produced by the physical structure of the agitator elements 141. Secondly, displacing the central position 180 may displace the pattern of vortices that may occur from each stirrer element 141 as it moves. This in turn distributes the vortices (or other flow structures) more evenly across the treatment surface 109 of the workpiece W. FIG. Stirrer element 140 may be accelerated and decelerated rapidly (eg, to about 8 m / s ² ) to further reduce the likelihood of shadowing. Controlling the speed of the agitator elements 141 also affects the diffusion layer thickness. As an example, increasing the speed of agitator elements 141 from 0.2 m / s to 2.0 m / s is expected to reduce the diffusion layer thickness by a factor of about 3.

The number of stirrer elements 141 may be selected to reduce the spacing between adjacent stirrer elements and to reduce the minimum stroke length each stirrer element 141 reciprocates across. For example, increasing the number of stirrer elements 141 included in stirrer 140 reduces the spacing between neighboring stirrer elements 141 and reduces the minimum stroke length for each stirrer element 141. . Each stirrer element 141 thus moves adjacent to only a portion of the workpiece W, instead of scanning along the entire diameter of the workpiece W. FIG. In another particular embodiment, the minimum stroke distance for each paddle 141 is more than the distance between neighboring agitator elements 141. For any of these arrangements, the increased number of stirrer elements 141 allows the stirrer of any part of the workpiece W to move without having to move the stirrer elements 141 at extremely high speeds. Element 141 increases the frequency with which it passes. Reducing the stroke length of the agitator elements 141 (and thus the paddle device 140) also reduces the mechanical complexity of the drive system for moving the agitator elements 141.

From the foregoing, while specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. By way of example, the features of the agitators and agitator chambers described above with respect to electrolytic treatment reactors are applicable to other reactors, including electroless treatment reactors. In another embodiment, the workpiece W reciprocates with respect to the stirrer. In another embodiment, the workpiece W and the stirrer do not need to move relative to each other. In particular, fluid jets ejected from the stirrer may provide fluid agitation that enhances the mass transfer process. Nevertheless, at least some aspects of the workpiece W and / or the stirrer may be activated to provide fluid agitation and a corresponding mass transfer improvement at the surface of the workpiece W. FIG. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims (126)

A tool for wet chemical processing of microfeature workpieces, Processing support, A wet chemical processing reactor supported by a processing support, the reactor comprising: a processing vessel configured to receive a processing fluid, a workpiece support configured to at least partially immerse the workpiece in the processing fluid at the processing position of the vessel, and at least the processing position A processing fluid stirrer located in the vessel at a location adjacent the processing fluid stirrer having at least one elongated agitator surface, at least one of the stirrer and workpiece support to agitate the processing fluid in proximity to the processing location; A wet chemical treatment reactor, the reactor further comprising an actuator operatively coupled to at least one of the workpiece support and the stirrer, the one being movable relative to the processing position, and And a workpiece transporter supported by the processing support and movable relative to the reactor to move the workpiece relative to the reactor. The processing support of claim 1, wherein the processing support comprises a mounting module having a plurality of positioning elements and attachment elements, The workpiece support is supported by the mounting module, The processing vessel has a first interface member coupled with one of the positioning elements, a first fastner coupled with one of the attachment elements, The workpiece transporter has a second interface member coupled with one of the positioning elements and a second fastener associated with one of the attachment elements, The mounting module is configured to maintain the relative positions between the positioning elements such that the workpiece transport does not need to be recalibrated when the processing vessel is replaced with another processing vessel. The system of claim 2, wherein the mounting module comprises a deck, The deck is A rigid outer member having at least some of the positioning elements and at least some of the attachment elements thereon, Rigid inner member juxtaposed to the outer member, Includes bracing between the outer member and the inner member, The outer member, the bracing and the inner member are fixed together, A reactor is attached to the deck. The system of claim 2, wherein the mounting module comprises a deck, The deck is A rigid first panel having at least some of the positioning elements and at least some of the attachment elements present thereon, A rigid second panel juxtaposed to the first panel, Braces disposed between the first and second panels, The first panel, the braces and the second panel are fixed together to be dimensionally stable, The reactor is attached to the deck. The system of claim 2, wherein the mounting module comprises a deck, The deck is Multiple braces, a rigid first panel having at least some of (a) positioning elements and (b) attachment elements and attached to one side of the braces, A rigid second panel juxtaposed to the first panel while attached to the other side of the braces, The reactor attached to the first panel of the deck. The method of claim 2, wherein the mounting module, A processing deck comprising a top panel, a bottom panel below the top panel, and braces attached between the top and bottom panels, wherein the top panel has at least some of (a) positioning elements and (b) attachment elements, A treatment deck in which the first interface member of the reactor is coupled with a corresponding positioning element of the upper panel of the treatment deck, and A platform having at least some of the positioning elements and fixedly disposed within the tool relative to the treatment deck, the tool further comprising a platform on which the second interface member of the workpiece transporter is coupled with a corresponding positioning element of the platform. 3. The mounting module of claim 2, wherein the mounting module comprises a deck for supporting the reactor, a platform for supporting the workpiece transporter, and an adjustable footing for adjustable attachment of the mounting module to the frame, The deck is juxtaposed to a plurality of braces, a rigid first panel having a first set of positioning elements and a first set of attachment elements attached to one side of the braces and a first panel attached to the other side of the braces. Including a rigid second panel, The platform comprises a second set of positioning elements and a second set of attachment elements, The reactor is supported by the deck and includes a plurality of first fasteners and a plurality of first interface members, the first interface members being coupled with corresponding positioning elements of a first set of positioning elements, and a first The fasteners are associated with corresponding attachment elements of the first set of attachment elements, The workpiece transporter is supported by the platform and includes a plurality of second interface members and a plurality of second fasteners, the second interface members being coupled with corresponding positioning elements of a second set of positioning elements and , The second fasteners are coupled with corresponding attachment elements of the second set of attachment elements. The tool of claim 2, wherein the mounting module is configured to maintain relative positions between positioning elements within 0.025 inches (0.0635 cm). The tool of claim 2, wherein the mounting module is configured to maintain relative positions between positioning elements within about 0.005 to 0.015 in (0.0127 to 0.0381 cm). The reactor of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a first vessel, a first workpiece support disposed relative to the first vessel to hold the workpiece in the processing fluid, a first vessel disposed in one of the first vessel and the first workpiece support. A first electrochemical deposition chamber comprising a cathode, a first vessel and a first anode disposed on the remainder of the first workpiece support, The tool may comprise a second container, a second workpiece support disposed with respect to the second container to hold the workpiece in the processing fluid, a second negative electrode and a second container disposed in one of the second container or the second workpiece support, or Further comprising a second electrochemical deposition chamber comprising a second anode disposed on the remaining of the second workpiece support, And the workpiece transporter is movable to communicate with both the first electrochemical deposition chamber and the second electrical deposition chamber. The method of claim 1 wherein the reactor is a first wet chemical processing chamber comprising a cathode disposed in one of the vessel and the workpiece support and an anode disposed in the remainder of the vessel and the workpiece support, The tool further comprises a second wet chemical treatment chamber including a cleaning chamber having a fluid delivery system for guiding the cleaning fluid onto the workpiece, And the workpiece support is movable to communicate with both the first and second wet chemical processing chambers. 2. The processing position of claim 1, wherein the processing position of the vessel is positioned to receive a microfeature workpiece having a maximum width at the processing position and the system further includes a controller operably coupled to at least one of the workpiece support and the stirrer. Wherein the controller is configured to move at least one of the workpiece support and the stirrer relative to the rest along a substantially linear path by a distance less than the maximum width. The stirrer of claim 1, wherein the stirrer includes a plurality of elongate stirrer elements, the system being operable to move each of the stirrer elements with a constant spacing between adjacent stirrer elements as the stirrer moves. And a controller further coupled to the stirrer. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller operably coupled to at least one of the stirrer and the workpiece support, the controller reciprocating along a substantially linear axis in a stroke of relative motion that varies between at least two consecutive reciprocations. In a manner configured to move at least one of the workpiece support and the stirrer relative to the rest. 2. The reactor of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a stirrer chamber volume extending for a first distance substantially perpendicular to the plane of the treatment location, the stirrer disposed within the stirrer chamber volume, wherein the at least one stirrer surface is substantially in the treatment position. A tool extending for a second vertical distance, the second distance being at least 30% of the first distance. 16. The stirrer chamber of claim 15, wherein the stirrer chamber comprises a plurality of sidewall portions extending in a direction away from the processing position, at least one of the sidewall portions comprises at least a fluid inlet adjacent the processing position, and at least one of the sidewall portions is And a fluid outlet at least adjacent the treatment location, wherein the agitator is located between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet. The tool of claim 15, wherein the second distance is at least 70% of the first distance. The tool of claim 15, wherein the second distance is at least 90% of the first distance. The tool of claim 15, wherein the spacing between the upper end of the at least one stirrer surface and the treatment location is about 5 mm or less. The tool of claim 15, wherein the chamber volume is bounded by the base portion. 21. The tool of claim 20, wherein the stirrer is movable relative to the base portion. 21. The stirrer of claim 20 wherein the stirrer is movable relative to the base portion and the first spacing between the upper end of the at least one stirrer surface and the treatment position is no greater than about 5 mm and between the base and the lower end of the at least one stirrer surface. And the second spacing is about 5 mm or less. 21. The tool of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of the base portion is porous. 21. The chamber of claim 20, wherein the chamber volume is bounded by a plurality of side wall portions extending downwardly to the base portion in a direction away from the processing position, wherein the base portion is formed with a first surface facing toward the processing position and a first surface facing away from the first surface. And a second surface, the second surface being inclined to have a higher altitude towards the center of the treatment position and more towards the perimeter of the treatment position. 2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the stirrer includes a plurality of stirrer elements having spaced surfaces and reciprocating relative to the processing position along a substantially linear axis of motion. The tool of claim 1, wherein the reactor includes a magnet disposed adjacent the processing position to orient the deposited material on the microfeature workpiece at the processing position. 27. The tool of claim 26, wherein the magnet comprises a permanent magnet. 2. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the reactor is at least a magnet located adjacent to the processing position, the magnet being arranged to impart a magnetic field at the processing position to orient the material deposited on the microfeature workpiece. An electrode support positioned to support at least one electrode in fluid communication with the treatment position, the tool support comprising an electrode support movable relative to the vessel between the treatment position and the removal position along a path of motion that does not pass through the treatment position. 2. The stirrer of claim 1, wherein the stirrer comprises a stirrer element having a first surface and a second surface opposite from the first surface, the first and second surfaces being perpendicular to the treatment position and positioned between the surfaces. Tool that slopes outwardly and downwardly away from the tool. 30. The tool of claim 29, wherein the stirrer element has a substantially diamond shaped cross section when crossed by a plane substantially perpendicular to the processing position. 30. The tool of claim 29, wherein the stirrer element has a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape when crossed by a plane substantially perpendicular to the processing position. The tool of claim 29, wherein at least one of the first and second surfaces is curved. The tool of claim 1, wherein the stirrer is at least partially permeable to the processing fluid to allow the processing fluid to pass through the stirrer. 34. The tool of claim 33, wherein the stirrer comprises a substantially porous material. 34. The tool of claim 33, wherein the stirrer comprises a plurality of highly flow-restrictive apertures extending from the first surface to the second surface. The tool of claim 1 wherein the stirrer comprises an electrically conductive material. The tool of claim 1 wherein the stirrer comprises an electrically insulating material. 2. The stirrer of claim 1, wherein the stirrer comprises at least one stirrer element elongated along an axis, the stirrer element having different cross-sectional shapes, different cross-sectional sizes or different cross-sectional shapes and sizes at two points along the axis. Tools with both. 2. The stirrer of claim 1, wherein the stirrer comprises a first stirrer element and a second stirrer element, at least a portion of the second stirrer element is spaced apart from the first stirrer element, the first stirrer element having a first shape and size. And the second stirrer element has a second shape and size, the first shape being different from the second shape or the first size being different from the second size, or both. 40. The second stirrer element of claim 39 wherein the processing location has an interior region located substantially adjacent to an interior region of the microfeature workpiece and an exterior region located substantially adjacent to the exterior region of the microfeature workpiece. Is disposed inwardly from the first stirrer element, the first stirrer element being smaller than the second stirrer element. 40. The tool of claim 39, wherein the first shape is geometrically similar to the second shape and the first size is different from the second size. 40. The longitudinal axis of claim 39, wherein the workpiece support comprises a substantially circular seal positioned to extend around an outer circumferential region of the microfeature workpiece, wherein the first stirrer element is elongate along the major axis and substantially tangential to a portion of the seal. And a second stirrer element disposed inwardly from the first stirrer element, wherein the first stirrer element is smaller than the second stirrer element. The stirrer of claim 1, wherein the stirrer comprises a plurality of stirrer elements, at least the first stirrer element of the stirrer elements being elongated along the first axis, and at least the second stirrer element of the stirrer elements parallel to the first axis. An elongate tool along a second axis that is not. The stirrer of claim 1, wherein the stirrer comprises an elongated first stirrer element along a first axis and an elongated second stirrer element along a second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis, wherein the stirrer includes at least one of the stirrer and the workpiece support. One can move relative to the remainder along a substantially linear motion path that is inclined at a first acute angle with respect to the first axis, wherein the substantially linear path is inclined at a second acute angle with respect to the second axis. The tool of claim 1, wherein the processing location comprises a portion of the substantially planar processing plane and the reactor further comprises an electrode support positioned to support the dibbing electrode away from the processing plane. The tool of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises an electrode support configured to support at least one electrode in fluid communication with the processing location. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the electrode support has a plurality of electrode chambers at least partially separated from each other by dielectric barriers, the spacing between the dielectric barriers being corresponding plurality of virtual electrode positions spaced apart from the processing position. Tools to form them. 48. The tool of claim 47, further comprising a plurality of electrodes disposed within the corresponding plurality of electrode chambers. 48. The apparatus of claim 47, further comprising an electrode thief spaced from the treatment plane, wherein the electrode dip is adapted to receive ions from the processing fluid that otherwise attach to the microfeature workpiece. Communicating tools. 48. The tool of claim 47, wherein the electrode support is disposed to support a thieving electrode away from the processing plane. 51. The tool of claim 50, further comprising a dibbing electrode. 51. The method of claim 50, Diving Electrode, A contact electrode supported by the workpiece support and arranged to make electrical contact with the microfeature workpiece when the workpiece support supports the microfeature workpiece, At least one anode spaced from the processing position, and Further comprising one or more power supplies coupled between the contact electrode, the diving electrode and the at least one anode to provide a current to the at least one anode at a potential greater than the potentials provided to the dicing electrode and the contact electrode. 47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the stirrer comprises a plurality of stirrer elements, the stirrer elements are movable back and forth relative to the treatment position along a substantially linear path of motion, and the reactor is at least partially housed between the electrode support and the treatment position. A stirrer chamber, the stirrer chamber containing a plurality of stirrer elements. The tool of claim 1, wherein the workpiece support is positioned to rotate the microfeature workpiece at the treatment position about an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the treatment position while the stirrer moves relative to the treatment position. The tool of claim 1, wherein the workpiece support is movable while the stirrer moves relative to the processing position. The tool of claim 1, wherein the workpiece support is stationary while the stirrer moves relative to the processing position. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor An electrode support configured to support at least one electrode, the electrode support in fluid communication with the processing position, Disposed along the flow path between the treatment position and the electrode support, the treatment having a first value at a first circumferential location of the treatment position and a second value different from the first value at a second circumferential location of the treatment position; And a field control element configured to control the current density in the processing fluid at the location. 58. The tool of claim 57, wherein the electric field control element comprises a slot having a first area having a first width and a second area having a second width greater than the first width. 59. The field control element of claim 57 wherein the field control element comprises a plurality of openings, the openings in the first region of the field control element providing a first opening area and the openings in the second region of the field control element being first opening area. A tool that provides a larger second opening area. 58. The tool of claim 57, wherein the container includes vanes aligned along axes extending between the electric field control element and the processing position. 59. The container of claim 57, wherein the container includes a first portion and a second portion sealably coupled to the first portion, wherein the electric field control element comprises a gasket sealably positioned between the first and second portions. Tool to include. The process fluid of claim 1, wherein the processing fluid comprises a first processing fluid and the reactor directs a stream of the second processing fluid toward the microfeature workpiece supported by the workpiece support while being coupled to a source of the second processing fluid. And a nozzle disposed over the processing position for guiding. 63. The microfeature operation of claim 62, wherein the workpiece support is in a first position to support the microfeature workpiece in contact with the first processing fluid at the processing position and within the path of the stream of second processing fluid guided by the nozzle. A tool movable between a second position above the first position for positioning the piece. As a wet chemical treatment reactor, A processing vessel having a processing position, the processing vessel configured to receive a processing fluid, A processing fluid stirrer located in the vessel at least adjacent the processing position, the stirrer having a plurality of stirrer surfaces, at least one of the workpiece support and the stirrer being movable relative to the processing position to agitate the processing fluid at least adjacent the processing position Process fluid agitator, An actuator operably coupled to at least one of the agitator and the workpiece support, and A wet chemical processing reactor comprising an electrode support positioned within the processing vessel, the fluid support being configured to support at least one electrode in fluid communication with the processing location. 65. The wet chemical processing reactor of claim 64, wherein the electrode support is positioned to support the dibbing electrode away from the processing plane. 66. The wet chemical processing reactor of claim 65, further comprising a dibbing electrode. 66. The method of claim 65, Diving Electrode, A contact electrode supported by the workpiece support and arranged to make electrical contact with the microfeature workpiece when the workpiece support supports the microfeature workpiece, At least one anode spaced from the processing position, and Wet chemical treatment further comprising one or more power supplies coupled between the contact electrode, the diving electrode and the at least one anode to provide a current to the at least one subnode with a potential greater than the potentials provided to the dipping electrode and the contact electrode. Reactor. 65. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the stirrer includes a plurality of stirrer elements, the stirrer elements are movable back and forth with respect to the treatment position along a substantially linear path of motion, and the reactor is at least partially housed between the electrode support and the treatment position. And a stirrer chamber, the stirrer chamber containing a plurality of stirrer elements. 65. The method of claim 64, wherein the processing fluid comprises a first processing fluid and the system is disposed above the processing position to direct a stream of the second processing fluid toward the microfeature workpiece supported by the workpiece support. 2 A wet chemical processing reactor further comprising a nozzle coupleable to a source of processing fluid. 65. The microfeature of claim 64 wherein the workpiece support is in a first position for holding the microfeature workpiece in contact with the first processing fluid at the processing position and in the path of the stream of second processing fluid guided by the nozzle. A wet chemical treatment reactor movable between a second position above a first position for placing the workpiece. 65. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the electrode support has a plurality of electrode chambers at least partially separated from each other by barriers, the spacings between the barriers forming corresponding plurality of virtual electrode positions spaced apart from the processing plane. Wet chemical treatment reactor. 72. The wet chemical processing reactor of claim 71, further comprising a plurality of electrodes disposed in corresponding plurality of electrode chambers. 72. The wetted liquid crystal of claim 71 further comprising an electrode deeply spaced from the processing plane, wherein the electrode deep is disposed in fluid communication with the processing location to receive ions from the processing fluid that otherwise attach to the microfeature workpiece. Chemical treatment reactor. 65. The apparatus of claim 64, further comprising a magnet located at least adjacent to the processing position, wherein the magnet is positioned to impart a magnetic field to the processing position to orient the deposited material on the microfeature workpiece. A wet chemical treatment reactor movable relative to the vessel between the treatment and removal positions along a path of motion that has not passed. 75. The wet chemical processing reactor of claim 74, wherein the magnet comprises a permanent magnet. 65. The apparatus of claim 64, further comprising an electric field control element disposed along the flow path between the electrode support and the processing position, the electric field control element having a first value at a first circumferential location of the processing position. And to control the current density in the processing fluid at the treatment location to have a second value different from the first value at the second circumferential location of the first and second circumferential locations, wherein the first and second circumferential locations are approximately equal distance from the center of the treatment location. Wet chemical processing reactor in the factory. 77. The wet chemical reactor of claim 76, wherein the electric field control element comprises a slot having a first region having a first width and a second region having a second width greater than the first width. 77. The method of claim 76, wherein the electric field control element comprises a plurality of openings, the openings in the first region of the electric field control element providing a first opening area, wherein the openings in the second region of the electric field control element are first opening area. A wet chemical treatment reactor that provides a larger second opening area. 77. The wet chemical processing reactor of Claim 76, wherein the vessel comprises vanes aligned along axes extending between the processing position and the electric field control element. 77. The apparatus of claim 76, wherein the container comprises a first portion and a second portion sealably coupled to the first portion, and the electric field control element comprises a gasket sealably disposed between the first and second portions. Wet chemical treatment reactor. 65. The wet chemical processing reactor of claim 64, wherein the workpiece support is rotatable to rotate the microfeature workpiece relative to the vessel. 65. The wet chemical processing reactor of claim 64, wherein the workpiece support is positioned to rotate the microfeature workpiece at the processing position about an axis substantially perpendicular to the processing position while the stirrer moves relative to the processing position. 65. The wet chemical processing reactor of claim 64, wherein the workpiece support is movable while the stirrer moves relative to the processing position. 65. The wet chemical processing reactor of claim 64, wherein the workpiece support is stationary while the stirrer moves relative to the processing position. A system for processing microfeature workpieces, A container configured to support a processing fluid, the container having a processing position positioned to receive a microfeature workpiece, A workpiece support disposed at least adjacent to the vessel and positioned to support the microfeature workpiece at the processing position of the vessel during processing, and A stirrer having a plurality of spaced apart stirrer surfaces located at least adjacent to the treatment position, At least one of the workpiece support and the agitator is movable back and forth along a substantially linear path relative to the rest while the workpiece support supports the microfeature workpiece. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the vessel comprises a stirrer chamber volume extending for a first distance substantially perpendicular to the plane of the treatment position, the stirrer disposed in the stirrer chamber volume, and the stirrer surfaces are substantially perpendicular to the treatment position. Extending for a second distance, the second distance being at least 30% of the first distance. 87. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the stirrer chamber includes a plurality of sidewall portions extending downward in a direction away from the processing position, at least one of the sidewall portions at least including a fluid inlet adjacent the processing position, and at least one of the sidewall portions And at least a fluid outlet adjacent to the processing position, wherein the agitator is disposed between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet. 87. The system of claim 86, wherein the second distance is at least 70% of the first distance. 87. The system of claim 86, wherein the second distance is at least 90% of the first distance. 87. The microfeature workpiece processing system of claim 86, wherein a spacing between the treatment location and the upper end of the at least one stirrer surface is about 5 mm or less. 87. The microfeature workpiece processing system of claim 86 wherein the chamber volume is bounded by a base portion. 92. The system of claim 91, wherein the stirrer is movable relative to the base portion. 92. The apparatus of claim 91, wherein the stirrer is movable relative to the base portion, wherein the first spacing between the treatment position and the upper end of the agitator surfaces is about 5 mm or less, and the second spacing between the base and the lower end of the agitator surfaces is about Microfeature workpiece handling system less than 5mm. 92. The system of claim 91, wherein at least a portion of the base portion is porous. 92. The chamber of claim 91, wherein said chamber volume is bounded by a plurality of side wall portions extending downwardly to the base portion in a direction away from the processing position, wherein the base portion is opposed to the first surface facing the processing position. And a second surface, the second surface being inclined to have a higher altitude towards the center of the treatment position and more towards the perimeter of the treatment position. 86. The microfeature workpiece processing system of claim 85, wherein the workpiece support is disposed to rotate the microfeature workpiece about an axis substantially perpendicular to the surface of the microfeature workpiece. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the stirrer includes a plurality of elongate stirrer elements, the at least one stirrer element having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first and second surfaces being treated locations And a microfeature workpiece processing system that is perpendicular to and inclined outwardly and downwardly in a direction away from an axis located between the surfaces. 97. The microfeature workpiece processing system of claim 97, wherein the at least one stirrer element has a substantially diamond shaped cross section when crossed by a plane substantially perpendicular to the processing position. 98. The microfeature workpiece processing system of claim 97, wherein the at least one stirrer element has a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape when crossed by a plane substantially perpendicular to the processing position. 97. The system of claim 97, wherein at least one of the first and second surfaces is curved. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the processing position is arranged to receive a microfeature workpiece having a maximum width at the processing position, The system includes at least one of a workpiece support and an agitator; And a controller operably coupled to one, the controller being configured to move at least one of the workpiece support and the stirrer relative to the rest along a substantially linear path by a distance less than the maximum width. system. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, further comprising a controller operably coupled to at least one of the workpiece support and the stirrer, wherein the controller is configured to extend a substantially linear axis with the stroke of relative motion varying between at least two consecutive reciprocations. And reciprocally thereafter, configured to move at least one of the workpiece support and the stirrer relative to the rest. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the stirrer comprises a plurality of elongate stirrer elements, The system further includes a microfeature workpiece processing system that includes a controller operatively coupled to the stirrer to move each of the stirrer elements with the spacing between adjacent stirrer elements remaining constant as the stirrer moves. . 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the stirrer comprises a plurality of stirrer elements, at least the first stirrer element of the stirrer elements being elongated along the first axis, and at least the second stirrer element of the stirrer elements parallel to the first axis. A microfeature workpiece processing system that is elongated along a second axis that is not. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the plurality of stirrer elements comprises a first stirrer element elongated along a first axis and a second stirrer element elongated along a second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis, wherein the stirrer element and the workpiece At least one of the supports may move relative to the rest along a substantially linear motion path that is inclined at a first acute angle with respect to the first axis, and the substantially linear motion path is inclined at a second acute angle with respect to the second axis. system. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the stirrer comprises a first stirrer element having a first shape and size, the second stirrer element comprises a second stirrer element having a second shape and size, 2. The microfeature workpiece processing system that is different from the two shapes, the first size is different from the second size, or both. 107. The processing apparatus of claim 106, wherein the processing position has an interior region located substantially adjacent to an interior region of the microfeature workpiece, and an exterior region located substantially adjacent to the exterior region of the microfeature workpiece, A microfeature workpiece processing system disposed inwardly from the first stirrer element, the first stirrer element being smaller than the second stirrer element. 107. The microfeature workpiece processing system of claim 106, wherein the first shape is geometrically similar to the second shape, and the first size is different from the second size. 107. The workpiece support of claim 106, wherein the workpiece support comprises a substantially circular seal positioned to extend around an outer circumferential region of the microfeature workpiece, wherein the first stirrer element is elongate along the long axis, the long axis being substantially relative to a portion of the seal. And a second stirrer element disposed inward from the first stirrer element, wherein the first stirrer element is smaller than the second stirrer element. 86. The microfeature workpiece processing system of claim 85, wherein the stirrer is at least partially permeable to the processing fluid to allow the processing fluid to pass through the stirrer. 117. The system of claim 110, wherein the stirrer comprises a substantially porous material. 117. The system of claim 110, wherein the stirrer includes a plurality of high flow resistance openings extending from the first surface to the second surface. 86. The microfeature workpiece processing system of claim 85, wherein the stirrer comprises an electrically conductive material. 86. The microfeature workpiece processing system of claim 85, wherein the stirrer comprises an electrically insulating material. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the stirrer comprises at least one stirrer element elongated along an axis, wherein the stirrer element has different cross-sectional shapes, different cross-sectional sizes, and different cross-sectional shapes at two points along the axis. A microfeature workpiece processing system having both and sizes. A method of operating an integrated tool for wet chemical processing of microfeature workpieces with submicron features, Contacting the microfeature workpiece with the processing fluid at the processing position and agitating the processing fluid by moving at least one of the agitator and the workpiece positioned adjacent to the workpiece relative to the rest, thereby causing the microfeature workpiece in the wet chemical processing chamber. Processing the microfeature workpiece processing step wherein the stirrer has at least one stirrer surface and the wet chemical processing chamber is disposed at a first location within the tool; Removing the wet chemical processing chamber from the tool, Replacing the replacement wet chemical treatment chamber and the wet chemical treatment chamber by mounting the replacement wet chemical treatment chamber in the tool in a first position, and After replacing the wet chemical processing station, an integrated tool comprising loading another microfeature workpiece into the replacement wet chemical process using the automated workpiece transport system without calibrating the automated workpiece transport mechanism. How it works. 118. The method of claim 116, wherein removing the wet chemical processing chamber from the tool includes separating the wet chemical processing chamber from the attachment and positioning elements of the tool, and replacing the wet chemical processing chamber with the wet chemical processing chamber. The step of replacing with includes incorporating positioning elements and attachment elements with a replacement wet chemical processing chamber. 117. The processing apparatus of claim 116, wherein the processing location comprises a portion of a substantially planar processing plane, wherein the microfeature workpiece processing step is performed while the microfeature workpiece receives a magnetic field in the processing plane, and the microfeature workpiece is at least one electrode. During fluid communication, placing the microfeature workpiece in fluid communication with the at least one electrode to electrolytically deposit a magnetic sensitive material onto the microfeature workpiece, The method further includes removing the at least one electrode from fluid communication with the processing plane without passing the at least one electrode through the processing plane. 118. The method of claim 116, wherein processing the microfeature workpiece is adjacent to the microfeature workpiece and adjacent to a plurality of electrodes disposed in the plurality of electrode chambers disposed at least partially spaced apart from each other by dielectric barriers. And electrolytically depositing material onto the microfeature workpiece by guiding at least a portion of the processing fluid, wherein the spacings between the dielectric barriers form corresponding plurality of virtual electrode locations spaced from the processing location. . 116. The microfeature workpiece of claim 116, wherein the microfeature workpiece has a maximum width, The method further includes reciprocating at least one of the stirrer and the microfeature workpiece relative to the rest along a substantially linear motion path, wherein each of the at least two temporally adjacent motion strokes deflects a distance less than the maximum width. How integrated tools work. 117. The method of claim 116 wherein Reciprocating at least one of the microfeature workpiece and the stirrer with respect to the remainder along the substantially linear axis, and An integrated tool operation further comprising altering the reciprocation of at least one of the stirrer and the microfeature workpiece such that at least one stroke of the reciprocating motion deflects an envelope different from the envelope that is deflected by the subsequent stroke. Way. As a method for processing a microfeature workpiece, Placing the microfeature workpiece in contact with the processing fluid in the processing plane of the processing vessel, While the microfeature workpiece is subjected to a magnetic field in the processing plane, and while the microfeature workpiece is in fluid communication with at least one electrode spaced apart from the microfeature workpiece, the microfeature to electrolytically deposit a magnetic sensitive material onto the microfeature workpiece. Processing the microfeature workpiece in the processing plane by directing at least a portion of the processing fluid toward the workpiece, and Removing at least one electrode from fluid communication with the processing plane without passing the at least one electrode through the processing plane. 123. The method of claim 122, wherein removing the at least one electrode comprises removing an electrode housing that supports the plurality of electrodes. A method of manufacturing a processing apparatus for microfeature workpieces, Positioning the workpiece support at least adjacent the vessel, the workpiece support configured to support the microfeature workpiece at a processing position in the vessel configured to receive the processing fluid, Selecting a characteristic of the stirrer comprising at least one stirrer element to have a selected influence on the diffusion layer of processing fluid adjacent the microfeature workpiece, the characteristic being the number of stirrer elements of the stirrer, the treatment position and the at least one stirrer Spacing between the elements, dimensions of the at least one stirrer element substantially perpendicular to the plane of the treatment position relative to the corresponding dimension of the chamber in which the at least one stirrer element moves, stroke envelope of the at least one stirrer element relative to the treatment position And at least one of a stroke schedule of at least one stirrer element relative to the treatment location, and Mounting the stirrer at least adjacent the processing position with at least one of the workpiece support and the stirrer being movable relative to the rest along the substantially linear axis. 127. The method of claim 124, further comprising selecting a stirrer to include six stirrer elements, each of the stirrer elements having two opposing downward sloped stirrer surfaces. 126. The method of claim 124, further comprising selecting a stroke envelope of at least one stirrer element to be substantially straight and to have a length less than the maximum diameter of the microfeature workpiece supported by the workpiece support. Processing apparatus manufacturing method.

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