TWI417962B - Electrochemical deposition system - Google Patents

Description

Electrodeposition system

The present invention relates to a system for depositing a metal layer on a semiconductor workpiece, more specifically, for electrodepositing or chemically depositing a metal thin film from an electrolyte onto a semiconductor wafer, chemically etching a partially deposited film, and cleaning the deposited film. The surface and the deposited film are heat treated.

Inter-wafer interconnections are achieved by multiple layers of metal lines embedded in one or more insulating materials located above the logic device or memory device transistor circuit. As the line density in ultra-large integrated circuits increases, the feature sizes of metal interconnect patterns, such as vias and trenches, have been reduced to sub-micron levels, and the degree of metallization has increased. Moreover, as the length of the interconnect leads in the integrated circuit increases, the RC delay has become the most important factor affecting the transmission speed of the circuit. Copper is considered to be an ideal material for metal interconnect leads due to its low resistivity and high resistance to electromigration. But at the same time, it also faces many device manufacturing challenges.

The biggest challenge in achieving copper interconnect technology is through the Damascus process, or through the double damascene process, which is usually cost-effective to process, through-holes and trenches on the entire semiconductor substrate, that is, on the entire wafer. The structure achieves a non-porous, seamless uniform fill.

A typical electrodeposition system typically consists of a plurality of plating units for metal electrodeposition or chemical deposition and a cleaning unit for post-plating cleaning and edge removal.

An example of such an electroplating system is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,258,220 and U.S. Patent No. 6,527,920. The system comprises a main frame provided with a transfer robot, a loading cassette connected to the main frame, a plurality of plating units connected to the main frame, and a plurality of rotary-flushing-drying and edge removing chambers connected to the main frame. And a rapid thermal processing subsystem connected to the loading crucible. The electroplating unit, spin-flush-dry and edge removal chambers and other possible additional units of the electrodeposition system currently used in IC production are all on the same plane. This design occupies a large space in the ultra clean room to satisfy this. Process system requirements for production capacity.

Because this system uses a two-dimensional structure, it puts all the process units on one plane. When some new process units need to be added, the system footprint increases, thus limiting its actual Scalability. In addition, in the above electrodeposition system, a plurality of permanent heavy-duty support columns standing on the substrate of the process chamber are required for supporting a plurality of plating unit upper devices, which receive the wafer from the robot and send it to the electrolysis liquid. These support columns are bulky because they require sufficient stability and robustness for the upper device they support to precisely control their motion. These support columns not only occupy the internal space of the frame, but also limit the accessibility of the main frame transfer robot, the wafer holding device and the plating unit, and bring inconvenience to system maintenance.

In addition, as the size of the vias and trenches in the wafer pattern is reduced, when the wafer held by the wafer holding device is immersed in the electrolyte, the structure on the wafer is difficult to be completely wetted, resulting in deposition of metal. Defects and voids are created in the membrane structure. A typical method of wetting a wafer is patent US 2004/0069644 As described in US 2007/7223323, the wafer is pre-flushed in an additional spin-flush-dry unit prior to electroplating. Another method of wetting a wafer is to spray water onto the surface of the wafer with an additional nozzle before the wafer is fed into the plating solution as described in US 2006/7146994. However, pre-wetting through liquid rinsing does not completely wet very fine structures, and the liquid used for rinsing may dilute the electrolyte locally or over a large range, posing new problems. Therefore, the above method still cannot completely solve the problem of incomplete wetting without introducing significant process variations or increased manufacturing costs.

The present invention has been disclosed in the above background.

Based on the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrodeposition system of an innovative structure which has a small footprint and can process a larger-scale wafer with higher efficiency, thereby improving productivity.

To achieve the above object, the electrodeposition system of the present invention has a three-dimensional stacked structure including a factory interface for receiving wafers, a main frame of a main frame transfer robot, and a plurality of wafer holding devices placed above the main frame. a plurality of electroplating units of the first layer of the three-dimensional stacked structure placed on the upper part of the main frame, a plurality of cleaning and edge removing units of the second layer of the three-dimensional stacked structure disposed at the lower part of the main frame, and a plurality of the connecting portions of the main frame and the factory interface The first layer, or the second layer, or both layers of the heat treatment chamber, a plurality of gas phase pre-wet modules placed in the main frame, providing plating solution for the plating unit and fluid distribution for the treatment unit System to provide gas mixing for the heat treatment chamber Gas delivery system. The main frame transfer robot transfers the wafer between the factory interface, the wafer holding device, the cleaning unit, and the thermal processing chamber.

Compared with the system mentioned in the related art, an advantage of the system of the present invention is that its three-dimensional stacked structure has a smaller footprint, and the area occupied by some process units such as the plating unit can be saved to be higher. The efficiency of processing larger wafers increases throughput. Another advantage of the system of the present invention is that when a new process unit is expanded, the newly added process unit can only be placed in a single layer in the prior art, and in the present invention can be placed in multiple layers, so that no excessive increase is required. Area. Yet another advantage of the system of the present invention is that the wafer holding device is placed over the main frame, eliminating the use of large volume support columns that severely limit tool access, and can also be moved to the corners of the main frame during user intervention operations, thereby Convenient for maintenance and maintenance.

Another feature of the electrodeposition system of the present invention is that the thermal processing chamber includes a heating plate and a heat flow distribution member for heating the wafer on both sides, and a cooling plate and a cold flow distribution member for cooling the wafer on both sides, at least two receiving and receiving A wafer holding device that transfers a wafer to a cooling disk, and at least two brakes for controlling the movement of the wafer holding device. Therefore, the system of the present invention can provide a uniform post-plating heat treatment process to improve the electrical and physical properties of the deposited film on the double-sided heat-treated wafer, and the heat treatment chamber can simultaneously heat treat a plurality of wafers, thereby The number of heat treatment chambers in the system is reduced and the production capacity is increased. The wafer to be processed is transferred to the heating plate in the heat treatment chamber through the main frame robot before processing, and then transmitted through the front interface robot through the cooling plate in the heat treatment chamber without the main frame. The rack/factory interface is placed in the area, so the placement point of the robot is reduced, which improves the transmission efficiency of the system.

A further feature of the electrodeposition system of the present invention is that it further comprises a vapor phase pre-wet device coupled to a vapor generation and delivery system for effecting adsorption of liquid molecules from the gas phase to be processed in the plating unit On the front surface of the wafer. The adsorbed or liquefied liquid molecules of the thin pre-wet layer on the front surface of the unplated wafer are in contact with the electrolyte. Therefore, the system of the present invention can provide a reliability process that can deposit a copper film on the surface of a wafer having a very small structure without causing voids due to incomplete wetting.

The novel features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt;

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrodeposition system of the present invention includes a factory interface 10 and a main frame 11. The factory interface includes a plurality of wafer loading cassettes 101, a front interface robot 102, and a wafer positioner 191 placed in a level 1 environment. The main frame includes a main frame transfer robot 106, a plurality of plating units 107, a plurality of cleaning units 108, a plurality of thermal processing chambers 104, and at least one gas phase pre-wetting module 110. The plating unit 107 and the cleaning unit 108 are respectively placed in the first layer and the second layer of the main frame 11, and the plating unit 107 is stacked above the cleaning unit 108. The thermal processing chamber 104 is placed in the main frame 11 and connected to the factory interface 10. In addition, the system includes a transfer case 103 and a temporary storage case 112 that are coupled to the factory interface 10 and are positioned above the thermal processing chamber 104. transmission The cartridge 103 is used to transfer wafers from the factory interface 10 to the main frame 11. The temporary storage box 112 is used to store wafers that are affected when problems occur in the process chamber. Once this occurs, the main frame transfer robot 106 places the wafers that have been partially processed throughout the plating process into the temporary storage box 112 for further processing. The system also includes a fluid distribution system coupled to the process unit for providing plating solution to the plating unit and chemical liquid for the cleaning unit. The system also includes a gas mixing transfer system coupled to the thermal processing chamber for providing a mixed process gas to the thermal processing chamber.

The factory interface 10 includes a plurality of loading cassettes 101 for receiving and placing wafer cassettes 192, a front interface robot 102 and at least one wafer positioner 191. In the current embodiment, the factory interface 10 includes three loading cassettes 101 and a wafer positioner 191. Before the electrodeposition process is implemented, a thin conductive layer is deposited on the surface of the wafer by physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition. After these pre-treatment processes are completed, the wafer cassette containing multiple wafers is completed. 192, a more appropriate name is an industrial wafer front open wafer cassette, which is transferred and placed on a loading cassette 101. The front interface robot 102 is a typical transfer robot commonly known to those of ordinary skill in the art and consists of one or two robot arms.

All process modules are located inside the main frame. As shown in FIG. 2, each plating unit 107 is located vertically above the cleaning unit 108. In the present embodiment, the main frame 11 includes four plating units 107 and four cleaning units 108 corresponding to the number of loading cassettes 101. It should be understood that the number of plating units 107 in the main frame 11 of the plating system is not limited to the present embodiment. One of ordinary skill in the art can make the production according to the requirements. Ability to increase or decrease the number of units. It should be noted that the stacked structure of the plating unit 107 and the cleaning unit 108 saves space for the main frame 11, reducing the footprint of the electrodeposition system. It should also be noted in the following specifications that the three-dimensional structure in which the system plating unit 107 is stacked above the cleaning unit 108 can not excessively increase the footprint when adding a new process unit.

The main frame 11 further includes a plurality of wafer holding devices 105, each of which is placed above the plating unit 107 and mounted on the main frame 11. In the embodiment of the electrodeposition system of the present invention, the main frame 11 includes four wafer holding devices 105 corresponding to the number of plating units 107.

As shown in FIG. 4, the wafer holding device 105 includes a wafer holder device that in turn includes a wafer holder 511, a cathode contact (not shown), and a brake. The brake may include stepper motors 521, 523 and servo motor 525. The cathode contact may include a plurality of soft stainless steel coils to maintain a uniform cross-sectional shape to improve electrical connection to the wafer and reduce damage to the underlying film due to compressive stresses of mechanical contact. The wafer holder may contain a bottom and a top, and the wafer is sandwiched between the bottom and the top, so the wafer holder device is configured to open, close, and rotate the wafer holder to insert, remove, and rotate the wafer, and the cathode The contact is placed between the bottom and the top of the wafer holder, and an electrical connection to the front of the wafer can be achieved when the wafer holder is closed by the brake before the plating process begins. The electrical information of the contact location is monitored and fed back to the control system. In addition, the wafer holding device 105 can be moved to the corner of the main frame 11 to facilitate performance maintenance. The wafer can be held by the wafer holder 511 and moved along the Z axis and along the X and Z axes. The wafer holder 511 is driven by the brake stepping motors 521, 523 and the servo motor 525. About wafer clip assembly package For a detailed description of wafer-containing and cathode contacts, reference is made to US Pat. No. 6,460, 007, entitled "Methods and apparatus for holding and positioning semiconductor wafer during electropolishing and/or electroplating of the workpieces", which is incorporated herein by reference. In the present invention, the entire wafer holding device is supported by a mounting arm 527 that connects the wafer holding device 105 and the top of the main frame. It should be noted that the structure of the wafer holding device 105 placed on top of the main frame enhances the accessibility of the main frame transfer robot 106 to the wafer holding device and the plating unit, and saves space by eliminating the need for a support column.

The main frame 11 also includes a vapor phase pre-wet device that may be integrated on the wafer holding device 105 or present as a separate module (as shown). The pre-wetting device is connected to the steam generation system to provide liquid vapor to the front surface of the wafer and form an ultra-thin pre-wet layer to improve the wetting performance in the plating process. The use of liquid steam completely wets very small structures such as vias and trenches without significant dilution of the plating bath. Therefore, the system of the present invention can satisfy the requirement of a related defect caused by incomplete wetting due to an increase in linear density in an ultra-large integrated circuit.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the plating unit 107 includes an electrolyte chamber 700. The electrolyte chamber 700 includes a plurality of annular electrodes 711 and a plurality of annular partition walls 713 that isolate the entire electrolyte chamber 700 into a plurality of separate regions, each having a separate annular electrode 711 therein. The electrode 711 is applied by a plurality of power sources (not shown) with different waveforms, different switching orders, or separately controlled at different times in the plating process. system.

For a detailed description of the electrolyte chamber, reference is made to US Pat. No. 6,460, 007, entitled "Methods and apparatus for holding and positioning semiconductor wafer during electropolishing and/or electroplating of the workpieces", which is incorporated herein by reference.

However, the electrolyte chamber 700 of the electrodeposition system of the present invention is somewhat different from the electrolyte chamber described in the related art. The electrolyte chamber 700 of the electrodeposition system of the present invention is separated by a bubble coalescing device 720 into a lower chamber 701 that receives the lower replenishing electrolyte and an upper chamber 702 that receives the upper replenishing electrolyte.

Each of the separate regions of the lower chamber 701 of the electrolyte chamber 700 has an inlet and an outlet connected thereto. The electrolyte is pumped through the pump from each of the electrolyte chambers (described in detail in the following paragraphs) into each individual region of the electrolyte chamber 700. The electrolyte flows from the inlet, exits the outlet, and finally returns to the electrolyte chamber to achieve the electrolyte chamber. A separate electrolyte circulates in each individual region of the lower chamber 701 of the 700.

Each of the separate regions of the upper chamber 702 has an electrolyte inlet controlled by an LMFC (Liquid Flow Controller), so that the flow rate of electrolyte flowing to the wafer surface in each individual region of the upper chamber 702 can be independently controlled. The liquid flow controllers are acid and corrosion resistant. Both the lower chamber 701 and the upper chamber 702 are made of or coated with an electrically insulating, acid and corrosion resistant material such as PVC or PVDF.

Bubble coalescer 720 includes a tapered frame having a plurality of V-shaped grooves And a porous membrane attached to the tapered frame. A tube above the bubble coalescence device 720 is connected to the outside of the plating unit 107. The bubbles generated on the electrode 711 during the electroplating process first coalesce in the V-shaped groove and move upward, and then move out of the cavity through the tube.

The cleaning unit 108 includes a cavity having a window for passing the wafer into or out of the cleaning unit 108 and a wafer holding member disposed intermediate the cavity, the holding member being at a brake placed at the bottom of the cleaning unit 108 Rotate at a speed of 10 to 4000 rpm. The wafer holding portion includes three support pins (PINs) for fixing the wafers in the cleaning unit 108. Each support leg has a mechanical clip that can be rotated and activated, and each support leg has a small angle step on the top. When the wafer holding member rotates, the mechanical clip is closed and the wafer is fastened to prevent relative movement between the wafer and the support leg; when the wafer holding portion stops rotating, the mechanical clip is opened, and the wafer can be taken by the main frame transfer robot Start.

The cleaning unit 108 has a front nozzle, a rear nozzle, and a movable nozzle. The front nozzle is placed in the upper portion of the chamber of the cleaning unit 108 and extends therefrom to provide deionized water to the front surface of the wafer. A rear nozzle is placed in the lower portion of the chamber of the cleaning unit 108 and extends therefrom to provide deionized water to the rear surface of the wafer. The movable nozzle is placed in the middle of the cavity of the cleaning unit 108 and can be moved radially to the edge of the wafer to provide mixed acid and peroxide to the edge of the wafer during operation, moving away from the cleaning chamber during wafer transfer. The movement of the movable nozzle is controlled by a brake. The cleaning unit 108 also includes a lid that is placed on top of the chamber to prevent fluid from spilling out of the cleaning unit and contaminating components of the system. For a detailed description of the cleaning unit 108, reference is made to patent WO 03/087436, entitled "Electropolishing and/or electroplating apparatus and methods", incorporated herein by reference.

The main frame 11 also includes a fluid dispensing system that includes an electrolyte bath 109 disposed at the bottom of the main frame 11 that provides electrolyte to each plating unit 107. As shown in FIG. 6, the electrolytic solution tank 109 is isolated into a lower electrolytic solution tank 191b and an upper electrolytic solution tank 192b. The lower electrolyte tank 191b is connected to the lower chamber of the plating unit 107, and the lower unit supply electrolyte is supplied to the plating unit 107. The upper electrolyte tank 192b is connected to the upper chamber of the plating unit 107, and the upper unit is supplied with electrolyte for the plating unit 107. The lower electrolyte tank 191b and the upper electrolyte tank 192b are connected to the plating unit 107 through the electrolyte supply lines 311 and 321b, respectively. The electrolyte supply line has a pump 313, a two-way valve 315, a check valve 316, and a control valve 312. More preferably, in the electrolyte circuit connecting the electrolyte tank 109 and the plating unit 107, the filter 317 is connected to filter the impurities and the flow meter 314 which can simulate the output to monitor the flow rate. The electrolyte tank 109 has a temperature sensor and a cooler to maintain the electrolyte temperature in the lower electrolyte tank and the upper electrolyte tank at a fixed level. The lower electrolyte tank and the upper electrolyte tank are respectively connected to the measuring tool 351 through two additional tubes 321, and the electrolyte sample is provided for the measuring tool 351 for monitoring the concentration of the electrolyte component in the lower electrolyte tank and the upper electrolyte. .

The fluid dispensing system also includes a chemical tank 330 in which the acid and peroxide are uniformly mixed and then supplied to a movable nozzle in the cleaning unit 108. The chemical tank 330 is connected to the measuring tool 351 through a pipe 352 to provide acid and peroxidation to the measuring tool 351 for monitoring the concentration of the mixed chemical component. A sample of the chemical mixed. The mixed chemical in the chemical tank 330 is transferred to the movable nozzle in the cleaning unit 108 through the pump 353 and the series of valves (possibly including the two-way manual valve 355, the control valve 352b, the two-way pneumatic valve 359) for removing the plating. The deposited metal on the edge of the wafer. More preferably, in the line connecting the chemical tank 330 and the cleaning unit 108, a filter 357 is inserted to filter the impurities and the analog output flow meter 354 to monitor the flow rate.

The system of the present invention also includes a dosing system 361. The dosing system 361 is connected to the electronic control module (described in detail below), and supplies the required amount of metal ions to the lower and upper grooves of the electrolyte tank 109 according to the calculation result of the operator's calculation and measurement tool 351. Or organic additives to ensure stable electrodeposition of the plating solution and edge removal properties of the mixed chemicals.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, two heat treatment chambers 104 are included, and the two chambers are arranged in parallel in the main frame 11 and connected to the factory interface 10. More preferably, the thermal processing chamber 104 includes a rectangular cavity having two windows, a window facing the main frame 11 being the heating unit window 421 and the other facing the factory interface 10 being the cooling unit window 423. The heat treatment chamber 104 further includes a heating plate 411 located in a cavity adjacent to the heating unit window 421, a cooling plate 413 located in a cavity adjacent to the cooling unit window 423, and two crystals respectively located opposite the heating plate 411 and the cooling plate 413. Round holding devices 431, 433. The wafer holding device 431, 433 is configured to receive the wafer transferred by the main frame transfer robot 106, load it onto the heating plate 411 or the cooling plate 413, transfer it from the heating plate 411 to the cooling plate 413, and transfer it to the front interface. Robot 102. The wafer holding device 431 or 433 includes a support arm 439 that is coupled to a driver 438 that is comprised of two stepper motors (or servo motors). The holding device is also provided with a support ring 437 comprising a plurality of support claws. The wafer holding device 431 of the thermal processing chamber 104 is rotatable or vertically movable under the control of the driver 438. The thermal processing chamber 104 also includes a cover 441 having two fluid distribution members 448, 449 disposed thereon, a fluid conduit coupled to the fluid distribution members 448 and 449. The fluid distribution member 448, 449 positioned above the heating plate 411 and cooling plate 413, heat treatment to provide the desired fluid lumen, for example a mixture of N ₂ and H _2. A fluid dispensing component 448 located above the heating plate 411 provides hot fluid to the front surface of the wafer, along with heating of the wafer backside by the heating pad, to achieve double-sided heating of the wafer. A fluid dispensing component 449 located above the cooling plate 413 provides cold fluid to the front surface of the wafer, along with cooling of the cooling disk to the backside of the wafer, to achieve double-sided cooling of the wafer. This double-sided heat treatment mechanism provides a uniform heat treatment process that reduces the bending deformation of the wafer caused by thermal stress, and it can heat treat multiple wafers at the same time, greatly improving the efficiency and yield of the heat treatment chamber. .

An electronic control module is further included on the back of the main frame 11. The system block diagram of the electronic control module is shown in Figure 7. The electronic control module generally includes a host, and the user interface connects the electronic control module, the robot control system, the motor drive system, the I/O interface panel, and the electroplating system power control board. The mainframe is the key control device for the electronic control module, which provides all I/O ports, RS232 ports and motion control boards. The host transmits signals to all process units that need flow control through the control signal through the I/O interface panel, such as electrolyte flow control in the plating unit and flow of deionized water and acid in the cleaning unit nozzle. control. An electroplating system power control panel electrically coupled to the I/O interface panel and plating unit 107 provides an adjustable high voltage/current for the high energy consumption of the plating unit 107. The host transmits control parameter signals through the robot control system to control the main frame transfer robot and the front interface robot. However, the robot control system may also be a stand-alone computer that communicates with the host via RS232, so the robot control system can control the main frame transfer robot and the front interface robot even without the main unit. The motor drive system electrically connects the main body to the plating/stepping motor of the plating unit, the cleaning unit and the heat treatment chamber, and transmits control signals of the servo/stepping motor from the main body motion control board to the heat treatment chamber, the cleaning unit and the plating unit, and The servo/stepper motor feeds back the encoded signal of the host.

It should be noted that the entire electrodeposition process should be carried out in a clean environment, so it is more desirable that the system of the present invention is enclosed by a panel. The panel is fitted with a transparent window so that the electrodeposition process can be carried out under the supervision of the operator. The panels are removable or configured with openings for performance maintenance.

During operation, the front interface robot 102 transfers a wafer from the wafer cassette 192 to the wafer positioner 191. The positioner 191 receives the wafer and rotates it to a predetermined orientation so that the wafer can be precisely controlled in the next process. After the wafer positioning is completed, the front interface robot 102 transfers the wafer to the wafer transfer cassette 103 for further transfer to the main frame 11.

The main frame transfer robot 106 transfers a wafer from the wafer transfer cassette 103 to the wafer holding device 105, or from the plating unit 107 of the main frame to the cleaning unit 108, or from the cleaning unit 108. It is sent to the heat treatment chamber 104. The robot 106 is a transfer robot composed of a plurality of robot arms as is generally known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In the present embodiment, the main frame transfer robot 106 is composed of two independently operable robot arms. The main frame transfer robot 106 can be rotated about the Z axis and vertically moved up and down as shown in FIG. The two robot arms of the main frame transfer robot 106 can be telescoped by control for transferring the wafers into or out of the plating unit 107 or the cleaning unit 108, and can also flip the wafers to meet different process requirements, for example, In the plating unit, the wafer should be placed face down, while in the cleaning unit it needs to be placed face up.

For the process, first, the wafer holding device 105 stays at a receiving position, and the wafer holder 511 of the wafer holding device 105 remains open. The main frame transfer robot 106 picks up a wafer from the transfer box 103 located between the main frame 106 and the factory interface 10, flips it face down, and transfers it to the gas phase pre-wet device as shown The gas phase pre-wet device is a separate module. The gas phase pre-wet device sprays steam onto the front surface of the wafer and forms a pre-wetting film thereon. The main frame robot then transfers the wafer to the wafer holder of the wafer holding device 105 and places it on the cathode contact in the wafer holding device. After the robotic arm of the main frame transfer robot contracts and moves out of the wafer holding device 105, the wafer holder closes and secures the wafer in close contact with the cathode spring. Moreover, since the back side of the wafer is completely sealed, it does not come into contact with the electrolyte during the plating process. The servo motor 525 begins to rotate, causing the wafer holding device 105 to begin rotating the wafer. The stepping motor 523 rotates the wafer holding device 105 to a specific angle with respect to the Z axis, and then the stepping motor 521 moves the wafer holding device 105 along the Z-axis direction to the pre-pre The position is such that the edge of the wafer holder 511 has not passed the liquid level line of the plating unit 107.

Thereafter, the motor 523 begins to rotate the wafer holding device 105 back to the vertical position and carries the wafer holding device 105 into the plating unit 107, thereby causing the front surface of the wafer and the electrolyte in the upper chamber 702 of the electrolyte chamber 700. contact. Then start the plating process. By controlling the waveform of the multiple anodes, the sequence and timing of the operation, and the flow rate of the electrolyte, a uniform metal film can be deposited on the wafer. For a detailed description of the electroplating process, please refer to the patent US06391166, "plating apparatus and methods", which is incorporated herein by reference.

In another embodiment, the vapor phase pre-wet device is integrated with the wafer holding device. During the process, the main frame robot picks up the wafer from the transfer box and transfers it to the wafer holding device. The pre-wet device moves in and sprays steam onto the surface of the wafer before the wafer holding device carries the wafer into the electrolyte. After the pre-wetting process is completed, the wafer holding device carries the wafer into the electrolyte to perform the same plating process as described above.

After the plating process is completed, the wafer holding device 105 moves upward to remove the wafer from the electrolyte of the plating unit 107. After the wafer holding device 105 is moved to the rotating position, the carrying wafer is rotated at a high speed to remove the residual electrolyte on the surface of the wafer. Thereafter, the wafer holding device 105 is moved to the receiving position, and the wafer holder 511 is opened. The robotic arm of the main frame transfer robot extends into the wafer holding device 105, moving the wafer out and flipping it face up.

The main frame transfer robot 106 then moves down until reaching the level of the window of the cleaning unit 108, and the main frame transfer robot 106 is stretched and The wafer is fed to the cleaning unit 108. After the wafer is fed into the cleaning unit 108, the main frame transfer robot 106 is moved a little downward, and the wafer is placed on the three support legs of the cleaning unit 108 and then removed. The wafer holding member of the cleaning unit 108 holding the wafer with three support legs starts to rotate under the control of the brake. A mechanical clip on the support foot activates and secures the wafer against relative motion. The front nozzle of the cleaning unit is then activated and the deionized water in the deionization apparatus is sprayed onto the front surface of the wafer to pre-wet and remove the residual plating solution. After pre-wetting, the movable nozzle of the cleaning unit moves to the edge of the wafer and sprays the mixed chemicals in the chemical bath to the edge of the wafer for etch removal of the edge deposited metal. The wafer holding member of the cleaning unit 108 rotates at a high speed to limit the chemical in the narrower region of the wafer edge, preventing deposition film etching in the intermediate region. When the edge metal film is completely removed, the movable nozzle is removed from the middle of the cleaning unit, and the front and rear nozzles are activated and sprayed with deionized water on both sides of the wafer to clean the etched residual chemicals. After the cleaning process is completed, the wafer holding member stops rotating and the mechanical clamp opens. The main frame transfer robot 106 extends into the cleaning unit 108, picks up the wafer and moves it out of the cleaning unit 108.

After the plating and cleaning process of one wafer (the first wafer) is completed, the main frame transfer robot 106 transfers the first wafer through the heating unit window 421 to the thermal processing chamber 104 and places it in the first crystal. On the round holding device 433. When the robotic arm of the main frame transfer robot 106 moves out of the thermal processing chamber 104, the first wafer holding device 433 moves down to the preheating position to preheat the first wafer for a predetermined period of time. After the pre-heat treatment, the first wafer holding device 433 is moved downward and the wafer is placed on the heating plate 411 such that the wafer is brought into contact with the heating plate 411 and heated for a predetermined period of time. Once first After the heat treatment of the wafer is completed, the first wafer holding device 433 moves upward and transfers the wafer to the cooling tray 413 for cooling processing. It should be noted that the cooling disk 413 is now free. When the first wafer is cooled, another wafer (second wafer) that has been plated and cleaned is transferred to the thermal processing chamber 104 by the main frame transfer robot 106, and is held by the second wafer holding device. 431 receives and begins preheating and heat treatment. The heat treatment chamber 104 thus heats the two wafers simultaneously. After the cooling process of the first wafer is completed, the first wafer holding device 433 is moved upward and sent to a transfer area, and the front interface robot 102 projects and transfers the wafer out of the heat treatment chamber 104. At this time, the cooling disk 413 is idle. After the heat treatment of the second wafer is completed, the second wafer holding device 431 transfers it to the cooling tray 413 for cooling processing. When the second wafer is being cooled, another wafer (third wafer) is transferred to the thermal processing chamber 104, received by the first wafer holding device 433, and subjected to the same processing (preheating, heating, Cooling treatment). The above-described process in the heat treatment chamber 104 is performed assuming that the heating time is longer than the cooling time. If the cooling time is longer than the heating time, the difference in the process will be that when the first wafer is heated on the heating plate 411, the second wafer cannot be immediately transferred into the thermal processing chamber 104 until the first wafer The remaining cooling time of the circle is shorter than the heating time. After the heat treatment process of one wafer is completed, the wafer is transferred out of the thermal processing chamber 104 by the front interface robot 102 through the cooling unit window 423 and placed in the wafer cassette 192 for the next process step, such as chemical mechanical polishing. .

The above is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention and can also be designed Other and further embodiments are possible without departing from the basic scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is determined by the scope of the patent application.

10‧‧‧Factory interface

11‧‧‧Main frame

101‧‧‧ Wafer loading埠

102‧‧‧Pre-interface robot

103‧‧‧ wafer transfer box

104‧‧‧heat treatment chamber

105‧‧‧ wafer holding device

106‧‧‧Main frame transfer robot

107‧‧‧ plating unit

108‧‧‧cleaning unit

109‧‧‧ electrolyte tank

110‧‧‧ gas phase pre-wet module

112‧‧‧Storage box

191‧‧‧Wafer Locator

192‧‧‧wafer box

191b‧‧‧Lower electrolyte tank

192b‧‧‧Upper electrolyte tank

311‧‧‧ electrolyte supply line

312‧‧‧Control valve

313‧‧‧ pump

314‧‧‧ Flowmeter

315‧‧‧Two-way valve

316‧‧‧ check valve

317‧‧‧Filter

321‧‧‧ pipes

321b‧‧‧ electrolyte supply line

330‧‧‧Chemical tank

351‧‧‧Measurement tools

352‧‧‧ pipes

352b‧‧‧Control valve

353‧‧‧ pump

354‧‧‧ flowmeter

355‧‧‧Manual valve

357‧‧‧Filter

359‧‧‧Two-way pneumatic valve

361‧‧‧Quantum feeding system

511‧‧‧ wafer clip

521‧‧‧Stepper motor

523‧‧‧Stepper motor

525‧‧‧Servo motor

411‧‧‧heating tray

413‧‧‧Cooling plate

421‧‧‧heating unit window

423‧‧‧Cooling unit window

431‧‧‧Second wafer holding device

433‧‧‧First wafer holding device

437‧‧‧Support ring

438‧‧‧ drive

439‧‧‧Support arm

441‧‧‧ cover

448‧‧‧Fluid distribution parts

449‧‧‧ Fluid distribution parts

700‧‧‧ electrolyte chamber

701‧‧‧Lower cavity

702‧‧‧ upper cavity

711‧‧‧ ring electrode

713‧‧‧The wall

720‧‧‧ bubble coalescence device

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an electrodeposition system of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the electrodeposition system of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a plating unit of the electrodeposition system of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a wafer holding device of the electrodeposition system of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a heat treatment module of the electrodeposition system of the present invention.

Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a fluid dispensing system of an electrodeposition system of the present invention.

Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of an electronic control system of the electrodeposition system of the present invention.

10‧‧‧Factory interface

11‧‧‧Main frame

101‧‧‧ Wafer loading埠

102‧‧‧Pre-interface robot

103‧‧‧ wafer transfer box

104‧‧‧heat treatment chamber

105‧‧‧ wafer holding device

106‧‧‧Main frame transfer robot

107‧‧‧ plating unit

108‧‧‧cleaning unit

109‧‧‧ electrolyte tank

110‧‧‧ gas phase pre-wet module

112‧‧‧Storage box

191‧‧‧Wafer Locator

192‧‧‧wafer box

Claims (15)

An electrodeposition system having a three-dimensional stacked structure includes: a factory interface for receiving a wafer; and a main body including a main frame transfer robot and a plurality of wafer holding devices disposed above the main frame for holding the wafer in the electroplating process a plurality of electroplating units of a first layer of a three-dimensional stacked structure disposed on an upper portion of the main frame, the electroplating unit comprising an electrolyte chamber including a plurality of annular partition walls separating the electrolyte chamber into a plurality of independent regions, a plurality of annular electrodes respectively disposed in each of the above independent regions, the electrolyte chamber being partitioned by a bubble coalescing device into an upper chamber for receiving catholyte and a lower chamber for receiving anolyte, the bubble coalescence device For collecting and removing bubbles generated in the electrolyte chamber; a plurality of cleaning units of the second layer of the three-dimensional stacked structure disposed at the lower portion of the main frame; a plurality of cleaning units disposed on the first layer or the second layer and connected to the factory interface a heat treatment chamber; at least one gas phase pre-wet device; a plating solution for the plating unit and a fluid distribution system for supplying the treatment liquid to the cleaning unit; and a gas mixture for the heat treatment chamber The gas delivery system; wherein the main frame in the factory interface transfer robot, the wafer holding means, cleaning means, heat transfer between the wafer transfer chamber and a storage case. The system of claim 1, wherein the bubble coalescence device comprises a tapered frame having a plurality of V-shaped grooves and a porous film attached to the tapered frame. The system of claim 1, wherein the anode is separately controlled by a plurality of power sources. The system of claim 1, wherein the upper chamber of the electrolyte chamber has a plurality of electrolyte inlets for introducing an independently controlled electrolyte into the region. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a gas phase pre-wet device independently placed on the main frame or integrated on the wafer holding device for pre-wetting the crystal before the electroplating process Round front surface. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat treatment chamber comprises: at least one heating plate for heating the wafer; at least one cooling plate for cooling the wafer; at least two for receiving And a workpiece holding device for transferring the wafer from the heating plate to the cooling plate; at least two brakes for controlling the movement of the wafer holding device. The system of claim 6 is characterized in that The heat treatment chamber includes a cooling window facing the factory interface and a heating window facing the main frame. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a plurality of wafer cassettes connected to the factory interface and placed above the thermal processing chamber for transferring and storing wafers between the factory interface and the main frame. . The system of claim 1, wherein the factory interface comprises: a plurality of loading magazines for placing wafers; at least one wafer positioner for positioning; The front interface robot that transports the wafer to the wafer positioner, or from the wafer positioner to a transfer box, or from the thermal processing chamber to the loading cassette. The system of claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit is correspondingly disposed below the plating unit. The system of claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit is capable of spin cleaning and edge metal removal. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid distribution system comprises a plating solution for providing a plating unit. Electrolyte tank. The system of claim 12, wherein the electrolyte tank comprises a catholyte unit for supplying a catholyte to an upper chamber and an anolyte unit for supplying an anolyte to an electrolyte chamber. . The system of claim 12, wherein the fluid distribution system comprises a chemical mixing chamber for mixing chemicals to be introduced into the cleaning unit to etch the metal film at the edge of the wafer. The system of claim 12, wherein the fluid distribution system comprises a measuring tool and a feeding system, the electrolyte tank is connected to a measuring tool for monitoring the concentration of the liquid component in the electrolyte tank, The feed system provides electrolyte components to the electrolyte bath based on user input, concentration information output by the measurement tool, and desired concentration of electrolyte components in the electrolyte bath.