Electroplating apparatus with membrane tube shield

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10081881-B2
Application number	US-201615270937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2016
Priority date	Jan 21, 2015
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

An electroplating apparatus has one or more membrane tube rings which act as electric field shields, to provide advantageous plating characteristics at the perimeter of a work piece. The membrane tube rings may be filled with fluids having different conductivity, to change the shielding effect as desired for electroplating different types of substrates. The membrane tube rings may optionally be provided in or on a diffuser plate in the vessel of the apparatus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus comprising:
a vessel;
one or more anodes in the vessel;
a first electrolyte in the vessel;
a substrate holder for holding a substrate in a process position in the vessel;
a membrane tube ring in the vessel adjacent to the process position;
a second electrolyte in the membrane tube ring having a conductivity lower than the first electrolyte, to shield an electric field at a perimeter of the substrate holder;
an anode electrode within the membrane tube ring; and
at least one second electrolyte source connected to the tube ring, to provide the second electrolyte into the membrane tube ring.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the anode electrode comprises a wire within the membrane tube ring connected to an anode electrical power source.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a third electrolyte source and a valve for connecting the second electrolyte source or the third electrolyte source to the membrane tube ring.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 with the vessel having a diameter of 305 to 380 mm and with the membrane tube ring having an outside diameter of 2-6 mm.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 with the tube ring supported on or in a sidewall of the vessel, adjacent to a top end of the vessel.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 further including a dielectric filed shaping unit in the vessel between the one or more anodes and the process position, and with the membrane tube ring vertically between the field shaping unit and the process position.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second membrane tube ring in the vessel concentric with and adjacent to the membrane tube ring.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 with the second membrane tube ring adjoining the membrane tube ring.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a diffuser plate in the vessel, with the membrane tube ring in or on the diffuser plate.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the membrane tube ring has a diameter greater than the substrate.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a diffuser plate in the vessel, with the membrane tube ring in the diffuser plate.

12. Apparatus comprising:
a vessel;
one or more anodes in the vessel;
a first electrolyte in the vessel;
a substrate holder for holding a substrate in a process position in the vessel;
a membrane tube ring in the vessel adjacent to the process position on or in a sidewall of the vessel, adjacent to a top end of the vessel;
a second electrolyte in the membrane tube ring having a conductivity lower than the first electrolyte;
a wire anode electrode within the membrane tube ring;
at least one second electrolyte source connected to the tube ring, to provide the second electrolyte into the membrane tube ring;
with the second electrolyte in the membrane tube ring shielding an electric field at a perimeter of the substrate holder; and
a dielectric field shaping unit in the vessel between the one or more anodes and the process position, and the membrane tube ring vertically above the field shaping unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further including a diffuser plate in the vessel, with the membrane tube ring in the diffuser plate.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Mchugh Paul R
• Wilson Gregory J
• Shaviv Roey

Classifications

• C25D17/008 Primary

  Current shielding devices · CPC title

• C25D17/12

  Shape or form (C25D17/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C25D5/00

  Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces · CPC title

• C25D17/007

  Current directing devices · CPC title

• C25D17/001

  Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells · CPC title