Apparatus for measuring condition of electroplating cell components and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10436829-B2
Application number	US-201715490503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2017
Priority date	Apr 20, 2016
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

A device for measuring electrical properties of electrical contacts within an electroplating apparatus has a disc-shaped structure like that of a wafer. Multiple conductive pads are formed to collectively circumscribe an outer periphery of the disc-shaped structure. Adjacently positioned ones of the conductive pads are electrically isolated from each other. The device includes a current source that supplies electric current at a first terminal and sinks electric current at a second terminal. The device includes measurement circuitry, having first and second input terminals, that determines a value of an electrical parameter based on signals present at the first and second input terminals. The device includes switching circuitry for connecting selected ones of the conductive pads to the first and second terminals of the current source and to the first and second input terminals of the measurement circuitry at a given time. The device also includes an onboard power supply.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for measuring electrical properties of electrical conduction paths within a semiconductor processing apparatus, the semiconductor processing apparatus configured to electrically connect the electrical conduction paths to a surface of a wafer when performing a process on the wafer, comprising:
a disc-shaped structure having an outer diameter substantially equal to an outer diameter of the wafer, the disc-shaped structure having an overall thickness substantially similar to an overall thickness of the wafer;
multiple conductive pads formed along an outer perimeter of a first side of the disc-shaped structure, wherein adjacently positioned ones of the multiple conductive pads are electrically isolated from each other, and wherein the multiple conductive pads collectively circumscribe the outer perimeter of the first side of the disc-shaped structure;
an electrical power source having a first terminal and a second terminal, the electrical power source configured to supply electrical power through an electrically conductive path extending between the first terminal and the second terminal and through a portion of the semiconductor processing apparatus when the disc-shaped structure is positioned within the semiconductor processing apparatus, the first terminal electrically connected to a first set of at least one of the multiple conductive pads, the second terminal electrically connected to a second set of at least one of the multiple conductive pads, the second set of the multiple conductive pads exclusive of the first set of the multiple conductive pads, the first and second sets of the multiple conductive pads forming part of the electrically conductive path extending between the first terminal and the second terminal;
measurement circuitry having a first input terminal and a second input terminal, the first input terminal of the measurement circuitry electrically connected to a first selected one of the multiple conductive pads, the second input terminal of the measurement circuitry electrically connected to a second selected one of the multiple conductive pads, the measurement circuitry configured to determine a value of an electrical parameter based on electrical signals present at the first and second selected ones of the multiple conductive pads; and
a power supply disposed on the disc-shaped structure, the power supply connected to supply electric power to all electric powered components on the disc-shaped structure.

2. The device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the disc-shaped structure is a printed circuit board.

3. The device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the disc-shaped structure is formed of an electrical insulating material, and wherein adjacently positioned ones of the multiple conductive pads are separated from each other by a portion of the disc-shaped structure.

4. The device as recited in claim 1 , wherein electrical isolation structures are disposed on the disc-shaped structure to electrically isolate adjacently positioned ones of the multiple conductive pads from each other.

5. The device as recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple conductive pads has a substantially equal size as measured along the outer perimeter of the first side of the disc-shaped structure.

6. The device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the measurement circuitry is configured to measure one or both of an electric voltage and an electric current based on the electrical signals present at the first and second selected ones of the multiple conductive pads.

7. The device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the electrical power source is configured to supply a controlled amount of electric current through the electrically conductive path extending between the first terminal and the second terminal.

8. The device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the electrical power source is configured to supply a controlled amount of electric voltage between the first terminal and the second terminal.

9. The device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
switching circuitry configured to connect the first terminal of the electrical power source to the first set of at least one of the multiple conductive pads at a given time, the switching circuitry configured to connect the second terminal of the electrical power source to the second set of at least one of the multiple conductive pads at the given time, the switching circuitry configured to connect the first input terminal of the measurement circuitry to the first selected one of the multiple conductive pads at the given time, and the switching circuitry configured to connect the second input terminal of the measurement circuitry to the second selected one of the multiple conductive pads at the given time.

10. The device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the switching circuitry is configured to selectively electrically connect any two or more of the multiple conductive pads to the first input terminal of the measurement circuitry at the given time.

11. The device as recited in claim 10 , wherein the switching circuitry is configured to selectively electrically connect any two or more of the multiple conductive pads to the second input terminal of the measurement circuitry at the given time, wherein the two or more of the multiple conductive pads electrically connected to the second input terminal of the measurement circuitry at the given time are different than the two or more of the multiple conductive pads electrically connected to the first input terminal of the measurement circuitry at the given time.

12. The device as recited in claim 9 , further comprising:
a control module disposed on the disc-shaped structure, the control module configured to direct operation of the electrical power source and the measurement circuitry and the switching circuitry.

13. The device as recited in claim 12 , wherein the control module is configured to direct the switching circuitry to connect a particular one or more of the multiple conductive pads to the first terminal of the electrical power source at the given time, and to connect a particular one or more of the multiple conductive pads to the second terminal of the electrical power source at the given time, and to connect a particular one or more of the multiple conductive pads to the first input terminal of the measurement circuitry at the given time, and to connect a particular one or more of the multiple conductive pads to the second input terminal of the measurement circuitry at the given time.

14. The device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a computer memory disposed on the disc-shaped structure, the computer memory configured to store digital data representing the value of the electrical parameter as determined by the measurement circuitry, wherein the measurement circuitry includes analog-to-digital conversion circuitry for converting the value of the electrical parameter into digital data representing the value of the electrical parameter.

15. The device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a communication module disposed on the disc-shaped structure, the communication module configured to wirelessly communicate data representing the value of the electrical parameter determined by the measurement circuitry.

16. The device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor processing apparatus is an electroplating apparatus, and wherein the electrical conduction paths within the semiconductor processing apparatus include electrical contacts configured to physically contact the multiple conductive pads formed along the outer perimeter of the first side of the disc-shaped structure whe

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Emerson Mark E
• Mayer Steven T
• Ossowski Lawrence

Classifications

• H10P74/207

  Electrical properties, e.g. testing or measuring of resistance, deep levels or capacitance-voltage characteristics · CPC title

• G01R31/44

  Testing lamps · CPC title

• C25D17/001 Primary

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

• G01R31/00 Primary

  Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere ({measuring superconductive properties G01R33/1238;} testing line transmission systems H04B3/46; testing or measuring semiconductors or solid state devices during manufacture {H10P74/00}) · CPC title

• G01R31/2601 Primary

  Apparatus or methods therefor (G01R31/2607, G01R31/2642 take precedence) · CPC title