Electroplating dynamic edge control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10494731-B2
Application number	US-201715838009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2017
Priority date	Dec 11, 2017
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments of the present technology may include an electroplating system. The electroplating system may include a vessel. The system may also include a wafer holder configured for holding a wafer in the vessel. The system may further include an anode in the vessel. In addition, the method may include a plurality of thief electrodes. For each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes, a thief current channel may be defined by a channel wall. The channel wall for each thief electrode may define an aperture adjacent to the wafer holder. The thief current channel may extend from each thief electrode to the aperture. The system may include a current control system in electrical communication with the plurality of thief electrodes. The current control system may be configured such that an amount of current delivered to each thief electrode can be adjusted independently.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electroplating system, the electroplating system comprising:
a vessel;
a wafer holder configured for holding a wafer in the vessel;
an anode in the vessel;
a plurality of thief electrodes, wherein for each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes:
a thief current channel is defined by a channel wall,
the channel wall defines an aperture adjacent to the wafer holder,
the thief current channel extends from the thief electrode to the aperture,
the thief electrode comprises a metal wire disposed in the respective thief current channel,
the channel wall is cylindrical, and
the channel wall and the metal wire are coaxial about a longitudinal axis; and

a current control system in electrical communication with the plurality of thief electrodes, the current control system configured such that an amount of current delivered to each thief electrode can be adjusted independently.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of thief electrodes comprises a first thief electrode and a second thief electrode,
the system comprises a first thief current channel and a second thief current channel,
the first thief current channel extends from the first thief electrode,
the second thief current channel extends from the second thief electrode,
the first thief current channel is cylindrical, and
the second thief current channel is annular.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of thief electrodes comprises a first thief electrode and a second thief electrode,
the system comprises a first thief current channel and a second thief current channel,
the first thief current channel extends from the first thief electrode,
the second thief current channel extends from the second thief electrode,
the first thief current channel is cylindrical, and
the second thief current channel is cylindrical.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of thief electrodes are equidistant from a point on a plane defined by the wafer when the wafer is in contact with the wafer holder, and
the plurality of thief electrodes comprises three thief electrodes.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
for each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes:
the metal wire is disposed in a tubular membrane,
the tubular membrane is disposed in the thief current channel, and
the channel wall, the tubular membrane, and the metal wire are coaxial about the longitudinal axis.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the vessel contains a first electrolyte comprising metal ions,
each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes is disposed in a thiefolyte,
the thiefolyte is disposed between the metal wire and the tubular membrane, and
an isolyte is disposed between the tubular membrane and the channel wall.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the wafer holder is configured to rotate the wafer, and
the current control system is configured such that the amount of current at each thief electrode can vary based on a rotational position of the wafer.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of thief electrodes are disposed in a circle, and
the plurality of thief electrodes are distributed non-uniformly around the circle.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein for each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes:
the thief current channel extends from the thief electrode to a virtual thief position adjacent to the wafer holder.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein for each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes:
the aperture is a circle, and
an edge of the aperture is disposed at least 1 mm away from the wafer held in the wafer holder during plating.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein for each thief electrode for the plurality of thief electrodes:
the longitudinal axis is orthogonal to a plane of the wafer when held by the wafer holder.

12. An electroplating system, the electroplating system comprising:
a catholyte comprising metal ions;
a wafer holder configured for holding a wafer in contact with the catholyte and for rotating the wafer;
an anode;
a plurality of thief electrodes, wherein for each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes:
the thief electrode is disposed in a thiefolyte,
a thief current channel is defined by a channel wall,
the channel wall defines an aperture adjacent to the wafer holder,
the channel wall is cylindrical,
the channel wall and the thief electrode are coaxial about a longitudinal axis, and
the thief current channel extends from the thief electrode to the aperture; and

a current control system in electrical communication with the plurality of thief electrodes, the current control system configured such that an amount of current delivered to each thief electrode can be adjusted independently based on a rotational position of the wafer.

13. The electroplating system of claim 12 , wherein each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes comprises a metal wire.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein for each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes:
the metal wire is from 2 cm to 10 cm long.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein for each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes:
the thief electrode is disposed in a tubular membrane,
the tubular membrane is disposed in the thief current channel, and
the channel wall, the thief electrode, and the tubular membrane are coaxial about the longitudinal axis.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein for each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes:
the thiefolyte is disposed between the thief electrode and the tubular membrane, and
an isolyte is disposed between the tubular membrane and the channel wall.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of thief electrodes are disposed in a circle.

18. The system of claim 12 , wherein for each thief electrode of the plurality of thief electrodes:
the aperture is a circle, and
an edge of the aperture is disposed at least 1 mm away from the wafer held in the wafer holder during plating.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Mchugh Paul
• Wilson Gregory J
• Woodruff Daniel
• Bernt Marvin

Classifications

• H10P72/7618

  characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel · CPC title

• H10P14/47

  Electrolytic deposition, i.e. electroplating; Electroless plating · CPC title

• C25D7/123

  Semiconductors first coated with a seed layer or a conductive layer · CPC title

• C25D17/001

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

• C25D21/12

  Process control or regulation (controlling or regulating in general G05) · CPC title