Plating method and plating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10648099-B2
Application number	US-201815915939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2018
Priority date	Mar 14, 2017
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A plating method capable of saving a substrate in an event of a failure of a transporter, a plating tank, or other component when the substrate is being plated is disclosed. The plating method includes: transporting a plurality of substrates to a plurality of plating tanks, respectively, with a transporter; immersing the plurality of substrates in a plating solution held in the plurality of plating tanks to plate the plurality of substrates; detecting a failure that has occurred in the transporter or a post-processing tank; and replacing the plating solution in the plurality of plating tanks with a preservative liquid to thereby immerse the plurality of substrates in the preservative liquid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plating method comprising:
transporting a plurality of substrates to a plurality of plating tanks, respectively, with a transporter;
immersing the plurality of substrates in a plating solution held in the plurality of plating tanks to plate the plurality of substrates;
detecting a failure that has occurred in the transporter or a post-processing tank;
discharging the plating solution from the plurality of plating tanks when the failure is detected; and
filling the plurality of plating tanks with a preservative liquid to thereby immerse the plurality of substrates in the preservative liquid.

2. The plating method according to claim 1 , wherein replacing the plating solution comprises replacing the plating solution in the plurality of plating tanks with the preservative liquid in the order in which plating times preset respectively for the plurality of plating tanks have elapsed, to thereby immerse the plurality of substrates in the preservative liquid.

3. The plating method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of plating tanks comprise a plurality of plating cells and a plurality of overflow tanks, and
the plating method further comprises, after replacing the plating solution with the preservative liquid, causing the preservative liquid to overflow the plurality of plating cells into the plurality of overflow tanks.

4. The plating method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
delivering the plating solution in the plurality of plating tanks to a plating-solution reservoir.

5. The plating method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
draining the preservative liquid from the plurality of plating tanks; and
supplying the plating solution from the plating-solution reservoir to the plurality of plating tanks.

6. The plating method according to claim 1 , wherein the preservative liquid comprises pure water or deaerated pure water.

7. The plating method according to claim 1 , wherein detecting the failure that has occurred in the transporter or the post-processing tank comprises detecting a failure that has occurred in the transporter.

8. The plating method according to claim 1 , wherein a single type of plating solution is used in all of the plating tanks.

9. The plating method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
applying a reverse voltage between anodes in the plating tanks and the substrates after replacing the preservative liquid with the plating solution.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Koizumi Ryuya
• Shimoyama Masashi
• Nagai Mizuki

Classifications

• H10P72/0476

  comprising at least one plating chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/0456

  in-line arrangement · CPC title

• C25D3/38

  of copper · CPC title

• C25D21/12

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

• C25D17/06

  Suspending or supporting devices for articles to be coated · CPC title