Method and apparatus for uniformly metallization on substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10907266-B2
Application number	US-201816142789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2018
Priority date	Apr 22, 2013
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to applying at least one ultra/mega sonic device and its reflection plate for forming standing wave in a metallization apparatus to achieve highly uniform metallic film deposition at a rate far greater than conventional film growth rate in electrolyte. In the present invention, the substrate is dynamically controlled so that the position of the substrate passing through the entire acoustic field with different power intensity in each motion cycle. This method guarantees each location of the substrate to receive the same amount of total sonic energy dose over the interval of the process time, and to accumulatively grow a uniform deposition thickness at a rapid rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for substrate metallization from electrolyte comprising:
flowing metal salt electrolyte into an immersion bath;
transferring at least one substrate to a substrate holder that is electrically in contact with a conductive side of the substrate;
applying a first bias voltage to the substrate;
applying an electrical current to electrode;
turning on an ultra or mega sonic device;
oscillating the substrate holder along its axis for making the substrate holder pass through the entire acoustic area;
periodically changing the distance of space between the surface of the sonic device and a reflection plate opposite to the surface of the sonic device, wherein the distance of space between the surfaces of sonic device and reflection plate changes periodically with an amplitude equal to N times half wave length of ultra or mega sonic wave, and N is an integer number from 1 to 10;
stopping applying the ultra or mega sonic and stopping oscillation of the substrate holder and periodically changing of said space distance;
applying a second bias voltage to the substrate; and
bringing the substrate out of the metal salt electrolyte.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the first bias voltage is 0.1V to 10V;
the electrical current is 0.1 A to 100 A;
the ultra or mega sonic device has an operating frequency of 20 KHz to 10 MHz and a power intensity of 0.01 to 3 W/cm 2 ;
the substrate holder oscillates with an amplitude of 1 mm to 300 mm and a frequency of 0.001 to 0.5 Hz;
the distance of space between the surfaces of the ultra or mega sonic device and reflection plate changes periodically with a frequency of 1 to 10 HZ;
the second bias voltage is 0.1V to 5V.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal salt electrolyte contains at least one cationic form of the following metals: Cu, Au, Ag, Pt, Ni, Sn, Co, Pd, Zn.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deep cavities on the substrate have dimensions of 0.5 to 50 μm in width and 5 to 500 μm in depth.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrical current is applied in DC mode or pulse reverse mode with a pulse period of 5 ms to 2 s.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate flips at 180 degree while the substrate is within non-acoustic areas.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each point of the substrate passes through the entire acoustic area and the power intensity on each point of the substrate is uniform over the course of process.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein two substrates are processed in the immersion bath at same time.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amplitude of the substrate oscillation equals to

N
·

λ
4

sin
⁢

⁢
θ

,

N
=
1

,
2
,

3
⁢

⁢
…

here λ is the wavelength of the ultra or mega sonic wave and N is integers, θ is the angle of the sonic device to the side wall of the immersion bath.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frequency of the space distance changing periodically is larger than the frequency of substrate oscillation.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is oscillated horizontally along the propagating direction of the standing wave while the substrate is oscillated vertically passing through the acoustic area.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amplitude of the horizontal oscillation is controlled as integral times of a quarter wave length of ultra or mega sonic wave.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate oscillates up and down with an angle θ in range of 0 to 45 degree, tilted to the sonic device and the reflection plate, and the amplitude of the oscillation equals to

N
·

λ
4

sin
⁢

⁢
θ

,

N
=
1

,
2
,

3
⁢

⁢
…

where λ is the wavelength of the ultra/mega sonic wave and N is integers.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate rotates with the speed in range of 10 rpm to 300 rpm while the substrate oscillating up and down.

Assignees

• Acm Research Shanghai Inc

Inventors

• Wang Hui
• Chen Fuping
• Wang Xi

Classifications

• C25D5/20 Primary

  Electroplating using ultrasonic waves · CPC title

• C25D5/18 Primary

  Electroplating using modulated, pulsed or reversing current · CPC title

• C25D17/001

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

• C25D3/02

  from solutions (C25D5/34 - C25D5/46 take precedence) · CPC title

• C25D17/06

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