Apparatus for electrochemically processing semiconductor substrates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11066754-B2
Application number	US-201815876300-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2018
Priority date	Jan 24, 2017
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus for processing a front face of a semiconductor wafer is provided. The apparatus includes a main chamber, at least one loading port connected to the main chamber for introducing the wafer to the main chamber, at least one stack of wafer processing modules, and a transfer mechanism for transferring the wafer between the loading port and the processing modules. The at least one stack of wafer processing modules includes three or more substantially vertically stacked wafer processing modules, wherein adjacent wafer processing modules in the stack have a vertical separation of less than 50 cm, and each processing module is configured to process the wafer when disposed substantially horizontally therein with the front face of the wafer facing upwards, and at least one wafer processing module is an electrochemical wafer processing module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for processing a front face of a semiconductor wafer comprising:
a main chamber;
at least one loading port connected to the main chamber for introducing the wafer to the main chamber;
at least one stack of wafer processing modules comprising three or more substantially vertically stacked wafer processing modules, wherein adjacent wafer processing modules in the stack have a vertical pitch of less than 50 cm, and each processing module is configured to process the wafer when disposed substantially horizontally therein on a platen assembly with the front face of the wafer facing upwards, and at least one wafer processing module is an electrochemical wafer processing module that includes an anode chamber disposed in an opening of a support plate that extends through the support plate from a first surface to an opposite second surface facing the platen assembly, wherein the anode chamber and the support plate are independently movable;
a tilting bracket for the processing module that is disposed on the support plate, wherein the processing module is configured to be tilted using the tilting bracket; and
a transfer mechanism for transferring the wafer between the loading port and the processing modules.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which the electrochemical wafer processing module comprises a seal which, in use, seals against a surface to define a sealed cavity in which electrochemical processing takes place.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 in which the surface is an upper surface of the wafer.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising at least one wafer carrier arrangement onto which the wafer can be loaded, the wafer carrier arrangement comprising a seal which, in use, seals against a surface of the wafer wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to transfer a loaded wafer carrier arrangement between the loading port and the processing modules.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 in which the electrochemical wafer processing module comprises a seal which, in use, seals against a surface of the wafer carrier arrangement to define the sealed cavity in which electrochemical processing takes place.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising a wafer carrier arrangement loading station for loading the wafer onto the wafer carrier arrangement.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4 in which the surface of the wafer is an upper surface of the wafer.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which the vertical pitch is less than 25 cm.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which the transfer mechanism comprises a transfer robot having at least one end effector for automated transfer of the wafer between the loading port and the processing modules.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which at least one of the wafer processing modules comprises an electrochemical deposition wafer processing module.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which the front face of the wafer comprises an electrode.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which the processing modules are removable from the stack.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 in which the processing modules are removable from the stack in a substantially horizontal direction.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 in which the processing modules are removable from the stack by rotating or sliding.

Assignees

• Spts Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Macneil John
• Ayres Martin
• Thomas Trevor

Classifications

• H10P14/47

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

• H10P72/7602

  the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance · CPC title

• H10P72/3411

  involving loading and unloading of wafers · CPC title

• H10P72/3404

  Storage means · CPC title

• H10P72/3402

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title