Electrochemical plating system and method of using

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11598016-B2
Application number	US-202117507382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2021
Priority date	Nov 30, 2018
Publication date	Mar 7, 2023
Grant date	Mar 7, 2023

Abstract

An electrochemical plating (ECP) system is provided. The ECP system includes an ECP cell comprising a plating solution for an ECP process, a sensor configured to in situ measure an interface resistance between a plated metal and an electrolyte in the plating solution as the ECP process continues, a plating solution supply system in fluid communication with the ECP cell and configured to supply the plating solution to the ECP cell, and a control system operably coupled to the ECP cell, the sensor and the plating solution supply system. The control system is configured to compare the interface resistance with a threshold resistance and to adjust a composition of the plating solution in response to the interface resistance being below the threshold resistance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrochemical plating (ECP) system, comprising
an ECP cell comprising a plating solution for electrodeposition of a metal layer on a substrate;
a sensor configured to in situ measure an interface resistance between the metal layer and the plating solution during the electrodeposition;
a plating solution supply system in fluid communication with the ECP cell and configured to supply the plating solution to the ECP cell; and
a control system coupled to the ECP cell, the sensor and the plating solution supply system, the control system configured to:
compare the interface resistance with a threshold resistance, wherein the threshold resistance is determined using a layout data of an integrated circuit to be manufactured on the substrate; and
adjust a composition of the plating solution in response to the interface resistance being below the threshold resistance.

2. The ECP system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises an ohmmeter or an impedance meter.

3. The ECP system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a probe adapted to be partially immersed in the plating solution.

4. The ECP system of claim 3 , wherein the probe is a metal wire comprising a same metal as the electrodeposited metal.

5. The ECP system of claim 4 , wherein the probe comprises copper or copper plated on a noble metal selected from platinum, gold, palladium, iridium and ruthenium.

6. The ECP system of claim 1 , wherein the plating solution comprises a metal salt and organic additives, wherein the control system is configured to adjust an amount of at least one of the organic additives in the plating solution.

7. The ECP system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more spin rinse dry cells and one or more substrate bevel cleaning cells.

8. The ECP system of claim 1 , further comprising a factory interface comprising a plurality of substrate loading stations.

9. The ECP system of claim 1 , further comprising an anneal chamber.

10. The ECP system of claim 1 , wherein the threshold resistance is associated with a subset of conductive lines having the highest line-end density among a plurality of conductive lines in a metallization layer of the integrated circuit.

11. The ECP system of claim 10 , wherein the threshold resistance is determined by:
receiving the layout data of the integrated circuit;
extracting a subset of the layout data corresponding to the plurality of conductive lines;
dividing the substrate into a plurality of unit grid areas;
calculating a line-end density of the plurality of conductive lines in each unit grid area of the plurality of unit grid areas;
identifying the subset of conductive lines having the highest line-end density in one of the plurality of unit grid areas; and
determining the threshold resistance below which voids are formed in the conductive lines having the highest line-end density.

12. An electrochemical plating (ECP) system, comprising
a plurality of ECP cells, each of the plurality of ECP cells comprising an anode, a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate to be electroplated in an ECP process, and a plating bath configured to hold a plating solution for the ECP process;
a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors coupled to a corresponding ECP cell of the plurality of ECP cells and configured to in situ measure an interface resistance between a metal layer electroplated on the substrate and the plating solution during the ECP process;
a plating solution supply system in fluid communication with the plurality of ECP cells and configured to supply the plating solution to each of the plurality of ECP cells; and
a control system configured to:
compare the interface resistance with a threshold resistance below which voids start to occur in conductive lines having the highest line-end density of a plurality of conductive lines in a metallization layer formed over the substrate, wherein the threshold resistance is determined by:
receiving a layout data of an integrated circuit to be manufactured on the substrate;
identifying the conductive lines having the highest line-end density in the metallization layer; and
determining the threshold resistance using empirical data; and

adjust a composition of the plating solution in response to the interface resistance being below the threshold resistance.

13. The ECP system of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of sensors is an ohmmeter or an impedance meter.

14. The ECP system of claim 12 , wherein identifying the conductive lines having the highest line-end density in the metallization layer comprises:
dividing the substrate into a plurality of unit grid areas; and
calculating a line-end density of the plurality of conductive lines in each unit grid area of the plurality of unit grid areas.

15. The ECP system of claim 12 , wherein the plating solution comprises a metal salt and organic additives, wherein the control system is configured to increase an amount of at least one of the organic additives in the plating solution.

16. An electrochemical plating (ECP) system, comprising
a plating solution;
an anode;
a substrate holder for immersing at least a portion of a substrate into the plating solution during an ECP process;
a power supply configured to provide an electrical current to the plating solution to thereby deposit a metal layer on the substrate;
a sensor configured to in situ measure an interface resistance between the metal layer and the plating solution; and
a control system, the control system comprising:
a memory; and
a processor configured to:
compare the interface resistance with a threshold resistance that is associated with a subset of conductive lines having the highest line-end density of a plurality of conductive lines in a metallization layer of an integrated circuit to be manufactured on the substrate; and
increase an amount of at least one organic additive in the plating solution in response to the interface resistance being below the threshold resistance.

17. The ECP system of claim 16 , wherein the sensor is configured to provide the interface resistance measured to the processor in real time.

18. The ECP system of claim 16 , further comprising a plating solution supply system for supplying the plating solution.

19. The ECP system of claim 16 , wherein the subset of the conductive lines having the highest line-end densities in the metallization layer is obtained using a layout data of the integrated circuit.

20. The ECP system of claim 19 , wherein the subset of the conductive lines having the highest line-end densities in the metallization layer is obtained by:
extracting a subset of the layout data corresponding to the plurality of conductive lines from the layout data of the integrated circuit;
dividing the substrate into a plurality of unit grid areas;
calculating a line-end density of the plurality of conductive lines in each unit grid area of the plurality of unit grid areas; and
identifying the subset of conductive lines having the highest line-end density in one of the plurality of unit grid areas.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nian Jun-Nan
• Jangjian Shiu-Ko
• Wang Ting-Chun
• Lee Ing-Ju

Classifications

• H10W20/056

  by filling conductive material into holes, grooves or trenches · CPC title

• H10W20/043

  for electroplating · CPC title

• H10W20/057

  by selectively depositing, e.g. by using selective CVD or plating · CPC title

• H10P14/47 Primary

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

• C25D17/001 Primary

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