Water vapor plasma to enhance surface hydrophilicity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12469683-B2
Application number	US-202117486334-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2021
Priority date	Sep 27, 2021
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, methods for enhancing surface hydrophilicity on a substrate comprise a) supplying, using a remote plasma source, water vapor plasma to a processing volume of a plasma processing chamber to treat a bonding surface of the substrate, b) supplying at least one of microwave power or RF power at a frequency from about 1 kHz to 10 GHz and a power from about 1 kW to 10 kW to the plasma processing chamber to maintain the water vapor plasma within the processing volume during operation, and c) continuing a) and b) until the bonding surface of the substrate has a hydrophilic contact angle of less than 10°.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for enhancing surface hydrophilicity on a substrate, comprising:
a) supplying, using a remote plasma source, water vapor plasma to a processing volume of a plasma processing chamber to treat a bonding surface of the substrate; b) supplying at least one of microwave power or RF power at a frequency from about 1 kHz to 10 GHz and a power from about 1 kW to 10 kW, supplying ozone (O 3 ) for about 0.1 seconds to about 30 minutes and at least one of argon (Ar), hydrogen (H 2 ), nitrogen (N 2 ), or oxygen (O 2 ) to the plasma processing chamber to maintain the water vapor plasma within the processing volume during operation; and c) continuing a) and b) until the bonding surface of the substrate has a hydrophilic contact angle of less than 10°, wherein the at least one of argon (Ar), hydrogen (H 2 ), nitrogen (N 2 ), oxygen (O 2 ) is supplied at a flow rate up to 5000 sccm and the ozone (O 3 ) is supplied at a flow rate up to 10 slpm.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the RF power is supplied at a frequency of about 1 kHz to about 10 MHz.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the microwave power is supplied at a frequency of about 1 GHz to about 10 GHz.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure within the processing volume is about 1 m Torr to about 1 Torr.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is treated for about 0.1 seconds to about 10 minutes.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of microwave power or RF power is supplied using a pulsed wave.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of microwave power or RF power is supplied using a continuous wave.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ozone (O 3 ) has a concentration of up to about 300 g/m 3 .

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising supplying deionized water to a surface of the substrate at a flow rate of about 0.1 ml/min to about 500 ml/min.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising supplying the deionized water at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 100° C.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising spinning the substrate at a speed above 0 rpms to about 150 rpms.

12 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method for enhancing surface hydrophilicity on a substrate, comprising:
a) supplying, using a remote plasma source, water vapor plasma to a processing volume of a plasma processing chamber to treat a bonding surface of the substrate; b) supplying at least one of microwave power or RF power at a frequency from about 1 kHz to 10 GHz and a power from about 1 KW to 10 KW, supplying ozone (O 3 ) for about 0.1 seconds to about 30 minutes and at least one of argon (Ar), hydrogen (H 2 ), nitrogen (N 2 ), or oxygen (O 2 ) to the plasma processing chamber to maintain the water vapor plasma within the processing volume during operation; and c) continuing a) and b) until the bonding surface of the substrate has a hydrophilic contact angle of less than 10°, wherein the at least one of argon (Ar), hydrogen (H 2 ), nitrogen (N 2 ), oxygen (O 2 ) is supplied at a flow rate up to 5000 sccm and the ozone (O 3 ) is supplied at a flow rate up to 10 slpm.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the RF power is supplied at a frequency of about 1 kHz to about 10 MHz, and
wherein the microwave power is supplied at a frequency of about 1 GHz to about 10 GHz.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein a pressure within the processing volume is about 1 mTorr to about 1 Torr.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the substrate is processed for about 0.1 seconds to about 10 minutes.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one of microwave power or RF power is supplied using a pulsed wave.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Lianto Prayudi
• Lim Yin Wei
• Papanu James S
• See Guan Huei
• Bergman Eric J
• Mohamed Helmi Isik Nur Yasmeen Addina
• Yong Wei Ying Doreen
• Sahmuganathan Vicknesh
• Goh Yi Kun Kelvin
• Sudijono John Leonard
• Sundarrajan Arvind

Classifications

• H10P50/00

  Etching of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title

• H10W72/00

  Interconnections or connectors in packages · CPC title

• H10P70/20

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title

• H01J37/32449 Primary

  Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow · CPC title

• H01J37/32816

  Pressure · CPC title