Electroplating wetting chamber with reduced bubble entrapment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12469720-B2
Application number	US-202318342991-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2023
Priority date	Jun 28, 2023
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

Method and systems for cleaning and wetting a semiconductor substrate, are provided. Methods and systems include forming an atmosphere in a basin housing the semiconductor substrate with a gas having a higher solubility in a wetting agent than oxygen. Methods and systems include spraying the wetting agent with a spray head onto the substrate while maintaining the atmosphere. Methods and systems include rotationally translating the semiconductor substrate, the spray head, or both the semiconductor substrate and the spray head, Methods and systems include wetting a plurality of features defined in the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of wetting a substrate, the method comprising:
forming an atmosphere in a basin housing the substrate with a gas, wherein the substrate defines a plurality of features and is coupled with a system head, wherein a head seal is releasably coupled with an upper surface of the basin in a processing position, forming a seal between the basin and a head assembly, wherein the basin comprises a bottom surface and one or more sidewalls; spraying a wetting agent comprising water or an aqueous solution with a spray head onto the substrate while maintaining the atmosphere, wherein the spray head is positioned below the substrate; rotationally translating the system head and the substrate while maintaining the spraying and the atmosphere; and wetting the plurality of features defined in the substrate; wherein a distance between the bottom surface of the basin housing and the spray head is less than a height of the one or more sidewalls and the distance maintains the spray head above a height of the aqueous solution or water during the wetting of the substrate.

2 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is rotationally translated at a speed of about 50 rpm to about 500 rpm.

3 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 1 , wherein the spraying occurs at a pressure of about 20 psi to about 100 psi.

4 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 1 , wherein the spraying distributes approximately an even amount of the wetting agent at two or more locations on the substrate based upon an average amount of wetting agent sprayed on the substrate.

5 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 1 , wherein the spray head comprises one or more spray nozzles, wherein the one or more spray nozzles are spaced apart from the substrate at a height of about 1 mm to about 100 mm.

6 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 1 , wherein the atmosphere is a carbon dioxide atmosphere, an atmospheric gas atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, or a combination thereof, formed by a continuous purge, a pump down and backfill, and/or a replacement operation.

7 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 1 , wherein the substrate defines at least 1,000 features, and wherein less than 5% of the features contain a bubble defect in the wetting agent.

8 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 1 , wherein the wetting agent comprises degassed deionized water or a degassed aqueous solution.

9 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 1 , further comprising decreasing a chamber pressure below about 100 kPa during the spraying.

10 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 1 , wherein the spraying occurs for about 5 seconds to about 90 seconds.

11 . A method of wetting a substrate, the method comprising:
providing the substrate to a basin housing, wherein the substrate defines a plurality of features and is coupled with a system head, and
wherein the basin housing comprises a bottom surface and one or more sidewalls;
displacing air from the plurality of features defined in the substrate with a gas; spraying a wetting agent comprising water or an aqueous solution onto the substrate with a spray head, wherein the spray head is positioned below the substrate; rotationally translating the system head and the substrate while maintaining the spraying; and wetting the plurality of features defined on the substrate, and wherein a distance between the bottom surface of the basin housing and the spray head is less than a height of the one or more sidewalls and the distance maintains the spray head above a height of the aqueous solution or water during the wetting of the substrate.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the gas comprises carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxygen, nitrogen, atmospheric gas, argon, ammonia, bromine, diazene, acetylene, krypton, xenon, radon, nitrous oxide, hydrogen selenide, one or more hydrocarbons, or a combination thereof.

13 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 11 , wherein the wetting agent comprises degassed deionized water or a degassed aqueous solution.

14 . The method of wetting a substrate of claim 11 , wherein the semiconductor substrate is rotationally translated at a speed of about 100 rpm to about 300 rpm.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the spraying occurs at a pressure of about 30 psi to about 50 psi.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the spray head comprises one or more spray nozzles, wherein the one or more spray nozzles are spaced apart from the semiconductor substrate at a height of about 1 mm to about 75 mm.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Hanson Kyle M
• Bergman Eric J
• Wilson Gregory J
• Mchugh Paul R
• Bradley Benjamin Clay
• Juntunen Aaron Paul
• Kalaikadal Deepak Saagar
• Durado Daniel
• Stringer Carl Campbell
• Tripp James Jay
• Rye Jason A
• Klocke John L

Classifications

• H10P72/1924

  characterised by atmosphere control · CPC title

• H10P72/1916

  characterised by sealing arrangements · CPC title

• H10P70/27 Primary

  during, before or after processing of conductive materials, e.g. polysilicon or amorphous silicon layers · CPC title

• H10P72/0414 Primary

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H01L21/67389

  Electricity · mapped topic