Method of operating an electroless plating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016130702-A1
Application number	US-201514931946-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 4, 2015
Priority date	Nov 10, 2014
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of operating an electroless plating apparatus is disclosed. The operating method includes: storing in the electroless plating apparatus an order of priority of the plurality of processes which has been predetermined based on a stability of a processed substrate with respect to pure water; supplying pure water into the holder storage bath when any of the plurality of processing baths malfunctions; determining whether or not a relieving process can be performed, the relieving process being a process of performing a higher-priority process on a substrate; if the relieving process can be performed, performing the relieving process and then immersing the substrate holder holding the substrate in the pure water in the holder storage bath; and if the relieving process cannot be performed, immersing the substrate holder, holding the substrate, in the pure water held in the holder storage bath without performing the relieving process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of operating an electroless plating apparatus having a substrate holder for holding a substrate, a plurality of processing baths for performing a plurality of processes including electroless plating, and a holder storage bath for storing the substrate holder when holding no substrate, comprising:
storing in the electroless plating apparatus an order of priority of the plurality of processes which has been predetermined based on a stability of a processed substrate with respect to pure water; supplying pure water into the holder storage bath when any of the plurality of processing baths malfunctions; determining whether or not a relieving process can be performed, the relieving process being a process of performing a higher-priority process on a substrate; if the relieving process can be performed, performing the relieving process and then immersing the substrate holder holding the substrate in the pure water in the holder storage bath; and if the relieving process cannot be performed, immersing the substrate holder, holding the substrate, in the pure water held in the holder storage bath without performing the relieving process.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pure water is deaerated water having a low concentration of dissolved oxygen.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the relieving process is an electroless plating process of forming a metal film, having a thickness larger than a preset target thickness, on a surface of the substrate.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the metal film is a cobalt film.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of processes include pre-cleaning of the substrate, an activation process of the substrate, and electroless plating of the substrate.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Nakagawa Yoichi
• Mukaiyama Yoshitaka
• Susaki Akira
• Oishi Kunio

Classifications

• C23C18/1633

  Process of electroless plating · CPC title

• C23C18/32 Primary

  Coating with nickel, cobalt or mixtures thereof with phosphorus or boron (C23C18/50 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C18/1675

  Process conditions · CPC title

• C23C18/163

  Supporting devices for articles to be coated · CPC title

• C23C18/1632

  Features specific for the apparatus, e.g. layout of cells and of its equipment, multiple cells · CPC title