Plating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019093250-A1
Application number	US-201816129227-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 12, 2018
Priority date	Sep 22, 2017
Publication date	Mar 28, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A plating apparatus including a plating bath, a substrate holder to be arranged in the plating bath and adapted to hold a substrate, an anode for generating an electric field between the substrate and the anode, and at least one electric field shielding body for shielding the substrate holder and a part or the whole of the electric field, wherein the electric field shielding body has an opening portion for allowing the electric field between the substrate and the anode to pass therethrough, and is configured so as to be capable of adjusting an opening size in a first direction of the opening portion and an opening size in a second direction of the opening portion independently of each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A plating apparatus comprising:
a plating bath; a substrate holder to be arranged in the plating bath and adapted to hold a substrate; an anode arranged so as to face the substrate holder; and at least one electric field shielding body for shielding a part of an electric field from the anode to the substrate, wherein the electric field shielding body has an opening portion for allowing the electric field between the substrate and the anode to pass therethrough, and is configured so as to be capable of adjusting an opening size in a first direction of the opening portion and an opening size in a second direction of the opening portion independently of each other.

2 . The plating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the electric field shielding body includes one or more first shielding members and one or more second shielding members, the one or more first shielding members being arranged on at least one side of first and second end portions in the first direction of the opening portion, the one or more second shielding members being arranged on at least one side of third and fourth end portions in the second direction of the opening portion.

3 . The plating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more first shielding members are arranged on both sides of the first and second end portions in the first direction of the opening portion, and the one or more first shielding members at the respective end portions are moved in opposite directions.

4 . The plating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more first shielding members are arranged on both sides of the first and second end portions in the first direction of the opening portion, and the one or more first shielding members at the respective end portions are moved by the same amount.

5 . The plating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more first shielding members are arranged on both sides of the first and second end portions in the first direction of the opening portion, and the one or more first shielding members at the respective end portions are moved by independent driving sources, respectively.

6 . The plating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the one or more first shielding members and the one or more second shielding members is moved by a feed screw mechanism.

7 . The plating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the one or more first shielding members and the one or more second shielding members is moved by a rack and pinion mechanism.

8 . The plating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the electric field shielding body has the first shielding member arranged on the side of the first end portion in the first direction of the opening portion, a first link member that is rotatably connected to the first shielding member forms a first link mechanism together with the first shielding member, and rotation of the first link member is converted into movement of the first shielding member.

9 . The plating apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the electric field shielding body further includes a base, one end of the first shielding member is rotatably connected to the first link member, the other end of the first shielding member is rotatably connected to a second link member which is rotatably connected to the base, the second link member forms a second link mechanism together with the first shielding member, and the first shielding member is translated by rotation of the first link member and the second link member.

10 . The plating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the electric field shielding body further includes a base, elongated holes are formed in each of the first shielding members arranged respectively on the sides of the first and second end portions in the first direction of the opening portion, two pins formed in a third link member which is rotatably connected to the base are inserted into the elongated holes of each of the first shielding members, and the first shielding member arranged on a side of the first end portion in the first direction of the opening portion and the first shielding member arranged on a side of the second end portion in the first direction of the opening portion are moved in opposite directions by rotation of the third link member.

11 . The plating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the electric field shielding body includes a base, the one or more first shielding members arranged on a side of the first end portion in the first direction of the opening portion, a guide groove fixed with respect to the base, and a guide pin fixed with respect to the one or more first shielding members, and the guide pin moves along the guide groove, whereby the one or more first shielding members are guided.

12 . The plating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the electric field shielding body includes a base, the one or more first shielding members arranged on a side of the first end portion in the first direction of the opening portion, a guide pin fixed with respect to the base, and a guide groove fixed with respect to the one or more first shielding members, and the guide pin moves along the guide groove, whereby the one or more first shielding members are guided.

13 . A plating apparatus comprising:
a plating bath; a substrate holder to be arranged in the plating bath and adapted to hold a substrate; an anode arranged so as to face the substrate holder; and at least one electric field shielding body between the substrate holder and the anode, wherein the electric field shielding body has three or more shielding members each having an opening portion for allowing an electric field from the anode to pass therethrough, and at least two of the shielding members are configured to be movable with respect to at least one of the shielding members so as to adjust an opening region formed by overlapping the respective opening portions.

14 . The plating apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein
the electric field shielding body comprises:
a first shielding member including a first opening portion having a size in a first direction and a size in a second direction;
a second shielding member having a second opening portion; and
a third shielding member having a third opening portion,
wherein the second shielding member is movable along a third direction between the first direction and the second direction with respect to the first shielding member so as to adjust a region where the first opening portion and the second opening portion overlap each other, and the third shielding member is movable along a fourth direction between the first direction and the second direction with respect to the first shielding member so as to adjust a region where the first opening potion and the third opening portion overlap each other.

15 . The plating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the anode includes an anode holder for holding an anode electrode, and has the electric field shielding body provided integrally with the anode holder.

16 . The plating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the anode includes an anode holder for holding an anode electrode, and has the electric field shielding body provided separately from the anode holder.

17 . The plating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first shielding member and/or the second shielding member is driven by power from a motor, a solenoid, or an air cylinder.

18 . The plating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the opening portion is rectangular.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Yamasaki Gaku
• Hirao Tomonori
• Yokoyama Toshio

Classifications

• C25D21/12

  Process control or regulation (controlling or regulating in general G05) · CPC title

• C25D17/001 Primary

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

• C25D17/007

  Current directing devices · CPC title

• C25D17/008 Primary

  Current shielding devices · CPC title

• C25D17/12

  Shape or form (C25D17/14 takes precedence) · CPC title