Electroplating apparatus with contact ring deplating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9598788-B2
Application number	US-201314037158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2013
Priority date	Sep 27, 2012
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

An electroplating apparatus has a rotor in a head, with a contact ring on the rotor. A lift/rotate actuator may move the head to position a sector of the contact ring into a deplate channel of a deplating station. Electrical current and a deplate liquid are applied directly onto the contacts of the contact ring, from a position radially inward of the contacts. Electrical current and a deplate liquid may also be separately applied onto the back side of the ring contact, from a position radially to the outside of the contact ring. A seal on the deplating station makes sliding contact with the contact ring as the contact ring rotates through the deplate channel, with the seal associated with an exhaust or vacuum opening that pulls deplating and rinse liquid through openings in the contact ring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Electroplating apparatus comprising:
a vessel for holding an electroplating solution;
a head including a rotor having a contact ring and a head motor for rotating the rotor;
a lift/rotate actuator attached to the head;
a deplate station having a deplate channel adapted to receive a sector of the contact ring;
a deplate head pivotally attached to a deplate housing of the deplate station;
with the lift/rotate actuator movable to engage the head with the vessel during plating operations, and to position a sector of the contact ring at least partially into the deplate channel;
with the deplate station having a housing fixed in place at an upper rim of the vessel, and positioned to the outside of the vessel to avoid interfering with engagement of the head with the vessel;
a first deplate electrode and a first deplate fluid nozzle on a first side of the deplate channel; and
a second deplate electrode and a second deplate fluid nozzle on a second side of the deplate channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a seal on the deplate station positioned to make sliding contact with the contact ring, as the contact ring rotates through the deplate channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further including a vacuum exhaust opening in the deplate station adjacent to the seal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least 360 individual spaced apart contacts on the contact ring.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 with the deplate channel forming an arcuate slot subtending an arc of 45 to 100 degrees.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a deplate head actuator attached to the deplate head for pivoting the deplate head relative to the deplate housing.

7. Electroplating apparatus comprising:
a vessel for holding an electroplating solution;
a rotor having a contact ring;
a deplate head having a deplate channel;
a deplate head actuator attached to the deplate head for moving the deplate head to a first position and to a second position;
a lift/rotate actuator for moving the rotor to position the contact ring in the vessel to electroplate a substrate, and for moving the rotor to position a sector of the contact ring at least partially into the deplate channel;
with the deplate head having at least one deplate electrode and at least one deplate fluid nozzle for deplating contacts on the contact ring; and with the deplate head pivotal from the first position to the second position via the deplate head actuator, and wherein the first position is closer to the vessel than the second position.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 where the deplate channel is facing to one side when the deplate head is in the second position.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 with the deplate head having a first deplate electrode and a first deplate fluid nozzle on a first side of the deplate channel; and
a second deplate electrode and a second deplate fluid nozzle on a second side of the deplate channel.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 further including two or more wafer shelves on the contact ring, and at least one shelf nozzle in the deplate head for spraying a gas onto the wafer shelves as the contact ring is rotated through the deplate channel.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 with the deplate head pivotally attached to a deplate housing of a deplate station having a deplate channel adapted to receive a sector of the contact ring, with the deplate housing fixed in place at an upper rim of the vessel, and positioned to the outside of the vessel.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further including a seal on the deplate station positioned to make sliding contact with the contact ring, as the contact ring rotates through the deplate channel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further including a vacuum exhaust opening in the deplate station adjacent to the seal, and at least 360 individual spaced apart contacts on the contact ring.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 with the deplate channel forming an arcuate slot subtending an arc of 45 to 100 degrees.

15. Electroplating apparatus comprising:
a vessel for holding an electroplating solution;
a rotor having a contact ring;
a deplate head having a deplate channel;
a deplate head actuator attached to the deplate head for pivoting the deplate head relative to the vessel to a first position and to a second position;
a lift/rotate actuator for moving the rotor to position the contact ring in the vessel to electroplate a substrate, and for moving the rotor to position a sector of the contact ring at least partially into the deplate channel;
with the deplate head having at least one deplate electrode and at least one deplate fluid nozzle for deplating contacts on the contact ring.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 with the first position closer to the vessel than the second position.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 with the deplate head pivotally attached to a deplate housing of a deplate station having a deplate channel adapted to receive a sector of the contact ring, with the deplate housing fixed in place at an upper rim of the vessel, and positioned to the outside of the vessel.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further including a seal on the deplate station positioned to make sliding contact with the contact ring, as the contact ring rotates through the deplate channel.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further including a vacuum exhaust opening in the deplate station adjacent to the seal, at least 360 individual spaced apart contacts on the contact ring.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 with the deplate channel forming an arcuate slot subtending an arc of 45 to 100 degrees.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Harris Randy A
• Puch Bryan J

Classifications

• C25D5/48 Primary

  After-treatment of electroplated surfaces · CPC title

• C25D17/001 Primary

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

• C25D17/005

  Contacting devices · CPC title

• C25D21/00

  Processes for servicing or operating cells for electrolytic coating · CPC title

• C25D17/16 Primary

  Apparatus for electrolytic coating of small objects in bulk · CPC title