CN1191605C - Method and apparatus for loading and positioning semiconductor workpieces during electroplating and/or electropolishing - Google Patents

Abstract

A wafer chuck assembly for holding a wafer during electroplating and/or electropolishing of the wafer includes a wafer chuck for receiving the wafer. The wafer chuck assembly also includes an actuator assembly for moving the wafer chuck between the first and second positions. In the first position the wafer chuck is open. And in the second position the wafer chuck is closed.

Description

Method and apparatus for loading and positioning semiconductor workpieces during electroplating and/or electropolishing

technical field

The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for loading and positioning semiconductor workpieces during processing of the workpieces. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for loading and positioning semiconductor workpieces during their electroplating and/or electropolishing.

Background technique

Generally, semiconductor devices are fabricated or fabricated on discs of semiconductor material known as wafers or slices. Rather, wafers are initially cut from silicon ingots. The wafer then goes through multiple masking, etching and deposition processes to form the electronic circuitry of the semiconductor device.

In the past few decades, the semiconductor industry has seen the function of semiconductor devices increase according to Moore's Law. Moore's Law predicts that the function of semiconductor devices will double every 18 months. This increase in semiconductor device functionality has been achieved in part by reducing the feature size (ie, the smallest dimension that exists in a device) of the device. In fact, the feature size of semiconductor devices has been rapidly reduced from 0.35 μm to 0.25 μm, and now it is 0.18 μm. Certainly, this trend toward smaller semiconductor devices appears to have progressed beyond the sub-0.18 μm stage.

However, one potential limiting factor in the development of more robust semiconductor devices is the increased signal delay of the interconnect lines (the leads of individual semiconductor devices as well as the conductor leads connecting any number of semiconductor devices together). As the feature size of semiconductor devices decreases, the density of interconnect lines in the devices increases. However, the closer proximity of the interconnect lines increases the line-to-line capacitance of the interconnect lines, thereby causing greater interconnect signal delay. In general, it has been found that interconnect delay increases with the square of the decrease in feature size. In contrast, gate delay (ie, the delay of the gate or mesa of a semiconductor device) has been found to increase linearly with decreasing feature size.

A conventional way to compensate for this increase in interconnect delay is to add multiple metal layers. However, this approach has the disadvantage of making an additional metal layer with associated increased production costs. Moreover, these additional metal layers generate additional heat generation, which is detrimental to chip performance and reliability.

As a result, the semiconductor industry has begun to use copper rather than aluminum for metal interconnect lines. Furthermore, copper has weaker electromigration (meaning that leads made of copper have a weaker tendency to thin under a current load) than aluminum.

However, new process technologies are required before copper can be widely used in the semiconductor industry. Rather, the copper layer can be formed on the wafer by electroplating and/or by etching by electropolishing. Generally, in electroplating and/or electropolishing processes, a wafer is placed in an electrolyte solution, and then an electrical charge is applied to the wafer. Thus, a wafer holder is required to load the wafer and supply charge to the wafer during the electroplating and/or electropolishing process.

Contents of the invention

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the wafer holder assembly includes a wafer holder that accepts the wafer during electroplating and/or electropolishing of the wafer. The wafer clamp assembly also includes an actuator assembly to move the wafer clamp between the first and second positions. In the first position the wafer clamp is open. While in the second position the wafer clamp is closed.

The invention provides an electroplating and/or electropolishing tank for electroplating and/or electropolishing wafers in an electrolyte solution, comprising: a wafer holder for holding the wafer; an electrolyte container for containing the electrolyte; a wafer holder assembly, the wafer The clamp assembly is configured to move the wafer clamp between first and second positions, wherein the wafer clamp is open in the first position, and closed in the second position, wherein the wafer clamp is in the second position. placed in the electrolyte container when in the second position.

The present invention provides a method of holding a wafer during electroplating and/or electropolishing of the wafer, the method comprising: providing the wafer in a wafer holder; moving the wafer holder between first and second positions with the wafer holder assembly, wherein the wafer clamp is open when in the first position and closed when in the second position, wherein the wafer clamp is placed in an electrolyte reservoir when in the second position.

Description of drawings

The gist of the invention is clearly pointed out and clearly claimed in the concluding part of the specification. However, the present invention, both in its structure and method of operation, is best understood by reference to the following description in connection with the claims and the accompanying drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals.

Fig. 1 is a top view of a wafer processing apparatus of a typical embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of the wafer processing equipment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is another sectional view taken along line 3-3 of the wafer processing equipment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is the flow process of processing wafer with the wafer processing equipment shown in Fig. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top view of an alternative configuration of the wafer processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of the wafer processing equipment shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is another sectional view taken along line 7-7 of the wafer processing equipment shown in Fig. 5;

FIG. 8 is a top view of another alternative structure of the wafer processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

Figure 9 is a top view of yet another alternative structure of the wafer processing apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 10 is a top view of another alternative structure of the wafer processing apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of the wafer processing equipment shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is another cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of the wafer processing equipment shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is another alternative structure of the wafer processing equipment shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer processing equipment shown in Figure 13 taken along line 14-14;

Fig. 15 is another cross-sectional view taken along line 15-15 of the wafer processing equipment shown in Fig. 13;

Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an electroplating and/or electropolishing bath;

Figure 17 is a top view of a portion of the electroplating and/or electropolishing tank shown in Figure 16;

18A-18C are cross-sectional views of an exemplary embodiment of a wafer holder assembly;

Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative structure for the wafer clamp assembly shown in Figures 18A-18C;

20 is a cross-sectional view of another alternative structure of the wafer clip assembly shown in FIGS. 18A-18C;

Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view of yet another alternative configuration of the wafer clamp assembly shown in Figures 18A-18C;

22A and 22B are cross-sectional views of yet another alternative configuration of the wafer clip assembly shown in FIGS. 18A-18C;

Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a wafer holder;

Fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative structure of the wafer clip shown in Fig. 23;

Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view of another alternative structure of the wafer clip shown in Fig. 23;

Fig. 26 is a sectional view of another alternative structure of the wafer clip shown in Fig. 23;

Fig. 27 is a cross-sectional view of another alternative structure of the wafer clip shown in Fig. 23;

Fig. 28 is a cross-sectional view of another alternative structure of the wafer clip shown in Fig. 23;

Fig. 29 is a sectional view of another alternative structure of the wafer clip shown in Fig. 23;

Fig. 30 is a cross-sectional view of another alternative structure of the wafer clip shown in Fig. 23;

31A and 31B are side views of an alternative construction of the electroplating and/or electropolishing station shown in FIG. 16;

32A and 32B are top views of the electroplating and/or electropolishing stations shown in FIGS. 31A and 31B;

33A and 33B are front views of the electroplating and/or electropolishing station shown in FIGS. 31A and 31B;

Figure 34 is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of the electroplating and/or electropolishing bath shown in Figures 31A and 31B;

Figure 35 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the electroplating and/or electropolishing cell shown in Figure 34;

Figure 36 is a top view of a portion of the electroplating and/or electropolishing bath shown in Figure 34;

Figure 37 is a side view of the part shown in Figure 36;

Figure 38 is a top view of another portion of the electroplating and/or electropolishing tank shown in Figure 34;

Figure 39 is a side view of the part shown in Figure 38;

40A and 40B are cross-sectional views taken along line 40 of the portion shown in FIG. 38;

Figure 41 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 41 of the part shown in Figure 38;

Fig. 42 is another sectional view taken along line 42 of the part shown in Fig. 38;

Figure 43 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the electroplating and/or electropolishing bath shown in Figure 34;

Figure 44 is a perspective view of another portion of the electroplating and/or electropolishing tank shown in Figure 34;

Figure 45 is a perspective view of another portion of the electroplating and/or electropolishing tank shown in Figure 34;

Figure 46 is a bottom view of another part of the electroplating and/or electropolishing tank shown in Figure 34;

Figure 47 is a side view of the part shown in Figure 46;

Figure 48 is an enlarged view of a portion of the side view shown in Figure 47;

Figure 49 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 50 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the wafer holder shown in Figure 49;

Figure 51' is a cross-sectional view of the wafer clip shown in Figure 49;

52A and 52B are cross-sectional views of the wafer holder shown in FIG. 49;

53A-53G are cross-sectional views of various alternative configurations for a portion of the wafer holder shown in FIG. 51;

Fig. 54 is the flow process of handling the wafer with the wafer clamp shown in Fig. 51;

Figure 55 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 56 is a cross-sectional view of a second alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 57 is a cross-sectional view of a third alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 58 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 59 is a cross-sectional view of a fifth alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 60 is a cross-sectional view of a sixth alternative embodiment of a wafer clamp;

Figure 61 is a cross-sectional view of a seventh alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 62 is a cross-sectional view of an eighth alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 63 is a cross-sectional view of a ninth alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 64 is a cross-sectional view of a tenth alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 65 is a cross-sectional view of an eleventh alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 66 is a cross-sectional view of a twelfth alternative embodiment of a wafer holder;

Figure 67 is a top view of a wafer.

Detailed ways

For a more thorough understanding of the present invention, numerous specific details are described below, such as specific materials, parameters and the like. It should be recognized, however, that such description is not meant to limit the scope of the invention, but rather will describe typical embodiments more fully and completely.

Furthermore, the gist of the invention is particularly suitable for use in connection with electroplating and/or electropolishing of semiconductor workpieces or wafers. Thus, typical embodiments of the invention have been described in this regard. It should be recognized, however, that such description is not meant to limit the use or application of the invention. Rather, such description more fully and completely describes exemplary embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , a wafer processing apparatus 100 is configured for electroplating and/or electropolishing semiconductor workpieces or wafers. In an exemplary embodiment, wafer processing apparatus 100 includes plating and/or electropolishing station 102 , cleaning station 104 , storage stations 108 and 110 , and robot 106 .

Referring now to FIG. 4 , the wafer processing facility 100 is described in flow format with respect to processing steps. Referring again to FIG. 1 , robot 106 retrieves unprocessed semiconductor workpieces or wafers from storage stages 108 and 110 ( FIG. 4 , block 402 ). Wafers taken by robot 106 from storage stations 108 and 110 are transferred to electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 (FIG. 4, block 404). As described in more detail below, the wafer is electroplated and/or electropolished in the electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 (FIG. 4, block 406). The plated and/or electropolished wafers are transferred by the robot 106 to the cleaning station 104 (FIG. 4, block 408). The wafer is cleared and dried in the wash station 104 (FIG. 4, block 410). The cleaned and dried wafers are transferred by the robot 106 back to the storage stages 108 and 110 (FIG. 4, block 412). The entire process can then be repeated on another unprocessed wafer. It should be recognized, however, that various modifications may be made to the steps shown in Figure 4 and to the above description without departing from the scope of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 2 , in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, plating and/or electropolishing station 102 and cleaning station 104 include five plating and/or electropolishing tanks 112 and five cleaning tanks 114 . Thus, up to five wafers can be plated and/or electropolished at one time. It should be recognized, however, that the plating and/or electropolishing station 102 and cleaning station 104 may include any number of plating and/or electropolishing tanks 112 and cleaning tanks 114 depending on the particular application. For example, for low-volume applications, the electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 and the cleaning station 104 may be equipped with an electroplating and/or electropolishing tank 112 and a cleaning tank 114, respectively. Additionally, it should be recognized that the ratio of the number of plating and/or electropolishing tanks 112 to cleaning tanks 114 may vary depending on the particular application. For example, in an application where the plating and/or electropolishing process requires a longer processing time than the cleaning process, the wafer processing apparatus 100 may be equipped with more plating and/or electropolishing tanks 112 than cleaning tanks 114 . Alternatively, the wafer processing apparatus 100 may be equipped with fewer plating and/or electropolishing tanks 112 than cleaning tanks 114 for plating and/or electropolishing processes requiring shorter processing times than cleaning processes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electroplating and/or electropolishing tank 112 and a cleaning tank 114 are vertically stacked. In this way, the number of processed wafers can be increased without increasing the footprint (occupied land area) of the wafer processing apparatus 100 . In the increasingly competitive semiconductor industry, it would be advantageous to increase the number of wafers processed per square foot of wafer processing facility 100 footprint.

Referring again to FIG. 1 , as described above, unprocessed wafers are obtained from the stockers 108 and 110 and processed wafers are returned to the stockers 108 and 110 . More specifically, referring to FIG. 3, in this exemplary embodiment, the storage stations 108 and 110 (FIG. 1) include cassettes 116 for holding wafers. As shown in FIG. 3, a manipulator 106 is equipped to remove unprocessed wafers from a cassette 116 and transfer the wafers to any of the electroplating and/or electropolishing tanks 112 (FIG. 2). The manipulator 106 is provided to return the processed wafers to the cassette 116 from any cleaning tank 114 (FIG. 2). Although a single cassette 116 is shown in FIG. 3 , it should be recognized that the storage stations 108 and 110 ( FIG. 1 ) may contain any number of cassettes 116 .

In addition, the storage stages 108 and 110 may include various structures depending on the specific application. For example, the storage stages 108 and 110 may each contain at least one cassette 116 . In one configuration, the storage station 108 provides a cassette 116 for unprocessed wafers. The wafer is taken out, processed, and then sent back to the cassette wafer box 116 of the storage table 108 . Before the wafer cassette 116 from the storage table 108 is processed, the storage table 110 provides another cassette 116 containing unprocessed wafers. Once the wafers from the cassettes 116 of the stocker 108 have been processed, the unprocessed wafers from the cassettes 116 of the stocker 110 can begin to be processed. The processed wafer is then removed from the wafer cassette 116 of the storage table 108 and replaced with another wafer cassette 116 containing unprocessed wafers. In this manner, wafer processing facility 100 can continue to operate without unintentional interruptions.

In another configuration, the stocker 108 may provide a cassette 116 containing unprocessed wafers. The stocker 110 provides an empty cassette 116 . The unprocessed wafers from the cassettes 116 of the stocker 108 are processed and returned to the empty cassettes 116 of the stocker 110 . This structure also facilitates the continuous operation of the processing facility 100 . However, an advantage of this configuration is that one of the two stockers 108 and 110 can be designated for unprocessed wafers and the other for processed wafers. In this manner, it is less likely that an operator or robot will mistake a cassette 116 containing processed wafers for one containing unprocessed wafers, or vice versa.

Referring to FIG. 2, the wafer processing facility 100 includes a rack unit in which various electrical and mechanical components of the wafer processing facility 100, such as power supplies, pumps, valves, etc., are housed. Referring again to FIG. 1 , the wafer processing facility 100 also includes a computer 132 to control the operation of the wafer processing facility 100 . More specifically, computer 132 may be equipped with appropriate software programs to perform the above-described process steps shown in and associated with FIG. 4 .

It should be recognized that various modifications may be made in the structure of the wafer processing apparatus 100 without departing from the spirit and/or scope of the present invention. In this regard, various alternative embodiments of the present invention will be described and illustrated in the following description and associated drawings. It should be recognized, however, that these alternative embodiments are not meant to demonstrate all of the modifications that may be made to the invention. Rather, these alternative embodiments merely demonstrate some of the possible modifications.

Referring to FIGS. 5-7 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, wafer processing apparatus 100 includes a storage station 500 . Referring to FIG. 7 , the storage table 500 is equipped with a manipulator 502 for lifting and lowering the cassette 116 . Thus, longitudinal movement of the manipulator 106 is reduced when wafers are taken out of and brought into the cassette 116 . In this manner, the operating rate of the robot 106 can be increased to accommodate the overall processing rate of the wafer processing facility 100 .

Referring to FIG. 8, in another alternative embodiment of the present invention, wafer handling apparatus 100 includes a robot arm 800 for lateral movement (x direction shown in FIG. 8). Therefore, the manipulator 800 does not have to rotate about its vertical axis.

Referring to FIG. 9, in yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention, a wafer processing apparatus 100 includes a stack 902 of electroplating and/or electropolishing tanks 112 (FIG. 2) and cleaning tanks 114 (FIG. 2). Therefore, the footprint of the processing apparatus 100 can be further reduced.

10-12, in yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention, wafer processing apparatus 100 includes three stacks 1002, 1004 and 1006 of electroplating and/or electropolishing tanks 112 (FIG. 12) and cleaning tanks 114 (FIG. 12). It should be recognized that each stack 1002, 1004, and 1006 may be equipped with different combinations of electroplating and/or electropolishing baths 112, depending on the particular application. For example, two stacks of 1002 and 1006 may be configured to contain only plating and/or electropolishing bath 112 . And the stack 1004 can be equipped only as the cleaning tank 114 . Alternatively, each stack may also be equipped with a combination of plating and/or electropolishing tank 112 and cleaning tank 114 . The wafer processing apparatus 100 is also equipped with a robot arm 1008 for lateral (y-direction shown in FIG. 10 ) movement. Referring to FIG. 12 , the wafer processing facility 100 also includes additional cassette cassettes 1202 to provide additional processing capacity to the wafer processing facility 100 .

Thus far, a wafer processing apparatus 100 including an electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 (FIG. 1) and a cleaning station 104 (FIG. 2) has been described. It should be recognized, however, that wafer processing apparatus 100 may be provided with only electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 (FIG. 1). For example, see Figure 9,

Wafer processing apparatus 100 may be equipped with only stack 902 of plating and/or electropolishing station 102 (FIG. 1). Thus, the wafer processing facility 100 only electroplates and/or electropolishes the wafers and does not clean the wafers. Processed wafers can be cleaned in a separate wafer cleaning facility. Alternatively, processed wafers may be cleaned in a clean station of another wafer processing tool.

Additionally, wafer processing facility 100 may include other wafer processing stations. For example, referring to FIG. 13 , in another embodiment of the present invention, wafer processing apparatus 100 includes a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) station 1302 . In this way, wafers may be ground or polished in addition to electroplating and/or electropolishing and cleaning. The specific order in which these processes are performed may vary depending on the particular application. For example, in one application, a wafer may be plated in the electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 , cleaned in the cleaning station 104 , and then ground flat in the CMP station 1302 . In another application, the wafer may initially be electropolished in the electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 , cleaned in the cleaning station 104 , and then ground flat in the CMP station 1302 .

Thus having described various exemplary embodiments of wafer processing apparatus, an exemplary embodiment of an electroplating and/or electropolishing bath 112 will now be described. Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17 , in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, electroplating and/or electropolishing cell 112 includes electrolyte reservoir 1608 , wafer holder 1604 , and wafer holder assembly 1600 .

Referring to FIG. 16 , in this exemplary embodiment, an electrolyte container 1608 contains electrolyte for electroplating and/or electropolishing a wafer 1602 . Wafer holder 1604 holds wafer 1602 during electroplating and/or electropolishing. Wafer holder assembly 1600 positions wafer holder 1604 within electrolyte reservoir 1608 . The wafer clamp assembly 1600 also rotates the wafer clamp 1604 to improve the uniformity of the electroplating and/or electropolishing process.

In this exemplary embodiment, referring to FIG. 17, electrolyte container 1608 is preferably divided into sections 1620, 1622, 1624, 1626, 1628, and 1630 by partitions 1610, 1612, 1614, 1616, and 1618. It should be recognized, however, that the electrolyte container may be divided into any number of appropriate sections by any number of partitions depending on the particular application.

Referring to FIG. 16 , in this exemplary embodiment, pump 1654 draws electrolyte 1656 from storage tank 1658 into electrolyte container 1608 . More specifically, electrolyte 1656 flows through filter 1652 and liquid mass flow controllers (LMFCs) 1646 , 1648 , and 1650 . Filter 1652 removes contaminants and unwanted particles from electrolyte 1656 . LMFCs 1646, 1648, and 1650 control electrolyte flow to sections 1620, 1624, and 1628 (FIG. 17), respectively. It should be recognized, however, that electrolyte 1656 may be provided by any convenient method depending on the particular application.

As noted above, wafer holder 1604 holds wafer 1602 during electroplating and/or electropolishing. In this exemplary embodiment, robot arm 106 feeds or provides wafer 1602 to wafer holder 1604 . As discussed above, robot 106 may obtain wafer 1602 from cassette 116 (FIG. 3) or from a preceding processing station or processing equipment. The wafer 1602 can also be manually loaded into the wafer holder 1604 by the operator according to specific applications.

After receiving the wafer 1602, the wafer holder 1604 closes to hold the wafer 1602, as described in more detail below. Wafer clamp assembly 1600 then positions wafer clamp 1604 and wafer 1602 in electrolyte reservoir 1608 . More specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, wafer clamp assembly 1600 positions wafer clamp 1604 and wafer 602 above spacers 1610, 1612, 1614, 1616, and 1618 (FIG. A gap is formed between the tops of 1610, 1612, 1614, 1616 and 1618 (FIG. 17).

In this exemplary embodiment, electrolyte solution 1656 flows into portions 1620 , 1624 and 1628 ( FIG. 17 ) and contacts the bottom surface of wafer 1602 . Electrolyte 1656 flows through gaps formed between the bottom surface of wafer 1602 and spacers 1610, 1612, 1614, 1616, and 1618 (FIG. 17). Electrolyte 1656 returns to tank 1658 via sections 1622, 1626 and 1630 (FIG. 17).

Die 1602 is connected to one or more power sources 1640, 1642, and 1644, as described in more detail below. Furthermore, one or more electrodes 1631 , 1634 and 1636 placed in the electrolyte container 1608 are connected to power sources 1640 , 1642 , 1644 . When the electrolyte solution 1656 contacts the wafer 1602, a circuit for plating and/or electropolishing the wafer 1602 is formed. Plating occurs when the wafer 1602 is charged and the counter electrodes 1632, 1634, and 1636 have a negative potential. When wafer 1602 is charged and counter electrodes 1632, 1634, and 1636 have a positive potential, wafer 1602 is then properly electropolished. Additionally, when the wafer 1602 is electroplated, the electrolyte 1656 is preferably a sulfuric acid solution. When the wafer 1602 is electropolished, the electrolyte 1656 is preferably a phosphoric acid solution. It should be recognized, however, that the electrolyte 1656 may include various chemicals depending on the particular application.

Additionally, as described in more detail below, the wafer clamp assembly 1600 can rotate and/or vibrate the wafer 1602 in order to more uniformly plate and/or electropolish the wafer 1602 . After wafer 1602 is electroplated and/or electropolished, wafer 602 is removed from electrolyte container 1608 . More specifically, the wafer clamp assembly 1600 lifts the wafer clamp 1604 from the electrolyte container 1608 . The wafer clamp 1604 is then opened. Robot 106 removes wafer 1602 from wafer holder 1604 and then provides another wafer 1602 for electroplating and/or electropolishing. For a more detailed description of electroplating and/or electropolishing processes, see U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 09/232,864, entitled PLATING APPARATUS AND METHOD, filed January 15, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and 1999 PCT patent application No.PCT/US99/15506 filed on August 7, 2009, titled METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTROPOLISHINGMETAL INTERCONNECTIONS ON SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES, the entire content is quoted here as a reference.

As noted earlier, specific details of the electroplating and/or electropolishing cell 112 have been provided above in order to enable a more thorough and complete description of the present invention. As such, various aspects of the electroplating and/or electropolishing cell 112 may be modified without departing from the spirit and/or scope of the present invention. For example, while the electroplating and/or electropolishing cell 112 has been illustrated and described as having a multi-part electrolyte container 1608, the electroplating and/or electropolishing cell 112 may also include a static bath.

Thus having described a typical electroplating and/or electropolishing bath and method, an exemplary embodiment of wafer holder 1604 and wafer holder assembly 1600 will now be described. As a recap, for clarity and convenience, wafer holder 1604 and wafer holder assembly 1600 will be described hereinafter in conjunction with the electroplating of semiconductor wafers. It should be recognized, however, that wafer holder 1604 and wafer holder assembly 1600 may be used in conjunction with any suitable wafer processing process, such as electropolishing, cleaning, etching, and the like. In addition, it should be recognized that wafer holder 1604 and wafer holder assembly 1600 may be used in connection with various workpiece processing other than semiconductor wafers.

Referring to Figures 18A-18C, as described above, the wafer clamp assembly 1600 positions the wafer clamp 1604 in the electrolyte reservoir 1608 (Figure 16) during electroplating and/or electropolishing. Additionally, a wafer clamp assembly 1600 is provided to open and close the wafer clamp 1604 to load and remove wafers 1602 .

More specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, wafer clamp assembly 1600 includes actuator assembly 1860 and spring assembly 1894 . Actuator assembly 1860 is provided to move wafer holder 1604 between a first position and a second position. In this embodiment, actuator assembly 1860 is configured to move wafer holder 1604 between a high position and a low position. In the first position, spring assembly 1894 is configured to open wafer clamp 1604 to allow wafer 1602 to be removed and loaded. In the second position, spring assembly 1894 is configured to close wafer clamp 1604.

In this embodiment, actuator assembly 1860 includes motor 1828 , gears 1822 and 1824 , and guide rod 1820 . Motor 1828 is connected to shaft 1802 via bracket 1816 , guide rod 1820 and gears 1822 and 1824 . More specifically, the motor 1828 rotates the guide rod 1820 via the gears 1822 and 1824 , which translates into the movement of the carriage 1816 along the guide rail 1826 . Bracket 1816 is connected to shaft 1802 which is rigidly connected to top 1858 of wafer clamp 1604 . In this manner, motor 1828 may raise and lower wafer chuck 1604 . However, it should be admitted. Wafer holder 1604 may be raised and lowered by any suitable mechanism and method, such as pneumatic actuators, magnetic force, and the like. Further, it should be recognized that the motor 1828 may include a DC servo motor, a stepper motor, or the like.

Although a single rail 1826 is shown in Figures 18A-18C, it should be recognized that any number of rails 1826 may be used depending on the particular application. Also, referring to FIG. 19 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, connectors 1902 and 1904 are provided between bracket 1816 and another bracket 1906 . Connectors 1902 and 1904 can move between carriages 1906 and 1816 as guide rod 1820 lifts wafer holder 1604 . In this way, the bracket 1816 is unlikely to get stuck on the guide rail 1826 . It should be recognized, however, that any suitable type of connection may be used for movement between carriages 1906 and 1816 .

Continuing to refer to FIGS. 18A-18C , the spring assembly 1894 includes a collar 1804 , a plurality of rods 1806 , and a plurality of springs 1808 . Rod 1806 rigidly secures collar 1804 and bottom 1856 of wafer holder 1604 . Spring 1808 fits over rod 1806 and is positioned between collar 1804 and top 1858 of wafer clamp 1604 . Additionally, collar 1804 is not attached to shaft 1802 . Thus, as the wafer clamp 1604 rises, the collar 1804 touches the cover plate 1810 as shown in FIG. 18B . As shown in Figure 18C, the rod 1806 prevents the bottom 1856 of the wafer clamp 1604 from rising further. However, the spring 1808 compresses, causing the top 1858 of the wafer clamp 1604 to continue to rise. Thus, the wafer holder 1604 is opened, and the wafer 1602 is loaded and unloaded.

In the manner described above and as shown in Figures 18A-18C, a single action of raising the wafer clamp 1604 also opens the wafer clamp 1604. The reverse action of lowering the wafer clamp 1604 also closes the wafer clamp 1604 . More specifically, starting with FIG. 18C, when the wafer 1602 has been loaded in the wafer holder 1604, the motor 1828 causes the wafer holder 1604 to begin lowering. As shown in Figure 18B, as the motor 1828 lowers the wafer clamp 1604, the spring 1808 expands to close the wafer clamp 1604.

In addition to the force applied by spring 1808, vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas is supplied to cavity 1830 formed between top 1858 and bottom 1856 of wafer clamp 1604 to create an additional force to hold wafer clamp 1604 together. More specifically, referring to FIG. 18B , wafer clamp assembly 1600 includes slip ring assembly 1838 with inlets 1870 and 1872 . Slip ring assembly 1838 also includes a plurality of seals 1842 to form cavities 1866 and 1868 . In this exemplary embodiment, vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas is provided to chamber 1830 via inlet 1870 , conduit 1874 , and line 1832 . To aid in the sealing of cavity 1830 , wafer holder 1604 also includes a seal 1878 disposed between top 1858 and bottom 1856 .

Additionally, referring to Figure 18B, as described briefly above and described in more detail below, a charge is applied to the wafer 1602 during electroplating and/or electropolishing. More specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, slip ring assembly 1838 includes brushes 1844 , springs 1846 , and screws 1848 . Additionally, as described in more detail below, wafer clamp 1604 includes a conductive member 1880 in electrical contact with line 1850 and a spring member 1882 in electrical contact with wafer 1602 . Thus, an electrical charge is applied to wafer 1602 via screw 1848 , spring 1846 , brush 1844 , shaft 1802 , line 1850 , conductive member 1880 , and spring member 1882 . Thus, screw 1848, spring 1846, brush 1844, shaft 1802, tubing 1850, conductive member 1880, and spring member 1882 are all made of conductive material. Also, since the shaft is rotatable, the brushes 1844 are made of a conductive, low friction material such as graphite.

To help isolate spring member 1882 and conductive member 1880 from the electrolyte during electroplating and/or electropolishing, wafer holder 1604 includes seal 1884, as described in more detail below. In this exemplary embodiment of the invention, positive pressure gas is supplied to cavity 1892 to check the seal quality of seal 1884 . More specifically, positive pressure gas is supplied via inlet 1872 , conduit 1876 , and line 1850 . Wafer holder 1604 also includes seals 1886 and 1888 to help seal cavity 1892 . Alternatively, vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas may be provided to cavity 1892 to check the seal quality of seal 1884 . When the wafer holder 1604 is removed from the electrolyte, a positive pressure gas can be supplied to the chamber 1892 to blow the electrolyte from the wafer holder 1604 .

As described above, the wafer holder assembly 1600 is equipped to rotate the wafer holder 1604 to improve the uniformity of the electroplating and/or electropolishing process. More specifically, the wafer clamp assembly 1600 rotates the wafer clamp 1604 at a rotational speed of 5-100 rpm during electroplating and/or electropolishing. It should be recognized, however, that the wafer holder 1604 may rotate at different rotational speeds depending on the particular application.

Additionally, as described in more detail below, the wafer clamp assembly 1600 rotates the wafer clamp 1604 to facilitate removal of electrolyte from the wafer clamp 1604 after electroplating and/or electropolishing. During this process, the wafer clamp assembly 1600 rotates the wafer clamp 1604 at a speed of 300-5000 rpm, preferably 500 rpm. It should be recognized, however, that the wafer clamp assembly 1600 can rotate the wafer clamp 1604 at different rotational speeds depending on the particular application. As shown in FIG. 20, during this process, the wafer clamp 1604 may be rotated when the wafer clamp 1604 is in the open position. Thus, in an alternate embodiment, wafer clamp assembly 1600 includes bearings 2002 (FIG. 20). In this exemplary embodiment, bearing 2002 is depicted as being disposed between collar 1804 and cover plate 1810 . It should be recognized, however, that the bearings 2002 may be placed in different locations depending on the particular application. For example, if collar 1804 is removed or reduced in size, bearing 2002 may be placed between top 1858 and cover plate 1810 . Additionally, it should be recognized that the wafer clamp assembly 1600 can rotate the wafer clamp 1604 at different rates depending on the particular application.

Referring to FIG. 18A , the wafer clamp assembly 1600 includes a rotation assembly 1864 to rotate the wafer clamp 1604 . In this exemplary embodiment, rotation assembly 1864 includes a motor 1836 and a drive belt 1834 coupled to shaft 1802 . In this exemplary embodiment, motor 1836 and drive belt 1834 are positioned below bracket 1816 . It should be recognized, however, that the motor 1836 and drive belt 1834 can be placed in different positions to rotate the shaft 1802 . For example, referring to FIG. 21 , wafer clamp assembly 1600 is depicted with motor 1836 and drive belt 1834 positioned above carriage 1816 . Alternatively, motor 1836 may be coupled to shaft 1802 via a gear instead of belt 1834 . Motor 1836 may also be directly coupled to shaft 1802. In this embodiment, the motor 1836 may comprise a DC servo motor, a stepper motor, or the like. Additionally, it should be recognized that the rotation assembly 1864 may include various other mechanisms to rotate the wafer holder 1604 . For example, rotation assembly 1864 may be configured as an electromagnetic system to rotate wafer holder 1604 .

Referring to Figures 18A-18C, in this exemplary embodiment, the shaft 1802 is made of a corrosion resistant metal or metal alloy such as stainless steel. To reduce friction, the shaft 1802 surfaces in contact with the seals 1842 and brushes 1844 are machined to a surface roughness of about 5 microns, preferably 2 microns. Additionally, in this exemplary embodiment, wafer clamp assembly 1600 includes bearings 1812 and 1814 disposed between shaft 1802 and cover plate 1810 . Wafer clamp assembly 1600 also includes bearing 1818 disposed between shaft 1802 and bracket 1816 . Bearings 1812, 1814, 1818 may include ball bearings, bushings, low friction materials, and the like.

As noted above, slip ring assembly 1838 is configured to provide vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas, reduced pressure gas, positive pressure gas, and is in electrical communication with shaft 1802 . Thus far, slip ring assembly 1838 has been shown secured to bracket 1816 as described in detail in FIGS. 18A-18C . In contrast, referring to Figures 22A and 22B, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the wafer clamp assembly 1600 includes a slip ring assembly 2200 that remains stationary when the wafer clamp 1604 is raised and lowered. More specifically, shaft 1802 slides through slip ring assembly 2200 as wafer holder 1604 is raised and lowered.

Various alternative embodiments of the present invention are described and illustrated in the following description and drawings. It should be recognized that these alternative embodiments are not meant to cover all possible modifications and variations that may be made to the present invention. Rather, these alternative embodiments are only meant to demonstrate certain possible modifications and adaptations.

Referring to FIG. 23, in an alternate embodiment, the conductive member 1880 of the wafer clamp 1604 is depicted without the seal 1888 (FIG. 18A). Additionally, spring 2302 applies an electrical charge to conductive member 1880 . 18C, when the wafer clamp 1604 is opened, the spring 2302 lifts the conductive member 1880 fully.

Referring now to FIG. 24 , in another alternative embodiment, a wafer clamp 1604 is depicted as having a Z-shaped cross-sectional seal 1884 . The position of the spring member 1882 can be more reliably maintained than the L-section seal 1884 (FIG. 18A). It should be recognized, however, that seal 1884 may be formed with various cross-sections. A number of possible cross-sections are described and described below in this regard.

Referring now to FIG. 25 , in yet another alternative embodiment, wafer holder 1604 is depicted as having lines 1832 and 1852 formed in top 1858 . It should be recognized, however, that 832 and 1852 may be formed in various forms. For example, grooves may be formed along the top 1858 surface. . Lines 1832 and 1852 may be grooved pipes. In this manner, lines 1832 and 1852 can be more reliably seated.

Referring now to FIG. 26 , in yet another alternative embodiment, a wafer clamp 1604 is depicted as comprising a rod 1806 secured to a base 1856 by a nut 2602 . Both the end of the rod 1806 and the nut 2602 are capped by a cap 2604 to prevent contact with the electrolyte during electroplating and/or electropolishing.

Referring now to FIG. 27, in an alternative embodiment, the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 26 is depicted as having a seal 1884 having a Z-shaped cross-section. As mentioned above, such a cross section can more reliably maintain the position of the spring member 1882 .

Referring now to FIG. 28 , in another alternative embodiment, wafer holder 1604 is depicted as containing line 1852 . Therefore, when the wafer clamps 1604 are closed, a vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas is first provided to the line 1852 to increase the force with which the wafer clamps 1604 are closed. Positive pressure gas may be supplied to line 1852 to help blow electrolyte off wafer holder 1604 after electroplating and/or electropolishing.

Referring now to FIG. 29 , in yet another alternative embodiment, wafer holder 1604 is depicted as containing lines 2902 to provide vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas as well as positive pressure gas to the wafer 1602 surface. Thus, after wafer clamp 1604 is closed, a vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas is provided to lines 1852 and 2902 to increase the force holding wafer clamp 1604 together. After electroplating and/or electropolishing, a positive pressure gas may be supplied to line 1852 to help blow off the electrolyte on wafer holder 1604 . Then, the wafer holder 1604 is opened with a gap of 1-3 mm, preferably 1.5 mm. After wafer clamp 1604 is open, positive pressure gas may be supplied to line 2902 to facilitate removal of wafer 1602 .

Referring now to FIG. 30 , in yet another alternative embodiment, a wafer holder 1604 is depicted as having a single line 3002 . Thus, vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas as well as positive pressure gas may be provided to the chamber 3004 and the surface of the wafer 1602 simultaneously.

Referring to Figures 31-33, an exemplary embodiment of the electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 is described in more detail. As noted above, the electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 contains one or more electroplating and/or electropolishing baths 112 . More specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, the electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 includes three electroplating and/or electropolishing cells 112 mounted on a frame 3202 . However, as noted earlier, any number of electroplating and/or electropolishing cells 112 may be mounted on frame 3202 depending on the particular application.

In this exemplary embodiment, the electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 also includes rails 3204 and gas cylinders 3206 to move the wafer holder assembly 1600 . More specifically, gas cylinders 3206 convert wafer holder assembly 1600 to movement along rails 3204 mounted on frame 3202 . In this manner, as shown in FIGS. 32A and 32B, the wafer clamp assembly 1600 and wafer clamp 1604 can be lifted from the electrolyte container 1608 for servicing the plating and/or electropolishing tank 112, including the wafer clamp assembly 1600 and wafer clamp 1604. . More specifically, in FIG. 32B, the electroplating and/or electropolishing tank 112 is depicted with the wafer clamp assembly 1600 lifted in the open position. In FIG. 32A , the electroplating and/or electropolishing tank 112 is depicted with the wafer clamp assembly 1600 in a closed position above the electrolyte reservoir 1608 . It should be recognized, however, that various actuators may be used to lift the wafer clamp assembly 1600 .

Referring to FIGS. 31A , 32A and 33A , the electroplating and/or electropolishing cell 112 includes an electrolyte container 1608 and a wafer holder assembly 1600 . As shown in FIG. 32A , the wafer clamp assembly 1600 includes a cover plate 1810 to cover the electrolyte container 1608 . Thus, the cover plate 1810 includes a vent 3208 to remove vapors from the electrolyte container 1608 . In this manner, each electroplating and/or electropolishing tank 112 in the electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 can be independently vented so that the entire electroplating and/or electropolishing station 102 (FIGS. 32A and 33A) Large requires a large exhaust system.

As shown in Figures 31A and 32A, the wafer 1602 can be fed into and removed from the electrolyte container 1608 through the slot 1892. More specifically, robot arm 106 moves wafer 1602 into and out of electrolyte container 1608, as described above. While slot 1892 is described as being formed on electrolyte container 1608 , it could also be formed on cover plate 1810 .

As described earlier, wafer holder 1604 holds wafer 1602 (FIG. 18A). Referring to FIG. 31A, in this exemplary embodiment, a wafer holder assembly 1600 lowers a wafer into an electrolyte reservoir 1608 for electroplating and/or electropolishing. After plating and/or electropolishing is complete, wafer clamp assembly 1600 is raised. To remove the wafer 1602 and load a new wafer 1602.

Referring now to FIG. 37 , wafer clamp assembly 1600 ( FIG. 31A ) includes bracket 1816 as described above. In this exemplary embodiment, bracket 1816 is connected to wafer holder 1604 via shaft 1802 (FIG. 18A). More specifically, shaft 1802 is secured to top 1858 of wafer holder 1604, as described in more detail below. Additionally, slip ring assembly 1838 is secured to bracket 1816 . Accordingly, shaft 1802 is placed in slip ring assembly 1838 .

Referring now to FIG. 35 , it should be recognized that a portion of the wafer clamp assembly 1600 is beneath the cover plate 1810 . Referring now to FIG. 34 , in the exemplary embodiment, bracket 1816 includes rails 1826 . More specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, each rail 1826 includes a rod 3402 disposed within a bushing 3404 . Rod 3402 is attached to cover plate 1810 and bushing 3404 is attached to bracket 1816 . Additionally, in this exemplary embodiment, four rails 1826 are provided. It should be recognized, however, that any number of rails 1826 may be used, depending on the particular application.

Referring now to FIG. 35 , a motor 1828 is provided to move carriage 1816 along rails 1826 . More specifically, motor 1828 engages rail 1826 to move carriage 1816 . Additionally, bracket 1816 is connected to bracket 1906 in this exemplary embodiment, as described above. More specifically, brackets 1816 and 1906 are connected via connectors 1902 and 1904 to enable movement between brackets 1816 and 1906 . As mentioned earlier, connectors 1902 and 1904 reduce the likelihood of brackets 1816 and 1906 getting caught on rail 1826 .

Referring now to FIG. 37, a rotating wafer clamp 1604 is provided, as described above. Referring now to FIG. 35, a motor 1836 is provided to rotate the wafer holder 1604 (FIG. 37). More specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, motor 1836 rotates shaft 1802 via drive belt 1834 . Referring again to FIG. 37 , the shaft 1802 is secured to the top 1858 of the wafer holder 1604 . Additionally, shaft 1802 rotates within slip ring assembly 1838 .

Continuing to refer to FIG. 37, as described above, the wafer clamp 1604 includes a plurality of spring assemblies 1894 that cause the wafer clamp 1604 to open and close. More specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, wafer clamp 1604 includes six spring assemblies 1894 . It should be recognized, however, that any number of spring assemblies 1894 may be used, depending on the particular application.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 37, in this exemplary embodiment, each spring assembly 1894 comprises a rod 1806 with a rod head at one end rather than a collar 1804 (FIG. 18A). More specifically, referring to FIGS. 40A and 40B , one end of the rod 1806 is secured to the bottom 1856 of the wafer holder 1604 . Its other end contains a club head 4002 . In addition, a spring 1808 fits over the rod 1806 between the top 1858 and the rod head 4002 . Thus, when the wafer clamp 1604 is at the bottom, the spring 1808 expands, urging the top 1858 and bottom 1856 to remain closed. As the wafer clamp 1604 is raised, the rod head 4002 eventually touches the underside of the cover plate 1810 (FIG. 34). Thus, the spring 1808 compresses and the lever 1806 separates the top 1858 from the bottom 1856 to open the wafer clamp 1604.

As described above, referring to FIG. 37, in addition to the force exerted by the spring assembly 1894, vacuum and/or reduced pressure is also provided to hold the wafer clamps 1604 together. Referring to FIG. 41 , in this exemplary embodiment, a vacuum and/or reduced pressure is provided to cavity 1830 formed by seal 4104 . As described earlier and shown in FIGS. 18A-18V , cavity 1830 is formed in bottom 1856 and sealed by seal 1878 . In contrast, referring again to FIG. 41 , the seal 4104 can be readily incorporated into the base 1856 using any suitable fastener and/or method, such as screws, bolts, adhesives, and the like. More specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, seal 4104 is joined by a ring 4106 which may be fastened to base 1856 with suitable fasteners such as screws, bolts, or the like. Ring 4106 helps to distribute the force applied by the fastener near seal 4104 . Additionally, using seal 4104 is less expensive and more reliable than forming cavity 1830 in bottom 1856 . Seal 4104 may comprise any compliant material such as fluoro (fluorocarbon) rubber, silicone rubber, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 42 , as described above, a vacuum and/or reduced pressure may be provided to cavity 1892 to check and/or improve the seal formed by seal 1884 . Additionally, as also described above, compressed gas may be supplied to cavity 1892 to inspect the seal formed by seal 1884, improve the seal formed by seal 1884, purge residual electrolyte, and various other purposes.

However, some vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas may leak between wafer 1602 and top 1852 when vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas is provided to chamber 1892 . Thus, even if the supply of vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas is stopped, when the wafer clamp 1604 (FIG. 37) is in the open position, the wafer 1602 can be attached to the top 1852, making it difficult to remove the wafer 1602. 46-48, in order to prevent the wafer 1602 (FIG. 42) from sticking to the top 1852 (FIG. 42), a textured board 4600 can be added between the wafer 1602 (FIG. 42) and the top 1852 (FIG. 42). In this embodiment, the textured plate 4600 forms a plurality of grooves 4602 over the entire surface in contact with the wafer 1602 (FIG. 42). In this way, any vacuum and/or depressurized gas leaking to the backside of the wafer 1602 (FIG. 42) can be easily dissipated. Therefore, wafer 1602 (FIG. 42) is not easily attached to top 1852 (FIG. 42).

Referring again to FIGS. 41 and 42, in this exemplary embodiment, vacuum, reduced gas, and/or compressed gas may be provided to chambers 1830 and 1892 via connections 4102 (FIG. 41) and 4202 (FIG. 42, respectively. Referring now to FIG. 38 , provide vacuum decompressed gas and/or compressed gas from pipeline 1874 via line 1832 and from pipeline 1876 via pipe 1852 to joint 4102 ( FIG. 41 ) and joint 4202 ( FIG. 42 ), respectively.

Referring to FIG. 43 , conduits 1874 and 1876 formed in shaft 1802 are provided with vacuum, reduced pressure gas, and/or compressed gas via slip ring assembly 1838 . As noted above, slip ring assembly 1838 is provided to provide vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas into shaft 1802 as shaft 1802 rotates. More specifically, as described above, seal 1842 forms cavities 1866 and 1868 ( FIG. 18B ) between shaft 1802 and slip ring assembly 1838 into which vacuum and/or reduced pressure gas may be introduced via inlets 1870 and 1872 .

Referring to FIG. 16, as described above, keeping the wafer 1602 parallel to the surface of the electrolyte 1656 in the electrolyte container 1608 helps to improve the uniformity of the electroplating and/or electropolishing process. In this regard, referring to FIG. 43 , bracket 1816 may be configured parallel to wafer holder 1858 .

44, the alignment of the bracket 1816 with the slip ring assembly 1838 can be adjusted by adjusting the plurality of screws 4312 and the plurality of set screws 4314, respectively. More specifically, the gap between bracket 1816 and slip ring assembly 1838 can be increased or decreased by adjusting screw 4312 and set screw 4314, respectively. In this embodiment, the relationship of the slip ring assembly 1838 to the bracket 1816 can be adjusted in substantially every direction using at least three screws 4312 and three set screws 4314. It should be recognized, however, that various devices and methods may be used to adjust the alignment of bracket 1816 with slip ring assembly 1838 .

Referring to Fig. 45, the alignment of the top 1858 with the shaft 1802 can be adjusted by adjusting a plurality of screws 4304 and a set screw 4306, respectively. In this embodiment, adjustment screw 4304 and set screw 4306 are used to adjust the alignment of top 1858 with short stem 4302 . More specifically, screw 4304 and set screw 4306 can be used to adjust the gap between top 1858 and short stem 4302 . In this embodiment, the alignment of the top 1858 and the short stem 4302 can be adjusted substantially in all directions using three screws 4304 and a set screw 4306 centrally located between the top 1858 and the short stem 4302.

Additionally, in this embodiment, short stem 4302 is attached to shaft 1802 with a plurality of bolts 4308 . In this manner, the top 1858 can be removed from the shaft 1802 without readjusting the alignment. As mentioned earlier, the wafer holder 1604 (FIG. 37) may be removed for various reasons such as inspection, repair, maintenance, and the like. To facilitate later realignment, see Figure 43. In this embodiment, the short stem 4302 is attached to the shaft 1802 with a tenon and tenon joint. Additionally, the bolt 4308 is only in contact with the short stem 4302 and the shaft 1802 . In this way, the adjustment bolt 4308 does not interfere with the alignment of the top 1858 with the short stem 4302 .

Having thus described various exemplary embodiments of the wafer clamp assembly, various exemplary embodiments of the wafer clamp 1604 will now be described. Referring now to FIG. 49 , wafer holder 1604 includes a bottom 1856 and a top 1858 . Bottom 1856 is formed with openings to expose the bottom surface of wafer 1602 during electroplating and/or electropolishing.

In an exemplary embodiment, the bottom 1856 and top 1858 are made of any suitable electrically insulating and acid-resistant and corrosion-resistant material, such as ceramics, polytetrafluoroethylene (trade name TEFLON), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polyfluoroindene ( PVDF), polypropylene, etc. Alternatively, the bottom 1856 and top 1858 can be fabricated from any conductive material (eg, metal, metal alloy, etc.) coated with an electrically insulating and acid-resistant and corrosion-resistant material. In this exemplary embodiment, the bottom 1856 and top 1858 are made of a sandwich material of metal layers and plastic layers. Metal layers provide integrity and strength. The plastic layer provides protection from the electrolyte.

Wafer clamp 1604 includes spring 1882 , conductive member 1880 , and seal 1884 in accordance with aspects of the invention. As stated earlier, the invention is particularly suitable for use in connection with holding wafers. Generally, semiconductor wafers are substantially circular. Accordingly, the various components of wafer clamp 1604 (ie, bottom 1856, seal 1884, conductive member 1880, spring member 1882, and top 1858) are generally shown as circular. It should be recognized, however, that the various components of wafer holder 1604 may comprise various shapes depending on the particular application. For example, referring to FIG. 67 , a wafer 6700 can be formed with straight sides 6702 . In this way, the various components of the wafer holder 1604 can be made to fit the straight edge 6702.

Referring now to FIG. 51, when wafer 1602 is positioned between bottom 1856 and top 1858, according to one aspect of the present invention, spring member 1882 preferably contacts wafer 1602 along its edge. Spring member 1882 is also preferably in contact with conductive member 1880 . In this way, when the conductive member 1880 is charged with electric charge, the electric charge is conducted to the chip 1602 through the spring member 1882 .

As shown in FIG. 51 , in this exemplary embodiment, a spring member 1882 is disposed between the die 1602 and the lip 1880a of the conductive member 1880 . Thus, spring member 1882 maintains electrical contact between die 1602 and conductive member 1880 when pressure is applied to bring bottom 1856 and top 1858 together. More specifically, the top and bottom of coil-shaped spring member 1882 are in contact with wafer 1602 and lip 1880a, respectively. Additionally, the spring member 1882 can be joined to the lip 1880a by any suitable means, such as soldering, welding, etc., to form good electrical contact.

The number of contacts between the chip 1602 and the conductive member 1880 can vary with the number of coil spring members 1882 . In this manner, the charge applied to the wafer 1602 can be more evenly distributed near the outer edge of the wafer. For example, for a 200 mm wafer, a charge corresponding to 1 to 10 A is qualitatively applied. If the spring member 1882 makes 1000 contacts with the wafer 1602, the applied charge is reduced to the equivalent of 1-10 mA per contact for a 200 mm wafer.

In this exemplary embodiment, the conductive member 1880 has thus far been described and described as having a lip 1880a. It should be recognized, however, that the conductive member 1880 may include various structures to make electrical contact with the spring member 1882 . For example, conductive member 1880 may be formed without lip 1880a. In this structure, the sides of the conductive member 1880 can make electrical contact with the spring member 1882 . Also, the conductive member 1880 can be removed altogether. The charge can be applied directly to the spring member 1882 . However, in this structure, a hot spot may be formed at the portion of the spring member 1882 where the charge is applied.

The spring member 1882 can be made of any conductive and corrosion resistant material. In this exemplary embodiment, spring member 1882 is made of a metal or metal alloy (eg, stainless steel, spring steel, titanium, etc.). The spring member 1882 can also be coated with a corrosion-resistant material (such as platinum, gold, etc.). According to one aspect of the invention, the spring member 1882 is formed as an annular coil spring. However, conventional coil springs may vary in cross-section along the length of the coil. More specifically, generally, a conventional coil spring has an elliptical cross-section with a major diameter and a minor diameter. In a part of the coil spring, the major diameter and the minor diameter of the elliptical cross-section can be taken longitudinally and transversely, respectively. However, this tends to twist and rotate the overall elliptical cross-section typically along the length of the coiled spring. Then, in another part of the coil spring, the long diameter and short diameter of the elliptical cross-section can take the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction respectively. This non-uniformity in the cross-section of the coiled springs can cause non-uniform electrical contact with the wafer 1602, resulting in non-uniform plating.

It is difficult and cost prohibitive to produce a coil spring with a uniform cross-section along its length. Thus, according to one aspect of the invention, spring member 1882 is formed from a plurality of coiled springs to maintain a substantially uniform cross-section. In one embodiment of the invention, when the spring member 1882 is placed atop the lip 1880A, the applied charge is conducted by the lip 1880a through the entire length of the spring member 1882. Therefore, in this configuration, the plurality of coiled springs need not be electrically interconnected. However, as mentioned earlier, in an alternative configuration of the invention, the electrical charge may be applied directly to the spring member 1882 . In this construction, a plurality of coiled springs are electrically connected by any suitable means such as soldering, welding or the like. In this embodiment, the spring member 1882 comprises a plurality of coil springs, each coil spring is 1-2 inches long. It should be recognized, however, that spring member 1882 may comprise any number of coil springs of any length, depending on the particular application. Also, as noted earlier, spring member 1882 may comprise any suitable flexible and conductive material.

Referring to FIGS. 50 and 51 , the spring member 1882 may comprise a spring holder 5002 . In this exemplary embodiment, when the spring member 1882 is a coil spring, the spring frame 5002 can be formed as a rod passing through the center of the coil spring helix. The spring holder 5002 facilitates control of the spring member 1882, especially when the spring member 1882 comprises multiple coiled springs. Additionally, the spring bracket 5002 provides structural support to reduce unwanted deformation of the spring member 1882 . In this exemplary embodiment, the spring frame 5002 is preferably made of a corrosion resistant material (eg, platinum, titanium, stainless steel, etc.). Also, the spring frame 5002 can be conductive or non-conductive.

Conductive member 1880 may be made of any convenient conductive and corrosion resistant material. In this exemplary embodiment, the conductive member 1880 is made of a metal or metal alloy (eg, titanium, stainless steel, etc.) coated with a corrosion-resistant material (eg, platinum, gold, etc.).

Charge can be applied to conductive member 1880 via transmission line 5104 and electrode 5102 . It should be recognized that transmission line 5104 may comprise any convenient electrical conductor. For example, transmission line 5104 may include wires made of copper, aluminum, gold, or the like. Additionally, transmission line 5104 may be connected to power sources 1640, 1642, and 1644 (FIG. 16) in any convenient manner. For example, as shown in FIG. 18A , the transmission line 5104 can be routed through the top 1858 and along the upper surface of the top 1858 .

Electrode 5102 is preferably made flexible. Thus, the electrode 5102 compliantly maintains electrical contact with the conductive member 1880 when pressure is applied to bring the bottom 1856 and top 1858 together. In this regard, the electrode 5102 may comprise a flat spring assembly, a coiled spring assembly, or the like. Electrodes 5102 may be made of any convenient conductive material (eg, any metal, metal alloy, etc.). In this exemplary embodiment, electrode 5102 is made of a corrosion resistant material (eg, titanium, stainless steel, etc.). Additionally, any number of electrodes 5102 may be disposed around top 1858 to apply electrical charge to conductive member 1880 . In this exemplary embodiment, four electrodes 5102 are disposed about the top 1858 at approximately equal intervals of about 90°.

As described above, to plate the metal layer, the wafer 1602 is dipped in an electrolyte and an electric charge is applied. When the wafer 1602 is charged with a higher potential than the electrodes 1632, 1634 and 1636 (FIG. 16), metal ions in the electrolyte migrate to the surface of the wafer 1602 to form a metal layer. However, if the spring member 1882 and the conductive member 1880 are exposed to the electrolyte, a short circuit may be caused when a charge is applied. Additionally, when the wafer 1602 contains a metal seed layer, the metal seed layer can function as an anode and the spring member 1882 can function as a cathode during the electroplating process. In this way, a metal layer can be formed on spring member 1882 and the seed layer on wafer 1602 can be electropolished (ie, removed). Shorting the spring member 1882 and removing the seed layer on the wafer 1602 can reduce the uniformity of the metal layer formed on the wafer 1602 .

Thus, in accordance with aspects of the invention, seal 1884 insulates spring member 1882 and conductive member 1880 from the electrolyte. The seal 1884 is preferably made of corrosion-resistant material such as fluorine (fluorocarbon) rubber, silicone rubber, and the like. Furthermore, although in this exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 51, the seal 1884 has an L-shaped cross-section, it should be recognized that the seal 1884 also includes a variety of shapes and configurations depending on the particular application. Some examples of various configurations of seal 1884 are shown in Figures 53A-53G. It should be recognized, however, that the various configurations shown in FIGS. 53A-53G are examples only, and are not meant to represent every and every possible alternative configuration for seal 1884 .

As described above and as shown in FIG. 51 , spring member 1882 and seal member 1884 contact wafer 1602 along its outer edge. More specifically, spring member 1882 and seal member 1884 contact width region 5106 of the outer edge of wafer 1602 . Typically, this area of wafer 1602 cannot be used later to fabricate microelectronic structures and the like. Thus, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, width region 5106 occupies only a small fraction of the total surface area of wafer 1502. For example, for a 300mm wafer, the width region 5106 remains between 2-6mm. It should be recognized, however, that width region 5106 may comprise any proportion of the total surface area of wafer 1602, depending on the particular application. For example, in one application, the amount of metal layer deposited on wafer 1602 may be more important than the available area of wafer 1602 . In this way, most of the surface area of the wafer 1602 is available for contact with the spring member 1882 and the seal member 1884 to accept a large applied charge.

Referring now to FIG. 54, the process steps performed with the wafer holder 1604 (FIG. 51) are presented in flow chart format. Referring to FIG. 51, the wafer holder 1604 is opened (FIG. 54, block 5402) to accept the wafer 1602 to be processed. More specifically, bottom 1856 may be lowered relative to top 1858 . Alternatively, top 1858 may also rise relative to bottom 1856 . As mentioned earlier, the wafer holder 1604 can be opened by various means, such as pneumatic, spring, vacuum, magnetic, etc.

If the wafer holder 1604 is empty (Fig. 54, 'yes' branch of decision blocks 5404-5408), then a new wafer 1602 to be processed is provided or loaded (Fig. 54, block 5408). However, if the wafer holder 1604 contains a previously processed wafer, the previously processed wafer is taken out by the wafer holder 1604 (FIG. 54, the 'No' branch of decision blocks 5404-5406), and then a new wafer 1602 is loaded (FIG. 54 , block 5408). Manipulation of wafer 1602 is accomplished with robot 106 (FIG. 16), as described above. Furthermore, there may be cassette 116 (FIG. 3) to obtain wafer 1602 and return wafer 1602 to cassette 116 (FIG. 3).

After wafer holder 1604 is loaded with wafer 1602, wafer holder 1604 may be closed (FIG. 54, block 5410). As mentioned earlier, the bottom 1856 may rise relative to the top 1858 . Alternatively, top 1858 may be lowered relative to bottom 1856 . As noted above, spring member 1882 makes electrical contact with wafer 1602 and conductive member 1880 when wafer clamp 1604 is closed. Additionally, conductive member 1880 forms electrical contact with electrode 5102 .

After the wafer clamp 1604 is closed, the wafer clamp 1604 is lowered into the electrolyte reservoir 1608 (FIG. 16) (FIG. 54, block 5412). As described above, the wafer 1602 is immersed in the electrolyte. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the sealing member 1884 prevents the electrolyte from contacting the spring member 1882 and the conductive member 1880 .

When the wafer 1602 is immersed in the electrolyte, an electric charge is applied to the wafer 1602 (FIG. 54, block 5414). More specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, charge is applied to wafer 1602 via transmission line 5104 , conductor 5102 , conductive member 1880 , and spring member 1882 . As mentioned above, the spring member 1882 forms a plurality of contacts on the outer edge of the wafer 1602 to distribute the charge applied to the wafer 1602 more uniformly. In addition, as mentioned above, the spring element 1882 forms multiple contacts with the conductive element 1880 so that the charge applied to the spring element 1882 can be distributed more evenly. It will be appreciated that the charge may be applied before or after the wafer holder 1604 is lowered into the electrolyte reservoir 1608 (FIG. 16).

As described earlier, the wafer holder 1604 can be rotated to make the metal layer plated on the wafer 1602 (FIG. 16) more uniform. As shown in Figure 16, in this exemplary embodiment, wafer holder 1604 is rotatable about the z-axis. Additionally, the wafer clamp 1604 can vibrate along the x-y plane.

Referring again to FIG. 51 , after the wafer 1602 has been electroplated and/or electropolished, the wafer holder 1604 may then be lifted from the electrolyte container 1608 ( FIG. 16 ) (FIG. 54, block 5416). According to another aspect of the present invention, a dry gas (such as argon, nitrogen, etc.) is supplied to remove residual electrolyte. More specifically, referring to FIG. 52A , drying gas is supplied through nozzle 5202 to remove residual electrolyte where seal 1884 is bonded to wafer 1602 . It should be recognized that any number of nozzles 5202 may be used depending on the particular application. Additionally, the wafer holder 1604 may rotate while the nozzle is supplying drying gas. As such, the nozzle 5202 may be fixed or movable.

After the wafer clamp 1604 is lifted, the wafer clamp 1604 is opened (FIG. 54, block 5402). The processed wafer is removed (Fig. 54, 'No' branch of decision blocks 5404-5406). A dry gas (such as argon, nitrogen, etc.) can be supplied to remove residual electrolyte. More specifically, referring to FIG. 52B , nozzle 5204 supplies dry gas to remove residual electrolyte on conductive member 1880 , spring member 1882 , and seal member 1884 . In addition, the wafer holder 1604 may rotate while the nozzle 5204 is supplying drying gas. As such, the nozzle 5204 may be fixed or movable.

After a new wafer is provided (FIG. 54, block 5408), the entire process can be repeated. It should be recognized, however, that various modifications can be made to the process steps shown in Figure 4 without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the following description and associated drawings, various alternative embodiments of aspects of the invention will be described and illustrated. It should be recognized, however, that these alternative embodiments are not meant to demonstrate all of the various modifications that may be made to the invention. Rather, these alternative embodiments demonstrate only some of the many possible modifications without departing from the concept and/or scope of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 55, in an exemplary alternative embodiment of the invention, a wafer holder 5500 includes a purge line 5506, a nozzle 5508, and a nozzle 5510 in accordance with aspects of the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, purge line 5506, nozzles 5508 and 5510 feed dry gas (eg, argon, nitrogen, etc.) to spring member 5514 and seal member 5504. In this way, after processing the wafer 1602, the residual electrolyte of the spring member 5514 and the seal member 5504 can be blown off. As described above, keeping the spring member 5514 free of electrolyte facilitates more uniform plating. Additionally, the electrolyte blowing off the seal 5504 allows for a better seal when processing the next wafer. As shown in FIG. 55 , in this exemplary embodiment, purge line 5506 , nozzles 5508 and 5510 are all made in conductive member 5502 . Additionally, purge line 5506 can be connected to pressurization line 1852 (FIG. 18A). It should be recognized, however, that wafer holder 5500 may be suitably equipped with purge line 5506, nozzles 5508, and 5510 in various ways without departing from the spirit and/or scope of the present invention. Also, it should be recognized that any number of purge lines 5506 , nozzles 5508 and 5510 may be fabricated in wafer holder 5500 .

Referring now to FIG. 56, in another exemplary alternative embodiment of the invention, a wafer holder 5600 includes a purge line 5602 and a plurality of nozzles 5604 in accordance with aspects of the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, a purge line 5602 and a plurality of nozzles 5604 deliver a dry gas (eg, argon, nitrogen, etc.) to the seal 5606 . In this manner, after the wafer 1602 has been processed and removed from the wafer holder 5600, residual electrolyte on top of the seal 5606 can be blown off. As shown in FIG. 56 , in this exemplary embodiment, a purge line 5602 and a plurality of nozzles 5604 can be made in the top 5608 . It should be recognized, however, that wafer holder 5600 may be suitably equipped with purge line 5602 and plurality of nozzles 5604 in various ways without departing from the spirit and/or scope of the present invention. Also, it should be recognized that any number of purge lines 5602 and nozzles 5604 may be fabricated in the wafer holder 5600.

Referring now to FIG. 57, in yet another exemplary alternative embodiment of the invention, a wafer holder 5700 includes a purge line 5702 and a plurality of nozzles 5704 and 5710 in accordance with aspects of the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, purge line 5702 and a plurality of nozzles 5704 and 5710 feed dry gas (eg, argon, nitrogen, etc.) to seal 5706 and spring 5712, respectively. In this manner, after the wafer 1602 has been processed and removed from the wafer holder 5700, residual electrolyte on top of the seal 5706 and spring 5712 can be blown off. As shown in FIG. 57 , in this exemplary embodiment, a purge line 5702 and a plurality of nozzles 5704 and 5710 can be made in the top 5708 . It should be recognized, however, that wafer holder 5700 may be suitably equipped with purge line 5702 and plurality of nozzles 5704 and 5710 in various ways without departing from the spirit and/or scope of the present invention. Also, it should be recognized that any number of purge lines 5702 and nozzles 5704 and 5710 may be fabricated in wafer holder 5700.

Referring now to FIG. 58, in yet another exemplary alternative embodiment of the invention, a wafer holder 5800 includes a purge line 5802 and a plurality of seal rings 5804 and 5806 in accordance with aspects of the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, seal ring 5806 forms a seal between conductive member 5808 and bottom 5810 . Likewise, seal ring 5804 forms a seal between conductive member 5808 and top 5812 . Therefore, the sealing quality between the wafer 1602 and the sealing member 5814 can be checked by sending positive pressure gas into the purge line 5802 and checking for leaks. Alternatively, the quality of the seal between the wafer 1602 and the seal 5814 can be checked by pumping down the purge line 5802 to create a negative pressure. If the latter process is used, in order to prevent the electrolyte from being sucked into the purge line 5802, the pumping of the purge line 5802 should be stopped after the wafer 1602 is processed, and positive pressure gas should be sent through the purge line 5802 before the wafer 1602 is removed. After the wafer 1602 is processed and removed from the wafer holder 5800, a dry gas (such as argon, nitrogen, etc.) is sent through the purge line 5802 to blow off the residual electrolyte of the spring member 5816 and the sealing member 5814.

Referring now to FIG. 59, in yet another exemplary alternative embodiment of the present invention, a wafer holder 5900 includes a trapezoidal shaped seal 5902 in accordance with aspects of the present invention. The trapezoidal shape of the seal 5902 facilitates removal of residual electrolyte from the seal 5902 as the wafer chuck 5900 is rotated after processing the wafer 1602. In this exemplary embodiment, the angle 5904 of the seal 5902 may range from 0° to 60°, preferably 20°.

Referring now to FIG. 60, in yet another exemplary alternative embodiment of the invention, a wafer holder 6000 includes a purge line 6002 in accordance with aspects of the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, purge line 6002 is formed via bottom 6006 and seal 6004 . The positive pressure gas is sent through the cleaning pipeline 6002 to check the sealing quality between the wafer 1602 and the sealing member 6004. Alternatively, the purge line 6002 can be evacuated to create a negative pressure to check the quality of the seal between the wafer 1602 and the seal 6004 . As mentioned above, if the latter process is used, in order to prevent the electrolyte from being sucked into the purge line 6002, the pumping of the purge line 6002 should be stopped after processing the wafer 1602, and then sent through the purge line 6002 to the positive electrode before the wafer 1602 is taken out. pressurized gas.

Referring now to FIG. 61, in yet another exemplary alternative embodiment of the invention, a wafer holder 6100 includes a purge line 6102, a purge line 6108, and a plurality of seal rings 6116 and 6104 in accordance with aspects of the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, the seal ring 6116 forms a seal between the conductive member 6118 and the top 6110. Likewise, the sealing ring 6104 forms a seal between the conductive member 6118 and the bottom 6106 . Therefore, the quality of the seal between the wafer 1602 and the seal 6112 can be checked with the purge line 6102 and/or the purge line 6108 .

More specifically, in one configuration, the quality of the seal may be checked by feeding compressed gas into purge line 6102 and purge line 6108 and leak testing. In another configuration, the purge line 6102 and the purge line 6108 can be evacuated to create a negative pressure to check the quality of the seal between the wafer 1602 and the seal 6112 . In yet another configuration, compressed gas may be fed to either purge line 6102 or purge line 6108 while the other draws down to create a negative pressure. When using negative pressure leak detection, in order to prevent the electrolyte from being sucked into the purge line 6102 and/or purge line 6108, the pumping should be stopped after processing the wafer 1602, and then pass through the purge line 6102 and/or purge line 6102 and/or purge line 6102 before taking out the wafer 1602. The wash line 6108 is fed with positive pressure gas. After the wafer 1602 has been processed and taken out from the wafer holder 6100, a dry gas (such as argon, nitrogen, etc.) is sent through the purge line 6102 and/or purge line 6108 to blow off the residual electrolysis of the seal 6112 and the spring 6114. liquid.

Referring now to FIG. 62, in another exemplary alternative embodiment of the invention, a wafer clamp 6200 includes a spring member 6208, a conductive member 6210, and a seal member 6206 in accordance with aspects of the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, both the spring member 6208 and the conductive member 6210 are disposed within the seal member 6206 . The advantage of this structure is that the spring element 6208, the conductive element 6210 and the sealing element 6206 can be pre-assembled.

Wafer holder 6200 also includes a purge line 6214 and a plurality of nozzles 6212 formed via seal 6214 and conductive member 6210 . The positive pressure gas is sent through the purge line 6214 to check the sealing quality between the wafer 1602 and the sealing member 6206 . Alternatively, the purge line 6214 can be evacuated to create a negative pressure to check the quality of the seal between the wafer 1602 and the seal 6206 . As mentioned above, if the latter process is used, in order to prevent the electrolyte from being sucked into the purge line 6214, the pumping of the purge line 6214 should be stopped after the wafer 1602 is processed, and then a positive pressure should be sent through the purge line 6214 before the wafer 1602 is removed. gas.

Referring now to FIG. 63 , in yet another exemplary alternative embodiment of the present invention, a wafer holder 6300 includes a purge line 6302 and a plurality of nozzles 6304 . In this exemplary embodiment, a purge line 6302 and a plurality of nozzles 6304 deliver a dry gas (eg, argon, nitrogen, etc.) over the seal 6310 , conductive member 6308 , and spring member 6306 . In this manner, after the wafer 1602 has been processed and removed from the wafer holder 6300, residual electrolyte on top of the seal 6310, conductive member 6308, and spring member 6306 can be blown off. As shown in FIG. 63 , in this exemplary embodiment, a purge line 6302 and a plurality of nozzles 6304 can be made in the top 6312 . It should be recognized, however, that the wafer holder 6300 may be suitably equipped with the purge line 6302 and the plurality of nozzles 6304 in various ways without departing from the spirit and/or scope of the present invention. Also, it should be recognized that any number of purge lines 6302 and nozzles 6304 may be fabricated in the wafer holder 6300.

Referring now to FIG. 64 , in yet another exemplary alternative embodiment of the present invention, a wafer holder 6400 includes a seal 6402 . In this exemplary embodiment, the sealing member 6402 is formed with a square inner groove to receive the spring member 6404 . The advantage of this structure is that the spring member 6404 is placed more reliably. It should be recognized, however, that various shapes of seal 6402 can be made depending on the particular application.

Referring now to FIG. 65, in yet another exemplary alternative embodiment of the invention, a wafer holder 6500 includes a purge line 6502, a purge line 6508, and a seal ring 6506 in accordance with aspects of the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, a seal ring 6506 forms a seal between the bottom 6504 and top 6510. Therefore, the quality of the seal between the wafer 1602 and the seal 6512 can be checked with the purge line 6502 and/or the purge line 6508 .

More specifically, in one configuration, the quality of the seal can be checked by feeding compressed gas into purge line 6502 and purge line 6508 and leak testing. In another configuration, the purge line 6502 and the purge line 6508 can be evacuated to create a negative pressure to check the quality of the seal between the wafer 1602 and the seal 6512 . In yet another configuration, compressed gas may be fed to either purge line 6502 or purge line 6508 while the other draws down to create a negative pressure. When using negative pressure leak detection, in order to prevent the electrolyte from being sucked into the purge line 6502 and/or purge line 6508, the pumping should be stopped after the wafer 1602 is processed, and then go through the purge line 6502 and/or purge line 6502 before taking out the wafer 1602. Wash line 6508 is fed with positive pressure gas. After the wafer 1602 has been processed and taken out from the wafer holder 6500, a dry gas (such as argon, nitrogen, etc.) is sent through the purge line 6502 and/or the purge line 6508 to blow off the residual electrolysis of the seal 6512 and the spring 6514. liquid.

Referring now to FIG. 66, in yet another exemplary alternative embodiment of the present invention, a wafer holder 6600 includes a trapezoidal seal 6602 in accordance with aspects of the present invention. The trapezoidal shape of the seal 6602 facilitates removal of residual electrolyte from the seal 6602 when the wafer clamp 6600 is rotated after processing the wafer 1602. In this exemplary embodiment, the angle 6604 of the seal 6602 may range from 0° to 60°, preferably 20°.

As stated earlier, while the invention has been described in connection with a number of alternative embodiments shown in the drawings, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and/or scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed as limited to the drawings and the specific forms described above.

Claims (43)

1. An electroplating and/or electropolishing tank for electroplating and/or electropolishing wafers in an electrolytic solution, comprising: a wafer holder to hold the wafer; an electrolyte container containing electrolyte; a wafer clamp assembly configured to move said wafer clamp between first and second positions, wherein said wafer clamp is open in said first position and closed in said second position, Wherein the wafer clamp is placed in the electrolyte container while in the second position. 2. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 1, said electrolyte container comprising: first partition; A second separator, wherein the first and second separators divide the electrolyte container into at least three sections. 3. The electroplating and/or electropolishing bath of claim 2, wherein said wafer holder assembly positions said wafer holder in said electrolyte reservoir such that between said first and second compartments, said wafer holder A gap is formed between the plates. 4. The electroplating and/or electropolishing bath of claim 3, wherein the electrolyte flows in a gap formed between the wafer and the first and second separators. 5. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 4, wherein the wafer clamp assembly positions the wafer face relative to the electrolyte surface. 6. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 5, wherein the wafer holder assembly further comprises a plurality of adjustment screws to adjust the orientation of the wafer holder relative to the electrolyte surface. 7. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 1, wherein said wafer holder assembly comprises: a top; A bottom includes openings to expose the wafer surface when the wafer is held between said top and said bottom. 8. The electroplating and/or electropolishing bath of claim 7, wherein the wafer holder assembly further comprises a spring member disposed between the base and the wafer, wherein the spring member is arranged to apply an electric charge to the wafer. 9. The electroplating and/or electropolishing bath of claim 8, wherein the spring member is in contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer such that the applied charge is distributed around the peripheral portion of the wafer. 10. The electroplating and/or electropolishing bath of claim 8, wherein said wafer holder assembly further comprises a conductive member disposed between said top and said bottom, wherein said conductive member is disposed toward said spring member Apply charge. 11. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 10, wherein said wafer holder assembly further comprises a seal between said bottom and wafer, wherein said seal is formed between said bottom and wafer Sealed to insulate the spring member and conductive member from the electrolyte. 12. The plating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 7, wherein the wafer clamp assembly further comprises a spring assembly configured to open and close the wafer clamp. 13. The electroplating and/or electropolishing bath of claim 12, wherein said spring assembly comprises: a rod having first and second ends, said first end engaging said base; a spring disposed between said second end of said rod and said top. 14. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 13 , wherein when the wafer clamp is moved to the first position, the lever separates the top from the bottom and the spring The second end of the rod is compressed between the top. 15. The plating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 13, wherein when the wafer holder is moved to the second position, the spring expands to bring the top and bottom together. 16. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 7, wherein said wafer holder assembly further comprises: a shaft having first and second ends, said first end being secured to said top; a bracket connected to said second end of said shaft; and An actuator assembly coupled to the carriage moves the wafer holder between the first and second positions. 17. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 16, wherein the actuator assembly comprises: a rail; a lead screw connected to the bracket; a motor coupled to the lead screw, wherein the motor rotates the lead screw to move the carriage along the track. 18. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 16, wherein said wafer holder assembly further comprises a rotation assembly for rotating said wafer holder. 19. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 18, wherein said rotating assembly comprises; a drive belt connected to said shaft; a motor connected to the drive belt. 20. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 18, further comprising a slip ring assembly connected to said carriage, wherein said shaft rotates within the slip ring assembly. 21. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 20, wherein said slip ring assembly is configured to deliver electrical charge to said shaft. 22. A plating and/or electropolishing bath as claimed in claim 21, wherein said slip ring assembly comprises a brush assembly for providing electrical charge to said shaft as said shaft rotates. 23. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 20, wherein the slip ring assembly is configured to provide vacuum, reduced pressure gas, and/or compressed gas to at least one inlet formed in the shaft. 24. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 23, wherein said slip ring assembly comprises: at least one inlet formed in said slip ring assembly; A plurality of seals disposed between the slip ring assembly and the shaft to form at least one sealed cavity between the inlet formed in the slip ring and the inlet formed in the shaft. 25. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 20, further comprising a first adjustment assembly to adjust the orientation of the bracket to the slip ring assembly. 26. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 25, wherein the orientation of the bracket to the slip ring assembly is perpendicular. 27. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 25, wherein said first conditioning assembly comprises: multiple set screws; Multiple adjustment screws. 28. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 25, further comprising a second adjustment assembly to adjust the orientation of said shaft to said top. 29. The electroplating and/or electropolishing bath of claim 28, wherein the orientation of the axis to the top is perpendicular. 30. The electroplating and/or electropolishing bath of claim 29, wherein the centerlines of said top, said shaft, and said slip ring assembly are all centered and coaxial. 31. The electroplating and/or electropolishing cell of claim 28, wherein said second conditioning assembly comprises; a set screw connecting the top to the shaft, the set screw being located in the center of the top and on the shaft; A plurality of adjustment screws connects the top to the shaft, the plurality of adjustment screws being disposed around the set screw. 32. A method of holding a wafer during electroplating and/or electropolishing of the wafer, the method comprising: providing wafers in wafer holders; moving a wafer clamp with the wafer clamp assembly between first and second positions, wherein the wafer clamp is open in the first position, and closed in the second position, wherein the wafer clamp is in the placed in the electrolyte container in the second position described above. 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: applying electrolyte to the wafer when the wafer clamp is in the second position; A charge is applied to the wafer when the wafer clamp is in the second position, the charge being distributed around the peripheral portion of the wafer. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein said step of applying further comprises the step of applying a charge to a flexible conductive material, wherein said flexible conductive material distributes the charge around the outer edge of the wafer. 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the spring member comprises a coil spring. 36. The method of claim 34, wherein the spring member comprises a plurality of coil springs. 37. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of sealing said flexible conductive material from an electrolyte solution before said wafer holder is moved to said second position. 38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of leak testing the seal formed by the seal member prior to moving the wafer holder to the second position. 39. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of rotating the wafer clamp with the wafer clamp assembly. 40. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of moving the wafer holder to said first position after applying a charge to the plated and/or electropolished wafer. 41. The method according to claim 40, further comprising the step of sending dry gas to remove residual electrolyte on the wafer holder after the wafer holder moves to the first position. 42. The method of claim 40, further comprising the steps of: using the wafer clamp assembly to open the wafer clamp to remove the wafer; Remove the wafer from the wafer holder. 43. The method as claimed in claim 42, further comprising the step of sending dry gas to remove residual electrolyte on the wafer holder after removing the wafer from the wafer holder.

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