TWI384095B - Apparatus and methods for electrochemical processing of wafers - Google Patents

Description

Wafer electrochemical processing equipment and method thereof

The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for processing semiconductor wafers and substrates.

Microelectronic devices, such as semiconductor devices, image sensors, displays, storage media, and microelectromechanical components, are typically deposited directly or on the wafer by depositing or removing material on the wafer. Made it. Electroplating is one such process that deposits a conductive, magnetic or electrophoretic layer on a wafer. For example, electroplating processes are often used to form copper contacts or other sub-micron portions on a wafer. In addition, electropolishing processes are often used to remove material from the wafer.

Plating a material into a narrow, deep groove is a technical challenge because it is very difficult to fill a tiny structure and form the desired surface pattern on the plating (eg a uniform plane, Dome, etc.). For example, as the performance of microelectronics increases, the substantially aspect ratio and density of the trenches also increases. To fill such a small, high aspect ratio, high density trench, the current practice is usually to plate the metal on a very thin seed layer or directly onto a shield. However, the thin seed layer and the shield layer generally have a relatively high electrical resistance, so that the current density from the edge of the wafer to the center of the wafer during the initial stage of the electroplating process is greatly reduced. Therefore, the material plated on the edge of the wafer is substantially thicker than the material at the center. This edge effect is also enhanced by trenches of higher density and aspect ratio. Therefore, reducing or eliminating such edge effects is a difficult challenge.

Several electroplating reactors today use a thief electrode attached to the wafer holder to neutralize edge effects due to high resistance of the wafer or uneven symmetry of the cavity. The thief electrode will change the electric field at the perimeter of the wafer and reduce the plating rate at the perimeter of the wafer to offset the edge effect. Although such systems can alleviate edge effects, they still have some drawbacks, including the disadvantages of being prone to impurities and frequent maintenance.

Another type of system has a plurality of anodes, a thief electrode separated from the wafer holder, and a virtual thief electrode defined by a fixed size slit below the wafer. Such systems with separate thief electrodes typically place the thief electrode at the bottom of the reactor chamber. Since the thief electrode is less close to the wafer, the impurities released from the thief electrode are not plated on the wafer. However, such systems are quite sensitive to misalignment between the wafer holder and the thief electrode or anode. The positional bias causes uneven thickness on both sides of the wafer, which is more severe in systems where the wafer remains stationary during the process (eg, electroplated magnetic alloys). However, this problem can be improved for systems where the wafer will be rotated during the process. This is because the inhomogeneity between the edges and the edges is uniformized by the rotation process, which greatly reduces the sensitivity of the system to the misalignment of the position. The disadvantage of placing the thief electrode in the lower part of the cavity is that the cavity needs to be vented and disassembled first to clean the thief electrode.

Therefore, the apparatus and method of the present invention are required to reduce process variation caused by positional deviation between the wafer holder and the cavity, and reduce impurity contamination at the electrode, and can clean and maintain the electrode. Smooth progress.

In many wet chemical processes, the surface of the workpiece will be near the surface. A diffusion layer (such as a semiconductor wafer) is formed. The transfer of mass in the diffusion layer is often an important factor in the efficiency of the wet chemical process. Since the concentration of the material varies with the thickness of the diffusion layer, the system is preferably able to control the mass transfer rate of the workpiece to achieve the desired result. For example, many manufacturers increase the mass transfer rate to increase the etch rate and/or deposition rate, thereby reducing the time required for the overall process. The mass transfer rate also plays an important role in the deposition of alloys on the wafer. Because different types of ions also have different plating properties in the process liquid, the workpiece is added or controlled for alloy deposition and other wet chemical processes. The mass transfer rate of the surface is very important.

Nowadays, there is a technique for increasing or controlling the mass transfer rate of a workpiece surface by increasing the relative speed between the process liquid and the surface of the workpiece, particularly the relative velocity of the liquid flow on the workpiece (e.g., non-parallel flow). The rate of the process liquid can be increased by, for example, spraying, rotating the workpiece, or using a stir bar to agitate the process liquid adjacent the workpiece to create a high velocity turbulence on the surface of the workpiece. In the above manner, the stir bar is generally subjected to high-speed swing in the plating solution between the workpiece and the anode. The stir bar required for a single stir bar design moves faster and is also prone to high loads. The cantilevered multi-pitch design is not easy to maintain a fixed stir bar spacing. Moreover, if the drive mechanism cannot achieve precise synchronous movement at both ends of the stir bar, one end of the stir bar is easily jammed at one end and the system is suddenly stopped or damaged.

There have also been methods in the prior art for reciprocating movement using a paddle array. A typical suspension set is supported by one end and suspended over the entire workpiece. Compared with the aforementioned technology, the reciprocating group needs to perform reciprocating The moving distance is much smaller than the required moving distance of a single suspension mechanism, and at the same time provides sufficient agitation of the process liquid at the workpiece. However, in some instances, the suspension sets are arranged in such a way that the spacing between the partial suspensions (especially the suspension near the support end of the suspension set) is short (otherwise close) to the spacing of the suspensions at other locations. Suspension at the unsupported cantilever end).

Therefore, in the case of the workpiece processing apparatus, the apparatus and method need to be capable of agitating the liquid near the workpiece in a state where the agitator and the workpiece can be kept at a fixed interval without excessively high agitation speed and excessive agitation action. .

In a typical automated process system, the workpiece or wafer is moved using a robotic arm. Wafers typically have a notch or flat edge to discriminate the crystal plane of the workpiece. Some processes require consideration of the orientation of the workpiece, such as plating magnetic material on the workpiece or removing it. For such examples, the workpiece must be in the proper rotational azimuth angle in the process chamber when the process is performed. The pre-aligner has a position that senses the notch and includes a chuck or other similar device to rotate the workpiece to the proper orientation. The pre-calibration implement is a specific pre-calibration implement position set in the process system. Prior to any other process, the workpiece is first transferred from the loading and unloading station to the pre-calibration tool. The disadvantage of this approach is that the workpiece may be misaligned when it reaches the process chamber due to multiple pick-ups or placements in the process area. For example, the workpiece may need to be pre-wet, electroplated, and a rotating/rinsing/drying process step before the magnetic material deposition process, so the original position of the workpiece may have shifted when reaching the deposition process cavity. It is.

To solve this problem, the solution is to first return the workpiece to the pre-calibration tool before performing the process. However, this will take a lot of extra time. Furthermore, if the workpiece becomes wet in the previous process, it typically needs to be dried before the pre-calibration step, which in turn takes extra time and reduces the speed at which the workpiece is processed.

Therefore, the apparatus and method of the present invention are required to quickly and efficiently adjust or correct the rotational orientation of the workpiece before the workpiece is processed.

In some electroplating processes, the material deposited on the workpiece needs to be exposed to a magnetic field environment such that the material is oriented in the same orientation as the workpiece. For example, the workpiece used in a computer hard disk component is to be plated with a ferromagnetic material having a uniform magnetic orientation. In this case, it is practiced to place a strong magnet near the process chamber during the process to magnetically direct the ferromagnetic material to the desired orientation of the workpiece. However, the magnetic field generated by the magnet also affects other devices and components in the system. In addition, the chemical liquid used in the system may also cause damage to the magnet.

Therefore, the magnet in the system must be added with a protective structure. This protective structure preferably does not have much effect on other components in the system, nor does it increase the size of the system.

To overcome the problems and challenges encountered in the design of today's stolen electrodes, the device of the present invention uses an auxiliary electrode and associated auxiliary dummy electrode combination to reduce impurity contamination and process variation caused by the positional deviation between the wafer and the anode ( Non-uniformity) and provides good control over areas of the edge effect that are prone to occur around the workpiece. Auxiliary electrode and auxiliary virtual electrode system are designed Self-compensating for misalignment between the wafer holder and the counter electrode (or anode). This function is at least partially achieved by using a portion of the cavity and the wafer holder to form a slit to define a virtual auxiliary electrode, and the shape of the slit is related to the magnitude and orientation of the error between the wafer and the anode. The end of the wafer holder that is closer to the auxiliary electrode is narrower and wider at the end of the wafer that is further from the auxiliary electrode.

Still another feature of the present invention compensates for the positional deviation between the wafer holder and the electrode, i.e., the auxiliary electrode is disposed adjacent to the virtual auxiliary electrode. Thus, even a very small offset between the wafer and the anode (eg, 0.5 mm - 1.0 mm) can cause the auxiliary electrode to have a considerable effect on both ends of the wafer. It must be understood that in a multi-cavity production environment, it is difficult to achieve such precision with mechanical alignment. Therefore, in combination with the above factors, the present invention can alleviate the problem of process variation caused by the positional deviation between the wafer holder and the cavity.

The apparatus and method of the present invention also proposes a simple method of cleaning the electrode, which is achieved by disposing the auxiliary electrode over the cavity. In this way, the auxiliary electrode can be removed directly from the cavity without the need for a cavity disassembly step. The auxiliary electrode can even be disposed in the region where the process liquid flows out so that impurities brought from the auxiliary electrode can be carried away through the process flow. These impurities are then filtered out before the process liquid is recycled back to the chamber. In the present invention, the arrangement of the auxiliary electrode at a higher position and the process liquid outflow port facilitates maintenance personnel to clean the auxiliary electrode to reduce contamination of the impurity particles.

The apparatus and method of the present invention can provide excellent current density control to improve the uniformity of the plating surface or to obtain the surface of the workpiece desired by us. Sex. The method is to set the auxiliary electrode, the auxiliary dummy electrode and the cavity on the device, so that the auxiliary electrode is not limited by the shape of the cavity, and can have a great influence on the current density of the area around the wafer. More specifically, the auxiliary virtual electrode is located approximately at the edge of the wafer in the process area, and the auxiliary electrode is located adjacent to the auxiliary dummy electrode. Therefore, the current density and plating surface characteristics can be controlled by dynamically changing the magnitude of the current flowing into the auxiliary electrode without changing the physical appearance of the cavity.

This feature is ideal for electroplating different types of wafers with the same equipment, because for different wafer diameter sizes, it is only necessary to change the current applied to the auxiliary electrode to achieve the effect without changing the protection of the cavity. Structure or construction related to its appearance. In the present invention, the arrangement of the auxiliary electrode and the auxiliary dummy electrode and the plurality of anodes or virtual anodes in the cavity can further control the density of the current. The auxiliary dummy electrode in the process area is disposed at a position in the cavity where the auxiliary electrode electric field is not affected by the dielectric protection structure, which ensures that the auxiliary electrode can have a significant influence on the current density around the wafer, so that the auxiliary electrode can be effectively Controls the current density around the wafer. Thus, the apparatus of the present invention is more suitable for plating or processing a variety of different types of wafers than systems in the prior art where current control around the wafer is affected by the external cavity type.

The device cavity of the present invention may further comprise an auxiliary electrode, an auxiliary dummy electrode and more than one counter electrode, which can be regarded as an anode in various specific plating or electropolishing applications. Or the cathode to operate. The auxiliary electrode operates independently of the counter electrode in the cavity. In addition, the auxiliary electrode can be a thief electrode of the same polarity as the wafer (thief Electrode). The auxiliary electrode can also be a de-plate electrode, which can perform a deplating process on the annular contact portion on the wafer during the process. Alternatively, the auxiliary electrode can be used as another counter electrode of opposite polarity to the wafer during a partial plating or polishing process. The auxiliary dummy electrode is located in the process area and is set to neutralize the electric field offset generated between the wafer and the counter electrode when the wafer is in the process area.

More specifically, the auxiliary dummy electrode includes a slit for shaping an electric field component from the auxiliary electrode. A portion of the slit is formed by at least a portion of the cavity and a portion of the wafer holder portion disposed by the wafer. During operation, the positional deviation between the wafer holder and the cavity causes the width of the slit to be on one side of the wafer holder to be different from the width of the other side of the wafer holder. For example, the width of the slit at the edge of the cavity is small, at which point the wafer holder is closer to the auxiliary electrode, while the wafer holder on the other side is further away from the auxiliary electrode. A narrower portion of the slit reduces the effect of the auxiliary electrode, while a wider portion of the slit enhances the effect of the auxiliary electrode on the other side. The different degree of influence of the auxiliary electrode on both sides of the wafer holder can self-compensate for the positional deviation between the wafer holder and the counter electrode. Here, when the wafer holder fixes a wafer in the process area, the device can compensate for process variations caused by the positional deviation between the wafer holder and the cavity.

In the electrochemical processor of the present invention, an improved agitator or suspension system is used to provide the desired amount of agitation of the liquid on the surface of the workpiece while maintaining an appropriate spacing between the agitator and the workpiece. The agitator contains one or more elongated agitating elements. The agitating member has a first support member at one end and a second support member at the other end. a motor coupled to the first support member The agitator is moved along a linear path relative to the process position. A linear guide will engage the second support member. Since the agitator is not driven at the same time at both ends, the possibility that the agitator is stuck and stopped can be reduced. Providing a linear guide at the other end of the drive end of the agitator maintains a constant spacing between the agitation element and the workpiece along the surface of the workpiece.

In some designs of the invention, the linear guide is positioned to limit the reciprocating movement of the agitator along the first axis at the process position and to allow linear movement of the agitator along a linear path that is generally perpendicular to the first axis The second axis is aligned. The linear guide also moves the agitator along a third axis, which is generally perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis, reducing the likelihood of the agitator jamming on the linear guide. For example, the linear guide can include a U-shaped channel having an upwardly facing opening and the channel can carry a roller that is coupled to the second support member. At least one of the rollers is placed in contact with one of the side walls of the passage, and the other of the rollers is not, so that at least a slight movement is allowed along the third axis.

During operation, process liquid is directed upward into a workpiece in the chamber that is located in the process area. The process liquid is then radially outwardly directed at the workpiece and flows through a weir. By driving the first support member to move along the liquid path, the process liquid at the workpiece is agitated by the agitator. The reciprocating motion of the agitator between the process positions is limited in the direction of the first axis, but may be moved along a second axis (such as a reciprocating shaft) that is generally transverse to the first axis, or may be along a normal The third axis of the first axis that is perpendicular to the second axis moves to reduce the likelihood of jamming.

In order to improve the accuracy of detecting wafer orientation, it is used in the process system. The robotic wall of the wafer can include a base unit that can be moved along a guiding path and a carrier that can be moved with the base unit. The carrier contains an end-effector (herein referred to as an end effector) that engages the workpiece and reciprocates between the bases. The conveyor further includes a position sensor mount to determine the rotational orientation of the workpiece when it is loaded by the end effector. Therefore, when discriminating the rotational orientation of the workpiece, the transfer device does not need to separately provide individual support members to fix the workpiece. When the workpiece is reciprocated between the process stations or the rotational orientation of the workpiece is determined, the same end effector can be used to carry the workpiece. In a specific arrangement, the gripping portion of the edge of the end effector can be in contact with the edge of the workpiece. Therefore, the center of the workpiece does not need to be supported by a vacuum chuck to determine its rotational orientation in the conveyor. This special setting also saves the drying steps required to detect the rotational orientation of the workpiece in the prior art.

The position sensor is operative to couple with a controller (wireless or otherwise) to provide a signal related to the rotational orientation of the workpiece. The controller can compare the detected workpiece rotation orientation with a target value to determine the correction value required for the rotation orientation, and transmit the correlation signal of the correction value.

The rotational orientation of the workpiece can be updated or corrected in one or more ways. For example, the transfer device can move the workpiece to a support position that is closest to the end of the process chamber, and the support member can rotate the workpiece to its corrected orientation and carry the workpiece in the process chamber during the validation step. In another arrangement, the conveyor includes a plurality of hinged links. The connection is arranged in such a way that when the workpiece is placed on the support element it will be in the proper rotational orientation so that the process can be carried out directly when the workpiece is placed on the support element. above In both cases, the workpiece is positioned directly in a rotational manner without the need to transport the workpiece to a particular alignment station, and there is no need to provide individual support elements to hold the workpiece during the determination of the rotational orientation.

In an electrochemical process system that uses a magnet to align the plating material on the wafer to a particular magnetic orientation, a surrounding body around the magnet encloses the magnet to isolate it from the process chemistry to protect the magnet. A magnetically conductive protective layer is located between the magnet and the system arm or the path of the conveyor, so that the conveyor is not affected by the magnetic field generated by the magnet. The protective layer for protecting the transfer device can also provide a magnetic flux return path so that the magnetic field inside the process chamber and the magnetic direction of the material deposited on the wafer are more fixed and reliable. Other system components are also protected from the magnetic field. For example, a motor for driving a workpiece-related support member (which carries a workpiece in a process chamber) is one of its protective objects.

The scope of the invention also encompasses the sub-combinations of the components and the steps described.

Correction of electrode and wafer misalignment

The wafer or workpiece referred to in the embodiment of the present invention refers to a semiconductor object (such as a germanium wafer, a gallium arsenide wafer, etc.) formed on or in which a micro component or device is formed, and a non-conductor object (such as ceramic). Substrate, glass, etc.), conductor objects (such as doped wafers, conductive substrates, etc.) or other substrates. A miniature component includes microelectronic circuits or components, thin film magnetic heads, data storage or memory components, microfluidics, micro-optics, micromechanics, and micro-motor devices. The electrochemical process proposed in the embodiments of the present invention includes processes such as electroplating, electro-erosion, electropolishing, and/or anodizing.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an apparatus 100 for performing an electrochemical process of a wafer W. The device 100 includes a container 110 having a process zone Z (dashed area in the figure) that allows the wafer W to be housed for electrochemical processing of the surface of the wafer W. The volume 110 is mounted to hold the process liquid, and at least one counter electrode is placed in the volume 110 (not shown in Figure 1). The wafer W can be electrically connected to a power supply such that the wafer W becomes the anode terminal or the cathode terminal of the working electrode, and the counter electrode in the capacitor 110 serves as its corresponding cathode terminal or anode terminal. The device 100 further includes an auxiliary electrode 120, which can operate independently of the counter electrode in the container, and further includes an auxiliary dummy electrode 130 disposed in the process area Z (at least in the vicinity thereof). The auxiliary electrode 120 can function as a thief electrode that controls or affects the electric field at the peripheral portion of the wafer W through interaction with the auxiliary dummy electrode 130. The auxiliary electrode 120 and the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 are provided to correct the positional deviation between the wafer W and the counter electrode in the volume 110, which will be described in detail below.

The auxiliary electrode 120 is a real or solid electrode. The auxiliary dummy electrode 130 is a space or region affected by the electric field of the auxiliary electrode 120. Thus, the auxiliary virtual electrode 130 in FIG. 1 is shown as a dashed line because it is a virtual component rather than a real or physical component.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the portion of the device 100 showing several detailed features of the device. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 simultaneously, in addition to the above, the device 100 further includes a wafer holder 140 having a holding portion 142 disposed to fix the wafer W in the process area Z. More specifically, the holding portion 142 is provided to hold the surface S of the wafer W so that it faces horizontally downwards The process liquid flowing up through the process zone Z is in contact. Wafer holder 140 also includes at least one electrical contact 144 disposed to provide current to wafer W. For example, the wafer holder 140 can include an electrical contact arrangement to contact the back side of the wafer W. The wafer holder 140 can further include a plurality of electrical contacts 144 disposed to engage the contacts around the surface S of the wafer W and/or the backside of the wafer. The wafer holder 140 may also include a seal disposed at a lower lip portion of the holding portion 142 to be in close contact with a peripheral portion of the surface S of the workpiece W.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 110 further includes a member 112 having an inner edge portion 114, an edge portion 116 above the inner edge portion 114, and a peripheral portion 118. In the example of the device 100 shown in FIG. 2, the inner edge portion 114 of the member 112 is located on a plane of a corresponding portion of the holding portion 142 such that the space between the inner edge portion 114 and the holding portion 142 defines the auxiliary virtual electrode 130. The slit. The slit of the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 may be located on a plane approximately parallel to the wafer W process face and in a portion below the wafer holder 140. In the figure, the shape of the slit of the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 is a function of the space between the holding portion 142 and the inner edge portion 114. Thus, when the position of the wafer holder 140 and the container 110 is misaligned along the AA axis (Fig. 1) In the case of the wafer holder 140, the slit on one side is narrower and the slit on the other side is wider. For example, the slit of the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 at one end of the wafer holder 140 may be a first width, and the slit at the other end may be a second width depending on the wafer holder 140 and the container 110. The degree of offset between. Therefore, as described in detail below, the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 automatically corrects the positional deviation between the wafer holder 140 and the container 110 to eliminate the wafer holder 140 and the counter electrode in the container 110. Relative offset between.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the device 100 further includes a bracket 150 disposed above the member 112. Referring to FIG. 2, the bracket 150 and the member 112 form a compartment 151 with a first outflow opening 152 therebetween through which a portion of the process liquid can flow out of the process zone and through the peripheral portion 118 of the volume 110. The compartment 151 is also mounted to receive the auxiliary electrode 120 located above the process zone Z. In the example depicted in FIG. 2, the auxiliary electrode 120 is located at a radial position between the inner edge portion 114 and the surrounding portion 118 above the member 112. The auxiliary electrode 120 can be attached to the bracket 150 using a plurality of fixing rods or spacers 122 and suspended in the compartment 151 between the bracket 150 and the build 112. In another embodiment, the auxiliary electrode can be embedded in the recess 123 on the underside of the bracket 150 (shown in phantom in Figure 2). In general, the auxiliary electrode 120 is preferably disposed in a suspended manner inside the compartment 151 to prevent the process chemical liquid from accumulating in the recess. This arrangement also allows the auxiliary electrode 120 to have more surface area in contact with the process liquid. In the figure, the auxiliary electrode 120 can be coupled to a power supply by a connector 126.

The cradle portion 150 further includes an upper edge portion 154 and a plurality of selectively disposed channels 156 (shown in phantom) for allowing process liquid to flow between the cradle 150 and the wafer holder 140. Therefore, the passage 156 provides a second flow outlet for the process liquid. The process liquid flowing through the passage 156 wets the upper edge portion 154 and the upper slope of the bracket 150 to prevent crystallization from forming on the bracket 150 during drying of the process liquid. As described in more detail below, this feature is such that when the wafer mount 140 is attached to the upper edge portion 154 with the bottom facing outward, it does not touch any of the formed crystals to avoid angular misalignment of the wafer holder.

3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of device 100 depicting the operation of device 100 and its advantages. More specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates the state of the device 100 when the wafer has not been processed. In this embodiment, process liquid F will flow upward through the opening defined by member 112. The water level of the process liquid F is defined by the upper edge portion 154 of the carrier 150; therefore, in this embodiment, the upper edge portion 154 acts as a weir. During the process, the process liquid F has a water level that is slightly higher than the upper edge portion, so that the process liquid F flows through the top end of the upper edge portion 154 and the upper slope of the carrier 150 to avoid crystal formation at the top of the carrier. This feature alleviates the degree of wafer holder deflection due to crystallization at the top of the upper edge portion 154 during the process. In addition, part of the process liquid F also flows through the compartment 151 and the outflow port 152. These process liquids F will pass outwardly and out of the peripheral portion 118 of the volume 110 to carry away the impurities dropped at the auxiliary electrode 120. The process liquid F is then filtered to filter out internal impurities, bubbles and other contaminants before the next cycle through the volume 110.

Figure 4 illustrates the situation in which the wafer holder 140 in the apparatus 100 secures the wafer W to the process area Z process plane during the process. During the process, the auxiliary electrode 120 is activated to interact with the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 to provide an electric field to control the current density of the area around the wafer W. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the central axis of the wafer holder 140 is not aligned with the container 110 such that one end of the wafer holder 140 is closer to the member 112 than the other end. When this occurs, the width of the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 at the end of the wafer holder 140 closer to the auxiliary electrode 120 (the A end in the drawing) is narrower, and the wafer holder 140 is farther from the auxiliary electrode 120. The end (B end) width will It is wider. The narrower portion of the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 limits the electric field of the auxiliary electrode 120 at the wafer holder 140 and reduces the influence of the auxiliary electrode 120 on its corresponding wafer W region. Conversely, the wider portion of the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 increases the electric field of the auxiliary electrode 120 at the farther end of the wafer W from the auxiliary electrode 120. Since the slot shape defining the size of the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 is at least partially defined by the relative position between the wafer holder 140 and its corresponding volume 110, the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 automatically corrects the wafer holder 140 and the container. 110 offset offset. Thus, apparatus 100 can provide a sophisticated system that is less sensitive to positional deviations between wafer holder 140 and volume 110.

Another feature of the device 100 is that the auxiliary electrode 120 can be disposed at a position very close to the auxiliary dummy electrode 130, and the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 is located near the periphery of the wafer W. In this embodiment, the auxiliary electrode 120 is located above the member 112 near the wafer holder 140, so the distance of the auxiliary electrode 120 from the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 is shorter than the distance from the thief electrode in the prior art. This arrangement only slightly reduces the voltage between the auxiliary electrode 120 and the auxiliary dummy electrode 130. In an embodiment, the resistance between the auxiliary electrode 120 and the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 is a function of the distance between the elements and the size of the cross-sectional area of the electrolyte. As a result, the amount of change in resistance caused by the alignment offset between the wafer holder 140 and the container 110 may account for a large portion of the resistance value generated by the alignment of the normal wafer W with the auxiliary electrode 120. The difference in the width of each of the auxiliary dummy electrodes 130 has a significant influence on the electric field around the wafer W, and the surface uniformity is changed.

As shown, the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 is disposed around the wafer W. To enhance the system's ability to correct the positional deviation between the wafer holder 140 and the volume 110. For process equipment handling 200mm wafer size, the VE spacing in Figure 4 is typically 6-14, 8-12, or 9-11mm. The cross-hatched area TP in Figure 4 represents the path of the thief electrode 120 to correct the resistance. The path TP is a short and wide area in which the resistance value generated is low. Therefore, a small bit shift between the wafer and the anode causes a sufficient amount of change in the current around the wafer to correct the difference in resistance. In general, the ratio of the length or height of the path TP to the width of the path WT (the distance from arrow 130 to electrode 120 in Figure 2) is between about 0.5 and 2.5 or between 0.8 and 1.6.

The device 100 is particularly advantageous for electroplating wafers that do not undergo a rotating action during processing. For example, the magnetic media is made by holding the wafer W stationary during the electroplating process to maintain the desired orientation between the magnetic field and the wafer W. In these applications, slight misalignment between the wafer holder and the cavity results in a deviation in the magnitude of the electric field at the surface S of the wafer W. The device 100 having the auxiliary electrode 120 and the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 can eliminate the electric field unevenness caused by the positional deviation between the wafer holder 140 and the container 110, so that the auxiliary electrode 120 is separated from the wafer holder and used as this application. The part of the electrode.

Another advantage of the device 100 is that it reduces problems with impurity contamination and makes maintenance of the auxiliary electrode 120 simpler. Specifically, since the auxiliary electrode 120 is spaced apart from the wafer W and is located on the outflow path of the process liquid F, the impurity particles falling from the auxiliary electrode 120 are carried away by the process liquid and flow out of the container 110. These impurity particles are then filtered out before the process liquid F is recycled into the cavity 110. Furthermore, because the auxiliary electrode 120 is provided It is placed above the container 110, so that the electrode holder 150 can be removed from the container for simple electrode maintenance without draining and/or disassembling the container under the member 112. This advantage greatly improves the ability of the system to clean the auxiliary electrode 120 without requiring a significant amount of time for maintenance. As such, the device 100 is also particularly well-suited for use in systems that use the auxiliary electrode 120 as a thief electrode, as the electrode portion often requires cleaning.

For embodiments of the present invention, device 100 has certain advantages in processing such wafer processes because it enhances the ability to control the current density around the wafer without changing the shape of the process chamber. As noted above, many existing plating chambers are not provided with a thief electrode by using a mechanical baffle within the volume to limit the current density around the wafer. Despite the efficacy of such systems, the baffle design is not easily changed to fit the cavity type to suit different types of wafers. Moreover, such baffles sometimes limit the ability to provide the current required around the wafer during the electroplating process. Since the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 is located (at least close to) in the process zone Z, the device 100 can improve the ability to control the current density around the wafer W. For example, when the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 is positioned above any of the baffles and/or a virtual anode in the reactor, the auxiliary dummy electrode 130 has a strong influence on the current density around the wafer W. This arrangement prevents the appearance of the volume 110 from limiting the portion of the electric field generated by the auxiliary electrode 120. Therefore, by changing the current flowing into the auxiliary electrode 120 to correct the electrical properties of the wafer surface and the process liquid, the current density around the wafer W during the process can be more effectively controlled, without being exposed to the cavity or the body. Type effect. As a result, device 100 can be used to plate different types of wafers, only during the electroplating process Controlling the amount of current flowing through the auxiliary electrode 120 controls the current density without changing the physical appearance of the process chamber. This feature greatly enhances the efficiency of plating on thin seed layers or directly on the barrier layer because it must overcome the current density reduction caused by current passing through the wafer at the beginning of the electroplating process. For reasons of analysis, this feature is equally important for the application of high-density features.

Figure 5 is a side view of a device 200 in accordance with another design of the present invention, some of which are represented by cross-sectional areas, while other features are shown in outline form. The housing 110 of the device 200 includes a pair of electrodes 170 and a power supply 180 coupled to the contacts 144 and the pair of electrodes 170. In this embodiment, the counter electrode 170 is a single electrode in the volume 110. The container 110 can accommodate a single process liquid that will flow up to the wafer W. An ion exchange membrane 190 may be further included in the volume 110 of the apparatus 500. One side of the ion exchange membrane 190 is a first section 192 for storing an anolyte or a catholyte; the other side is a second section 194 for storing the corresponding cathode. Electrolyte or anolyte. Thus, device 200 operates as an electroplating or electropolishing system that operates as device 100 described in Figures 1 through 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a device 210 in accordance with yet another design of the present invention, some of which are represented by cross-sectional areas in the figures, while other features are shown in schematic form. Device 600 is similar to device 500 described above with respect to FIG. 5, but device 600 includes a plurality of independently operating counter electrodes 170a-170c coupled to a plurality of individual power supplies 182, 184 and 186, respectively. During operation, the counter electrodes 170a-170c can establish an electric field within the device 600 to The plating material is plated on the wafer W or removed from the wafer W. Therefore, in this embodiment, the device 210 functions as an electroplating or electropolishing system that can operate in the manner in which the devices 100 and 200 are operated as shown in FIGS.

Device 210 is particularly advantageous for controlling current density to correct for changes in conductivity of the bath or seed layer to accommodate different wafer thickness requirements. When the copper material is plated on a very thin seed layer or barrier layer at the beginning of the electroplating process, the current density around the wafer must be higher than the central portion due to the resistance of the seed layer or the barrier layer. The density is high. However, when the wafer is plated with a certain thickness of copper material, the current density across the wafer region becomes more uniform. Device 210 can modify the change in current density during plating by dynamically varying the amount of current applied to each pair of electrodes 170a-170c and auxiliary electrode 120. In a particular embodiment of the apparatus 210 of the present invention, the auxiliary electrode 120 is a cathode electrode and the counter electrodes 170a-170c are anodes that operate at different current levels. When the wafer is plated with an electroplated material, the amount of current that leads to the thief electrode is reduced, and the magnitude of the current to the counter electrode 170a-170c can be varied to produce the desired plating pattern on the workpiece. In other aspects of using the device 210, the method further includes changing the current to the thief electrodes 170a-170c and the auxiliary electrode 120 to correct the problem that the conductivity of the electric bath changes with time, and can have different thickness appearances and wafer types. The electroplating process provides good control.

FIG. 7 is an embodiment of the device 300 using the auxiliary dummy electrode 130. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus 300 shown in Figure 7. The device 300 includes an auxiliary electrode 120, an auxiliary dummy electrode 130, a wafer holder 140, and a holder 150. In general, the width of the auxiliary virtual electrode, as shown in Figure 2, WT The spacing is shown by the expected wafer bit offset multiplied by 8-20 or 10-15 times the length. As shown in FIG. 7 for processing a wafer device having a diameter of 200 mm, when the wafer has a maximum value of 1 mm, the WT is about 10-15 mm. The device 300 further includes a container 310 having a lower portion 312 and an upper portion 314 including a horizontal process region Z in which the wafer W is processed. There is an interface 316 between the lower portion 312 and the upper portion 314. The interface 316 can be a gasket, a filter element, and/or an ion exchange membrane.

The device 300 further includes one or more counter electrodes 330, as shown in the figure, the three pairs of electrodes are defined as a first pair of electrodes 330a, a second pair of electrodes 330b, and a third pair of electrodes 330c, respectively. Thus, the lower portion 312 is also an electrode support member having an annular compartment 332 therein and a sidewall extending upwardly adjacent the interface 316. Each of the electrodes 330a-330c is disposed in its corresponding annular compartment 332. The upper portion 314 has a plurality of channels 340 corresponding to the respective compartments 332, and each of the channels 340 includes more than one dielectric sidewall extending upwardly to define three virtual counter electrodes 350a corresponding to the electrodes 330a-330c, respectively. 350c. The electrodes 330a-330c can be independently controlled and operated by the corresponding virtual counter electrodes 350a-350c below the auxiliary dummy electrode 130.

During operation, process liquid enters cavity 310 via liquid input tube 318, which passes through the central opening of lower portion 312 and the innermost central opening of anode 330a. The process liquid flows through a fluid control assembly 320 which directs the process liquid into the interior of the volume, after which the liquid flows up to the process zone Z. In the picture. Part of the process liquid will flow The opening defined by the inner edge portion 114 and the edge portion 116 and the upper edge portion 154 described above in FIGS. 3 and 4. The other process liquid will flow down the channel 340 into the electrode compartment 332 and through the output port in the lower portion 312.

The device 300 further includes an agitator 360 disposed between the virtual anodes 350a-350c and the wafer holder 140. The agitator 360 includes a plurality of agitating members 362, which are typically a plurality of elongated rods that are parallel to one another. The agitator 360 typically reciprocates in a longitudinal orientation about the agitating member 362 to agitate the process liquid in the process zone Z. Device 300 is particularly advantageous for use in process applications where agitation is required and the wafer remains stationary during the process. In the embodiment of the present invention, since the position of the dielectric wall responsible for defining the dummy counter electrodes 350a-350c and the bottom surface of the wafer W are sufficient to provide a space for the agitator, the action of the agitator 360 is not in the device. The axial symmetry of the electric field has a significant effect. Moreover, the provision of the virtual thief electrode opening in the process zone Z above the agitator 360 minimizes the effect of the action of the agitator 360 on the electric field of the thief electrode. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the thief opening on the device 300 is disposed near the wafer (or workpiece) holder 140 and the agitator 360, and a plurality of electrodes disposed under the wafer holder 140 are disposed. Anode system with virtual anode. There is sufficient space between the virtual anode and the wafer holder for the agitator to achieve good plating quality.

Another feature of the apparatus 300 of the present invention is that the outer diameter of the third virtual anode opening 350c is greater than the outer diameter of the seal that is in close contact with the periphery of the wafer W. The benefit of this feature is that when the wafer holder 140 is not aligned with the volume 310, the crystal The edge portions of both sides of the circle W are not covered by the outer diameter portion of the third dummy electrode 350c. Therefore, the device 300 can minimize the sensitivity of the system to the positional deviation between the wafer holder 140 and the cavity 310 and the error generated during the manufacturing process.

In another embodiment of the invention, the cavity 310 can be configured to contain an anolyte to be separated from the catholyte. For example, in the embodiment, the lower portion 312 of the cavity 310 may be an anolyte chamber or a catholyte chamber through which a first process liquid flows, and the upper portion 314 may be a corresponding catholyte chamber or It is an anolyte chamber through which a second process liquid flows. The interface 316 of such a reactor is an ion exchange membrane that separates the first process liquid in the lower portion 312 from the second process liquid in the upper portion 314. The ion exchange membrane is configured to prevent the first process liquid from flowing between the lower portion 312 and the upper portion 314 of the second process liquid, but allows the desired ions to be exchanged through the membrane for electrochemical processing.

In the design of Figure 9, the cavity 110 includes a member 402 that is similar to the components described above in Figures 1 through 4. The member 402 includes an inner edge portion 114 and an edge portion 116, but no output port is provided thereon. The device also includes a bracket 410 that is coupled or integrated into the housing 110 to form a compartment 420 for providing the auxiliary electrode 120. The holder 410 contains a single opening defined by the upper edge portion to allow the process liquid to flow out of the surrounding portion 418 of the container 110.

In the design of FIG. 10, the housing 110 includes: a member 402, a bracket 510 located above the member 402 and defining a compartment 512 to And an auxiliary electrode 520 having a first portion 522 located in the compartment 512 and a second portion 524 outside the compartment 512. The first portion 522 defines a fluid passageway for process liquid to flow along the auxiliary electrode 520. Specifically, the process liquid may flow along the bottom surface of the first portion 522 and then flow inward along the upper end of the first portion 522 toward the central axis portion of the container 110. In the compartment, the auxiliary electrode 520 can be fixed to the bracket 510 using a fixing piece. In contrast, the apparatus depicted in FIG. 10 does not require the apparatus 100 as shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 to balance the flow rates of the two outlets. The device depicted in FIG. 10 also allows the process liquid to flow through its upper edge portion at a lower overflow rate, and since the path between the upper edge opening and the wafer W is longer, it is less likely to oscillate back and forth during the agitator. There are bubbles involved.

The member 112 can have other different mounting manners, and the dummy auxiliary electrode 130 can also be disposed at different positions and/or orientations (eg, at an oblique angle to the plane of the wafer or to define the shape of the different portions of the container). . In addition, the auxiliary electrode 120 may also be a de-plate electrode and/or a thief electrode. This deplating electrode can be used to remove the plating material on the wafer holder contact point. In other embodiments, the auxiliary electrode 120 can be used as a pair of electrodes, an example of which is used in a forward-reverse pulse plating process. In this example, the auxiliary electrode can act as a tipping electrode or cathode while the pulse wave is in the forward current portion, and the counter electrode in the volume acts as the anode. During the reverse current of the waveform, the auxiliary electrode acts as an anode and the counter electrode in the volume acts as a cathode. In still another embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary electrode can function as an anode and the counter electrode in the volume acts as an anode. In yet another embodiment, the inner edge of the body Or the shape of the outer surface of the wafer holder can be set to define the shape of the virtual auxiliary electrode. The inner edge of the container and/or the peripheral portion of the wafer holder may be changed during the process, or may be replaced by components of different shapes (such as oval, elliptical, eccentric, etc.). Components.

Detailed description of the agitator design

The term "agitator" refers to a device that accelerates, agitates, and/or imparts energy to a liquid near a workpiece.

In FIG. 11, system 600 includes a housing or housing (not shown for ease of illustration) that encloses table 604. The workbench 604 serves as a support platform for a process site 610 and a transport system 605. Process station 610 can include a plurality of rinse/dry chambers, cleaning chambers, etching chambers, electrochemical deposition chambers, annealing chambers, or other types of processing chambers. During the process of the cavity 630, the wafer or workpiece W may pass through at least one process site. The process station can include a volume, a reactor, a cavity 630, or a workpiece support member 620 (such as a lift rotary unit). Transfer system 605 is used to move workpiece W into or out of cavity 630. Thus, the conveyor system 605 includes a conveyor or robotic arm 606 that is movable along a linear track 603 to convey individual workpieces W within the system 600. The system 600 further includes a workpiece loading and unloading unit 601 having a plurality of volumes for receiving the workpiece W during loading of the workpiece into the loading system 600.

When the system is in operation, the transport device 606 includes a first carrier 607 that transports the workpiece from the load-and-load unit 601 to the process station 610 in accordance with a predetermined workflow within the system 600. In general, each workpiece W precedes a pre-calibration implement site 610a prior to moving to other process sites 610. Perform the workpiece alignment operation. At each process station 610, the transfer device 606 will first transfer the workpiece W from the first carrier 607 to a second carrier 621 on the support member 620. The second carrier 621 is then responsible for transporting the workpiece W when the workpiece W is being processed in its corresponding process chamber 630. The controller 602 can receive an instruction input by the operator and automatically instruct the operation of the transmitting device 606, the processing station 610, and the loading and unloading unit 601 according to the instruction. The transmitting device 620 can also be coupled to the controller 602 (e.g., by a wired or wireless first communication link 621a) and/or to the support component 612 (e.g., by a wired or wireless second communication link 621b). In this manner, information relating to the orientation of the workpiece W can be communicated from the conveyor 620 to the apparatus 100 that controls or performs the repositioning of the workpiece W.

Figure 12A is a cross-sectional view of one of the process chambers 630 shown in Figure 11. The process chamber 630 typically includes a volume 631 that can accommodate an electrochemical process liquid for processing the workpiece W (shown in phantom in Figure 12A). The container 631 includes a lower portion 639a for allowing process liquid to enter, and an upper portion 639b containing a horizontal process position P for the wafer to be processed. The process liquid enters the volume 631 via the liquid input tube 634 in the lower portion 639a and flows upward through a fluid control assembly 638 to the process position P. The process position P can be coupled to one or more electrodes 633 via a liquid or directly in a circuit contact. Therein, three electrode systems are located below the process position P, labeled as first, second and third electrodes 633a, 633b and 633c, respectively. Therefore, the lower portion 639a can serve as a support for the electrodes. In this embodiment, each of the electrodes 633a-633c is mounted in an annular cavity 632 with its sidewall extending up to the process position P. Each electrode Both 633a-633c can be independently controlled to function as anodes or can operate at their corresponding "virtual anode" locations. The "virtual anode" position is located at the opening above each electrode cavity 632. The annular contact assembly 622 can act as a cathode and provide a return path for current to flow from the electrodes 633a-633c via the electrochemical liquid to the workpiece W. Further, the return path may also be provided by a back contact which is in contact with the back surface of the workpiece W. After the process is completed, the workpiece W is subjected to a rinse and spin dry. This step is generally a set of rotation/washing/drying processes (SRD process). During the SRD process, the lip 637 is responsible for picking up the liquid from the workpiece W.

The volume 631 also includes an agitator 640 located at a process position P directly below the workpiece W. The agitator 640 includes a plurality of spaced apart elongated agitating members 642 that are reciprocable within the agitator housing 641 as indicated by the arrow R direction. The agitator housing 641 also includes a first port 635. During the process, the process liquid will first flow upward through the volume 631 and then outwardly through the surface of the workpiece W, after which the process liquid will flow radially through the first port 635. The agitator housing 641 defines a portion of the agitator cavity 629 that allows the agitator to reciprocate within it. The lower portion of the agitator cavity 629 is formed at least by the top portion 627 of the partial electrode cavity 632, and the upper portion of the cavity 629 is formed at least by a portion of the workpiece W.

The cavity 630 also includes a magnet assembly 670, which in turn includes two magnets 671 located at opposite ends of the volume 631. The magnet 671 applies a magnetic field within the cavity 631 to magnetically align the plating material in the process liquid, such as during the deposition process of the plating material on the workpiece W. In other embodiments, the cavity 630 does not need to include the magnet assembly 670, but still contains the Other features described.

The entire process chamber 630 further includes a fourth electrode 633d disposed near the process position P. The fourth electrode 633d may be coupled to a potential opposite to the first to third electrodes 633a-633c (e.g., a cathode potential). As such, the fourth electrode 633d can act as a current thief to attract the plating material that will deposit around the workpiece W. In this manner, the fourth electrode 633d can neutralize the "terminal effect" produced during electroplating, which typically occurs in the following situations: (a) when the workpiece is carried by the annular contact assembly 622, (b When the resistance of the conductive layer of the workpiece in the process liquid is too high. The fourth electrode 633d is carried by a second port 636 through which at least a portion of the process liquid flows. More detailed details of this setting will be described below with reference to Figure 12B, and other details regarding the agitator 640 will be described below with reference to Figures 13A-F.C.C.

Figure 12B is an enlarged view of the upper portion 639b of the process chamber 630 shown in Figure 12A. The agitator housing 641 will be in close contact with the upper portion 639b with a piece 628 (e.g., an O-ring). As shown in Fig. 12B, the annular contact assembly 622 includes an annular contact 623 (shown in Fig. 12B) having a contact member 623 in electrical contact with the peripheral portion of the bottom surface of the workpiece at the process position P. In general, the annular contact 623 is coupled to a cathode potential such that the workpiece W is a cathode, but the annular contact 623 can also be selectively coupled to an anode potential. The annular contact assembly 622 also includes an annular contact seal 624 to protect the interface between the annular contact 623 and the workpiece W. The annular contact assembly 622 is carried by the support member 620 (Fig. 11) so that it can be moved up and down with the volume 631 to move the workpiece W to or from its process position P.

When in the process position P, the workpiece W will contact the electrochemical liquid flowing upwardly through the opening adjacent the agitation element 642 and out of the volume 631 radially outwardly before flowing through the first port 635 and the second port 636. At the same time, the agitator 640 will reciprocate such that the agitating member 642 agitates the liquid in the vicinity of the workpiece W. In the depicted embodiment, each of the agitating members 642 has a diamond shape with tapered ends. In other embodiments, the agitating element 642 can be other shapes (eg, tapered, typically with one end of the workpiece being sharper and the other end being more blunt).

An example of this type of design is shown in Figures 22 through 24. In Figures 22 through 24, the agitator 680 includes a plurality of equally spaced phased agitation members 682. The bottom surface 684 of each element 682 (facing downward and spaced apart from the workpiece) is generally flat. The upper region of element 682 includes an angled top region 686, a first linear region 688, a second angular region 690, and a second linear region 692. The top region 686 can include a narrow flat (0.2-2 mm) bottom surface 684. The width of the bottom surface 684 is approximately three to eight times or four to six times the first straight line region 688.

The liquid passing through the first port 635 is brought into contact with the fourth electrode 633d (such as a thief electrode) to cause electrochemical connection between the fourth electrode 633d and the surrounding area of the workpiece W. In the present embodiment, since the fourth electrode 633d is close to the surrounding area of the workpiece W, the system can control the influence of the fourth electrode 633d. The second mouth 636 is kept wet by the liquid of the second port 636 and crystal formation is avoided. Crystallization may hinder contact of the annular contact assembly 622 (particularly the portion of its seal 624) with the volume 631 (particularly the upper surface of the second port 636). Therefore, the second opening 636 can be provided with a protrusion and a groove device. Help the liquid flow.

Figure 13A is a top plan view of the agitator housing 641 and the agitator 640 shown in Figures 12A and 12B. In the figures, the agitating elements 642 extend along the axis E and are generally arranged in a parallel manner. In the particular embodiment illustrated in Figure 13A, the agitating member 642 is separated by an opening through which liquid can pass, while in other embodiments, the agitator includes a base. The agitation member 642 projects upwardly from the base to form a plurality of movable compartments having openings that face the upper workpiece.

The agitator 640 generally reciprocates in a direction transverse to the axis of extension E, as indicated by the arrow R in the figure. One end of the agitator 640 is supported by a first support member 643 and the other end is supported by a second support member 644. The first support member 643 is coupled to a drive motor and the second support member 644 is coupled to a linear guide structure, which will be described in detail in the following paragraphs with reference to Figures 14 through 15C. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the first and second support members 643, 644 are surrounded by their corresponding splash chambers 645, The splash chamber 645 is configured to contain or contain liquid splashing caused by the reciprocating movement of the agitator 640. The cavity cover 646 is carried by the support members 643, 644 and moves with the support members 643, 644 along with their corresponding suppression chambers 645, Thus, the cavity cover 646 can cooperate with the movement of the agitator 640 and avoid (at least limit) the spillage of liquid from the suppression cavity 645.

Figure 13B is a bottom view of the agitator housing 641 and the agitator 640 shown in Figure 13A. In the depicted arrangement, the agitation element 642 is formed as a single piece of workpiece or cast material in one piece, with one side surrounding it Box 647. One of the advantages of this arrangement is that the stability of the agitation element 642 and the agitator 640 as a whole can be improved to maintain a constant spacing from adjacent workpieces during reciprocation. A coupler 648 at both ends of the agitator 640 connects the agitator 640 with the first support member 643 and the second support member 644. The agitator housing 641 includes a slot 649 that houses the agitator 640 and the coupler 648 and is reciprocable with the agitator 640 while it is in a liquid state. Therefore, the size of the slot 649 is preferably small enough to reduce excessive splashing of liquid. With this embodiment, the size of the slot 649 can be further reduced in the case where the system is provided with a splash chamber 645,.

Figure 13C is a cross-sectional view of the agitator 640 and the agitator housing 641 taken substantially along line 13C-13C of Figure 13A. Figure 13C illustrates the structure of an agitator 640 disposed within the agitator housing 641, one end of which is coupled to the first support member 643 via a coupler 648 and the other end coupled to the second support member 644 via another coupler 648. . Connector 648 and/or agitator 640 extend through slot 649 and can reciprocate in conjunction with agitator 640. Its reciprocating path is approximately in the plane direction transverse to FIG. The sputter cavity 645 is distributed along the circumference of the first support member 643 and the second support member 644 to accommodate liquid that enters the sputter cavity 645 via the slot 649. The cavity cover 646 can prevent or prevent liquid from spilling out of the splash cavity 645.

Figure 14 is a top plan view of the agitator 640 and the agitator housing 641 mounted in the process chamber 630. In the case where the system has an agitator housing 641, the first support member 643 and the second support member 644 extend upward from the upper portion of the self-operating position P to the corresponding splash chamber 645. For the purpose of illustration The cavity cover 646 in Fig. 13C is omitted. The first support member 643 is coupled to a linear drive 651 that is driven by a motor 650. Drive capsule 652 is disposed about linear drive 651 to protect it from the chemical environment inside and around process chamber 630 and to enable motor 650 to drive agitator 640 back and forth as indicated by the arrow R direction. The second support member 644 extends from the other end of the splash chamber 645 and is coupled to a linear guide 653. The linear guide 653 can provide its support point when the agitator 640 is reciprocating, thereby maintaining a certain distance between the agitation member 642 and the process position P. At the same time, the linear guide 653 does not affect or tether the motor 650 to drive the agitator 640 to reciprocate. The detailed configuration regarding the linear guide 653 will be described in more detail below with reference to Figs. 15A-fig.C.C.

Figure 15A is an exploded view of the portion of linear guide 653 described above in Figure 14. The linear guide 653 includes an elongated rail 654 of approximately U-shape, the ends of which are respectively supported by corresponding rail seats 657. The guide frame 655 can be slid or rolled along the guide rail 654 and attached to the second support member 644 (Fig. 14) with a bracket 661. Guide rails 656 are provided on both sides of the guide frame 655 to protect the rails 654 from their internal components from the external environment.

Figure 15B is a cross-sectional view of the portion of the linear guide 653 described above in Figure 15A. In the depicted arrangement, the guide frame 655 includes a plurality of rollers 658 that engage the rail 654 and can be rolled up thereover. In the present embodiment, the roller 658 includes three scrolling elements, such as the two first scrolling elements 658a and the second scrolling elements 658b as depicted in the figures. In a particular aspect of this arrangement, the two first scroll elements 658a are fixed in position on the rail 654 transverse to the plane of the plane of Figure 15B, while the second scrolling element The 658b can adjust its position in the cross-cut direction to reduce the likelihood of contact between the guide frame 655 and the guide rail 654 being too tight. Further details regarding this setting will be described below with reference to Figure 15C.

Figure 15C is a cross-sectional view of the linear guide 653 substantially tangent along line 15C-15C of Figure 15B. Although the following paragraphs are illustrated with a second scrolling element 658b, the description also includes the views of both the first scrolling element 658a and the second scrolling element 658b.

In Fig. 15C, the guide rail 654 includes an inner side wall 659a, an outer side wall 659b, an inner lip portion 660a disposed above the inner side wall 659a, and an outer lip portion 660b disposed above the outer side wall 659b. When the roller 658 is depicted as being scrolled along the guide track 654 (in the direction of the plane of Figure 15 C), it can contact the surface of any of the rails 654 mentioned above (including the inner side wall 659a, the outer side wall). 659b, inner lip 660a and outer lip 660b).

When the roller 658 shown in Fig. 15C is the first scrolling member 658a shown in Fig. 15B, its lateral position on the guide rail 654 is fixed. When the roller 658 corresponds to the second scroll element 658b, an eccentric adjustment mechanism can be used to move it laterally to adjust its lateral position on the rail 654, as indicated by the arrow L direction in the figure. . Thus, when the first scroll element 658a is in contact with the inner sidewall 659a, the second scroll element 658b is adjusted to be spaced apart from the inner sidewall 659a and the outer sidewall 659b. Otherwise, if the first scroll element 658a is in contact with the inner side wall 659a and the second scroll element 658b is simultaneously in contact with the outer side wall 659b, the guide frame 655 may become stuck on the guide rail 654. The purpose of adjusting the position of the second scroll element 658b is to allow at least a slight lateral movement (L direction) to reduce the guide frame The possibility of 655 stuck. At the same time, due to the arrangement of the roller 658 and the guide rail 654, only a slight amount of movement is generated in the lateral direction L, and no significant movement in the vertical direction V is caused. Thus, the vertical orientation of the agitator (which is carried by the guide frame 655) will remain fixed (at least approximately fixed) so that the relative position between the agitator and the nearby workpiece will not shift up and down when reciprocating.

One method of limiting the vertical movement of the guide frame 655 body is to utilize the inner lip portion 660a and the outer lip portion 660b. The two lips 660a and 660b are inclined such that when the roller 658 is offset (as from the right to the left in FIG. 15C), the outer lip 660b will lower the roller 658 in its tilted orientation. push back. If the roller 658 is later biased to the right, the inner lip portion 660a can achieve the same effect. This arrangement allows the roller 658 to perform some lateral L movements to reduce the amount of movement in its vertical direction V, thereby reducing the likelihood of the guide frame 655 being stuck.

A linear guide 653 can be provided to limit the reciprocating movement of the agitator 640 in the first axial direction (as indicated by arrow V in Figure 15C) at the process position. At the same time, the linear guide 653 allows the agitator 640 to move linearly along the reciprocating axis R which is approximately at right angles to the vertical axis V. The linear guide 653 can also cause the agitator 640 to move along a third orthogonal axis (as indicated by the arrow L in FIG. 15C, which is at right angles to the vertical axis V and the reciprocating axis R) to reduce the agitator 640. The possibility of getting stuck on the linear guide 655. This arrangement makes the reciprocating operation of the agitator more reliable, and avoids (at least limits) the variation of the distance between the agitator 640 and the workpiece W, and is expected to produce a consistent amount of agitation on the surface of the workpiece W, so that the workpiece W Process results on the surface More consistent (such as a more uniform deposition surface).

One end of the agitator 640 is driven by a motor 650 and a linear drive 651, and the other end is supported by a linear guide 653 (but not driven). In other words, the driving force for reciprocating the agitator only affects one end of the agitator and the agitating member. However, since the agitator 640 is not suspended, the spacing between the agitation member 642 and the entire surface of the workpiece W is expected to be more uniform, thereby increasing the uniformity of agitation at the process position P. Further, as described above, the linear guide 653 is provided to prevent the agitator 640 from deviating (in the vertical direction V of FIG. 15C) its process position P when reciprocating, while at the same time making it sufficient in the transverse direction L direction. The movement prevents the agitator 640 from getting stuck.

As shown in Figure 12B, the agitator 640 can be selectively utilized in a process chamber 630 that contains a thief electrode or other electrode 633d for its function. When the workpiece W is placed at the process position P, the electrode 633d will be located near the workpiece and distributed over its circumference. Positioning the electrode 633d above the process position P and outside the port 635 reduces the likelihood of particulates entering the agitation chamber 629 causing contamination. Further, the liquid can flow in the radial (radial) manner and out of the process chamber to carry away the particles in the agitation chamber 629 without introducing it into the agitation chamber 629. Therefore, the local process liquid in the vicinity of the workpiece W changes its direction due to the reciprocating movement of the agitator 640 in the agitation chamber 629, but the flow of the entire process liquid flows out of the port 635 radially outward.

The linear guide can also be arranged differently than the method of the specific embodiment described above, but it must still limit the movement of the agitator so that it does not reciprocate. It will shift its process position while allowing the agitator to reciprocate and avoid the agitator jam.

Detailed description of wafer orientation

Figure 16 illustrates a representative conveyor 605 shown in Figure 11. The transfer device 605 has a base 606 that is movable along the guide path 603 in FIG. 11 and supports the first carrier 607. The first carrier 607 contains one or more hinged joints 724. The hinged attachment portion 724 can include a mechanical arm 726 supported on the cylinder 725 for rotation about a robotic arm rotation axis 727, and one or more end effectors 728 (two as shown in FIG. 16) for transmission. The arm 726 can be rotated about the end effector rotation axis 729. The end effector rotation axis 729 has a parallel distance from the transfer arm rotation axis 727 and is eccentrically distributed with the center of the workpiece W. In the design depicted in the figures, the end effector 728 is mounted to carry a single workpiece W. In addition, each of the end effectors 728 includes a plurality of grippers 130 for gripping the edges of the workpiece W on the corresponding gripping regions 731 and transferring them.

In the design shown in Figure 16, each end effector 728 contains three grippers 730, two of which are seen in Figure 16 and the other are hidden by the positioning sensor 732. Therefore, when the workpiece W is carried by the conveying device 605, its edge will remain clamped. By rotation of the robotic arm 726 and/or the end effector 728, the workpiece W can be moved to multiple positions and orientations. In a particular arrangement, one of the grippers 730 is stationary (such as the one that is hidden by the positioning sensor) and the other two (the two visible in Figure 16) can be moved to approach Or away from the stationary gripper 730.

The transport device 605 includes a positioning sensor 732 that is configured to determine The rotational orientation of the workpiece W. The positioning sensor 732 is mounted on the robot arm 726, but may be mounted on other parts of the conveyor 720 or other parts of the system (such as on a work bench). The positioning sensor 732 includes a slot for accommodating a portion of the workpiece W, which is placed by the end effector 728 rotating about the axis of rotation 729. When the sensed portion of the workpiece W is placed in the slot, the detector in the housing of the sensor 732 (such as an infrared sensor, laser sensor or other detector) detects a specific feature on the workpiece to identify The rotational orientation of the workpiece W. The feature to be detected may be a plane or notch of the edge of the wafer, or other features. For this application, the appropriate detector 732 includes a micrometer of the LX2-V series of Keyence Corporation of Osaka, Japan.

Figure 17 is a flow chart for determining the rotational orientation of the workpiece (e.g., by the position sensor 732 shown in Figure 16) and, if necessary, the step of updating or correcting the rotational orientation of the workpiece. Flow 701 includes grabbing a workpiece placed on the loading and unloading area with a conveyor. The workpiece is taken out from the loading and unloading unit 601 by the conveying device 605 as shown in FIG. In the process 702, the workpiece is placed in a pre-calibrator for pre-calibration. The pre-calibrator can be carried from the edge or center of the workpiece by a vacuum chuck (or chuck) or sheet. In flow 703, the workpiece is transferred from the pre-calibrator and processed in one or more process chambers. As noted above, the process performed in the process chamber can include a pre-wet process, an electroplating process, a spin/rinse/dry process, and/or other processes.

When the workpiece moves back and forth between the process chamber and the conveyor, the workpiece may be repeatedly captured or placed. Therefore, the process 702 is pre-calibrated after the step The initial rotational orientation of the piece will change. Thus, when the conveyor carries the workpiece, the flow 704 includes the step of determining the rotational orientation of the workpiece. For example, when the workpiece is to be transferred to a target processing chamber for the orientation sensing step. In flow 705, the system determines if the rotational orientation of the workpiece is within an acceptable tolerance. If so, the workpiece will be placed on a workpiece support member (flow 706), and when the rotational orientation of the workpiece on the support member is out of tolerance (process step 713), the system will perform an additional process (e.g., orientation). Sensing step). In this way, the workpiece does not have to be rotated in some or all of the steps. The orientation sensing step involves deposition of a magnetic material, but in other embodiments it may also include other steps.

If the workpiece rotational azimuth error determined in flow 705 is not within the allowable range, then the flow proceeds to flow 707, which includes repositioning the workpiece without the use of a pre-calibration site for rotation. The corrections required for wafer repositioning are performed in flow 708. For example, the sensed or measured orientation is compared to the target orientation. This comparison can be performed by any suitable computer, controller or other device, such as controller 602 as shown in Figure 11, or a device mounted on the conveyor. The means for performing the orientation comparison may include appropriate software, hardware or other computer readable medium instructions. The instructions used to perform the comparison action and/or other related operations are typically computer programmable instructions, but they can be hardwired control, otherwise they are permanently or semi-permanently present in a particular application unit. in. These functions can be performed by a single device or by multiple interconnected devices.

After process 708, the workpiece can be processed using any of a variety of methods. reset. One of the methods involves placing the workpiece on a support member adjacent to the target process chamber (flow 709). In flow 710, the support member is rotated to correct the rotational orientation of the workpiece. After proper rotation correction, the workpiece carried by the support member will begin the process (flow 713). As shown in Figure 11, the support member can include a lift rotary unit 620, or other suitable device.

Another type of repositioning includes determining the position of the conveyor and its desired articulation drive such that the workpiece will be in its proper rotational orientation when placed on the support member (flow 711). Such positional parameters can be determined by any suitable computer or controller as described above. Once the positional parameter confirmation is complete, the workpiece is placed on the support member (step 712) and the process of the workpiece is processed during the loading of the support member (step 713).

The difference between the above two alignment modes is that the first mode (as described in flow 709 and process 710) uses the support member to rotate the workpiece to the correct orientation, and the second mode (as described in steps 711 and 712). The relative position between the conveyor and the articulated joint is used to provide the correct orientation. Details of the two alignment modes will be further described below with reference to Figs. 18 and 19, respectively.

Figure 18 illustrates an embodiment of the step of repositioning the workpiece W by the support member 620. In this embodiment, the conveyor 605 is moved to a predetermined position near the target process chamber 630 and its associated support member 620. During the transfer of the workpiece W to the support member 620 by the transport device 605, the sensor 732 will confirm the rotational orientation of the workpiece W before the workpiece W is transferred to the support member 620. If the rotational orientation of the workpiece W needs to be corrected Positive, its correction related information will be determined and/or transmitted by a controller 602 (Fig. 11). The head end 623 of the second carrier 621 includes a rotor for rotating the workpiece W. Wherein, the controller 602 instructs the second carrier 621 to rotate the rotor carrying the workpiece centered on the axis A, the amount of rotation being sufficient to correct the rotational orientation of the workpiece W. The second carrier 621 is then reversed so that the workpiece W is placed on the annular contact assembly 740 and processed in the target process chamber 630. As discussed above, the process performed in the target process chamber 630 generally requires the workpiece W to be in a particular rotational orientation. For example, the process may involve the use of one or more magnets to provide a magnetic field to direct the conductor particles deposited on the surface of the workpiece W toward a particular magnetic direction. In such processes, the head end 623 of the workpiece carrying the workpiece is typically It is still not moving.

Figure 19 illustrates the step of the transfer device 005 adjusting the rotational orientation of the workpiece W as the workpiece W is transferred to the second carrier 621. In this embodiment, the second carrier 621 does not have to rotate the workpiece W to correct its orientation. Conversely, the controller 602 (FIG. 11) determines the necessary position of the conveyor 605 on the guiding path 603, and the necessary angular orientation of the transmitting arm 726 and the end effector 728, so that the workpiece W is passed to the second. At the carrier 621, it will be in the proper rotational orientation. The controller 602 performs calculations based on known geometric and motion path relationships between the second carrier 621, the conveyor 605, the robot 726, and the end effector 728 to properly configure such components. The proper position is transmitted by the transporting device 605 along the guiding path 603 (as indicated by the direction of the arrow T), the mechanical arm 726 is rotated about the arm rotating shaft 727 (as indicated by the direction of the arrow R1), and/or the end The effector 728 is calculated as information such as the rotation of the end effector rotation axis 729 (as indicated by the direction of the arrow R2). Once the workpiece W The second carrier 621 is placed on the second carrier 621, and the second carrier 621 is inverted and lowered to place the workpiece W into the target process chamber 630 for processing.

The workpiece W does not have to be rotated by a second carrier as in the method described in FIG. In other embodiments, the system may also use the method of rotating the workpiece W on the second carrier (as discussed in Figure 18 above) to aid in positioning as shown in Figure 19 by the conveyor 605. The practice. This practice can be used, for example, when the amount of rotational orientation correction required for the workpiece W exceeds the correction range provided by the path movement of the conveyor member.

One of the features of the system described above with reference to Figures 16 through 19 is that the workpiece W is repositioned in a rotational manner, which does not require the workpiece to be first transferred to an additional pre-calibration site for correction, but rather the workpiece. The rotational azimuth offset value of W is already measured during the period it is carried by the robot arm or conveyor 605, and the workpiece W is repositioned by the rotation of the conveyor 605 and/or the support member 620. One of the benefits of this approach is that it reduces the time required for the workpiece W to reposition, as compared to those that require the workpiece W to be repositioned at a separate pre-calibration site.

Another feature of the above described system and method is that the workpiece W is carried by the same end effector 728, whether when it is transferred between the positions of the system 600 or when its rotational orientation is confirmed. One of the advantages of this arrangement is that the conveyor 605 does not have to be additionally equipped with individual carriers or support elements (such as vacuum chucks) simply because it is to determine the rotational orientation of its workpiece W.

The end effector 728 illustrates an edge-clamping effector in Fig. 16. Of course, other types of end effectors can also be used in the present invention. For example, the end effector 728 can also be a device containing a vacuum paddle that is configured to support the workpiece at a center point of the workpiece and to vacuum the workpiece W by vacuuming one or more vacuum members. In addition, the portion of the end effector 728 on or in which the workpiece is placed may further comprise a plurality of pegs.

During the transfer of the workpiece to the process chamber 630 and the sensor 732 detecting the rotational orientation of the workpiece W, the end effector 728 is gripped from the edge portion of the workpiece W. In addition to the advantages of protecting the upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece W, the advantage of this method is that the workpiece can be confirmed or changed in a wet state. Conversely, a vacuum suction type pre-calibrator is generally required to keep the workpiece in a dry state. If there is no need for a dry workpiece, the time required to confirm or change the rotational orientation of the workpiece W can be effectively shortened.

The design shown in Figures 16 through 19 is fairly easy to implement. For example, the sensor 732 can be mounted on an existing conveyor 605 to increase its ability to detect the rotational orientation of the workpiece W without affecting the original function of the conveyor 605. Furthermore, if the workpiece W in the system is updated with the second carrier and the support member 620, in this case, usually such components are also mounted to rotate the workpiece W, so that only Confirm how much rotation the workpiece W needs to achieve the proper orientation and angle. On the other hand, if the system uses the transfer device 605 and its hinged joint portion 724 to reposition the workpiece W, in such an arrangement, the transfer device 605 generally already includes the hinged joint 724 portion, so that only the relevant position is required. The message can be used to position the wafer W.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the transmitting device may include a setting manner other than the details shown in the foregoing figures or described herein, for example, the guiding paths are different. Set to a straight line (can be a rotation path). The end effector can contain a roller (as shown in the previous figures) or other types of gripping elements, such as a vacuum suction port mounted on a suspension type end effector. The sequence of steps described above with reference to Figure 18 can be implemented in some cases in conjunction with the steps described in Figure 19. In other embodiments, the process steps (e.g., flow 702 and/or flow 703) described above with respect to FIG. 17 may be omitted or performed in a different order.

Detailed description of the magnet design

Figure 20 is a partial exploded view of the lower structure 800, which can be used in the system 600 shown in Figure 11. The table 604 of system 600 includes a first portion 811a that includes a first work surface 813a and a second portion 811b that includes a second work surface 813b. The table portions 811a, 811b are located on either side of the conveyor recess. The conveyor recess 812 will support the robot arm or conveyor 606 (Fig. 11) to be movable along the guiding path 603, allowing the conveyor 605 to be contacted to the first table surface 813a or the second table surface 813b. Process site. The work surfaces 813a, 813b may be located at different heights (e.g., the second work surface 813b is higher than the first work surface 813a). Conveyor 642 (Fig. 11) is designed to be in contact with process sites located at different height levels.

The first and second work surfaces 813a, 813b each include a cavity seat 827 and a support base 826 for carrying the process cavity and the workpiece support member. Each of the work surfaces 813a, 813b further includes a cavity opening 825 for allowing a process cavity 630 (Fig. 11) or part of the process chamber passes below the corresponding work surface. The work surfaces 813a, 813b and the recess 812 each have a positioning structure 816, which includes a first positioning structure 816a and a second positioning node. Structure 816b and third positioning structure 816c. The positioning structure 816 contains precise alignment elements (such as alignment pins or corresponding holes) for the system 600 to accurately align the components. As such, the conveyor mechanism mounted on the third positioning structure 816c can be mounted to the first positioning structure 816a (at the first work surface 813a) and the second positioning structure 816b (at the second work surface 813b). Site organization precise alignment. This design can reduce or eliminate the possibility of a positional deviation between the transfer device 605 and the process station 630 (Fig. 11).

The second portion of the table 810 includes a frame 820 carried by the sub-stage 814. The frame 820 includes a plurality of fourth positioning structures 816d that are engageable with the fifth positioning structure 816e on the secondary work surface 814. This arrangement ensures alignment accuracy between the conveyor mechanism in the recess 812 and the process station mechanism on the second work surface 813b.

In addition to maintaining alignment between the conveyor mechanism and the process station mechanism, the enclosure 820 can also protect components placed therein from the chemical environment of the system 600. These components contain large, powerful magnets (and therefore of considerable weight) which will be further described below with reference to Figure 21. In the illustrated design, the frame 820 includes a base 822, a top 821 (the outer surface of which also corresponds to the second work surface 813b), two sets of opposing end walls 823 and side walls 824 (some of which are omitted). The frame 820 is defined by an open sidewall 828 that surrounds the cavity opening 825. This box design can form a rigid frame structure 820 suitable for carrying bulky components such as the large magnets mentioned above. In particular, the side wall 824, the end wall 823, and/or the open side wall 828 provide a loading space between the base 822 and the top 821 that allows the top 821 to assist the base 822 to support the mechanism or component mounted therein. Furthermore, the bottom The seat 822, the side wall 824, the end wall 823, the open side wall 828, and the top 821 are interconnected to form a barrier chemical liquid barrier (at least resistant to chemical attack) around the magnet. The constituent elements of the frame 820 may be combined by welding and plated with a layer of airtight or sealant. In this embodiment, a suitable adhesive comprises a powder coated polymer coating. This design protects the components inside the frame 820 from the external chemical environment of the frame 820. It is more likely that the protective magnet (generally formed of magnetite or other non-erodible material) is not affected by the chemical environment outside the frame 820.

Figure 21 is a top plan view of the table shown in Figure 20, with the frame portion 820 mounted on the sub-table surface 814 and a portion of the second table surface 813b omitted in the drawing to expose the components within the enclosure 820. And institutions. Such an element includes a magnet assembly 850 that includes a first magnet 851a at the end of the cavity opening 825 and a second magnet 851b at the other end of the cavity opening 825. The corresponding magnet supporting members 853a and 853b can fix the first magnet 851a and the second magnet 851b in their positions.

In the general case, if the magnitude and direction of the magnetic flux flow are not previously measured, the magnetic flux lines between the magnets 851a and 851b tend to bulge outward and/or deviate from the area between the two magnetic poles. This can have adverse effects on the system, such as: (a) the process chamber between magnets 851a, 851b is subject to a tortuous magnetic field, and/or (b) the deviating magnetic field can interfere with the setting of the motor and/or other systems. Electronic equipment. In at least some instances, the distorted magnetic field can adversely affect the uniformity of the material deposited on the workpiece in the process chamber, as well as the efficiency and/or accuracy of the operation of the various components in the tool. Except for the magnets 851a, 851b or the magnet supporting members 853a, 853b, most of The components mounted on the table 810 are typically not magnetic. For example, the work surfaces 813a, 813b, the sub-surface 814, and the frame 820 are generally formed of stainless steel (such as 300 series stainless steel, such as 304 stainless steel) or other non-corrosive non-magnetic materials, and are usually thin. . Therefore, they have little or no effect on the magnetic flux flow between the magnets 851a and 851b.

In the design shown in FIG. 21, the magnet assembly 850 includes a first magnetic circuit 852a disposed between the first magnet 851a and the second magnet 851b at the cavity opening 825 end, and a second magnetic circuit 852b. At the other end of the cavity opening 825. The first magnetic circuit 852a and the second magnetic circuit 852b are in parallel alignment with the magnetic flux flow between the first magnet 851a and the second magnet 851b, and are transversely (eg, perpendicular) to the first magnet 851a and the second magnet 851b, such as the magnetic flux line B. The direction shown. One of the advantages of this arrangement is that the direction of the magnetic flux line B passing through the cavity opening 125 and the process cavity 831 disposed in the cavity opening is known and is generally fixed. Therefore, a more uniform plating result can be obtained.

In addition to being able to align with the magnetic flux lines as described above, the second magnetic circuit 852b can also act as a barrier between the magnets 851a, 851b and the recess 812. The barrier may form part of the overall shielding structure to reduce the effects of the magnetic fields generated by the magnets 851a, 851b on other components and mechanisms within the system 600.

The arrangement of the magnet assembly 850 allows the assembly to have a longer component life, a simpler manufacturing method, and an easier maintenance method. For example, the first magnetic circuit 852a is located in the housing 820. This component is generally formed of a ferromagnetic material which is susceptible to corrosion if protected by the frame 820. In some embodiments, the second magnetic circuit 852b is also placed in the enclosure 820 to provide a similar protective effect. However, in the design of FIG. 21, the second magnetic circuit 852b is located outside the frame 820 and is not in contact with the first magnet 851a and the second magnet 851b. In this position, the second magnetic circuit 852b can still guide the magnetic flux line B in a manner desired by the user, and can enhance the operation of the process and maintenance steps. For example, if the second magnetic circuit 852b is not coupled to other magnet assemblies 850, the magnet assembly 850 will be open, formed by two magnets 851a, 851b, magnet support members 853a, 853b, and a first magnetic circuit 852a. This arrangement can be simply installed in the enclosure 820 in a manner that slides into the recess 812. If necessary, the magnet assembly 850 can also be slid out of the groove 812 and the surrounding body 820 to remove it. The second magnetic circuit 852b can be plated with a suitable adhesive/coating to protect it from the chemical environment within the system 600, as described above with respect to the housing 820. If we need to replace the second magnetic circuit 852b, the replacement operation can be completed without affecting the frame 120.

Figure 18 illustrates a system 600 having a process chamber 630 disposed on one of the cavity seats 827 and through a corresponding cavity opening. The support member 620 is located on the corresponding support base 826. The support member 620 includes a second carrier 621 for carrying a workpiece W that is in contact with the process liquid in the cavity 630. To avoid these motors from being potentially disturbed by the magnet assembly 150, the agitator drive motor 650 includes a magnetic agitator motor shroud 862, and the carrier drive motor 836 includes a magnetic carrier motor shroud 837.

System 600 also includes a conveyor guard 861 disposed on the magnet assembly Between 850 and groove 812. This shroud can protect the conveyor motor from interference from the magnet assembly 850. The shield 861 can serve as both the conveyor guard 861 and the second magnetic circuit 852b. This reduces the size of the system 600 design (incorporating multiple functions into a single structure) and also reduces the amount of free space required for system 600 setup. of course. The conveyor cover 861 and the second magnetic circuit 852b may also be individually independent structures.

When the second magnetic circuit 852b is disposed inside the frame 820 instead of being disposed outside the frame 820 as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the size of the conveyor barrier 861 is doubled. Otherwise, when the second magnetic circuit 852b is disposed inside the frame 820, the conveyor cover 861 may also be disposed outside the frame. The components on the frame 820 and/or other work stations may comprise plastic or other non-conductive chemical resistant materials. A shroud mounted around the support motor and/or the agitator motor still provides shielding at the distal end of the motor. This shielding method can also be applied around the components other than the above motor. For example, a rotating motor carried by the supporting member and responsible for rotating the workpiece during the process.

Each of the above inventive designs can be used alone or in parallel with one or more other designs. For example, the system shown in FIG. 11 may include one or more electrochemical process chambers, which may have virtual auxiliary electrodes as shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, and may or may not include FIG. The suspension design shown in Figure 15 or Figure 22 to Figure 24, and (or not including) the conveyor shown in Figures 16 to 19, or Figure 20 to Figure 2 The magnet/shiel design shown in XI.

100‧‧‧ device

110‧‧‧ ‧ Body

112‧‧‧ components

114‧‧‧ inner edge

116‧‧‧‧‧‧Edge parts

118‧‧‧around parts

120‧‧‧Auxiliary electrode

122‧‧‧shims

123‧‧‧ recess

126‧‧‧Connector

130‧‧‧Auxiliary virtual electrode

140‧‧‧ Wafer holder

142‧‧‧ holding position

144‧‧‧Electrical contact

150‧‧‧ bracket

151‧‧‧ Compartment

152‧‧‧Exit

154‧‧‧Upper edge

156‧‧‧ channel

170‧‧‧ opposite electrode

170a‧‧‧ opposite electrode

170b‧‧‧ opposite electrode

170c‧‧‧ opposite electrode

180‧‧‧Power supply

182‧‧‧Power supply

184‧‧‧Power supply

186‧‧‧Power supply

190‧‧‧Ion exchange membrane

192‧‧‧First interval

194‧‧‧Second interval

200‧‧‧ device

210‧‧‧ device

300‧‧‧ device

310‧‧‧ 容

312‧‧‧ below

314‧‧‧ upper part

316‧‧ interface

318‧‧‧Input tube

320‧‧‧Fluid Control Components

330a‧‧‧ opposite electrode

330b‧‧‧ opposite electrode

330c‧‧‧ opposite electrode

332‧‧‧ Compartment

340‧‧‧ channel

350a‧‧‧ opposite electrode

350b‧‧‧ opposite electrode

350c‧‧‧ opposite electrode

360‧‧‧ agitator

362‧‧‧Agitating components

402‧‧‧ components

410‧‧‧ bracket

418‧‧‧around parts

420‧‧‧ Compartment

510‧‧‧ bracket

512‧‧‧ Compartment

520‧‧‧Auxiliary electrode

522‧‧‧ first part

524‧‧‧Second part

600‧‧‧ system

601‧‧‧Loading and unloading unit

602‧‧‧ Controller

603‧‧‧Guided path

604‧‧‧Workbench

605‧‧‧Transport system

606‧‧‧Machining arm

607‧‧‧ first carrier

610‧‧‧Process Site

610a‧‧‧Pre-school equipment site

620‧‧‧Support components

622‧‧‧ ring contact assembly

623‧‧‧Circular contact

624‧‧‧Circular contact seals

627‧‧‧ top

628‧‧‧Seal

629‧‧‧ agitating cavity

630‧‧‧ cavity

631‧‧‧ ‧ Body

632‧‧‧ cavity

633a‧‧‧first electrode

633b‧‧‧First electrode

633c‧‧‧first electrode

633d‧‧‧first electrode

634‧‧‧Input tube

635‧‧‧堰口

636‧‧‧堰口

637‧‧‧Lip

638‧‧‧Flow Control Components

639a‧‧‧ below

639b‧‧‧top part

640‧‧‧ agitator

641‧‧‧Agitator housing

642‧‧‧Agitating components

643‧‧‧First support element

644‧‧‧Second support element

645‧‧‧Suppression chamber

646‧‧‧ cavity cover

647‧‧‧Border

648‧‧‧Connector

649‧‧‧ slots

650‧‧ ‧motor

651‧‧‧ drive

652‧‧‧ drive capsule

653‧‧‧Linear Guides

654‧‧‧rail

655‧‧‧ Guide frame

656‧‧‧rail pocket

657‧‧‧ rail seat

658‧‧‧Reel

658a‧‧‧First scrolling element

658b‧‧‧Second scrolling element

659a‧‧‧ inner side wall

659b‧‧‧Outer side wall

660a‧‧‧ inner lip

660b‧‧‧ outer lip

670‧‧‧ Magnet assembly

671‧‧‧ magnet

680‧‧‧ agitator

682‧‧‧ components

684‧‧‧ bottom

686‧‧‧Top area

688‧‧‧First straight line area

690‧‧‧Second angle area

692‧‧‧Second straight area

725‧‧‧Cylinder

726‧‧‧Transport arm

727‧‧‧Rotary axis

728‧‧‧End effector

729‧‧‧Rotary axis

730‧‧‧Clipper

731‧‧‧Capture area

732‧‧‧ Positioning Sensor

800‧‧‧lower structure

811a‧‧‧ first part

811b‧‧‧ second part

812‧‧‧ Groove

813a‧‧‧First countertop

813b‧‧‧Second work surface

816‧‧‧ Positioning structure

816a‧‧‧First positioning structure

816b‧‧‧Second positioning structure

816c‧‧‧third positioning structure

816d‧‧‧fourth positioning structure

816e‧‧‧Fixed positioning structure

820‧‧‧ frame

821‧‧‧ top

822‧‧‧Base

823‧‧‧End wall

824‧‧‧ side wall

825‧‧‧ openings

826‧‧‧ support

827‧‧‧ cavity seat

828‧‧‧ side wall

836‧‧‧Motor

837‧‧‧Shield

850‧‧‧ Magnet assembly

851a‧‧‧First magnet

851b‧‧‧second magnet

852a‧‧‧First magnetic circuit

852b‧‧‧Second magnetic circuit

853a‧‧‧Magnetic support components

853b‧‧‧Magnetic support components

861‧‧‧ hood

862‧‧‧Shield

The invention may be understood by the description of the preferred embodiments and the detailed description and the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art should understand that the preferred embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative and not to limit the scope of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a compensable wafer bit offset in the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of the area depicted in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the design operation mode shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another operation mode of the design shown in FIG. Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a process chamber of the present invention; Figure 6 is a side view of another process cavity design of the present invention; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of another design of the present invention; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of another design of the present invention; Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of another design of the present invention; Figure 11 is a top view of a system having one or more process chambers of the present invention Figure 12A is a cross-sectional view of one of the process chambers shown in Figure 11; Figure 12B is a partial cross-sectional view of the process chamber shown in Figure 12A; Figure 13A is a suspension of the present invention Top view of the components and their associated housing and support components; Figure 13 B is a bottom view of a suspension piece assembly and its associated outer casing and supporting member in FIG. 13A; FIG. 13C is a suspension piece assembly, a casing and a supporting member in FIG. Figure 13 is a top view of the process chamber shown in Figure 12, illustrating a motor and linear guide coupled to an agitator; Figure 15A is Figure 10. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the linear guiding portion shown in FIG. 14; FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a mechanical arm conveying device of the present invention, which is used for In a process system, the system 600 shown in FIG. 11; FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of detecting, correcting or updating the rotational orientation of a workpiece; FIG. 18 is a transmission device of the present invention. In a top view, the transfer device can move the wafer or workpiece to a support member for rotational azimuth repositioning; FIG. 19 is a top view of a transfer device of the present invention, the transfer device is configured to be transferred to the support by the workpiece The position behind the component is used to correct or update the rotational azimuth of a workpiece; FIG. 20 is a partial exploded view of a system of the present invention, which includes a workbench and a support structure; FIG. 21 is a structure shown in FIG. Part of the top view; Figure 20 It is a partial top view of another suspension set structure in the present invention; FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 23-23 of FIG. 22; and FIG. 24 is a figure 22 and FIG. An enlarged view of one of the suspension elements shown in FIG.

100‧‧‧ device

110‧‧‧ ‧ Body

112‧‧‧ components

114‧‧‧ inner edge

116‧‧‧Edge parts

118‧‧‧around parts

120‧‧‧Auxiliary electrode

130‧‧‧Auxiliary virtual electrode

140‧‧‧ Wafer holder

142‧‧‧ holding position

144‧‧‧Electrical contact

150‧‧‧ bracket

Claims (40)

An apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer, comprising: a capacitor having a processing region for placing a wafer for electrochemical processing; at least one counter electrode disposed in the capacitor; and an auxiliary electrode configured Separate from the pair of electrodes for individual operation; and an auxiliary dummy electrode located in the process area, wherein the auxiliary dummy electrode is set to be neutralized between the wafer and the counter electrode when the wafer is placed in the process area The electric field deviation caused by the positional deviation. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary electrode is located above the pair of electrodes. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary electrode is located above the process area. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises a member having an inner edge portion, an edge portion above the inner edge portion, and a peripheral portion; wherein the auxiliary portion The electrode is located at a radial position between the inner edge portion and the surrounding portion above the member. An apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 4, wherein The virtual auxiliary electrode has a slit for shaping a magnetic field emanating from the auxiliary electrode, the slit being at least partially formed by an inner edge portion of the member. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises a member having an inner edge portion, an edge portion above the inner edge portion, and a surrounding portion; A bracket is disposed above the member, wherein the bracket forms a compartment with the member, the compartment including a first liquid outflow port between the bracket and the member to allow a portion of the process liquid to flow out of the process area and flow through a peripheral portion of the member, and the bracket includes an upper edge portion defining a second liquid outflow port for a process liquid; and the auxiliary electrode is located at a radial position between the inner edge portion and the surrounding portion of the member in the compartment . The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary dummy electrode comprises an annular space in the process area. The device for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of counter electrodes, wherein the plurality of counter electrodes are set to perform individual operations independently of the auxiliary electrodes. The device for performing an electrochemical process on a wafer according to claim 8, further comprising a plurality of dummy counter electrodes corresponding to the plurality of pairs of electrodes, wherein the The dummy counter electrode has a slit at a position below the auxiliary dummy electrode. The device for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 1, further comprising a wafer holder comprising a wafer support component set to fix a wafer and an electrical contact, wherein the dummy auxiliary electrode has a A slit, at least in part, defined by the volume and the wafer holder. The device for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises a member, the member includes an inner edge portion, a foreign aid portion, and a peripheral portion; and the device further includes a wafer a holder having a wafer support member configured to fix a wafer and an electrical contact, the electrical contact being configured to make contact with a wafer plating surface, wherein the dummy auxiliary electrode has a slit, The slit is defined at least in part by the inner edge portion of the member and the support member of the wafer holder. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 11, wherein the slit of the dummy auxiliary electrode has an outer diameter and an inner diameter, the outer diameter being defined by an inner edge portion of the member, the inner diameter being The outer diameter of a portion of the wafer support member is defined. The device for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 12, wherein the slit of the auxiliary dummy electrode has a first width at one end of the wafer holder and a second width at the other end of the wafer holder. The The first width is different from the second width. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 1, wherein the dummy auxiliary electrode comprises a slit having a first width at one end of the processing region and a second at the other end of the wafer holder. Width; when the central axis of the wafer is deviated from the central axis of the electric field of the counter electrode, the magnitude of the first width and the second width may be different. An apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer, comprising: a container having a process area through which a process liquid can flow upwardly, an edge portion through which the process liquid can flow out of the process area, and a surrounding portion, which is radially outwardly distributed from the edge portion, and the process liquid flowing through the edge portion can flow downward through the surrounding portion; a wafer holder having a supporting member set to be fixed in the processing region The microfeatured wafer is in electrical contact with the electrical contact system to provide current to the wafer; at least one pair of electrodes are disposed in the capacitor; and an auxiliary electrode is spaced apart from the wafer; a dummy auxiliary electrode having a slit for shaping a magnetic field emitted from the auxiliary electrode, wherein the slit is at least partially formed by alignment between the wafer holder and the container to neutralize the wafer holder Process unevenness caused by the positional deviation between the wafer holder and the container when a wafer is fixed in the process area. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 15, wherein the slit of the dummy auxiliary electrode has an outer diameter and an inner diameter, the outer diameter being defined by a partial volume, the inner diameter being a partial crystal The support element of the circular holder is defined. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 16, wherein the slit of the dummy auxiliary electrode has a first width at one end of the wafer holder and a second width at the other end of the wafer holder, the first A width is different from the second width. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 15, wherein the dummy auxiliary electrode comprises a slit, the slit having a first width at one end of the processing region and a second width at the other end of the processing region; When the central axis of the circle is not aligned with the central axis of the electric field of the counter electrode, the magnitude of the first width and the second width may be different. An apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer, comprising: a container configured to direct a process flow upward; wherein the volume includes a process zone, and the upward flow of the process flow passes through the process zone a wafer holder having a wafer support component mounted to fix a microfeatured wafer at the process zone at a location transverse to the upstream process flow path, and further comprising at least one electrical contact, Set to come with one a wafer plating surface is in contact; at least one counter electrode is disposed in the capacitor; a stationary auxiliary electrode; and a dummy auxiliary electrode associated with the auxiliary electrode, wherein the dummy auxiliary electrode includes a slit When the circular holder fixes a wafer in the process area, the outer end of the slit is at least partially defined by the volume, and the inner end of the slit is at least partially defined by the wafer holder. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 19, further comprising a plurality of counter electrodes, wherein the plurality of counter electrodes are set to operate independently and independently of the auxiliary electrodes. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 20, further comprising a plurality of dummy counter electrodes corresponding to the plurality of counter electrodes, wherein the dummy counter electrode has a slit at a position below the dummy auxiliary electrode. The apparatus for electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 21, wherein the outermost virtual counter electrode outer diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the wafer. The device for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 19, further comprising an agitator between the dummy counter electrode and the wafer holder. A method for electrochemically processing a wafer, comprising: placing a wafer such that the wafer in the wafer holder is in a process of the container In the region; using a wafer, a pair of electrodes in the container, and an auxiliary electrode spaced apart from the wafer holder to establish an electric field in the process liquid in the volume; and neutralizing the wafer holder to fix the wafer The electric field deviation due to the positional deviation between the wafer holder and the container in the process area. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 24, wherein the auxiliary electrode affects an electric field by a dummy auxiliary electrode in the process area, wherein the auxiliary dummy electrode is formed on the wafer holder by forming The width of one end is a first width, and the width of the other end of the wafer holder is a second width to neutralize the electric field deviation associated with the wafer. The method for electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 24, wherein the auxiliary electrode affects an electric field by a dummy auxiliary electrode, the virtual auxiliary electric field being at least partially formed by a body portion and a part of the process area The wafer holder is defined. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 24, further comprising flowing the process liquid upward through the process zone and the edge portion. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 27, wherein the auxiliary electrode affects electricity by a dummy auxiliary electrode in the process area The field is related to the wafer by making the auxiliary dummy electrode have a first width at one end of the wafer holder and a width at the other end of the wafer holder at a second width. The electric field deviation. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 27, wherein the auxiliary electrode affects an electric field by a dummy auxiliary electrode, the virtual auxiliary electric field being at least partially formed by a body portion and a portion of the process area The wafer holder is defined. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 24, wherein the auxiliary electrode is located above the pair of electrodes, and the method further comprises plating on the auxiliary electrode to steal material on a portion around the wafer. step. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 24, wherein the auxiliary electrode is located above the process area, and the method further comprises the step of applying electroplating on the auxiliary electrode to steal material on a portion around the wafer. . The method of electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 24, wherein the auxiliary electrode is located above the pair of electrodes, and the method further comprises performing a deplating process using the auxiliary electrode. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 24, wherein the container comprises a member having an inner edge portion and an edge portion located above the inner edge portion and a peripheral portion, wherein the auxiliary electrode system Located at a radial position between the inner edge portion and the edge portion of the member, and the method further includes plating on the auxiliary electrode to steal material on the portion around the wafer. A method of electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 33, wherein the auxiliary dummy electrode has a slit for shaping a magnetic field emitted from the auxiliary electrode, and the slit is at least partially formed by an inner edge portion of the member, And the method further comprises the step of applying electroplating on the auxiliary electrode to steal the material on the portion around the wafer. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 24, wherein: the container comprises a member having an inner edge portion, an edge portion above the inner edge portion, and a surrounding portion; A bracket is disposed above the member, wherein the bracket forms a compartment with the member, and the compartment is spaced apart from the bracket by a first liquid outflow port for allowing part of the process liquid to flow out of the process area and flow through the component The surrounding portion, wherein the bracket includes an upper edge portion defining a second fluid outlet for the process liquid; the auxiliary electrode is located at a radial position between the inner edge portion and the surrounding portion of the compartment. The method further includes the step of applying electroplating on the auxiliary electrode to steal the material of the surrounding portion of the wafer. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer according to claim 35, wherein the dummy auxiliary electrode has a slit for shaping a magnetic field emitted from the auxiliary electrode, the slit being at least partially formed by an inner edge portion of the member. And the method further comprises the step of applying electroplating on the auxiliary electrode to steal the material of the surrounding portion of the wafer. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 24, further comprising forming an electric field using the plurality of counter electrodes and operating the plurality of counter electrodes and the dummy electrodes in an independent manner. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 24, wherein the step of neutralizing the electric field deviation comprises setting an inner edge portion of the container and/or an outer surface of the wafer holder to have a shape to define a The dummy electrode is assisted to compensate for this electric field deviation. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 38, further comprising changing the shape of the body edge portion and/or the outer surface of the wafer holder. The method of electrochemically processing a wafer as described in claim 38, further comprising replacing the original wafer holder or inner edge portion with a different wafer holder or inner edge portion.