TWI702311B - Lipseals and contact elements for semiconductor electroplating apparatuses - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are cup assemblies for holding, sealing, and providing electrical power to a semiconductor substrate during electroplating which may include a cup bottom element having a main body portion and a moment arm, an elastomeric sealing element disposed on the moment arm, and an electrical contact element disposed on the elastomeric sealing element. The main body portion may be such that it does not substantially flex when a substrate is pressed against the moment arm, and it may be rigidly affixed to another feature of the cup structure. The ratio of the average vertical thickness of the main body portion to that of the moment arm may be greater than about 5. The electrical contact element may have a substantially flat but flexible contact portion disposed upon a substantially horizontal portion of the sealing element. The elastomeric sealing element may be integrated with the cup bottom element during manufacturing.

Description

Lip seals and contact components for semiconductor electroplating equipment

The present invention relates to the formation of damascene interconnects for integrated circuits, and electroplating equipment used during the manufacture of integrated circuits.

Electroplating is a common technique used in integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing to deposit one or more conductive metal layers. In some manufacturing processes, electroplating is used to deposit single or multilayer copper interconnects between various substrate features. The equipment used for electroplating usually includes an electroplating unit with an electrolyte bath/tank and a grab designed to hold the semiconductor substrate during electroplating.

During the operation of the electroplating equipment, the semiconductor substrate is immersed in the electrolyte bath so that one surface of the substrate is exposed to the electrolyte. One or more electrical contacts established with the substrate surface are used to drive current through the electroplating unit and deposit metal onto the substrate surface from metal ions available in the electrolyte. Generally, electrical contact elements are used to form electrical connections between a substrate and a conductive plate as a current source. However, in some configurations, the conductive seed layer on the substrate contacted by the electrical connectors may become thinner toward the edge of the substrate, making it more difficult to establish an optimal electrical connection with the substrate.

Another problem that arises in electroplating is the corrosive nature of the electroplating solution. Therefore, in many electroplating equipment, in order to avoid electrolyte leakage, and to prevent the electrolyte from contacting the elements of the electroplating equipment except the inside of the electroplating unit and the surface of the substrate designated for electroplating, lip seals are used for the grab and At the interface of the substrate.

Disclosed herein is a lip-shaped seal assembly used in an electroplating grab, which is used to engage and supply current to a semiconductor substrate during electroplating. In some embodiments, a lip seal assembly may include: an elastic lip seal to engage the semiconductor substrate; and one or more contact elements to supply current to the semiconductor substrate during electroplating. In some embodiments, when engaged, the elastic lip seal substantially excludes plating solution from entering the peripheral area of the semiconductor substrate.

In some embodiments, the one or more contact elements are structurally integrated with the elastic lip seal, and include a first exposed portion that contacts the substrate when the lip seal is engaged with the substrate The surrounding area. In some embodiments, the one or more contact elements may further include a second exposed portion for forming an electrical connection with the current source. In some such embodiments, the current source may be the conductive plate of the electroplating grab. In some embodiments, the one or more contact elements may further include a third exposed portion connecting the first and second exposed portions. In some such embodiments, the third exposed portion may be structurally integrated on the surface of the elastic lip seal.

In some embodiments, the one or more contact elements may include an unexposed part connecting the first and second exposed parts, and the unexposed part may be structurally integrated under the surface of the elastic lip seal. In some such embodiments, the elastic lip seal is molded on the unexposed portion.

In some embodiments, the elastic lip seal may include a first inner diameter, the first inner diameter defines a substantially circular perimeter for excluding electroplating solution from entering the peripheral area, and the one or more contact elements of the The first exposed portion defines a second inner diameter larger than the first inner diameter. In some such embodiments, the magnitude of the difference between the first inner diameter and the second inner diameter is about 0.5 mm or less. In some such embodiments, the magnitude of the difference between the first inner diameter and the second inner diameter is about 0.3 mm or less.

In some embodiments, the lip seal assembly may include one or more flexible contact elements for supplying current to the semiconductor substrate during electroplating. In some such embodiments, at least a portion of the one or more flexible contact elements can be conformally located on the upper surface of the elastic lip seal, and when engaged with the semiconductor substrate, the flexibility The contact element can be configured to flex and form a conformal contact surface that interfaces with the semiconductor substrate. In some such embodiments, the conformal contact surface interfaces with the hypotenuse of the semiconductor substrate.

In some embodiments, the one or more flexible contact elements may have portions that are not configured to contact the substrate when the substrate is engaged by the lip seal assembly. In some such embodiments, the non-contact portion includes a non-compliant material. In some embodiments, the conformal contact surface and the semiconductor substrate form a continuous interface, and in some embodiments, the conformal contact surface and the semiconductor substrate form a discontinuous interface with a gap. In some such embodiments that form a discontinuous interface, the one or more flexible contact elements may include a plurality of wire tips or a wire mesh disposed on the surface of the elastic lip seal. In some embodiments, the one or more flexible contact elements conformally located on the upper surface of the elastic lip seal include using one or more techniques selected from chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, and electroplating Conductive deposits formed. In some embodiments, the one or more flexible contact elements conformally located on the upper surface of the elastic lip seal may include a conductive elastic material.

This article also discloses an elastic lip seal used in an electroplating grab, which is used to support, align and seal a semiconductor substrate in the electroplating grab. In some embodiments, the lip seal includes a flexible elastic supporting edge, and a flexible elastic upper portion located above the flexible elastic supporting edge. In some embodiments, the flexible elastic support edge has a sealing protrusion configured to support and seal the semiconductor substrate. In some such embodiments, when sealing the substrate, the sealing protrusion defines a perimeter for removing the electroplating solution. In some embodiments, the flexible elastic upper portion includes: a top surface that is configured to be compressed; and an inner side surface that is located on the outer side with respect to the sealing protrusion. In some such embodiments, the inner side surface may be configured to move inwardly and align with the semiconductor substrate when the top surface is compressed, and in some embodiments, be configured to move toward the semiconductor substrate when the top surface is compressed The internal movement is about 0.2 mm or at least 0.2 mm. In some embodiments, when the top surface is not compressed, the inner side surface is positioned sufficiently outward to allow the semiconductor substrate to be lowered through the flexible elastic upper portion and placed on the seal without contacting the upper portion. However, when the semiconductor substrate is placed on the sealing protrusion and the top surface is compressed, the inner surface contacts and pushes the semiconductor substrate, thereby aligning the semiconductor substrate to the electroplating bucket in.

This article also discloses a method of aligning and sealing a semiconductor substrate in an electroplating bucket with elastic lip seal. In some embodiments, the method includes the following steps: opening the grab; providing a substrate to the grab; lowering the substrate through the upper portion of the lip seal and reaching the sealing protrusion of the lip seal; compressing the The top surface of the upper portion of the lip seal is aligned with the substrate; and the substrate is pressed to form a seal between the sealing protrusion and the substrate. In some embodiments, the step of compressing the top surface of the upper portion of the lip seal causes the inner surface of the upper portion of the lip seal to push the substrate, thereby aligning the substrate in the grab. In some embodiments, the step of compressing the top surface to align the substrate includes the step of pressing the top surface with the first surface of the cone of the grab and pressing the substrate to form a seal, including The second surface of the cone of the grab is used to press the substrate.

In some embodiments, the step of compressing the top surface to align the substrate includes the step of pushing the top surface with the first pressing component of the grab and pressing the substrate to form a seal, including using the grab The second pressing component presses the substrate. In some such embodiments, the second pressing component can move independently with respect to the first pressing component. In some such embodiments, the step of compressing the top surface includes adjusting the pressure applied by the first pressing component based on the diameter of the semiconductor substrate.

This article also discloses a cup assembly for holding, sealing, and supplying power to a semiconductor substrate during electroplating. The cup assembly includes: a cup bottom element, which includes a main body and a moment arm; and elasticity provided on the moment arm The sealing element; and the electrical contact element provided on the elastic sealing element. When pressed by the semiconductor substrate, the sealing element is sealed against the substrate to define the peripheral area of the substrate that is substantially excluded from the plating solution during electroplating, and when the sealing element is sealed against the substrate, The electrical contact element can contact the substrate in the peripheral area, so that the contact element can provide power to the substrate during electroplating. In some embodiments, when the semiconductor substrate is pressed against the moment arm, the body portion does not substantially flex.

In some embodiments, the main body portion is firmly attached to another feature of the cup structure, and the ratio of the average vertical thickness of the main body portion to the average vertical thickness of the moment arm is greater than about 5, so that when the semiconductor When the substrate is pressed against the moment arm, the main body part does not substantially flex. In some embodiments, the electrical contact element has a substantially flat but flexible contact portion, and the contact portion is disposed on a substantially horizontal portion of the elastic sealing element. In some embodiments, the elastic sealing element is combined with the cup bottom element during manufacturing.

In the following description, many specific details are explained to provide a detailed understanding of the presented concepts. The presented concept can be implemented without some or all of these specific details. In other cases, to avoid unnecessary confusion of the described concepts, well-known process operations are not described in detail. Although some concepts will be described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are not intended to be limiting.

An exemplary electroplating equipment is presented in FIG. 1 to provide some context for the various lip seal and contact element embodiments disclosed herein. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wafer holding and positioning apparatus 100 for electrochemically processing semiconductor wafers. The apparatus 100 includes a wafer engagement assembly, which is sometimes referred to as a "grab element" or a "grab assembly" or simply a "grab". The grab assembly includes a cup 101 and a cone 103. As shown in the subsequent figures, the cup body 101 holds the wafer, and the cone 103 clamps the wafer in the cup body tightly. Other cup and cone designs besides the cup and cone designs specifically depicted here can be used. The common feature is a cup with an inner region in which the wafer resides, and a cone that presses the wafer against the cup to hold the wafer in place.

In the depicted embodiment, the grab assembly (which includes the cup body 101 and the cone 103) is supported by the strut 104, and the strut 104 is connected to the top plate 105. The components (101, 103, 104, and 105) are driven by a motor 107 via a spindle 106 connected to the top plate 105. The motor 107 is attached to a mounting bracket (not shown). During electroplating, the spindle 106 transfers torque (from the motor 107) to the grab assembly, thereby rotating the wafer (not shown in this figure) held therein. The cylinder (not shown) in the main shaft 106 also provides vertical force for engaging the cup 101 and the cone 103. When the grab is released (not shown), the robot with the end effector arm can insert the wafer between the cup 101 and the cone 103. After the wafer is inserted, the cone 103 is engaged with the cup 101, which fixes the wafer in the device 100, so that the working surface on one side of the wafer (but the other side is not) exposed for contact with the electrolyte Solution contact.

In some embodiments, the grab assembly includes a splash skirt 109 that protects the cone 103 from splashing electrolyte. In the depicted embodiment, the splash skirt 109 includes a vertical circumferential sleeve and a circular cap portion. The spacer 110 maintains the separation between the splash skirt 109 and the cone 103.

For the purpose of this discussion, the components including the components 101 to 110 are collectively referred to as the “wafer holder” (or “substrate holder”) 111. It should be noted, however, that the concept of "wafer holder"/"substrate holder" usually extends to various combinations and sub-combinations of components that engage the wafer/substrate and allow it to move and position.

A tilting assembly (not shown) can be connected to the wafer holder to permit the wafer to be immersed at an angle (as opposed to a flat horizontal immersion) into the electroplating solution. In some embodiments, the drive mechanism and configuration of the plate and pivot joints are used to move the wafer holder 111 along an arc-shaped path (not shown), so that the proximal end of the wafer holder 111 (that is, , The cup and cone assembly) tilt.

In addition, the entire wafer holder 111 is vertically lifted up or down via an actuator (not shown) to immerse the proximal end of the wafer holder in the electroplating solution. Therefore, the two-element positioning mechanism provides both vertical movement for the wafer along a track perpendicular to the electrolyte surface and tilting movement (tilted wafer immersion capability) that allows deviating from the horizontal orientation (that is, parallel to the electrolyte surface).

Note that the wafer holder 111 is used together with the electroplating unit 115, which has an anode chamber 157 and an electroplating chamber 117 containing an electroplating solution. The chamber 157 holds the anode 119 (e.g., a copper anode), and may include membranes or other separators designed to maintain different electrolyte chemistries in the anode and cathode chambers. In the depicted embodiment, the diffuser 153 is used to guide the electrolyte upward toward the rotating wafer with a uniform leading edge. In some embodiments, the flow diffuser is a high-resistance virtual anode (HRVA) plate, which is made of a piece of solid insulating material (such as plastic) and has a large number (for example, 4000-15000) one-dimensional small holes (with a diameter of 0.01 inch to 0.050 inch) and connected to the cathode chamber above the plate. The total cross-sectional area of the holes is less than about 5% of the total projected area, and therefore a considerable flow resistance is introduced into the electroplating unit, which helps to improve the electroplating consistency of the system. The US Patent Application No. 12/291,356 filed on November 7, 2008 provides additional descriptions of high-resistance virtual anode plates and corresponding equipment for electrochemically processing semiconductor wafers. This patent application is for all purposes The full text is hereby incorporated by reference. The electroplating unit may also include a separation membrane for controlling and generating a flow pattern of the separated electrolyte. In another embodiment, a diaphragm is used to define the anode chamber, and the anode chamber contains an electrolyte that is substantially free of inhibitors, accelerators, or other inorganic plating additives.

The electroplating unit 115 may also include pipes or pipe contacts for circulating the electrolyte through the electroplating unit and facing the workpiece to be electroplated. For example, the electroplating unit 115 includes an electrolyte inlet pipe 131 extending vertically to the center of the anode chamber 157 through a hole in the center of the anode 119. In other embodiments, the cell includes an electrolyte inlet manifold that introduces fluid to the peripheral wall (not shown) of the chamber below the diffuser/HRVA plate in the cathode chamber. In some cases, the inlet tube 131 includes outlet nozzles on both sides of the diaphragm 153 (anode side and cathode side). This setup delivers electrolyte to both the anode and cathode chambers. In other embodiments, the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are separated by the flow resistance membrane 153, and each chamber has a separate flow cycle for separating electrolyte. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the inlet nozzle 155 supplies electrolyte to the anode side of the diaphragm 153.

In addition, the electroplating unit 115 includes a flushing drainage pipe 159 and an electroplating solution return pipe 161, and each pipe is directly connected to the electroplating chamber 117. In addition, the rinse nozzle 163 delivers deionized rinse water to clean the wafer and/or the cup during normal operation. The electroplating solution usually fills most of the cavity 117. In order to alleviate the generation of splashes and bubbles, the chamber 117 includes an internal weir 165 for the backflow of the electroplating solution, and an external weir 167 for the backflow of the flushing water. In the depicted embodiment, the weirs are circumferential vertical slots in the wall of the electroplating chamber 117.

As stated above, electroplating grabs generally include a lip seal and one or more contact elements to provide sealing and electrical connection functions. The lip seal can be made of elastic material. The lip seal forms a seal with the surface of the semiconductor substrate and excludes electrolyte from entering the peripheral area of the substrate. No deposition occurs in this peripheral area, and it is not used to form an IC device, that is, the peripheral area is not part of the working surface. Sometimes, because electrolyte is excluded from entering this area, this area is also called edge exclusion area. The peripheral area is used to support and seal the substrate during processing, and to form electrical connections with contact elements. Since it is usually necessary to increase the working surface, the peripheral area needs to be as small as possible while maintaining the above-mentioned functions. In some embodiments, the peripheral zone is between about 0.5 mm and 3 mm from the edge of the substrate.

During installation, the lip seal and contact elements are assembled with other elements of the grab. Those who are familiar with this technique will understand the difficulty of this operation, especially when the surrounding area is small. The total opening provided by the grab can be equivalent to the size of the substrate (for example, the opening for accommodating 200 mm wafers, 300 mm wafers, 450 mm wafers, etc.). In addition, the substrate has its own dimensional tolerance (for example, +/- 0.2 mm for a typical 300 mm wafer according to SEMI specifications). A particularly difficult task is to align the elastic lip seal and the contact element, because both are made of relatively flexible materials. These two elements need to have extremely precise relative positions. When the sealing edge of the lip seal and the contact element are positioned too far apart from each other, during the operation of the grab, insufficient electrical connection or no electrical connection may be formed between the contact and the substrate. At the same time, when the sealing edge is positioned too close to the contact, the contact may interfere with the seal and cause leakage into the peripheral area. For example, the conventional contact ring is often made of a plurality of flexible "fingers", which use a spring-like action to press the substrate to establish an electrical connection, such as the grab assembly (marked with cup 201, cone 203 and The lip seal 212) is shown. These flexible fingers 208 are not only extremely difficult to align with the lip seal 212, but are also prone to damage during installation, and are difficult to clean if electrolyte enters the peripheral area. Lip seal assembly with integrated contact element

Provided herein is a novel lip seal assembly with contact elements integrated into the elastic lip seal. In this field, instead of installing and aligning two separate sealed and electrical components (for example, a lip seal and a contact ring), the two components are aligned and integrated during component manufacturing. This alignment is maintained during installation and during operation of the grab. Therefore, the alignment needs to be set and checked only once, that is, during the manufacture of the component.

Figure 3A is a schematic illustration of a portion of a grab 300 with a lip seal assembly 302 according to some embodiments. The lip seal assembly 302 includes an elastic lip seal 304 for engaging a semiconductor substrate (not shown). The lip seal 304 forms a seal with the substrate and excludes the plating solution from entering the peripheral area of the semiconductor substrate, as described in other parts of this document. The lip seal 304 may include a protrusion 308 extending upward and toward the substrate. The protrusion can be compressed and deformed to some extent to establish a seal. The lip seal 304 has a first inner diameter defining a perimeter for excluding the plating solution from entering the peripheral area.

The lip seal assembly 302 also includes one or more contact elements 310 structurally integrated with the lip seal 304. As described above, the contact element 310 is used to supply current to the semiconductor substrate during electroplating. The contact element 310 includes an exposed portion 312 for defining a second inner diameter larger than the first inner diameter of the lip seal 304 to avoid interference with the sealing properties of the lip seal assembly 302. The contact element 310 usually includes another exposed portion 313 for forming an electrical connection with a current source (for example, the conductive plate 316 of the electroplating grab). However, other connection schemes are also possible. For example, the contact element 310 can be interconnected with a distribution bus 314 that can be connected to the conductive plate 316.

As described above, the integration of one or more contact elements 310 to the lip seal 304 is performed during the manufacture of the lip seal assembly 302 and maintained during the assembly and operation of the assembly. This integration can be performed in multiple ways. For example, an elastic material can be molded on the contact element 310. Other components such as the current distribution bus 314 can also be integrated into the device to improve the rigidity, conductivity, and other functionality of the device 302.

The lip seal assembly 302 illustrated in FIG. 3A has a contact element 310 having an unexposed part located between the two exposed parts 312 and 313 and connecting the two exposed parts. The unexposed part extends through the main body of the elastic lip seal 304, and is structurally integrated under a surface of the elastic lip seal 304 and is completely surrounded by the elastic lip seal. This type of lip seal assembly 302 can be formed, for example, by molding an elastic lip seal 304 on the unexposed portion of the contact element 310. Since only a small part of the contact elements 310 extend to the surface of the lip seal assembly 302 and are exposed, such contact elements can be particularly easy to clean.

FIG. 3B illustrates another embodiment in which the contact element 322 extends on the surface of the elastic lip seal 324 and does not have an intermediate region surrounded by the lip seal assembly. In some embodiments, the middle area can be regarded as the third exposed part of the contact element, which is structurally integrated on the surface of the elastic lip seal and is located between the two exposed parts 312 and 313 before the contact element, thereby connecting These two parts. This implementation can be assembled, for example, by pressing the contact element 322 to the surface, or by molding it to the surface, or by gluing it to the surface, or by attaching it to the surface in other ways. example. No matter how the contact element is integrated into the elastic lip seal, the point or surface of the contact element forming an electrical connection with the substrate is preferentially aligned with the point or surface of the lip seal forming a seal with the substrate. The contact element and the other parts of the lip seal can move relative to each other. For example, the exposed portion of the contact element that forms the electrical connection with the conductive plate can move relative to the lip seal.

Returning to FIG. 3A, the first inner diameter defines the peripheral area, and the second inner diameter defines the overlap between the contact element and the substrate. In some embodiments, the magnitude of the difference between the first inner diameter and the second inner diameter is about 0.5 millimeters (mm) or less than 0.5 millimeters, which means that the exposed portion 312 of the contact element 310 is separated from the electrolyte solution About 0.25 mm or less than 0.25 mm. This small separation allows a relatively small peripheral area while maintaining sufficient electrical connection to the substrate. In some such embodiments, the magnitude of the difference between the first inner diameter and the second inner diameter is about 0.4 mm or less than 0.4 mm, or about 0.3 mm or less than 0.3 mm, or about 0.2 mm or less 0.2 mm, or about 0.1 mm or less than 0.1 mm. In other embodiments, the magnitude of the difference between these diameters may be about 0.6 mm or less than 0.6 mm, or about 0.7 mm or less than 0.7 mm, or about 1 mm or less than 1 mm. In certain embodiments, the contact element is configured to conduct at least about 30 amps, or more specifically, at least about 60 amps. The contact element may include a plurality of fingers such that each contact tip of the fingers does not move relative to the edge of the lip seal. In the same or other embodiments, the exposed portion of one or more contact elements includes a plurality of contact points. The contact points can extend away from the surface of the elastic lip seal. In other embodiments, the exposed portion of one or more contact elements includes a continuous surface. Lip seal assembly with flexible contact element forming conformal contact surface

The electrical connection to the substrate can be significantly improved by increasing the contact surface between the contact element and the substrate during the sealing of the substrate in the grab assembly and subsequent electroplating. The conventional contact element (for example, the "finger" shown in FIG. 2) is designed to only make "point contact" with the substrate, and the point contact has a relatively small contact area. When the tip of the contact finger hits the substrate, the finger bends to provide a force against the substrate. Although this force can help slightly reduce the contact resistance, there is often enough contact resistance to cause problems during electroplating. In addition, over time, the contact finger may be damaged due to many repetitions of the bending action.

A lip seal assembly having one or more flexible contact elements conformally positioned on the upper surface of the elastic lip seal is described herein. The contact elements are configured to flex when engaged with the semiconductor substrate and form a conformal contact surface that interfaces with the substrate when the semiconductor substrate is supported, engaged and sealed by the lip seal assembly. The conformal contact surface is created when the substrate is pressed against the lip seal in a manner similar to the manner in which a seal is created between the substrate and the lip seal. Therefore, the pressure of the substrate against the contact element causes the elastic material (on which the contact element is disposed) to compress and generates a spring-like reaction force, which causes the contact element to conform to the shape of the substrate. However, although in some embodiments, the elastic material (on which the contact element is provided) is continuous with the elastic material forming the sealing interface, the sealing interface should generally be the conformal contact surface (formed between the contact element and the substrate) Distinguish even if the two surfaces can be formed adjacent to each other. It should also be noted that when describing the shape of the conformal contact element "fitting" to the substrate, or more specifically, "fitting" the shape of the hypotenuse area of the substrate, or describing the formation of electrical connections including the contact element to the substrate When the shape of the "fit", it should be understood that although this involves adjusting the shape of the contact element to match certain parts of the shape of the substrate, this does not mean adjusting the shape of the contact element as a whole to the shape of the substrate, or the intention The radial edge profile of the entire substrate is matched by the shape of the contact element; instead, it only means that at least some parts of the shape of the contact element are changed to roughly match the shapes of the substrate.

4A illustrates the lip seal assembly 400 before positioning and sealing the substrate 406 to the lip seal 402, which has a flexible contact element 404 positioned on the upper surface of the elastic lip seal 402 according to certain embodiments. 4B illustrates the same lip seal assembly 400 after the substrate 406 has been positioned and sealed with the lip seal 402 according to some embodiments. Specifically, it appears that when the substrate is held/engaged by the lip seal assembly, the flexible contact element 404 flexes and forms a conformal contact surface at the interface with the substrate 406. The electrical interface between the flexible contact element 404 and the substrate 406 may extend on the (flat) front edge surface of the substrate and/or the hypotenuse surface of the substrate. In general, a larger contact interface area is formed by providing a conformal contact surface of the flexible contact element 404 at the interface with the substrate 406.

The conformal properties of the flexible contact element 404 are important at the interface with the substrate, and the rest of the flexible contact element 404 can also conform to the lip seal 402. For example, the flexible contact element 404 can conformally extend along the surface of the lip seal. In other embodiments, the rest of the flexible contact element 404 may be made of other (for example, non-conformal) materials, and/or have different (for example, non-conformal) configurations. Therefore, in some embodiments, one or more flexible contact elements may have portions that are not configured to contact the substrate when the substrate is engaged by the lip seal assembly, and this non-contact portion may include a compliant material, or it may Contains non-compliant materials.

In addition, it should be noted that although the conformal contact surface can form a continuous interface between the flexible contact element 404 and the substrate 406, it is not necessary to form a continuous interface. For example, in some embodiments, the conformal contact surface has a gap, thereby forming a discontinuous interface with the semiconductor substrate. Specifically, a non-continuous conformal contact surface can be formed by a flexible contact element 404 including a plurality of wire tips and/or a wire mesh (disposed on the surface of the elastic lip seal). Even if it is not continuous, the conformal contact surface will still follow the shape of the lip seal when the lip seal is deformed during the closing of the grab.

The flexible contact element 404 may be attached to the upper surface of the elastic lip seal. For example, the flexible contact element 404 can be pressed, glued, molded, or otherwise attached to the surface, as described above with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B (although it does not form the flexible contact surface of the conformal contact surface) Under the specific circumstances of the component). In other embodiments, the flexible contact element 404 can be positioned on the upper surface of the elastic lip seal without providing any specific engagement features between the two. In either case, the force exerted by the semiconductor substrate on the flexible contact element 404 (when the grab is closed) causes the elastic body under the contact element to compress, and the elastic body provides a spring-like reaction force, which causes The conformability of the flexible contact element to the shape of the substrate.

In addition, although the part where the flexible contact element 404 and the substrate 406 interface (forming a conformal contact surface) is an exposed surface, the other parts of the flexible contact element 404 may not be exposed, for example, in a manner slightly similar to that of FIG. 3B The depicted integrated (but not conformal) lip seal assembly is integrated under the surface of the elastic lip seal.

In some embodiments, the flexible contact element 404 includes a conductive layer of conductive deposit deposited on the upper surface of the elastic lip seal. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and/or physical vapor deposition (PVD) and/or electroplating may be used to form/deposit the conductive layer of the conductive deposit. In some embodiments, the flexible contact element 404 may be made of a conductive elastic material. Substrate alignment lip seal

As explained above, the peripheral area of the substrate excluding the plating solution needs to be small, which requires careful and precise alignment of the semiconductor substrate before closing and sealing the grab. Misalignment may cause leakage on the one hand, and/or unnecessary coverage/blocking of the working area of the substrate on the other hand. Strict substrate diameter tolerances may cause additional difficulties during alignment. Some alignment can be provided by a transfer mechanism (e.g. depending on the accuracy of the robotic handling mechanism) and by using alignment features (such as snubbers) positioned on the side walls of the cup of the grab. However, it is necessary to accurately install the transfer mechanism and align it relative to the cup during installation (that is, "teaching" the relative position of other components) to provide accurate and repeatable positioning of the substrate. This robot hand teaching and alignment process is quite difficult to perform, uses a lot of labor, and requires highly skilled personnel. In addition, because many parts are positioned between the lip seal and the bumper, the bumper feature is difficult to install and tends to have large cumulative tolerances.

Therefore, a lip seal is disclosed herein, which is not only used to support and seal the substrate in the grab, but also to align the substrate in the grab before sealing. Various features of this lip seal will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C. Specifically, FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a grab portion 500 with a lip seal 502 according to some embodiments. The lip seal 502 supports the substrate 509 before a part of the lip seal 502 is compressed. The lip seal 502 includes a flexible elastic support edge 503, and the flexible elastic support edge 503 includes a sealing protrusion 504. The sealing protrusion 504 is configured to engage the semiconductor substrate 509 to provide support and form a seal. The sealing protrusion 504 defines a perimeter for removing the electroplating solution, and has a first inner diameter (see FIG. 5A), and the first inner diameter defines the perimeter of the exclusion. It should be noted that due to the deformation of the sealing protrusion 504, the perimeter and/or the first inner diameter may be slightly changed when the substrate is sealed against the elastic lip seal.

The lip seal 502 also includes a flexible elastic upper portion 505 located above the flexible elastic supporting edge 503. The flexible elastic upper portion 505 may include a top surface 507 configured to be compressed, and also include an inner side surface 506. The inner surface 506 may be located on the outer side relative to the sealing protrusion 504 (meaning that the inner surface 506 is located farther from the center of the semiconductor substrate held by the elastic lip seal than the sealing protrusion 504), and is configured so that when the top surface 507 is electroplated The other element of the grab moves inward (toward the center of the held semiconductor substrate) when compressed. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the inside surface is configured to move inwardly by at least about 0.1 mm, or at least about 0.2 mm, or at least about 0.3 mm, or at least about 0.4 mm, or at least about 0.5 mm. This inward movement allows the inner surface 506 of the lip seal to contact the edge of the semiconductor substrate resting on the sealing protrusion 504, thereby pushing the substrate toward the center of the lip seal and thereby aligning it in the electroplating grab. In some embodiments, the flexible elastic upper portion 505 defines a second inner diameter (see Figure 5A) that is larger than the first inner diameter (as described above). When the top surface 507 is not compressed, the second inner diameter is larger than the diameter of the semiconductor substrate 509, so that the semiconductor substrate 509 can be lowered to pass through the flexible elastic upper part 505 and place it on the edge of the flexible elastic support 503 on the sealing protrusion 504 to load it into the grab.

The lip seal 502 may also have an integrated or otherwise attached contact element 508. In other embodiments, the contact element 508 may be a separate element. In any case, regardless of whether it is a separate element, if the contact element 508 is provided on the inner surface 506 of the lip seal 502, the contact element 508 may also be involved in the alignment of the substrate. Therefore, in these examples, if the contact element 508 is present, it can be regarded as a part of the inner surface 506.

The compression of the top surface 507 of the elastic upper portion 505 can be accomplished in a variety of ways (in order to align and seal the semiconductor substrate in the electroplating clamshell). For example, the top surface 507 may be partially compressed by a cone of the grab bucket or some other element. Figure 5B is a schematic illustration of the same grab portion shown in Figure 5A immediately before compression by the cone 510, according to some embodiments. If the cone 510 is used to press the top surface 507 of the upper part 505 to deform the upper part and press the substrate 509 to seal the substrate 509 against the sealing protrusion 504, the cone may have two Surfaces 511 and 512, which are offset relative to each other in a specific manner. Specifically, the first surface 511 is configured to press the top surface 507 of the upper portion 505, and the second surface 512 is configured to press the substrate 509. The substrate 509 is usually aligned before the substrate 509 is pressed against the sealing protrusion 504 and sealed. Therefore, before the second surface 512 presses the substrate 509, the first surface 511 needs to press the top surface 507. Thus, when the first surface 511 contacts the top surface 507, there may be a gap between the second surface 512 and the substrate 509, as shown in FIG. 5B. This gap may depend on the necessary deformation of the upper portion 505 to provide alignment.

In other embodiments, the top surface 507 and the base plate 509 are pressed by different components of the grab with independently controlled vertical positioning. This configuration may allow the deformation of the upper portion 505 to be independently controlled before the substrate 509 is pressed. For example, some substrates may have a larger diameter than others. In some embodiments, the alignment of these larger substrates may require and even require less deformation than smaller substrates, because there is less initial gap between the larger substrate and the inner surface 506.

Figure 5C is a schematic illustration of the same part of the grab shown in Figures 5A and 5B after the grab is sealed according to some embodiments. The compression of the top surface 507 of the upper portion 505 by the first surface 511 of the cone 510 (or some other compression element) causes the deformation of the upper portion 505, causing the inner surface 506 to move inward, thereby contacting and removing the semiconductor The base plate 509 is aligned in the grab. Although FIG. 5C illustrates a cross-section of a small portion of the grab, those who are generally familiar with this technique should understand that this alignment process occurs simultaneously around the entire perimeter of the substrate 509. In certain embodiments, a portion of the inner surface 506 is configured to move toward the center of the lip seal by at least about 0.1 mm, or at least about 0.2 mm, or at least about 0.3 mm, or at least about 0.4 mm when the top surface 507 is compressed , Or at least about 0.5 mm. Method for aligning and sealing substrate in grab

This article also discloses a method of aligning and sealing a semiconductor substrate in an electroplating bucket with a flexible lip seal. The flowchart in Figure 6 illustrates some of these methods. For example, some embodiment methods involve opening the grab (block 602), supplying the substrate to the electroplating grab (block 604), lowering the substrate to pass through the upper portion of the lip seal and reach the seal protrusion of the lip seal Upper (block 606), and compress the top surface of the upper part of the lip seal to align with the substrate (block 608). In some embodiments, during operation 608, the top surface of the upper portion of the elastic lip seal is compressed so that the inner surface of the upper portion contacts the semiconductor substrate and pushes the substrate to align it in the grab.

In some embodiments, after aligning the semiconductor substrate during operation 608, the method proceeds to press the semiconductor substrate in operation 610 to form a seal between the sealing protrusion and the semiconductor substrate. In some embodiments, the top surface is continuously compressed while the semiconductor substrate is being pressed. For example, in some of these embodiments, compressing the top surface and pressing the semiconductor substrate can be performed by two different surfaces of the cone of the grab. Therefore, the first surface of the cone presses the top surface to compress it, and the second surface of the cone presses the substrate to form a seal with the elastic lip seal. In other embodiments, compressing the top surface and pressing the semiconductor substrate are performed independently by two different components of the grab. The two pressing elements of the grab can generally move independently of each other, thus allowing the compression of the top surface to stop once the substrate is pressed by another pressing element to seal against the lip seal. In addition, by independently changing the pressing force applied by the pressing element related to the semiconductor substrate, the degree of compression of the top surface can be adjusted based on the diameter of the semiconductor substrate.

These operations can be part of a larger electroplating process, which is also depicted in the flowchart of Figure 6 and briefly described below.

First, clean and dry the lip seal and contact area of the grab. Open the grab (block 602) and load the substrate into the grab. In some embodiments, the contact tip sits slightly above the plane of the sealing lip, and in this case, the substrate is supported by an array of contact tips around the periphery of the substrate. Then close and seal the grab by moving the cone down. During this closing operation, electrical contact and sealing are established according to the various embodiments described above. In addition, the bottom corner of the contact can be pressed down against the base of the elastic lip seal, which creates additional force between the tip and the front side of the wafer. The sealing lip can be slightly compressed to ensure a seal around the entire perimeter. In some embodiments, when the substrate is initially positioned into the cup body, only the sealing lip is in contact with the front surface. In this example, electrical contact between the tip and the front surface is established during the compression of the sealing lip.

Once the seal and electrical contact have been established, the clamshell carrying the substrate is immersed in the plating tank and electroplated in the tank while being held in the clamshell (block 612). The typical composition of the copper electroplating solution used in this operation includes a concentration range of about 0.5 g/L-80 g/L, more specifically about 5 g/L-60 g/L, and even more specifically about 18 g /L-55 g/L copper ion, and sulfuric acid with a concentration of about 0.1 g/L-400 g/L. Low-acid copper electroplating solutions usually contain about 5 g/L-10 g/L sulfuric acid. The medium and high acid solutions contain about 50 g/L-90 g/L and 150 g/L-180 g/L sulfuric acid respectively. The concentration of chloride ions can be about 1 mg/L-100 mg/L. Many copper electroplating organic additives can be used, such as Enthone Viaform, Viaform NexT, Viaform Extreme (available from Enthone Corporation in West Haven, CT, USA) or familiar Other accelerators, inhibitors and leveling agents known to the skilled person. Examples of electroplating operations are described in more detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 11/564,222 filed on November 28, 2006, for all purposes, but especially for the purpose of describing electroplating operations, this application is hereby incorporated by reference The full text is incorporated into this article. Once the electroplating is complete and the appropriate amount of material has been deposited on the front surface of the substrate, the substrate is removed from the electroplating bath. Then rotate the base plate and the grab to remove most of the residual electrolyte on the surface of the grab, and the residual electrolyte remains there due to surface tension and adhesion. Then flush the grab while continuing to rotate to dilute and flush the electrolyte fluid carried on the grab and the surface of the substrate as much as possible. Then, the substrate is rotated while turning off the rinse liquid for a certain period of time (usually at least about 2 seconds) to remove some remaining rinse. This process can continue to open the grab bucket (block 614) and remove the processed substrate (block 616). The operation blocks 604 to 616 can be repeated multiple times for a new wafer substrate, as indicated in FIG. 6. Cup assembly with improved rigidity, more precise manufacturing of sealing elements, and reduced cumulative tolerance

Usually, the cup and cone electroplating grab design utilizes an elastic lip seal manufactured separately from the other components of the grab, that is, the lip seal is usually made as a separate component, which is then regarded as operability Combine with grab when used and assembled. Mainly, this is because other grab elements are usually not made of elastic materials, but are solid pieces made of metal or hard plastic. Therefore, separate molding or manufacturing processes are generally used for these grab elements. However, because the lip seal is made of a flexible elastic material, and because of its thin (and possibly brittle) shape (see, for example, Figure 2, as described in the context), the molding of the lip seal may be better than The manufacture of sturdy grab elements is less precise. In addition, the assembly process (installing the lip seal on the bottom of the cup ("cup bottom")) may cause additional changes in the shape and size of the lip seal, and additional variability through "cumulative" tolerances. The marginal profit of each wafer substrate usually directly depends on the available surface area of the substrate; therefore the size of the edge exclusion zone of the wafer (defined by the radial position of the seal, which is formed by the lip seal against the substrate) Directly affect the "bottom line" profit margin associated with each wafer substrate. However, the lip seal must seal the peripheral area of the substrate surface (which is used to form an electrical connection with the electroplating current source) at a sufficiently inner side of the edge of the substrate, so that the manufacturing of the lip seal and the cumulative tolerance variability will not be disadvantageous Ground affects the reliability of the sealing ability of the lip seal. Therefore, it is important to accurately design and manufacture elastic sealing elements within a reasonable and feasible range.

The elastic sealing element can be manufactured by combining with the manufacturing of the cup bottom element of the cup body assembly of the electroplating grab design, which can improve the current manufacturing method of the cup body assembly and the sealing element. In other words, it is advantageous to manufacture the cup assembly (specifically, the cup bottom element and the elastic sealing element) in an integrated manner. One way to achieve this is to mold the elastic sealing element directly on the cup bottom element (on the cup bottom element, medium). If the elastic sealing element is physically small (for example, it has a radial profile that is closer to the edge area of the wafer compared to the more traditional design that extends radially outwards and extends too far toward the cup assembly) , This method is particularly effective, because the smaller-sized sealing element is easy to be formed at the position of the cup bottom element. However, it should also be noted that, in some embodiments, the elastic sealing element with a smaller size allows to be integrated with the bottom of the cup in the following manner in a precisely controlled manner, so that the elastic sealing element is not directly molded on The above-mentioned benefits are still achieved when the cup bottom element is bonded, glued, attached with an adhesive, or other ways to attach the sealing element to the cup bottom element. In either case, the integrated manufacturing of the elastic sealing element (having a reduced radial profile) and the cup bottom element allows the elastic sealing element to be manufactured and positioned in the cup bottom more accurately, and therefore it is smaller than other designs. The size of the edge exclusion zone of the wafer substrate.

The elastic sealing element manufactured in an integrated manner with the cup bottom can also be applied to substrate electrical contact elements that are different from those commonly used in other cup body component designs. For example, a cup assembly using a separately manufactured lip seal can use a contact finger made of a hardened metal sheet (for example, about 0.0005 to 0.005 inches thick) as a contact element. When the grab is closed, the contact finger The object flexes and makes point or line electrical contact with the substrate. Such a contact can have an "L" shape at the contact end, and the "L" shape can be used as a cantilever. An example of such an embodiment is schematically illustrated in FIG. 2. Figure 2 presents a contact finger 208, which is prepared to flex and make a point or line electrical contact with the substrate shown when the cone 203 is lowered (ie, the grab is closed). However, the flexure of the contact finger (such as the contact finger 208 in FIG. 2) may cause radial changes in the point or line of electrical connection between the contact finger and the substrate. The change can also be caused by the cumulative tolerance between the various components of the electroplating grab design shown in Figure 2. The change is: the manufacture of the sealing lip 212, the positioning of the sealing lip 212 in the cup 201, and the contact finger 208 The direction on the sealing lip 212 and the deflection of the contact finger 208 in contact with the substrate.

The cup assembly with integrated elastic sealing element disclosed herein can be applied to different types of electrical contact elements with different characteristics. Instead of "L"-shaped contact fingers made of hardened metal sheet and warped into a cantilever (as depicted in Figure 2), these cup components can be used with substantially flat contact elements, which are made of non-hardened, thin and flat It is made of sheet metal material and is arranged above a part of the elastic sealing element. Such an electrical contact element can be thin enough and soft/flexible, so that it can be deformed slightly when pressed by the cone against the elastic sealing element located below it, against the pressure from the substrate. In some embodiments, when the contact element is sandwiched between the substrate and the sealing element, under such pressure from the substrate, the contact element can be deformed to the extent that it even conforms (or slightly conforms) to the shape of the substrate. In some embodiments, the soft flexible sheet metal contact can be deformed enough to fit in the hypotenuse area of the wafer. Therefore, the force of the electrical contact is provided by the compression of the elastic sealing element under the contact element, rather than the spring force of the hardened sheet metal (the cantilever contact finger design shown in FIG. 2).

An example of such a cup assembly with these and many other features is schematically shown in FIGS. 7A to 7I. The depicted cup assembly 700 includes a flexible and flat electrical contact element 705, which can conform to the shape of the edge of the substrate (for example, the bevel area of a wafer substrate). The electrical contact element shown in the figure is arranged on the elastic sealing element 703 integrated with the cup bottom element 701. As mentioned above, the elastic sealing element can be molded in the cup bottom element (or in the cup bottom element, or on the cup bottom element, etc.) during the manufacture of the cup body assembly, or joined/attached to it in other ways Bottom element of the cup. These cup assembly designs therefore have certain features that are different from the designs shown in FIGS. 2-5, and the designs described with reference to (and presented in) FIGS. 7A to 7I can be regarded as the above-mentioned cup assembly designs. Alternative embodiment.

In general, FIGS. 7A-C are cross-sectional and perspective views of the cup assembly 700 with the integrated elastic sealing element 703 mentioned above. Each of these figures presents a schematic diagram of the cup body assembly 700, which has a cup bottom element 701, an elastic sealing element 703 and an electrical contact element 705. Specifically, FIG. 7A presents a wide cross-sectional view through an annular slice of these elements. FIG. 7B shows an enlarged part of the diagram shown in FIG. 7A, focusing on the details of the part of the cup bottom element supporting the elastic sealing element 703 and the electrical contact element 705. Similarly, FIG. 7C shows a perspective view of the part of the cup element enlarged in FIG. 7B. From the annular slices shown in these drawings, it should be understood that each of the bottom of the cup, the elastic seal, and the electrical contact element is substantially annular. Because of this, the elastic sealing element can be referred to herein as (for example) an elastic ring, and similarly, the electrical contact element can be referred to as a contact ring in this text. Of course, it should be understood that although these elements are ring-shaped, their The design can still have an angular relationship, for example, the contact fingers of the contact ring 705 with the fingers 706 as shown in FIG. 7F (described in more detail below). Each of these figures also presents the substrate 731 pushed by the cone 727 toward the sealing element 703; and the conductive plate 721 (also referred to as a conductive ring herein) that provides current to the contact element 705 during electroplating.

FIG. 7A presents a broader view of the cup assembly, illustrating that the plug 723 extends through the electrically conductive plate (or ring) 721 to attach the conductive plate to the cup bottom element 701 of the cup assembly 700. FIG. 7A also illustrates a ring-shaped insulating element 725 included in the cup assembly, which circumscribes the outer edge of the cup assembly. The ring-shaped insulating element 725 prevents the conductive conductive plate 721 from contacting the electrolyte.

The enlarged views of the cup assembly 700 shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C are more specifically focused on the cup bottom element 701, and its elastic sealing element 703 and electrical contact element 705. The contact between the sealing element 703 and the substrate 731 is also illustrated. Once again, it should be understood that the features depicted in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 7A-C are part of the ring structure, and the cross-section is obtained through radial slicing. 7B (close-up view) and 7C (further perspective view) depict the semiconductor substrate 731 resting on the cup assembly 700, with the cone 727 contacting the backside of the substrate. Therefore, these figures depict both the cup and cone features of a clamshell substrate holding design loaded with substrates, and which are prepared to make electrical contact with the substrate. It can be seen from the close-up views of FIGS. 7B and 7C that the cone 727 is located where it contacts the backside of the semiconductor substrate 731, and is prepared to press against the substrate and prepare to apply sufficient pressure to advance the substrate so that the substrate is in electrical contact Element 705 forms physical contact. It can also be seen in Figures 7B and 7C that to make this electrical contact, the elastic sealing element 703 will only be slightly compressed.

7B and 7C illustrate that the cup bottom element 701 includes a main body portion 711 and a moment arm 713. The moment arm 713 is a relatively thin outer extension (radially inward) of the main body of the cup bottom element 701, which functions to support the elastic sealing element 703 and the electrical contact element 705 provided on the sealing element. Because it supports these elements and because it is relatively thin, the moment arm 713 can be flexed (so called the moment arm) when the substrate is pressed by the cone 727 against its sealing and electrical contact arrangement. In response to the pressure exerted by the cone 727.

In contrast, the main portion 711 of the cup bottom element 701 is designed to be relatively thick (much thicker than the moment arm 713). Therefore, the main body part can be such that when the semiconductor substrate is pressed against the moment arm, it does not substantially flex. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the main part of the cup bottom element is not only strong in itself, but the main part can also be designed so that it is firmly attached to another feature of the cup structure. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7A, the bolt 723 firmly attaches the cup bottom 701 to the conductive plate/ring 721, so that the main body portion 711 remains substantially immobile and strong relative to other fixed parts of the cup body assembly 700.

Therefore, the main body of the cup bottom element remains substantially strong during operation, and when the force/pressure from the cone 727 passes through the base plate 731, the contact element 705, the sealing element 703, and finally through the moment arm 713, it is transmitted to it. Avoid any deflection at the time. On the other hand, the moment arm 713 is designed as a flexure (once sufficient pressure is applied to the substrate) element of the cup bottom 711. However, the moment arm is still designed to be as short as possible so that it does not exhibit excessive deflection, while still providing a sufficient radial surface to support the electrical contact element 705 and the elastic sealing element 703. (For example, compare the relative size and thickness of the main body portion 711 of the bottom of the cup with respect to the moment arm 713 in FIG. 7A).

7B and 7C illustrate in detail the geometry of the engagement between the substrate 731 and the elastic sealing element 703 and the engagement with the contact element 705. For example, in the diagrams, the radially innermost contact point (more specifically, the contact ring) is between the substrate 731 and the sealing element 703 that defines the peripheral area of the substrate, and the peripheral area is substantially Remove the plating solution and make electrical contacts. Sufficient pressure of the substrate 731 toward the sealing element 703 (applied by the cone 727) compresses the sealing element to form a liquid-tight seal, and also causes the sealing element 703 to deform enough so that the contact with the electrical contact element 705 is in contact with the seal. The contact is formed slightly radially outside.

In addition, as mentioned above, the pressure from the substrate 731 can also cause the elastic seal 703 under the contact element 705 to compress and generate a rebound force under the contact element. The rebound force causes the contact element to flex and conform to The shape of the part of the substrate in contact with the contact element. Specifically, in some embodiments, when the elastic body under the contact element is compressed, the contact element can bend and adjust its shape so as to conform to the contour of the hypotenuse area of the substrate. Again, this feature can be facilitated by contact elements that are relatively thin and made of flexible conductive materials (in contrast to hardened materials that exhibit spring-like behavior). Details about the bottom components

As mentioned earlier, when the wafer is pushed down, the cup bottom element 701 (except for the small moment arm) avoids significant deflection. This is because the cup bottom element 701 has a relatively thick body portion 711 and a relatively short and thin moment arm 713 (the sealing element 703 is disposed on the moment arm 713).

The cup bottom element 701 may be substantially ring-shaped and adjusted in size to accommodate standard-sized semiconductor substrates, such as 200mm, 300mm wafers, or 450mm wafers. The inner edge of the cup bottom element (or more specifically, the moment arm 713 in FIGS. 7A-7C) engages the outer periphery of the substrate (731 in FIGS. 7A-7C), although it generally does not substantially contact the substrate. As mentioned above, instead, the elastic sealing element and the electrical contact element form physical contact with the substrate. In some embodiments, the cup bottom element is designed to provide an exclusion zone of about 1 mm or less. The excluded area is the peripheral area of the substrate surface that is substantially excluded from contact with the electroplating/electrolyte solution during the electroplating operation.

As explained and presented in FIGS. 7A-7C, the cup bottom element 701 includes a main body portion 711 and a moment arm 713. Together these elements form a monolithic structure. In other words, the separate labeling of these elements as described herein should not be taken as meaning that these elements (the main body part and the moment arm) must be two physically distinct and separately manufactured elements (these The elements are joined together to form the bottom element). Although this is different and it is possible to be combined together later, it is more typical that the main body part of the bottom of the cup and the moment arm are made into one element (for example, there is no joint, seal, etc.) that combines it. The labeling of these parts of the cup (more specifically, called the "moment arm" and the bottom of the "body part") is not intended to be separately manufactured and then combined. This label is used to emphasize that the cone exerts The pressure (through the pressure between the substrate and the cone), the behavior is different. That is, as mentioned above, the moment arm is thin and designed to flex slightly when pressure is applied, while the body portion is thick and designed to remain substantially strong.

Other detailed drawings of the cup bottom element are shown in Figures 7D to 7I. These figures show that the cup bottom element 701, the elastic sealing element 703 and the electrical contact element 705 are separated from the other elements (and the cone 727) of the cup assembly 700 shown in FIGS. 7A-7C. For example, Figure 7D presents a perspective view of the cup bottom element separated from the other components of the cup body assembly, or more precisely, a view of about half of the overall cup bottom element 701, which roughly passes through the central axis of the cup bottom element 701 Cut so that about 180 degrees of the annular zone is illustrated, which is about half of the circumference of the bottom of the cup. Therefore, this figure illustrates the substantially annular structure of the cup bottom element. The figure also shows a bolt hole 724, which is used to attach this specific cup bottom structure to the rest of the cup body assembly 700, for example, by a bolt 723 as shown in FIG. 7A. It is also shown in FIG. 7A that, in this specific embodiment, the cup bottom element 701 is designed to be bolted to the electrically conductive plate 721. Other mechanisms for combining the cup bottom element and the cup body assembly are also conceivable, such as the use of fasteners to buckle the cup bottom to the holder of the cup body assembly, or the use of an adhesive to join the cup bottom to the holder of the cup body assembly Meshing mechanism.

Fig. 7E shows an enlarged view of Fig. 7D, which also focuses on the cross section of the cup bottom element of Fig. 7D separately from the other components of the cup body assembly, and shows a slice cut from the center axis of the cup bottom, and Fig. 7E is further enlarged in the figure 7F, FIG. 7F specifically focuses on the moment arm 713 (with the elastic seal 703 and the contact element 705 above it). These figures show the extension of the moment arm 713 radially inward from the holder of the cup bottom element, and the placement of the elastic sealing element 703 and the electrical contact element 705 on the extension. The diagram in FIG. 7E also illustrates the relative proportions of the moment arm 713 of the cup bottom element and the main body portion 711. It can also be seen that the moment arm 713 is indeed much smaller than the main body 711 in the radial direction and in terms of its height (ie, the thickness in the vertical direction). According to an embodiment, the radial width of the moment arm (the horizontal distance between its radially inward (terminal) tip and the point where it is combined with the main portion of the cup bottom element) can be at most about 0.3 inches, or at most about 0.1 inches, or in some embodiments, between about 0.04 and 0.3 inches. The radial width of the attention moment arm should be designed to meet the requirements of the exclusion zone. Therefore, in some embodiments, it needs to be at least as long as the exclusion zone (for example, at least 1 mm).

The design of the moment arm is usually like this: the moment arm provides substantially all of the bending of the cup bottom element during the placement of the semiconductor substrate on the cup body. Therefore, in some embodiments, the moment arm has a thickness between about 0.010 and 0.1 inches, or more specifically, between about 0.015 and 0.025 inches, which is greater than the thickness in the direction of wafer insertion The distance between the top and bottom of the moment arm in the thinnest section of the moment arm (ie, the vertical height of the moment arm in FIG. 7A).

This vertical height/thickness can be much thinner than the thickness of the main part of the cup bottom element, as shown in detail in Figure 7E, because the moment arm can be flexed, the main part is designed so that when the substrate is pressed against the sealing element by the cone The moment arm maintains substantial rigidity while advancing, and/or avoids bending and/or deformation. Therefore, although the moment arm can generally have the shape of a flat annular horizontal surface, the main body is generally substantially thicker in the vertical direction, and has a generally trapezoidal and/or polygonal shape, and/or has a curved surface in cross section. shape. By manufacturing the cup bottom element 701 with a strong and strong material, the resistance to bending and/or deformation can also be enhanced.

In addition, in certain embodiments, the main body portion may have a maximum thickness (vertical height perpendicular to the radial direction, top to bottom) of at least about 0.2 inches, or more specifically at least about 0.3 inches; in some implementations In an example, it may have a maximum vertical height between about 0.2 and 1 inch. Regarding the average vertical height/thickness, in certain embodiments, the main body portion may have at least about 0.1 inches, or at least about 0.3 inches, or at least about 0.5 inches, or even more specifically at least about 1.0 inches. Average vertical height. In some embodiments, the average vertical height of the main body portion may be between about 0.1 and 1.0 inches, or more specifically between about 0.2 and 0.5 inches.

Furthermore, according to embodiments, the ratio of the average vertical height/thickness of the main part of the cup bottom element to the average vertical height/thickness of the upper moment arm may be greater than about 3, or more specifically, the ratio may be greater than about 5. Or even more specifically greater than about 20, depending on the embodiment.

Similarly, the radial width of the main part of the cup bottom element can be between about 0.5 and 3 inches, or between about 0.75 and 1.5 inches. Generally speaking, it is advantageously adjusted in size to allow a fixed structural combination with other elements of the cup.

In some embodiments, FIG. 7E also shows that the main body portion 711 (radially inward) of the cup bottom element 701 suddenly tapers toward the point where it contacts the moment arm 713. In other words, as shown in FIG. 7E, in some embodiments, the cup bottom element 701 is tightly changed from the main body portion 711 of the thick section to the moment arm 713 of the flat structure (radially inward). Sharp. In some embodiments, the main portion 711 from the thickest section to the moment arm 713 becomes tapered, and is less than about 0.5 inches, or more specifically, less than about 0.1 inches, or between about 0.1 inches. At a distance of 0.5 inches. In addition, as further presented in FIGS. 7A and 7E, in the specifically illustrated embodiment, most of the main body portion 711 is positioned vertically above the moment arm 713.

Therefore, the moment arm 713 can be regarded as extending inward from the main body portion 711 of the cup bottom element 701 toward the substrate, and therefore, in some embodiments, it can be further regarded as operating in a cantilever manner to perform electroplating on the substrate. The edges of the substrate are physically supported when received into the cup before operation (and during the plating operation itself).

In addition to physically supporting the substrate, the moment arm supports the sealing element and positions it appropriately relative to the edge of the substrate to establish a leak-free seal, thereby forming the aforementioned dielectric exclusion zone near the edge of the substrate .

Therefore, the moment arm can be shaped to accommodate a ring-shaped sealing element, which is generally located between the moment arm and the wafer during operation, such as the ring-shaped sealing element 703 shown in the drawing. In some embodiments, the moment arm has a substantially straight or linear horizontal shape without obvious vertical features. In some embodiments, the moment arm and the adjacent (vertical outer) portion of the main body section of the bottom of the cup are shaped to form a model for forming the elastic sealing element directly on the bottom of the cup, for example by a precursor Polymerization (described further below) to mold.

The material used to form the bottom element of the cup is generally a relatively strong material. In addition, it can be made of conductive or insulating materials. In some embodiments, the cup bottom element is made of metal, such as titanium, titanium alloy, or stainless steel. In some embodiments, if it is made of a conductive material, the conductive material can be coated with an insulating material. In other embodiments, the cup bottom element is made of a non-conductive material, such as plastic such as PPS or PEEK. In other embodiments, the cup bottom element is made of ceramic material. In some embodiments, the bottom element of the cup has a rigidity characteristic of Young's modulus between about 300,000 and 55,000,000 psi, or more specifically between about 450,000 and 30,000,000 psi. Details on the sealing member (lip seal) of

Generally, the elastic sealing element is a ring-shaped element that fits snugly on the top of the moment arm and selectively abuts against the inner radial edge of the main part of the cup bottom. In some embodiments, the sealing element has a radial width of about 0.5 inches or less, or about 0.2 inches or less, or between about 0.05 and 0.2 inches, or between about 0.06 and 0.10 inches. The total radial width is usually chosen to be sufficient to accommodate the edge exclusion area of the wafer associated with the use of the equipment. Similarly, the diameter of the elastic sealing element is usually appropriately selected to accommodate standard wafer substrates, such as 200mm, 300mm wafers, or 450mm wafers.

The vertical thickness of the elastic sealing element may be between about 0.005 and 0.050 inches, or more specifically between about 0.010 and 0.025 inches. In order to form a substantially leak-free seal between the sealing element and the substrate, the thickness and shape of the sealing element can be selected to promote substantially continuous contact between the sealing element and the edge of the substrate.

In some embodiments, the sealing element has an L shape (or a substantially L-like shape), wherein the short arm of the "L" extends upward at the inner radius of the sealing element. For example, please see Figures 7B and 7C, showing that for this specific embodiment, the sealing element 703 has a small upward protrusion 704, which is located at the radially innermost part of the sealing element 703, and the upward protrusion 704 is located The radially inner side of the substantially horizontal part of the sealing element (on which the electrical contact element is arranged) and vertically above the substantially horizontal part of the sealing element (before the protrusion is pressed against and compressed by the wafer substrate, As described below).

This small upward protrusion can engage the wafer to provide a leak-free seal. As can be seen in the example shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the compression of the upward projection 704 not only establishes a leak-proof seal at the radially inward portion of the electrical contact element 705, but also realizes the compression of the upward projection The contact between the edge of the substrate and the electrical contact element 705. In some embodiments, the contact can be facilitated by the bending, bending, or cantilever-like movement of the moment arm itself. In some embodiments, depending on the degree of compression of the sealing element, its geometry, and the geometry of the electrical contact element, and any deflection associated with the moment arm, the compression of the upward projection (which may be accompanied by the deflection of the moment arm) /Bend) can allow the electrical contact element to contact the hypotenuse area of the substrate. In addition, in the embodiment where the elastic sealing element is located below the electrical contact element, the compression of the part of the sealing element under the contact element allows the contact element to be deformed into the shape of the wafer substrate. For example, the contact element is suitable for The shape of the radial profile in the hypotenuse area of the wafer substrate. According to embodiments, the vertical height of the upward protrusion of the aforementioned sealing element (for example, for an L-shaped or L-shaped elastic sealing element) may be between about 0.005 and 0.040 inches, or more specifically between about 0.010 and 0.025 inches. Electrical contact element

The electrical contact element is made of conductive material, so it can provide current to the substrate during the plating operation. Typically, the conductive material is a certain metal, alloy, etc., and it can be shaped and adjusted in size to sit on the upper surface of the moment arm, generally above the sealing element but forming a substantial part between the sealing element and the substrate. On the radially outer side of the sealed part without leakage. Such a configuration is illustrated in Figures 7B and 7C. In some embodiments, the contact ring is made of a substantially flat flexible and/or deformable conductive material, so it contacts the wafer seed layer with a larger contact area. In addition, in some embodiments, positioning/arranging a flat and thin flexible contact element above a part of the elastic sealing element may allow the contact element to deform slightly when the substrate presses it, and conform to the substrate The part of the surface in contact with it forms a conformal contact surface. Through the opposite compressive force (upward force) exerted on the contact element by the part of the elastic sealing element located below the contact element, the contact element can be strengthened to conform to the shape of the substrate surface and its contact (for example, conform to the substrate The contour of the hypotenuse area). Therefore, the quality, consistency and/or uniformity of the electrical connection between the substrate and the electrical contact element can be enhanced.

In some embodiments, the electrical contact element may be flat and thin, but may be shaped as contact fingers, which are oriented such that they point radially inward around the circumference of the contact element. These contact fingers help to improve the quality, consistency and/or uniformity of the electrical connection, because compared to the situation if solid conductive material strips (even thin and flat) are used The contact fingers are more deformable and/or flexible in the vertical direction when pressure is applied to the substrate (although in some embodiments, a monolithic strip of conductive material is also suitable for providing the necessary Electrical connection).

As mentioned above, the electrical contact element is generally substantially radially symmetrical and ring-shaped, so that it contacts the substrate to be plated symmetrically, and is particularly symmetrical in its surface portion that contacts the substrate. For this reason, it can also be referred to as a contact ring herein. The radial shape of an exemplary contact ring is illustrated in the expanded view of the cup bottom member 701 shown in FIGS. 7G to 7I, similar to the unexpanded view of the cup bottom member shown in FIGS. 7D-7E. In the figure at the back (FIGS. 7G-7I), the electrical contact element 705 is separated from the bottom element 701, so the shape of the electrical contact element 705 can be distinguished. Specifically, FIG. 7G presents about half of the annular structure of the exemplary electrical contact element 705, which is vertically separated from the rest of the cup bottom element 701. FIG. 7H enlarges one end of the cross-sectional slice through the cup bottom element shown in FIG. 7G, and FIG. 7I is a further enlarged view, focusing on the cross section of the cup bottom element, and the electrical contact element 705 is also separated from the cup bottom element 701.

It can be noted from these drawings that the radial symmetry of the contact ring 705 outside the actual substrate contact portion of the ring can be broken, and the impact on the operation of the contact ring 705 may be small, because the radially outer portion No electrical connection is formed with the substrate. This can be seen in the expanded view of the cup bottom element in FIG. 7I, where it can be seen that the contact ring 705 has a fastening element 707, which fits in the groove 709 of the cup bottom element 701 when assembled for operation. It can also be noted that even the radially inner part of the contact ring that contacts the substrate is only substantially radially symmetrical, because, for example, the presence of electrical contact fingers breaks symmetry at a small angle. The contact fingers are shown in FIG. 7I and more clearly in FIG. 7F.

The electrical contact element/ring 705 has a diameter that accommodates the outer region of the seed layer on a standard semiconductor wafer substrate (for example, a 200mm, 300mm wafer, or a 450mm wafer). The electrical contact element/ring 705 can be sized to be placed flat on the elastic sealing element 703. In some embodiments, the electrical contact element/ring 705 may have a radial width of about 0.500 inches or less, or between 0.040 and 0.500 inches, or more specifically between about 0.055 and 0.200 inches. The radial width of the contact ring is defined as the distance in the radial direction from the outer radial edge of the contact ring to the inner radial edge of the contact ring, for example by the diameter of the contact fingers on the contact ring shown in FIGS. 7F and 7I. Defined by the distance to the inside. The vertical thickness of the contact finger is generally between about 0.0005 and 0.010 inches, or more specifically between about 0.001 and 0.003 inches.

In some embodiments, such as the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 7F and 7I, the contact ring has a plurality of fingers protruding radially inward to contact the edge of the substrate when the substrate is held in the bottom of the cup. . The fingers may have a radial width between about 0.01 and 0.100 inches, or more specifically between about 0.020 and 0.050 inches. The fingers may have a center spacing between about 0.02 and 0.10 inches, or between about 0.04 and 0.06 inches. In some embodiments, the distance is constant over the circumference of the contact ring. In other embodiments, the spacing may vary on the circumference of the contact ring. The distance can be judged on the inner circumference of the contact ring. For the contact fingers placed flat on the elastic sealing element, the distance can be judged by the angle of the surface of the elastic sealing element.

In some embodiments, the contact ring is substantially flat and it is placed substantially flat on the elastic sealing element, and the elastic sealing element itself can be placed flat on the moment arm. On the whole, this design should be distinguished from the design of the contact ring with an L-shaped structure (where the short arm of the L extends upward to contact the substrate), and it is also different from the design of the contact finger of the application-like cantilever (as shown in Figure 3A). Show) distinguish. In these designs using contact fingers (which are placed substantially flat on the elastic sealing element), we believe that (in some embodiments) an improved electrical contact with the outer diameter of the wafer seed layer can be achieved. Because the contact ring is substantially flat, any additional cumulative tolerance requirement due to, for example, the degree of curvature of the cantilever-like contact finger can be eliminated. Therefore, with a substantially flat electrical contact element, the electrical contact area between the electrical contact element and the substrate can be positioned and controlled more accurately, and therefore the design of positioning the contact area closer to the edge of the substrate can be applied . This therefore enables the application of sealing elements that define a radially outer peripheral zone (on the surface of the substrate that substantially excludes the plating solution) so that a smaller edge rejection distance can be achieved during the plating operation.

Although the contact ring is shown to be completely flat in FIGS. 7A-7I, in some embodiments, the contact element that is substantially flat on the radially inner portion of the contact substrate may have a radially outer angular portion, for example, The conductive plates make contact. However, in such an embodiment, the part of the contact ring on the moment arm is still substantially flat. The contact fingers of the contact element can also have a slight slope as described above, but it can still be said that the contact element (and its contact fingers) are substantially flatly arranged above the elastic sealing element.

The electrical contact element/ring can be made of relatively flexible conductive material, which can be bent and/or deformed to accommodate the elastic seal of the substrate and the underlying layer when the substrate is pressed against the moment arm during (or before) the plating operation The shape of the component. For example, the electrical contact element/ring can be made of a thin non-hardened metal sheet. Therefore, the part of the contact element in contact with the substrate can be a thin, flexible and/or conformable metal sheet with a thickness of about 0.01 inches or less, or more specifically, a thickness of about 0.005 inches or less, or Even more specifically, the thickness is about 0.002 inches or less. The metal containing the contact ring may include stainless steel. In some embodiments, the metal may include a precious metal alloy. Such alloys may include palladium alloys, including palladium-silver alloys optionally containing gold and/or platinum. An example is Palinery 7 manufactured by DERINGER-NEY INC. Integral manufacturing of cup assembly and elastic sealing element

Although the elastic sealing element usually used to seal the substrate in the electroplating grab is a separate element, which is installed in the grab by the user before the electroplating operation, in many embodiments disclosed herein, the cup assembly and the The sealing element is integrated during the manufacturing process. In such an example, the elastic sealing element can be attached to the cup bottom element during manufacturing through attachment, molding, or other appropriate treatments that prevent the elastic sealing element from being detached from the cup bottom element. In this way, the elastic sealing element can be regarded as a fixing feature of the cup assembly, rather than as a separate element.

In some embodiments, the elastic sealing element can be formed in situ inside the cup bottom element, for example, by molding it in the cup bottom element. In this method, the chemical precursor of the elastic material constituting the forming sealing element is placed on the position of the moment arm where the forming sealing element is to be placed, and then the chemical precursor is processed by the following mechanism to form the desired Elastic materials: Polymerization, curing, or other mechanisms that convert chemical precursor materials into formed elastic materials (with the final structural shape required for sealing elements).

In other embodiments, the sealing element is pre-formed into its desired final shape, and then combined with a solid (plastic or metal) bottom element during the manufacture of the cup body assembly through the following operations: by adhesion, gluing, etc., or Several other appropriate attachment mechanisms attach the sealing element to the appropriate position on the moment arm of the cup bottom element.

Compared with the manufacturing that uses the cup assembly and the sealing element as separate elements, the integrated manufacturing of the cup assembly and its elastic sealing element can more accurately form the sealing element into its desired shape and more accurately. It is arranged in the structure of the cup bottom element of the cup body assembly. Combined with the fixed support seat of the cup bottom element, it allows precise positioning of the part of the sealing element contacting the substrate. Therefore, because the required positioning error range is small, a sealing element with a reduced axial profile can be applied, and therefore, the sealing element is allowed to be designed to contact the substrate in the cup assembly significantly closer to the edge of the substrate, thereby Shorten the edge exclusion zone during the plating operation. For example, by reducing/eliminating stuck bubbles, the thinner inner edge of the combination of the sealing element and the cup bottom (specifically, the moment arm of the cup bottom) enhances the plating performance on the wafer. System controller

In some embodiments, a system controller is used to control the process conditions during the sealing of the grab and/or during the processing of the substrate. The controller generally includes one or more memory devices and one or more processors. The processor includes a CPU, or computer, analog and/or digital input/output connectors, stepper motor control panel, etc. The instructions to perform appropriate control operations are executed on the processor. These commands can be stored on a memory device connected to the controller or can be provided via the network.

In some embodiments, the system controller controls all activities of the processing system. The system controller executes system control software including a command group to control the time course of the processing steps listed above and other parameters of specific processing. In other embodiments, other computer programs, instruction codes, or programs stored in a memory device connected to the controller can be used.

Usually, there is a user interface connected to the system controller. The user interface includes a display screen, graphical software showing process conditions, and user input devices (such as pointing devices, keyboards, touch screens, microphones, etc.)

The computer program code used to control the above operations can be written in any commonly used computer readable programming language, such as assembly language, C, C++, Pascal programming language, evangelical programming language or others. The compiled object code or instruction code is executed by the processor to realize the tasks specified in the program.

The signal for monitoring the process is provided by the analog and/or digital input connector of the system controller. The signal used to control the process is output by the analog and digital output connector of the processing system. Lithographic patterning

The above-mentioned equipment/processing can be used in conjunction with lithographic patterning tools or processes, for example, for processing or manufacturing semiconductor devices, displays, LEDs, solar panels, and the like. Typically, but not necessarily, such tools/processes are used or operated together in a common manufacturing site. The lithography patterning of a thin film typically includes some or all of the following steps, each of which is facilitated by a number of reasonable tools: (1) Use a spin coating or spray tool to coat the photoresist on the workpiece (ie the substrate) (2) Use a hot plate or furnace or UV curing tool to cure the photoresist; (3) Use a tool such as a wafer stepper to expose the photoresist to visible light or UV light or X-ray; (4) Use such as The tool of the wet cleaning station develops the photoresist to selectively remove the photoresist and thereby pattern it; (5) Use dry or plasma-assisted etching tools to transfer the photoresist pattern to the underlying (6) Use a tool such as an RF or microwave plasma photoresist stripper to remove the photoresist. Other embodiments

Although the exemplary embodiments and applications of the present invention are presented and described herein, there may be many changes and modifications that still fall within the spirit, scope, and concept of the present invention, and those with ordinary knowledge in the art will observe these changes after observing the case. Will become obvious. Therefore, the embodiments herein should be regarded as illustrative (not restrictive), and the present invention is not limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope and equivalent aspects of the appended patent application.

100: equipment 101: cup body 103: Cone 104: strut 105: top plate 106: Spindle 107: Motor 109: splash skirt 110: Spacer 111: Wafer Holder 115: electroplating unit 117: Electroplating chamber 119: Anode 131: inlet pipe 153: diffuser/diaphragm 155: inlet nozzle 157: Chamber 159: Flush the drain line 161: Electroplating solution return line 163: flush nozzle 165: Internal Weir 167: External Weir 201: Cup Body 203: Cone 208: Finger 212: Lip seal 300: grab 302: Components 304: elastic lip seal 308: protruding part 310: contact element 312: exposed part 313: exposed part 314: Distribution bus 316: conductive plate 322: contact element 324: Lip seal 400: component 402: Lip seal 404: contact element 406: Substrate 500: grab part 502: Lip seal 503: Elastic support edge 504: Seal protrusion 505: Elastic upper part 506: inside surface 507: top surface 508: contact element 509: Substrate 510: Cone 511: Surface 512: Surface 602: Block 604: Block 606: Block 608: Block 610: Operation 612: Block 614: block 616: block 700: Components 701: Cup bottom (element) 703: Elastic seal (component) 704: protruding part 705: (electrical) contact element/contact ring 706: finger 707: Fastening element 709: groove 711: main part 713: Moment Arm 721: conductive plate :723 724: bolt hole 725: Insulating element 727: Cone 731: Substrate

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wafer holding and positioning device for electrochemically processing semiconductor wafers.

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a grab assembly with a contact ring made of a plurality of flexible fingers.

Fig. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the grab assembly of the lip seal assembly with integrated contact elements.

3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of another grab assembly with different lip seal assemblies with integrated contact elements.

Figure 4A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lip seal assembly with flexible contact elements.

4B illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the lip seal assembly of FIG. 4A forming a conformal contact surface for interfacing with a semiconductor substrate.

FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lip seal assembly configured to align a semiconductor substrate in a grab assembly.

Fig. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lip seal assembly of Fig. 5A, in which the surface of the cone of the grab assembly presses the upper surface of the lip seal assembly.

5C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lip seal assembly of FIGS. 5A and 5B, wherein the surface of the cone of the grab assembly pushes both the upper surface of the lip seal and the semiconductor substrate.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of electroplating a semiconductor substrate.

Fig. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cup body assembly having a cup bottom element, an elastic ring, and a contact ring.

FIG. 7B shows an enlarged view of the schematic cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 7C presents a perspective view of the cross-sectional view depicted in FIG. 7A.

Fig. 7D presents an expanded perspective view of the substantially annular portion of the cup assembly shown in Figs. 7A-7C.

Fig. 7E presents an enlarged perspective view of the cup assembly shown in Fig. 7D showing a cross section of the annular portion.

Figure 7F shows a further enlarged perspective view of the cup assembly shown in Figures 7D-7E.

Figures 7G-7I present an expanded view similar to the perspective view shown in Figures 7D-7F, but show that the contact ring element is separated (vertically) from the other parts of the cup assembly.

700: Components

701: Cup bottom (element)

703: Elastic seal (component)

705: (electrical) contact element/contact ring

711: main part

721: conductive plate

:723

725: Insulating element

727: Cone

731: Substrate

Claims (27)

A cup assembly for engaging a semiconductor substrate during electroplating, the cup assembly comprising: The cup bottom element includes a main body portion and a moment arm protruding radially inward, wherein the main body portion is attached to another feature of the cup body assembly, and wherein the thickness of the moment arm is configured to be placed on the semiconductor substrate The moment arm provides substantially all of the bending of the cup bottom element during placement on the cup body assembly; and An elastic sealing element is arranged on the radially inwardly protruding moment arm, wherein the elastic sealing element is supported by the radially inwardly protruding moment arm, wherein when pressed against by the semiconductor substrate, the elastic The sealing element is sealed against the semiconductor substrate to define a peripheral area of the semiconductor substrate that substantially excludes the electroplating solution during electroplating. The top portion of the elastic sealing element is configured to accommodate an electrical contact element. When the elastic sealing element abuts When the semiconductor substrate is sealed, the electrical contact element contacts the semiconductor substrate in the peripheral area, so that the electrical contact element is in electrical communication with the semiconductor substrate during electroplating. For example, the cup assembly used for engaging a semiconductor substrate during electroplating in the first item of the patent application, wherein the peripheral region is substantially radially symmetrical and is characterized by a first radial inner diameter, wherein the semiconductor substrate and the The contact area between the electrical contact elements is substantially radially symmetrical, and is characterized by a second radially inner diameter, and wherein the second radially inner diameter is greater than the first radially inner diameter. For example, the cup assembly for engaging a semiconductor substrate during electroplating in the second item of the patent application, wherein the main body is constructed to maintain rigidity and the moment arm is constructed during the period when the semiconductor substrate is placed on the cup assembly To flex. For example, the cup assembly for engaging a semiconductor substrate during electroplating in the first item of the patent application, wherein the average vertical thickness of the main body portion is greater than the average vertical thickness of the radially inwardly projecting moment arm, and wherein the main body portion The radial width is greater than the radial width of the moment arm protruding radially inward. For example, the cup body assembly for engaging a semiconductor substrate during electroplating in any one of the scope of patent application 1 to 4, wherein the average vertical thickness of the main body portion of the cup bottom element is at least about 0.2 inches. For example, the cup assembly used to engage the semiconductor substrate during electroplating in any one of items 1-4 of the scope of the patent application further includes: The electrical contact element is provided on the top part of the elastic sealing element. A device that contains: An elastic sealing element configured to be arranged on and supported by a moment arm protruding radially inward of the bottom of the cup, wherein when pressed against the semiconductor substrate, the elastic sealing element seals against the semiconductor substrate, In order to define the peripheral area of the semiconductor substrate that substantially excludes the electroplating solution during electroplating, the substantially horizontal top portion of the elastic sealing element is configured to accommodate an electrical contact element having a substantially flat but flexible contact portion , Wherein when the elastic sealing element is sealed against the semiconductor substrate, the electrical contact element contacts the semiconductor substrate in the peripheral area and deforms when pressed by the semiconductor substrate, so that the electrical contact element interacts with the semiconductor substrate during electroplating. The substrate is in electrical communication; The bottom of the cup includes a main body portion and the moment arm protruding radially inward, the main body portion is firmly attached to another feature of the cup body assembly, and the thickness of the moment arm is configured to be placed on the semiconductor substrate The moment arm provides substantially all the bending of the bottom of the cup during placing on the cup assembly. Such as the device of claim 7 in which the main body part is constructed to maintain rigidity while the semiconductor substrate is placed on the cup assembly and the moment arm is constructed to flex. For example, the device of the seventh item of the scope of patent application, wherein the elastic sealing element has an upward protrusion, when the semiconductor substrate is pressed against the elastic sealing element, the upward protrusion contacts and seals the semiconductor substrate, wherein the The upward protrusion is located at the radial inner side of the substantially horizontal top portion of the elastic sealing element. For example, the device of item 9 of the scope of patent application, wherein when sealed against the semiconductor substrate, the upward projection of the elastic sealing element is compressed, and wherein before compression, the upward projection of the elastic sealing element is Vertically above the substantially horizontal top portion of the elastic sealing element. For example, the equipment of any one of items 7-10 in the scope of patent application includes: The cup bottom includes the main body and the radially inwardly protruding moment arm, wherein the radially inwardly protruding moment arm supports the elastic sealing element and the electrical contact element. For example, the equipment of any one of items 7-10 in the scope of patent application includes: The electrical contact element comprising the substantially flat but flexible contact part, wherein the shape and size of the substantially flat but flexible contact part are customized to be arranged substantially horizontally of the elastic sealing element On that top part. Such as the device of any one of items 7-10 in the scope of patent application, wherein the average vertical thickness of the main body portion of the cup bottom is greater than the average vertical thickness of the radially inwardly protruding moment arm of the cup bottom, and wherein The radial width of the main body part is greater than the radial width of the moment arm protruding radially inward. A device that contains: An electrical contact element comprising a flexible conductive material, wherein the electrical contact element is substantially flat and its shape and size are customized to be arranged on a moment arm protruding radially inward at the bottom of the cup. The inwardly protruding moment arm is configured to support an elastic sealing element between the electrical contact element and the radially inwardly protruding moment arm, wherein when pressed by the semiconductor substrate, the elastic sealing element abuts against the semiconductor The substrate is sealed to define a peripheral area of the semiconductor substrate that substantially excludes the electroplating solution during electroplating; The bottom of the cup includes a main body portion and the moment arm protruding radially inward, the main body portion is firmly attached to another feature of the cup body assembly, and the thickness of the moment arm is configured to be placed on the semiconductor substrate The moment arm provides substantially all the bending of the bottom of the cup during being placed on the cup assembly, and when the elastic sealing element is sealed against the semiconductor substrate, the electrical contact element is arranged in the peripheral area The semiconductor substrate is contacted so that the electrical contact element is in electrical communication with the semiconductor substrate during electroplating. For example, the equipment of item 14 of the scope of patent application includes: The elastic sealing element is arranged on the moment arm protruding radially inward, wherein the top part of the elastic sealing element supports the electrical contact element. For example, the equipment of item 15 of the scope of patent application includes: The cup bottom including the main body and the moment arm protruding radially inward, wherein the moment arm protruding radially inward supports the elastic sealing element and the electrical contact element. For example, the device of item 16 of the scope of patent application, wherein the elastic sealing element is combined with the bottom of the cup. Such as the device of any one of items 14-17 in the scope of the patent application, wherein the main body part is constructed to maintain rigidity and the moment arm is constructed to flex during the placement of the semiconductor substrate on the cup assembly . For example, the device of any one of items 14-17 of the scope of patent application, wherein, at least partly due to the reaction force generated by the compression of the elastic sealing element on which the electrical contact element is disposed, the electrical contact element is configured Part of the shape conforming to the semiconductor substrate. For example, the device of any one of items 14-17 in the scope of the patent application, wherein the elastic sealing element has an upward protruding part, and when the semiconductor substrate is pressed against the elastic sealing element, the upward protruding part contacts And sealing the semiconductor substrate, wherein the upward protruding part is located at the radial inner side of the substantially horizontal part of the elastic sealing element. For example, the device of item 20 of the scope of patent application, wherein the shape and size of the substantially flat electrical contact element are customized to be arranged on the substantially horizontal part of the elastic sealing element. Such as the device of any one of items 14-17 in the scope of the patent application, wherein the flexible conductive material includes palladium, silver, gold, platinum, stainless steel, or a combination thereof. Such as the device of any one of items 14-17 in the scope of the patent application, wherein the average vertical thickness of the main body portion of the cup bottom is greater than the average vertical thickness of the radially inwardly projecting moment arm of the cup bottom, and wherein The radial width of the main body part is greater than the radial width of the moment arm protruding radially inward. A cup assembly for engaging a semiconductor substrate during electroplating, the cup assembly comprising: A cup bottom element includes a body portion and a moment arm protruding radially inward, wherein the body portion is attached to another feature of the cup assembly, wherein the average vertical thickness of the body portion is greater than the radially inward portion The ratio of the average vertical thickness of the protruding moment arms is greater than about 5, and the radial width of the main body part is between about 0.5 inches and about 3 inches and the radial width of the moment arms protruding radially inward At most about 0.1 inches; An elastic sealing element is arranged on the radially inwardly protruding moment arm, wherein the elastic sealing element is supported by the radially inwardly protruding moment arm, and when the semiconductor substrate is pressed against, the elastic The sealing element is sealed against the semiconductor substrate to define a peripheral area of the semiconductor substrate that substantially excludes electroplating solution during electroplating, wherein the main body of the cup bottom element is during the placement of the semiconductor substrate on the cup assembly Is partially constructed to maintain rigidity and the moment arm of the cup bottom element is constructed to flex; and An electrical contact element is arranged on the top part of the elastic sealing element. For example, the cup assembly for engaging a semiconductor substrate during electroplating in the 24th patent application, wherein the thickness of the moment arm is configured such that the moment arm provides the cup during placement of the semiconductor substrate on the cup assembly Virtually all bending of the bottom element. For example, the cup assembly used to engage a semiconductor substrate during electroplating in the 24th patent application, wherein the electrical contact element includes a flexible conductive material, and the electrical contact element is substantially flat and arranged in the radial direction On the inner protruding moment arm. For example, the cup assembly for engaging a semiconductor substrate during electroplating in the 24th patent application, wherein the top part of the elastic sealing element is substantially horizontal, and wherein the electrical contact element is provided on the top part of the elastic sealing element on.

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