Ebara Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Nihon Micro Coating Co., Ltd.

Masaya Seki

Masayuki Nakanishi

Tetsuji Togawa

Kenya Ito

Tamami Takahashi

Hiroaki Kusa

Shao Hua Chang

Kenji Yamaguchi

Masaki Tomita

Takeo Kubota

Kenji Iwade

Hiroyuki Takenaka

Kazuaki Maeda

Naoki Matsuda

Kiyoshi Suzuki

Jumpei Fujikata

Atsushi Yoshida

Mitsuhiko Shirakashi

Mitsutoshi Yahagi

Manao Hoshina

Hideki Takayanagi

Masayuki Satake

Kazuyuki Inoue

Nobuya Yamada

Kenichi Kobayashi

Norio Kimura

Jun Watanabe

Jun Tamura

Takayuki Saito

Masashi Shimoyama

Yuki Inoue

Atsushi Shigeta

Toshio Yokoyama

Makoto Kashiwagi

Dai Fukushima

Yasuyuki Masuda

Takeshi Nishioka

Kenji Kodera

Akira Owatari

Akihiro Yazawa

Kaoru Yamada

Naoki Dai

Ichiro Katakabe

Satoru Sato

Michiyoshi Yamashita

Masayuki Kamezawa

Masunobu Onozawa

Kenji Kato

Souichi Asakawa

Sumio Yabe

A plating module includes: a plating tank, a substrate holder, and an elevating mechanism. The plating tank is for housing a plating solution. The substrate holder is for holding a substrate with a surface to be plated facing downward. The elevating mechanism is for moving up and down the substrate holder. The substrate holder includes: a supporting mechanism, a floating plate, a floating mechanism, and a pushing mechanism. The supporting mechanism is for supporting an outer peripheral portion of the surface of the substrate. The floating plate is arranged on a back surface side of the substrate. The floating mechanism is for biasing the floating plate to a direction away from a back surface of the substrate. The pushing mechanism is for pressing the floating plate to the back surface of the substrate against a biasing force to the substrate by the floating mechanism.

Plating apparatus and substrate holder operation method

Efficiency of a cleaning process and a degassing process for a surface to be processed of a substrate is improved. A pre-wet moduleincludes a stage, a rotation mechanism, a pre-wet chamber, an elevating mechanism, a degassing liquid supply member, a nozzle, and a cleaning liquid supply member. The stageis configured to hold a back surface of a substrate WF with a surface to be processed WF-a facing upward. The rotation mechanismis configured to rotate the stage. The pre-wet chamberincludes a lid memberand a tubular member. The lid memberhas an opposed surfaceopposed to the surface to be processed WF-a of the substrate WF. The tubular memberis installed on an outer edge portion of the opposed surfaceof the lid member. The elevating mechanismis configured to move up and down the pre-wet chamber. The degassing liquid supply memberis configured to supply a degassing liquid to a pre-wet spaceformed between the pre-wet chamberand the surface to be processed WF-a of the substrate WF. The nozzleis installed on the opposed surfaceof the lid member. The cleaning liquid supply memberis configured to supply a cleaning liquid to the surface to be processed WF-a of the substrate WF via the nozzle

Prewet module and prewet method

A plating apparatus that allows shielding a specific portion of a substrate at a desired timing is achieved. The plating apparatus includes a plating tankfor housing a plating solution, an anodearranged in the plating tank, a substrate holderfor holding a substrate Wf with a surface to be plated facing downward, a rotation mechanismfor rotating the substrate holder, and a shielding mechanismmoving a shielding memberbetween the anodeand the substrate Wf depending on a rotation angle of the substrate holder

Plating apparatus and plating method

Provided is a technique that ensures suppressed deterioration of plating quality of a substrate due to a process gas that remains on a lower surface of a membrane. A plating apparatusincludes a plating tankand a substrate holder. The plating tank includes an anodearranged in an anode chamber. The substrate holder is arranged above the anode chamber and configured to hold a substrate Wf as a cathode. The anode has a cylindrical shape extending in a vertical direction. The plating apparatus further includes a gas accumulation portionand a discharge mechanism. The gas accumulation portion is disposed in the anode chamber so as to have a space between the anode and the gas accumulation portion. The gas accumulation portion covers an upper end, an outer peripheral surface, and an inner peripheral surface of the anode to accumulate a process gas generated from the anode. The discharge mechanism is configured to discharge the process gas accumulated in the gas accumulation portion to outside of the plating tank.

Plating apparatus and plating process method

Provided is a technique that ensures suppressed invasion of particles generated at a bearing of a rotation mechanism into a plating tank. A plating apparatusincludes a labyrinth seal member. The labyrinth seal member includes an inner labyrinth sealarranged below a bearingto seal the bearing, an outer labyrinth sealarranged outside in a radial direction of the rotation shaftwith respect to the inner labyrinth seal, a delivery portconfigured to supply air to an inner seal spaceformed inside in the radial direction with respect to the inner labyrinth seal, and a suction portconfigured to suction air in an outer seal spaceformed outside in the radial direction with respect to the inner labyrinth seal and inside in the radial direction with respect to the outer labyrinth seal.

Plating apparatus

Provided is a wetting method for substrate that allows reducing an amount of air bubbles attached to a surface to be plated with a simple structure. The wetting method for substrate includes a holding stepof holding a back surface of a substrate with a back plate such that a surface to be plated of the substrate is opposed to a liquid surface of a plating solution housed in a plating tank, a supplying stepof supplying the plating solution to the plating tank such that the plating solution upwardly flows through a plurality of through-holes in a center part of an ionically resistive element arranged inside the plating tank to raise a center part of the liquid surface of the plating solution, a first lowering stepof lowering a supporting member for supporting an outer edge portion of the surface to be plated of the substrate held by the holding member toward the liquid surface of the plating solution, and a second lowering stepof lowering the holding member such that the substrate is sandwiched by the supporting member lowered in the first lowering stepand the holding member while the center part of the liquid surface of the plating solution is raised in the supplying step

Wetting method for substrate and plating apparatus

A plating apparatusincludes a plating tank, a substrate holder, a rotation mechanism, an elevating mechanism, a contact member, and a cleaning deviceconfigured to clean the contact member. The cleaning deviceincludes a pivot shaft, a first arm, a second arm, and a nozzlethat includes at least one discharge port. Applying a cleaning fluid discharged from the discharge port to the contact membercleans the contact member

Plating apparatus and cleaning method of contact member of plating apparatus

A preprocess is efficiently performed on a substrate. A pre-wet moduleincludes a deaeration tank, a processing device, a substrate holder, and a drive mechanism. The deaeration tankis configured to house a deaerated liquid. The processing deviceincludes a nozzleconfigured to supply a cleaning liquid to a surface to be processed of a substrate having the surface to be processed facing upward. The substrate holderis disposed between the deaeration tankand the processing device. The substrate holderincludes a first holding memberconfigured to hold a first substrate and a second holding memberconfigured to hold a second substrate. The drive mechanismis configured to rotate and move up and down the substrate holder. The drive mechanismincludes a rotation mechanismand an elevating mechanism. The rotation mechanismis configured to rotate the substrate holderbetween a first state where a surface to be processed of the first substrate is opposed to a deaerated liquid in the deaeration tankand a second state where a surface to be processed of the second substrate is opposed to the deaerated liquid in the deaeration tank. The elevating mechanismis configured to move up and down the substrate holder

Pre-wet module, deaerated liquid circulation system, and pre-wet method

Provided is a technique that allows ensuring a downsized plating apparatus. A plating apparatus includes a discharge module. The discharge module includes a module main bodyincluding a plurality of nozzlesconfigured to discharge a process liquid upward, and a moving mechanismincluding a rotation shaftdisposed at a side of a plating tank and connected to the module main body. The moving mechanismmoves the module main body by rotation of the rotation shaft. The moving mechanism moves the module main body between the first position and the second position. The plurality of nozzles are arranged such that the process liquid discharged from the plurality of nozzles is brought in contact with a lower surface of a substrate from a center portion to an outer peripheral edge portion when the module main body moves to the second position. The module main body further includes a recovery member configured to recover the process liquid dropped after being discharged from the plurality of nozzles and brought in contact with the lower surface of the substrate.

Plating apparatus, pre-wet process method, and cleaning process method

Provided is a technique that allows measuring a film thickness of a substrate in a plating process. A plating apparatusincludes a plating tank, a substrate holder, a rotation mechanism, a plurality of contact members, a coil, a current sensor, and a film thickness measuring device. The plurality of contact membersare disposed in a substrate holder and arranged in a circumferential direction of the substrate holder. The plurality of contact memberscontact an outer peripheral edge of a lower surface of a substrate to supply electricity to the substrate in the plating process. The coilgenerates a current by an electromagnetic induction due to a magnetic field generated by a current flowing into the contact member, the contact member being rotate together with the substrate holder in the plating process. The current sensordetects the current generated in the coil. The film thickness measuring devicemeasures a film thickness of the substrate based on the current detected by the current sensor in the plating process.

Plating apparatus and film thickness measuring method for substrate

Provided is a technique that allows suppressing a liquid splash of a plating solution. A plating apparatus includes a plating tankincluding an inner tank, a substrate holder, and a paddleconfigured to agitate the plating solution accumulated in the inner tankby reciprocating in a horizontal direction. The paddleis arranged to be inserted through a hole provided in an outer peripheral wall of the inner tank and to build a bridge between an inside of the inner tank and an outside of the inner tank, and the paddleincludes a first portionconfigured to agitate the plating solution accumulated in the inner tank, a second portionarranged outside the inner tank and disposed above the first portion, and a connecting portionarranged outside the inner tank to connect the first portion to the second portion.

There is provided the substrate holder for holding a substrate comprising a first holding member, a second holding member, a sealing member, a pin, a ring, and a moving mechanism. The sealing member forms a sealed space inside the substrate holder. The pin is fixed to one of the first holding member and the second holding member. The ring is disposed on another of the first holding member and the second holding member. The ring engages with the pin. The moving mechanism circumferentially moves the ring. The pin and the ring are engaged with one another to fix the first holding member and the second holding member to one another. The pin and the ring are disposed inside the sealed space.

Substrate holder and plating apparatus

A polishing apparatus capable of forming a step-shaped recess having a right-angled cross section in an edge portion of a substrate, such as a wafer, is disclosed. The polishing apparatus includes: a substrate rotating device configured to rotate the substrate about a rotation axis; a first roller having a first circumferential surface configured to press a polishing tape against the edge portion of the substrate; and a second roller having a second circumferential surface in contact with the first circumferential surface. The second roller has a tape stopper surface that restricts movement of the polishing tape in a direction away from the rotation axis. The tape stopper surface is located radially outward of the first circumferential surface.

Polishing apparatus and polishing method

A method capable of removing a liquid from a seal of a substrate holder so as to prevent contact between the liquid and an electrical contact of the substrate holder is provided. The method includes: immersing the substrate in a plating solution, with a seal and an electrical contact of the substrate holder in contact with the substrate; applying a voltage between the substrate and an anode in the presence of the plating solution to plate the substrate; pulling up the plated substrate from the plating solution; separating the seal from the plated substrate; and forming a flow of gas passing through a gap between the plated substrate and the seal, the flow of gas being directed from an inside to an outside of the substrate holder.

Method of removing liquid from seal of a substrate holder

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Masaya Seki