Ebara Corporation

Mitsutoshi Yahagi

Masaaki Kimura

Jumpei Fujikata

Toshikazu Yajima

Yuji Araki

Tsutomu Nakada

Kenichi Abe

Masaya Seki

Yusuke Tamari

Junko Mine

Shoichiro Ogata

Junichiro Tsujino

Nobuya Yamada

Masaki Tomita

Yoshio Minami

Akira Owatari

Hiroyuki Takenaka

Tomoyasu Nagayumi

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

There is disclosed an improved leak checking method which can accurately test a sealing performance of a substrate holder more than conventional leak check techniques. The leak checking method includes: holding a substrate with a substrate holder, the substrate holder including a first holding member and a second holding member, the second holding member having an opening through which a surface of the substrate is exposed; pressing a sealing projection of the second holding member against the surface of the substrate when holding the substrate with the substrate holder; covering the surface of the substrate, exposed through the opening, and the sealing projection with a sealing cap; forming a hermetic space between the sealing cap and the substrate holder; introducing a pressurized gas into the hermetic space; and detecting a decrease in pressure of the pressurized gas in the hermetic space.

Leak checking method, leak checking apparatus, electroplating method, and electroplating apparatus

A current measuring module for measuring a current flowing through the substrate holder using an inspection substrate is provided. The substrate holder includes a plurality of holder electric contacts. The plurality of holder electric contacts contact a substrate to supply the held substrate with a current. The substrate holder holds the inspection substrate for measuring the current flowing through the substrate holder. The plurality of holder electric contacts contact a plurality of respective independent substrate electric contacts disposed on the inspection substrate. The inspection substrate includes a plurality of measurement points connected to the plurality of respective substrate electric contacts with wirings and substrate side connectors electrically connected to the plurality of measurement points. The current measuring module includes a plurality of inspection probes configured to contact the plurality of respective measurement points on the inspection substrate.

Current measuring module using inspection substrate and inspection substrate

In-plane uniformity of a film that is plated on a polygonal substrate is enhanced. An anode holder configured to hold an anode, a substrate holder configured to hold a polygonal substrate, a plating bath for accommodating the anode holder and the substrate holder, and dipping the anode and the substrate in a plating solution, and a control device for controlling a current that flows between the anode and the substrate are included. The substrate holder has a plurality of power feeding members that are disposed along respective sides of the polygonal substrate. The control device is configured to be able to control the current so that currents of at least two different values are simultaneously supplied to the plurality of power feeding members.

Plating apparatus, plating method, and substrate holder

A substrate holder according to the present invention comprises a first power supply member and a second power supply member which allow power to be supplied to substrates having different properties. The first power supply member comprises a first power supply member end part which extends toward the inside of a substrate holding surface and is disposed at a first position of the substrate holding surface. The second power supply member comprises a second power supply member end part which extends toward the inside of the substrate holding surface and is disposed at a second position of the substrate holding surface. The first position is located on the center side of the substrate holding surface relative to the second position.

Substrate holder, plating apparatus, and plating method

To provide an anode holder and a plating apparatus including the same, the anode holder being configured to prevent additives and black films from spreading by moving between an internal space in which an anode is provided and an external space. An anode holderaccording to the present invention includes: an internal spacethat houses an anode therein; a diaphragm configured so as to cover a front face of the internal space; a holethat is formed on an external surface of the anode holder and which communicates with the internal space; and a valvethat seals the holeshut.

Anode holder and plating apparatus

A substrate holder for holding a substrate, such as a wafer, is disclosed. The substrate holder includes a seal ring which can be brought into contact with a peripheral portion of the substrate, a support ring supporting the seal ring, and a fixing ring pressing the seal ring against the support ring. The fixing ring includes an annular portion having an inner circumferential surface and an outer circumferential surface, each of which is constituted by a tapered surface. The fixing ring further includes a seal-ring pressing portion connected to the annular portion, and a regulation ring projecting radially inwardly from the seal-ring pressing portion. The regulation ring has an inside diameter which is smaller than an inside diameter of the seal ring.

Substrate holder and plating apparatus

There is disclosed a plating apparatus which can dispose an anode, a substrate and a regulation plate parallel to each other in such a manner that the center of the anode, the center of the substrate and the center of an opening of the regulation plate are aligned in a straight line. A frame of the plating apparatus includes: a support for supporting upper portions of an anode holder, a substrate holder and the regulation plate; a box structure secured to the support; an upper positioning structure for fixing a relative position between the support and the upper portions of the anode holder, the substrate holder and the regulation plate; and a lower positioning structure for fixing a relative position between the box structure and lower portions of the anode holder, the substrate holder and the regulation plate.

Plating apparatus

An anode unit capable of forming a metal film having a uniform thickness on a substrate is disclosed. The anode unit includes an anode, a first feeding portion connected to a central portion of the anode, a second feeding portion located on a central axis of the anode and located away from the anode, and arms extending radially from the second feeding portion. The arms are connected to a periphery of the anode.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Mitsutoshi Yahagi