Applied Materials, Inc.

Nicolay Kovarsky

Dmitry Lubomirsky

Michael Xiaoxuan Yang

Manoocher Birang

Sergey D Lopatin

Saravjeet Singh

David J Eaglesham

John O Dukovic

Charles Gay

Nitin K Ingle

Abhijit Basu Mallick

Yezdi N Dordi

Timothy Weidman

Girish Anant Dixit

Robert Z Bachrach

Arulkumar P Shanmugasundram

Kapila P Wijekoon

Bernardo Donoso

Aron Rosenfeld

Zhi-wen Sun

Sheshraj L Tulshibagwale

John Busch

Yevgeniy (Eugene) Rabinovich

Chunman Yu

Earl Osman Solis

Olga Lyubimova

Methods of forming silicon oxide layers are described. The methods include the steps of concurrently combining both a radical precursor and a radical-oxygen precursor with a carbon-free silicon-containing precursor. One of the radical precursor and the silicon-containing precursor contain nitrogen. The methods result in depositing a silicon-oxygen-and-nitrogen-containing layer on a substrate. The oxygen content of the silicon-oxygen-and-nitrogen-containing layer is then increased to form a silicon oxide layer which may contain very little nitrogen. The radical-oxygen precursor and the radical precursor may be produced in separate plasmas or the same plasma. The increase in oxygen content may be brought about by annealing the layer in the presence of an oxygen-containing atmosphere and the density of the film may be increased further by raising the temperature even higher in an inert environment.

Oxygen-doping for non-carbon radical-component CVD films

The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for plating conductive materials on a substrate. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for plating a conductive material on a substrate. The apparatus comprises a fluid basin configured to retain an electrolyte, a contact ring configured to support the substrate and contact the substrate electrically, and an anode assembly disposed in the fluid basin, wherein the anode assembly comprises a plurality of anode elements arranged in rows.

Electroplating apparatus and method based on an array of anodes

A method and apparatus for measuring differential voltages in an electrolyte of an electrochemical plating cell. Current densities are calculated from the measured differential voltages and correlated to thickness values of plated materials. A real time thickness profile may be generated from the thickness values.

In-situ profile measurement in an electroplating process

Embodiments of the invention contemplate the formation of a low cost solar cell using a novel electroplating apparatus and method to form a metal contact structure having metal lines formed using an electrochemical plating process. The apparatus and methods described herein remove the need to perform the often costly processing steps of performing a mask preparation and formation steps, such as screen printing, lithographic steps and inkjet printing steps, to form a contact structure. The resistance of interconnects formed in a solar cell device greatly affects the efficiency of the solar cell. It is thus desirable to form a solar cell device that has a low resistance connection that is reliable and cost effective. Therefore, one or more embodiments of the invention described herein are adapted to form a low cost and reliable interconnecting layer using an electrochemical plating process containing a common metal, such as copper. Embodiments of the invention may provide an apparatus and method of forming a solar cell device that utilizes a reusable masking device during one or more electrochemical deposition steps.

Precision printing electroplating through plating mask on a solar cell substrate

Embodiments of the invention contemplate the formation of a low cost solar cell using a novel high speed electroplating method and apparatus to form a metal contact structure having selectively formed metal lines using an electrochemical plating process. The apparatus and methods described herein remove the need to perform one or more high temperature screen printing processes to form conductive features on the surface of a solar cell substrate. The resistance of interconnects formed in a solar cell device greatly affects the efficiency of the solar cell. It is thus desirable to form a solar cell device that has a low resistance connection that is reliable and cost effective. Therefore, one or more embodiments of the invention described herein are adapted to form a low cost and reliable interconnecting layer using an electrochemical plating process containing a common metal, such as copper.

High-aspect ratio anode and apparatus for high-speed electroplating on a solar cell substrate

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for plating copper into features formed on a semiconductor substrate. The method includes positioning the substrate in a plating cell, wherein the plating cell includes a catholyte volume containing a catholyte solution, an anolyte volume containing an anolyte solution, an ionic membrane positioned to separate the anolyte volume from the catholyte volume, and an anode positioned in the anolyte volume. The method further includes applying a plating bias between the anode and the substrate, plating copper ions onto the substrate from the catholyte solution, and replenishing the copper ions plated onto the substrate from the catholyte solution with copper ions transported from the anolyte solution via the ionic membrane, wherein the catholyte solution has a copper concentration of greater than about 51 g/L.

Anolyte for copper plating

Embodiments of the invention provide methods for forming conductive materials within contact features on a substrate by depositing a seed layer within a feature and subsequently filling the feature with a copper-containing material during an electroless deposition process. In one example, a copper electroless deposition solution contains levelers to form convexed or concaved copper surfaces. In another example, a seed layer is selectively deposited on the bottom surface of the aperture while leaving the sidewalls substantially free of the seed material during a collimated PVD process. In another example, the seed layer is conformably deposited by a PVD process and subsequently, a portion of the seed layer and the underlayer are plasma etched to expose an underlying contact surface. In another example, a ruthenium seed layer is formed on an exposed contact surface by an ALD process utilizing the chemical precursor ruthenium tetroxide.

Process for electroless copper deposition

A method and apparatus for plating a metal onto a substrate. The apparatus includes a fluid basin configured to contain a plating solution, an anode fluid volume positioned in a lower portion of the fluid basin, a cathode fluid volume positioned in an upper portion of the fluid basin, an ionic membrane positioned to separate the anode fluid volume from the cathode fluid volume, a plating electrode centrally positioned in the anode fluid volume, and a deplating electrode positioned adjacent the plating electrode in the anode fluid volume.

Insoluble anode with an auxiliary electrode

Embodiments of the invention may generally provide a small volume electrochemical plating cell. The plating cell generally includes a fluid basin configured to contain a plating solution therein, the fluid basin having a substantially horizontal weir. The cell further includes an anode positioned in a lower portion of the fluid basin, the anode having a plurality of parallel channels formed therethrough, and a base member configured to receive the anode, the base member having a plurality of groves formed into an anode receiving surface, each of the plurality of grooves terminating into an annular drain channel. A membrane support assembly configured to position a membrane immediately above the anode in a substantially planar orientation with respect to the anode surface is provided, the membrane support assembly having a plurality of channels and bores formed therein.

Electrochemical processing cell

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a substrate processing system and method. The substrate processing system generally includes a fluid basin configured to contain a plating solution therein, an anode assembly positioned in a lower portion of the fluid basin, a separation membrane positioned across the fluid basin above the anode assembly, a diffusion member positioned across the fluid basin above the separation membrane, and a plating membrane positioned across the fluid basin above the diffusion member. The plating method generally includes immersing the substrate in a plating solution, the plating solution containing metal ions to be plated, contacting a plating surface of the semiconductor substrate with a plating membrane, applying a plating bias to the semiconductor substrate to plate the metal ions in the plating solution positioned adjacent the plating surface of the substrate, removing the plating surface from contact with the plating membrane for a predetermined period of time, and recontacting the plating surface with the plating membrane to continue plating the metal ions onto the plating surface.

Contact plating apparatus

The present invention generally provides an apparatus and method for removing contaminants from a plating solution. The apparatus generally includes a plating cell having an electrolyte inlet and an electrolyte drain, an electrolyte storage unit in fluid communication with the electrolyte inlet, and an electrodialysis chamber in fluid communication with the electrolyte drain, wherein the electrodialysis chamber is generally configured to receive a portion of used electrolyte solution and remove contaminants therefrom. The method generally includes supplying an electrolyte solution to a copper plating cell, plating copper onto a substrate in the plating cell with the electrolyte solution, removing used electrolyte solution from the plating cell, and refreshing a portion of the used electrolyte solution with an electrodialysis cell.

Apparatus and method for removing contaminants from semiconductor copper electroplating baths

An apparatus and method for plating a metal onto a substrate. The apparatus generally includes an anode electrode disposed in the electrochemical cell and a cathode electrode disposed opposite the anode electrode in the electrochemical cell. The apparatus further includes an electrode lid having more than one aperture disposed between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, the apertures configured to electrically connect the cathode electrode and the anode electrode. The method generally includes supplying an electrolyte to a plating cell having an anode electrode, a cathode electrode disposed opposite the anode electrode and an electrode lid having more than one aperture positioned between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, wherein supplying the electrolyte includes passing the electrolyte through the more than one aperture at a rate sufficient to prevent the upward migration of dissolved gas and applying an electrical bias to the plating cell to plate a metal from the electrolyte onto the substrate.

Insoluble electrode for electrochemical operations on substrates

A cyclic voltammetric method for measuring the concentration of additives in a plating solution. The method generally includes providing the plating solution, having an unknown concentration of an additive to be measured therein and cycling the potential of an inert working electrode through a series of measurement steps. The series of measurement steps includes a metal stripping step including pulsing from an open circuit potential to a metal stripping potential between about 0.2 V and about 0.8 V, and holding the metal stripping potential until a corresponding current nears 0 mA/cm. The series of measurement steps further includes a cleaning step including pulsing from the metal stripping potential to a cleaning potential between about 1.2 V and about 1.6 V, and holding the cleaning potential for about 2 seconds to about 10 seconds. The series of measurement steps then includes a pre-plating step including pulsing from the cleaning potential to a pre-plating potential between about &minus;0.2 V and about &minus;0.5 V, and holding the pre-plating potential for about 2 seconds to about 10 seconds. The series of measurement steps additionally includes an equilibration step including pulsing from the pre-plating potential to the open circuit potential, and holding the open circuit potential for a predetermined time period, and a metal deposition step including scanning from the open circuit potential of the equilibration step to an additive sensitive potential, holding the additive sensitive potential for about 1 second to about 30 seconds, and scanning back to the open circuit potential. The method further includes plotting a profile of a deposition current resulting from the metal deposition potential as a function of time and integrating the deposition current to determine the concentration of the additive to be measured.

Potential pulse-scan methods of analyzing organic additives in plating baths with multi-component additives

An electro-chemical deposition apparatus and method are generally provided. In one embodiment of the invention, an electro-chemical deposition apparatus includes a housing having a substrate support disposed therein and adapted to rotate a substrate. One or more electrical contact elements are disposed on the substrate support. A drive system is disposed proximate the housing. The drive system is magnetically coupled to and adapted to rotate the substrate support. In another embodiment, a method of plating a substrate includes the steps of covering a substrate supported within a housing with electrolyte, and displacing a portion of the electrolyte from the housing prior to electrically biasing the substrate, and electrically biasing the substrate.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Nicolay Kovarsky