Lam Research Corporation

Robert A Maraschin

Thomas E Wicker

William S Kennedy

Yezdi N Dordi

Carl Woods

John Boyd

Fred Conrad Redeker

Alan M Schoepp

Joel M Cook

Jacob Wylie

Albert J Lamm

Michael S Barnes

Fritz C Redeker

Michael Ravkin

Neil M Benjamin

Paul K Shufflebotham

Jerome S Hubacek

Lloyd F Wright

Alan D Nolet

John M Boyd

Methods for plating substrates are herein defined. One method includes providing a plating assembly having a plating source in a plating fluid and a plating facilitator in the plating fluid, and defining a plating meniscus between the plating source and the plating facilitator. The plating meniscus being contained in a path of the plating assembly. The method further includes traversing a substrate through the path of the plating assembly. The substrate being charged so that plating ions are attracted to a surface of the substrate when the plating meniscus is present on the surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate traversing through the path of the plating assembly enables plating across the surface of the substrate. And, inducing a uniform charge in the path where the plating meniscus is formed, such that charge from the plating source is substantially uniformly directed toward the plating facilitator as the substrate that is charged moves through the path of the plating assembly.

Proximity processing using controlled batch volume with an integrated proximity head

An electroplating apparatus for electroplating a surface of a wafer is provided. The wafer is capable of being electrically charged as a cathode. The electroplating apparatus includes a plating head capable of being positioned either over or under the surface of a wafer and capable of being electrically charged as an anode. The plating head is capable of enabling metallic plating between the surface of the wafer and the plating head when the wafer and plating head are charged. The plating head further comprises a voltage sensor pair capable of sensing a voltage present between the plating head and the surface of the wafer, and a controller capable of receiving data from the voltage sensor pair. The data received from the voltage sensor pair is used by the controller to maintain a substantially constant voltage to be applied by the anode when the plating head is placed in positions over the surface of the wafer. A method of electroplating a wafer is also provided.

Apparatus for plating semiconductor wafers

A plating assembly for use in plating metallic materials onto a surface of a substrate is provided. The plating assembly comprising a delivery unit having a fluid chamber, a metallic source, and a porous insert. The plating assembly also comprising a receiving unit having a fluid chamber and a metallic receiver. The receiving unit also has a porous insert. The porous insert of the delivery unit being substantially aligned with, and spaced apart from, the porous insert of the receiving unit. The metallic receiver being substantially aligned with the porous insert of the delivery unit and a path being defined between the delivery unit and the receiving unit. Wherein a plating meniscus is capable of being defined in the path between the porous inserts of the delivery unit and the receiving unit and a substrate is capable of being moved through the plating meniscus to enable the plating of metallic materials onto the surface of the substrate. Examples for de-plating are also provided.

A number of apertures are defined within a wall of a chamber defined to maintain an electrolyte solution. A cation exchange membrane is disposed within the chamber over the number of apertures. The electrolyte solution pressure within the chamber causes the cation exchange membrane to extend through the apertures beyond an outer surface of the chamber. A cathode is disposed within the chamber. The cathode is maintained at a negative bias voltage relative to a top surface of a wafer to be planarized. When the top surface of the wafer is brought into proximity of the cation exchange membrane extending through the apertures, and a deionized water layer is disposed between the top surface of the wafer and the cation exchange membrane, a cathode half-cell is established such that metal cations are liberated from the top surface of the wafer and plated on the cathode in the chamber.

Apparatus and method for semiconductor wafer electroplanarization

Apparatus and method for plating semiconductor wafers

A plasma processing chamber having a chamber liner and a liner support, the liner support including a flexible wall configured to surround an external surface of the chamber liner, the flexible wall being spaced apart from the wall of the chamber liner. The apparatus can include a heater thermally connected to the liner support so as to thermally conduct heat from the liner support to the chamber liner. The liner support can be made from flexible aluminum material and the chamber liner comprises a ceramic material. The flexible wall can include slots which divide the liner support into a plurality of fingers which enable the flexible wall to absorb thermal stresses.

Low contamination high density plasma etch chambers and methods for making the same

A plasma processing chamber includes a substrate holder and a member of silicon carbide such as a liner, focus ring, perforated baffle or a gas distribution plate, the member having an exposed surface adjacent the substrate holder and the exposed surface being effective to minimize contamination during processing of substrates. The chamber can include an antenna which inductively couples RF energy through the gas distribution plate to energize process gas into a plasma state.

Contamination controlling method and apparatus for a plasma processing chamber

A plasma processing chamber including a ceramic liner in the form of ceramic tiles mounted on a resilient support member. The liner and other parts such as a gas distribution plate and a plasma screen can be made of SiC which advantageously confines the plasma and provides temperature control of the inner surfaces of the chamber. The liner can be heated by a heater which provides heat to the liner by thermal conduction. To remove excess heat from the liner, the resilient support can be an aluminum support frame which conducts heat from the liner to a temperature controlled member such as a top plate of the chamber. The support frame can include a continuous upper portion and a segmented lower portion which allows thermal stresses to be accommodated during processing of semiconductor substrates in the plasma chamber.

Semiconductor processing equipment having tiled ceramic liner

In a plasma processing system for processing substrates such as semiconductor wafers, deposition of polymer in an area between a focus ring and an electrostatic chuck in a plasma processing chamber is achieved by providing a clearance gas in a gap between the chuck and the focus ring. A series of channels delivers the clearance gas to the annular gap between the outer surface of the substrate support and the inner surface of the focus ring surrounding the substrate support. The clearance gas supplied to the annular gap is preferably a gas such as helium which will not affect the wafer processing operation. In the case of plasma etching, the clearance gas is supplied at a flow rate which is sufficient to block the migration of process gas and volative byproducts thereof into the annular gap without adversely affecting edge etch performance.

Apparatus for reducing polymer deposition on substrate support

A plasma processing chamber includes a substrate holder and a member of silicon nitride such as a liner, focus ring or a gas distribution plate, the member having an exposed surface adjacent the substrate holder and the exposed surface being effective to minimize particle contamination during processing of substrates. The chamber can include an antenna which inductively couples RF energy through the gas distribution plate to energize process gas into a plasma state.

Particle controlling method for a plasma processing chamber

A plasma processing chamber including a ceramic liner heated by radiant heating. The liner can be a series of tiles or a continuous cylindrical liner. The liner and other parts such as a gas distribution plate and a plasma screen can be made of SiC which advantageously confines the plasma and provides temperature control of the inner surfaces of the chamber. To remove excess heat from the liner, the ceramic liner can be supported on a resilient aluminum support frame which conducts heat from the liner to a temperature controlled member such as a top plate of the chamber. The support frame can include a continuous upper portion and a segmented lower portion which allows thermal stresses to be accommodated during processing of semiconductor substrates in the plasma chamber.

Semiconductor processing equipment having radiant heated ceramic liner

Disclosed are inventive apparatuses and methods for interfacing ceramic and metal plasma reaction chamber components. The apparatuses include a clamp ring having a unitary plate having a plurality of attachment pad regions. The attachment pad regions are connected together with connecting regions which are relatively more deformable to thermal stresses than are the attachment pad regions. The clamp ring is attached to the ceramic plasma chamber utilizing a plurality of bolt tensioning assemblies having spring washers and indicator washers configured such that the correct torque value can be applied without the need of a torque wrench or other such tool.

Load controlled rapid assembly clamp ring

A method and apparatus for controlling deposit build-up on an interior surface of a dielectric member of a plasma processing chamber. The deposit build-up is controlled by selective ion bombardment of the inner surface by shifting location of a peak voltage amplitude of a voltage standing wave on an antenna such as a flat spiral coil of the plasma processing chamber. A region of high ion bombardment on the interior surface of the dielectric member is displaced by controlling the value of a termination capacitance over a range of values causing regions of low and high ion bombardment to move over the dielectric member in order to effect cleaning thereof.

Apparatus for control of deposit build-up on an inner surface of a

A high density plasma processing chamber including an electrostatic chuck for holding a wafer, and consumable parts that are highly etch resistant, less susceptible to generating contamination and temperature controllable is disclosed. The consumable parts include a chamber liner having a lower support section and a wall that is configured to surround the electrostatic chuck. The consumable parts also include a liner support structure having a lower extension, a flexible wall, and an upper extension. The flexible wall is configured to surround an external surface of the wall of the chamber liner, and the liner support flexible wall is spaced apart from the wall of the chamber liner. The lower extension of the liner support is however, configured to be in direct thermal contact with the lower support section of the chamber liner. Additionally, a baffle ring is part of the consumable parts, and is configured to be assembled with and in thermal contact with the chamber liner and the liner support. A heater is capable of being thermally connected to the liner support for thermally conducting a temperature from the liner support to the chamber liner and the baffle ring. In a most preferred embodiment, the chamber liner and the baffle ring are made from materials that are innocuous to materials on the wafer being etched. In this manner, once these materials are exposed to the energy of the high density plasma sputtering, volatile products will be produced that are substantially similar to volatile etch products produced during the etching of surface layers of the wafer. These volatile products can then be removed from the chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Robert A Maraschin