Ebara Corporation

Tachi-s Co., Ltd.

Yasuyuki Masuda

Masashi Shimoyama

Shao Hua Chang

Jumpei Fujikata

Yohei Wakuda

Ryosuke Hiwatashi

Masaki Tomita

Masaya Seki

Tsutomu Nakada

Yoshitaka Mukaiyama

Masahi Shimoyama

Provided is a technique that can suppress deterioration of plating quality of a substrate due to gas bubbles that remain entirely on a lower surface of a membrane. A plating apparatusincludes a plating tank, a substrate holder, and a membrane module. The membrane module includes a first membraneand a second membrane. The second membrane has an inflow portfor causing a plating solution in a first region Rbelow the second membrane to flow into a second region Rabove the second membrane and below the first membrane, and an inclined portioninclining relative to a horizontal direction and inclining so as to be positioned upward as heading from a center side of an anode chamber to an outer edge side of the anode chamber.

Plating apparatus

An object is to enhance the accuracy of porosity and/or the flexibility in adjustment of the porosity in each portion of a plate. There is provided a plate that is placed between a substrate and an anode in a plating tank. The plate comprises a pore forming area in which a plurality of pores are formed, wherein the pore forming area includes a center portion, a middle portion located on an outer side of the center portion, and an outer circumferential portion located on an outer side of the middle portion, the center portion and the outer circumferential portion of the pore forming area have a plurality of oblong pores, and the middle portion of the pore forming area has a plurality of circular pores.

Plate, apparatus for plating, and method of manufacturing plate

A technique capable of preventing bubbles from being accumulated on a lower surface of an electric field shield plate is provided. A plating apparatus includes: a plating tank in which a plating solution is retained, and an anode is arranged: a substrate holder that is arranged above the anode, and holds a substrate serving as a cathode such that a surface to be plated of the substrate faces the anode; a diaphragm that partitions an inside of the plating tank into an anode region where the anode is arranged, and a cathode region where the substrate is arranged; and a supporting member that is in contact with a lower surface of the diaphragm and supports the diaphragm, and includes a plurality of beam components extending over regions between the anode and the substrate along the lower surface of the diaphragm, the beam components including bubble guide paths for guiding bubbles from the regions between the anode and the substrate to an outside.

To improve uniformity of a plating film-thickness formed on a substrate. A plating moduleincludes a plating tankfor housing a plating solution, a substrate holderfor holding a substrate Wf, an anodehoused within the plating tank, an anode maskarranged between the substrate Wf held by the substrate holderand the anodeand provided with an openingin a center, and an ionically resistive elementarranged at an interval from the anode maskbetween the substrate Wf held by the substrate holderand the anode maskand provided with a plurality of holes.

Plating apparatus and plating method

Provided is a technique that ensures suppressing deterioration of a plating quality of a substrate caused by gas bubbles accumulating on an entire lower surface of a membrane. A plating process method includes a step of guiding an anode liquid to a second region Rpositioned below a membraneand above a first region Rto decrease a concentration of gas bubbles contained in the anode liquid in the second region below a concentration of gas bubbles contained in the anode liquid in the first region; a step of discharging the anode liquid from the first region; a step of discharging the anode liquid from the second region; a step of supplying a cathode liquid to a cathode chamberin which a substrate Wf is disposed; and a step of flowing electricity between the substrate Wf and an anodeto electroplate a metal on the substrate.

Plating process method

In a plating apparatus including a shielding member, an ionically resistive element is disposed to be close to a surface to be plated of a substrate to improve uniformity of a distribution of plating film-thickness. A plating apparatus includes: a plating tankconfigured to house a plating solution; a substrate holderconfigured to hold a substrate Wf with a surface to be plated Wf-a facing downward; an anodedisposed in the plating tank; an ionically resistive elementdisposed between the substrate Wf and the anodeand including an opposed surface-opposed to the surface to be plated Wf-a, the opposed surface-including a first opposed surface-and a second opposed surface-apart from the surface to be plated Wf-a more than the first opposed surface-; and a shielding memberdisposed in a depressed region β of the ionically resistive element, the depressed region β being formed by the second opposed surface-. The shielding memberis for shielding an electric field.

A specific portion of a substrate is allowed to be shielded at a desired timing, and making a plating film-thickness uniform is improved. A plating module includes: a plating tankfor housing a plating solution; an anodedisposed in the plating tank; a substrate holderfor holding a substrate Wf with a surface to be plated Wf-a facing downward; a rotation mechanismconfigured to rotate the substrate holderin a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction; and a shielding mechanismconfigured to move a shielding memberinto between the anodeand the substrate Wf depending on a rotation angle of the substrate holder

An object is to reduce the field shielding effect of a paddle during plating. There is provided an apparatus for plating that is configured to plate a substrate and comprises a plating tank; an anode placed in the plating tank; a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the substrate in a first direction and in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction; and a control device configured to control the rotation mechanism, such that a time period when the substrate is rotated in the first direction becomes equal to a time period when the substrate is rotated in the second direction or such that a time integrated value of a rotation speed in the first direction becomes equal to a time integrated value of a rotation speed in the second direction.

Apparatus for plating and method of controlling apparatus for plating

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

There is provided a method of adjusting a plating module, wherein the plating module comprises a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate, an anode placed to be opposed to the substrate holder, and a plate placed between the substrate holder and the anode to serve as an ionically resistive element. The method comprises: providing a plating module of initial setting, which is initially set in such a state that a porosity in an outer circumferential portion of the plate is adjusted to reduce a plating film thickness in an outer circumferential portion of the substrate to be smaller than a film thickness in another portion; and adjusting a distance between the substrate holder and the plate so as to flatten a distribution of plating film thickness of the entire substrate by adjustment of the distance between the substrate holder and the plate such as to increase a film thickness in the outer circumferential portion of the substrate according to a film thickness distribution of the substrate that is plated in the plating module.

Method of adjusting plating module

A paddle capable of reducing an influence of blocking the electric field and capable of improving its mechanical strength is disclosed. The paddle, which is configured to agitate a processing liquid in a processing tank by moving in the processing tank, includes a plurality of agitating beams that form a honeycomb structure. The honeycomb structure has a plurality of hexagonal through-holes formed by the plurality of agitating beams.

Paddle, processing apparatus having the paddle, and method of producing the paddle

A paddle for agitating a plating solution by reciprocating parallel to a surface of a substrate is disclosed. The paddle includes a plurality of vertically-extending agitation rods. Each agitation rod includes: a planar portion perpendicular to a reciprocating direction of the paddle; two slope surfaces extending from side ends of the planar portion in directions closer to each other, the two slope surfaces being symmetric with respect to a center line of the agitation rod, the center line being perpendicular to the planar portion; and a tip portion connected with the two slope surfaces.

Paddle, plating apparatus equipped with the paddle, and plating method

A plating method for plating a substrate by increasing a current value from a predetermined current value to a first current value is provided. The plating method plates the substrate for a first predetermined period with the first current value when a first current density corresponding to the first current value is lower than a limiting current density. This plating method includes measuring a voltage value applied to the substrate, and when the current value is increased from the predetermined current value to the first current value, determining whether the first current density is equal to or more than the limiting current density or not based on an amount of change in the voltage value.

Plating method, plating apparatus, and method for estimating limiting current density

A plating apparatus for plating a substrate is provided to reduce vibration of a paddle. The plating apparatus includes a plating bath configured to accommodate plating solution; a paddle that is arranged in the plating bath, and configured to move in a reciprocating direction along a surface of the substrate to stir the plating solution; a support member for supporting a first end portion of the paddle; a first magnet provided on the paddle; and a second magnet provided on the plating bath. The first magnet and the second magnet are configured to exert a magnetic force on each other so that a second end portion on an opposite side to the first end portion of the paddle is suppressed from vibrating in directions approaching and leaving the substrate while the paddle is moving.

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Tokyo, Japan

Yasuyuki Masuda