# US 10,309,031 B2 · Plating power supply with headroom control and ethercat interface

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- Number: US 10,309,031 B2
- Document ID: US10309031B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/015,481
- Filed: 2018-06-22
- Published: 2018-10-18
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-24
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: APPLIED Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Charles A. Cummings; Mikael R. Borjesson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10309031B2

## CPC

- C25D 21/12: Process control or regulation (controlling or regulating in general G05)
- H02M 7/02: Conversion of AC power input into DC power output without possibility of reversal
- C25D: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)

## Abstract

A system for controlling the operation of apparatus for electroplating semiconductor substrates includes operating in a high mode of operation in which an off-the-shelf power supply provides current or voltage that is directly used to produce the channel control signal and in a low mode of operation in which the off-the-shelf power supply biases a circuit that provides a current or voltage to produce the channel control signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of controlling operation of electroplating apparatus, comprising:
generating, from a target electroplating process, an output electrical control signal schedule of target output electrical control signal values and corresponding durations;
operating an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) power block to generate a DC voltage according to the output control schedule in at least two modes, wherein
in a high mode of operation, the AC-to-DC power block directly provides the output electrical control signal to an electroplating channel; and
in a low mode of operation, the AC-to-DC power block provides a headroom voltage signal to bias a low range controller transistor stage, and wherein the low range control transistor acts as a post-regulator to control the output electrical control signal to the electroplating channel; and
adjusting the headroom voltage to control abrupt variations in the output electrical control signal during transition from the low mode of operation to the high mode of operation and to minimize power consumption in the low range control transistor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
using one or more sensors to provide feedback of an output electrical control signal that is output on the electroplating channel.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the output electrical control signal is a voltage signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the operating the AC to DC power block includes communicating, from a computer, via an EtherCAT interface, messages to control operation of the AC to DC power block.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the messages specify whether the output electrical control signal is voltage or current, and an analog control message including the target output electrical control signal values and the corresponding durations.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising:
operating an electrical isolation circuit to electrically isolate the EtherCAT interface from the output electrical control signals.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further including:
looking up a calibration table to obtain, from the messages received on the EtherCAT interface, a corresponding operating point for an electrical circuit that generates the output electrical control signal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the AC to DC power block includes multiple individually operable power supply units, and wherein the method further includes:
providing a diode to prevent electrical interaction between the power supply units.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further including:
selecting a transition between the high mode of operation and the low mode of operation to occur at an operational point of the AC to DC power block below which the AC to DC power block exhibits non-linearity of operation.