# US 10,865,492 B2 · Plating method and plating apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,492 B2 - Document ID: US10865492B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/937,353 - Filed: 2018-03-27 - Published: 2018-10-04 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-31 - Assignees: Ebara Corporation - Applicants: Ebara Corporation - Inventors: Jumpei Fujikata; Masashi Shimoyama; Ryu Miyamoto; Kentaro Ishimoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865492B2 ## CPC - C25D 5/34: Pretreatment of metallic surfaces to be electroplated - C23C 18/54: Contact plating, i.e. electroless electrochemical plating - C25D 3/02: from solutions (C25D5/34 - C25D5/46 take precedence) - C25D 5/022: {using masking means} - C25D 7/12: Semiconductors - C25D 7/123: {Semiconductors first coated with a seed layer or a conductive layer} - C25D 17/001: {Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells} - H10P 72/0476: {comprising at least one plating chamber} - H10W 20/043: {for electroplating} - C25D: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A plating method for plating a substrate having resist opening portions is provided. The plating method includes a resist residue removing step of removing resist residues in the resist opening portions of the substrate by spraying first process liquid to a surface of the substrate on which the resist opening portions are formed, a liquid filling step of soaking the substrate passed through the removing step in second process liquid to fill the resist opening portions of the substrate with the second process liquid, and a plating step of plating the substrate passed through the liquid filling step. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A plating method for plating a substrate having resist opening portions including: a resist residue removing step of removing resist residues in the resist opening portions of the substrate by spraying a first process liquid to a surface of the substrate on which the resist opening portions are formed; a liquid filling step of soaking the substrate passed through the removing step in a second process liquid to fill the resist opening portions of the substrate with the second process liquid; and a plating step of plating the substrate passed through the liquid filling step, wherein the resist residue removing step includes a step of scanning the substrate with nozzles, the nozzles include a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group that are spaced from each other in upper and lower positions in a vertical direction, and the resist residue removing step includes a step of performing spraying from the first nozzle group and spraying from the second nozzle group to the substrate arranged in the vertical direction at different timings. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the resist residue removing step includes a step of spraying the first process liquid to a whole face of the surface on which the resist opening portions are formed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the resist residue removing step includes a step of spraying the first process liquid to the substrate from a leading nozzle group in a travel direction of the nozzles, the leading nozzle group being one of the first nozzle group and the second nozzle group. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The plating method according to claim 3, wherein the first nozzle group is located above the second nozzle group in a vertical direction, and the resist residue removing step includes a step of spraying while nozzle ports of the nozzles constituting the first nozzle group are inclined upwards with respect to a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate on which the resist opening portions are formed, and a step of spraying while nozzle ports of the nozzles constituting the second nozzle group are inclined downwards with respect to the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate on which the resist opening portions are formed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the resist residue removing step includes a step of moving the substrate relatively to the nozzles. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the resist residue removing step includes a step of spraying while nozzle ports of the nozzles are inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate on which the resist opening portions are formed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the resist residue removing step includes a step of arranging the substrate vertically. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The plating method according to claim 7, wherein the resist residue removing step includes a step of spraying the first process liquid from the nozzles arranged in a first processing bath, and a step of accommodating the substrate vertically in the first processing bath under a state in which spraying has been performed from the nozzles. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the resist residue removing step has a step of spraying the first process liquid under a pressure ranging from not less than 0.05 MPa to not more than 0.45 MPa. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the resist residue removing step includes a step of spraying the first process liquid at a flow speed ranging from not less than 2.5 m/sec to not more than 15.0 m/sec and at a flow rate ranging from not less than 10 L/min to not more than 20 L/min. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid filling step includes a step of stirring the second process liquid. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid filling step includes a step of applying impact or vibration to the substrate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid filling step includes a step of supplying the second process liquid from the lower side of the second processing bath in which the substrate is accommodated, a step of discharging the second process liquid from the upper side of the second processing bath, and a step of circulating the second process liquid in the second processing bath. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid filling step includes a step of arranging the substrate in the second processing bath so that the surface of the substrate on which the resist opening portions are formed faces upwards and the substrate is inclined. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the first process liquid is liquid different from the second process liquid. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the first process liquid includes any one of pure water, pure water containing either surfactant or citric acid, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid containing either surfactant or citric acid, ionic water containing CO2 ion or the like, liquid containing a compound from a polyalkylene glycol group, liquid containing a compound from an alkylene glycol group containing an amino group, methanesulfonic acid, and any combination thereof. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The plating method according to claim 1, wherein the second process liquid includes any one of deaerated water, pure water containing either surfactant or citric acid, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid containing either surfactant or citric acid, ionic water containing CO2 ion or the like, liquid containing a compound from a polyalkylene glycol group, liquid containing a compound from an alkylene glycol group containing an amino group, methanesulfonic acid, and any combination thereof.