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AssigneeSemitool, Inc.
InventorsRobert W. Batz JR., John M. Pedersen, John L. Klocke, LinLin Chen
Estimating the term…
Contact assemblies, electroplating machines with contact assemblies, and methods for making contact assemblies that are used in the fabrication of microelectronic workpieces. The contact assemblies can be wet-contact assemblies or dry-contact assemblies. A contact assembly for use in an electroplating system can comprise a support member and a contact system coupled to the support member. The support member, for example, can be a ring or another structure that has an inner wall defining an opening configured to allow the workpiece to move through the support member along an access path. In one embodiment, the support member is a conductive ring having a plurality of posts depending from the ring that are spaced apart from one another by gaps. The contact system can be coupled to the posts of the support member. The contact system can have a plurality of contact members projecting inwardly into the opening relative to the support member and transversely with respect to the access path. The contact members can comprise electrically conductive biasing elements, such as fingers, that have a contact site and a dielectric coating covering at least a portion of the biasing elements. The contact members can also have a raised feature configured to engage the seed-layer on the workpiece for conducting the current to the seed-layer.
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A contact assembly for use in an electrochemical deposition system to apply an electrical potential to a microelectronic workpiece, the contact assembly comprising:
A contact assembly for use in an electrochemical deposition system to apply an electrical potential to a microelectronic workpiece, the contact assembly comprising:
A contact assembly for use in an electrochemical deposition system to apply an electrical potential to a microelectronic workpiece, the contact assembly comprising:
A contact assembly for use in an electrochemical deposition system to conduct electrical power to a microelectronic workpiece, the contact assembly comprising:
A contact assembly for use in an electrochemical deposition system to conduct electrical power to a microelectronic workpiece, the contact assembly comprising:
A reactor for electrochemical deposition processing of microelectronic workpieces, comprising:
A reactor for electrochemical deposition processing of microelectronic workpieces, comprising:
A reactor for electrochemical deposition processing of microelectronic workpieces, comprising:
A reactor for electrochemical deposition processing of microelectronic workpieces, comprising:
A reactor for electrochemical deposition processing of microelectronic workpieces, comprising:
An apparatus for electrochemical deposition, comprising:
An apparatus for electrochemical deposition, comprising:
An apparatus for electrochemical deposition, comprising:
A method for manufacturing a contact assembly for use in an electrochemical deposition system to apply an electrical potential to a microelectronic workpiece, the method comprising:
The method of claim 77 wherein ablating the dielectric coating comprises impinging a laser against the dielectric coating over the contact sites.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Using a liquid: electrolytic deposition, i.e. electroplating; Electroless plating
Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating: apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers,…
Medicinal preparations containing materials or reaction products thereof with undetermined constitution: materials from mammals; Compositions…
Iron; Fe chelators; Transferrin: insulin-transferrin; Insulin-transferrin-selenium
Term end not estimated
Processors, memory devices, field-emission-displays, read/right heads and other microelectronic devices generally have integrated circuits with microelectronic components. A large number of individual microelectronic devices are generally formed on a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, or another type microelectronic workpiece. In a typical fabrication process, one or more layers of metal are formed on the workpieces at various stages of fabricating the microelectronic devices to provide material for constructing interconnects between various components.
The metal layers can be applied to the workpieces using several techniques, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), plasma-enhanced deposition processes, electroplating, and electroless plating. The particular technique for applying a metal to a workpiece is a function of the particular type of metal, the structure that is being formed on the workpiece, and several other processing parameters. For example, CVD and PVD techniques are often used to deposit aluminum, nickel, tungsten, solder, platinum and other metals. Electroplating and electroless plating techniques can be used deposit copper, solder, permalloy, gold, silver, platinum and other metals. Electroplating and electroless plating can be used to form blanket layers and patterned layers. In recent years, processes for plating copper have become increasingly important in fabricating microelectronic devices because copper interconnects provide several advantages compared to aluminum and tungsten for high-performance microelectronic devices.
Electroplating is typically performed by forming a thin seed-layer of metal on a front surface of a microelectronic workpiece, and then using the seed-layer as a cathode to plate a metal layer onto the workpiece. The seed-layer can be formed using PVD or CVD processes. The seed-layer is generally formed on a topographical surface having vias, trenches, and/or other features, and the seed-layer is generally approximately 1000 angstroms thick. The metal layer is then plated onto the seed-layer using an electroplating technique to a thickness of approximately 6,000 to 15,000 angstroms. As the size of interconnects and other microelectronic components decrease, it is becoming increasingly important that a plated metal layer (a) has a uniform thickness across the workpiece, (b) completely fills the vias/trenches, and (c) has an adequate grain size.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view with a cut-away portion of an electroplating machine having a contact assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an electroplating chamber having a contact assembly for use in an electroplating machine in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is an isometric view illustrating a portion of a contact assembly for use in an electroplating machine in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
The following description discloses the details and features of several embodiments of contact assemblies, methods for making contact assemblies, and electroplating machines with contact assemblies for electroplating metal layers onto microelectronic workpieces. It will be appreciated that several of the details set forth below are provided to describe the foregoing embodiments in a manner sufficient to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use contact assemblies and electroplating systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention. Several of the details and advantages described below, however, may not be necessary to practice embodiments of the invention accordance with the following claims. For example, many of the embodiments described below are directed toward wet-contact assemblies, but these same devices can also be used in dry-contact assemblies as shown in PCT Application No. PCT/US99/15847. Additionally, the invention can also include additional embodiments that are within the scope of the claims but are not described in detail with respect to FIGS. 1-11.
The operation and features of the contact assemblies are best understood in light of the environment and equipment in which they can be used to electroplate workpieces. As such, several embodiments of electroplating tools and reaction chambers that can be used with the contact assemblies will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The details and features of several embodiments of contact assemblies will then be described with reference to FIGS. 3-11.
A. Selected Embodiments of Electroplating Machines and Reactor Chambers for Use with Contact Assemblies to Electroplate Metals onto Microelectronic Workpieces