Method for reducing wafer edge defects in an electrodeposition process
AssigneeTaiwain Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorShih-Wei Chou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for reducing or avoiding semiconductor wafer peripheral defects and contamination during and following electrodeposition including providing a wafer chuck assembly sealably attached to a back side of a semiconductor wafer leaving an exposed peripheral portion of the back side of the semiconductor wafer the backside parallel to a front side of the semiconductor wafer comprising a process surface; contacting at least the semiconductor process surface with a process solution; and, simultaneously directing a pressurized flow of gas onto the exposed peripheral portion such that the pressurized flow of gas covers the exposed peripheral portion including being radially directed outward toward the periphery of the semiconductor wafer.
Claims20
A method for reducing or avoiding semiconductor wafer peripheral defects and contamination during and following electrodeposition comprising the steps of:
- providing a wafer chuck assembly sealably attached to a back side of a semiconductor wafer leaving an exposed peripheral portion of the back side of the semiconductor wafer the backside parallel to a front side of the semiconductor wafer comprising a process surface;
- contacting at least the semiconductor process surface with a process solution;
- and,
- simultaneously directing a pressurized flow of gas onto the exposed peripheral portion such that the pressurized flow of gas covers the exposed peripheral portion including being radially directed outward toward the periphery of the semiconductor wafer.
A method for reducing or avoiding semiconductor wafer peripheral defects and contamination comprising the steps of:
- subjecting a semiconductor wafer to at least one process while simultaneously applying a gas flow rate according to a purge process comprising supplying a pressurized gas flow to cover an exposed portion of a backside of the semiconductor wafer the pressurized gas source directed such that the gas flow impinges on the exposed portion and is directed radially outward along the exposed portion toward a periphery of the semiconductor wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.