Oxide treatment and pressure control for electrodeposition
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsHarald Herchen, Henan Hao, Timothy R. Webb, Quyen Pham, Son N. Trinh, Deenesh Padhi
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Abstract
Method and apparatus for electrodepositing a metal onto a substrate. An oxide treatment process is performed on a substrate prior to making electrical contact between a seed layer of the substrate and a conductive contact element which provides a current. In one embodiment, the pressure at the interface between the seed layer and the conductive contact element is controlled to avoid detrimentally affecting a material(s) of the substrate.
Claims35
A method of performing electrodeposition, comprising:
- providing a substrate having an oxide layer on a conductive surface thereof;
- performing an oxide reduction process on the oxide layer to define an electrical contact area;
- contacting the electrical contact area with an electrically conductive contact element, wherein the electrically conductive contact element is connected to a power source;
- applying a relative pressure between the electrically conductive contact element and the substrate less than a critical pressure capable of detrimentally deforming at least one material of the substrate;
- and
- electrodepositing a material on the substrate.
A method of performing an electroplating process, comprising:
- providing a substrate comprising a low-k dielectric layer, a seed layer, and an oxide formed on the seed layer;
- performing an oxide treatment process on at least a portion of the oxide to expose an electrical contact area of the seed layer;
- contacting the electrical contact area with an electrically conductive contact element, wherein the electrically conductive contact element is connected to a power source;
- applying a relative pressure between the electrically conductive contact element and the substrate less than a critical pressure capable of detrimentally deforming at least one material of the substrate;
- and
- electroplating a metal on the substrate.
An electroplating apparatus, comprising:
- an oxide removal station;
- an electroplating cell defining electrolyte-containing cavity and comprising a compliant electrical contact element configured to apply a relative pressure onto a substrate less than a critical pressure capable of detrimentally deforming at least one material of the substrate;
- a power source connected to the electrical contact element;
- and
- at least one robot operable to transport substrates from the oxide removal station to the electroplating cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.