Electric potential shaping method for electroplating
AssigneesNovellus Systems, Inc., International Business Machines Corporation
InventorsRobert J. Contolini, Jonathan Reid, Evan Patton, Jingbin Feng, Steve Taatjes, John Owen Dukovic
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for depositing an electrically conductive layer on the surface of a wafer comprises a flange. The flange has a cylindrical wall and an annulus attached to a first end of the cylindrical wall. The annulus shields the edge region of the wafer surface during electroplating reducing the thickness of the deposited electrically conductive layer on the edge region. Further, the cylindrical wall of the flange can be provided with a plurality of apertures adjacent the wafer allowing gas bubbles entrapped on the wafer surface to readily escape.
Claims12
A method of treating a surface of a substrate comprising:
- providing a cup attached to a flange, said cup having an inner perimeter which defines a cup central aperture, said flange comprising an annulus;
- mounting said substrate in said cup so that said substrate surface is exposed through said cup central aperture;
- placing said cup and flange into a plating solution, said plating solution contacting said substrate surface;
- producing an electric current between said substrate surface and an anode in said plating solution, said electric current being represented by electric current flux lines, the spacing between the flux lines being proportional to the magnitude of the electric current;
- and
- positioning said flange to reduce the spacing of the electric current flux lines adjacent an inner perimeter of said annulus while allowing said flux lines to spread out adjacent an edge region of said substrate surface such that said flux lines are substantially uniformly spaced across said substrate surface.
A method of treating a surface of a substrate comprising:
- providing a cup attached to a flange, said cup having an inner perimeter which defines a cup central aperture, said flange comprising an annulus;
- mounting said substrate in said cup so that said substrate surface is exposed through said cup central aperture;
- placing said cup and flange into a plating solution, said plating solution contacting said substrate surface;
- directing said plating solution towards the center of said substrate surface;
- and
- producing an electric current between said substrate surface and an anode in said plating solution wherein said annulus of said flange shapes flux lines of said electric current.
A method of treating a surface of a substrate comprising:
- providing a cup attached to a flange, said cup having an inner perimeter which defines a cup central aperture, said flange comprising an annulus;
- mounting said substrate in said cup so that said substrate surface is exposed through said cup central aperture;
- placing said cup and flange into a plating solution, said plating solution contacting said substrate surface;
- rotating said cup, flange and substrate;
- and
- producing an electric current between said substrate surface and an anode in said plating solution wherein said annulus of said flange shapes flux lines of said electric current.
A method of treating a surface of a substrate comprising:
- providing a cup attached to a flange, said cup having an inner perimeter which defines a cup central aperture, said flange comprising an annulus;
- mounting said substrate in said cup so that said substrate surface is exposed through said cup central aperture;
- placing said cup and flange into a plating solution, said plating solution contacting said substrate surface;
- introducing copper ions into said plating solution;
- and
- producing an electric current between said substrate surface and an anode in said plating solution wherein said annulus of said flange shapes flux lines of said electric current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.