Electro-plating and apparatus for performing the same
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChen-Yuan Kao, Hung-Wen Su, Minghsing Tsai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of plating a metal layer on a work piece includes exposing a surface of the work piece to a plating solution, and supplying a first voltage at a negative end of a power supply source to an edge portion of the work piece. A second voltage is supplied to an inner portion of the work piece, wherein the inner portion is closer to a center of the work piece than the edge portion. A positive end of the power supply source is connected to a metal plate, wherein the metal plate and the work piece are spaced apart from each other by, and are in contact with, the plating solution.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- plating a metal layer on a work piece, wherein the plating comprises:
- exposing a surface of the work piece to a plating solution;
- supplying a first voltage at a negative end of a first power supply source to an edge portion of the work piece;
- contacting an electrical connection line of a retractable electrode with the work piece, wherein the retractable electrode comprises:
- a cylinder comprising a seal ring and the electrical connection line encircled by the seal ring;
- and
- an outer shell having a portion of the cylinder therein, wherein a length of the cylinder out of the outer shell is adjusted to contact the electrical connection line with the work piece;
- supplying a second voltage to a first inner portion of the work piece through the electrical connection line, wherein the first inner portion is closer to a center of the work piece than the edge portion;
- and
- connecting a positive end of the first power supply source to a metal plate, wherein the metal plate and the work piece are spaced apart from each other by, and are in contact with, the plating solution.
A method comprising:
- plating a metal layer on a wafer through electro-plating, wherein the electro-plating comprises:
- exposing a surface of the wafer to a plating solution;
- supplying a first voltage to an edge portion of the wafer, wherein the first voltage is connected through a plurality of electrical contacts that are in contact with the edge portion of the wafer, and wherein the plurality of electrical contacts is aligned to a ring adjacent to an edge of the wafer;
- supplying a second voltage to a center portion of the wafer, wherein during the plating, the wafer acts as a cathode, and a metal plate acts as an anode, with a metal in the metal plate being plated to the wafer;
- and
- stirring the plating solution using a blade that is rotated together with the wafer, wherein the blade comprises a vertical surface substantially perpendicular to a direction of rotation, and a major slant surface neither perpendicular to nor parallel to the vertical surface.
A method comprising:
- contacting a plurality of edge portions of a front surface of a wafer to a plurality of electrical contacts;
- contacting a center portion of the front surface of the wafer to an additional electrical contact by adjusting a length of a cylinder protruding out of an outer shell of a retractable electrode, wherein the additional electrical contact is a part of the cylinder;
- and
- plating a metal layer on the front surface of the wafer, wherein during the plating, first voltages are applied on the plurality of electrical contacts and the additional electrical contact, and a second voltage higher than the first voltages is applied on a metal plate, wherein the metal plate and the wafer are spaced apart from each other by, and are in contact with, a plating solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.