Soft landing nanolaminates for advanced patterning
Granted: January 29, 2019
Patent Number:
10192742
Methods for depositing nanolaminate protective layers over a core layer to enable deposition of high quality conformal films over the core layer for use in advanced multiple patterning schemes are provided. In certain embodiments, the methods involve depositing a thin silicon oxide or titanium oxide film using plasma-based atomic layer deposition techniques with a low high frequency radio frequency (HFRF) plasma power, followed by depositing a conformal titanium oxide film or spacer with…
Cross flow manifold for electroplating apparatus
Granted: January 29, 2019
Patent Number:
10190230
The embodiments herein relate to methods and apparatus for electroplating one or more materials onto a substrate. In many cases the material is a metal and the substrate is a semiconductor wafer, though the embodiments are no so limited. Typically, the embodiments herein utilize a channeled plate positioned near the substrate, creating a cross flow manifold defined on the bottom by the channeled plate, on the top by the substrate, and on the sides by a cross flow confinement ring. During…
Methods and apparatus for wetting pretreatment for through resist metal plating
Granted: November 13, 2018
Patent Number:
10128102
Disclosed are pre-wetting apparatus designs and methods for cleaning solid contaminants from substrates prior to through resist deposition of metal. In some embodiments, a pre-wetting apparatus includes a process chamber having a substrate holder, and at least one nozzle located directly above the wafer substrate and configured to deliver pre-wetting liquid (e.g., degassed deionized water) onto the substrate at a grazing angle of between about 5 and 45 degrees. In some embodiments the…
Purging of porogen from UV cure chamber
Granted: November 6, 2018
Patent Number:
10121682
A purge ring for providing a gas to a wafer processing chamber includes an inlet ring wall defining a ring hole space. An outer perimeter of the inlet ring wall is elliptical. An outer perimeter of the ring hole space is circular. The inlet ring wall is a continuous structure surrounding the ring hole space. An inlet baffle formed within the inlet ring wall surrounds at least 180 degrees of the outer perimeter of the ring hole space. An inlet plenum arranged in a first end of the inlet…
Method and apparatus for rapid pump-down of a high-vacuum loadlock
Granted: October 30, 2018
Patent Number:
10115608
A gas expansion module for use with semiconductor wafer loadlocks and other regulated-pressure components of semiconductor processing tools is provided. The gas expansion module may be barometrically isolated from the loadlock or other component and pumped down to a vacuum condition while the loadlock is performing operations at a higher pressure, such as ambient atmospheric conditions. After an initial pump-down of the loadlock is performed, the gas expansion module may be fluidly…
Protecting anodes from passivation in alloy plating systems
Granted: October 23, 2018
Patent Number:
10106907
An apparatus for continuous simultaneous electroplating of two metals having substantially different standard electrodeposition potentials (e.g., for deposition of Sn—Ag alloys) comprises an anode chamber for containing an anolyte comprising ions of a first, less noble metal, (e.g., tin), but not of a second, more noble, metal (e.g., silver) and an active anode; a cathode chamber for containing catholyte including ions of a first metal (e.g., tin), ions of a second, more noble, metal…
Tungsten feature fill
Granted: October 16, 2018
Patent Number:
10103058
Described herein are methods of filling features with tungsten and related systems and apparatus. The methods include inside-out fill techniques as well as conformal deposition in features. Inside-out fill techniques can include selective deposition on etched tungsten layers in features. Conformal and non-conformal etch techniques can be used according to various implementations. The methods described herein can be used to fill vertical features, such as in tungsten vias, and horizontal…
Methods and apparatuses for cleaning electroplating substrate holders
Granted: October 9, 2018
Patent Number:
10092933
Disclosed herein are methods of cleaning a lipseal and/or cup bottom of an electroplating device by removing metal deposits accumulated in prior electroplating operations. The methods may include orienting a nozzle such that it is pointed substantially at the inner circular edge of the lipseal and/or cup bottom, and dispensing a stream of cleaning solution from the nozzle such that the stream contacts the inner circular edge of the lipseal and/or cup bottom while they are being rotated,…
Automated cleaning of wafer plating assembly
Granted: October 2, 2018
Patent Number:
10087545
Disclosed herein are cleaning discs for cleaning one or more elements of a semiconductor processing apparatus. In some embodiments, the disc may have a substantially circular upper surface, a substantially circular lower surface, a substantially circular edge joining the upper and lower surfaces, and a plurality of pores opening at the edge and having an interior extending into the interior of the disc. In some embodiments, the pores are dimensioned such that a cleaning agent may be…
Plating cup with contoured cup bottom
Granted: August 21, 2018
Patent Number:
10053792
Disclosed herein are cups for engaging wafers during electroplating in clamshell assemblies and supplying electrical current to the wafers during electroplating. The cup can comprise an elastomeric seal disposed on the cup and configured to engage the wafer during electroplating, where upon engagement the elastomeric seal substantially excludes plating solution from a peripheral region of the wafer, and where the elastomeric seal and the cup are annular in shape, and comprise one or more…
Plasma activated conformal dielectric film deposition
Granted: August 7, 2018
Patent Number:
10043655
Methods of depositing a film on a substrate surface include surface mediated reactions in which a film is grown over one or more cycles of reactant adsorption and reaction. In one aspect, the method is characterized by intermittent delivery of dopant species to the film between the cycles of adsorption and reaction.
UV and reducing treatment for K recovery and surface clean in semiconductor processing
Granted: July 31, 2018
Patent Number:
10037905
Treatment of carbon-containing low-k dielectric with UV radiation and a reducing agent enables process-induced damage repair. Also, treatment with a reducing agent and UV radiation is effective to clean a processed wafer surface by removal of metal oxide (e.g., copper oxide) and/or organic residue of CMP slurry from the planarized surface of a processed wafer with or without low-k dielectric. The methods of the invention are particularly applicable in the context of damascene processing…
Dynamic current distribution control apparatus and method for wafer electroplating
Granted: July 17, 2018
Patent Number:
10023970
Methods, systems, and apparatus for plating a metal onto a work piece are described. In one aspect, an apparatus includes a plating chamber, a substrate holder, an anode chamber housing an anode, an ionically resistive ionically permeable element positioned between a substrate and the anode chamber during electroplating, an auxiliary cathode located between the anode and the ionically resistive ionically permeable element, and an insulating shield with an opening in its central region.…
Method for reducing porogen accumulation from a UV-cure chamber
Granted: July 10, 2018
Patent Number:
10020197
Porogen accumulation in a UV-cure chamber is reduced by removing outgassed porogen through a heated outlet while purge gas is flowed across a window through which a wafer is exposed to UV light. A purge ring having specific major and minor exhaust to inlet area ratios may be partially made of flame polished quartz to improve flow dynamics. The reduction in porogen accumulation allows more wafers to be processed between chamber cleans, thus improving throughput and cost.
Electroplating apparatus for tailored uniformity profile
Granted: July 10, 2018
Patent Number:
10017869
Methods of electroplating metal on a substrate while controlling azimuthal uniformity, include, in one aspect, providing the substrate to the electroplating apparatus configured for rotating the substrate during electroplating, and electroplating the metal on the substrate while rotating the substrate relative to a shield such that a selected portion of the substrate at a selected azimuthal position dwells in a shielded area for a different amount of time than a second portion of the…
Methods for depositing films on sensitive substrates
Granted: June 26, 2018
Patent Number:
10008428
Methods and apparatus to form films on sensitive substrates while preventing damage to the sensitive substrate are provided herein. In certain embodiments, methods involve forming a bilayer film on a sensitive substrate that both protects the underlying substrate from damage and possesses desired electrical properties. Also provided are methods and apparatus for evaluating and optimizing the films, including methods to evaluate the amount of substrate damage resulting from a particular…
Method and apparatus for filling interconnect structures
Granted: June 26, 2018
Patent Number:
10006144
Methods, apparatus, and systems for depositing copper and other metals are provided. In some implementations, a wafer substrate is provided to an apparatus. The wafer substrate has a surface with field regions and a feature. A copper layer is plated onto the surface of the wafer substrate. The copper layer is annealed to redistribute copper from regions of the wafer substrate to the feature. Implementations of the disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems allow for void-free bottom-up…
Electroplating apparatus and process for wafer level packaging
Granted: May 29, 2018
Patent Number:
9982357
An apparatus for continuous simultaneous electroplating of two metals having substantially different standard electrodeposition potentials (e.g., for deposition of Sn—Ag alloys) comprises an anode chamber for containing an anolyte comprising ions of a first, less noble metal, (e.g., tin), but not of a second, more noble, metal (e.g., silver) and an active anode; a cathode chamber for containing catholyte including ions of a first metal (e.g., tin), ions of a second, more noble, metal…
High dose implantation strip (HDIS) in Hbase chemistry
Granted: April 10, 2018
Patent Number:
9941108
Plasma is generated using elemental hydrogen, a weak oxidizing agent, and a fluorine containing gas. An inert gas is introduced to the plasma downstream of the plasma source and upstream of a showerhead that directs gas mixture into the reaction chamber where the mixture reacts with the high-dose implant resist. The process removes both the crust and bulk resist layers at a high strip rate, and leaves the work piece surface substantially residue free with low silicon loss.
Soft landing nanolaminates for advanced patterning
Granted: February 27, 2018
Patent Number:
9905423
Methods for depositing nanolaminate protective layers over a core layer to enable deposition of high quality conformal films over the core layer for use in advanced multiple patterning schemes are provided. In certain embodiments, the methods involve depositing a thin silicon oxide or titanium oxide film using plasma-based atomic layer deposition techniques with a low high frequency radio frequency (HFRF) plasma power, followed by depositing a conformal titanium oxide film or spacer with…
