Methods and apparatus for controlled-angle wafer immersion

US6551487B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Novellus Systems, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Jonathan D. Reid · Sherwood, US
• Steven T. Mayer · Lake Oswego, US
• Seshasayee Varadarajan · Lake Oswego, US
• David Craig Smith · Lake Oswego, US
• Evan E. Patton · Portland, US
• Dinesh S. Kalakkad · Portland, US
• Gary Lind · Penn Valley, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 31, 2001
• Grant date: Apr 22, 2003
• Expiry date: May 31, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S414/136
• WIPO field: Surface technology, coating
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The orientation of a wafer with respect to the surface of an electrolyte is controlled during an electroplating process. The wafer is delivered to an electrolyte bath along a trajectory normal to the surface of the electrolyte. Along this trajectory, the wafer is angled before entry into the electrolyte for angled immersion. A wafer can be plated in an angled orientation or not, depending on what is optimal for a given situation. Also, in some designs, the wafer's orientation can be adjusted actively during immersion or during electroplating, providing flexibility in various electroplating scenarios.