Methods and apparatus for wetting pretreatment for through resist metal plating

US9455139B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Novellus Systems, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Bryan L. Buckalew · Tualatin, US
• Steven T. Mayer · Lake Oswego, US
• Thomas A. Ponnuswamy · Sherwood, US
• Robert Rash · Portland, US
• Brian Paul Blackman · Newberg, US
• Doug Higley · Portland, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 25, 2013
• Grant date: Sep 27, 2016
• Expiry date: Jun 4, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/76885
• WIPO field: Surface technology, coating
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Disclosed are pre-wetting apparatus designs and methods. In some embodiments, a pre-wetting apparatus includes a degasser, a process chamber, and a controller. The process chamber includes a wafer holder configured to hold a wafer substrate, a vacuum port configured to allow formation of a subatmospheric pressure in the process chamber, and a fluid inlet coupled to the degasser and configured to deliver a degassed pre-wetting fluid onto the wafer substrate at a velocity of at least about 7 meters per second whereby particles on the wafer substrate are dislodged and at a flow rate whereby dislodged particles are removed from the wafer substrate. The controller includes program instructions for forming a wetting layer on the wafer substrate in the process chamber by contacting the wafer substrate with the degassed pre-wetting fluid admitted through the fluid inlet at a flow rate of at least about 0.4 liters per minute.