Pretreatment method for photoresist wafer processing
US9607822B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 13, 2016 |
| Grant date | Mar 28, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 13, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2224/13155
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Certain embodiments herein relate to methods and apparatus for processing a partially fabricated semiconductor substrate in a remote plasma environment. The methods may be performed in the context of wafer level packaging (WLP) processes. The methods may include exposing the substrate to a reducing plasma to remove photoresist scum and/or oxidation from an underlying seed layer. In some cases, photoresist scum is removed through a series of plasma treatments involving exposure to an oxygen-containing plasma followed by exposure to a reducing plasma. In some embodiments, an oxygen-containing plasma is further used to strip photoresist from a substrate surface after electroplating. This plasma strip may be followed by a plasma treatment involving exposure to a reducing plasma. The plasma treatments herein may involve exposure to a remote plasma within a plasma treatment module of a multi-tool electroplating apparatus.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.