Electroplating method

Abstract

The present invention provides an electroplating method, which aims to detect leakage of a substrate holder as early as possible and reuse the substrate. In the electroplating method, pure water is brought into contact with a sealing portion of a sealing member, and the sealing member prevents a contact of a substrate holder holding a substrate from contacting the electroplating solution. During the period from when the sealing portion is brought into contact with pure water to when the substrate is brought into contact with the chemical solution, leakage of the sealing member is detected based on whether a leakage detection electrode disposed inside the substrate holder is short-circuited.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electroplating method. Background Art

[0002] In the past, a process of forming wiring, bumps (protruding electrodes), etc. on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a printed circuit board was performed. As a method for forming the wiring and bumps, etc., an electrolytic plating method is known. In the electroplating device used in the electrolytic plating method, a substrate holder is provided for sealing the end face of a circular or polygonal substrate and exposing and holding the substrate surface (electroplated surface). When the substrate surface is electroplated in this electroplating device, the substrate holder holding the substrate is immersed in the plating solution.

[0003] In addition, when the seal that protects the contact (electrical contact) of the substrate holder from the influence of the plating solution leaks, it may cause poor plating. Therefore, it is expected to detect and deal with the leakage of the seal of the substrate holder as soon as possible. In Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-190044 (Patent Document 1), it is recorded that a substrate holder is configured with a conductive wire for leakage detection inside the substrate holder, and a leakage of the substrate holder is detected by detecting the short circuit between the conductive wires due to the plating solution.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-190044.

[0005] When leak detection is performed in a plating solution, the substrate held when the leak occurs is usually discarded. This is because poor plating has already occurred in the substrate held when the leak occurs, or even if poor plating has not occurred, the substrate has already come into contact with the plating solution, making it difficult to plate again and send it to the next process. Summary of the invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to solve at least a part of the above-mentioned problems.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electroplating method, wherein pure water is brought into contact with a sealing portion of a seal which prevents contacts of a substrate holder holding a substrate from coming into contact with the plating solution, and during the period from when pure water is brought into contact with the sealing portion to when the substrate comes into contact with the solution, leakage of the seal is detected based on whether a leakage detection electrode arranged inside the substrate holder is short-circuited. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electroplating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a substrate holder.

[0010] Figure 31 is a top view of the inside of the first holding member of the substrate holder.

[0011] Figure 4 It is a top view of the inner side of the second holding member of the substrate holder.

[0012] Figure 5 It is a partial enlarged view of the inner side surface of the second holding member.

[0013] Figure 6 It is along Figure 5 Cross-sectional view of line VI-VI.

[0014] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the connection between the substrate holder and the sensor.

[0015] Figure 8 is a flow chart of the electroplating method.

[0016] Description of reference numerals:

[0017] 10...plating module; 10a~10c...first to third plating modules; 11...substrate holder; 101...stand; 103...controller; 103a...CPU; 103b...memory; 105...loading platform; 110A...first holding member; 110B...second holding member; 112, 112A, 112B...opening; 117...contact; 118A, 118B, 119...seal holder; 120A, 120B, 120...inner seal; 121...outer seal; 122...transport robot; 123...sealed space; 126...prewet module; 128...prepreg module; 130a-130c...first to third washing modules; 132...blowing module; 133...bracket cleaning module; 140...handling device; 141...conveyor; 142...fixed base; 160...arm; 160A, 160B...arm; 161, 162...external connection terminals; 170A...loading / unloading station; 170B...substrate loading and unloading station; 170C...processing station; 170D...storage station (storage container); 170E...cleaning station; 172, 173...conductive plate; 410...bus; 510...leakage detection electrode; 520...bracket; 520a...slot; 530...current sensor DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, identical or similar elements are marked with identical or similar reference numerals, and repeated descriptions related to identical or similar elements are omitted in the description of each embodiment. In addition, the features shown in each embodiment can also be applied to other embodiments as long as they are not contradictory.

[0019] In this specification, "substrate" includes not only semiconductor substrates, glass substrates, liquid crystal substrates, and printed circuit substrates, but also magnetic recording media, magnetic recording sensors, reflectors, optical elements, micromechanical elements, or locally manufactured integrated circuits, and other arbitrary processed objects. Substrates include substrates of any shape including polygons and circles. In addition, in this specification, there are cases where expressions such as "front surface", "rear surface", "front", "rear", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", and "horizontal" are used, but they are expressions of position and direction on the paper of the illustrated drawings for the convenience of explanation, and there are different situations in the actual configuration when the device is used.

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing the schematic structure of an electroplating device involved in one embodiment of the present invention. The electroplating device involved in this embodiment is an electroplating device that utilizes metal to electroplate the first and second surfaces of a substrate W by passing an electric current through an electroplating solution. The first surface and the second surface are surfaces that are opposite to each other, such as a front surface and a back surface. In addition, a conductive layer consisting of a seed layer and the like is formed on the first surface and the second surface of the substrate W, respectively. And, an anti-etching layer is formed in a pattern surface forming area above the conductive layer, and grooves and through holes are pre-formed in the anti-etching layer. In this embodiment, a substrate having a through hole connecting the first surface of the substrate with the second surface (so-called through hole substrate) can be included as a processing object. Here, an electroplating device for electroplating on both sides is cited as an example, but it can also be an electroplating device for electroplating on one side.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, the electroplating device comprises: a stage 101; a controller 103 for controlling the operation of the electroplating device; a loading / unloading station 170A for loading and unloading the substrate W; a substrate loading and unloading station 170B for mounting the substrate W on the substrate holder 11 (see Figure 2 ) and remove the substrate W from the substrate holder 11; a processing station 170C, electroplating the substrate W; a storage station (storage container) 170D, storing the substrate holder 11; and a cleaning station 170E, cleaning and drying the electroplated substrate W.

[0022] like Figure 1As shown, the stage 101 is composed of a plurality of stage components 101a to 101h, and these stage components 101a to 101h are configured to be connected. The components of the loading / unloading station 170A are arranged on the first stage component 101a, the components of the substrate loading and unloading station 170B are arranged on the second stage component 101b, the components of the processing station 170C are arranged on the third stage component 101c to the sixth stage component 101f, and the components of the storage station 170D are arranged on the seventh stage component 101g and the eighth stage component 101h.

[0023] The loading / unloading station 170A is provided with a loading table 105 for loading a cassette (not shown) containing substrates W before electroplating, and an unloading table 107 for loading a cassette (not shown) receiving substrates W after electroplating in the processing station 170C. In addition, a transfer robot 122 for transferring the substrates W is arranged at the loading / unloading station 170A.

[0024] The transfer robot 122 is configured to access the cassette mounted on the loading platform 105, take out the substrate W before plating from the cassette, and deliver the substrate W to the substrate loading and unloading station 170B. In the substrate loading and unloading station 170B, the substrate W before plating is mounted on the substrate holder 11, and the substrate W after plating is taken out from the substrate holder 11.

[0025] The processing station 170C is provided with a pre-wetting module 126, a pre-preg module 128, a first rinsing module 130a, a blowing module 132, a second rinsing module 130b, a first electroplating module 10a, a second electroplating module 10b, a third rinsing module 130c, and a third electroplating module 10c. In addition, in the processing station 170C, a support cleaning module 133 is provided near the storage container 170D. In addition, in the following description, there is a situation where the first electroplating module 10a, the second electroplating module 10b, and the third electroplating module 10c are collectively referred to, or the electroplating module 10 is referred to as any of these electroplating modules.

[0026] In the pre-wetting module 126, as a pre-treatment preparation, the substrate W is treated with degassed pure water to improve the wettability of the substrate W to the plating solution. In the pre-dip module 128, an oxide film on the surface of a conductive layer such as a seed layer formed on the surface of the substrate W is etched away by a chemical solution (e.g., an acid solution). In the first rinse module 130a, the pre-dip substrate W is cleaned with a cleaning solution (e.g., pure water).

[0027] In at least one of the first electroplating module 10a, the second electroplating module 10b, and the third electroplating module 10c, electroplating is performed on both sides or one side of the substrate W. Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, there are three plating modules 10 , but any number of plating modules 10 may be provided in other embodiments.

[0028] In the second rinsing module 130b, the substrate W electroplated by the first electroplating module 10a or the second electroplating module 10b is cleaned together with the substrate holder 11 using a cleaning liquid (e.g., pure water). In the third rinsing module 130c, the substrate W electroplated by the third electroplating module 10c is cleaned together with the substrate holder 11 using a cleaning liquid (e.g., pure water). In the blowing module 132, the cleaned substrate W is deliquified before and / or after the electroplating process. In the holder cleaning module 133, the substrate holder 11 is cleaned by a cleaning liquid (e.g., pure water) without holding the substrate W.

[0029] The pre-wetting module 126, the pre-preg module 128, the rinsing modules 130a to 130c, and the electroplating modules 10a to 10c are processing modules having tanks capable of storing processing liquid (liquid) therein. The tanks of the processing modules have a plurality of processing units storing processing liquid, but are not limited to this embodiment, and the tanks of these processing modules may also have separate processing units. In addition, at least a portion of these processing modules may have separate processing units, and other processing modules may have a plurality of processing units.

[0030] The electroplating apparatus further includes a transport device 140 for transporting the substrate holder 11. The transport device 140 is configured to be movable between the components of the electroplating apparatus. The transport device 140 includes a fixed base 142 extending in a horizontal direction from the substrate loading and unloading station 170B to the processing station 170C, and one or more conveyors 141 configured to be movable along the fixed base 142.

[0031] Each of these conveyors 141 has a movable portion (not shown) for holding the substrate holder 11, and is configured to hold the substrate holder 11. The conveyor 141 is configured to transport the substrate holder 11 between the substrate loading and unloading station 170B, the storage station 170D, and the processing station 170C, and further move the substrate holder 11 up and down together with the substrate W. The conveyor 141 can, for example, lower the substrate holder 11 holding the substrate W from above each module, so that the substrate W is arranged in each module together with the substrate holder 11, and / or contacts the processing liquid. In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, three conveyors are provided, but as other embodiments, any number of conveyors can also be adopted.

[0032] The electroplating device has a controller 103 as a control unit configured to control the above-mentioned parts. The controller 103 has a memory 103b storing a predetermined program, method, etc., and a CPU 103a executing the program of the memory 103b. The storage medium constituting the memory 103b stores various setting data, various programs including programs for controlling the electroplating device, methods, etc. The program, for example, includes a program for executing the following control, that is, the conveying control of the conveying robot 122, the loading and unloading control of the substrate to the substrate holder in the substrate removal station 170B, the conveying control of the conveying device 140, the control of the processing in each processing module, the control of the electroplating processing in each electroplating module, and the control of the cleaning station 170E. The storage medium can include a non-volatile and / or volatile storage medium. As the storage medium, for example, a computer-readable ROM, RAM, flash memory or other memory, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a disk-shaped storage medium such as a floppy disk, and other known storage media can be used.

[0033] The controller 103 is configured to be able to communicate with a higher-level controller (not shown) that uniformly controls the electroplating device and other related devices, and to exchange data with a database possessed by the higher-level controller. A portion or all of the functions of the controller 103 can be constituted by hardware such as an ASIC. A portion or all of the functions of the controller 103 can also be constituted by a sequencer. A portion or all of the controller 103 can be configured inside and / or outside the electroplating device. A portion or all of the controller 103 can be connected by wire and / or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with each other and / or to communicate with various parts of the electroplating device.

[0034] (Substrate holder)

[0035] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a substrate holder. Figure 3 1 is a top view of the inside of the first holding member of the substrate holder. Figure 4 It is a top view of the inner side of the second holding member of the substrate holder.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, the substrate holder 11 includes a first holding member 110A ( Figure 3 ), and a second holding member 110B having an opening 112B ( Figure 4). When the substrate holder 11 does not hold the substrate, the opening 112A and the opening 112B form the opening 112 that passes through the substrate holder 11. The substrate holder 11 holds the substrate W by clamping the substrate W with the first holding member 110A and the second holding member 110B. The first holding member 110A and the second holding member 110B hold the substrate W in such a manner that the first surface and the second surface of the substrate W are exposed through the opening 112A and the opening 112B, respectively. In other words, the first holding member 110A and the second holding member 110B hold the substrate W by clamping only the outer periphery of the substrate W from both sides. In addition, in the case of single-sided electroplating, one of the openings 112A and 112B may not be provided or may be blocked. The substrate holder 11 is provided with an arm 160 at its upper portion, and is transported in a state where the arm 160 is held by the conveyor 141. In addition, the two ends of the arm 160 are placed on the edge of the groove of each module so as to be suspended and supported. In the following description, the side of the substrate holder 11 where the first surface of the substrate W is exposed is sometimes referred to as the first side, and the side where the second surface of the substrate is exposed is sometimes referred to as the second side. Figure 2 , the substrate holder 11 is shown as viewed from the second side, and the second surface of the substrate W is shown to be exposed from the opening 112B of the second holding member 110B.

[0037] In the present embodiment, the substrate holder 11 is a holder for holding a quadrilateral substrate W, but is not limited thereto and may be a holder for holding a circular substrate. In this case, the opening 112A and the opening 112B are also circular. Alternatively, the substrate W may be a polygonal substrate other than a quadrilateral. In this case, the opening 112A and the opening 112B may also be a polygon of a corresponding shape. In addition, here, a substrate holder for electroplating on both sides is taken as an example for explanation, but the present invention may also be applied to a substrate holder for electroplating on one side.

[0038] like Figure 2 as well as Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the second holding member 110B includes an arm portion 160B constituting a portion of the arm 160. An external connection terminal 161 and an external connection terminal 162 are provided at one end of the arm portion 160B. The external connection terminal 161 is a terminal for supplying power to the substrate W (equivalent to a power supply component for supplying power to the substrate), and is connected to a power source (e.g., a DC power source). The external connection terminal 162 is a terminal for electrically connecting the leakage detection electrode 510 to the current sensor 530 ( Figure 7) terminal. One or more bus bars 410 are connected to the external connection terminal 161 for conducting electricity to the substrate. In this example, two bus bars 410 separated from each other and arranged in parallel are connected to the external connection terminal 161, extending along the longitudinal direction inside the arm 160B to near the center of the arm 160B, and further extending from the arm 160B toward the opening 112B. The bus bars 410 extend in opposite directions to each other at the upper part of the opening 112B and along the upper side of the opening 112B, and further along each side of the opening 112B ( Figure 4 The bus bars 410 are arranged separately from each other in the center of the lower side of the opening 112B. Before the electroplating current flows, the electrodes of the external connection terminals 161 connected to the bus bars are electrically separated from each other. By separating the two bus bars from each other, a power-on check can be performed between the two bus bars before the electroplating current flows. In addition, without performing the power-on check as described above, the two bus bars 410 can also be connected in the center of the lower side of the opening 112B. An inner sealing member 120B is provided at the periphery of the opening 112B to seal the outer periphery of the second surface of the substrate W.

[0039] like Figure 4 As shown, in the second holding member 110B, a plurality of contacts 117 as electrical contacts for contacting the substrate are arranged inside the bus 410, and each contact 117 is electrically connected to the bus 410. The contact 117 can be connected to the bus 410 by screw connection or any other fixing method. Here, an example in which the conductive path from the external connection terminal 161 to each contact 117 is a bus is described, but the conductive path can be any conductive body such as a cable or a wire.

[0040] In the second holding member 110B, a leakage detection electrode 510 is arranged outside the bus bar 410. The leakage detection electrode 510 is electrically connected to the external connection terminal 162 and Figure 4 The leakage detection electrode 510 extends along the side edge of the right side of the opening 112B in the paper, and further extends from the right side edge toward the left side edge along the lower side of the opening 112B, and terminates near the corner of the lower side edge and the left side edge. The leakage detection electrode 510 is configured in a state separated from the bus 410 and electrically insulated as described later. The leakage detection electrode 510 extends from the upper portion (upper edge) of the opening 112B to at least halfway along the side portion (side edge), or extends from the upper portion (upper edge) of the opening 112B through the side portion (side edge) to any position of the lower portion (lower edge), or may be configured to extend along the entire circumference of the outer circumference of the opening 112B.

[0041] like Figure 2 as well as Figure 3As shown, the first holding member 110A includes an arm portion 160A constituting a part of the arm 160. The arm portion 160A of the first holding member 110A is configured to engage with the arm portion 160B of the second holding member 110B to form the arm 160. An inner seal 120A for sealing the outer peripheral portion of the first surface of the substrate W is provided around the periphery of the opening 112A of the first holding member 110A.

[0042] Figure 5 It is a partial enlarged view of the inner side surface of the second holding member. Figure 6 It is along Figure 5 Cross-sectional view of line VI-VI. Figure 7 This is an illustration for explaining the connection between the substrate holder and the sensor. Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 As shown, an inner seal 120B held by a seal holder 118B is provided at the periphery of the opening 112B, and an inner seal 120A held by a seal holder 118A is provided at the periphery of the opening 112A. The substrate holder 11 and the substrate W are sealed by the inner seals 120A and 120B. In more detail, the second holding component 110B and the second surface of the substrate W are sealed by the inner seal 120B, and the first holding component 110A and the first surface of the substrate W are sealed by the inner seal 120A. The base end side of the contact 117 is mechanically and electrically connected to the bus 410 by any method such as screw connection. The free end side of the contact 117 contacts the surface of the substrate W and is electrically conductive. As shown Figure 6 As shown, in the second holding member 110B, an outer seal 121 held by a seal holder 119 is provided on the side / outer side away from the opening 112B. The outer seal 121 seals between the first holding member 110A and the second holding member 110B. The outer seal 121 can also be provided in the first holding member 110A. The inner seal 120 (120A, 120B) and the outer seal 121 form a sealed space 123 that isolates and seals the contact 117 and the leakage detection electrode 510 from the processing liquid.

[0043] A support 520 for holding the leakage detection electrode 510 is provided adjacent to the outer side of the bus bar 410. The support 520 is provided with a groove 520a extending substantially parallel to the bus bar 410. The leakage detection electrode 510 is arranged in the groove 520a so as to be separated and electrically insulated near the bus bar 410. The leakage detection electrode 510 extends along the entire circumference or a portion of the bus bar 410 at the outer periphery of the opening 112B, and is electrically connected to the external connection terminal 162 through the arm 160B.

[0044] The leakage detection electrode 510 is separated from the bus bar 410 and is electrically insulated. However, the leakage detection electrode 510 is an electrode that detects leakage of the seal (inner seal or outer seal) by detecting the current flowing through the liquid such as pure water between the leakage detection electrode 510 and the bus bar 410 when the liquid such as pure water has invaded the sealed space 123. It is necessary to separate the leakage detection electrode 510 from the bus bar 410 at a close distance so that the leakage of the seal can be detected even if the amount of liquid that has invaded the sealed space 123 is very small.

[0045] The leakage detection electrode 510 can be a conductive wire made of any conductor. A portion of the conductive wire may be covered with a coating layer of an electrical insulating material. Figure 4 In the example of , the conductive wire of the leakage detection electrode 510 other than the lower side of the opening 112B may be covered by a coating layer of an electrically insulating material, so that the conductive wire located at the lower side of the opening 112B is exposed. When the substrate holder 11 is processed in a vertical posture, the processing liquid leaked from the seal gathers at the lower part of the substrate holder 11, so there is a case where it is sufficient to perform leakage detection only at the lower part of the substrate holder 11. In addition, the conductive wire of the leakage detection electrode 510 may be in any shape such as a rod or a plate, and the cross-section of the conductive wire may be in any shape such as a circle or a polygon.

[0046] like Figure 7 As shown, the current sensor 530 for detecting the minute current flowing between the bus 410 and the leakage detection electrode 510 by means of a liquid such as pure water is connected to the external connection terminals 161 and 162 connected to the bus 410 and the leakage detection electrode 510. Pure water has a much larger resistance value (about 10 MΩ) than a liquid such as a plating solution, so the current sensor 530 is a current sensor capable of detecting the minute current flowing through pure water. Figure 7 As shown, the external connection terminal 162 connected to the leakage detection electrode 510 is electrically connected to the current sensor 530 via a conductive plate (tap) 173. In addition, the external connection terminal 161 connected to the bus 410 is electrically connected to the current sensor 530 via a conductive plate (tap) 172. The conductive plates 172 and 173 are arranged in any processing module 171 at a portion where the end of the arm 160 of the substrate holder 11 is placed, such as the edge of the processing tank. The processing module 171 includes, for example, a pre-wetting module 126, a pre-preg module 128, a first rinsing module 130a, a blowing module 132, a second rinsing module 130b, a first electroplating module 10a, a second electroplating module 10b, a third rinsing module 130c, and / or a third electroplating module 10c. In addition, the storage station (storage container) 170D can also be set to the same structure.

[0047] Leak detection using the leakage detection electrode 510, for example, applies a voltage (preferably an AC voltage) between the bus 410 and the leakage detection electrode 510, and measures the current flowing between the bus 410 and the leakage detection electrode 510. In the absence of leakage of a liquid such as pure water, the bus 410 and the leakage detection electrode 510 are electrically insulated, and no current flows between the bus 410 and the leakage detection electrode 510. On the other hand, in the case where the bus 410 and the leakage detection electrode 510 are connected (short-circuited) by a liquid such as pure water, a current flows between the bus 410 and the leakage detection electrode 510 via the liquid (resistance changes corresponding to the input voltage). The measured value of the current is output from the current sensor 530 to the controller 103, and the controller 103 detects the leakage based on a predetermined condition (from the measured current detection to the condition when the leakage occurs). In addition, it can also be configured so that the condition when the leakage occurs from the measured current detection is pre-set in the current sensor 530, and when the condition is met, the leakage signal is sent from the current sensor 530 to the controller 103. In this case, the controller 103 detects leakage based on the leakage signal from the current sensor 530. In this way, by detecting the short circuit between the bus bar 410 and the leakage detection electrode 510, leakage of the seal (the inner seal 120 and / or the outer seal 121) can be detected.

[0048] Figure 8 104 is a flow chart of the electroplating method according to the present embodiment. The flow chart of the electroplating method is implemented by the controller 103 .

[0049] In step S11 , the transfer robot 122 takes out the substrate W from the cassette, and the orientation of the substrate W is aligned by an aligner (not shown) or the like.

[0050] In step S12 , the substrate W is carried into the substrate loading and unloading station 170B by the transfer robot 122 .

[0051] In step S13, the empty substrate holder 11 is taken out from the storage station (stocker) 170D by the conveyor 141 and carried into the substrate loading and unloading station 170B. The processing of step S13 is performed in parallel with the processing of steps S11 and 12.

[0052] In step S14 , the substrate W is mounted on the substrate holder 11 by a fixing device at the substrate loading and unloading station 170B.

[0053] In step S15, the substrate holder 11 is transported to the pre-wetting module 126 by the conveyor 141, and the substrate W is treated with degassed pure water in order to improve the wettability of the substrate W to the plating solution. In the pre-wetting module 126, the substrate W and the substrate holder 11 can also be immersed in the stored degassed water, or the degassed water can be sprayed from the nozzle to the substrate W. At this time, the pure water contacts the sealing part of the seal (in this example, the inner seal 120 and the outer seal 121) that prevents the contact 117 of the substrate holder 11 from contacting the plating solution. Here, the so-called sealing part refers to the contact part (contact surface / sealing surface) where the seal contacts the sealed part. The sealing part, for example, includes the contact surface / sealing surface of the inner seal 120 contacting the substrate W and / or the first holding member 110A / the second holding member 110B, and the contact surface / sealing surface of the outer seal 121 contacting the first holding member 110A and / or the second holding member 110B. In addition, in the pre-wetting module 126, refer to Figures 5 to 7 The above-mentioned leakage check of the substrate holder 11 is implemented. That is, when the seal between the inner seal 120 and the substrate W, or between the outer seal 121 and the first holding member 110A is not properly formed, degassed water invades the sealed space. If there is no leakage in the seal of the substrate holder 11, the current sensor 530 / controller 103 does not detect a leakage signal ("Yes" in S15), and the substrate W is transported to the next processing module (in this case, the prepreg module). On the other hand, in the case where there is a leakage in the seal of the substrate holder 11, the current sensor 530 / controller 103 detects a leakage signal ("No" in S15), omitting the next processing module and electroplating treatment, etc., and transporting the substrate W to the blowing module (S20). After removing the substrate W from the substrate holder 11 (S21), the substrate holder 11 is stored in the storage container 170D (S25). In addition, after the removed substrate W is cleaned and dried in the cleaning station 170E, it is stored in a box (S22 to S24) by the transfer robot 122. In addition, the information of the substrate holder 11 where the leakage is detected and / or the information of the removed substrate W is recorded by the controller 103. In addition, the substrate holder 11 where the leakage is detected can be set to be unused, or cleaned by the holder cleaning module 133 and reused.

[0054] In step S16 , the oxide film on the surface of the conductive layer such as the seed layer formed on the surface of the substrate W is removed by etching with a chemical solution in the prepreg module 128 .

[0055] In step S17 , the pre-soaked substrate W is cleaned with a cleaning liquid (eg, pure water) in the first cleaning module 130 a .

[0056] In step S18 , the substrate W is electroplated in the first electroplating module 10 a , the second electroplating module 10 b , or the third electroplating module 10 c .

[0057] In step S19, the second rinsing module 130b or the third rinsing module 130c uses a cleaning liquid (e.g., pure water) to clean the plated substrate W together with the substrate holder 11. In addition, when the substrate W is plated in multiple plating modules, the processing of step S18 and / or step S19 is performed on the substrate W multiple times.

[0058] In step S20, the substrate W after cleaning is deliquified in the blowing module 132. At this time, the substrate holder 11 may be checked for leakage in the same manner as in the pre-humidification process (S15). In this case, when the leakage in the pre-humidification process is small and the leakage cannot be detected, the liquid accumulated from the leakage in the pre-humidification process and thereafter can be detected by also performing a leakage check in the process after the pre-humidification process. When a leakage is detected, the information of the substrate holder 11 where the leakage is detected and / or the information of the removed substrate W is recorded by the controller 103. In addition, instead of performing the leakage check in step S20 or in addition thereto, the substrate holder 11 may be checked for leakage in the same manner as in the pre-humidification process (S15) in step S19 (cleaning after electroplating).

[0059] In step S21 , the substrate holder 11 is transported to the substrate loading and unloading station 170B by the conveyor 141 , and the substrate W is removed from the substrate holder 11 at the substrate loading and unloading station 170B.

[0060] The removed substrate W is carried into the cleaning station 170E by the transfer robot 122 , and after being cleaned and dried in the cleaning station 170E, the transfer robot 122 stores the substrate in a cassette ( S22 to S24 ).

[0061] The substrate holder 11 from which the substrate W has been removed is stored in the storage 170D (S25) by the conveyor 14. In addition, as needed, the substrate holder 11 is transported to the holder cleaning module 133 by the conveyor 141, and stored in the storage 170D after cleaning. In the holder cleaning module 133, only the substrate holder 11 that does not hold the substrate W is cleaned. In the holder cleaning module 133, a seal may not be formed, and the sealing surface of the seal (inner seal 120, outer seal 121) and the contact 117 may be cleaned. That is, the cleaning water invades the sealed space 123. After the cleaned substrate holder 11 is appropriately deliquified, it is stored in the storage 170D. Before the cleaned substrate holder 11 holds the next substrate, a leakage check may also be performed on the substrate holder 11. For example, a leakage check may also be performed in the storage 170D in the same manner as the pre-humidification process (S15). Instead of or in addition to the leakage check in the stocker 170D, a leakage check may also be performed in the substrate loading and unloading station 170B. By confirming that there is no short circuit in the leakage detection electrode 510 of the substrate holder 11 by the current sensor, it can be confirmed that the substrate holder 11 is dry, and after confirming that it is dry, the substrate holder 11 can be used in the next substrate processing. In this way, it is possible to distinguish between a short circuit caused by insufficient drying of the substrate holder 11 after the holder is cleaned and a short circuit caused by a defective seal of the substrate holder 11.

[0062] In the above step S16 and / or step S17, the substrate holder 11 may be inspected for leakage similarly to the pre-humidification process (S15). The above-mentioned leakage inspection other than the pre-humidification process (S15) may be partially or entirely performed.

[0063] (Other Embodiments)

[0064] (1) In the above embodiment, leakage inspection is performed by detecting a short circuit between the leakage detection electrode 510 and the bus bar 410. However, a pair of conductors (conductive wires, etc.) may be provided as the leakage detection electrode 510, and leakage inspection may be performed by detecting a short circuit between the pair of conductors.

[0065] (2) In the above embodiment, an example in which the substrate holder 11 is processed in a state of being upright is described. However, the above embodiment can also be applied to a case in which the substrate holder 11 is processed in a state of being horizontal.

[0066] (3) In the above-mentioned embodiment, in the pre-humidification treatment (S15), pure water is first brought into contact with the sealing portion of the substrate holder 11 to perform a leakage check. However, in the case where a pre-cleaning of the substrate W using pure water is performed before the pre-humidification treatment (S15), a leakage check can be performed in the pre-cleaning instead of the leakage check in the pre-humidification treatment or in addition thereto.

[0067] (4) It is also possible to perform a leakage check while the substrate holder is being transported.

[0068] At least the following aspects can be understood from the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0069] According to a first aspect, a plating method is provided, wherein pure water is brought into contact with a sealing portion of a sealing member, the sealing member preventing a contact of a substrate holder holding a substrate from coming into contact with a plating solution, and leakage of the sealing member is detected based on whether a leakage detection electrode disposed inside the substrate holder is short-circuited during a period from when the sealing portion is brought into contact with pure water until when the substrate comes into contact with a chemical solution. The short-circuit of the leakage detection electrode indicates that current is flowing through the leakage detection electrode via the liquid.

[0070] According to this method, since leakage can be detected before the substrate contacts the chemical solution, the substrate can be discarded and the substrate can be mounted on another substrate holder for electroplating. The number of discarded substrates due to leakage can be reduced, and cost reduction can be achieved. In addition, the substrate holder where leakage is detected can be set to be unused or cleaned and reused.

[0071] According to a second aspect, in the electroplating method of the first aspect, the step of bringing the substrate into contact with pure water is performed during a pre-cleaning treatment of washing the substrate with pure water and / or a pre-humidification treatment of bringing the substrate into contact with degassed pure water.

[0072] According to this aspect, since pure water is brought into contact with the sealing portion during the pre-cleaning process and / or the pre-humidification process, it is possible to perform a leakage inspection at an early stage after the substrate is carried into the processing station.

[0073] According to a third aspect, in the electroplating method of the second aspect, a step of detecting leakage of the seal is performed during the pre-cleaning process and / or the pre-humidification process.

[0074] According to this method, a leak check can be performed at an early stage after the substrate is moved into the processing station, and whether there is a leak in the substrate holder can be confirmed. In addition, since the leak check is performed during the pre-cleaning process and / or the pre-humidification process, there is no need for additional time for the leak check, and the impact on productivity is suppressed or prevented.

[0075] According to a fourth aspect, in the plating method of the third aspect, a step of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed in the next process and thereafter after the pre-humidification process.

[0076] According to this method, when the leakage in the pre-humidification process is too small to be detected, the leakage check can be performed after the next process to detect the liquid accumulated in the pre-humidification process and thereafter. Thus, the substrate holder with leakage can be set to no use or cleaned and reused.

[0077] According to a fifth aspect, in the electroplating method of the fourth aspect, a step of detecting leakage of the sealing member is further performed after the electroplating of the substrate.

[0078] According to this method, when the leakage during the pre-humidification process is too small to be detected, the leakage check can be performed after the electroplating process to detect the liquid accumulated from the leakage after the pre-humidification process. Thus, the substrate holder with the leakage can be set to no use or cleaned and reused.

[0079] According to a sixth aspect, in the electroplating method according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, a step of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed before the substrate is held on the substrate holder.

[0080] According to this method, by performing a leakage check on the substrate holder before holding the substrate on the substrate holder (for example, holding the substrate on the substrate holder for the first time, or removing the substrate from the substrate holder to hold the next substrate), for example, in a storage container or a substrate loading and unloading station, it is possible to determine whether the sealed space of the substrate holder is dry. Since the sealed space in the substrate holder is the most difficult part to dry, the drying of the substrate holder can be confirmed by determining the drying of the sealed space. According to this method, the substrate can be mounted on the substrate holder after confirming that the substrate holder is dry.

[0081] According to a seventh aspect, in the electroplating method of the sixth aspect, a step of cleaning the substrate holder is further provided, and after the substrate holder is cleaned, a step of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed before holding a next substrate.

[0082] According to this method, after cleaning the substrate holder, by performing a leakage check on the substrate holder before holding the next substrate, it is possible to determine whether the sealed space of the substrate holder is dry. Thus, after confirming that the substrate holder is dry, the slurry substrate can be mounted on the substrate holder.

[0083] According to the eighth aspect, in any one of the electroplating methods of the first to seventh aspects, the leakage detection electrode is electrically insulatedly arranged near a current-carrying component for energizing the substrate of the substrate holder, and the leakage of the seal is detected by short-circuiting the leakage detection electrode and the current-carrying component due to pure water. The current-carrying component includes a power supply line (cable, bus), a contact, and / or a conductive component electrically connected to the power supply line or the contact.

[0084] According to this aspect, since leakage is detected by using the current-carrying member already present in the substrate holder, the structure of the leakage detection electrode can be simplified and space-saving. In addition, the enlargement of the substrate holder can be suppressed or prevented.

[0085] According to a ninth aspect, in the electroplating method according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the leakage detection electrode includes a pair of electrodes disposed apart from each other, and leakage of the seal is detected by utilizing a short circuit between the pair of electrodes due to pure water.

[0086] According to this aspect, it is possible to detect leakage while suppressing / preventing the influence of the energization state of other electrical components of the substrate holder and the like.

[0087] According to the tenth embodiment, in any one of the electroplating methods of the first to ninth embodiments, while the substrate is held on the substrate holder, the leakage detection electrode is arranged along the outer periphery of the substrate, extending from the upper portion of the substrate to at least halfway along the side portion, or extending from the upper portion of the substrate through the side portion to the lower portion, or arranged along the entire periphery of the substrate.

[0088] When the substrate holder is transported and processed in an upright state, the leakage detection electrode is extended to at least halfway along the side of the substrate, so that leakage inspection can be performed using the leakage detection electrode and erroneous detection after cleaning the substrate holder can be suppressed / prevented.

[0089] Furthermore, when the substrate holder is transported and handled in an upright state, leaked liquid tends to gather at the bottom of the substrate holder. Therefore, by adopting a structure in which the leakage detection electrode extends to the bottom of the substrate, the accuracy of leakage detection can be improved.

[0090] In the configuration in which the leakage detection electrodes are provided along the entire circumference of the substrate, leakage can be detected at positions corresponding to the entire circumference of the substrate. In addition, the accuracy of leakage detection can be improved regardless of the posture of the substrate holder.

[0091] Above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described based on several examples, but the embodiments of the invention described above are for easy understanding of the content of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from its purpose, and its equivalent is included in the present invention. In addition, it is possible to make any combination or omission of each component element recorded in the claims and the specification within the scope of at least a part of the above-mentioned problem or at least a part of the effect.

[0092] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-020793 filed on February 10, 2020. The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-020793 filed on February 10, 2020, including the specification, claims, drawings, and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-190044 (Patent Document 1), including the specification, claims, drawings, and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. An electroplating method, wherein: causing pure water to contact a sealing portion of a seal member that prevents a contact of a substrate holder holding a substrate from contacting a plating solution, During the period from when pure water contacts the sealing portion to when the substrate contacts the chemical solution, an alternating voltage is applied to a leakage detection electrode arranged inside the substrate support, and an alternating current flowing in the leakage detection electrode with the aid of pure water is detected using a current sensor capable of detecting a small current with the aid of pure water, thereby detecting leakage of the seal.

2. The electroplating method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of bringing the substrate into contact with pure water is performed in a pre-cleaning process and / or a pre-humidifying process. In the pre-cleaning process, the substrate is cleaned with pure water. In the pre-humidifying process, degassed pure water is brought into contact with the substrate.

3. The electroplating method according to claim 2, wherein: A step of detecting leakage of the seal is performed during the pre-cleaning process and / or the pre-humidification process.

4. The electroplating method according to claim 3, wherein: After the pre-humidification process, a step of detecting leakage of the sealing member is further performed.

5. The electroplating method according to claim 4, wherein: After the electroplating of the substrate, a step of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed.

6. The electroplating method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein Before holding the substrate on the substrate holder, a step of detecting leakage of the sealing member is further performed.

7. The electroplating method according to claim 6, wherein: The method further comprises the step of cleaning the substrate support. After the substrate holder is cleaned, a step of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed before holding the next substrate.

8. The electroplating method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The leakage detection electrode is disposed in an electrically insulated manner near a current-carrying member for conducting current to the substrate of the substrate holder. The leakage of the sealing member is detected by utilizing the fact that the leakage detection electrode and the current-carrying member are short-circuited by pure water.

9. The electroplating method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The leakage detection electrode comprises a pair of electrodes which are separated from each other. The leakage of the sealing member is detected by utilizing the fact that the pair of electrodes are short-circuited by pure water.

10. The electroplating method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein With the substrate held on the substrate holder, the leakage detection electrode is arranged along the outer periphery of the substrate, extending from the upper portion of the substrate to at least halfway along the side portion, or extending from the upper portion of the substrate through the side portion to the lower portion, or along the entire periphery of the substrate.

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