Contact piece, chuck and electroplating equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a contact piece, a chuck and electroplating equipment, and relates to the technical field of semiconductor electroplating, the contact piece extends along a straight line and comprises a mounting base body and a contact base body, the mounting base body comprises a plurality of mounting parts arranged at intervals, the plurality of mounting parts are distributed along the length direction of the mounting base body, adjacent mounting parts are separated by a first hollow area, and the contact base body is arranged on the mounting base body. Each installation part is provided with a guide part protruding out of the installation base body, the contact base body is provided with a plurality of second hollow-out areas distributed at intervals in the length direction, and the contact base body is connected with the installation base body and used for making contact with a substrate. The contact piece provided by the invention is higher in material utilization rate, less in generated waste material, higher in yield of the contact piece and lower in processing cost, has good bending performance, and can be more easily bent into a ring shape from a state of extending along a straight line for use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor electroplating, and more specifically, to a contact piece, a chuck and an electroplating device. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing process, the chemical electroplating process of the wafer is an essential process for high-quality integrated circuits. In the electroplating equipment, the wafer needs to be fixed by a chuck, and the contact is a key component in the chuck that contacts the seed layer of the wafer. The material of the contact is a conductive metal material with a certain elasticity. The structure of the contact and the physical properties of the material are key factors in the quality of the electroplating process.

[0003] The initial processing shape of the existing contact piece is an arc shape, but because the processing substrate is not an arc shape, the arc structure usually generates more waste during the processing process, and more processing materials are required, which leads to higher processing costs. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a contact piece and a chuck, wherein the contact piece can be processed along a straight line during processing, generating less waste, effectively reducing processing costs, and having excellent bending performance.

[0005] The present invention solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A contact piece extending along a straight line, comprising:

[0007] A mounting base, the mounting base comprising a plurality of mounting portions arranged at intervals, the plurality of mounting portions being distributed along the length direction of the contact member, adjacent mounting portions being separated by a first hollow area, and each mounting portion being provided with a guide portion protruding from the mounting base;

[0008] A contact base is provided with a plurality of second hollow areas spaced apart along the length direction of the contact member, and the contact base is connected to the mounting base for contacting the substrate.

[0009] Preferably, the mounting base further comprises a connecting portion, the connecting portion extending along the length direction of the contact piece, the connecting portion comprising a first end surface and a second end surface arranged opposite to each other;

[0010] The first end surface is connected to the mounting base, and the mounting base extends outward from the first end surface along the width direction of the contact member;

[0011] The second end surface is connected to the contact base, and the contact base extends outward from the second end surface along the width direction of the contact piece.

[0012] Preferably, the inner surface of the terminal end of the first hollow area extends to the first end surface, and / or the inner surface of the terminal end of the second hollow area extends to the second end surface.

[0013] Preferably, the guiding portion is arranged at an end of the mounting portion away from the connecting portion.

[0014] Preferably, the contact piece is rectangular in shape.

[0015] Preferably, the contact base includes a plurality of extension portions, the plurality of extension portions are distributed along the length direction of the contact piece, a second hollow area is arranged between adjacent extension portions, the head end of each extension portion is connected to the mounting base, and the end of each extension portion is arranged with a contact portion, and the contact portion is used to contact the substrate.

[0016] Preferably, the contact portion is tilted relative to a horizontal plane and the angle between the contact portion and the horizontal plane is 0-20°.

[0017] Preferably, the extension portion and the mounting base are in an arc transition.

[0018] A chuck for holding a substrate, the chuck comprising an inner pressure ring, a frame and the contact piece as described above, the mounting portions of the contact piece being fitted to the inner circumference of the frame, the inner circumference of the frame being provided with an annular groove, the guide portions of the contact piece being arranged in the annular groove, and the contact piece being crimped to the inner circumference of the frame via the inner pressure ring.

[0019] Preferably, a gap is provided between the contact base of the contact piece and the inner circumferential surface of the frame.

[0020] Preferably, the contact base of the contact piece includes a plurality of extension portions, wherein the plurality of extension portions extend along the length direction of the mounting base, a second hollow area is arranged between adjacent extension portions, the head end of each extension portion is connected to the mounting base, and a contact portion is arranged at the end of each extension portion, wherein the contact portion is used to contact the substrate, and a gap is arranged between the extension portion and the inner circumferential surface of the skeleton.

[0021] An electroplating device comprises the chuck as described above.

[0022] The positive progress effect of the present invention is that: in the present invention, the contact extends along a straight line, so the contact can be processed along a straight line during the processing. Under the same area of ​​material, compared with the contact of the annular structure in the prior art, the material utilization rate is higher, the waste generated is less, and the output rate of the contact is higher, so the processing cost of the contact provided by the present invention is lower. In addition, by setting a plurality of mounting parts distributed along the length direction of the contact, and separating the adjacent mounting parts by the first hollow area, the first hollow area can reduce the stiffness and strength of the edge material of the mounting base, so that the deformation of the edge material is easier during the bending process, and the first hollow area can reduce its moment of inertia and improve the bending performance of the contact. Similarly, the setting of the second hollow area can further improve the bending performance of the contact, so that the contact can be more easily bent into a ring for use from the state of extending along a straight line. The guide part protrudes from the mounting part. During use, on the one hand, it can guide the contact to bend into a ring. On the other hand, the guide part can offset the rebound generated by the contact during the bending process by contacting with other parts, which is conducive to the contact to maintain a bent state, thereby improving the stability of the contact. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The features and properties of the present invention are further described by the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of processing a contact piece in the prior art is disclosed;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of processing the contact element in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is disclosed;

[0026] Figure 3 A partial structural schematic diagram of the contact member in the embodiment 1 of the present invention in the use state is disclosed;

[0027] Figure 4 A front view structural schematic diagram of a contact member in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is disclosed;

[0028] Figure 5 A partial enlarged structural schematic diagram of the contact member in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is disclosed;

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the side structure of the contact member in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is disclosed;

[0030] Figure 7 The overall structural schematic diagram of the chuck in Example 2 of the present invention is disclosed;

[0031] Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the chuck in Example 2 of the present invention is disclosed;

[0032] Fig. 9 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the chuck in Example 2 of the present invention is disclosed;

[0033] Fig.10 Revealed Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the enlarged structure at A in the middle;

[0034] Fig.11 A schematic structural diagram of the chuck in the assembled state in Example 2 of the present invention is disclosed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to explain the technical content, structural features, objectives and effects of the present invention in detail, the following will be described in detail in conjunction with embodiments and accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the scope of the embodiments.

[0036] In the wafer chuck of the electroplating equipment, the contact piece is used as a conductive component to contact the seed layer on the front of the wafer. The shape of the wafer is generally circular. In order to adapt to the shape of the wafer so that the contact piece can evenly contact the seed layer on the front of the wafer, the contact piece needs to be a ring structure. Therefore, the contact piece in the prior art is usually an arc structure after processing, and then multiple arc structure contact pieces are spliced ​​into a complete ring contact piece. The processing process of the contact piece is as follows Figure 1 As shown, a plurality of arc-shaped structures are cut out from a square substrate, and then further processed into an arc-shaped contact member 200'. Since the structure is arc-shaped, more waste will be generated during the processing, and the utilization rate of the material is low, resulting in high processing costs.

[0037] In order to reduce the processing cost, the present invention provides a rectangular contact piece 200 capable of bending, and the processing process is as follows: Figure 2 When processing, a rectangular structure is used for processing, which generates less waste, increases the output rate of the contact member 200, and can process more contact members 200 under the same area of ​​the substrate, greatly reducing the processing cost. Figure 3 (Only a part of the structure of the contact piece 200 is shown schematically, and the contact piece 200 is actually in a ring shape) and can be bent into a ring shape for use without affecting its performance. The structure of the rectangular contact piece 200 is described in detail as follows.

[0038] like Figure 4 (In order to more clearly show the structure of the contact 200, only a part of the structure of the contact 200 is shown) and Figure 5As shown, the contact piece 200 extends in a straight line. Since the contact piece 200 extends in a straight line, the contact piece 200 can be processed in a straight line during processing. Under the same area of ​​material, compared with the arc-shaped contact piece 200' in the prior art, the material utilization rate is higher, less waste is generated, and the output rate of the contact piece 200 is higher. Therefore, the processing cost of the contact piece 200 provided by the present invention is lower.

[0039] The contact 200 includes a mounting base 210, a contact base 220 and a connecting portion 214. The connecting portion 214 extends along the length direction L of the contact 200, and includes a first end face and a second end face arranged opposite to each other. The first end face of the connecting portion 214 is connected to the mounting base 210, and the mounting base 210 extends outward from the first end face of the connecting portion 214 along the width direction W of the contact 200. The second end face of the connecting portion 214 is connected to the contact base 220, and the contact base 220 extends outward from the second end face of the connecting portion 214 along the width direction W of the contact 200. The mounting base 210 and the contact base 220 can be fixed together by the connecting portion 214 to form a whole. At the same time, the connecting portion 214 can also withstand a certain tension or pressure during the connection process to ensure that the connection between the mounting base 210 and the contact base 220 is firm and stable, thereby improving the service life of the contact 200.

[0040] Specifically, the mounting base 210 includes a plurality of mounting portions 211 arranged at intervals, and the plurality of mounting portions 211 are distributed along the length direction L of the contact piece 200, and adjacent mounting portions 211 are separated by a first hollow area 212. A guide portion 213 protruding from the mounting base 210 is provided on the mounting portion 211. The first hollow area 212 can reduce the stiffness and strength of the edge material of the mounting base 210, making it easier to deform the edge material during the bending process. In addition, the first hollow area 212 can reduce the moment of inertia of the mounting base 210 and improve the bending performance of the contact piece 200. The guide portion 213 protrudes from the mounting portion 211. During use, on the one hand, it can guide the contact piece 200 to bend into a ring shape, and on the other hand, refer to Fig.10 The guide portion 213 is inserted into the annular groove 310 provided on the chuck, which can offset the reaction force generated by the contact member 200 during the bending process, which is beneficial for the contact member 200 to maintain the bending state, thereby improving the stability of the contact member 200.

[0041] Furthermore, the inner surface of the end of the first hollow area 212 extends to the first end surface of the connecting portion 214, and the inner surface of the end of the second hollow area 223 extends to the second end surface of the connecting portion 214. The first hollow area 212 and the second hollow area 223 have large areas and do not affect the connecting portion 214, thereby making the contact member 200 have a certain strength while having bending performance. Of course, in other embodiments, the extension distance of the ends of the first hollow area 212 and the second hollow area 223 is not limited to this and can be flexibly set as needed.

[0042] In one example, the guide portion 213 is disposed at one end of the mounting portion 211 away from the connecting portion 214. The guide portion 213 is far away from the connecting portion 214, and the torque generated by the guide portion 213 is large, so it is easier to bend the contact 200 into a ring shape.

[0043] In this embodiment, the contact base 220 includes a plurality of extension portions 221, and the plurality of extension portions 221 are distributed along the length direction L of the contact member 200. A second hollow area 223 is arranged between adjacent extension portions 221. The head end of each extension portion 221 is connected to the mounting base 210, and the end of each extension portion 221 is arranged with a contact portion 222, which is used to contact the wafer.

[0044] The use of multiple extensions 221 and the provision of contact portions 222 effectively increases the number of contact points between the contact member 200 and the wafer, improves the contact quality between the wafer and the contact base 220, and can maximize the contact area between the wafer and the contact base 220, so that the wafer can be stably placed on the contact base 220, which is conducive to improving the uniformity of electrical conduction. The second hollow area 223 is provided between adjacent extensions 221, which improves the bending performance of the contact member 200, so that the contact member 200 can be more easily bent into a ring for use from a state of extending along a straight line, and can reduce the friction force when the surface of the contact base 220 contacts the wafer, effectively reducing damage to the wafer and reducing the defective rate of product manufacturing.

[0045] In one example, the contact member 200 is in a rectangular shape. The contact member 200 in a rectangular shape is easier to process, has a simple shape, is not easily deformed during the processing, can reduce waste during cutting, further reduce processing costs, and can improve processing efficiency and production benefits.

[0046] In this embodiment, if Figure 6As shown, the contact portion 222 is tilted relative to the horizontal plane and has an angle a of 6° with the horizontal plane. In other embodiments, the value of the angle a can be in the range of 0-20°, which can be flexibly selected according to the material of the contact portion 222. Simulation analysis is performed using 306 stainless steel material. At different angles, the reaction force of a single contact portion 222 on the wafer is as follows: when a is 6°, the reaction force is 0.0339N; when a is 12°, the reaction force is 0.0513N; when a is 15°, the reaction force is 0.0516N; when a is 18°, the reaction force is 0.0520N.

[0047] After the electroplating process is completed, the wafer is easy to adhere to the contact part 200. In the present invention, the contact part 222 is tilted relative to the horizontal plane. As the angle a increases, the reaction force on the wafer gradually increases, and the wafer is less likely to adhere. However, if the tilting angle is too large, the wafer is easily scratched when it is placed on the contact part 222. Therefore, the angle a is controlled within 20°. On the one hand, the wafer is not easily scratched by the contact part 222 when it contacts with the contact part 222; on the other hand, after the contact part 222 is deformed, it can provide a rebound force for the wafer, which can prevent the wafer from adhering to the contact part 200 after the electroplating process is completed.

[0048] In this embodiment, the extension part 221 and the mounting base 210 are in an arc transition. The traditional sharp angle connection is prone to cause stress concentration, and it is easy to cause cracks or breakages at the connection between the extension part 221 and the mounting base 210, which is a safety hazard. The arc transition in this embodiment can effectively reduce stress concentration, and can also reduce the occurrence of problems such as fatigue and deformation, thereby increasing the service life of the contact 200.

[0049] In addition, in other embodiments, the connecting portion 214 may not be provided, and the plurality of mounting portions 211 in the mounting base 210 may be connected to each other, or the plurality of extending portions 221 in the contact base 220 may be connected to each other.

[0050] After clarifying the structure of the contact piece 200 of the present invention, its production method can be processed by mature processes, such as processing by combining wire cutting and stamping, and the specific processing method will not be repeated here.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] This embodiment provides a chuck, which is an important component of semiconductor electroplating equipment. The middle of the chuck has a space for holding a substrate, and the chuck is used to hold the substrate (not shown in the figure). In this embodiment, the substrate is a wafer, but of course the substrate can also be other workpiece structures that need to be electroplated.

[0053] Specifically, Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the chuck includes an inner pressure ring 100, a frame 300 and the contact member 200 in Embodiment 1. The contact member 200 is made of Figure 4 The rectangular contact piece in the inner pressure ring 100 is bent into a ring shape. The upper surface of the inner pressure ring 100 is provided with a first mounting hole 110, and the frame 300 is provided with a second mounting hole 320 matching therewith. The contact piece 200 is pressed on the frame 300 by the inner pressure ring 100, and the inner pressure ring 100 can be locked on the frame 300 by a fastener, so that the contact piece 200 can be fixed on the frame 300.

[0054] Further, refer to Figures 9 to 11 The inner circumference of the frame 300 is provided with an annular groove 310, the guide portion 213 of the contact 200 is provided in the annular groove 310, and the mounting portion 211 is fitted to the inner circumference of the frame 300. Through the cooperation between the guide portion 213 and the annular groove 310, the contact 200 can be guided to change into an annular shape along the annular groove 310, matching the inner circumference of the frame 300. And under the action of the inner pressure ring 100, the contact 200 can be stably fixed on the inner circumference of the frame 300.

[0055] Of course, in other embodiments, the contact piece 200 may also be first bent into an arc shape, and then multiple arc-shaped contact pieces are spliced ​​into a ring shape.

[0056] In this embodiment, if Fig.11 As shown, a gap is provided between the extension portion 221 of the contact base 220 and the inner circumference of the skeleton 300. The advantage of providing the gap is that, on the one hand, when the wafer is placed on the contact base 220, the contact base 220 will move toward the inner circumference of the skeleton 300, which can play a buffering role, so that soft contact occurs between the wafer and the contact base 220, and the wafer is not easy to break; on the other hand, the contact base 220 will produce elastic deformation in the gap, so that when the wafer is separated from the contact base 220, the contact base 220 will produce a reaction force on the wafer, and it is not easy to cause adhesion.

[0057] Example 3

[0058] This embodiment also provides an electroplating device, which includes the chuck in Example 2.

[0059] Although the specific embodiments of the present invention are described above, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these are only examples, and various changes or modifications may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention is limited by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A contact, characterized in that: The contact member extends along a straight line and includes: A mounting base, the mounting base comprising a plurality of mounting portions arranged at intervals, the plurality of mounting portions being distributed along the length direction of the contact member, adjacent mounting portions being separated by a first hollow area, and each mounting portion being provided with a guide portion protruding from the mounting base; A contact base is provided with a plurality of second hollow areas spaced apart along the length direction of the contact element, and the contact base is connected to the mounting base for contacting the substrate.

2. The contact member according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a connecting portion, the connecting portion extending along the length direction of the contact piece, the connecting portion including a first end surface and a second end surface arranged opposite to each other; The first end surface is connected to the mounting base, and the mounting base extends outward from the first end surface along the width direction of the contact member; The second end surface is connected to the contact base, and the contact base extends outward from the second end surface along the width direction of the contact piece.

3. The contact member according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner surface of the terminal end of the first hollow area extends to the first end surface, and / or the inner surface of the terminal end of the second hollow area extends to the second end surface.

4. The contact member according to claim 2, characterized in that: The guide portion is disposed at an end of the mounting portion away from the connecting portion.

5. The contact member according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact piece is in a rectangular shape.

6. The contact member according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact base includes a plurality of extension portions, which are distributed along the length direction of the contact piece, and a second hollow area is arranged between adjacent extension portions. The head end of each extension portion is connected to the mounting base, and the terminal end of each extension portion is provided with a contact portion, which is used to contact the substrate.

7. The contact member according to claim 6, characterized in that: The contact portion is tilted relative to the horizontal plane and the angle between the contact portion and the horizontal plane is 0-20°.

8. The contact member according to claim 6, characterized in that: The extension portion and the mounting base are in an arc transition.

9. A chuck for holding a substrate, characterized in that: The chuck includes an inner pressure ring, a frame and a contact piece as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each mounting portion of the contact piece is attached to the inner circumference of the frame, an annular groove is provided on the inner circumference of the frame, each guide portion of the contact piece is provided in the annular groove, and the contact piece is crimped onto the inner circumference of the frame through the inner pressure ring.

10. The chuck according to claim 9, characterized in that A gap is provided between the contact base of the contact piece and the inner peripheral surface of the frame.

11. The chuck according to claim 10, characterized in that The contact base of the contact piece includes a plurality of extension portions, which extend along the length direction of the mounting base. A second hollow area is arranged between adjacent extension portions. The head end of each extension portion is connected to the mounting base, and the tail end of each extension portion is arranged with a contact portion, which is used to contact the substrate. A gap is arranged between the extension portion and the inner circumferential surface of the skeleton.

12. An electroplating device, characterized in that: Comprising a chuck as described in any one of claims 9-11.

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