Electroplating wetting chamber with reduced bubble rejection

Abstract

Methods and systems for cleaning and wetting a semiconductor substrate are provided. Methods and systems include forming an atmosphere in a basin containing the semiconductor substrate with a gas having a higher solubility in a wetting agent than oxygen. Methods and systems include spraying the wetting agent onto the substrate with a spray head while maintaining the atmosphere. Methods and systems include rotatably translating the semiconductor substrate, the showerhead, or both the semiconductor substrate and the showerhead. Methods and systems include wetting a plurality of features defined in the substrate.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 342,991, filed June 28, 2023, entitled “ELECTROPLATING WETTING CHAMBERWITH REDUCED BUBBLE ENTRAPMENT,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This technology relates to wetting a substrate during semiconductor processing. More specifically, this technology relates to systems and methods for providing wetting within vias and other structures with minimal wetting defects. Background Technology

[0004] Integrated circuits are fabricated through a process that creates intricately patterned layers of material on a substrate surface. Creating patterned material on the substrate requires controlled methods for applying and removing the material. For removal, chemical or physical etching can be performed for various purposes, including transferring patterns from photoresist to underlying layers, thinning layers, or thinning the lateral dimensions of features already present on the surface. Once the material has been etched or otherwise treated, the substrate or material layer is cleaned or prepared for further processing.

[0005] A typical wafer plating process involves depositing a metal seed layer onto the surface of a wafer via vapor deposition. A photoresist can be deposited and patterned to expose the seed layer. The wafer is then moved into a container in an electroplating processor, where current is conducted through an electrolyte to apply a blanket layer or patterned layer of metal or other conductive material onto the seed layer. Examples of conductive materials include permalloy, gold, silver, copper, cobalt, tin, and alloys of these metals. Subsequent processing steps form components, contacts, and / or conductive lines on the wafer.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for improved systems and methods that can be used to produce high-quality devices and structures. This technology addresses these and other needs. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This technology generally relates to methods and systems for wetting semiconductor substrates. The method includes forming an atmosphere using a gas within a basin-shaped member housing a semiconductor substrate, wherein the semiconductor substrate defines multiple features. The method includes spraying a wetting agent onto the substrate using a spray head while maintaining the atmosphere; rotatably translating the semiconductor substrate and the spray head; and wetting the multiple features defined within the substrate.

[0008] In embodiments, the method includes rotatably translating a semiconductor substrate at a speed of about 50 rpm to about 500 rpm. Furthermore, in embodiments, the method includes spraying occurring at a pressure of about 20 psi to about 100 psi. In more embodiments, based on the average amount of wetting agent sprayed onto the substrate, spraying approximately distributes a uniform amount of wetting agent at two or more locations on the substrate. In yet another embodiment, the method includes a spray head comprising one or more spray nozzles spaced from the substrate at a height of about 1 mm to about 100 mm. Furthermore, in embodiments, the method includes an atmosphere of carbon dioxide, atmospheric gas, nitrogen, or a combination thereof, formed through continuous purification, pump-down, and backfilling and / or displacement operations. In embodiments, the method includes a substrate defining at least 1,000 features, wherein less than 5% of these features contain bubble defects in the wetting agent. Additionally or alternatively, in embodiments, the method includes a wetting agent comprising degassed deionized water or a degassed aqueous solution. In further embodiments, the method includes reducing the chamber pressure to below about 100 kPa during spraying. Additionally, in embodiments, the method includes the spraying occurring for about 5 seconds to about 90 seconds.

[0009] This technology also includes methods for wetting and cleaning semiconductor substrates. Methods include providing a substrate to a basin-shaped member, wherein the substrate defines a plurality of features. Methods include venting air from the plurality of features defined in the substrate using a gas. Methods include spraying a wetting agent onto the substrate using a spray head. Methods include rotatably translating the semiconductor substrate and wetting the plurality of features defined on the semiconductor substrate.

[0010] In embodiments, the gas includes carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxygen, nitrogen, atmospheric gases, argon, ammonia, bromine, diazepine, acetylene, krypton, xenon, radon, nitrous oxide, hydrogen selenide, one or more hydrocarbons, or combinations thereof. In more embodiments, the method includes a wetting agent comprising water or an aqueous solution. In embodiments, the semiconductor substrate is rotatably translated at a speed of about 100 rpm to about 300 rpm. Furthermore, in embodiments, the method includes a spraying event occurring at a pressure of about 30 psi to about 50 psi. In yet another embodiment, the method includes a spray head comprising one or more spray nozzles spaced from the substrate at a height of about 1 mm to about 75 mm.

[0011] This technology also relates to a wetting and cleaning system for multiple semiconductor substrates. The system includes: a basin-shaped member having an edge; a rotatably translatable system head; a substrate coupled to the system head; a head seal releasably coupled to an upper surface of the edge of the basin-shaped member, a processing volume defined by the head seal and the basin-shaped member; and a gas inlet. The system includes a substrate and a spray head each disposed within the processing volume, and the gas inlet is fluidly connected to the processing volume and to a gas source.

[0012] In one embodiment, the system includes one or more vacuum inlets that are fluidly connected to the processing volume and to the system foreline. In more embodiments, the system includes a spray head disposed adjacent to the lower surface of a basin-shaped member and including one or more spray nozzles that extend from the spray head toward a surface of the substrate. In another embodiment, the system includes a system head in contact with a drive head, and the spray head is fluidly connected to a wetting agent source.

[0013] This technology offers numerous advantages over conventional systems and techniques. For example, processes and components can reduce gas bubbles and residues present in the semiconductor substrate after the wetting process. That is, processes and components can significantly improve substrate plating uniformity due to more uniform wetting and additional residue removal during the wetting process. These and other embodiments, along with their many advantages and features, are described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The nature and advantages of the disclosed technology can be further understood by referring to the remainder of the specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic perspective view of an exemplary processing chamber according to an embodiment of the present technology is shown.

[0016] Figure 2 Selected operations in a forming method according to an embodiment of the present technology are shown.

[0017] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a wetting chamber according to an embodiment of the present technology is shown.

[0018] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a wetting chamber according to an embodiment of the present technology is shown.

[0019] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a wetting chamber according to an embodiment of the present technology is shown.

[0020] Several figures in the accompanying drawings are included as schematic diagrams. It should be understood that the drawings are for illustrative purposes and should not be considered to scale unless specifically stated otherwise. Additionally, as schematic diagrams, the drawings are provided to aid understanding and may not include all aspects or information compared to a true representation, and may include material exaggerated for illustrative purposes.

[0021] In the accompanying drawings, similar parts and / or features may have the same element symbols. Additionally, various parts of the same type can be distinguished by following the element symbol with letters that differentiate them. If only the main element symbol is used in the specification, the description applies to any of the similar parts having the same main element symbol, regardless of the letters. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Various operations are performed in semiconductor manufacturing and processing to create a large array of features on a substrate. During semiconductor layer formation, vias, trenches, and other pathways are created within the structure. These features are then filled with a conductive or metallic material that allows electricity to be conducted layer by layer through the device. As the size of device features continues to shrink, the amount of metal providing conductive paths across the substrate also decreases. With this reduction in metal content, the quality of the plating materials and their coatings may become more critical to ensure adequate conductivity through the device. Therefore, manufacturing may aim to reduce or eliminate defects and interruptions in the pathways.

[0023] Electroplating operations are performed to provide conductive material to vias and other features on a substrate. Electroplating utilizes an electrolyte bath containing ions of the conductive material to electrochemically deposit the conductive material onto the substrate and into features defined on the substrate. The process may involve a wetting process, in which the surface of the substrate and the vias are wetted prior to electroplating. When the substrate is introduced for the wetting operation, it is typically dry and exposed to air, but residual liquids, such as those from a pre-cleaning operation, may be present. The purpose of this wetting operation is to reduce areas that may not be electroplated due to air bubbles trapped within the features. If these bubbles cannot be expelled, they can become blocking sites for subsequent plating operations. Additionally, residual process material from previous process steps (referred to herein as residue, meaning remaining material and particles) may remain in the vias due to insufficient pre-cleaning. This residual material and / or particles can also become blocking sites for plating chemicals and operations. When features are not adequately plated, interconnect functionality may fail to operate effectively, potentially leading to device problems or failure.

[0024] Efforts have been made to improve both air bubble entrapment and residue removal from vias during the wetting process. One such effort involves immersing the substrate in a wetting solution under vacuum. When the vacuum is removed, any present air bubbles will shrink, allowing for more thorough removal. However, this process fails to completely remove all air bubbles, nor does it remove any remaining residue. Conventional methods have also utilized spraying wetting chemicals onto the substrate. While this effort improves the cleaning of residual material, the spraying operation is still insufficient to remove trapped air bubbles.

[0025] This technology overcomes these and other drawbacks by purging air from the chamber with gas and using a robust spraying operation to completely coat the substrate with a wetting agent, which can be water or an aqueous solution. In this way, any present air bubbles can be replaced with gas or gas bubbles that dissolve more readily in the aqueous solution, and / or the sprayed aqueous solution can actively clean any present residues while removing bubbles. Therefore, this technology surprisingly finds that both robust cleaning and removal of air and / or gas bubbles can be achieved simultaneously when using the methods and components described herein. Consequently, this technology also wets the substrate, reducing or even eliminating obstruction sites caused by residues and trapped air or gas, thereby allowing the formation of a high-quality substrate during the electroplating process.

[0026] The remainder of the disclosure will, by convention, specify particular process chambers and the wetting processes utilized in conjunction with the discussed processing chambers. However, it will be readily understood that the system and methods are equally applicable to other substrates and chambers that will benefit from improved cleaning and reduced defects during process cycles. Therefore, this technology should not be considered limited to use alone with these particular devices or systems. Before describing additional variations and modifications to such devices according to embodiments of the technology, this disclosure will discuss a possible semiconductor processing chamber that may include one or more components according to embodiments of the technology.

[0027] Figure 1A schematic perspective view of a system 100 capable of performing plating and / or wetting methods according to embodiments of the present technology is shown. In embodiments, system 100 is operable to perform electroplating operations and electroless plating operations, as well as wetting operations. However, in embodiments, system 100 may be configured only for wetting operations, and the substrate may be transported between chambers performing the wetting operation and the electroplating operation. System 100 illustrates an exemplary system including a system head 110 and a bowl-shaped member 115. During operation, the substrate may be releasably attached to the system head 110, inverted, and extended into the bowl-shaped member 115 to perform one or more operations. Plating system 100 may include a head lift 120, which may be configured to both raise and rotate (e.g., spin) the head 110 or otherwise position the head within the system, including tilting operations. The head and bowl-shaped member may be attached to the platform 125 or may be part of a larger system incorporating multiple systems 100 (e.g., one or more plating systems and one or more wetting systems), and they may share an electrolyte and other materials. The rotor may allow the substrate clamped to the head to rotate inside or outside the bowl-shaped member during different operations. The rotor may include one or more rotor seals to maintain a strong connection and seal between the head 110 and the rotor during rotation. Seals 130 may be connected to the head and may grip the substrate to be processed, or may otherwise hold the substrate on the head 110 during operation.

[0028] Figure 2 Exemplary operations in method 200 according to some embodiments of the present technology are illustrated. The method may be performed in various processing chambers, including those disposed within system 100 described above. Method 200 may include a number of optional operations that may or may not be specifically associated with some embodiments of the method according to the present technology. For example, many operations are provided to offer a broader range of structural configurations but are not critical to the present technology, or may be performed by alternative methods as will be readily understood.

[0029] Method 200 may include additional operations prior to the initiation of the listed operations. For example, the additional processing operations may include forming a structure on a semiconductor substrate, which may include both forming and removing material. The prior processing operations may be performed in a chamber where method 200 is performed, or the processing may be performed in one or more other processing chambers prior to conveying the substrate to a semiconductor processing chamber where method 200 is performed. Nevertheless, method 200 may optionally include a processing region for conveying the semiconductor substrate to a semiconductor processing chamber (such as a processing chamber disposed within system 100 described above or other chambers that may include components as described above). Method 200 describes methods for producing… Figures 3 to 5The operation of the wetting device 300 illustrated herein will be described in conjunction with the operation of method 200. It should be understood that... Figures 3 to 5 The illustrations are partial only, and the wetting chamber according to the present technology may include additional components and alternative components of any size or configuration as illustrated in the figures, which may still benefit from aspects of the present technology.

[0030] Figure 3 A partial cross-sectional view of a wetting device 300 according to an embodiment of the present technology is shown. Figure 3 A wetting device 300 at the transfer position can be exemplified. That is, although it should be understood that in the embodiments discussed above, the substrate 306 may not be transferred between chambers, but rather multiple processing steps may be performed in the same chamber, in the embodiments, the wetting device 300 may be configured to easily attach the substrate to and remove the substrate from the system head 310. For example, even if multiple processing steps are performed in the wetting device 300, the transfer position can be simplified to attaching the substrate 306 to and removing the substrate 306 from the system head 310 before and after processing. Therefore, in the embodiments, at operation 202, the substrate 306 may be coupled to the system head 310.

[0031] Continue to refer to Figure 3The wetting device 300 includes a base 312, one or more sidewalls 314 connecting the bowl assembly 304 to the head assembly 302, and an upper wall 305. The upper wall 305 may define a central aperture 307 surrounding an approximate central axis A in the upper wall 305, and the shape and size of the central aperture may be configured to receive a portion of the head assembly 302, such as a drive head, which will be discussed in more detail below. Although the bowl assembly 304 may be attached to the base 312 using one or more support legs 316, only one support leg is illustrated to show the vacuum connector 318 more clearly. Each vacuum connector 318 may be fluidly connected to a system pre-line (not shown) or other vacuum components known in the art. Additionally, contaminants from the system head 310 can be laterally removed and contaminants from the bowl assembly 304 can be vertically removed without cross-contamination by including one or more vacuum inlets 317 that are fluidly connected to the vacuum connector 318 along the edge 376 of the bowl 326. In an embodiment, one or more vacuum inlets 317 may extend circumferentially around an edge 376, having one or more connections to a processing volume. The bowl assembly 304 also includes a basin 326, one or more spray head manifolds 320, and spray heads 322, the one or more of which may be fluidly connected to a wetting agent source (not shown). Furthermore, the bowl assembly 304 includes a drain manifold 324. The drain manifold 324 may be fluidly connected to the bottom surface 328 of the basin 326 and a drain outlet (not shown) for removing the aqueous solution from the basin 326 after the wetting operation has been completed. While the basin 326 is illustrated as having an skewed or curved profile from the basin filling edge 330 to the bottom surface 328, it should be understood that in embodiments, the bottom surface may be generally planar or may only contain a dish-shaped profile with a large radius of curvature (e.g., low curvature).

[0032] For example, as will be discussed in more detail below, in embodiments, it may be desirable to utilize a vacuum environment during one or more of the wetting operations discussed herein. Therefore, in such embodiments, it may be beneficial to reduce the volume of the bowl assembly 304 (e.g., the volume formed between the upper surface 332 of the basin, the sidewalls 334 of the basin, and the bottom surface 328 of the basin) to reduce pump depressurization time and / or air venting time, while still providing a sufficient filling distance d between the bottom surface 328 of the basin and the spray head 322. That is, if a vacuum is used, any aqueous solution sprayed from the spray head 322 may not be discharged until the wetting operation is complete. Therefore, it may be beneficial to ensure that the distance d is accommodating the total amount of aqueous solution used for the wetting operations discussed herein, such that the spray head nozzle 336 remains above the aqueous solution height during all spraying operations. This distance d thus prevents any residue from the sprayed material from contaminating the substrate 306, as residue may fall into the basin 326 during the wetting operation. Therefore, in embodiments, it may be desirable to utilize a basin-shaped member 326 with one or more skewed sides in order to reduce the total volume of the bowl-shaped member assembly 304 while still maintaining a distance d that keeps the spray head nozzle 336 above the height of the aqueous solution (not shown).

[0033] Furthermore, although the basin-shaped member 326 is shown as having a generally circular cross-sectional shape, it should be understood that the basin-shaped member 326 may have any shape. Therefore, in the embodiments, the basin-shaped member 326 may have a quadrilateral shape, a star shape, an elliptical shape, a heptagonal shape, a hexagonal shape, and other shapes known in the art.

[0034] However, although the spray head 322 is illustrated as having a plurality of spray head nozzles 336, it should be understood that in embodiments, the spray head 322 may contain only one spray head nozzle 336, or such as more or about 2 nozzles, such as more or about 3 nozzles, such as more or about 4 nozzles, such as more or about 5 nozzles, such as more or about 10 nozzles, such as more or about 15 nozzles, such as more or about 20 nozzles, such as less or about 20 nozzles, such as less or about 18 nozzles, such as less or about 16 nozzles, such as less or about 14 nozzles, such as less or about 12 nozzles, such as less or about 10 nozzles, such as less or about 5 nozzles, or any range or value between them. Additionally, although the spray head 322 is illustrated as a spray bar with generally uniformly distributed spray nozzles 336, it should be understood that the spray head may extend only a portion of the width of the basin 326, may be a spray arm that moves or rotates during the process, or may have non-uniformly distributed nozzles, as long as the average spray time remains consistent for each point on the substrate 306.

[0035] For example, while spray head 322 is illustrated as a spray bar having one or more cylindrical spray head nozzles 336, spray head 322 may be modified to include a spray head nozzle 336 having a large horizontal length (e.g., a rectangular spray bar) and / or, in the case that basin 326 is circular, a length extending substantially coplanar with the X-axis, which is about 10% to about 90% of the width of the bottom surface 328 of basin 326, such as less than or about 80%, such as less than or about 70%, such as less than or about 60%, such as less than or about 50%, such as less than or about 40%, such as less than or about 35%, such as less than or about 30%, such as less than or about 25%, such as less than or about 20%, such as less than or about 15%, or any value and range therebetween.

[0036] exist Figure 3 In this embodiment, the spray head nozzle 336 is illustrated as stationary and has a generally cylindrical shape. However, in embodiments, the spray head nozzle 336 may have a quadrilateral shape, a star shape, an elliptical shape, a heptagonal shape, a hexagonal shape, and other shapes known in the art. That is, as will be discussed in more detail below, the overall shape and size (e.g., cross-sectional width or diameter) and / or the number of spray head nozzles 336 may be selected based on time averaging or based on the average amount sprayed on the substrate in order to provide a spray that is generally uniformly distributed on the surface of the substrate 306. Additionally or alternatively, although not illustrated, it should be understood that in embodiments, the spray head 322 may be movable or rotatable.

[0037] Regardless of the orientation of the 322 spray head, such as Figure 3 As illustrated, the bowl-shaped assembly 304 may also include one or more additional nozzles, such as one or more side cleaning nozzles 368. The side cleaning nozzles 368 may extend through the edge 376 of the basin-shaped member 326, and in some embodiments, are oriented to rinse the sealing assembly 338 together with various aspects of the substrate 306. Although not illustrated, in embodiments, one or more side cleaning nozzles 368 may be present, wherein each side cleaning nozzle 368 may have a different rinsing angle than adjacent side cleaning nozzles 368, in order to target the bottom, side, or upper portion of the sealing assembly 338. As illustrated, the edge 376 may extend circumferentially around the upper surface of the basin-shaped member 326.

[0038] Furthermore, in embodiments, the bowl-shaped component assembly 304 may also include a receiving volume defined between the basin-shaped component filling edge 330, the basin-shaped component sidewall 334, and the basin-shaped component upper surface 332. For example... Figure 4 To illustrate more clearly, when the system head 310 is translated into the processing position, all or part of the system head 310 may partially or completely occupy the receiving volume. Nevertheless, the receiving volume may be positioned vertically above one or more spray head nozzles 336.

[0039] exist Figure 3 In this embodiment, substrate 306 is shown coupled to system head 310 via a sealing assembly 338 that engages with system head 310. In the illustrated embodiment, the sealing assembly 338 both protects the back side 340 of substrate 306 (e.g., the surface opposite to working surface 342) from contact with aqueous solutions during the wetting operation and provides electrical contact via suction pin 344. In this way, after the wetting operation discussed herein, the entire sealing assembly 338, along with the substrate 306 held therein, can be transferred to the electroplating apparatus. However, it should be understood that in the embodiments, after the wetting operation discussed herein has been completed, substrate 306 may be directly coupled to system head 310 or coupled via one or more seals and incorporated into the electroplating sealing assembly.

[0040] Nevertheless, in the transfer position, the substrate may be positioned between the upper surface 332 of the basin-shaped member and the lower surface 346 of the head assembly 302. That is, the lifting rod 348 may be received in a central axis 350 extending through the head assembly 302 and the drive head 358. In embodiments, the central axis 350 may extend in a plane substantially parallel to or along the central axis A of the wetting device 300. As used herein, “substantially parallel to or along” may refer to a plane or line deviating from a reference plane or line by less than or about 15 degrees, such as less than or about 10 degrees, such as less than or about 5 degrees, such as less than or about 2.5 degrees, such as less than or about 1 degree, or any range or value between these. The lifting rod 348 may be connected to a motor, such as a linear actuator, which causes the lifting rod 348 and thus the system head 310 to translate vertically between one or more vertical positions. In the transfer position, the lifting rod 348 may be received only partially in the central axis 350. For example, based on the total length of the lifting boom 348, approximately 20% to approximately 80% of the length of the lifting boom 348 may be positioned within the central axis 350, such as less than or about 70%, such as less than or about 65%, such as less than or about 60%, such as less than or about 55%, such as less than or about 55%, such as less than or about 50%, such as less than or about 45%, such as less than or about 40%, such as less than or about 35%, such as less than or about 30%, or such as more than or about 20%, such as more than or about 25%, such as more than or about 30%, such as more than or about 35%, such as more than or about 40%, such as more than or about 45%, such as more than or about 50%, or any range or value between these values. As illustrated, the lifting boom 348 may translate the system head 310 independently of the head assembly 302.

[0041] At the transfer position, substrate 306 and / or sealing assembly 338 and system head 310 can be retrieved from wetting device 300. Therefore, in an embodiment, wetting device 300 may contain only a first sidewall 314 and an opposing second sidewall 314. In this way, the third and opposing fourth sides of wetting device 300 can remain open, allowing substrate 306 and / or sealing assembly 338 to be retrieved from a location outside the wetting device without disassembling the wetting device 300. However, it should be understood that in an embodiment, wetting device 300 may be completely enclosed and / or contain one or more sidewalls, such as two or more sidewalls, such as three or more sidewalls, such as four or more sidewalls, and alternatively contain transfer or removable walls, or allow complete disassembly to retrieve substrate 306 and / or sealing assembly 338.

[0042] Refer again Figure 3 In the delivery position, the head assembly 302 can be in a fully retracted position. For example, the upper surface 354 of the head seal 356 may be disposed adjacent to the upper wall 305, and the drive head 358 may be partially or completely received in the lifting frame 352. As shown, in an embodiment, the lifting frame 352 may be coupled to the outer surface 360 ​​of the upper wall 305, thereby extending circumferentially around the central aperture 307 in a direction generally orthogonal to the upper wall 305. For example, in an embodiment, the lifting frame 352 may define one or more upright portions 362, which may be one or more pairs of opposing sidewalls, in an embodiment generally orthogonal to the upper wall 305 (e.g., extending in a plane deviating less than or about 15 degrees from the plane perpendicular to the upper wall 305, such as deviating less than or about 10 degrees from the plane perpendicular to the upper wall 305, such as less than or about 5 degrees, such as less than or about 2.5 degrees, such as less than or about 1 degree, or any range or value between these). Additionally, the lifting frame 352 may define an upper portion 364 that is approximately coplanar with the upper wall 305. Nevertheless, the lifting frame 352 may include one or more drive elements (such as springs). Figure 5 (shown more clearly in the image) ), linear actuators (such as compression springs, driven chains, cylinders, etc.) and combinations thereof for use in vertical translation head assembly 302.

[0043] In the transfer position, head assembly 302 may define a central recess 366 circumferentially around a central axis A in the lower surface of head seal 356. The central recess 366 may have the shape or size of receiving system head 310 in the processing position. Additionally, head assembly 302 may define an air chamber 370 that may be fluidly connected to a processing volume in the processing position, as will be discussed in more detail below. In an embodiment, head assembly 302 may be rotatable. Therefore, head assembly 302 may include one or more rotary seals 372 between drive head 358 and head assembly 302. Thus, in an embodiment, drive head 358 may be configured to rotatably translate head assembly 302 and system head 310, as will be discussed in more detail below.

[0044] Figure 4 An example of a wetting device 300 with a partially redirected orientation is illustrated. That is, as illustrated, the system head 310 is vertically downwards into the receiving volume of the bowl-shaped assembly 304. However, in the partially redirected orientation, the head assembly 302 (e.g., the upper surface 354) can remain adjacent to the upper wall 305 of the wetting device 300 (in... Figure 3 (As shown more clearly in the diagram). It should be understood that, in embodiments, partial turning orientation may not be utilized, or partial turning orientation may exist for a relatively short time, making the wetting device 300 appear to have turned from the conveying position to... Figure 5 The processing location. However, in embodiments, it may be desirable to utilize... Figure 4 The orientation of the partial turning is to ensure that the sealing assembly 338 (if used) is properly positioned against the basin 326, properly centered, and / or adjusts the height h between the base plate 306 and the upper surface 374 of the spray head nozzle 336.

[0045] For example, in an embodiment, the upper surface 374 of one or more of the spray head nozzles 336 (e.g., each spray head nozzle 336 in an embodiment) may be positioned at a height of less than or about 100 mm from the working surface 342 of the substrate 306, such as less than or about 90 mm, such as less than or about 80 mm, such as less than or about 70 mm, such as less than or about 60 mm, such as less than or about 55 mm, such as less than or about 50 mm, such as less than or about 45 mm, such as less than or about 40 mm, such as less than or about 35 mm, such as less than or about 30 mm, such as less than or about 25 mm, such as less than or about 20 mm, such as less than or about 15 mm, such as less than or about 10 mm, such as less than or about 5 mm, such as less than or about 2.5 mm, such as less than or about 1 mm, or such as greater than or about 1 mm, such as greater than or about 2 mm, such as greater than or about 3 mm, such as greater than or about 4 mm, such as greater than or about 5 mm, such as greater than or about 7.5 mm, such as greater than or about 10 mm. The height can be mm, such as greater than or about 12.5 mm, such as greater than or about 15 mm, such as greater than or about 17.5 mm, such as greater than or about 20 mm, such as greater than or about 25 mm, such as greater than or about 30 mm, such as greater than or about 35 mm, such as greater than or about 40 mm, such as greater than or about 45 mm, such as greater than or about 50 mm, or any range or value between these. In other words, a height of any one or more of the above heights provides excellent cleaning of any existing residues without damaging the substrate 306.

[0046] As noted above, the lifting rod 348 may be connected to a motor, such as a linear actuator, which causes the lifting rod 348 and thus the system head 310 to translate vertically between vertical positions. In a partially steered orientation, the lifting rod 348 may be received only partially in the central shaft 350. For example, based on the total length of the lifting rod 348, approximately 1% to approximately 50% of the length of the lifting rod 348 may be disposed within the central shaft 350, such as less than or about 45%, such as less than or about 40%, such as less than or about 35%, such as less than or about 30%, such as less than or about 25%, such as less than or about 20%, such as less than or about 15%, such as less than or about 10%, such as less than or about 5%, or such as more than or about 2%, such as more than or about 3%, such as more than or about 4%, such as more than or about 5%, such as more than or about 6%, such as more than or about 7%, such as more than or about 8%, or any range or value between these values. Therefore, by utilizing one or more of the above-mentioned ranges, the system head 310 can have sufficient lateral support to center or position the system head 310 for processing, while allowing the system head 310 to move vertically.

[0047] despite this, Figure 5The second step of operation 204 (if partial reversal is used) is illustrated, which involves moving the system to a processing position or orientation. That is, as illustrated, the head assembly 302 has been translated to a position below the head assembly position in the transfer orientation, such that the lower surface 346 of the head seal 356 contacts the upper surface 332 of the bowl-shaped member 326, and the system head 310 is fully received in the central recess 366. In this way, a robust seal can be formed between the bowl-shaped member assembly 304 and the head assembly 302, thereby preventing the ingress of external gases (such as air) and the exit of gases contained in the bowl-shaped member volume during processing.

[0048] In addition, such as Figure 5 As illustrated, by translating the head assembly 302 into the processing position such that the system head 310 is received in the central recess 366, the lifting rod 348 can be fully received in the central shaft 350. Additionally, the drive head 358 is completely disposed below the upper wall 305. That is, while a portion of the drive head 358 may be disposed within the lifting frame 352 in the transport orientation (e.g., vertically above the plane of the upper wall 305), in the processing orientation, based on the total height of the drive head 358, more than or about 75% of the height of the drive head may be disposed below the upper wall 305, such as more than or about 80%, more than or about 85%, more than or about 90%, more than or about 95%, up to about 100% (e.g., the upper surface 380 of the drive head 358 is disposed below the upper wall 305), or any range or value between these. In this way, the lifting rod 348 can be securely engaged with the drive head 358, and the drive head 358 can be oriented in the device 300 to provide free rotation, so that the entire system head 310 and therefore the substrate 306 can be rotatably driven during processing.

[0049] Therefore, in the embodiment, the lifting rod 348 can be fully received in the central axis 350 in terms of processing orientation. For example, based on the total length of the lifting rod 348, approximately 60% to approximately 100% of the length of the lifting rod 348 can be disposed in the central axis 350, such as more than or about 66%, such as more than or about 70%, such as more than or about 75%, such as more than or about 80%, such as more than or about 85%, such as more than or about 90%, such as more than or about 95%, or such as less than or about 99.9%, such as less than or about 99%, such as less than or about 98%, such as less than or about 97%, such as less than or about 96%, such as less than or about 95%, or any range or value between these. By utilizing one or more of the above ranges, the system head 310 can have sufficient lateral support to center or position the system head 310 for rotation during processing and for rotating the substrate at a desired speed.

[0050] Furthermore, in terms of processing orientation, the gas chamber 370 can be fluidly connected to the inlet 382. Therefore, in this embodiment, gas can diffuse into the central recess 366 and the flow path 386. By maintaining a separate flow path between the gas chamber 370 and the central recess 366, contamination between the basin-shaped member 326 and the system head 310 is prevented, while allowing for vacuum extraction and gas introduction. As illustrated, the flow path 386 can extend generally parallel to the upper surface 354 and radially outward from the central axis A, and downward along the sidewall 388 into the processing volume. This flow path allows for the gradual diffusion of gas (e.g., any one or more of the gases discussed below that have a higher solubility than air) through the head seal 356, around the system head 310, around the sealing assembly 338, and into the bowl-shaped volume between the basin-shaped member sidewall 334 and the sealing assembly 338. This flow path allows for the gradual introduction of diffused gas as the gas expands from the flow path into the processing volume.

[0051] For example, in an embodiment, operation 206 may optionally include evacuating the air contained in the bowl-shaped volume. That is, as discussed above, this technology surprisingly finds that, in embodiments such as substrates with complex patterns, further enhanced cleaning can be achieved by evacuating the air at operation 208 with one or more gases, such as significantly improving the reduction and / or removal of bubbles present after the wetting process. That is, as will be discussed further below, spraying while rotatably rotating according to this technology may be sufficient for some substrates. However, in an embodiment, substrates with complex or deep patterns may benefit from atmospheric evacuation, such as with a highly soluble gas (such as carbon dioxide), combined with spraying while rotating, in order to completely remove trapped air. In an embodiment, poorly soluble gases, or simply atmospheric conditions and atmosphere, may be sufficient with the rotation and spraying operations discussed herein. Nevertheless, in an embodiment, it may be beneficial to additionally or alternatively evacuate the air in the treatment volume before introducing the gas, or two or more cycles of gas evacuation and introduction. In this way, a low-pressure vacuum environment can be created, which can further improve the removal of gas or air bubbles when the vacuum is released. That is, the air or gas bubbles present may expand when in a vacuum and may contract when the vacuum is released, thereby improving bubble removal. In addition, purging can increase the rate at which air is expelled from the chamber and improve the efficiency of air purging. However, in the embodiments, other purging methods, such as continuous gas purification, can be used.

[0052] Nevertheless, at an atmospheric pressure of approximately 101 kPa, the chamber pressure may be maintained below approximately 100 kPa during one or more operations of this technology. In some embodiments, the pressure may be further reduced to below or about 90 kPa, below or about 80 kPa, below or about 70 kPa, below or about 60 kPa, below or about 50 kPa, below or about 40 kPa, below or about 30 kPa, below or about 20 kPa, below or about 15 kPa, below or about 10 kPa, below or about 9 kPa, below or about 8 kPa, below or about 7 kPa, below or about 6 kPa, below or about 5 kPa, below or about 4 kPa, below or about 3 kPa, below or about 2 kPa, below or about 1 kPa, or any range or value between these. For any operation of this technology, the pressure may also be maintained between any of these stated values ​​or within any of these ranges.

[0053] The pressure reduction may be at least partially limited to the saturation pressure of the wetting agent, which for water or aqueous solutions may be between about 1 kPa and about 4 kPa. By reducing the pressure toward the saturation pressure of the wetting agent, the amount of trapped and free gas within the feature is reduced. As the pressure within the system decreases, the number of moles of gas will decrease proportionally, which reduces the amount of gas that the wetting agent will absorb. Therefore, in some embodiments, the chamber pressure may be maintained below about 20 kPa, below about 10 kPa, between about 1 kPa and about 20 kPa, or between about 4 kPa and about 10 kPa to reduce the amount of gas to be expelled. However, it should be understood that in embodiments, using the process and system according to the present technology, a vacuum may not be necessary to provide improved or even complete bubble removal.

[0054] For example, as previously noted, the gas exhausted in some wetting operations may be air under atmospheric conditions. Additionally, the wetting agent may include water or an aqueous solution. Water's ability to absorb approximately 99% of the oxygen and nitrogen that make up air is less than its ability to absorb many other substances. Although reducing the pressure within the system can indirectly increase the absorption rate of oxygen and nitrogen by reducing the amount of gas to be absorbed, complete gas absorption may take several minutes or more. If this amount of time is required for each substrate (such as a semiconductor wafer), this will reduce substrate yield, and the process may not be able to completely remove air from each feature. However, these process times can be reduced by adjusting the wetting agent and atmosphere of the process according to this technology.

[0055] The exhaust atmosphere according to this technology can refer to a controlled atmosphere as indicated above. In embodiments, the controlled atmosphere may contain a certain amount of one or more gases and may also be characterized by an air volume. For example, the controlled atmosphere may include components in which oxygen and nitrogen (such as atmospheric gases) together form less than 99% of the controlled atmosphere. In some embodiments, oxygen and / or nitrogen may form less than or about 90% of the controlled atmosphere and may be included as less than or about 80%, less than or about 70%, less than or about 60%, less than or about 50%, less than or about 40%, less than or about 30%, less than or about 20%, less than or about 10%, less than or about 5%, less than or about 1% of the controlled atmosphere, or even less in embodiments. Additionally, one or more other fluids (including carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or other substances discussed herein) may comprise more than or about 1% of the controlled atmosphere, and carbon dioxide and / or other fluids may constitute more than or about 5%, more than or about 10%, more than or about 20%, more than or about 30%, more than or about 40%, more than or about 50%, more than or about 60%, more than or about 70%, more than or about 80%, more than or about 90%, more than or about 99% of the controlled atmosphere, or in embodiments, the fluids may substantially, essentially, or entirely constitute the controlled atmosphere.

[0056] Gases (also referred to herein as “fluids” or capable of fluid connection) may include any fluid or gas used to expel air, and are not limited to carbon dioxide, which is discussed throughout as an exemplary fluid of a controlled atmosphere. A non-exhaustive list of gases that may be used includes, for example, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxygen, nitrogen, mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen and / or one or more other atmospheric gases referred to as atmospheric gases, argon, ammonia, bromine, diazepines, acetylene, krypton, xenon, radon, nitrous oxide, hydrogen selenide, and other gases. Additionally, hydrocarbons, including methane, ethane, propane, butane, etc., may be used. The selection of one or more gases may be based on their solubility in water or aqueous solutions, and the gases may be selected based on the associated Henry's Law coefficient in water. For example, oxygen may be approximately 0.0013 mol. g / L sol The coefficient of atm is characteristic, and nitrogen gas can be approximately 0.0006 mol. g / L sol The coefficient of atm is a characteristic. In comparison, nitrogen dioxide can be approximately 0.03 mol. g / L solThe coefficient of atm is characteristic, which is at least an order of magnitude higher than that of oxygen and nitrogen. Therefore, carbon dioxide can be absorbed by water and other aqueous solutions many times more readily than oxygen or nitrogen. In embodiments, alternative fluids may be selected at concentrations greater than or about 0.005 mol / L under comparable operating conditions (such as room temperature (23°C) and atmospheric pressure). g / L sol The Henry's Law coefficient for atm is characterized by, for example, greater than or about 0.0075 mol. g / L sol • atm, such as greater than or about 0.01 mol g / L sol • atm, such as greater than or about 0.02 mol g / L sol • atm or any range or value between them.

[0057] Furthermore, by purging air present in the processing volume using one or more selected gases from the aforementioned gases or atmospheres, the gas absorption time can be significantly reduced, even at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, this technology has surprisingly found that immersing and maintaining the substrate in an aqueous solution may not be necessary to promote robust bubble removal, either alone or in combination with the spraying operation discussed herein, by carefully selecting a gas with high absorption in water or aqueous solutions. That is, at operation 210, this technology has found that spraying the substrate with an aqueous solution while only rotating the substrate or after the gas purging as discussed above generates robust bubble purging and removes any residue present on the substrate (e.g., in one or more vias).

[0058] In other words, robust residue removal can be achieved by utilizing one or more of the heights h discussed above between the upper surface 374 of one or more spray nozzles 336 and the substrate 306, either alone or in combination with customized pressure, without damaging the substrate by rotatably translating or rotating it. For example, in an embodiment, the pressure of the aqueous solution measured at one or more spray head nozzles 336 may be greater than or about 10 psi, such as greater than or about 15 psi, such as greater than or about 20 psi, such as greater than or about 25 psi, such as greater than or about 30 psi, such as greater than or about 35 psi, such as greater than or about 40 psi, such as greater than or about 45 psi, such as greater than or about 50 psi, such as greater than or about 55 psi, such as greater than or about 60 psi, such as greater than or about 65 psi, such as greater than or about 70 psi, such as greater than or about 75 psi, such as greater than or about 80 psi, such as greater than or about 85 psi, such as greater than or about 90 psi, such as greater than or about 95 psi, such as greater than or about 100 psi, or such as less than or about 125 psi, such as less than or about 120 psi, such as less than or about 115 psi, such as less than or about 110 psi, such as less than or about 105 psi, such as less than or about 100 psi. psi, such as less than or about 90 psi, such as less than or about 80 psi, such as less than or about 70 psi, such as less than or about 60 psi or any range or value in between.

[0059] By delivering the aqueous solution directly upwards from below the wafer, or at a small angle as illustrated in some embodiments, the delivery speed can be robust, but low enough to minimize damage to the substrate. For example, in embodiments, a portion of the spray head 322 positioned directly below the substrate 306 around or near the central axis A may be without the spray head nozzle 336 to prevent damage to the substrate 306. Nevertheless, in embodiments, rotation of the system head 310 and / or the spray head 322 can be used to draw flushing fluid radially outwards along the substrate 306. Customizing the delivery speed can limit upward splashing (e.g., maintaining contact between the aqueous solution and the substrate) and damage, and can ensure improved central delivery of the fluid. For example, some side nozzles that eject fluid at an angle toward the substrate may not directly contact areas of the substrate. However, while not necessary in all embodiments, in embodiments such as when the substrate 306 may be conveyed separately, one or more side cleaning nozzles 368 may be used during or after operation 210 to clean the system head 310 and / or the sealing assembly 338.

[0060] Nevertheless, in embodiments, the speed of rotation, such as by utilizing one or more of the drive head 358, system head 310, and / or spray head 322, is sufficient to uniformly distribute the aqueous solution and provide good cleaning of the substrate. That is, by rotating one or more of the system head 310 and / or spray head 322, each portion of the substrate 306 can be passed through one or more spray head nozzles 336 multiple times, thereby ensuring excellent cleaning of residues and sufficient contact time of the aqueous solution for the absorption of air or gas.

[0061] Therefore, in the embodiment, at least one of the system head 310 and the spray head 322 can rotate at a speed greater than or about 1 rpm, such as greater than or about 5 rpm, such as greater than or about 10 rpm, such as greater than or about 20 rpm, such as greater than or about 30 rpm, such as greater than or about 40 rpm, such as greater than or about 50 rpm, such as greater than or about 60 rpm, such as greater than or about 70 rpm, such as greater than or about 80 rpm, such as greater than or about 90 rpm, such as greater than or about 100 rpm, such as greater than or about 125 rpm, such as greater than or about 150 rpm, such as greater than or about 175 rpm, such as greater than or about 200 rpm, such as greater than or about 250 rpm, such as greater than or about 300 rpm, such as greater than or about 400 rpm, such as greater than or about 500 rpm, such as less than or about 1500 rpm, such as less than or about 1250 rpm, such as less than or about 1000 rpm, such as less than or about 900 rpm. The speeds are rpm, such as less than or about 800 rpm, such as less than or about 700 rpm, such as less than or about 600 rpm, such as less than or about 650 rpm, such as less than or about 500 rpm, such as less than or about 400 rpm, such as less than or about 300 rpm, or any range or value between these speeds. However, in an embodiment, the system head 310 may rotate according to any one or more of the above speeds, and the spray head 322 may be stationary.

[0062] Additionally, based on time averaging and / or based on the average amount sprayed onto the substrate, the speed, pressure, position, and number of the spray head nozzles 336 can be selected to provide a nearly uniform spray distribution. Therefore, during a process cycle, each location on the substrate 306 can be in contact with the aqueous solution for a period of time deviating from the average spray contact time by less than or about 20%, such as less than or about 15%, less than or about 10%, less than or about 5%, or any range or value between these values.

[0063] Nevertheless, in embodiments, each point on the substrate may be in contact with the sprayed aqueous solution for a period of time less than or about 3 minutes, such as less than or about 90 seconds, such as less than or about 1 minute, such as less than or about 55 seconds, such as less than or about 50 seconds, such as less than or about 45 seconds, such as less than or about 40 seconds, such as less than or about 35 seconds, such as less than or about 30 seconds, such as less than or about 20 seconds, such as less than or about 10 seconds, such as less than or about 5 seconds, such as more than or about 7 seconds, such as more than or about 9 seconds, such as more than or about 10 seconds, such as more than or about 15 seconds, such as more than or about 20 seconds, such as more than or about 25 seconds, such as more than or about 30 seconds, such as more than or about 40 seconds, or any range or value between these.

[0064] The wetting agent may include any number of fluids or combinations of fluids, such as aqueous solutions and / or water. In some embodiments, the wetting agent may be or include deionized water, including degassed deionized water. That is, in embodiments, the wetting agent may also be modified in one or more ways to improve the absorption rate of air or any other gas from the chamber environment and gases that may be trapped within features of the substrate. For example, in embodiments, the wetting agent may be degassed, such as degassed deionized water. Before being conveyed to the processing chamber to remove oxygen or other gaseous substances such as carbon dioxide, the deionized water may flow through a contactor, such as a membrane contactor. In embodiments, the wetting agent may be degassed to less than or about 50 ppm, and may be degassed to less than or about 40 ppm, less than or about 30 ppm, less than or about 20 ppm, less than or about 15 ppm, less than or about 10 ppm, less than or about 9 ppm, less than or about 8 ppm, less than or about 7 ppm, less than or about 6 ppm, less than or about 5 ppm, less than or about 4 ppm, less than or about 3 ppm, less than or about 2 ppm, less than or about 1 ppm or less. By degassed the wetting agent to reduce the levels of ambient gases and ambient gases in the chamber (such as carbon dioxide), this technique can provide improved absorption characteristics. However, as discussed above, in embodiments, degassed may not be necessary when using an exhaust atmosphere and / or spray nozzle according to the technique of this disclosure.

[0065] The methods and systems discussed herein can remove more than or about 50% of any residual gas confined within vias or other features in a substrate. In some embodiments, the method may remove residual air, carbon dioxide, or other gases, and may remove more than or about 60%, more than or about 70%, more than or about 80%, more than or about 90%, more than or about 91%, more than or about 92%, more than or about 93%, more than or about 94%, more than or about 95%, more than or about 96%, more than or about 97%, more than or about 98%, more than or about 99%, more than or about 99.9%, more than or about 99.99%, more than or about 99.999%, or more than or about 99.999%, or may substantially, essentially, or completely remove any residual gas from a feature defined on a substrate, even if such feature may have a relatively high aspect ratio. The same applies when the aspect ratio is greater than 2. In embodiments, residual gas can be removed via venting (including absorption by a wetting agent).

[0066] This technology can reduce the number of vias or features that may contain gas and / or residues that may remain after wetting operations (which may take the form of bubble defects or residue defects in the wetting agent or in subsequent operations). For example, subsequent plating operations may create voids or bubble defects at locations where residual gas or residues are not expelled or absorbed by the wetting agent. This technology can reduce the number of vias or features including defects such as bubble defects or residue defects to less than or about 5% of the vias on the substrate. In some embodiments, this technology can reduce the number of defects to less than or about 1% of the vias on the substrate after wetting operations, and can reduce the number of defects to less than or about 0.1%, less than or about 0.01%, less than or about 0.001%, less than or about 0.0001%, less than or about 0.00001%, less than or about 0.000001%, or even less in some embodiments of the vias or features on the substrate. In some embodiments, this technology can remove all defects after the wetting operation, such that the vias or features are free of bubbles or residue defects after the wetting operation or during subsequent plating.

[0067] Nevertheless, after spraying operation 210, the system head 310 and / or head assembly 302 can be turned back to the transfer position at operation 212, which can be relative to... Figure 3The same vertical positions discussed, or different positions in which the system head 310 and / or head assembly 302 are positioned above the upper surface 332 of the basin-shaped member 326. That is, this orientation facilitates the removal of the substrate 306 from the wetting device 300 and / or the transfer of the substrate 306 to another processing chamber, either alone or in combination with the sealing assembly 338. If a vacuum is used, the vacuum can be broken before operation 212, and any wetting agent can be discharged through the discharge manifold 324 after operation 210 but before, during, or after operation 212.

[0068] As used herein, the terms “about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” may be interpreted as within the scope that a person skilled in the art would expect in light of the specification.

[0069] In the foregoing description, numerous specific details have been set forth for illustrative purposes in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments. However, it will be apparent, however, that some embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are illustrated in block diagram form.

[0070] The foregoing description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of this disclosure. Rather, the foregoing description of various embodiments will provide a disclosure that can be implemented for carrying out at least one embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made to the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of some embodiments set forth in the appended claims.

[0071] Furthermore, it should be noted that individual embodiments may have been described as processes depicted as flowcharts, flow diagrams, data flow diagrams, structural diagrams, or block diagrams. While flowcharts may describe operations as a sequential process, many operations may be performed in parallel or concurrently. Additionally, the order of operations can be rearranged. A process terminates upon completion of its operations, but may also have additional steps not included in the figures. A process may correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subroutine, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to the function returning to the calling function or the main function.

[0072] The term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, wireless channels, and various other media capable of storing, containing, or carrying instructions and / or data. A code segment or machine-executable instruction may represent a procedure, function, subroutine, program, routine, subroutine, module, software package, class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment can be coupled to another code segment or hardware circuit by transmitting and / or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc., can be transmitted, forwarded, or transported via any suitable means, including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[0073] Furthermore, the embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented as software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments used to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a machine-readable medium. The processor may execute these necessary tasks.

[0074] In the foregoing specification, features are described with reference to specific embodiments thereof, but it should be understood that not all embodiments are limited thereto. Various features and aspects of some embodiments may be used individually or in combination. Furthermore, without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the specification, embodiments may be used in any number of environments and applications beyond those described herein. Therefore, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0075] Additionally, for illustrative purposes, the methods are described in a specific order. It should be understood that in alternative embodiments, the methods may be performed in a different order than described. It should also be understood that the methods described above may be executed by hardware components or may be embodied by a sequence of machine-executable instructions that can be used to cause a machine (such as a general-purpose or special-purpose processor, or logic circuitry programmed with instructions) to execute the methods. These machine-executable instructions may be stored on one or more machine-readable media (such as CD-ROMs or other types of optical discs, floppy diskettes, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other types of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions). Alternatively, the methods may be executed by a combination of hardware and software.

Claims

1. A method of wetting a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising: forming an atmosphere in a bowl containing the semiconductor substrate with a gas, wherein the semiconductor substrate defines a plurality of features; spraying a wetting agent onto the substrate with a spray head while maintaining the atmosphere; rotatably translating the semiconductor substrate; and wetting the plurality of features defined in the substrate.

2. The method of wetting a semiconductor substrate of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor substrate is rotatably translated at a speed of about 50 rpm to about 500 rpm.

3. The method of wetting a semiconductor substrate of claim 1, wherein the spraying occurs at a pressure of about 20 psi to about 100 psi.

4. The method of wetting a semiconductor substrate of claim 1, wherein the spraying approximately distributes a uniform amount of the wetting agent on the substrate at two or more locations based on an average amount of wetting agent sprayed on the substrate.

5. The method of wetting a semiconductor substrate of claim 1, wherein the spray head comprises one or more spray nozzles, wherein the one or more spray nozzles are spaced apart from the substrate by a height of about 1 mm to about 100 mm.

6. The method of wetting a semiconductor substrate of claim 1, wherein the atmosphere comprises a carbon dioxide atmosphere, an atmospheric gas atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, or a combination thereof formed by continuous purging, pump down and backfill, and / or displacement operations.

7. The method of wetting a semiconductor substrate of claim 1, wherein the substrate defines at least 1,000 features, and wherein less than 5% of the features contain a bubble defect in the wetting agent.

8. The method of wetting a semiconductor substrate of claim 1, wherein the wetting agent comprises deaerated deionized water or a deaerated aqueous solution.

9. The method of wetting a semiconductor substrate of claim 1, further comprising reducing a chamber pressure to less than about 100 kPa during the spraying.

10. The method of wetting a semiconductor substrate of claim 1, wherein the spraying occurs for about 5 seconds to about 90 seconds.

11. A method of wetting and cleaning a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising: providing a substrate to a bowl, wherein the substrate defines a plurality of features; evacuating air from the plurality of features defined in the substrate with a gas; spraying a wetting agent onto the substrate with a spray head; rotatably translating the semiconductor substrate; and wetting the plurality of features defined on the semiconductor substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the gas comprises carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxygen, nitrogen, atmospheric gas, argon, ammonia, bromine, diazene, acetylene, krypton, xenon, radon, dinitrogen oxide, hydrogen selenide, one or more hydrocarbons, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of wetting and cleaning a semiconductor substrate of claim 11, wherein the wetting agent comprises water or an aqueous solution. ​ ​ 14. The method of wetting and cleaning a semiconductor substrate of claim 11, wherein the semiconductor substrate is rotatably translated at a speed of about 100 rpm to about 300 rpm.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the spraying occurs at a pressure of about 30 psi to about 50 psi.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the spray head comprises one or more spray nozzles, wherein the one or more spray nozzles are spaced apart from the substrate by a height of about 1 mm to about 75 mm.

17. A semiconductor substrate wetting and cleaning system, comprising: a bowl having a rim; a rotatably translatable system head; a substrate coupled with the system head; a head seal releasably coupled with an upper surface of the bowl rim forming an air tight seal, the head seal and the bowl defining a process volume, wherein the substrate and spray head are each disposed in the process volume; and a gas inlet fluidly connected with the process volume and with a gas source.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising one or more vacuum inlets fluidly connected with the process volume and with a system foreline.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the spray head is disposed adjacent a lower surface of the bowl and comprises one or more spray nozzles, wherein the one or more spray nozzles extend from the spray head toward a surface of the substrate.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the system head is in contact with a drive head, and wherein the spray head is fluidly connected to a wetting agent source.

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