Electroplating device

Abstract

The utility model relates to an electroplating device. The electroplating apparatus comprises: an electroplating liquid supply tank for storing an electroplating liquid; the electroplating filling pool is used for accommodating the semiconductor structure and implementing an electroplating process; one end of the transmission pipeline is communicated with the electroplating liquid supply tank, and the other end of the transmission pipeline is communicated with the electroplating filling pool; the air separator is installed in the conveying pipeline, and a discharge port used for discharging air is formed in the air separator; the discharge pipeline is communicated with the discharge port of the air separator; the wetting structure comprises a flushing pipeline, one end of the flushing pipeline is communicated with the discharge pipeline, the other end of the flushing pipeline is communicated with a cleaning fluid supply source, and the cleaning fluid supply source is used for storing cleaning fluid. The electroplating device disclosed by the utility model solves the problem that the discharge pipeline is easy to crystallize and block, and the yield of the electroplating device is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to an electroplating apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Electroplating in semiconductor manufacturing is a technique that deposits a metal film on the surface of a semiconductor structure through an electrolytic process. During electroplating, the semiconductor structure is immersed in an electroplating solution containing metal ions. An electric current is then applied to reduce the metal ions on the surface of the semiconductor structure, thereby forming a uniform metal coating.

[0003] An electroplating apparatus is used to perform electroplating processes on semiconductor structures. During the electroplating process within the apparatus, it is crucial to maintain a low oxygen content in the electroplating solution within the plating tank to ensure effective metal ion reduction and thus guarantee the uniformity of the metal coating formed on the semiconductor structure surface. To maintain this low oxygen content, an air separator is typically installed at the front end of the tank to reduce the oxygen concentration. The air extracted from the air separator is then drawn out by a vacuum pump. Since the air extracted by the vacuum pump contains volatile electroplating solution, this volatile solution is prone to crystallization in the pipeline. The aggregation of these crystal particles reduces the vacuum capacity of the pipeline, affecting the air separator's ability to remove air from the electroplating solution and consequently impacting the oxygen content in the plating tank. When the crystal particles cause severe blockage in the pipeline, the vacuum pressure reaches a critical point, triggering alarms from the vacuum sensor and main equipment, thus disrupting the normal operation of the electroplating process. The current method for solving the problem of blockage by crystalline particles is to manually unclog the pipes after blockage occurs. This not only increases labor costs, but also requires the machine to be shut down and waited for the unblocking process, which leads to a reduction in the output of the electroplating equipment.

[0004] Therefore, how to solve the problem of crystallization blockage in the drain pipes of electroplating equipment, reduce labor costs, and reduce unnecessary downtime while ensuring the normal operation of the electroplating equipment, thereby improving the productivity of the electroplating equipment, is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This utility model provides an electroplating device to solve the problem of crystallization blockage in the drain pipe of the electroplating device, and to reduce labor costs. While ensuring the normal operation of the electroplating device, it reduces unnecessary downtime, thereby improving the output of the electroplating device.

[0006] According to some embodiments, the present invention provides an electroplating apparatus, comprising:

[0007] Electroplating solution supply tank, used to store electroplating solution;

[0008] Electroplating filler bath, used to contain semiconductor structures and perform electroplating processes;

[0009] The transmission pipeline is connected at one end to the electroplating solution supply tank and at the other end to the electroplating filling tank;

[0010] An air separator is installed in the transmission pipe, and the air separator has a drain port for discharging air.

[0011] A discharge pipe is connected to the discharge port of the air separator;

[0012] The wetted structure includes a flushing pipe, one end of which is connected to the drain pipe and the other end of which is connected to a cleaning fluid supply source for storing cleaning fluid.

[0013] In some embodiments, the wetting structure further includes:

[0014] A humidifying pneumatic valve is installed in the flushing pipe and is used to control the opening and closing of the flushing pipe.

[0015] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0016] Waste liquid storage tank, one end of the discharge pipe is connected to the discharge port of the air separator, and the other end is connected to the waste liquid storage tank;

[0017] A drain pipe is connected to the waste liquid storage tank and is used to drain the liquid stored in the waste liquid storage tank.

[0018] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0019] A pneumatic valve for draining liquid is installed in the drain pipe and is used to control the opening and closing of the drain pipe.

[0020] A driving gas supply source is connected to the drain pneumatic valve and the humidifying pneumatic valve to control the opening and closing of the drain pneumatic valve and the humidifying pneumatic valve, respectively.

[0021] In some embodiments, the wetting structure further includes:

[0022] A needle valve is installed in the flushing pipe, located downstream of the humidifying pneumatic valve in the direction of flow of the cleaning fluid.

[0023] In some embodiments, the drain pipe includes a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet that are relatively distributed; the electroplating apparatus further includes:

[0024] A three-way valve is installed between the air separator and the drain pipe. The three-way valve includes a first inlet, a second inlet, and an outlet. The first inlet of the three-way valve is connected to the drain port of the air separator, the second inlet of the three-way valve is connected to the flushing pipe, and the outlet of the three-way valve is connected to the fluid inlet of the drain pipe.

[0025] In some embodiments, a plurality of electroplating unit structures are included, each of the electroplating unit structures including the electroplating solution supply tank, the electroplating filling tank, the transmission pipe, the air separator, and the discharge pipe;

[0026] Each of the multiple wetting structures is connected to a drain pipe in a corresponding manner in the multiple electroplating unit structures, and the multiple wetting structures are independent of each other.

[0027] In some embodiments, a plurality of electroplating unit structures are included, each of the electroplating unit structures including the electroplating solution supply tank, the electroplating filling tank, the transmission pipe, the air separator, and the discharge pipe;

[0028] The wetting structure is connected to the drain pipes in the plurality of electroplating unit structures.

[0029] In some embodiments, the electroplating solution is a copper sulfate electroplating solution.

[0030] In some embodiments, the cleaning solution is deionized water.

[0031] The electroplating apparatus provided by this invention features a wetting structure including a rinsing pipe. One end of the rinsing pipe is connected to a drain pipe for discharging fluid from an air separator, and the other end is connected to a cleaning solution supply source. This cleaning solution supply source stores the cleaning solution. Firstly, the rinsing pipe allows for the automatic rinsing of the drain pipe by transferring the cleaning solution to the drain pipe, preventing the accumulation of electroplating solution crystals in the drain pipe and thus solving the problem of crystallization blockage. Secondly, the wetting effect of the cleaning solution reduces crystallization caused by the evaporation of water from the electroplating solution, further reducing blockage and crystallization in the drain pipe. Moreover, since this invention eliminates the need for manual cleaning during downtime, it reduces labor costs and unnecessary downtime, thereby increasing the productivity of the electroplating apparatus. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the electroplating unit structure within the electroplating device in a specific embodiment of this utility model;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of multiple electroplating units within the electroplating device in a specific embodiment of this utility model;

[0035] Figure 3 This is another schematic diagram of the structure of multiple electroplating units within the electroplating device in a specific embodiment of this utility model.

[0036] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0037] 10 Electroplating solution supply tank

[0038] 11 Electroplating filler tank

[0039] 12 Air Separator

[0040] 13 Transmission Pipes

[0041] 14 Return pipe

[0042] 15 First Vacuum Pump

[0043] 16 Filters

[0044] 17. Drainage pipes

[0045] 18. Flushing pipes

[0046] 19. Moisturizing Pneumatic Valve

[0047] 20 needle valve

[0048] 21 Waste liquid storage tank

[0049] 22 drain pipe

[0050] 23 Vacuuming pipe

[0051] 24 Electroplating Unit Structure

[0052] 25. Clean the main pipeline Detailed Implementation

[0053] The specific embodiments of the electroplating apparatus provided by this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] This specific embodiment provides an electroplating apparatus. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the electroplating unit structure within the electroplating apparatus in a specific embodiment of this utility model. (See diagram below.) Figure 1 As shown, the electroplating apparatus includes:

[0055] Electroplating solution supply tank 10 is used to store electroplating solution;

[0056] Electroplating filler 11 is used to accommodate semiconductor structures and perform electroplating processes;

[0057] The transmission pipe 13 is connected at one end to the electroplating solution supply tank 10 and at the other end to the electroplating filling tank 11;

[0058] An air detacher 12 is installed in the transmission pipe 13, and the air detacher 12 has a drain port for discharging air.

[0059] The discharge pipe 17 is connected to the discharge port of the air separator 12;

[0060] The wetted structure includes a flushing pipe 18, one end of which is connected to the drain pipe 17 and the other end of which is connected to a cleaning fluid supply source, the cleaning fluid supply source being used to store cleaning fluid.

[0061] Specifically, the electroplating solution supply tank 10 stores the electroplating solution used for carrying out the electroplating process. The electroplating solution is transferred from the electroplating solution supply tank 10 to the electroplating filling tank 11 via the transfer pipe 13. Figure 1The solid arrows in the diagram indicate the direction of electroplating solution transport. By installing the air separator 12 in the transport pipe 13, air mixed in with the electroplating solution output from the electroplating solution supply tank 10 can be removed, thereby maintaining the oxygen content of the electroplating solution reaching the electroplating filling tank 11 at a low level. The semiconductor structure is placed in the electroplating filling tank 11 and immersed in the electroplating solution in the electroplating filling tank 11 to form a metal plating layer on the surface of the semiconductor structure through the electroplating process. In one example, the electroplating apparatus further includes a return pipe 14, one end of which is connected to the electroplating filling tank 11 and the other end of which is connected to the electroplating solution supply tank 10, to recover and reuse unreacted electroplating solution in the electroplating filling tank 11, thereby further reducing the cost of the electroplating process. In one example, the electroplating apparatus also includes a filter 16 and a first vacuum pump 15 installed in the transport pipe 13. The first vacuum pump 15 is used to pump the electroplating solution in the electroplating solution supply tank 10 into the transmission pipe 13 and then transport it along the transmission pipe 13 to the electroplating filling tank 11. The filter 16 is located downstream of the first vacuum pump 15 along the flow direction of the electroplating solution in the transmission pipe 13. The filter 16 is used to remove particulate matter and other impurities from the electroplating solution.

[0062] This specific embodiment adds the wetting structure to the electroplating apparatus, wherein one end of the rinsing pipe 18 in the wetting structure is connected to the drain pipe 17, and the other end is connected to the cleaning solution supply source. Figure 1 The dashed arrows in the diagram indicate the flow direction of the cleaning fluid in the flushing pipe 18. This allows the flushing pipe 18 to flush the drain pipe 17. On one hand, the cleaning fluid washes away electroplating solution crystals adhering to the inner wall of the drain pipe 17, preventing blockage caused by the accumulation of these crystals. This ensures that the air detacher 12 can properly remove air from the electroplating solution, thus maintaining a low oxygen content in the electroplating solution transported to the electroplating filling tank 11. On the other hand, flushing the drain pipe 17 with the cleaning fluid maintains a high humidity level within it, reducing the probability of crystallization due to moisture evaporation and further preventing blockage. Furthermore, the humidification of the drain pipe 17 can be performed simultaneously with the electroplating process in the electroplating filling tank 11, without requiring machine downtime, thereby increasing the productivity of the electroplating equipment. This specific embodiment automatically flushes and unclogs the drain pipe 17 through the wet structure, thereby saving a lot of labor costs and indirectly reducing the cost of the electroplating process.

[0063] In some embodiments, the wetting structure further includes:

[0064] A humidifying pneumatic valve 19 is installed in the flushing pipe 18 and is used to control the opening and closing of the flushing pipe 18.

[0065] For example, by opening the humidifying pneumatic valve 19, the cleaning fluid supply source is connected to the drain pipe 17 to flush the drain pipe 17. By closing the humidifying pneumatic valve 19, the cleaning fluid supply source is disconnected from the drain pipe 17, thus stopping the flushing of the drain pipe 17. By setting the humidifying pneumatic valve 19, the opening and closing of the flushing pipe 18 can be automatically controlled, thereby further improving the controllability and flexibility of flushing the drain pipe 17.

[0066] In some embodiments, the electroplating apparatus further includes:

[0067] Waste liquid storage tank 21; one end of the discharge pipe 17 is connected to the discharge port of the air separator 12, and the other end is connected to the waste liquid storage tank 21.

[0068] The drain pipe 22 is connected to the waste liquid storage tank 21 and is used to drain the liquid stored in the waste liquid storage tank 21.

[0069] In some embodiments, the electroplating apparatus further includes:

[0070] A pneumatic valve for draining liquid is installed in the drain pipe 22 and is used to control the opening and closing of the drain pipe 22;

[0071] A driving gas supply source is connected to the drain pneumatic valve and the humidifying pneumatic valve 19, which are used to control the opening and closing of the drain pneumatic valve and the opening and closing of the humidifying pneumatic valve 19, respectively.

[0072] Specifically, the waste liquid storage tank 21 is used to store the fluid discharged from the air separator 12 (e.g., a gas-liquid mixture consisting of electroplating solution and air). The waste liquid storage tank 21 has a first opening and a second opening; the first opening communicates with the drain pipe 22, and the second opening communicates with the vacuum pipe 23. The vacuum pipe 23 is also connected to a second vacuum pump, thereby extracting the gas from the waste liquid storage tank 21. The drain pipe 22 is used to discharge the liquid from the waste liquid storage tank 21. The driving gas supply source is used to store the driving gas for driving the drain pneumatic valve and the humidifying pneumatic valve 19. In one example, the driving gas is clean dry air (CDA). By simultaneously connecting the driving gas supply source to both the drain pneumatic valve and the humidifying pneumatic valve 19, the driving gas output from the driving gas supply source can simultaneously trigger the opening of both the drain pneumatic valve and the humidifying pneumatic valve 19, thereby simultaneously opening the drain pipe 22 and the flushing pipe 18. This allows for the automatic flushing of the drain pipe 17 while simultaneously removing liquid from the waste liquid storage tank 21, eliminating the need for additional drain pipe flushing time and further improving the efficiency of the electroplating device.

[0073] In some embodiments, the wetting structure further includes:

[0074] Needle valve 20 is installed in the flushing pipe 18, and is located downstream of the humidifying pneumatic valve 19 in the direction of flow of the cleaning fluid.

[0075] Specifically, the needle valve 20 is used to adjust the flow rate of the cleaning fluid in the flushing pipe 18 to further improve the flushing flexibility of the drain pipe 17.

[0076] In some embodiments, the drain pipe 17 includes a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet that are relatively distributed; the electroplating apparatus further includes:

[0077] A three-way valve is installed between the air separator 12 and the drain pipe 17. The three-way valve includes a first inlet, a second inlet, and an outlet. The first inlet of the three-way valve is connected to the drain port of the air separator 12, the second inlet of the three-way valve is connected to the flushing pipe 18, and the outlet of the three-way valve is connected to the fluid inlet of the drain pipe 17.

[0078] Specifically, by setting up the three-way valve, with its first inlet connected to the drain port of the air separator 12, its second inlet connected to the flushing pipe 18, and its outlet connected to the fluid inlet of the drain pipe 17, the entire drain pipe 17 from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet can be flushed, further improving the flushing effect of the drain pipe 17.

[0079] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of multiple electroplating units within an electroplating apparatus according to a specific embodiment of this utility model. In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the electroplating apparatus includes multiple electroplating unit structures 24, each of which includes the electroplating solution supply tank 10, the electroplating filling tank 11, the transmission pipe 13, the air separator 12, and the discharge pipe 17.

[0080] Each of the multiple wetting structures is connected to the drain pipe 17 in the multiple electroplating unit structures 24 in a one-to-one correspondence, and the multiple wetting structures are independent of each other.

[0081] Specifically, by providing an independent wetting structure for each of the electroplating unit structures 24, the drain pipes 17 in each electroplating unit structure 24 can be flushed separately, improving the flexibility of the electroplating apparatus. In one example, the electroplating apparatus further includes a main cleaning pipe 25, one end of which is connected to the cleaning solution supply source, and the other end is connected to the transmission pipes 13 in all the shown wetting structures, thereby simplifying the piping structure within the electroplating apparatus. In this specific embodiment, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0082] Figure 3 This is another schematic diagram of the structure of multiple electroplating units within the electroplating apparatus in a specific embodiment of this utility model. In other embodiments, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the electroplating apparatus includes multiple electroplating unit structures 24, each of which includes the electroplating solution supply tank 10, the electroplating filling tank 11, the transmission pipe 13, the air separator 12, and the discharge pipe 17.

[0083] The wetting structure is connected to the drain pipes 17 in the plurality of electroplating unit structures 24.

[0084] For example, by setting only one of the wetting structures, the drain pipes 17 in multiple electroplating unit structures 24 can be flushed simultaneously using one of the wetting structures, which simplifies the flushing operation of the drain pipes 17 in the electroplating device and helps to simplify the structure of the electroplating device.

[0085] In some embodiments, the electroplating solution is a copper sulfate electroplating solution, and the electroplating process is a copper electroplating process.

[0086] In some embodiments, the cleaning solution is deionized water, thereby reducing electroplating costs while avoiding secondary pollution to the drain pipe 17.

[0087] The electroplating apparatus provided in this specific embodiment features a wetting structure including a rinsing pipe. One end of the rinsing pipe is connected to a drain pipe for discharging fluid from an air separator, and the other end is connected to a cleaning fluid supply source. The cleaning fluid supply source stores the cleaning fluid. On one hand, the rinsing pipe allows for the automatic rinsing of the drain pipe by transferring the cleaning fluid, preventing the accumulation of electroplating solution crystals in the drain pipe and thus solving the problem of crystallization blockage. On the other hand, the wetting effect of the cleaning fluid reduces crystallization caused by the evaporation of water from the electroplating solution, further reducing blockage and crystallization in the drain pipe. Moreover, since this embodiment eliminates the need for manual cleaning during downtime, it reduces labor costs and unnecessary downtime, thereby increasing the productivity of the electroplating apparatus.

[0088] It should be noted that the terms "comprising" and "having," and their variations, used in this utility model document are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. The terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence, unless explicitly indicated by the context; it should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate. The term "one or more" depends at least in part on the context and can be used to describe features, structures, or characteristics in a singular sense, or in a plural sense to describe combinations of features, structures, or characteristics. The term "based on" can be understood as not necessarily intended to express an exclusive set of factors, but can instead, also at least in part on the context, allow for the presence of other factors that are not necessarily explicitly described. Furthermore, embodiments and features in embodiments of this utility model can be combined with each other without conflict. In addition, descriptions of well-known components and technologies have been omitted in the above description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts of this utility model. In the various embodiments described above, each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments; similar / identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually.

[0089] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. An electroplating apparatus, characterized in that, include: Electroplating solution supply tank, used to store electroplating solution; Electroplating filler bath, used to contain semiconductor structures and perform electroplating processes; The transmission pipeline is connected at one end to the electroplating solution supply tank and at the other end to the electroplating filling tank; An air separator is installed in the transmission pipe, and the air separator has a drain port for discharging air. A discharge pipe is connected to the discharge port of the air separator; The wetted structure includes a flushing pipe, one end of which is connected to the drain pipe and the other end of which is connected to a cleaning fluid supply source for storing cleaning fluid.

2. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, wherein The wetting structure also includes: A humidifying pneumatic valve is installed in the flushing pipe and is used to control the opening and closing of the flushing pipe.

3. The electroplating apparatus of claim 2, wherein Also includes: Waste liquid storage tank, one end of the discharge pipe is connected to the discharge port of the air separator, and the other end is connected to the waste liquid storage tank; A drain pipe is connected to the waste liquid storage tank and is used to drain the liquid stored in the waste liquid storage tank.

4. The electroplating apparatus of claim 3, wherein Also includes: A pneumatic valve for draining liquid is installed in the drain pipe and is used to control the opening and closing of the drain pipe. A driving gas supply source is connected to the drain pneumatic valve and the humidifying pneumatic valve to control the opening and closing of the drain pneumatic valve and the humidifying pneumatic valve, respectively.

5. The electroplating apparatus of claim 2, wherein The wetting structure also includes: A needle valve is installed in the flushing pipe, located downstream of the humidifying pneumatic valve in the direction of flow of the cleaning fluid.

6. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, wherein The discharge pipe includes a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet that are relatively distributed; the electroplating apparatus also includes: A three-way valve is installed between the air separator and the drain pipe. The three-way valve includes a first inlet, a second inlet, and an outlet. The first inlet of the three-way valve is connected to the drain port of the air separator, the second inlet of the three-way valve is connected to the flushing pipe, and the outlet of the three-way valve is connected to the fluid inlet of the drain pipe.

7. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, wherein It includes multiple electroplating unit structures, each of which includes the electroplating solution supply tank, the electroplating filling tank, the transmission pipeline, the air separator, and the discharge pipeline; Each of the multiple wetting structures is connected to a drain pipe in a corresponding manner in the multiple electroplating unit structures, and the multiple wetting structures are independent of each other.

8. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, wherein It includes multiple electroplating unit structures, each of which includes the electroplating solution supply tank, the electroplating filling tank, the transmission pipeline, the air separator, and the discharge pipeline; The wetting structure is connected to the drain pipes in the plurality of electroplating unit structures.

9. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, wherein The electroplating solution is a copper sulfate electroplating solution.

10. The electroplating apparatus of claim 1, wherein The cleaning solution is deionized water.

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