Contacts, chucks, and electroplating equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a contactor, a clamp, and an electro-electroplating apparatus, and relates to the semiconductor electro-electroplating technology. The contactor comprises a mounting base having a plurality of mounting portions that are extended in a straight line and spaced apart, and a contact base connected to the mounting base for contacting a substrate, wherein the plurality of mounting portions are distributed along the length of the mounting base, and adjacent mounting portions are separated by first cutout regions, and each mounting portion is provided with a guide portion that protrudes from the mounting base, and the contact base has a plurality of second cutout regions that are spaced apart along the length. The contactor according to the present invention has a higher material utilization rate, generates less waste, has higher productivity, lower processing costs, and has good bending performance, and the contactor can be more easily bent into an annular shape from a straight-line extended state for use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor electroplating, and more particularly, to a contact, a chuck, and an electroplating apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor integrated circuits, the chemical electroplating process of wafers is an essential process for realizing high-quality integrated circuits. In an electroplating apparatus, it is necessary to use a chuck to fix the wafer, and the contact is an important component that contacts the seed layer of the wafer on the chuck. The material of the contact is a conductive metal material with a certain degree of elasticity, and the structure of the contact, the physical properties of the material, etc. are important factors that affect the quality of the electroplating process.

[0003] Conventional contacts have an arc-shaped initial processing shape, but since the processing substrate is not arc-shaped, usually, in an arc-shaped structure, a large amount of waste is generated during the processing process, and it is necessary to use more processing materials. As a result, there is a problem that the processing cost becomes high.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a contact and a chuck. The contact according to the present invention can be processed along a straight line during the processing process, with less waste generated, effectively reducing the processing cost, and having excellent bending performance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a contact extending along a straight line, comprising a mounting base including a plurality of mounting portions provided at intervals, The mounting base is connected to the aforementioned mounting base and comprises a contact base for contacting the substrate, The plurality of mounting portions are distributed along the length direction of the contactor, adjacent mounting portions are separated by a first cutout region, and each mounting portion is provided with a guide portion that protrudes from the mounting base. The contact base is provided with a plurality of second cutout regions distributed at intervals along the length of the contactor.

[0006] Preferably, the mounting base further comprises a connecting portion including a first end face and a second end face that extend along the longitudinal direction of the contact and are provided facing each other, The first end face is connected to the mounting base, and the mounting base extends outward from the first end face along the width direction of the contactor. The second end face is connected to the contact base, and the contact base extends outward from the second end face along the width direction of the contactor.

[0007] Preferably, the inner surface of the end of the first hollowed-out region extends to the first end face, and / or the inner surface of the end of the second hollowed-out region extends to the second end face.

[0008] Preferably, the guide portion is provided at one end of the mounting portion away from the connecting portion.

[0009] Preferably, the shape of the contact is rectangular.

[0010] Preferably, the contact base comprises a plurality of extensions, the plurality of extensions distributed along the length of the contactor, a second cutout region provided between adjacent extensions, the tip of each extension connected to the mounting base, and the end of each extension provided with a contact portion for contacting the substrate.

[0011] Preferably, the contact portion is raised relative to the horizontal plane and forms an angle of 0 to 20° with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0012] Preferably, the extended portion is connected to the mounting base in an R-shape.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention provides a chuck for holding a substrate, comprising an internal retaining ring, a frame, and the above-mentioned contacts, wherein each mounting portion of the contacts is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the frame, which is provided with an annular groove, each guide portion of the contacts is provided within the annular groove, and the contacts are pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the frame by the internal retaining ring.

[0014] Preferably, a gap is provided between the contact base of the contactor and the inner circumferential surface of the frame.

[0015] Preferably, the contact base of the contactor comprises a plurality of extensions, the plurality of extensions extending along the longitudinal direction of the mounting base, a second cutout region provided between adjacent extensions, the tip of each extension connected to the mounting base, the end of each extension provided with a contact portion for contacting the substrate, and a gap provided between the extension and the inner circumferential surface of the frame.

[0016] Furthermore, the present invention provides an electroplating apparatus equipped with the above-described chuck. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] In the present invention, since the contact is stretched along a straight line, the contact can be processed along a straight line during the manufacturing process. Compared to the annular contact in the prior art, the material utilization rate is higher, less waste is generated, and the productivity of the contact is higher, resulting in lower processing costs for the contact provided by the present invention, for the same area of ​​material. Furthermore, by providing multiple mounting portions distributed along the length of the contact and separating adjacent mounting portions with a first hollowed-out region, the first hollowed-out region reduces the rigidity and strength of the edge material of the mounting base, making deformation of the edge material during the bending process easier, and also reduces the moment of inertia of the first hollowed-out region, thereby improving the bending performance of the contact. Similarly, by providing a second hollowed-out region, the bending performance of the contact can be further improved, and it becomes easier to bend the contact from a straight-stretched state into an annular shape for use. The guide portion protrudes from the mounting portion and guides the contactor to bend into an annular shape during use. The guide portion also contacts other parts, which helps to counteract the rebound of the contactor that occurs during the bending process, thus helping to maintain the bent state of the contactor and further improving the stability of the contactor. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] The features and performance of the present invention can be further explained by the following embodiments and their drawings. [Figure 1] A schematic diagram of the manufacturing process of a contactor in the prior art is shown; [Figure 2] This shows a schematic diagram of the manufacturing process of the contactor in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; [Figure 3] This diagram shows a schematic partial structure of the contactor in use in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; [Figure 4] This shows a schematic diagram of the front structure of the contactor in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; [Figure 5] This shows a schematic diagram of a partially enlarged structure of the contactor in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; [Figure 6] This shows a schematic diagram of the side structure of the contactor in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; [Figure 7] Shows the overall structural schematic diagram of the chuck in Embodiment 2 of the present invention; [Figure 8] Shows the exploded structural schematic diagram of the chuck in Embodiment 2 of the present invention; [Figure 9] Shows the cross-sectional schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the chuck in Embodiment 2 of the present invention; [Figure 10] Shows the enlarged structural schematic diagram at A in FIG. 9; [Figure 11] Shows the structural schematic diagram of the chuck in the assembled state in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0019] In order to explain in detail the technical content, structural features, achieved objectives and effects of the present invention, the following will be described in detail based on the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, but these do not limit the present invention to the scope of the said embodiments.

[0020] In the wafer chuck of an electroplating device, as a conductive component, the contactor contacts the seed layer on the surface of the wafer. The shape of the wafer is generally circular. In order to adapt to the shape of the wafer so that the contactor can uniformly contact the seed layer on the wafer surface, it is necessary to make the contactor have an annular structure. Therefore, the contactor in the prior art usually has an arc-shaped structure after processing, and then, a plurality of arc-shaped contactors are joined to form a complete annular contactor. As shown in FIG. 1, in the processing process of the contactor, a plurality of arc-shaped structures are cut out on a rectangular substrate and further processed to form an arc-shaped contactor 200'. Since its structure is arc-shaped, there is a problem that a lot of waste is generated in the processing process, the utilization rate of materials is low, and the processing cost is high.

[0021] The present invention provides a bendable rectangular contact element 200 to reduce processing costs, and the processing process is as shown in Figure 2. During processing, since it is processed as a rectangular structure, less waste is generated, the productivity of the contact element 200 is high, and more contact elements 200 can be processed from the same area of ​​substrate, significantly reducing processing costs. When in use, it can be bent into an annular shape as shown in Figure 3 (only a part of the structure of the contact element 200 is shown, but it is actually annular), and this does not affect its performance. The structure of the rectangular contact element 200 will be described in detail below.

[0022] As shown in Figure 4 (showing only a portion of the structure of the contactor 200 to more clearly illustrate its structure) and Figure 5, the contactor 200 is elongated along a straight line. Because the contactor 200 is elongated along a straight line, it can be processed along a straight line during the manufacturing process. Compared to the conventional arc-shaped contactor 200' of the same area, the material utilization rate is higher, less waste is generated, and the productivity of the contactor 200 is higher, resulting in lower processing costs for the contactor 200 provided by the present invention.

[0023] The contactor 200 comprises a mounting base 210, a contact base 220, and a connecting portion 214. The connecting portion 214 extends along the longitudinal direction L of the contactor 200 and includes a first end face and a second end face that are arranged opposite to each other. The first end face of the connecting portion 214 is connected to the mounting base 210, and the mounting base 210 extends outward from the first end face of the connecting portion 214 along the width direction W of the contactor 200. The second end face of the connecting portion 214 is connected to the contact base 220, and the contact base 220 extends outward from the second end face of the connecting portion 214 along the width direction W of the contactor 200. The mounting base 210 and the contact base 220 may be fixed and integrated via the connecting portion 214. Furthermore, the connecting portion 214 can withstand a certain tensile force or pressure during the connection process, making the connection between the mounting base 210 and the contact base 220 firm and stable, and improving the service life of the contact element 200.

[0024] Specifically, the mounting base 210 includes a plurality of mounting portions 211 provided at intervals, the plurality of mounting portions 211 distributed along the longitudinal direction L of the contactor 200, and the spaces between adjacent mounting portions 211 are separated by a first cutout region 212. The mounting portions 211 are provided with guide portions 213 that protrude from the mounting base 210. The first cutout region 212 reduces the rigidity and strength of the edge material of the mounting base 210, making the deformation of the edge material during the bending process easier. In addition, the first cutout region 212 can reduce the moment of inertia of the mounting base 210, thereby improving the bending performance of the contactor 200. The guide portion 213 protrudes from the mounting portion 211 and, during use, guides the contact element 200 to bend into an annular shape. Referring to Figure 10, the guide portion 213 is inserted into the annular groove 310 provided in the chuck, which cancels out the reaction force of the contact element 200 generated during the bending process, helps maintain the bent state of the contact element 200, and further improves the stability of the contact element 200.

[0025] Furthermore, the inner surface of the end of the first hollowed-out region 212 extends to the first end face of the connecting portion 214, and the inner surface of the end of the second hollowed-out region 223 extends to the second end face of the connecting portion 214. Since the areas of the first hollowed-out region 212 and the second hollowed-out region 223 are large and do not affect the connecting portion 214, the contactor 200 can be given bending performance while also having a certain strength. Of course, in other embodiments, the extension distance of the ends of the first hollowed-out region 212 and the second hollowed-out region 223 is not limited to this and can be flexibly set as needed.

[0026] In one example, the guide portion 213 is provided at one end of the mounting portion 211, away from the connecting portion 214. Because the guide portion 213 is farther from the connecting portion 214 and generates a larger moment, the contactor 200 can be bent into an annular shape more easily.

[0027] In this embodiment, the contact base 220 includes a plurality of extended portions 221, which are distributed along the longitudinal direction L of the contactor 200, with a second cutout region 223 provided between adjacent extended portions 221, the tip of each extended portion 221 being connected to the mounting base 210, and the end of each extended portion 221 being provided with a contact portion 222 for contacting the wafer.

[0028] By providing multiple stretched portions 221 and contact portions 222, the number of contact points between the contactor 200 and the wafer can be effectively increased, improving the contact quality between the wafer and the contact base 220, and maximizing the contact area between the wafer and the contact base 220. This allows the wafer to be stably placed on the contact base 220 and helps to improve the uniformity of conductivity. By providing a second cutout region 223 between adjacent stretched portions 221, the bending performance of the contactor 200 can be improved, making it easier to bend the contactor 200 from a straight-line stretched state to an annular shape for use. Furthermore, the frictional force when the surface of the contact base 220 and the wafer come into contact can be reduced, effectively reducing damage to the wafer and lowering the defect rate in product manufacturing.

[0029] In one example, the contact element 200 has a rectangular shape. A rectangular contact element 200 is easier to process, has a simple shape that is less prone to deformation during processing, reduces waste during cutting, further lowers processing costs, and improves processing efficiency and production effectiveness.

[0030] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the contact portion 222 is raised relative to the horizontal plane and forms an angle a of 6° with respect to the horizontal plane. In other embodiments, the value of angle a is within the range of 0 to 20° and can be flexibly selected depending on the material of the contact portion 222. When simulation analysis was performed with SUS306 material, the reaction force acting on the wafer by a single contact portion 222 at different angles is as follows: When a is 6°, the reaction force is 0.0339N; when a is 12°, the reaction force is 0.0513N; when a is 15°, the reaction force is 0.0516N; and when a is 18°, the reaction force is 0.0520N.

[0031] After the electroplating process is completed, the wafer may easily adhere to the contact 200, but in this invention, the contact portion 222 is raised relative to the horizontal plane. As the angle a increases, the reaction force on the wafer also gradually increases, making it less likely for the wafer to adhere. However, if the angle of elevation is too large, the wafer is more likely to be damaged when placed on the contact portion 222. Therefore, by controlling the angle a to within 20°, the wafer is less likely to be damaged by the contact portion 222 when it comes into contact with the contact portion 222, and a repulsive force can be applied to the wafer after the contact portion 222 deforms, thereby preventing the wafer from adhering to the contact 200 after the electroplating process is completed.

[0032] In this embodiment, the extension portion 221 is connected to the mounting base 210 in an R-shape. Conventional sharp-angle connections tend to cause stress concentration, and safety problems such as cracks and fractures are likely to occur at the connection point between the extension portion 221 and the mounting base 210. However, in this embodiment, the R-shaped connection effectively reduces stress concentration and also reduces the occurrence of problems such as fatigue and deformation, thereby improving the service life of the contactor 200.

[0033] In other embodiments, the connecting portion 214 may be omitted, and the multiple mounting portions 211 of the mounting base 210 may be connected to each other, or the multiple extension portions 221 of the contact base 220 may be connected to each other.

[0034] After clarifying the structure of the contact element 200 according to the present invention, its manufacturing method can be carried out by a mature process such as a combination of wire cutting and press working, and the specific manufacturing method will not be described in detail here. Embodiment 2

[0035] This embodiment provides a chuck for holding a substrate (not shown), which is an important component of a semiconductor electroplating apparatus and has a housing space in the center for housing the substrate. In this embodiment, the substrate is a wafer, but of course the substrate may be any other workpiece structure that needs to be electroplated.

[0036] Specifically, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the chuck comprises an internal retaining ring 100, a frame 300, and a contact element 200 according to Embodiment 1. The contact element 200 is obtained by bending the rectangular contact element shown in Figure 4 into an annular shape. A first mounting hole 110 is provided on the upper surface of the internal retaining ring 100, and a corresponding second mounting hole 320 is provided in the frame 300. The contact element 200 is pressed against the frame 300 by the internal retaining ring 100, and the internal retaining ring 100 can be tightened to the frame 300 by a fastening member, thereby fixing the contact element 200 to the frame 300.

[0037] Furthermore, referring to Figures 9 to 11, an annular groove 310 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the frame 300, the guide portion 213 of the contact element 200 is provided within the annular groove 310, and the mounting portion 211 is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the frame 300. The engagement between the guide portion 213 and the annular groove 310 causes the contact element 200 to deform into an annular shape along the annular groove 310, allowing it to fit to the inner circumferential surface of the frame 300. Then, due to the action of the inner retaining ring 100, the contact element 200 is stably fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the frame 300.

[0038] Of course, in other embodiments, the contact element 200 may be bent into an arc shape first, and then multiple arc-shaped contact elements may be joined together to form a ring.

[0039] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 11, a gap is provided between the extended portion 221 of the contact base 220 and the inner circumferential surface of the frame 300. By providing this gap, when a wafer is placed on the contact base 220, the contact base 220 moves toward the inner circumferential surface of the frame 300, providing a cushioning effect. This results in soft contact between the wafer and the contact base 220, making the wafer less susceptible to damage. Furthermore, the contact base 220 undergoes elastic deformation within the gap, so when the wafer and the contact base 220 separate, the contact base 220 generates a reaction force toward the wafer, making adhesion less likely. Embodiment 3

[0040] This embodiment further provides an electroplating apparatus equipped with the chuck of Embodiment 2.

[0041] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples and that various changes or modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the mechanism and spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present invention can be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A contactor that extends along a straight line, A mounting base including multiple mounting parts provided at intervals, The mounting base is connected to the aforementioned mounting base and comprises a contact base for contacting the substrate, The plurality of mounting portions are distributed along the length direction of the contactor, adjacent mounting portions are separated by a first cutout region, and each mounting portion is provided with a guide portion that protrudes from the mounting base. The contact base is provided with a plurality of second cutout regions distributed at intervals along the length of the contactor. A contactor characterized by the following features.

2. The connecting portion further includes a first end face and a second end face that extend along the longitudinal direction of the contact and are arranged to face each other, The first end face is connected to the mounting base, and the mounting base extends outward from the first end face along the width direction of the contactor. The second end face is connected to the contact base, and the contact base extends outward from the second end face along the width direction of the contactor. The contactor according to feature 1.

3. The inner surface of the end of the first hollowed-out region extends to the first end face, and / or the inner surface of the end of the second hollowed-out region extends to the second end face. The contactor according to feature 2.

4. The guide portion is provided at one end of the mounting portion, away from the connecting portion. The contactor according to feature 2.

5. The shape of the contact is rectangular. The contactor according to feature 1.

6. The contact base comprises a plurality of extensions, the plurality of extensions distributed along the length direction of the contactor, a second cutout region is provided between adjacent extensions, the tip of each extension is connected to the mounting base, and a contact portion for contacting the substrate is provided at the end of each extension. The contactor according to feature 1.

7. The contact portion is raised relative to the horizontal plane and forms an angle of 0 to 20° with respect to the horizontal plane. The contactor according to feature 6.

8. The extension portion is connected to the mounting base in an R shape. The contactor according to feature 6.

9. A chuck for holding a circuit board, The device comprises an internal retaining ring, a frame, and a contactor according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Each mounting portion of the contactor is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the frame, which is provided with an annular groove; each guide portion of the contactor is provided within the annular groove; and the contactor is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the frame by the inner retaining ring. A zipper characterized by the following features.

10. A gap is provided between the contact base of the contactor and the inner circumferential surface of the frame. The chuck according to feature 9.

11. The contact base of the contactor comprises a plurality of extensions, the plurality of extensions extending along the longitudinal direction of the mounting base, a second cutout region provided between adjacent extensions, the tip of each extension connected to the mounting base, the end of each extension provided with a contact portion for contacting the substrate, and a gap provided between the extension and the inner circumferential surface of the frame. The chuck according to feature 10.

12. A chuck comprising the chuck described in any one of claims 9 to 11, An electroplating apparatus characterized by the following features.

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