Plating apparatus and plating method

Abstract

To improve detection accuracy of anomalies of various devices and / or advance the timing of the anomaly detection.SOLUTION: A plating apparatus for plating a substrate comprises: an anode arranged so as to face the substrate; an electric field adjusting member having an aperture arranged between the substrate and the anode, and an aperture adjusting member for changing the size of the aperture; a motor for driving the aperture adjusting member; and a control device for acquiring a current value or a load factor of the motor, calculating the amount of change of the load factor of the motor per unit time based on the current value or load factor of the motor, and detecting the anomaly of the electric field adjusting member when the amount of change of the load factor of the motor per unit time is detected to be over a prescribed threshold level.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to a plating apparatus and a plating method. [Background technology]

[0002] Wiring and bumps (projecting electrodes) are formed on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a printed circuit board. Electrolytic plating is known as a method for forming wiring and bumps. In a plating apparatus for electrolytic plating, a substrate (wafer) is placed facing an anode in a plating solution, and a current is passed from the anode to the substrate using the substrate as a cathode, thereby forming a metal plating film on the substrate surface. In such a plating apparatus, an anode mask for adjusting the electric field between the anode and the substrate may be disposed in order to adjust the electric field from the anode to the substrate. Examples of anode masks include those described in Japanese Patent No. 6538541 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-56164 (Patent Document 2). Such an anode mask has an opening that passes the electric field (current) from the anode, and has a movable member in the shape of a blade or vane for adjusting the size of the opening. The blade or vane is adjusted, for example, by power from a motor.

[0003] Meanwhile, a method for detecting failures of various devices such as an anode mask in semiconductor manufacturing equipment is described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 6860406 (Patent Document 3). In this failure detection method, multiple failure models are prepared, a feature vector of a measured physical quantity is compared with the feature vectors of the multiple failure models at each time point, a failure model that minimizes the deviation between the two is determined, and a failure prediction time is calculated from the determined failure model. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6538541 specification [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-56164 A [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6860406 Specification Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Although the failure detection method using the failure model can accurately detect the signs of failure of various devices during the operation of the plating apparatus over a long period of time, there are cases where the abnormality or damage of the devices occurs without any signs of failure or immediately after the signs of failure. In addition, when the anode mask starts to operate, the difference between the current during normal and abnormal conditions is small, making it difficult to detect the abnormality or damage of the anode mask. If the anode mask is not noticed and plating processing is continued in the damaged state, plating processing with an abnormality may be performed, which may result in wafer scrap.

[0006] In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to stop the operation of the device and prevent the anode mask from being damaged before it is damaged. For example, when detecting an abnormality by comparing the load factor of a motor that drives an anode mask whose opening diameter is changeable with a threshold, in actual operation, the threshold for detecting the abnormality may be set a little higher to prevent false detection of anode mask damage. In this case, there is a time lag between when the load factor starts to increase and when it exceeds the threshold. Even if the operation of the device is stopped after the load factor exceeds the threshold, it may be too late and the anode mask may be damaged. If the anode mask is damaged, there is a risk that downtime will be required for recovery work and costs such as part replacement will be incurred.

[0007] One of the objects of the present invention is to improve the accuracy of detecting abnormalities in various devices and / or to speed up the timing of abnormality detection. Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to detect an abnormality in various devices such as an electric field adjusting member at the start of operation of the device when the abnormality occurs. Another object of the present invention is to detect an abnormality in various devices such as an electric field adjusting member before the device is damaged, stop the operation of the device, and prevent damage in advance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plating apparatus for plating a substrate, comprising: an anode arranged to face the substrate; an electric field adjustment member having an opening arranged between the substrate and the anode, the electric field adjustment member having an opening adjustment member for changing a dimension of the opening; a motor for driving the opening adjustment member; and a control device that acquires a current value or a load factor of the motor, calculates a change in the load factor of the motor per unit time from the current value or the load factor of the motor, and detects an abnormality in the electric field adjustment member when it is detected that the change in the load factor of the motor per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold value. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall layout diagram of a plating apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a plating module. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of an anode mask. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of an anode mask. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration relating to abnormality detection control. [Figure 6A] 11 is a graph showing the change over time in the motor load factor during operation of the anode mask. [Figure 6B] 11 is a graph showing the change over time in the motor load factor during operation of the anode mask. [Figure 6C] 11 is a graph showing the change over time in the motor load factor during operation of the anode mask. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the principle of anomaly detection according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating timing of abnormality detection according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart of an anomaly detection according to an embodiment. [Figure 10]1 is a flowchart of an anomaly detection according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the accompanying drawings, identical or similar elements are given identical or similar reference symbols, and duplicated descriptions of identical or similar elements may be omitted in the description of each embodiment. Furthermore, features shown in each embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as long as they are not mutually inconsistent.

[0011] In this specification, the term "substrate" includes not only semiconductor substrates, glass substrates, liquid crystal substrates, and printed circuit boards, but also magnetic recording media, magnetic recording sensors, mirrors, optical elements, micromechanical elements, partially fabricated integrated circuits, and any other object to be processed. Substrates include those of any shape, including polygonal and circular shapes. In addition, expressions such as "front", "rear", "front", "back", "upper", "lower", "left", and "right" are used in this specification, but these indicate positions and directions on the paper of the illustrative drawings for the convenience of explanation, and may differ in the actual arrangement when the device is used, etc.

[0012] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is an overall layout diagram of a plating apparatus according to one embodiment. The plating apparatus 100 performs plating processing on a substrate while the substrate is held by a substrate holder 11 (FIG. 2). The plating apparatus 100 is broadly divided into a load / unload station 110 for loading a substrate onto the substrate holder 11 or unloading a substrate from the substrate holder 11, a processing station 120 for processing the substrate, and a cleaning station 50a. The processing station 120 cleans the substrate. The system includes a pre-treatment / post-treatment station 120A for performing pre-treatment and post-treatment of the board, and a plating station 120B for performing plating treatment on the board.

[0013] The load / unload station 110 has one or more cassette tables 25 and a substrate mounting / removal module 29. The cassette table 25 carries a cassette 25a containing substrates. The substrate mounting / removal module 29 is configured to mount and remove substrates to and from the substrate holder 11. A stocker 30 for accommodating the substrate holder 11 is provided near (for example, below) the substrate mounting / removal module 29. The cleaning station 50a has a cleaning module 50 that cleans and dries substrates after plating. The cleaning module 50 is, for example, a spin rinse dryer.

[0014] A transfer robot 27 that transfers substrates between these units is disposed in a position surrounded by the cassette table 25, the substrate loading / unloading module 29, and the cleaning station 50a. The transfer robot 27 is configured to be movable by a traveling mechanism 28. The transfer robot 27 is configured to, for example, take out the substrate before plating from the cassette 25a and transport it to the substrate loading / unloading module 29, receive the substrate after plating from the substrate loading / unloading module 29, transport the substrate after plating to the cleaning module 50, and take out the cleaned and dried substrate from the cleaning module 50 and store it in the cassette 25a.

[0015] The pre-treatment / post-treatment station 120A includes a pre-wet module 32, a pre-soak module 33, a first rinse module 34, a blow module 35, and a second rinse module 36. The pre-wet module 32 wets the surface of the substrate to be plated with a treatment liquid such as pure water or degassed water before plating, thereby replacing the air inside the pattern formed on the substrate surface with the treatment liquid. The pre-wet module 32 is configured to perform a pre-wet treatment that replaces the treatment liquid inside the pattern with a plating liquid during plating, thereby making it easier to supply the plating liquid to the inside of the pattern. The pre-soak module 33 is configured to perform a pre-soak treatment that etches and removes an oxide film with high electrical resistance that exists on the surface of a seed layer formed on the surface of the substrate to be plated before plating, for example, with a treatment liquid such as sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid, thereby cleaning or activating the surface of the plating base. In the first rinse module 34, the substrate after pre-soaking is cleaned with a cleaning liquid (pure water, etc.) together with the substrate holder 11. In the blow module 35, the substrate after cleaning is drained. In the second rinsing module 36, the plated substrate is rinsed with a cleaning solution together with the substrate holder 11. The pre-wet module 32, the pre-soak module 33, the first rinsing module 34, the blow module 35, and the second rinsing module 36 are arranged in this order. Note that this configuration is merely an example, and the pre-treatment / post-treatment station 120A is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and other configurations may be adopted.

[0016] The plating station 120B has a plating module 40 having a plating tank 39 and an overflow tank 38. The plating tank 39 is divided into a plurality of plating cells. Each plating cell accommodates one substrate therein, and the substrate is immersed in the plating solution held therein to perform plating such as copper plating on the substrate surface. Here, the type of plating solution is not particularly limited, and various plating solutions are used depending on the application. The configuration of this plating station 120B is one example, and other configurations can be adopted for the plating station 120B.

[0017] The plating apparatus 100 includes a transfer device 37, which is positioned to the side of each of these devices and transfers the substrate holder 11 together with the substrate between these devices, and which employs, for example, a linear motor system. The transfer device 37 includes one or more transporters, and the substrate mounting / removal module 29, the stocker 30, the pre-wet module 32, the pre-soak module 33, the first rinse module 34, the blow module 35, the second rinse module 36, the second rinse module 37, the second rinse module 38, the second rinse module 39, the second rinse module 40, the second rinse module 41, the second rinse module 42, the second rinse module 43, the second rinse module 44, the second rinse module 45, the second rinse module 46, the second rinse module 47, the second rinse module 48, the second rinse module 49 ...9, the second rinse module 49, the second rinse module 49, the second rinse module 49, the second rinse module 49, the second rinse module 49, the second rinse It is configured to transport the substrate holder 11 between the rinsing module 36 and the plating module 40 .

[0018] The plating apparatus 100 configured as above includes a control module (controller) 175 as a control unit configured to control each of the above-mentioned parts. The controller 175 includes a memory 175B storing a predetermined program, and a CPU 175A executing the program in the memory 175B. The storage medium configuring the memory 175B stores various setting data, various programs including a program for controlling the plating apparatus 100, and the like. The programs include, for example, a program for carrying out the transport control of the transport robot 27, the control of mounting and demounting the substrate to and from the substrate holder 11 in the substrate mounting and demounting module 29, the transport control of the transport device 37, the control of the process in each process module, the control of the plating process in the plating module, the control of the cleaning station 50a, and a program for detecting anomalies in various devices. The storage medium may include a non-volatile and / or volatile storage medium. As the storage medium, for example, a computer-readable memory such as a ROM, a RAM, or a flash memory, or a disk-shaped storage medium such as a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a flexible disk, or other known storage medium may be used.

[0019] The controller 175 is configured to be able to communicate with a host controller (not shown) that controls the plating apparatus 100 and other related apparatuses, and can exchange data with a database held by the host controller. A part or all of the functions of the controller 175 can be configured with hardware such as an ASIC. A part or all of the functions of the controller 175 may be configured with a PLC, a sequencer, etc. A part or all of the controller 175 can be disposed inside and / or outside the housing of the plating apparatus 100. A part or all of the controller 175 is connected to each part of the plating apparatus 100 by wire and / or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with them.

[0020] (Plating module) 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a plating module 40. As shown in the figure, the plating apparatus 10 according to this embodiment has an anode holder 20 configured to hold an anode 21, a substrate holder 11 configured to hold a substrate W, and a plating tank 39 that houses the anode holder 20 and the substrate holder 11 therein. Here, only the configuration corresponding to one plating cell is shown.

[0021] 2, plating tank 39 contains plating solution Q containing an additive. Overflow tank 38 receives and discharges plating solution Q that overflows from plating tank 39. Plating tank 39 and overflow tank 38 are separated by a partition wall 55.

[0022] The anode holder 20 holding the anode 21 and the substrate holder 11 holding the substrate W are immersed in plating solution Q in a plating tank 39, and are provided facing each other so that the anode 21 and the surface W1 to be plated of the substrate W are approximately parallel to each other. A voltage is applied from a plating power supply 59 to the anode 21 and the substrate W while they are immersed in the plating solution Q in the plating tank 39. As a result, metal ions are reduced on the surface W1 to be plated of the substrate W, and a plating film is formed on the surface W1 to be plated.

[0023] The plating tank 39 has a plating solution supply port 56 for supplying the plating solution Q into the tank. The overflow tank 38 has a plating solution discharge port 57 for discharging the plating solution Q that has overflowed from the plating tank 39. The plating solution supply port 56 is disposed at the bottom of the plating tank 39, and the plating solution discharge port 57 is disposed at the bottom of the overflow tank 38.

[0024] When the plating solution Q is supplied to the plating tank 39 from the plating solution supply port 56, the plating solution Q overflows from the plating tank 39, passes over the partition wall 55, and flows into the overflow tank 38. The plating solution Q that has flowed into the wax tank 38 is discharged from a plating solution outlet 57, and impurities are removed by a filter or the like of a plating solution circulating device 58. The plating solution Q from which the impurities have been removed is supplied to the plating tank 39 by the plating solution circulating device 58 through a plating solution supply port 56.

[0025] The anode holder 20 has an anode mask 250 for adjusting the electric field between the anode 21 and the substrate W. The anode mask 250 is, for example, a substantially plate-shaped member made of a dielectric material, and is provided on the front surface of the anode holder 20. Here, the front surface of the anode holder 20 refers to the surface facing the substrate holder 11. That is, the anode mask 250 is disposed between the anode 21 and the substrate holder 11. The anode mask 250 has an opening 250a at the substantially central portion through which the current (electric field) flowing between the anode 21 and the substrate W passes. The diameter of the opening 250a is preferably smaller than the diameter of the anode 21. As described later, the anode mask 250 is configured to be capable of adjusting the diameter of the opening 250a.

[0026] The anode mask 250 has an anode mask attachment portion 250b on its outer periphery for integrally attaching the anode mask 250 to the anode holder 20. The position of the anode mask 250 may be between the anode holder 20 and the substrate holder 11, but is preferably closer to the anode holder 20 than the intermediate position between the anode holder 20 and the substrate holder 11. For example, the anode mask 250 may be disposed in front of the anode holder 20 without being attached to the anode holder 20. However, when the anode mask 250 is attached to the anode holder 20 as in this embodiment, the relative position of the anode mask 250 with respect to the anode holder 20 is fixed, so that it is possible to prevent the position of the anode 21 from being misaligned with the position of the opening 250a.

[0027] The anode 21 held by the anode holder 20 is preferably an insoluble anode. When the anode 21 is an insoluble anode, the anode 21 does not dissolve even as the plating process progresses, and the shape of the anode 21 does not change. Therefore, the positional relationship (distance) between the anode mask 250 and the surface of the anode 21 does not change, so that it is possible to prevent a change in the electric field between the anode 21 and the substrate W due to a change in the positional relationship between the anode mask 250 and the surface of the anode 21.

[0028] The plating apparatus 10 further includes a regulation plate (intermediate mask) 60 for adjusting the current between the anode 21 and the substrate W. The regulation plate 60 is a substantially plate-shaped member made of, for example, a dielectric material, and is disposed between the anode mask 250 and the substrate holder 11 (substrate W). The regulation plate 60 has an opening 60a through which the current (electric field) flowing between the anode 21 and the substrate W passes. The diameter of the opening 60a is preferably smaller than the diameter of the substrate W. As will be described later, the regulation plate 60 is configured to be able to adjust the diameter of the opening 60a.

[0029] The regulation plate 60 is preferably located closer to the substrate holder 11 than the midpoint between the anode holder 20 and the substrate holder 11. The closer the regulation plate 60 is located to the substrate holder 11, the more accurately the film thickness at the peripheral portion of the substrate W can be controlled by adjusting the diameter of the opening 60a of the regulation plate 60.

[0030] A paddle 18 for stirring the plating solution Q in the vicinity of the plating surface W1 of the substrate W is provided between the regulation plate 60 and the substrate holder 11. The paddle 18 is a substantially rod-shaped member, and is provided in the plating tank 39 so as to face in the vertical direction. One end of the paddle 18 is fixed to a paddle driving device 19. The paddle 18 is moved horizontally along the plating surface W1 of the substrate W by the paddle driving device 19, thereby stirring the plating solution Q.

[0031] Next, the anode mask 250 shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail. FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic front views of the anode mask 250. FIG. 3 shows the anode mask 250 when the diameter of the opening 250a is relatively large. FIG. 4 shows the anode mask 250 when the diameter of the opening 250a is relatively small. Here, the smaller the opening 250a of the anode mask 250, the more the current flowing from the anode 21 to the substrate W is concentrated in the center of the plated surface W1 of the substrate W. Therefore, when the opening 250a is made smaller, the film thickness in the center of the plated surface W1 of the substrate W tends to increase.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3, the anode mask 250 has a substantially annular edge 260. The diameter of the opening 250a of the anode mask 250 shown in Fig. 3 is maximum. The diameter of the opening 250a in this case is equal to the inner diameter of the edge 260.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, the anode mask 250 has a plurality of aperture blades 270 (aperture adjustment members) configured to adjust the aperture 250a. The aperture blades 270 cooperate to define the aperture 250a. Each of the aperture blades 270 expands or reduces the diameter of the aperture 250a (adjusts the size of the aperture 250a) by a structure similar to that of the aperture mechanism of a camera. The aperture 250a of the anode mask 250 shown in FIG. 4 is formed in a non-circular shape (e.g., polygonal shape) by the aperture blades 270. In this case, the diameter of the aperture 250a refers to the shortest distance between the opposing sides of the polygon, or the diameter of the inscribed circle. Alternatively, the diameter of the aperture 250a can be defined as the diameter of a circle having an area equivalent to the aperture area. The distance between the anode 21 and the surface of the aperture blade 270 facing the anode 21 is, for example, 0 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

[0034] Each of the aperture blades 270 is configured to be driven by using a driving force from a motor 251 (see FIG. 5). The adjustment mechanism using the aperture blades 270 has the feature that the aperture 250a can be varied over a relatively wide range. In addition, when the substrate is circular, it is desirable that the aperture 250a of the anode mask 250 is circular. However, in the aperture 250a whose diameter is variable over a relatively wide range, it is mechanically difficult to maintain a perfect circle shape over the entire range from the minimum diameter to the maximum diameter of the aperture 250a. In general, if the aperture through which the current flowing between the anode 21 and the substrate W passes is not a perfect circle, the azimuth angle distribution of the electric field becomes uneven, and the shape of the aperture may be transferred to the plating film thickness distribution formed on the periphery of the substrate W. However, since the anode mask 250 is attached integrally to the anode holder 20, a sufficient distance from the substrate can be secured, and even if the aperture is not a perfect circle, the effect on the plating film thickness distribution can be minimized.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration related to abnormality detection control. In the figure, the equipment controller 176 and the operation screen computer 177 are an example of the configuration included in the control module 175. The operation screen computer 176 is a computer for inputting setting parameters of various devices, recipes for processing in the plating equipment, etc., to the equipment controller 176, and is equipped with a display device such as a monitor, a keyboard, and an input device such as a mouse. The operation screen computer 176 sets a threshold value for the amount of change per unit time of the load factor of the motor 251 (load factor change rate) described later for the equipment controller 176. In addition, the equipment computer 177 receives an alarm notification from the equipment controller 176 notifying of an abnormality in the anode mask 250.

[0036] The equipment controller 176 controls each part of the plating equipment based on the setting parameters, recipes, programs, etc. of various devices set by the operation screen computer 177, and is composed of, for example, a PLC, a sequencer, etc. The equipment controller 176 can have any of the configurations described above as the configuration of the control module 800. The equipment controller 176 sends a control signal to the drive circuit 252 based on the recipe to drive (move) the aperture blades 270 so that the aperture diameter (aperture dimension) of the anode mask 250 becomes the recipe set value. The device controller 176 is also configured to receive a detection value (feedback signal) of the motor current or the motor load factor from the motor 251, or a detection value (feedback signal) of the motor current from an ammeter connected to the motor 251, and execute an abnormality detection process for the anode mask 250.

[0037] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the anode mask 250 has the aperture blade 270 driven (moved) by the power of the motor 251. The motor 251 may be incorporated inside the anode mask 250 or may be provided outside the anode mask 250. The motor 251 may be connected to the aperture blade 270 of the anode mask 250 via a reducer (not shown). The motor 251 may be one that outputs a motor current and / or a motor load factor detected by a built-in ammeter and / or a detection circuit 253A. The detection circuit is a load factor detection circuit that calculates / detects the motor load factor based on the detection value of the motor current. The motor current and / or the motor load factor detected by the motor 251 is output to the device controller 176. In addition, the motor current and / or the motor load factor of the motor 251 may be detected by a separate ammeter and / or a detection circuit 253B connected to the motor 251 and output to the device controller 176. Both the ammeter and / or detection circuit 253A and the ammeter and / or detection circuit 253B may be provided, or only one of them may be provided. In the abnormality detection control, the outputs of both the ammeter and / or detection circuit 253A and the ammeter and / or detection circuit 253B may be used, or only one of them may be used.

[0038] The motor 251 is driven by power (current) supplied from a drive circuit 252. The drive circuit 252 receives power from a power source (not shown), generates a current for driving the motor 251 based on a control signal from the controller 175, and supplies the current to the motor 251. The drive circuit 252 can be configured with a switching circuit, a DC / DC converter, etc.

[0039] Figures 6A to 6C are graphs showing the change over time of the motor load factor when the anode mask is operating. Figure 6A shows the motor load factor curve C0 when the anode mask is operating normally. Figure 6B shows the motor load factor curves C1 and C2 when an anode mask abnormality can be detected by the motor load factor threshold. Figure 6C shows the change over time of the motor load factor curves C3 and C4 when an anode mask abnormality cannot be detected by the motor load factor threshold.

[0040] The motor load factor is defined as the ratio of the motor current value to the rated current value and is expressed by the following formula. Motor load factor = Motor current value [A] / Rated current value [A] x 100 [%] The rate of change of the motor load factor (also referred to as the motor load factor change rate) is the amount of change in the motor load factor per unit time, and corresponds to the slope of the motor load factor curves in FIGS. 6A to 6C.

[0041] The motor load factor threshold (also referred to as load factor threshold) TR is set as a threshold for detecting an abnormality in the anode mask 250 based on the motor load factor, and when the motor load factor exceeds the load factor threshold TR, an abnormality in the anode mask 250 is detected. The abnormality in the anode mask 250 includes an abnormality in the aperture blade 270 (aperture adjustment member), the motor 251, the drive circuit 252, and other parts related to the operation of the anode mask 250.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6A, when the anode mask 250 is normal, the motor load factor rises when the supply of motor current starts (when the anode mask 250 starts operating), and after a period during which it saturates at a constant value and does not change (during the operation of the anode mask 250), the operation ends (when the anode mask 250 ends operating). During this time, the motor load factor does not exceed the load factor threshold TR, as shown by the curve C0. Here, the "start of operation" of the anode mask 250 refers to the period from when the supply of current to the motor 251 starts until the motor load factor rises and saturates (the period during which the motor load factor rises linearly in FIGS. 6A to 6C). The anode mask The "during operation" in 250 refers to the period after the motor load rate is saturated. Note that the motor load rate at the start of operation does not necessarily have to increase linearly and may change in other ways. The motor load rate during operation does not necessarily have to be a constant value and may change in other ways. The motor load rate at the end of operation does not necessarily have to decrease linearly and may change in other ways.

[0043] As shown by motor load factor curve C1 in Fig. 6B, if there is a change in the motor load factor that exceeds the load factor threshold TR at the start of the anode mask operation, it is possible to detect an abnormality in the anode mask 250 based on the motor load factor. Also, as shown by motor load factor curve C2 in Fig. 6B, if there is a change in the motor load factor that exceeds the load factor threshold TR during the anode mask operation, it is possible to detect an abnormality in the anode mask 250.

[0044] On the other hand, as shown in the motor load rate curve C3 in FIG. 6C, even if an abnormality occurs in the anode mask 250 at the start of the anode mask operation, if the motor load rate does not exceed the load rate threshold TR, the abnormality of the anode mask 250 cannot be detected. Also, as shown in the motor load rate curve C4 in FIG. 6C, even if an abnormality occurs in the anode mask 250 during the anode mask operation, if the motor load rate does not exceed the load rate threshold TR, the abnormality of the anode mask 250 cannot be detected. In actual operation, in order to prevent erroneous detection of anode mask damage, the threshold for abnormality detection may be set slightly higher, and even if an abnormality occurs in the anode mask 250, a change in the motor load rate exceeding the load rate threshold TR may not be detected. In particular, at the start of the anode mask operation, the values ​​of the motor current and the motor load rate are small, so that even if an abnormality occurs in the anode mask, the load rate may not exceed the load rate threshold TR, making it difficult to detect the abnormality.

[0045] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the principle of abnormality detection according to an embodiment. This diagram shows an enlarged view of the motor load factor curve C3 in FIG. 6C near the start of operation. As shown in FIG. 7, even if the motor load factor curve C3 shows a change that deviates from the normal motor load factor curve C0 at the start of the anode mask operation, if the motor load factor curve C3 does not exceed the load factor threshold TR, an abnormality in the anode mask cannot be detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the change amount per unit time of the motor load factor (motor load factor change rate) is detected and compared with the threshold value of the motor load factor change rate (also referred to as the load factor change rate threshold) TRR to detect an abnormality in the anode mask.

[0046] For example, in FIG. 7, in the normal motor load factor curve C0, the motor load factor changes from 0% to 20% during 500 msec from the start of operation, so 20[%] / 500[msec]=0.04[% / msec], and the load factor change rate threshold TRR is set to 0.04[% / msec]. On the other hand, in the motor load factor curve C3, the motor load factor increases by 10% from 6% to 16% during 100 msec from time 150 msec to 250 msec, so 10[%] / 100[msec]=0.10[% / msec]. Therefore, the motor load factor change rate of 0.10[% / msec] from time 150 msec to 250 msec on the motor load factor curve C3 exceeds the motor load factor change rate threshold of 0.04[% / msec], making it possible to detect an abnormality in the anode mask 250. The load factor change rate threshold TRR may be set by adding a predetermined tolerance to the load factor change rate based on the motor load factor curve C0 in normal operation to prevent erroneous detection of an abnormality (load factor change rate threshold TRR>load factor change rate based on the motor load factor curve C0 in normal operation). In Fig. 7, for the sake of convenience in order to facilitate understanding of the detection principle, an example is given in which the load factor change rate is calculated from the amount of change in the load factor in a period of 500 msec and a period of 100 msec, but the detection time (sampling time) for detecting the load factor change rate can be set arbitrarily within the range of the performance of the detector and the calculation circuit, and can be set to about several msec in actual control.

[0047] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the timing of abnormality detection according to an embodiment. In the figure, the motor load factor curve C2 shows a case where the motor load factor starts to rise at time 260 msec during operation (when the motor load factor is saturated) and exceeds the load factor threshold TR at time 267 msec (time point P2). In the conventional abnormality detection method using the load factor threshold TR, it takes 7 msec from the time the motor load factor starts to change (from the time it starts to deviate from the normal value) until an abnormality in the anode mask is detected. On the other hand, according to the abnormality detection method using the load factor change rate threshold TRR according to the present embodiment, an abnormality can be detected at time point P1, several msec after the motor load factor starts to change at time 260 msec (from the time it starts to deviate from the normal value). This time is determined according to the sampling period for detecting the motor load factor change rate, or the time of the abnormality detection control cycle for detecting the motor load factor change rate and comparing it with the threshold TRR. Therefore, according to the abnormality detection method of this embodiment (a method of comparing with the load factor change rate threshold TRR), an abnormality can be detected earlier than the conventional abnormality detection method (a method of comparing with the load factor threshold TR), and it becomes possible to stop the operation of the anode mask before it is actually damaged.

[0048] According to this embodiment, unlike the conventional detection method (setting of load factor threshold TR), there is a small time lag from when the load factor starts to increase (when the load factor deviation starts) until it is detected that the load factor change rate has exceeded the load factor change rate threshold TRR. This makes it possible to detect an abnormality earlier and to stop the operation of the anode mask before it is damaged.

[0049] 9 and 10 are flowcharts of anomaly detection according to one embodiment. In step S10, a plating cell to be used is determined from among a plurality of plating cells for each substrate to be plated. In step S11, the operation of the anode mask 250 is started (the motor 251 starts driving the aperture blade 270) in order to change the aperture diameter (aperture dimension) of the anode mask 250 of the plating cell to be used. In step S12, the motor current or motor load factor of the motor 251 that drives the anode mask 250 is obtained from the ammeter and / or detection circuit 253A (ammeter and / or detection circuit 253B), and the motor load factor change rate, which is the amount of change in the motor load factor per unit time, is calculated (detection of the motor load factor change rate). In step S13, it is determined whether or not the detected motor load factor change rate exceeds the load factor change rate threshold value TRR. If the motor load factor change rate does not exceed the load factor change rate threshold value TRR as a result, the process proceeds to step S18 in FIG. 10. On the other hand, if the motor load rate change rate exceeds the load rate change rate threshold TRR, an alarm is issued (step S14), the introduction of substrates into the plating cell where the alarm was generated is stopped, the plating cell is made unused / unusable, and the introduction of subsequent substrates into the plating cell is prohibited (step S15). In addition, it is determined whether or not there is an alternative plating cell for processing the substrate that was scheduled to be processed in the plating cell (step S16). If there is an alternative plating cell, the process returns to step S10, and the alternative plating cell is determined again as the plating cell to be used for the substrate, and the process from step S11 onwards is repeated. On the other hand, if there is no alternative plating cell, the substrate is collected because processing cannot be continued (step S17).

[0050] In step S13, if the detected motor load rate change rate does not exceed the load rate change rate threshold TRR, the substrate is inserted into the plating cell (step S18), the plating process of the substrate is started (step S19), and the plating process is performed for a set time (step S20). Next, in step S21, it is determined whether or not there has been a change in the opening diameter of the anode mask 250. If there has been no change in the opening diameter of the anode mask 250, the plating process is completed (step S31), and the substrate is removed (step S32).

[0051] When it is determined in step S21 that the opening diameter of the anode mask 250 is to be changed, the process proceeds to step S22. In order to achieve this, the operation of the anode mask 250 is started (the motor 251 starts driving the aperture blades 270). In step S23, the motor current or motor load factor of the motor 251 that drives the anode mask 250 is acquired, and the motor load factor change rate, which is the amount of change in the motor load factor per unit time, is calculated (detection of the motor load factor change rate). In step S24, it is determined whether or not the motor load factor change rate exceeds the load factor change rate threshold TRR. If the motor load factor change rate does not exceed the load factor change rate threshold TRR, the plating process is carried out for a set time (step S30). Thereafter, the plating process is completed (step S31), and the substrate is removed (step S32). After step S30, the process may return to step S21, and it may be determined whether or not there is a change in the opening diameter of the anode mask 250.

[0052] In step S24, if the motor load rate change rate exceeds the load rate change rate threshold TRR, an alarm is issued (step S25), the plating process of the substrate is carried out for a set time (step S26), the plating process is completed (step S27), and the substrate is removed (step S28). In addition, the plating cell for which the alarm was issued is made unused / unusable, and the introduction of subsequent substrates into that plating cell is prohibited (step S29).

[0053] According to this embodiment, the motor load factor change rate is monitored, and when the motor load factor change rate exceeds the load factor change rate threshold TRR, an abnormality in the anode mask 250 is detected. Therefore, even when the anode mask starts operating when the motor current value and motor load factor are small, an abnormality in the anode mask can be detected.

[0054] According to this embodiment, it is possible to detect that the motor load factor change rate has exceeded the load factor change rate threshold value TRR even before the motor load factor has reached the load factor threshold value TR, and the time lag from when the motor load factor starts to deviate from the normal value until an abnormality is detected can be significantly reduced, making it possible to detect an abnormality in the anode mask in a shorter time. This allows the operation of the anode mask to be stopped before it is actually damaged. This can be done more reliably.

[0055] (Other embodiments) (1) In the above, the case of adjusting the diameter of the opening of an anode mask used for a circular substrate has been described, but when the opening is rectangular, such as in the anode mask for a rectangular substrate described in Patent Document 2, the size of the opening may be adjusted to change the length of the opening in at least one direction (vertical or horizontal). In this specification, adjusting the size of the opening includes adjusting the diameter of the opening. (2) Although the above describes the detection of an abnormality in an anode mask, the present invention can also be applied to the detection of an abnormality in other devices driven by a motor. For example, when the size of the opening of another electric field adjustment member such as a regulation plate (intermediate mask) is adjusted by a motor, the above embodiment can be used to detect an abnormality in such an electric field adjustment device. The above embodiment can also be used to detect an abnormality in any equipment driven by a motor.

[0056] The present invention can also be described in the following forms. [1] According to one embodiment, there is provided a plating apparatus for plating a substrate, comprising: an anode arranged to face the substrate; an electric field adjustment member having an opening arranged between the substrate and the anode, the electric field adjustment member having an opening adjustment member for changing a dimension of the opening; a motor for driving the opening adjustment member; and a control device that acquires a current value or a load factor of the motor, calculates a change in the load factor of the motor per unit time from the current value or the load factor of the motor, and detects an abnormality in the electric field adjustment member when it is detected that the change in the load factor of the motor per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[0057] According to this embodiment, the motor load rate change rate is monitored, and when the motor load rate change rate exceeds the load rate change rate threshold, an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member is detected. Therefore, even when the motor current value and motor load rate are small (such as at the start of operation), an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0058] According to this embodiment, even before the motor load rate exceeds the motor load rate threshold, it is possible to detect that the change amount per unit time of the motor load rate exceeds the load rate change rate threshold, and the time lag from when the motor load rate starts to deviate from the normal value to when an abnormality is detected can be significantly reduced, and an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member can be detected in a shorter time. This makes it easier to detect an abnormality and stop the electric field adjusting member before it is damaged.

[0059] [2] According to one embodiment, the control device detects an abnormality in the electric field adjustment member when the opening adjustment member starts to operate after the current in the motor starts to increase and reaches saturation.

[0060] According to this aspect, when the electric field adjusting member starts to operate when the motor current value and the motor load factor are small, an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0061] [3] According to one embodiment, the control device detects, during operation after the member for changing the dimension of the opening starts, that a change in the load rate of the motor per unit time from the current value of the motor exceeds a predetermined threshold before the load rate of the motor exceeds a predetermined threshold, and detects an abnormality in the electric field adjustment member.

[0062] According to this embodiment, it is possible to detect an abnormality by detecting that the change in the motor load rate per unit time exceeds the threshold before the motor load rate exceeds the motor load rate threshold, making it easier to detect an abnormality and stop the electric field adjusting member before it is damaged.

[0063] [4] According to one embodiment, the apparatus includes a plurality of plating cells each having the anode and the electric field adjustment member, and the control device determines a plating cell in which a substrate is plated, starts driving the opening adjustment member of the electric field adjustment member in the determined plating cell before the substrate is loaded, and stops loading the substrate into the plating cell when it detects that the change in load rate of the motor per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[0064] According to this embodiment, before the substrate is introduced into the plating cell, an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member can be accurately detected, and when an abnormality is detected, the introduction of the substrate into the plating cell can be stopped. Therefore, the substrate can be prevented from being plated in the plating cell, and the disposal of the substrate can be suppressed or prevented. Furthermore, the substrate whose introduction into the plating cell has been stopped can be introduced into another plating cell for plating.

[0065] [5] According to one embodiment, the control device determines whether there is another plating cell into which the substrate whose introduction into the plating cell has been stopped can be introduced, and if there is another plating cell into which the substrate can be introduced, introduces the substrate into the other plating cell.

[0066] According to this embodiment, the substrate that has been discontinued from being put into the plating cell can be put into another plating cell for plating processing, thereby preventing a decrease in throughput.

[0067] [6] According to one embodiment, the control device changes the size of the opening of the electric field adjusting member a plurality of times for plating processing of one substrate, Each time the size of the opening is changed, a process is performed to detect an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member based on the amount of change per unit time in the load factor of the motor.

[0068] According to this aspect, since the abnormality detection process for the electric field adjusting member is performed every time the size of the electric field adjusting member is adjusted, abnormalities in the electric field adjusting member can be detected more accurately and earlier.

[0069] [7] According to one embodiment, after starting the plating process of the substrate, the control device changes the dimension of the opening of the electric field adjustment member, and if an abnormality is detected in the electric field adjustment member, continues the plating process on the substrate and then disables the plating cell.

[0070] According to this embodiment, even if an abnormality is detected in the electric field adjustment member, the substrate may be plated without any abnormality. Therefore, if an abnormality in the electric field adjustment member is detected after the plating process has started, the plating process on the substrate is continued and the plating is completed, thereby minimizing scrapping of the substrate as much as possible.

[0071] [8] According to one embodiment, the electric field adjusting member is an anode mask disposed between the substrate and the anode and closer to the anode than the substrate.

[0072] According to this aspect, the above-mentioned advantageous effects can be obtained with respect to the anode mask.

[0073] [9] According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for plating a substrate, comprising: driving an aperture adjustment member, the aperture being disposed between the substrate and an anode, by a motor to change a size of the aperture of the electric field adjustment member; acquiring a current value or a load factor of the motor, calculating a change in the load factor of the motor per unit time from the current value or the load factor of the motor, and detecting an abnormality in the electric field adjustment member when it is detected that the change in the load factor of the motor per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[10] According to one embodiment, there is provided a storage medium having stored thereon a program for causing a computer to execute a method for detecting an abnormality in an electric field adjusting member of a plating apparatus, the storage medium having stored thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the following steps: driving an opening adjustment member, which has an opening disposed between the substrate and an anode, by a motor, for changing a dimension of the opening of the electric field adjusting member; acquiring a current value or a load factor of the motor, calculating a change in the load factor of the motor per unit time from the current value or the load factor of the motor, and detecting an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member when it is detected that the change in the load factor of the motor per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[0074] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-mentioned embodiment of the invention is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof. Furthermore, within the scope of being able to solve at least a part of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve at least a part of the effects, any combination of the embodiments and modifications is possible, and any combination or omission of each component described in the claims and specification is possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 11 Substrate holder 20 Anode Mask 21 Anode 38 Overflow tank 39 Plating tank (plating cell) 40 Plating Module 50 Cleaning Module 60 Regulation Plate 60a Opening 110 Load / Unload Station 120 Processing Stations 120A Pre-treatment / Post-treatment Station 120B Plating Station 120B 175 Control Module 175A CPU 175B Memory 176 Equipment Controller 177 Operation screen computer 250 Anode Mask 250a aperture 250b Anode mask attachment part 251 Motor 252 Drive circuit 253A, 253B Ammeter and / or detection circuit 260 Edge 270 Aperture Blades

Claims

1. 1. A plating apparatus for plating a substrate, comprising: an anode disposed opposite the substrate; an electric field adjusting member having an aperture disposed between the substrate and the anode, the electric field adjusting member having an aperture adjusting member for varying a size of the aperture; A motor that drives the opening adjustment member; a control device that acquires a current value or a load factor of the motor, calculates a change in the load factor of the motor per unit time from the current value or the load factor of the motor, and detects an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member when it detects that the change in the load factor of the motor per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold value; A plating apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The plating apparatus according to claim 1, The control device detects an abnormality in the electric field adjustment member when the opening adjustment member starts to operate after the current in the motor starts to increase and reaches saturation.

3. 3. The plating apparatus according to claim 1, The control device detects, during operation after the member for changing the dimension of the opening starts to operate, that the change in the load rate of the motor per unit time from the current value of the motor exceeds a predetermined threshold value before the load rate of the motor exceeds the predetermined threshold value, and detects an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member, in the plating apparatus.

4. 4. The plating apparatus according to claim 1, a plurality of plating cells each having the anode and the electric field adjusting member; The control device determines a plating cell for plating a substrate, starts driving the opening adjustment member of the electric field adjustment member in the determined plating cell before the substrate is loaded, and when it detects that a change in load factor of the motor per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold value, The plating apparatus stops feeding the substrate into the plating cell.

5. 5. The plating apparatus according to claim 4, The control device determines whether there is another plating cell into which the substrate whose introduction into the plating cell has been stopped can be introduced, and if there is another plating cell into which the substrate can be introduced, introduces the substrate into that other plating cell.

6. 6. The plating apparatus according to claim 4, The control device includes: The size of the opening of the electric field adjusting member is changed multiple times for a plating process on one substrate; The plating apparatus performs a process for detecting an abnormality in the electric field adjusting member based on an amount of change per unit time in a load factor of the motor every time a size of the opening in the electric field adjusting member is changed.

7. 7. The plating apparatus according to claim 6, The control device includes: a plating apparatus which, after starting the plating process of the substrate, changes the dimension of the opening of the electric field adjusting member, and if an abnormality is detected in the electric field adjusting member, further continues the plating process on the substrate, and then takes the plating cell out of use.

8. 8. The plating apparatus according to claim 1, The plating apparatus, wherein the electric field adjusting member is an anode mask disposed between the substrate and the anode, the anode being closer to the anode than the substrate.

9. 1. A method for plating a substrate, comprising: driving an aperture adjustment member by a motor to change the size of an aperture of an electric field adjustment member having an aperture disposed between the substrate and the anode; acquiring a current value or a load factor of the motor, calculating a change amount per unit time of the load factor of the motor from the current value or the load factor of the motor, and detecting an abnormality of the electric field adjusting member when it is detected that the change amount per unit time of the load factor of the motor exceeds a predetermined threshold value; The method includes:

10. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method for detecting an abnormality in an electric field adjusting member of a plating apparatus, driving an aperture adjustment member by a motor to change the size of an aperture of an electric field adjustment member having an aperture disposed between the substrate and the anode; acquiring a current value or a load factor of the motor, calculating a change amount per unit time of the load factor of the motor from the current value or the load factor of the motor, and detecting an abnormality of the electric field adjusting member when it is detected that the change amount per unit time of the load factor of the motor exceeds a predetermined threshold value; A storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to execute the above.

Images