Integrated atmospheric plasma processing station in processing tools

Abstract

The atmospheric plasma treatment station is integrated into a semiconductor process tool. The atmospheric plasma treatment station directly interfaces with a deposition chamber of the semiconductor process tool without adding to the footprint or form factor of the semiconductor process tool. The atmospheric plasma treatment station includes a movable atmospheric plasma source, such as a linear head for scanning across the surface of the substrate. The atmospheric plasma treatment station provides a sealed space for a controlled environment, with a non-reactive gas flowing through the sealed space. Process gas can be delivered to the linear head based on the surface condition of the substrate being processed.

Description

Incorporation by reference

[0001] As part of this application, a PCT application form is filed simultaneously with this specification. Each application specified in the simultaneously filed PCT application form and for which this application claims benefit or priority is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Background Art

[0002] The fabrication of semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits is a multi-step process. Various processes in semiconductor device fabrication generally require pre-treatment or cleaning of the substrate before depositing materials on the surface of the substrate. In some cases, oxides, organic impurities, or other contaminants may pose problems for material deposition. In some cases, it may be necessary to adjust the surface state of the substrate, such as wettability, before depositing the material.

[0003] The background art provided herein is intended to generally present the content of the present disclosure. Within the scope described in this background art, research by the inventors named at the present time, as well as aspects of the description that cannot be separately regarded as prior art at the time of filing, are not admitted as prior art against the present disclosure, whether explicitly or implicitly.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] This specification provides an apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate. The apparatus includes one or more cassettes for receiving the semiconductor substrate, a deposition chamber for depositing materials on the semiconductor substrate, and an atmospheric plasma processing station for exposing the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma before deposition in the deposition chamber. The atmospheric plasma processing station is a sealed control environment for receiving the semiconductor substrate, including a sealed control environment having an inert gas flow, a track positioned above the semiconductor substrate within the sealed control environment, and a linear head movable along the track and configured to guide atmospheric plasma to a specific region of the semiconductor substrate.

[0005] In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma processing station further comprises a substrate support having one or more heating elements for heating a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate may be heated to a temperature above about 50°C during exposure to the atmospheric plasma. In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes one or more gas lines for supplying one or more process gases to a linear head, and an RF power supply for generating an atmospheric plasma of one or more process gases in the linear head. One or more process gases may include oxygen, hydrogen, water, nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, diborane, methane, carbon tetrafluoride, octafluorobutane, nitrogen trifluoride, sulfur hexafluoride, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, radon, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a controller comprising commands for performing operations to scan the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate with the atmospheric plasma and to transfer the semiconductor substrate from the atmospheric plasma processing station to the deposition chamber with reduced queue time. The controller may further consist of commands for scanning the entire surface of a semiconductor substrate, and commands for performing operations to expose the semiconductor substrate to an atmospheric plasma having a first gas composition, and to expose the semiconductor substrate to an atmospheric plasma having a second gas composition. The atmospheric plasma having the first gas composition may include an oxygen plasma, and the atmospheric plasma having the second gas composition may include a hydrogen plasma. In some embodiments, the controller may further consist of commands for performing operations to expose the semiconductor substrate to an atmospheric plasma in order to perform one of the following: reducing metal oxides on the semiconductor substrate to metal, removing organic impurities on the semiconductor substrate, changing the wettability of the semiconductor substrate, changing the adhesion of the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and changing the surface roughness of the semiconductor substrate. In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate is supported on a movable substrate support, and a linear head is configured to scan the surface of the semiconductor substrate in the atmospheric plasma by moving the semiconductor substrate using the movable substrate support.In some embodiments, the linear head is configured to scan the surface of a semiconductor substrate with an atmospheric plasma by moving the linear head along a track. In some embodiments, the inert gas stream includes inert gas species such as nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, radon, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the deposition chamber is an electroless deposition chamber. In some embodiments, the sealed control environment is an oxygen-free environment and is not exposed to vacuum pressure. In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes one or more gas lines for supplying one or more process gases to the linear head, and a controller comprising commands for receiving instructions to provide a surface state of the semiconductor substrate, adjusting the gas composition of one or more process gases supplied to the linear head, generating an atmospheric plasma of one or more process gases in the linear head, and scanning the semiconductor substrate by exposure to the atmospheric plasma before deposition in the deposition chamber, thereby processing the surface state of the semiconductor substrate.

[0006] This specification also provides a method for treating the surface state of a semiconductor substrate with atmospheric plasma. The method includes receiving the semiconductor substrate into a semiconductor process tool including an atmospheric plasma treatment station and a deposition chamber, and transporting the semiconductor substrate to the deposition chamber. Transporting the semiconductor substrate to the deposition chamber includes exposing the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma in the atmospheric plasma treatment station before deposition in the deposition chamber, the atmospheric plasma treatment station including a sealed controlled environment having an inert gas flow, a track positioned on the semiconductor substrate within the sealed controlled environment, and a linear head movable along the track and configured to guide the atmospheric plasma to a specific area of ​​the semiconductor substrate.

[0007] In some embodiments, transporting a semiconductor substrate to a deposition chamber involves moving the semiconductor substrate from an atmospheric plasma processing station to an electroless deposition chamber. In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving instructions to provide a surface state for the semiconductor substrate, adjusting the gas composition of one or more process gases supplied to a linear head, generating an atmospheric plasma of one or more process gases in the linear head, scanning the semiconductor substrate by exposure to the atmospheric plasma before deposition in the deposition chamber, and processing the surface state of the semiconductor substrate. One or more process gases may include oxygen, argon, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, carbon monoxide, diborane, or a combination thereof, and the inert gas stream may include inert gas species such as nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, radon, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the sealed controlled environment is an oxygen-free environment and the sealed controlled environment is not exposed to vacuum pressure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1A] Figure 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of various processing steps for treating a semiconductor substrate before deposition. [Figure 1B] Figure 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of various processing steps for treating a semiconductor substrate before deposition. [Figure 1C] Figure 1C is a schematic cross-sectional view of various processing steps for treating a semiconductor substrate before deposition. [Figure 1D] Figure 1D is a schematic cross-sectional view of various processing steps for treating a semiconductor substrate before deposition.

[0009] [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for processing a substrate having a metal seed layer using a wet technique and electrodepositing metal onto the metal seed layer.

[0010] [Figure 3]Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for processing a substrate having a metal seed layer using a dry technique and electrodepositing metal onto the metal seed layer.

[0011] [Figure 4A] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of exemplary semiconductor process tools for substrate processing and deposition according to several embodiments.

[0012] [Figure 4B] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary transport station in the semiconductor process tool shown in Figure 4A, according to several embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 5A] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of exemplary semiconductor process tools for plasma pretreatment and deposition of substrates, according to several embodiments.

[0014] [Figure 5B] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary atmospheric plasma processing station integrated with the semiconductor process tool shown in Figure 5A, according to several embodiments.

[0015] [Figure 5C] Figure 5C is a perspective view of an exemplary atmospheric plasma processing station integrated with the semiconductor process tool shown in Figure 5A, according to several embodiments.

[0016] [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic top view of an electroplating apparatus according to several embodiments.

[0017] [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic top view of an electroless plating apparatus according to several embodiments.

[0018] [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of processing a semiconductor substrate with an atmospheric plasma prior to deposition, according to some embodiments.

[0019] [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A is a schematic cross-sectional view of various processing steps for processing a semiconductor substrate with an atmospheric plasma prior to deposition, according to some embodiments. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is a schematic cross-sectional view of various processing steps for processing a semiconductor substrate with an atmospheric plasma prior to deposition, according to some embodiments. [Figure 9C] FIG. 9C is a schematic cross-sectional view of various processing steps for processing a semiconductor substrate with an atmospheric plasma prior to deposition, according to some embodiments. [Figure 9D] FIG. 9D is a schematic cross-sectional view of various processing steps for processing a semiconductor substrate with an atmospheric plasma prior to deposition, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In the present disclosure, the terms "semiconductor wafer," "wafer," "substrate," "wafer substrate," and "partially fabricated integrated circuit" may be used interchangeably. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the term "partially fabricated integrated circuit" can refer to a silicon wafer at any of many stages of integrated circuit fabrication. Wafers or substrates used in the semiconductor device industry typically have a diameter of 200 mm, or 300 mm, or 450 mm. The following detailed description assumes that the present disclosure is implemented on a wafer. However, the present disclosure is not so limited. The workpiece can be of various shapes, sizes, and materials. In addition to semiconductor wafers, other workpieces on which the present disclosure can be utilized include various articles such as printed circuit boards, magnetic recording media, magnetic recording sensors, mirrors, optical elements, microelectromechanical devices, and the like.

[0021] Semiconductor manufacturing processes can introduce impurities, contaminants, oxidation, surface defects, or other undesirable surface conditions before material deposition. If left untreated, these undesirable surface conditions can lead to uneven deposition, yield loss, and even damage to semiconductor devices.

[0022] One potential challenge is the presence of organic impurities. Such organic impurities may remain on the substrate after etching, polishing (e.g., CMP), cleaning, deposition, or other device fabrication processes. In some cases, organic impurities can lead to device contamination or interface defects. Another potential challenge during deposition is the presence of oxides (e.g., metal oxides) on the substrate surface. Often, substrates to be plated have a conductive seed layer. This seed layer, typically metallic, can oxidize rapidly when exposed to an oxygen-containing atmosphere. Oxides can interfere with the plating process and can be particularly problematic when plating metals onto concave features. Often, oxides on the seed layer lead to the formation of undesirable voids.

[0023] Incoming wafers received by process tools typically require surface pretreatment before deposition. For example, the substrate can be subjected to a reduction treatment to remove oxides and / or organic impurities present on its surface. Some reduction treatments may involve liquid-based chemicals, while others may involve plasma-based chemicals. For example, various pretreatment processes can be used, as described in any of the following U.S. patents and patent publications, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0199497 entitled “METHODS FOR REDUCING METAL OXIDE SURFACES TO MODIFIED METAL SURFACES”, U.S. Patent No. 9,070,750 entitled “METHODS FOR REDUCING METAL OXIDE SURFACES TO MODIFIED METAL SURFACES USING A GASEOUS REDUCING ENVIRONMENT”, U.S. Patent No. 9,469,912 entitled “PRETREATMENT METHOD FOR PHOTORESIST WAFER PROCESSING”, and U.S. Patent No. 9,472,377 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHARACTERIZING METAL OXIDE REDUCTION”.

[0024] Figures 1A to 1D show schematic cross-sectional views of various processing steps for treating a semiconductor substrate before deposition. In Figure 1A, the semiconductor substrate 100 includes a seed layer 102. In some embodiments, the seed layer 102 is a metal seed layer, such as a copper seed layer or a cobalt seed layer. The thickness of the seed layer 102 may be less than about 100 Å or less than about 50 Å. Oxidation of the seed layer 102 may occur due to exposure to air or other oxygen-containing environments. Oxides 104, such as metal oxides, may form on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 100. The presence of oxides 104 can present significant challenges, particularly for the electrodeposition process. Firstly, oxidized surfaces are difficult to plate, potentially resulting in uneven plating. Secondly, void formation may make it impossible for parts of the seed layer 102 to support plating. Thirdly, plating bulk metal over oxides 104 can lead to adhesion or delamination problems. In addition to the problems presented by oxide 104, impurities 106 may form on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 100. These impurities 106 may originate from particles in a contaminated chamber, etching byproducts, deposition byproducts, residues, or other contaminants. Such impurities 106 may include organic impurities. It is generally known that impurities 106 can weaken or even kill the performance of a device.

[0025] In Figure 1B, surface pretreatment is performed on the semiconductor substrate 100 to remove oxides 104 and impurities 106. Surface pretreatment processes often involve exposing the semiconductor substrate 100 to reducing conditions. For example, reducing conditions can be established by exposing the semiconductor substrate 100 to a liquid, gas, and / or plasma containing reducing chemicals. One method commonly used to pretreatment a substrate before electrodeposition involves exposing the semiconductor substrate 100 to a hydrogen-containing plasma. Pretreatment conditions can be sufficient to remove oxides 104 and impurities 106. Pretreatment conditions can include, but are not limited to, various processing variables such as the composition and flow rate of the gas / plasma / liquid, the duration of exposure, the temperature at which the substrate is maintained, the power level used to generate the plasma (if any), the duty cycle used to generate the plasma (if any), the frequency used to generate the plasma (if any), and pressure. Surface pretreatment is usually performed in a separate apparatus from the electroplating or electroless plating apparatus, although in some cases, surface pretreatment may be performed in a module included in the electroplating or electroless plating apparatus.

[0026] After surface pretreatment, the semiconductor substrate 100 may be exposed to conditions that cause recontamination or reoxidation. As shown in Figure 1C, reoxidation may cause oxide 108 to form on the seed layer 102 after surface pretreatment and before deposition. In some cases, it is possible to rinse and dry the semiconductor substrate 100 either during or after surface pretreatment to allow it to reoxidize. In other examples, it is possible to transport the semiconductor substrate 100 to a deposition chamber (e.g., an electroplating or electroless plating apparatus) under ambient conditions that rapidly reoxidize the semiconductor substrate 100. In some other examples, a module such as a vacuum plasma module (VPM) may slowly fill with contaminating particles that can fall and contaminate the semiconductor substrate 100 when the plasma is turned off. Vacuum plasma modules are generally effective in reducing oxide 104 and removing impurities 106 to improve deposition / nucleation on the seed layer 102, but vacuum plasma modules are expensive, and integrating VPMs into electroplating or electroless plating apparatuses is costly and increases the footprint / form factor.

[0027] Figure 1D shows the semiconductor substrate 100 after bulk deposition of material 110 onto a seed layer 102. Material 110 can be deposited on the seed layer 102 by any suitable deposition process such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), electroplating, or electroless plating. Oxides 108 can limit the deposition of material 110 onto the seed layer. For example, oxidized surfaces generally do not support electron transport for autocatalytic chemical reduction in electroless plating, and oxidized surfaces often result in void formation and non-uniform plating in the electroplating process.

[0028] Figure 2 shows a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for processing a substrate having a metal seed layer using a wet technique and electrodepositing metal onto the metal seed layer. Process 200 begins in block 210, where the metal seed layer is deposited onto the substrate using a suitable deposition technique such as PVD. In some embodiments, the metal seed layer may have an average thickness of about 15 Å to about 100 Å or more. The substrate may contain concave features such as trenches. In block 220, the substrate may be rinsed or wetted with a solution containing a reducing agent. For example, the reducing agent may include a reducing compound or a mixture of several reducing compounds for reducing a metal oxide to a metal. Additionally or alternatively, the substrate may be rinsed with deionized water and dried. In block 230, the substrate is transported to an electroplating or electroless deposition system. During transport, the metal seed layer may be exposed to ambient conditions, which may cause rapid oxidation of the metal seed layer. In some embodiments, the duration of this exposure may be about 1 minute to about 4 hours, about 15 minutes to about 1 hour, or longer. Proceeding to block 240, a bulk layer of metal is electrodeposited onto the substrate. In electroplating, the substrate having the metal seed layer can be immersed in an electroplating bath containing metal cations and associated anions in an acidic solution. Alternatively, in electroless plating, the substrate may be exposed to a reducing chemical bath that induces metal nucleation on the metal seed layer.

[0029] Figure 3 shows a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for processing a substrate having a metal seed layer using a dry technique and electrodepositing metal onto the metal seed layer. The process begins in block 310, where the metal seed layer is deposited onto the substrate using a suitable deposition technique such as PVD. In some embodiments, the metal seed layer may have an average thickness of about 15 Å to about 100 Å or more. The substrate may contain concave features such as trenches. In block 320, the substrate is transported to a chamber or apparatus having a substantially reduced pressure or vacuum environment. The substantially reduced pressure may be about 0.1 Torr to about 5 Torr. The chamber or apparatus may contain reducing gas species such as hydrogen (H2), ammonia (NH3), carbon monoxide (CO), diborane (B2H6), sulfite compounds, carbon and / or hydrocarbons, phosphates, and / or hydrazine (N2H4). The chamber or apparatus serves as a pretreatment module for cleaning contaminants or oxides from the surface of the substrate. During transport, the substrate may be exposed to ambient conditions that could oxidize the surface of the metal seed layer. The process proceeds to block 330, where plasma is generated from reducing gas species. The plasma contains radicals, ions, and neutral substances from the reducing gas species, which are capable of reducing oxides to produce a pure metal surface. The plasma may be direct or indirect (e.g., remote plasma). The process continues to block 340, where the substrate is exposed to the plasma to treat the metal seed layer. The plasma can come into contact with the metal seed layer and remove metal oxides from its surface. The plasma may additionally or alternatively remove any remaining organic impurities from the deposited metal seed layer. The plasma may additionally or alternatively alter the surface roughness of the metal seed layer. Other surface conditions of the metal seed layer can be tuned by exposure to the plasma. In block 350, the substrate is transported to an electroplating or electroless deposition chamber under ambient conditions or under an inert gas blanket. In some embodiments, the duration of this transport may be about 1 minute to about 4 hours, about 15 minutes to about 1 hour, or longer. Exposure to ambient conditions can potentially lead to re-oxidation.In some embodiments, the substrate may be transported under an inert gas blanket to minimize re-oxidation. In block 360, the metal is electrodeposited onto the substrate. The bulk metal may be deposited on the metal seed layer by electroplating or electroless plating.

[0030] Many strategies exist for pre-deposition substrate treatment. Wet techniques may involve aqueous solutions with reducing agents to reduce oxides, but these solutions may be acidic or contain other chemical reagents that etch or dissolve oxides, potentially creating voids in the seed layer. In addition, wet techniques may leave residues, requiring additional rinsing and drying operations, which can re-oxidize the seed layer. Dry techniques may involve thermal forming gas annealing to reduce oxides, but such techniques may not be as effective as plasma-based techniques and typically require temperatures above 150°C, damaging the seed layer and increasing void formation. Other dry techniques may involve the use of plasma generated under vacuum or substantially reduced pressure to reduce oxides or treat surface defects and contaminants, but such plasmas add considerable cost and utilize considerably high temperatures that can damage thin metal seed layers. Furthermore, generating these plasmas requires a relatively long time to pump down the chamber to vacuum or substantially reduced pressure, thereby increasing queue time and reducing throughput. These plasmas are often generated within VPMs, which add to the cost and large footprint / form factor, regardless of whether the vacuum plasma module is a standalone device or integrated into existing process tools.

[0031] Atmospheric plasma offers an alternative to vacuum plasma. A wide range of atmospheric plasma technologies exist, including electric arcs, corona discharges, dielectric barrier discharges, and plasma jets. Atmospheric plasma technologies are generally less expensive than vacuum-based plasma technologies. Therefore, atmospheric plasma can reduce the cost of production equipment and be extended to a wide range of plasma technologies. There are challenges in designing atmospheric plasma processing stations that effectively process substrate surfaces and integrating atmospheric plasma processing stations into semiconductor processing tools.

[0032] Atmospheric plasma pretreatment station This disclosure relates to a process tool having an integrated atmospheric plasma processing station and a deposition chamber. The atmospheric plasma processing station may be configured to process or control various surface conditions of a substrate before deposition, including, but not limited to, surface defects, oxides, organic impurities, roughness, wettability, adhesion, uniformity, and electrical bias. In some embodiments, a control environment is provided in a sealed space within the atmospheric plasma processing station, and the control environment includes a positive pressure flow of a non-reactive gas (e.g., an inert gas). The atmospheric plasma processing station further includes a linear head mounted on the substrate. Either the linear head or the substrate, or both, are movable so that the linear head is positioned to guide the atmospheric plasma to a specific area of ​​the substrate. In this way, it is possible to process a specific area of ​​the substrate or to scan the entire substrate. In some embodiments, the linear head is coupled to a robotic arm mounted on a track so that the linear head is movable relative to the substrate. In some embodiments, the substrate is supported on a movable substrate support so that it is movable relative to the linear head. A gas line can supply process gas to the linear head, and the composition of the process gas can be varied according to the surface treatment performed on the substrate. The design of the atmospheric plasma treatment station within the process tool reduces the queue time between substrate processing and material deposition on the substrate.

[0033] Figure 4A shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary semiconductor process tool for processing and depositing substrates according to several embodiments. The semiconductor process tool 400 can process one or more semiconductor substrates in a multi-chamber system or cluster tool having the ability to sequentially process semiconductor substrates in a controlled manner. The semiconductor process tool 400 can receive semiconductor substrates from a cleanroom for processing and return the semiconductor substrates to the cleanroom after processing. The semiconductor process tool 400 can be used to deposit material onto semiconductor substrates. For example, the semiconductor process tool 400 may be used to deposit material onto semiconductor substrates by electroplating or electroless plating. The semiconductor process tool 400 may include multiple stations or chambers such as an annealing station, a transport station, a cleaning station, a measurement station, a brushing station, a drying station, a pre-treatment station, and a deposit station. Some stations may be wet processing stations, and some stations may be dry processing stations. The semiconductor process tool typically includes a transport robot that transports semiconductor substrates between various chambers and stations. In Figure 4A, the semiconductor process tool 400 includes a transport station 420, one or more plating stations 430, a cleaning station 440, and a drying station 460.

[0034] The semiconductor process tool 400 includes one or more cassettes 442 for receiving semiconductor substrates. One or more cassettes 442 may be pods or front-opening unified pods (FOUPs) for receiving semiconductor substrates to be processed by the semiconductor process tool 400. A transport robot 422 is configured to move along the semiconductor substrates and transport them from the cassettes 442 to a transport station 420. In some embodiments, the transport robot 422 may have one or more arms, each arm may have an end effector for picking up semiconductor substrates for transport.

[0035] The transfer station 420 can interface with multiple stations within the semiconductor process tool 400. As shown in Figure 4A, the transfer station 420 can interface with one or more plating stations 430. The transfer station 420 may include at least a platform, pedestal, or other support for supporting one or more semiconductor substrates. Figure 4B shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary transfer station in the semiconductor process tool of Figure 4A, according to several embodiments. In some embodiments, the transfer station 420 may be exposed to atmospheric conditions. In some embodiments, the transfer station 420 may be pumped down to a pressure below atmospheric pressure or to a vacuum pressure. In some embodiments, the transfer station 420 may be supplied with a flow of a non-reactive gas, such as argon (Ar) or nitrogen (N2), to limit contamination.

[0036] The transport station 420 may be configured to transport semiconductor substrates to one or more plating stations 430. In some embodiments, one or more plating stations 430 may be electroless plating stations 430. However, it will be understood that one or more plating stations 430 may be any suitable deposition stations for depositing material, and the deposition stations may be PVD stations, CVD stations, ALD stations, or electroplating stations. One or more plating stations 430 can perform electroplating or electroless plating operations on the semiconductor substrate, and the semiconductor substrate is in a controlled environment and can be exposed to a plating solution to selectively deposit metal on the surface of the semiconductor substrate.

[0037] After deposition, the semiconductor substrate may be returned to the transport station 420 or moved to the cleaning station 440 via the handling robot 432. Figure 4A illustrates the cleaning station 440, but it will be understood that the cleaning station 440 may be any post-deposition processing station for processing the semiconductor substrate after deposition. The cleaning station 440 may be configured to remove residual artifacts or contaminants from the surface of the semiconductor substrate. For example, the cleaning station 440 may include a brush box, a fluid delivery nozzle, or other cleaning mechanism for cleaning the semiconductor substrate.

[0038] After cleaning, the semiconductor substrate may be returned to the transport station 420 or moved to the drying station 460 via the handling robot 432. In some embodiments, the drying station 460 is integrated with the cleaning station 440. In some embodiments, the drying station 460 may expose the semiconductor substrate to a drying gas. From the drying station 460, the semiconductor substrate can be returned to the cassette 442 via the transport robot 422. As a result, the semiconductor substrate can be cleaned and dried after plating and returned to the cleanroom. The arrows in Figure 4A indicate the wafer path through the semiconductor process tool 400.

[0039] The controller 450 is coupled to each of the semiconductor process tool 400 cassette 442, transport robot 422, transport station 420, one or more plating stations 430, handling robot 432, cleaning station 440, and drying station 460, and controls their operation. The controller 450 controls some or all of the properties of the semiconductor process tool 400. The controller 450 typically includes one or more memory devices and one or more processors. Embodiments of the controller 450 are described in more detail below.

[0040] In this disclosure, a wafer transport station in a semiconductor process tool can be modified as an atmospheric plasma processing station. In this way, the atmospheric plasma processing station is integrated into the semiconductor process tool without adding equipment footprint or form factor. Alternatively, the atmospheric plasma processing station may replace or modify an existing processing station that can interface with a deposition station. Such existing processing stations may include annealing stations, vacuum plasma processing stations, wet clean stations, and dry clean stations. Existing processing stations, such as wet clean stations, may not be strong enough to remove oxides and organic impurities from incoming semiconductor substrates. Furthermore, while existing processing stations, such as vacuum plasma processing stations, can effectively remove oxides and organic impurities, vacuum plasma processing stations are expensive, increase equipment footprint, increase queue times, and may reduce throughput. Atmospheric plasma processing stations can cost up to four times less than vacuum plasma processing stations. Atmospheric plasma processing stations can effectively remove oxides, organic impurities, and other contaminants without the drawbacks of vacuum plasma processing stations. In some cases, this can promote uniform electroless deposition and reduce defects after electroless deposition.

[0041] Figure 5A shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary semiconductor process tool for plasma pretreatment and deposition of substrates according to several embodiments. The semiconductor process tool 500 in Figure 5A can process one or more semiconductor substrates in a multi-chamber system or cluster tool similar to the semiconductor process tool 400 in Figure 4A. The semiconductor process tool 500 can be used to deposit material on one or more semiconductor substrates by a specific deposition technique such as electroplating or electroless plating. The semiconductor process tool 500 can integrate an atmospheric plasma treatment station 520 and interface with one or more plating stations 530. In Figure 5A, the semiconductor process tool 500 includes an atmospheric plasma treatment station 520, one or more plating stations 530, a cleaning station 540, and a drying station 560.

[0042] The semiconductor process tool 500 includes one or more cassettes 542 for receiving semiconductor substrates. One or more cassettes 542 may be pods or FOUPs for receiving semiconductor substrates to be processed by the semiconductor process tool 500. A transport robot 522 is configured to move along the semiconductor substrates and transport the semiconductor substrates from the cassettes 542 to the atmospheric plasma processing station 520. In some embodiments, the transport robot 522 may have one or more arms, each arm may have an end effector for picking up semiconductor substrates for transport.

[0043] The atmospheric plasma processing station 520 can interface with one or more stations within the semiconductor process tool 500. As shown in Figure 5A, the atmospheric plasma processing station 520 can interface with one or more plating stations 530.

[0044] Figure 5B shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary atmospheric plasma treatment station integrated into the semiconductor process tool of Figure 5A, according to several embodiments. Figure 5C shows a perspective view of the atmospheric plasma treatment station integrated into the semiconductor process tool of Figure 5A, according to several embodiments. The atmospheric plasma treatment station 520 may include a substrate support 552 for supporting the semiconductor substrate 510. In some embodiments, the substrate support 552 is movable. Specifically, the movable substrate support 552 may be rotatable and / or translatable. This allows different regions of the semiconductor substrate 510 to be exposed to the atmospheric plasma as the semiconductor substrate 510 is moved through the atmospheric plasma treatment station 520.

[0045] In some embodiments, the substrate support 552 may be coupled with one or more heating and / or cooling elements for temperature control. One or more heating elements may be coupled to a heating assembly in the substrate support 552 facing the semiconductor substrate 510 for substrate temperature control. For example, the substrate support 552 may be a hot plate. The substrate temperature can be adjusted to improve or speed up scanning of the semiconductor substrate 510 in the atmospheric plasma processing station 520, in particular to optimize the reduction of oxides on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 510. As the substrate temperature rises, the reactivity on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 510 increases, which may allow for faster scanning speeds. In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate 510 may be heated to a temperature above about 30°C, above about 50°C, or above about 75°C during exposure to atmospheric plasma in the atmospheric plasma processing station 520. In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate 510 may be cooled to a temperature below about 75°C, below about 50°C, or below about 30°C after exposure to atmospheric plasma. In this way, the semiconductor substrate 510 can be cooled to a low temperature or room temperature before plating.

[0046] The atmospheric plasma processing station 520 may be a closed space with a controlled environment. Typically, substrates processed in a plasma environment require additional assembly for load lock operation and vacuum pumping. Pumping the plasma processing station to a reduced pressure (e.g., about 0.1 Torr to about 5 Torr) increases queue time. Plasma processing stations typically occupy more space (e.g., floor space), reducing the throughput of substrate processing. The atmospheric plasma processing station 520 reduces queue time and increases throughput while avoiding costly vacuum equipment, load locks, and robotic assemblies.

[0047] The atmospheric plasma treatment station 520 does not expose the semiconductor substrate 510 to ambient conditions that could potentially cause oxidation or other forms of contamination. Instead, a positive pressure may be maintained inside the atmospheric plasma treatment station 520 by flowing a gas through it. The gas may be an unreactive or inert gas such as nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, or radon. For example, inert gases flowing into the atmospheric plasma treatment station 520 may be argon, nitrogen, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the interior of the atmospheric plasma treatment station 520 is maintained at a positive pressure relative to the pressure outside the atmospheric plasma treatment station 520 (i.e., ambient pressure). Atmospheric impurities such as oxygen can be prevented from entering the interior of the atmospheric plasma treatment station 520. Thus, the sealed, controlled environment of the atmospheric plasma treatment station 520 is oxygen-free or substantially oxygen-free. During exposure to atmospheric plasma, a positive pressure can be maintained by flowing an inert gas. In some embodiments, the inert gas may flow laminarly over the semiconductor substrate 510. The inert gas may also flow from one side of the atmospheric plasma processing station 520 to the other, where it can be exhausted or discharged from the atmospheric plasma processing station 520. The flow of inert gas provides a controlled environment inside the atmospheric plasma processing station 520, which is at or above ambient pressure. One or more mass flow controllers (MFCs) can supply the flow of inert gas into the atmospheric plasma processing station 520 at a controlled rate.

[0048] The atmospheric plasma processing station 520 further includes a linear head 554 positioned on a temperature-controllable substrate support 552. The linear head 554 may also be called a plasma head. In some embodiments, the linear head 554 is relatively small and can have a diameter / width of about 100 mm to about 300 mm. The linear head 554 includes one or more inlets for receiving process gas and one or more outlets for discharging atmospheric plasma from the linear head 554 to the semiconductor substrate 510. The atmospheric plasma can be generated in the linear head 554 by igniting the process gas by DC or AC excitation and discharged from the linear head 554. An RF power supply (not shown) can be used to generate atmospheric plasma in the linear head 554. In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma exiting the linear head 554 is a linear beam.

[0049] The process gas may contain one or more reactive gas species. The reactive gas species may act as reducing agents for reducing oxides. Alternatively, the reactive gas species may act as chemical reagents for decomposing organic impurities. In some embodiments, the process gas includes a mixture of reactive and inert (dilution) gas species. Examples of reactive gas species include, but are not limited to, oxygen, hydrogen, water, nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, diborane, methane, carbon tetrafluoride, octafluorobutane, nitrogen trifluoride, sulfur hexafluoride, and other reactive species obvious to those skilled in the art. Examples of inert gas species include, but are not limited to, nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, and radon. In some embodiments, the inert gas species may be the main plasma gas, or the inert gas may be the dopant gas. Thus, the atmospheric plasma may consist primarily of inert gas radicals. In some embodiments, the process gas may include a mixture of hydrogen and argon, or a mixture of argon and nitrogen / hydrogen gas (forming gas). In some embodiments, the process gas may include a mixture of argon and oxygen.

[0050] A process gas can be supplied to the linear head 554 by one or more gas lines 556. Each of the gas lines 556 can supply the process gas to the linear head 554 through one or more inlets. The MFC can control the flow of the process gas to the linear head 554. The composition and flow rate of the process gas may be adjusted according to the surface condition of the semiconductor substrate 510 being processed. For example, a first composition may be supplied to the linear head 554 via one or more gas lines 556 to treat a first surface condition (e.g., remove organic impurities), and a second composition may be supplied to the linear head 554 via one or more gas lines 556 to treat a second surface condition (e.g., reduce oxides).

[0051] The atmospheric plasma processing station 520 may further include a track 558 positioned on a substrate support 552. The track 558 may be stationary, or the linear head 554 may be movable along the track 558. The track 558 may extend in one or more directions defined by the main surface of the semiconductor substrate 510, and these directions may include the x and y directions. Thus, the linear head 554 may be movable along the track 558 in the x and / or y directions. Movement along the track 558 may enable the linear head 554 to scan or target a specific area of ​​the semiconductor substrate 510. In particular, the linear head 554 can target the surface of the semiconductor substrate 510 in atmospheric plasma at a specific location (xy coordinates) by positioning the linear head 554 along the track 558. In some embodiments, the linear head 554 may be coupled to the track 558 via a robotic arm 562. The robotic arm 562 can fix the linear head 554 to the track 558. In some embodiments, the linear head 554 is movable along the robot arm 562 in the z direction (vertical direction), allowing the linear head 554 to be moved closer to or further away from the surface of the semiconductor substrate 510. The distance between the linear head 554 and the surface of the semiconductor substrate 510 affects the surface treatment. The linear head 554 is capable of scanning the semiconductor substrate 510 in the x and y directions at a distance z.

[0052] In some embodiments, the linear head 554 is configured to scan the surface of the semiconductor substrate 510 by moving the semiconductor substrate 510 along a movable substrate support 552 or by moving the linear head 554 along a track 558. In some embodiments, both the semiconductor substrate 510 and the linear head 554 are capable of moving so that the semiconductor substrate 510 can be scanned. This increases the flexibility for properly positioning the linear head 554 over a specific area of ​​the semiconductor substrate 510.

[0053] The atmospheric plasma processing station 520 may be configured to transport the semiconductor substrate 510 to one or more plating stations 530. In some embodiments, one or more plating stations 530 may be electroless plating stations 530. However, one or more plating stations 530 may be any suitable deposition stations for depositing material, and it will be understood that deposition stations may include, but are not limited to, PVD stations, CVD stations, or ALD stations. One or more plating stations 530 can perform electroplating or electroless plating operations on the semiconductor substrate 510, and the semiconductor substrate 510 is in a controlled environment and can be exposed to a plating solution to selectively deposit metal on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 510.

[0054] After deposition, the semiconductor substrate 510 may be transported or moved to a cleaning station 540 via a handling robot 532. Although Figure 5A illustrates the cleaning station 540, it will be understood that the cleaning station 540 may be any post-deposition processing station for processing the semiconductor substrate 510 after deposition. The cleaning station 540 may be configured to remove residual artifacts or contaminants from the surface of the semiconductor substrate 510. For example, the cleaning station 540 may include a brush box, a fluid delivery nozzle, or other cleaning mechanism for cleaning the semiconductor substrate 510.

[0055] After cleaning, the semiconductor substrate 510 may be transported or moved to a drying station 560 via a handling robot 532. In some embodiments, the drying station 560 is integrated with the cleaning station 540. In some embodiments, the drying station 560 may expose the semiconductor substrate 510 to a drying gas. From the drying station 560, the semiconductor substrate 510 can be returned to the cassette 542 via a transport robot 522. As a result, the semiconductor substrate 510 can be cleaned and dried after plating and returned to the cleanroom.

[0056] The controller 550 is coupled to each of the semiconductor process tool 500 cassette 542, transport robot 522, atmospheric plasma processing station 520, one or more plating stations 530, cleaning station 540, and drying station 560, and controls their operation. The controller 550 controls some or all of the properties of the semiconductor process tool 500. The controller 550 typically includes one or more memory devices and one or more processors. Embodiments of the controller 550 are described in more detail below.

[0057] Figure 6 shows a schematic top view of an electroplating apparatus according to several embodiments. An example of a plating apparatus that may be used according to embodiments of this specification is the Sabre® tool manufactured by Lam Research, Inc. in Fremont, California. The electrodeposition apparatus 600 may include three separate electroplating modules 602, 604, and 606. The electrodeposition apparatus 600 may also include three separate modules 612, 614, and 616 configured for various process operations. For example, in some embodiments, one of modules 612, 614, and 616 may be a spin rinse drying (SRD) module. In other embodiments, one or more of modules 612, 614, and 616 may be post-electrofill modules (PEMs), each configured to perform functions such as edge bevel removal, backside etching, and acid cleaning of the substrate after it has been processed by one of the electroplating modules 602, 604, and 606. The electrodeposition apparatus 600 may include a central electrodeposition chamber 624. The central electrodeposition chamber 624 is a chamber that holds the chemical solution used as the electroplating solution in the electroplating modules 602, 604, and 606. The electrodeposition apparatus 600 also includes a dosing system 626 that can store and supply additives for the electroplating solution. A chemical dilution module 622 is capable of storing and mixing chemicals used as etchants. A filtration and pumping unit 628 can filter the electroplating solution for the central electrodeposition chamber 624 and pump the filtered solution to the electroplating modules.

[0058] The handoff tool 640 can select a board from either the board cassette 642 or the cassette 644. The cassettes 642 and 644 may be front-opening unified pods (FOUPs). A FOUP is an enclosure designed to securely and reliably hold a board within a controlled environment, allowing the board to be removed for processing or measurement by a tool equipped with a suitable load port and robotic handling system. The handoff tool 640 may also hold the board using a vacuum attachment or some other attachment mechanism.

[0059] The handoff tool 640 can interface with the wafer handling station 632, cassettes 642 and 644, the atmospheric plasma processing station 650, or the aligner 648. From the atmospheric plasma processing station 650, the handoff tool 646 can access the substrate. The atmospheric plasma processing station 650 may be integrated into the electrodeposition apparatus 600 to interface with the handoff tools 640 and 646. The atmospheric plasma processing station 650 may include a linear head, a track, one or more process gas lines for supplying process gas to the linear head, and one or more inert gas lines for supplying inert gas species to a sealed space within the atmospheric plasma processing station 650. The atmospheric plasma processing station 650 may further include one or more heater elements or hot plates for substrate temperature control. The atmospheric plasma processing station 650 may be a slot or position that allows the handoff tools 640 and 646 to pass the substrate between them without passing through the aligner 648. However, in some embodiments, the handoff tool 646 may use an aligner 648 to align the substrate to ensure that the substrate is properly aligned on the handoff tool 646 for accurate feeding to the electroplating module. The handoff tool 646 may also feed the substrate using the aligner 648. The handoff tool 646 may also feed the substrate to one of the electroplating modules 602, 604, or 606, or to one of three separate modules 612, 614, and 616 configured for various process operations.

[0060] An example of process operation by the method described herein may proceed as follows: (1) receive a substrate in cassette 642 or 644; (2) provide the substrate to atmospheric plasma treatment station 650; (3) expose the substrate to atmospheric plasma in atmospheric plasma treatment station 650; (4) electrodeposit a metal onto the substrate in one of electroplating modules 602, 604, or 606; (5) optionally rinse and dry the substrate with an SRD in one of modules 612, 614, or 616; (6) optionally perform edge bevel removal in one of modules 612, 614, or 616.

[0061] A controller 630 (e.g., a system controller) provides the electronic and interface controls necessary to operate the electrodeposition apparatus 600. Embodiments of the controller 630 described herein may also apply to the controller 550 in Figure 5A and the controller 450 in Figure 4A. The controller 630 (which may include one or more physical or logical controllers) controls some or all of the properties of the electrodeposition apparatus 600. The controller 630 typically includes one or more memory devices and one or more processors. The processors may include a central processing unit (CPU) or computer, analog and / or digital input / output connections, a stepping motor controller board, and other similar components. Instructions for performing the appropriate control operations described herein can be executed on the processors. These instructions may be stored in memory devices associated with the controller 630 or provided over a network. In certain embodiments, the controller 630 runs system control software.

[0062] The system control software in the electrodeposition apparatus 600 may include instructions for controlling timing, mixing of electrolyte components (including the concentrations of one or more electrolyte components), inlet pressure, plating cell pressure, plating cell temperature, substrate temperature, current and potential applied to the substrate and any other electrodes, substrate position, substrate rotation, and other parameters of a particular process performed by the electrodeposition apparatus 600. In addition, the system control software in the electrodeposition apparatus 600 may include instructions for controlling process gas composition, inert gas composition, process gas flow rate, inert gas flow rate, RF power, RF frequency, linear head position, scanning speed, substrate position, substrate rotation, substrate temperature, processing duration, pressure, and other parameters of a particular process performed by the atmospheric plasma processing station 650. The system control logic may be configured in any suitable manner. For example, various process tool component subroutines or control objects may be written to control the operation of process tool components required to perform various process tool processes. The system control software may be coded in any suitable computer-readable programming language. The logic may also be implemented as hardware in a programmable logic device (e.g., FPGA), ASIC, or other suitable vehicle.

[0063] In some embodiments, the system control logic includes input / output control (IOC) sequence instructions for controlling the various parameters described above. For example, each stage of the electroplating process may include one or more instructions for execution by the controller 630. Instructions for setting the process conditions for an immersion process stage may be included in the corresponding immersion recipe stage. In some embodiments, the electroplating recipe stages may be arranged sequentially so that all instructions for an electroplating process stage are executed simultaneously with that process stage.

[0064] Control logic can be divided into various components, such as programs or sections of programs, in some embodiments. Examples of logic components for this purpose include substrate positioning components, electrolyte composition control components, pressure control components, heater control components, and potential / current power supply control components.

[0065] In some embodiments, a user interface associated with the controller 630 may be present. The user interface may include a display screen, a graphical software display of the apparatus and / or process conditions, and user input devices such as a pointing device, keyboard, touchscreen, or microphone.

[0066] In some embodiments, the parameters adjusted by the controller 630 may relate to process conditions. Non-limiting examples include bath conditions (temperature, composition, and flow rate), substrate position at various stages (rotational speed, linear speed), linear head position (linear speed), process gas composition and associated flow rate, inert gas composition and associated flow rate, substrate temperature, and pressure. These parameters may be provided to the user in the form of a recipe and can be entered using a user interface.

[0067] Signals for monitoring the process may be provided by analog and / or digital input connections of the controller 630 from various process tool sensors. Signals for controlling the process can be output from analog and digital output connections of the process tools. Non-limiting examples of process tool sensors that can be monitored include mass flow controllers, pressure sensors (such as pressure gauges), thermocouples, optical sensors, etc. Appropriately programmed feedback and control algorithms can be used with data from these sensors to maintain or adjust process conditions.

[0068] In some embodiments, the controller 630 is part of a system, and such a system may be part of the examples described above. Such a system may comprise semiconductor processing equipment including one or more processing tools, one or more chambers, one or more processing platforms, and / or specific processing components (such as wafer pedestals, gas flow systems, etc.). These systems may be integrated with electronic equipment for controlling system operation before, during, and after processing of semiconductor wafers or substrates. Such electronic equipment may be referred to as a “controller” and may control various components or sub-components of one or more systems. Depending on the processing requirements and / or the type of system, the controller may be programmed to control any of the processes disclosed herein. Such processes include supplying processing gases, setting temperature (e.g., heating and / or cooling), setting scanning speed, setting pressure, setting power, setting radio frequency (RF) generators, setting RF matching circuits, setting frequency, setting flow rates, setting fluid supply, setting position and operation, and loading and unloading wafers to and from tools and other transport tools connected to or interlocked with a particular system.

[0069] In a broad sense, the controller 630 may be defined as an electronic device having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software that receive and issue instructions, control operations, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, etc. The integrated circuits may include chips in the form of firmware that store program instructions, chips defined as digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more microprocessors, i.e., microcontrollers that execute program instructions (e.g., software). Program instructions are instructions communicated to the controller 630 in the form of various individual settings (or program files) that define operational parameters for performing a particular process on or for a semiconductor wafer or for a system. In some embodiments, the operational parameters may be part of a recipe defined by a process engineer to realize one or more processing steps in the fabrication of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or wafer dies.

[0070] In some embodiments, the controller 630 may be part of a computer integrated with or coupled to the system, or otherwise networked to the system, or coupled to such a computer, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller 630 may be in the “cloud” or may be all or part of the fab host computer system. This enables remote access to wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor the current progress of fabrication operations, review the history of past fabrication operations, review trends or performance criteria from multiple fabrication operations, change parameters for the current process, set processing steps following the current process, or start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g., a server) can provide process recipes to the system over a network. Such a network may include a local network or the internet. The remote computer may include a user interface that enables entry or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are then communicated from the remote computer to the system. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data. Such data identifies parameters for each processing step performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process being performed and the type of tools to which the controller is configured to interact with or control. Therefore, as described above, the controller 630 may be distributed, for example, by comprising one or more individual controllers that are networked together and cooperate toward a common purpose (such as the processes and controls described herein).An example of a distributed controller for such purposes would be one or more integrated circuits on a chamber that communicate with one or more integrated circuits that are remotely located (for example, at the platform level or as part of a remote computer) and combined to control processes in the chamber.

[0071] The exemplary systems in this disclosure may include, but are not limited to, deposition chambers or modules, metal plating chambers or modules, cleaning chambers or modules, PVD chambers or modules, CVD chambers or modules, ALD chambers or modules, tracking chambers or modules, and any other semiconductor processing systems that may be used in connection with or for the fabrication and / or manufacture of semiconductor wafers.

[0072] Figure 7 shows a schematic top view of an electroless plating apparatus according to several embodiments. In the electroless deposition (ELD) apparatus 700, substrates are received into the ELD apparatus 700 through a loading port 710. The loading port 710 may include multiple substrate receiving units, which may be front-opening unified pods (FOUPs). The loading port 710 receives the substrates and feeds them to a transport rack 730 within the ELD apparatus 700. The substrates are then moved from the transport rack 730 within the ELD apparatus 700 to the ELD module 750. While the loading port 710 is one form of receiving substrates within the ELD apparatus 700, other mechanisms can also be used to feed the substrates into the ELD module 750. For example, an air transport machine (ATM) module 720 can be maintained in a controlled environment within the ELD apparatus 700. A substrate feeding system, such as a dry robot 715, can be employed to transport the substrates. The dry robot 715 can be installed within the ATM module 720 and can be used to remove substrates from the loading port 710 and place them on the transport rack 730. The transport rack 730 is an optional component of the ELD device 700.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transport rack 730 may be configured as an atmospheric plasma treatment station 730. The atmospheric plasma treatment station 730 may include a linear head, a track, one or more process gas lines for supplying process gas to the linear head, and one or more inert gas lines for supplying inert gas species to a sealed space within the atmospheric plasma treatment station 730. The atmospheric plasma treatment station 730 may further include one or more heater elements or hot plates for substrate temperature control. The atmospheric plasma treatment station 730 may expose the substrate to atmospheric plasma before supplying the substrate to the ELD module 750.

[0074] The ELD module 750 is used for electroless plating of substrates. In some embodiments, a wet robot 740 retrieves the substrate from the atmospheric plasma processing station 730 and transports the substrate to the ELD module 750. The ELD module 750 may be configured to (a) optionally pre-rinse the substrate, (b) perform an electroless deposition process to deposit a metal layer on the surface of the substrate, and (c) optionally rinse the substrate with a post-deposition rinsing solution. The wet robot 740 assists in transporting the substrate from the ELD module 750 to the post-deposition module.

[0075] The ELD apparatus 700 includes several post-deposit modules, such as a chemical module 770, a brush scrub module 760, and a clean module 780. A substrate may be received in the chemical module 770, which may be configured to apply an acid-containing fluid to remove traces of the deposition fluid from areas of the substrate that are not intended to receive the deposition fluid. In addition to, or instead of, the chemical module 770 may be configured to apply a base-containing fluid. Subsequently, a rinse fluid may be applied to the chemical module 770 to wash away the acid-containing fluid and / or base-containing fluid. The substrate may be moved from the chemical module 770 to the brush scrub module 760. The brush scrub module 760 may consist of one or more brush units for mechanically cleaning the substrate. The substrate may be transported from the brush scrub module 760 and inserted into another post-deposit module, such as the clean module 780. The clean module 780 may be configured to rinse and dry the substrate. The circuit board can be moved from the clean module 780 and returned to the loading port 710 via the ATM module 720.

[0076] Figure 8 shows a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of treating a semiconductor substrate with atmospheric plasma before deposition, according to several embodiments. The operation of process 800 may be carried out in different sequences and / or in different, fewer, or additional numbers of operations. Embodiments of process 800 can be described with reference to Figures 9A–9D. The operation of process 800 can be carried out using semiconductor process tools as shown in Figures 5A–5C, and the atmospheric plasma processing station may be implemented in any of the tool architectures shown in Figures 4A, 5A, 6, and 7. In some embodiments, the operation of process 800 may be implemented at least in part according to software stored on one or more non-temporary computer-readable media.

[0077] In block 810 of process 800, a semiconductor substrate is received into a semiconductor process tool, which includes an atmospheric plasma treatment station and a deposition station. The semiconductor substrate may have a diameter of 200 mm, 300 mm, or 450 mm. The semiconductor substrate may be received into a cassette, pod, FOUP, or other component of the semiconductor process tool for receiving incoming substrates. In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate may undergo one or more device fabrication processes before being received by the semiconductor process tool. The incoming semiconductor substrate may have undergone etching, patterning, polishing, cleaning, annealing, material deposition, or other treatments that may form impurities or oxides on the surface of the semiconductor substrate. For example, an incoming patterned CMP semiconductor substrate may have oxides and / or organic impurities that make material deposition difficult. It will be understood that such defects of oxides and / or impurities may be caused by processes performed outside or inside the semiconductor process tool. In addition to impurities and / or oxides, or instead, the incoming semiconductor substrate may have surface conditions that require treatment before deposition. The surface conditions to be treated may include, but are not limited to, roughness, wettability (hydrophobicity), and electrical bias.

[0078] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process tool may be a plating tool, such as an electroless plating tool. An exemplary electroless plating tool is illustrated in Figure 7. Prior to processing, a material layer can be formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate. The material layer may include a metal layer, such as a PVD-deposited metal seed layer or a semi-precious metal layer. The material layer may include a polished metal layer or dielectric layer, such as a copper layer or tungsten layer after CMP. The material layer may include a low-k dielectric layer. In some cases, the material layer may include a metal oxide and / or carbon compound. In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate may include features such as recesses, vias, or trenches. The features may include recesses, vias, or trenches having a depth-to-width aspect ratio greater than about 3:1, greater than about 5:1, or greater than about 10:1.

[0079] The atmospheric plasma treatment station may be integrated into the semiconductor process tool. This means that an existing station or chamber can be modified to incorporate the atmospheric plasma treatment unit without adding to the footprint of the semiconductor process tool. The atmospheric plasma treatment station can interface with the deposition station. As a result, semiconductor substrates can be transported directly to the deposition station without exposure to the ambient environment and without the need for additional robotic assemblies, load locks, or intermediate transport stations.

[0080] In some embodiments, incoming semiconductor substrates can be transported to an atmospheric plasma processing station. For example, incoming semiconductor substrates can be received in cassettes and transported to the atmospheric plasma processing station using a transport robot.

[0081] Figure 9A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor substrate 900 including a seed layer 902. In some embodiments, the seed layer 902 is a metal seed layer, such as a copper seed layer or a cobalt seed layer. The thickness of the seed layer 902 may be less than about 100 Å or less than about 50 Å. Oxidation of the seed layer 902 may occur by exposure to air or other oxygen-containing environments. Oxides 904, such as metal oxides, may form on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900. Furthermore, impurities 906 may form on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900. The impurities 906 may originate from particles in a contaminated chamber, etching byproducts, deposition byproducts, residues, or other contaminants. Such impurities 906 may include organic impurities.

[0082] Returning to Figure 8, in block 820a of process 800, the semiconductor substrate is exposed to atmospheric plasma in an atmospheric plasma processing station before deposition in the deposition chamber. The process gas may flow into an atmospheric plasma source, such as a linear head. The process gas may flow from one or more gas sources through one or more gas lines. In some embodiments, the process gas may include oxygen, hydrogen, water, nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, diborane, methane, carbon tetrafluoride, octafluorobutane, nitrogen trifluoride, sulfur hexafluoride, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, radon, or combinations thereof. The process gas may be a mixture of reactive gases (dopant gases) and inert gases (main gases). For example, the process gas may include a mixture of hydrogen and argon, a mixture of hydrogen / nitrogen and argon, a mixture of hydrogen and helium, or a mixture of oxygen and argon. The atmospheric plasma of the process gas may be generated in the atmospheric plasma source. It is possible to generate plasma under atmospheric conditions by applying RF power to an atmospheric plasma source. As used herein, "atmospheric plasma" may refer to plasma generated in a source such as a linear head under atmospheric conditions. Atmospheric plasma of a process gas may contain various radicals and ions of the process gas.

[0083] The composition and concentration of the process gas can be adjusted according to the surface condition of the semiconductor substrate being processed. In some embodiments, exposure of the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma includes exposing the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma having a first gas composition, and then exposing the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma having a second gas composition. For example, the first gas composition may include oxygen plasma derived from an oxygen-containing gas, and the second gas composition may include hydrogen plasma derived from a hydrogen-containing gas. The oxygen plasma can remove impurities such as organic impurities, and the hydrogen plasma can remove oxides. It is also possible to treat various surface conditions using other gas compositions. In some embodiments, exposure of the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma includes exposing the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma having a process gas flowing at a first flow rate, and then exposing the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma having a process gas flowing at a second flow rate. The aggressiveness of the atmospheric plasma can be adjusted by adjusting the flow rate or gas ratio.

[0084] Atmospheric plasma can be generated using vacuum pumping or without depressurizing the atmospheric plasma processing station and applied to a semiconductor substrate. The atmospheric plasma can be generated and applied to a sealed, controlled environment, which includes positive pressure of an unreactive gas. Instead of exposing the atmospheric plasma processing station to ambient conditions that may contain oxygen, the atmospheric plasma processing station becomes oxygen-free or substantially oxygen-free by flowing an unreactive gas through its closed space. The unreactive gas may include nitrogen, helium, argon, krypton, xenon, or radon. The sealed, controlled environment of the atmospheric plasma processing station may have an inert gas flow, such as an argon flow or a nitrogen flow. The inert gas flow maintains the controlled environment as oxygen-free or substantially oxygen-free. As used herein, “substantially oxygen-free” may mean an oxygen concentration of less than about 0.1 volume% in the controlled environment. The inert gas flow helps prevent re-oxidation on the surface of the semiconductor substrate.

[0085] The temperature of a semiconductor substrate can be increased during exposure to atmospheric pressure. This can be achieved by using one or more heating elements coupled to a substrate support that holds the semiconductor substrate. The increased temperature can accelerate the reaction rate for processing the semiconductor substrate, thereby accelerating the scanning of the semiconductor substrate. For example, the increased temperature may accelerate the reduction rate of oxides on the surface of the semiconductor substrate. In some embodiments, the temperature maintained by the substrate support (e.g., a hot plate) in an atmospheric plasma processing station during exposure to atmospheric plasma may be higher than approximately 50°C.

[0086] The surface of a semiconductor substrate is exposed to an atmospheric plasma to treat specific surface conditions or defects. Radicals, ions, and / or photons of the atmospheric plasma react with the surface of the semiconductor substrate and can perform one or more of the following: reduction of oxides (e.g., reduction of metal oxides to metals), removal of organic impurities, alteration of hydrophobicity, alteration of electrical bias, and alteration of the surface roughness of the semiconductor substrate. In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma functions to reduce oxides such as metal oxides. In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma functions to remove organic impurities. In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma functions to reduce oxides and remove organic impurities. In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma functions to make the surface more hydrophilic. In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma functions to adjust the adhesion properties of the surface and improve adhesion in subsequent deposition. In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma functions to adjust the uniformity on the surface of the semiconductor substrate and improve the uniformity of the plating.

[0087] By reducing oxides, the treatment reduces discontinuities and voids that can sometimes lead to uneven deposition / plating. By removing organic impurities, the treatment can increase conductivity on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, promoting uniform deposition / plating and avoiding contamination. By increasing the hydrophilicity of the substrate surface, the contact angle is reduced, improving wettability when the substrate surface comes into contact with the plating bath. Therefore, effective treatment of the surface condition and / or defects of the semiconductor substrate can be crucial for the success of the deposition or plating operation.

[0088] In some embodiments, exposure to atmospheric plasma may reduce the oxide after treatment to less than 1% of the initial oxide measurement. In some embodiments, exposure to atmospheric plasma may reduce the contact angle by up to 80%, thereby increasing the wettability of the semiconductor substrate surface. In some embodiments, exposure to atmospheric plasma may not cause damage to the underlying material, and the increase in roughness may be less than 0.1%. In some embodiments, substrates treated with exposure to atmospheric plasma may have up to 50% more thickness of the electroless deposition-plated material compared to untreated substrates.

[0089] A specific area of ​​a semiconductor substrate may be exposed to atmospheric plasma. Designation of the area for exposure can be achieved by positioning an atmospheric plasma source (e.g., a linear head) on the semiconductor substrate, with one or both of the substrate support and the atmospheric plasma source being movable. In some embodiments, the substrate support may be rotatable and / or translatable to position the semiconductor substrate. In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma source may be translatable along a track to position the atmospheric plasma source. The atmospheric plasma source can be coupled to a track, and it is possible for the atmospheric plasma source to have at least two degrees of freedom in xy space. In some embodiments, the atmospheric plasma source may have at least three degrees of freedom in xyz space. The movement of the atmospheric plasma source and / or the substrate support may be controlled by a controller associated with the semiconductor process tool of the atmospheric plasma processing station.

[0090] The size of the atmospheric plasma source allows for exposure of a relatively wide area of ​​the semiconductor substrate, facilitating scanning of the entire substrate. In some cases, the linear head can have a diameter / width of approximately 100 mm to 300 mm. Alternatively, the exposure size can be increased by arranging multiple linear heads. Since substrate diameters are often 200 mm, 300 mm, or 450 mm, the semiconductor substrate can be rapidly scanned using a linear head of an appropriate size. By scanning the surface of the semiconductor substrate using an atmospheric plasma source, it is possible to expose the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma. The surface of the semiconductor substrate can be scanned using different scanning speeds. For example, the atmospheric plasma source can scan the surface of the semiconductor substrate in the range of 1 mm / s to 500 mm / s, or in the range of 10 mm / s to 300 mm / s. Faster scanning speeds can reduce the queue time for semiconductor fabrication. A larger scanning area can also reduce the queue time for semiconductor fabrication. As mentioned above, as the temperature increases, faster scanning speeds become possible, which can also reduce the queue time. In some embodiments, the design of the atmospheric plasma processing station increases throughput by processing at least 30 substrates per hour, at least 50 substrates per hour, at least 60 substrates per hour, or at least 80 substrates per hour.

[0091] As an example, a linear head with a width of 100 mm (measured along the y-direction) can scan a 300 mm substrate by scanning from 0 mm to 300 mm along the x-direction. Next, the linear head or substrate support can be offset by 100 mm, and the scan can be advanced from 300 mm to 0 mm along the x-direction. Subsequently, the linear head or substrate support can be offset by 100 mm, and the scan can be completed by advancing from 0 mm to 300 mm along the x-direction.

[0092] In some embodiments, instructions providing the surface condition of the semiconductor substrate can be received before exposure to the atmospheric plasma. Specifically, the surface of the semiconductor substrate can be analyzed in terms of its surface condition or surface defects before processing. Measurements can be performed to determine oxidation on the surface of the substrate. Measurements can also be performed to determine the presence of organic impurities on the surface of the substrate. Alternatively or additionally, measurements of the contact angle, electrical bias, or roughness of the semiconductor substrate may be performed. In some embodiments, the composition and / or concentration of the process gas supplied to the atmospheric plasma source is adjusted at least in part based on the surface condition of the semiconductor substrate. The atmospheric plasma of the process gas is generated in a linear head, and the semiconductor substrate is exposed to the atmospheric plasma.

[0093] Figure 9B shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the semiconductor substrate 900 from Figure 9A after processing using atmospheric plasma with a first composition process gas. A linear head 910 is positioned above the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900. The first composition process gas is supplied to the linear head 910. The first composition process gas is ignited to generate atmospheric plasma. The process gas enters the linear head 910 in molecular form and exits the linear head 910 as ions / radicals. The ions / radicals are emitted from the linear head 910 as a plasma beam 912. The plasma beam 912 generated from the first composition process gas can remove impurities 906 from the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900. The linear head 910 can scan across the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900. In some embodiments, the first composition process gas includes one or more oxygen-containing gases, such as oxygen. Oxygen-based plasma may be effective in removing impurities 906.

[0094] Figure 9C shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the semiconductor substrate 900 of Figure 9B after processing using atmospheric plasma with a second composition process gas. After removing impurities 906 from the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900, the second composition process gas is supplied to the linear head 910. The second composition process gas is ignited to generate atmospheric plasma. A plasma beam 914 is emitted from the linear head 910 to reduce oxides 904 from the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900. The linear head 910 is capable of scanning across the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900. In some embodiments, the second composition process gas includes one or more reducing gases, such as hydrogen or a forming gas. Reducing gases, such as a forming gas, may be effective in removing oxides 904.

[0095] As shown in Figures 9B and 9C, the linear head 910 may be flexible to adjust the gas composition depending on the processing of the semiconductor substrate 900. The linear head 910 may also be flexible to adjust the mixed gas ratio depending on the processing. For example, the linear head 910 may be configured to remove impurities in a first scan and oxides in a second scan. It is possible to optimize the organic removal efficiency by adjusting the mixed gas ratio, such as the flow rate ratio of Ar:O2. It is possible to optimize the reduction of oxides by adjusting the mixed gas ratio, such as the flow rate ratio of Ar:H2. In some embodiments, the linear head 910 may be configured to make the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900 more hydrophobic or more hydrophilic. This can be done by using process gas chemicals that add / remove hydroxyl groups (-OH) from the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900.

[0096] Returning to Figure 8, in block 820b of process 800, the semiconductor substrate is transported to the deposition chamber. The semiconductor substrate can be transported relatively quickly, with minimal or no exposure to conditions that could oxidize or contaminate it. In this way, the semiconductor substrate can be cleaned, processed, or prepared for subsequent deposition in the deposition chamber. In some embodiments, the transport time between exposure to atmospheric plasma and deposition can be about 0.5 seconds to about 30 seconds, or about 1 second to about 10 seconds. This is significantly shorter than a typical processing or transport unit interfaced with the deposition chamber. Transport from the atmospheric plasma processing station can be done without additional robotic assemblies, load locks, cooling stations, or transport stations. In other words, the atmospheric plasma processing station can interface directly with the deposition chamber to facilitate transport between stations. This increases throughput, reduces queue times, and lowers costs associated with the maintenance and operation of additional equipment. In some embodiments, transporting the semiconductor substrate involves moving the semiconductor substrate from the atmospheric plasma processing station to a deposition chamber, which may be an electroless deposition chamber. In some cases, the semiconductor substrate has already been transported to the deposition chamber while it is being scanned by the linear head.

[0097] In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate may be cooled immediately after exposure to atmospheric plasma. For example, the semiconductor substrate may be cooled to a temperature of less than about 50°C (e.g., room temperature). In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate may be transported under a blanket of inert gas species. The inert gas species (e.g., helium nitrogen or argon nitrogen) may continue to flow within the atmospheric plasma processing station even after the semiconductor substrate has been exposed to atmospheric plasma. This prevents re-oxidation or re-contamination of the semiconductor substrate between processing and deposition. In some embodiments, it is possible to supply a cooling gas to cool the inert gas species and lower the temperature of the semiconductor substrate during transport.

[0098] In block 830 of process 800, a metal is optionally electrodeposited onto a semiconductor substrate. In some embodiments, the metal is cobalt or copper. Electrodeposition can include either electroplating or electroless plating operations. For example, plating a metal may include bulk deposition using a plating bath. Treatment of the substrate surface with atmospheric plasma facilitates the formation and nucleation of the metal by electroplating or electroless plating. Pre-deposition atmospheric plasma treatment allows for larger and more uniform deposition. Deposition may be performed by electrodeposition in block 830 within an electroplating or electroless plating chamber, but it will be understood that deposition may include any suitable deposition process within a suitable deposition chamber. Furthermore, it will be understood that deposition in block 830 is not limited to metals and may include any conductive, semiconductive, or insulating material.

[0099] The operations in blocks 810–830 may occur within the same semiconductor process tool or tool architecture. In some embodiments, the semiconductor process tool is an electroless plating tool. The atmospheric plasma treatment station is integrated into the semiconductor process tool without adding to the tool's footprint or form factor. The atmospheric plasma treatment station may be a modification of an existing station, such as a transport station or annealing station. Modifications to such a station may include adding a linear head, a track, one or more process gas lines for supplying process gases to the linear head, and one or more inert gas lines for supplying inert gas species to flow through the atmospheric plasma treatment station. In some embodiments, modifications may further include adding one or more heater elements or replacing the substrate support with a hot plate to control the substrate temperature during atmospheric plasma treatment.

[0100] Figure 9D shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the semiconductor substrate 900 in Figure 9C after material has been deposited on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 900. Bulk deposition of material 908 can be carried out by any suitable deposition process such as PVD, CVD, ALD, electroplating, or electroless plating. In some embodiments, material 908 is a metal such as copper or cobalt. Material 908 can be deposited on a seed layer 902 after processing. Atmospheric plasma treatment can facilitate uniform plating in electroplating or electroless plating processes.

[0101] Other Embodiments The above description includes many specific details in order to provide a complete understanding of the presented embodiments. The disclosed embodiments can be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other examples, well-known process behaviors are not described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the disclosed embodiments. The disclosed embodiments are described in conjunction with specific embodiments, but it will be understood that this is not intended to limit the disclosed embodiments.

[0102] While the embodiments described above have been described in some detail for clear understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. It should be noted that there are many other ways of carrying out the processes, systems, and apparatus of these embodiments. Therefore, these embodiments should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and their embodiments should not be limited to the details described herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing semiconductor substrates, One or more cassettes for receiving semiconductor substrates, A deposition chamber for depositing material onto the semiconductor substrate, The system comprises an atmospheric plasma treatment station for exposing the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma before deposition in the deposition chamber, and the atmospheric plasma treatment station is A sealed control environment for receiving the semiconductor substrate, comprising a sealed control environment having an inert gas flow, A track positioned on the semiconductor substrate within the sealed control environment, A linear head that is movable along the track and is configured to guide the atmospheric plasma to a specific region of the semiconductor substrate. A device equipped with the following features.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, The atmospheric plasma processing station further comprises a substrate support having one or more heating elements for heating the semiconductor substrate.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, The apparatus heats the semiconductor substrate to a temperature exceeding approximately 50°C during exposure to the atmospheric plasma.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, One or more gas lines for supplying one or more process gases to the linear head, The linear head includes an RF power supply for generating the atmospheric plasma of one or more process gases and A device that further enhances this feature.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, The apparatus wherein the one or more process gases include oxygen, hydrogen, water, nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, diborane, methane, carbon tetrafluoride, octafluorobutane, nitrogen trifluoride, sulfur hexafluoride, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, radon, or a combination thereof.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, The entire surface of the semiconductor substrate is scanned with the atmospheric plasma. A controller comprising commands for executing an operation to shorten the queue time and transport the semiconductor substrate from the atmospheric plasma processing station to the deposition chamber. A device that further enhances this feature.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, The controller, which consists of commands for scanning the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate, The semiconductor substrate is exposed to the atmospheric plasma having a first gas composition. An apparatus comprising commands for performing an operation in which the semiconductor substrate is exposed to the atmospheric plasma having a second gas composition.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, An apparatus wherein the atmospheric plasma having the first gas composition includes an oxygen plasma, and the atmospheric plasma having the second gas composition includes a hydrogen plasma.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, The aforementioned controller, Apparatus further comprising instructions for performing an operation to expose the semiconductor substrate to the atmospheric plasma in order to perform one of the following: reducing a metal oxide on the semiconductor substrate to a metal; removing organic impurities on the semiconductor substrate; changing the wettability of the semiconductor substrate; changing the adhesion of the surface of the semiconductor substrate; and changing the surface roughness of the semiconductor substrate.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, The apparatus wherein the semiconductor substrate is supported on a movable substrate support, and the linear head is configured to scan the surface of the semiconductor substrate with the atmospheric plasma by moving the semiconductor substrate using the movable substrate support.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The apparatus is configured such that the linear head scans the surface of the semiconductor substrate with the atmospheric plasma by moving the linear head along the track.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The apparatus wherein the inert gas stream includes inert gas species such as nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, radon, or combinations thereof.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The apparatus is such that the deposition chamber is an electroless deposition chamber.

14. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The sealed control environment is an oxygen-free environment, and the sealed control environment is not exposed to vacuum pressure.

15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, One or more gas lines for supplying one or more process gases to the linear head, Upon receiving an instruction to provide the surface state of the semiconductor substrate, The gas composition of the one or more process gases supplied to the linear head is adjusted. In the linear head, the atmospheric plasma of one or more process gases is generated. A controller comprising commands for scanning the semiconductor substrate by exposure to the atmospheric plasma before deposition in the deposition chamber and for performing operations to process the surface state of the semiconductor substrate. A device that further enhances this feature.

16. A method for treating the surface state of a semiconductor substrate with atmospheric plasma, A semiconductor substrate is received into a semiconductor process tool that includes an atmospheric plasma processing station and a deposition chamber. Transporting the semiconductor substrate to the deposition chamber, and transporting the semiconductor substrate to the deposition chamber, A method comprising exposing the semiconductor substrate to atmospheric plasma in an atmospheric plasma treatment station prior to deposition in the deposition chamber, wherein the atmospheric plasma treatment station includes a sealed controlled environment having an inert gas flow, a track positioned on the semiconductor substrate within the sealed controlled environment, and a linear head movable along the track and configured to guide the atmospheric plasma to a specific area of ​​the semiconductor substrate.

17. The method according to claim 16, A method for transporting the semiconductor substrate to the deposition chamber, comprising moving the semiconductor substrate from the atmospheric plasma processing station to the electroless deposition chamber.

18. The method according to claim 16, Upon receiving an instruction to provide the surface state of the semiconductor substrate, The gas composition of one or more process gases supplied to the linear head is adjusted. In the linear head, the atmospheric plasma of one or more process gases is generated. A method further comprising scanning the semiconductor substrate by exposure to the atmospheric plasma before deposition in the deposition chamber, thereby treating the surface state of the semiconductor substrate.

19. The method according to claim 18, A method wherein the one or more process gases include oxygen, argon, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, carbon monoxide, diborane, or a combination thereof, and the inert gas stream includes an inert gas species such as nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, radon, or a combination thereof.

20. The method according to claim 16, The sealed control environment is an oxygen-free environment, and the sealed control environment is not exposed to vacuum pressure.

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