Plating method

Abstract

It detects leakage in the substrate holder at an early stage and enables the reuse of the substrate. A plating method that detects leakage of the seal based on whether there is a short circuit of a leakage detection electrode disposed inside the substrate holder while the substrate comes into contact with the plating solution after contacting the seal portion with pure water, and while the substrate comes into contact with the chemical solution.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a plating method. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, wiring or bumps (protruding electrodes) are formed on the surface of substrates such as semiconductor wafers or printed circuit boards. Electroplating is known as a method for forming such wiring and bumps. A plating apparatus used in the electroplating method is equipped with a substrate holder that seals circular or polygonal end surfaces of the substrate and holds and supports the exposed substrate surface (surface to be plated). When performing plating treatment on the substrate surface in such a plating apparatus, the substrate holder holding and supporting the substrate is immersed in a plating solution.

[0003] However, if there is leakage in the seal that protects the contacts (electrical contacts) of the substrate holder from the plating solution, it may lead to plating defects. Therefore, it is desirable to detect and address leakage in the seal of the substrate holder as quickly as possible. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-190044 (Patent Document 1) describes a substrate holder that detects leakage by placing a conductive wire for leakage detection inside the substrate holder and detecting that the conductive wire is short-circuited by the plating solution. Prior art literature

[0004] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-190044 The problem to be solved

[0005] When a leak is detected in the plating solution, the substrate being held at the time of the leak is typically discarded. This is because, even if plating defects have not occurred on the substrate held at the time of the leak, it is difficult to re-plat the substrate and send it to a subsequent process since the substrate is already in contact with the plating solution.

[0006] The objective of the present invention is to solve at least part of the above-described problem. means of solving the problem

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a plating method is provided in which pure water is brought into contact with a seal portion of a seal that prevents a contact of a substrate holder that holds and supports a substrate from coming into contact with a plating solution, and leakage of the seal is detected based on whether there is a short circuit of a leakage detection electrode disposed inside the substrate holder while the substrate comes into contact with a chemical solution after the pure water is brought into contact with the seal portion. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of a plating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a substrate holder. FIG. 3 is an inner plan view of the first holding support member of the substrate holder. FIG. 4 is an inner plan view of the second holding support member of the substrate holder. FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of the inner surface of the second retaining support member. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along the line VI-VI of Figure 5. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the connection between the substrate holder and the sensor. Figure 8 is a flowchart of the plating method. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the accompanying drawings, identical or similar elements are assigned identical or similar reference numerals, and in the description of each embodiment, redundant descriptions regarding identical or similar elements may be omitted. Furthermore, features appearing in each embodiment may be applied to other embodiments as long as they do not contradict each other.

[0010] In this specification, the term "substrate" includes not only semiconductor substrates, glass substrates, liquid crystal substrates, and printed circuit boards, but also magnetic recording media, magnetic recording sensors, mirrors, optical elements, micromechanical elements, or partially fabricated integrated circuits and other objects to be processed. The substrate includes any shape including polygons and circles. Additionally, in this specification, expressions such as "front surface," "rear surface," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "vertical," and "horizontal" may be used, but these indicate the position and direction on the surface of the illustrative drawings for explanatory purposes, and may differ in actual arrangement, such as when using the device.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of a plating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The plating apparatus according to the present embodiment is an electrolytic plating apparatus that plating a first surface and a second surface of a substrate W with metal by flowing an electric current through a plating solution. The first surface and the second surface are surfaces facing each other, for example, a front surface and a back surface. In addition, a conductive layer including a seed layer, etc., is formed on each of the first surface and the second surface of the substrate W. In addition, a resist layer is formed in a pattern surface forming region on the conductive layer, and a trench or via is formed in advance in the resist layer. In the present embodiment, a substrate having a through hole connecting the first surface and the second surface of the substrate (so-called through-hole substrate) may be included as a processing target. Here, a plating apparatus for double-sided plating is given as an example, but a plating apparatus for single-sided plating may also be used.

[0012] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the plating device comprises a stand (101), a controller (103) for controlling the operation of the plating device, a load / unload station (170A) for loading and unloading a substrate W, a substrate attachment / detachment station (170B) for installing the substrate W on a substrate holder (11) (see FIG. 2) and removing the substrate W from the substrate holder (11), a processing station (170C) for plating the substrate W, a storage station (stoker) (170D) for storing the substrate holder (11), and a cleaning station (170E) for cleaning and drying the plated substrate W.

[0013] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the frame (101) is composed of a plurality of frame members (101a to 101h), and these frame members (101a to 101h) are configured to be connectable. The components of the load / unload station (170A) are placed on the first frame member (101a), the components of the substrate attachment / detachment station (170B) are placed on the second frame member (101b), the components of the processing station (170C) are placed on the third frame member (101c) to the sixth frame member (101f), and the components of the storage station (170D) are placed on the seventh frame member (101g) and the eighth frame member (101h).

[0014] The load / unload station (170A) is provided with a load stage (105) in which a cassette (not shown) containing a substrate W before plating is mounted, and an unload stage (107) in which a cassette (not shown) receiving a substrate W plated from a processing station (170C) is mounted. Additionally, a transport robot (122) for transporting the substrate W is provided in the load / unload station (170A).

[0015] The return robot (122) is configured to access a cassette mounted on a load stage (105), remove a substrate W before plating from the cassette, and place the substrate W on a substrate removal station (170B). At the substrate removal station (170B), the substrate W before plating is placed on a substrate holder (11), and the substrate W after plating is removed from the substrate holder (11).

[0016] In the processing station (170C), a pre-wet module (126), a pre-soak module (128), a first rinse module (130a), a blow module (132), a second rinse module (130b), a first plating module (10a), a second plating module (10b), a third rinse module (130c), and a third plating module (10c) are arranged. Additionally, in the processing station (170C), a holder cleaning module (133) is arranged on the side close to the stocker (170D). Furthermore, in the following description, the first plating module (10a), the second plating module (10b), and the third plating module (10c) may be collectively referred to as a plating module (10), or any of these plating modules may be referred to by reference.

[0017] In the pre-wet module (126), as a pretreatment preparation, the substrate W is treated with degassed pure water to improve the wettability of the substrate W with respect to the plating solution. In the pre-soak module (128), the surface oxide film of a conductive layer, such as a seed layer formed on the surface of the substrate W, is etched away by a chemical solution (e.g., an acidic solution). In the first rinse module (130a), the substrate W after pre-soak is cleaned with a cleaning solution (e.g., pure water).

[0018] In at least one plating module (10) of the first plating module (10a), the second plating module (10b), and the third plating module (10c), both sides or one side of the substrate W are plated. In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there are three plating modules (10), but in other embodiments, any number of plating modules (10) may be provided.

[0019] In the second rinse module (130b), the substrate W plated by the first plating module (10a) or the second plating module (10b) is cleaned with a cleaning solution (e.g., pure water) together with the substrate holder (11). In the third rinse module (130c), the substrate W plated by the third plating module (10c) is cleaned with a cleaning solution (e.g., pure water) together with the substrate holder (11). In the blow module (132), the liquid of the substrate W after cleaning is removed before and / or after the plating process. In the holder cleaning module (133), the substrate holder (11) is cleaned with a cleaning solution (e.g., pure water) while not holding or supporting the substrate W.

[0020] The pre-wet module (126), pre-soak module (128), rinse module (130a to 130c) and plating module (10a to 10c) are processing modules having a tank capable of storing a processing liquid (liquid) inside them. The tank of the processing module is equipped with a plurality of processing cells for storing the processing liquid, but is not limited to this embodiment, and the tank of the processing module may be equipped with a single processing cell. In addition, at least some of the processing modules may be equipped with a single processing cell, and other processing modules may be equipped with a plurality of processing cells.

[0021] The plating device further comprises a conveying device (140) for conveying a substrate holder (11). The conveying device (140) is configured to be movable between components of the plating device. The conveying device (140) comprises a fixed base (142) extending horizontally from a substrate attachment / detachment station (170B) to a processing station (170C), and one or more transporters (141) configured to be movable along the fixed base (142).

[0022] These transporters (141) each have a movable part (not shown) for holding and supporting a substrate holder (11) and are configured to hold and support the substrate holder (11). The transporters (141) are configured to transport the substrate holder (11) between the substrate attachment / detachment station (170B), the storage station (170D), and the processing station (170C), and also to move the substrate holder (11) up and down together with the substrate W. The transporters (141) can, for example, lower the substrate holder (11) holding and supporting the substrate W from above each module, thereby placing the substrate W within each module together with the substrate holder (11) and / or bringing it into contact with the processing liquid. Additionally, in the exemplary embodiment, three transporters are provided, but any number of transporters may be employed in other embodiments.

[0023] The plating device has a controller (103) as a control unit configured to control each of the above-described parts. The controller (103) has a memory (103b) that stores a predetermined program, recipe, etc., and a CPU (103a) that executes the program of the memory (103b). The storage medium constituting the memory (103b) stores various setting data, various programs including a program to control the plating device, recipes, etc. The program includes, for example, a program to execute the transfer control of the transfer robot (122), the transfer control of the substrate to and from the substrate holder in the substrate detachment station (170B), the transfer control of the transfer device (140), the control of the processing in each processing module, the control of the plating process in each plating module, and the control of the cleaning station (170E). The storage medium may include a non-volatile and / or volatile storage medium. As a storage medium, known materials such as memory readable by a computer, such as ROM, RAM, or flash memory, or disk-based storage media such as hard disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, or flexible disks may be used.

[0024] The controller (103) is configured to communicate with an unillustrated upper controller that comprehensively controls the plating device and other related devices, and can exchange data between the upper controller and the databases it possesses. Some or all of the functions of the controller (103) may be configured with hardware such as an ASIC. Some or all of the functions of the controller (103) may be configured with a sequencer. Some or all of the controller (103) may be placed inside and / or outside the plating device. Some or all of the controller (103) is connected to each other and / or to each part of the plating device via wired and / or wireless connections.

[0025] (Circuit board holder)

[0026] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a substrate holder. FIG. 3 is an inner plan view of a first holding support member of a substrate holder. FIG. 4 is an inner plan view of a second holding support member of a substrate holder.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate holder (11) has a first holding support member (110A) (Fig. 3) having an opening (112A) and a second holding support member (110B) (Fig. 4) having an opening (112B). When the substrate holder (11) is not holding a substrate, the opening (112A) and the opening (112B) form an opening (112) that penetrates the substrate holder (11). The substrate holder (11) holds and supports the substrate W by fitting the substrate W with the first holding support member (110A) and the second holding support member (110B). The first holding support member (110A) and the second holding support member (110B) are each held and supported so that the respective plating surfaces of the first and second sides of the substrate W are exposed by the opening (112A) and the opening (112B), respectively. In other words, the first holding support member (110A) and the second holding support member (110B) hold and support the substrate W by fitting only the outer periphery of the substrate W from both sides. In addition, in the case of single-sided plating, one side of the opening (112A) and the opening (112B) may not be provided or may be blocked. The substrate holder (11) is provided with an arm (160) on its upper side, and the arm (160) is transported while being held and supported by the transporter (141). In addition, the two ends of the arm (160) are placed on the edge portion of each module to be suspended and supported. In the following description, the side in the substrate holder (11) where the first surface of the substrate W is exposed is referred to as the first side, and the side where the second surface of the substrate is exposed is referred to as the second side. In FIG. 2, the state of the substrate holder (11) viewed from the second side is shown, and the second surface of the substrate W is shown exposed through the opening (112B) of the second holding support member (110B).

[0028] In the present embodiment, the substrate holder (11) is intended to hold and support a rectangular substrate W, but is not limited thereto and may hold and support a circular substrate. In that case, the opening (112A) and the opening (112B) are also circular. Alternatively, the substrate W may be a polygonal substrate other than a rectangular one. In this case, the opening (112A) and the opening (112B) may also be polygonal shapes corresponding to the shape. Furthermore, although a double-sided plating substrate holder is described here as an example, the present invention can also be applied to a single-sided plating substrate holder.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the second holding support member (110B) has an arm portion (160B) that constitutes a part of the arm (160). At one end of the arm portion (160B), an external connection terminal (161) and an external connection terminal (162) are provided. The external connection terminal (161) is a terminal for supplying power to the substrate W (corresponding to a power member for current supplying power to the substrate) and is connected to a power source (e.g., a DC power source). The external connection terminal (162) is a terminal for electrically connecting a leakage detection electrode (510) to a current sensor (530) (Fig. 7). One or more bus bars (410) are connected to the external connection terminal (161) for current supplying power to the substrate. In this example, two bus bars (410) spaced apart and arranged parallel to each other are connected to an external connection terminal (161) and extend along the length of the interior of the arm (160B) to near the center of the arm (160B), and also extend from the arm (160B) toward the opening (112B). Each bus bar (410) faces in opposite directions from the top of the opening (112B), extends along the upper edge of the opening (112B), extends along each side edge (right and left sides in FIG. 4) of the opening (112B), and extends from both sides toward the center of the lower edge along the lower edge of the opening (112B). At the center of the lower edge of the opening (112B), each bus bar (410) is spaced apart. Before the plating current is flowed, the electrodes of the external connection terminals (161) to which each bus bar is connected are electrically separated from each other, and by arranging the two bus bars apart from each other, it is possible to perform a current check between the two bus bars before the plating current is flowed. In addition, if the above-mentioned current check is not performed, the two bus bars (410) may be connected at the center of the lower edge of the opening (112B). An inner seal (120B) that seals the outer edge of the second surface of the substrate W is provided at the periphery of the opening (112B).

[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 4, in the second holding support member (110B), a plurality of contacts (117) as electrical contacts that contact a substrate are arranged on the inner side of the bus bar (410), and each contact (117) is electrically connected to the bus bar (410). The contacts (117) can be connected to the bus bar (410) by screw fastening or any other fastening means. Here, an example is described in which the conductive path from the external connection terminal (161) to each contact (117) is the bus bar, but the conductive path can be any conductor such as a cable or a wire.

[0031] In the second holding support member (110B), a leakage detection electrode (510) is disposed on the outer side of the bus bar (410). The leakage detection electrode (510) is electrically connected to an external connection terminal (162) and extends along the right side of the opening (112B) on the ground of FIG. 4, and also extends from the right side toward the left side along the lower side of the opening (112B), and is terminated near the corner of the lower side and the left side. As described later, the leakage detection electrode (510) is disposed in a state of being electrically insulated from the bus bar (410). The leakage detection electrode (510) may be provided to extend from the upper (upper side) of the opening (112B) to at least the middle of the side (side side), extend from the upper (upper side) of the opening (112B) through the side (side side) to any position of the lower (lower side), or extend along the entire circumference of the outer perimeter of the opening (112B).

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first holding support member (110A) has a part (160A) that forms part of the arm (160). The part (160A) of the first holding support member (110A) is configured to form the arm (160) by engaging with the part (160B) of the second holding support member (110B). An inner seal (120A) is provided on the periphery of the opening (112A) of the first holding support member (110A) to seal the outer periphery of the first surface of the substrate W.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of the inner surface of the second retaining support member. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along line VI-VI of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the connection between the substrate holder and the sensor. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, an inner seal (120B) retained and supported by a seal holder (118B) is provided on the periphery of the opening (112B), and an inner seal (120A) retained and supported by a seal holder (118A) is provided on the periphery of the opening (112A). The substrate holder (11) and the substrate W are sealed by the inner seals (120A, 120B). More specifically, the second retaining support member (110B) and the second surface of the substrate W are sealed by the inner seal (120B), and the first retaining support member (110A) and the first surface of the substrate W are sealed by the inner seal (120A). The base end of the contact (117) is mechanically and electrically connected to the bus bar (410) by any fixing means, such as screw fixing. The free end of the contact (117) contacts the surface of the substrate W and is electrically conductive. As shown in FIG. 6, an outer seal (121) is provided on the side / outside of the second retaining support member (110B) away from the opening (112B) and is retained and supported by a seal holder (119). The outer seal (121) seals between the first retaining support member (110A) and the second retaining support member (110B). The outer seal (121) may be provided on the first retaining support member (110A). The inner seal (120) (120A, 120B) and the outer seal (121) form a sealing space (123) that seals the contact (117) and the leakage detection electrode (510) by blocking them from the processing liquid.

[0034] A holder (520) is provided adjacent to the outer side of the bus bar (410) to hold and support a leakage detection electrode (510). The holder (520) is provided with a groove (520a) that extends approximately parallel to the bus bar (410). The leakage detection electrode (510) is positioned within the groove (520a) so as to be spaced apart from the vicinity of the bus bar (410) and positioned in an electrically insulated state. The leakage detection electrode (510) extends along the entire circumference or a part of the bus bar (410) at the outer circumference of the opening (112B) and is electrically connected to an external connection terminal (162) through an arm (160B).

[0035] The leakage detection electrode (510) is electrically insulated and spaced apart from the bus bar (410). However, the leakage detection electrode (510) detects leakage of the seal (inner seal or outer seal) by detecting the current flowing through the liquid, such as pure water, between the leakage detection electrode (510) and the bus bar (410) when the liquid, such as pure water, enters the seal space (123). In order to detect leakage of the seal even if the amount of liquid entering the seal space (123) is small, the leakage detection electrode (510) needs to be spaced apart from the bus bar (410) at a close distance.

[0036] The leakage detection electrode (510) may be a conductive wire made of any conductor. A portion of the conductive wire may be covered with a covering of an electrical insulating material. In the example of FIG. 4, the conductive wire of the leakage detection electrode (510) located other than the lower edge of the opening (112B) may be covered with a covering of an electrical insulating material, and the conductive wire located at the lower edge of the opening (112B) may be exposed. When processing the substrate holder (11) in a vertical position, the processing liquid leaking from the seal collects at the bottom of the substrate holder (11), so it may be sufficient to perform leakage detection at the bottom of the substrate holder (11). Additionally, the conductive wire of the leakage detection electrode (510) may be of any shape, such as a rod or a plate, and the cross-section of the conductive wire may be of any shape, such as a circle or a polygon.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 7, an external connection terminal (161, 162) connected to the bus bar (410) and the leakage detection electrode (510) is connected to a current sensor (530) for detecting a minute current flowing through a liquid, such as pure water, between the bus bar (410) and the leakage detection electrode (510). Since pure water has a very high resistance value (about tens of MΩ) compared to chemical solutions such as plating solutions, the current sensor (530) is adopted to be capable of detecting a minute current through pure water. As shown in FIG. 7, the external connection terminal (162) connected to the leakage detection electrode (510) is electrically connected to the current sensor (530) through a conductive plate (tap) (173). Additionally, the external connection terminal (161) connected to the bus bar (410) is electrically connected to the current sensor (530) through a conductive plate (tap) (172). The conductive plates (172, 173) are placed in the portion where the end of the arm (160) of the substrate holder (11) is placed in any processing module (171), for example, at the edge of the processing tank. The processing module (171) includes, for example, a pre-wet module (126), a pre-soak module (128), a first rinse module (130a), a blow module (132), a second rinse module (130b), a first plating module (10a), a second plating module (10b), a third rinse module (130c), and / or a third plating module (10c). Additionally, the containment station (stoker) (170D) can be configured in the same way.

[0038] Leakage detection using a leakage detection electrode (510) involves, for example, applying a voltage (preferably an alternating voltage) between a bus bar (410) and a leakage detection electrode (510), and measuring the current flowing between the bus bar (410) and the leakage detection electrode (510). When there is no leakage of a liquid such as pure water, the bus bar (410) and the leakage detection electrode (510) remain electrically insulated, and no current flows between the bus bar (410) and the leakage detection electrode (510). On the other hand, when the connection between the bus bar (410) and the leakage detection electrode (510) is short-circuited by a liquid such as pure water, current flows through the liquid between the bus bar (410) and the leakage detection electrode (510) (a change in resistance corresponding to the input voltage occurs). The current sensor (530) outputs a measured value of the current to the controller (103), and the controller (103) detects leakage based on a predetermined condition (a condition for detecting that leakage has occurred from the measured current). Additionally, the condition for detecting that leakage has occurred from the measured current may be pre-set in the current sensor (530), and when that condition is satisfied, a leakage signal may be sent from the current sensor (530) to the controller (103). In this case, the controller (103) detects leakage based on the leakage signal from the current sensor (530). By detecting a short circuit between the bus bar (410) and the leakage detection electrode (510) in this way, leakage of the seal (inner seal (120) and / or outer seal (121)) can be detected.

[0039] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a plating method according to the present embodiment. This plating method is implemented by a controller (103).

[0040] In step S11, the substrate W is removed from the cassette by the return robot (122), and the orientation of the substrate W is aligned by an aligner (not shown), etc.

[0041] In step S12, the substrate W is brought into the substrate attachment / detachment station (170B) by the transport robot (122).

[0042] In step S13, the empty substrate holder (11) is removed from the storage station (stoker) (170D) by the transporter (141) and brought into the substrate removal station (170B). Additionally, the processing of step S13 is carried out in parallel with the processing of steps S11 and 12.

[0043] In step S14, at the substrate attachment / detachment station (170B), the substrate W is mounted to the substrate holder (11) by a fixing device.

[0044] In step S15, the substrate holder (11) is transported to the pre-wet module (126) by the transporter (141), and the substrate W is treated with degassed pure water to improve the wettability of the substrate W with respect to the plating solution. In the pre-wet module (126), the substrate W and the substrate holder (11) may be immersed in the stored degassed water, or the degassed water may be sprayed onto the substrate W from a nozzle. At this time, the pure water comes into contact with the seal portion of the seal (in this example, inner seal (120), outer seal (121)) that prevents the contact (117) of the substrate holder (11) from coming into contact with the plating solution. Here, the seal portion refers to the contact portion (contact surface / seal surface) where the seal comes into contact with the seal member. The seal portion includes, for example, a contact surface / seal surface where the inner seal (120) contacts the substrate W and / or the first retaining support member (110A) / the second retaining support member (110B), and a contact surface / seal surface where the outer seal (121) contacts the first retaining support member (110A) and / or the second retaining support member (110B). Additionally, in the pre-wet module (126), a leak test of the substrate holder (11) described above is performed with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. That is, if the seal between the inner seal (120) and the substrate W, or between the outer seal (121) and the first retaining support member (110A), is not properly formed, degassed water will enter the seal space. If there is no leakage in the seal of the substrate holder (11), the current sensor (530) / controller (103) does not detect a leakage signal ("Yes" in S15), and the substrate W is returned to the next processing module (in this example, the pre-soak module). Meanwhile, if there is leakage in the seal of the substrate holder (11), the current sensor (530) / controller (103) detects a leakage signal ("No" in S15), and the substrate W is returned to the next processing module and the plating process, etc., is omitted, and the substrate W is returned to the blow module (S20), and after the substrate W is detached from the substrate holder (11) (S21), the substrate holder (11) is stored in the stocker (170D) (S25).Additionally, the detached substrate W is cleaned and dried at the cleaning station (170E) and then stored in a cassette by the return robot (122) (S22 to S24). Additionally, information about the substrate holder (11) that detected a leak and / or information about the detached substrate W is recorded by the controller (103). Additionally, the substrate holder (11) that detected a leak can be rendered unusable or reused after cleaning in the holder cleaning module (133).

[0045] In step S16, in the pre-soak module (128), the surface oxide film of a conductive layer, such as a seed layer formed on the surface of the substrate W, is etched away by a chemical solution.

[0046] In step S17, in the first rinse module (130a), the substrate W after pre-soaking is cleaned with a cleaning solution (e.g., pure water).

[0047] In step S18, the substrate W is plated in the first plating module (10a), the second plating module (10b), or the third plating module (10c).

[0048] In step S19, in the second rinse module (130b) or the third rinse module (130c), the substrate W after plating is cleaned with a cleaning solution (e.g., pure water) together with the substrate holder (11). Additionally, if the substrate W is plated in multiple plating modules, the treatment of step S18 and / or step S19 is performed multiple times on the substrate W.

[0049] In step S20, the liquid from the substrate W after cleaning is removed in the blow module (132). At this time, a leakage test of the substrate holder (11) may be performed, similar to the pre-wet treatment (S15). In this case, if the leakage during the pre-wet treatment is small and cannot be detected, a leakage test is performed during the treatment after the pre-wet treatment, thereby making it possible to detect the liquid caused by leakage accumulated after the pre-wet treatment. When a leakage is detected, the controller (103) records information about the substrate holder (11) that detected the leakage and / or information about the removed substrate W. Additionally, instead of or in addition to performing a leakage test in step S20, a leakage test of the substrate holder (11) may be performed in step S19 (cleaning after plating), similar to the pre-wet treatment (S15).

[0050] In step S21, the substrate holder (11) is transported to the substrate attachment / detachment station (170B) by the transporter (141), and the substrate W is detached from the substrate holder (11) at the substrate attachment / detachment station (170B).

[0051] The detached substrate W is brought into the cleaning station (170E) by the return robot (122), and after being cleaned and dried in the cleaning station (170E), is stored in a cassette by the return robot (122) (S22 to S24).

[0052] The substrate holder (11) from which the substrate W has been detached is stored in the stocker (170D) by the transporter (141) (S25). Additionally, the substrate holder (11) is transported to the holder cleaning module (133) by the transporter (141) as needed, and after being cleaned, is stored in the stocker (170D). In the holder cleaning module (133), only the substrate holder (11) that is not holding and supporting the substrate W is cleaned. In the holder cleaning module (133), sealing is not required, and the sealing surface and contact (117) of the seal (inner seal (120), outer seal (121)) may be cleaned. That is, cleaning water enters the sealing space (123). The cleaned substrate holder (11) is stored in the stocker (170D) after being properly treated to remove liquid. Before the substrate holder (11) holds and supports the next substrate after cleaning, a leakage test may be performed on the substrate holder (11). For example, a leakage test may also be performed on the stocker (170D), just as in the pre-wet treatment (S15). Instead of or in addition to the leakage test at the stocker (170D), a leakage test may also be performed at the substrate attachment / detachment station (170B). By confirming that there is no short circuit in the leakage detection electrode (510) of the substrate holder (11) by the current sensor, it can be confirmed that the substrate holder (11) is dry, and after confirming that it is dry, the substrate holder (11) can be used for the next substrate treatment. By doing so, it is possible to distinguish between a short circuit caused by insufficient drying of the substrate holder (11) after holder cleaning and a short circuit caused by a seal failure of the aforementioned substrate holder (11).

[0053] In addition, in the above steps S16 and / or S17, a leakage test of the substrate holder (11) may be performed in the same manner as in the pre-wet treatment (S15). The above-described leakage test, other than the pre-wet treatment (S15), may be performed in part or in whole.

[0054] (Other embodiments)

[0055] (1) In the above embodiment, a leak test is performed by detecting a short circuit between the leak detection electrode (510) and the bus bar (410), but a pair of conductors (conductive wires, etc.) may be provided as the leak detection electrode (510), and a leak test may be performed by detecting a short circuit between the pair of conductors.

[0056] (2) In the above embodiment, an example of processing with the substrate holder (11) in an upright position was described, but the above embodiment may also be applied when processing with the substrate holder (11) in a horizontal position.

[0057] (3) In the above embodiment, a leak test was performed by first contacting pure water with the seal portion of the substrate holder (11) during the pre-wet treatment (S15). However, if a preliminary cleaning of the substrate W with pure water is performed before the pre-wet treatment (S15), a leak test may be performed during the preliminary cleaning instead of or in addition to the leak test during the pre-wet treatment.

[0058] (4) Leakage testing may be performed during the return of the substrate holder.

[0059] From the above embodiments, at least the following forms are identified.

[0060] According to a first embodiment, a plating method is provided in which pure water is brought into contact with a seal portion of a seal that prevents a contact of a substrate holder supporting a substrate from coming into contact with a plating solution, and leakage of the seal is detected based on whether there is a short circuit of a leakage detection electrode disposed inside the substrate holder while the substrate comes into contact with a chemical solution after the pure water has come into contact with the seal portion. A short circuit of the leakage detection electrode indicates that current flows through the leakage detection electrode through the liquid.

[0061] According to this configuration, since leakage can be detected before the substrate comes into contact with the chemical solution, the substrate can be mounted on another substrate holder and plated without destroying the substrate. This reduces the amount of substrate destroyed due to leakage and enables cost reduction. Additionally, the substrate holder in which leakage is detected can be discarded or cleaned and reused.

[0062] According to the second embodiment, in the plating method of the first embodiment, the process of contacting the pure water is carried out by a preliminary cleaning in which the substrate is cleaned with pure water, and / or a pre-wet treatment in which the substrate is contacted with degassed pure water.

[0063] According to this configuration, since pure water is brought into contact with the seal portion during the preliminary cleaning and / or pre-wetting process, a leak test can be performed at an early stage after the substrate is brought into the processing station.

[0064] According to the third embodiment, in the plating method of the second embodiment, the process of detecting leakage of the seal is carried out during the preliminary cleaning treatment and / or during the pre-wet treatment.

[0065] According to this configuration, a leak test can be performed at an early stage after the substrate is introduced into the processing station, and it can be verified whether there is a leakage problem in the substrate holder. In addition, since the leak test is performed during the preliminary cleaning process and / or the pre-wetting process, no separate time is required for the leak test, and the impact on throughput is suppressed or prevented.

[0066] According to the fourth embodiment, in the plating method of the third embodiment, the process of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed after the subsequent process of the pre-wet treatment.

[0067] According to this configuration, if leakage during pre-wetting treatment is small and cannot be detected, leakage inspection can be performed even after subsequent treatment, thereby making it possible to detect liquid caused by leakage accumulated after pre-wetting treatment. As a result, the leaked substrate holder can be rendered unusable or cleaned and reused.

[0068] According to the fifth embodiment, in the plating method of the fourth embodiment, the process of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed after plating the substrate.

[0069] According to this configuration, if leakage during pre-wetting treatment is small and cannot be detected, leakage inspection is performed even after plating treatment, thereby making it possible to detect liquid caused by leakage accumulated after pre-wetting treatment. As a result, the substrate holder with leakage can be rendered unusable or cleaned and reused.

[0070] According to the 6th embodiment, in any one of the plating methods of the 3rd to 5th embodiments, the process of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed before holding and supporting the substrate in the substrate holder.

[0071] According to this configuration, before holding and supporting a substrate in a substrate holder (before holding and supporting a substrate for the first time in the substrate holder, or before removing a substrate from the substrate holder and holding and supporting the next substrate), for example in a stocker or a substrate attachment / detachment station, by performing a leakage test on the substrate holder, it is possible to determine whether the seal space of the substrate holder is dry. Since the seal space is the part of the substrate holder that is most difficult to dry, the drying of the substrate holder can be confirmed by determining the state after the seal space has dried. According to this configuration, after confirming that the substrate holder is dry, a substrate can be mounted in the substrate holder.

[0072] According to the seventh embodiment, in the plating method of the sixth embodiment, the process of cleaning the substrate holder is further provided, and the process of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed after cleaning the substrate holder and before holding and supporting the next substrate.

[0073] According to this configuration, after cleaning the substrate holder and before holding and supporting the next substrate, a leakage test of the substrate holder is performed to determine whether the seal space of the substrate holder is dry. By doing so, after confirming that the substrate holder is dry, a substrate can be mounted on the substrate holder.

[0074] According to the eighth embodiment, in any one of the plating methods of the first to seventh embodiments, the leakage detection electrode is electrically insulated and disposed near a conductive member for conducting current to a substrate of the substrate holder, and leakage of the seal is detected by utilizing the short circuit between the leakage detection electrode and the conductive member by pure water. The conductive member includes a power supply line (cable, bus bar), a contact, and / or a conductive member electrically connected to the power supply line or the contact.

[0075] According to this configuration, since leakage is detected by utilizing a conductive member in the substrate holder, the configuration of the leakage detection electrode can be simplified and space-saving. Additionally, the enlargement of the substrate holder can be suppressed or prevented.

[0076] According to the ninth embodiment, in any one of the plating methods of the first to seventh embodiments, the leakage detection electrode has a pair of electrodes spaced apart from each other, and detects leakage of the seal by utilizing the short circuit of the pair of electrodes by pure water.

[0077] According to this configuration, effects caused by the current flow status of other electrical components of the substrate holder can be suppressed / prevented, and leakage can be detected.

[0078] According to the 10th embodiment, in any one of the plating methods of the 1st to 9th embodiments, while the substrate is held and supported in the substrate holder, the leakage detection electrode is provided along the outer circumference of the substrate, extends from the top of the substrate to at least the middle of the side, extends from the top of the substrate through the side to the bottom, or is provided along the entire circumference of the substrate.

[0079] When transporting and processing with the substrate holder in an upright position, by adopting a configuration in which the leakage detection electrode extends at least halfway along the side of the substrate, leakage inspection can be performed by the leakage detection electrode, and false detection after cleaning the substrate holder can be suppressed / prevented.

[0080] In addition, when transporting and processing with the substrate holder in an upright position, the leaked liquid tends to accumulate at the bottom of the substrate holder. Therefore, by adopting a configuration in which the leakage detection electrode extends to the bottom of the substrate, the precision of leakage detection can be improved.

[0081] In a configuration where leakage detection electrodes are provided along the entire perimeter of the substrate, leakage can be detected at positions corresponding to the entire perimeter of the substrate. Additionally, the precision of leakage detection can be improved regardless of the orientation of the substrate holder.

[0082] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above based on several examples, the above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from its intent, and it is understood that the present invention includes equivalents. Furthermore, any combination or omission of each component described in the claims and specification is possible within the scope of solving at least a part of the above-described problem or within the scope of exhibiting at least a part of the effect.

[0083] The present application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-020793 filed on February 10, 2020. All disclosures of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-020793 filed on February 10, 2020, including the specification, claims, drawings, and abstract, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. All disclosures of Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-190044 (Patent Document 1), including the specification, claims, drawings, and abstract, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Explanation of the symbols

[0084] 10: Plating Module 10a to 10c: 1st to 3rd plating modules 11: Substrate holder 101: Gadae 103: Controller 103a: CPU 103b: Memory 105: Road Stage 110A: First retaining support member 110B: Second retaining support member 112, 112A, 112B: Opening 117: Contact 118A, 118B, 119: Seal holder 120A, 120B, 120: Internal seal 121: Lateral seal 122: Return robot 123: Time space 126: Prewet Module 128: Free Soak Module 130a to 130c: 1st to 3rd rinse modules 132: Blow Module 133: Holder cleaning module 140: Return device 141: Transporter 142: Fixed base 160: Cancer 160A, 160B: Dark areas 161, 162: External connection terminals 170A: Load / Unload Station 170B: Board Removal Station 170C: Processing Station 170D: Hangar Station (Stalker) 170E: Cleaning Station 172, 173: Challenge Edition 410: Bus Bar 510: Leakage detection electrode 520: Holder 520a: Home 530: Current sensor

Claims

Claim 1 A plating method comprising: contacting pure water to a seal portion of a seal that prevents a contact of a substrate holder supporting a substrate from contacting a plating solution; applying an alternating voltage to a leakage detection electrode disposed inside the substrate holder while the substrate contacts the seal portion with pure water and until the substrate contacts a chemical solution; and detecting leakage of the seal by detecting the alternating current flowing through the pure water through the leakage detection electrode using a current sensor capable of detecting a minute current through the pure water. Claim 2 A plating method according to claim 1, wherein the process of contacting the substrate with pure water is carried out by a preliminary cleaning of cleaning the substrate with pure water and / or a pre-wet treatment of contacting the substrate with degassed pure water. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the process of detecting leakage of the seal is a plating method performed during the preliminary cleaning treatment and / or the pre-wet treatment. Claim 4 In paragraph 3, the process of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed after the subsequent process of the pre-wet treatment, in a plating method. Claim 5 In paragraph 4, the process of detecting leakage of the seal is a plating method further performed after plating the substrate. Claim 6 A plating method in which, in any one of paragraphs 3 to 5, the process of detecting leakage of the seal is further performed before holding and supporting the substrate in the substrate holder. Claim 7 A plating method according to claim 6, further comprising a process for cleaning the substrate holder, and a process for detecting leakage of the seal, which is further performed after cleaning the substrate holder and before holding and supporting the next substrate. Claim 8 A plating method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the leakage detection electrode is electrically insulated and disposed near a conductive member for current conduction of the substrate holder, and leakage of the seal is detected by utilizing the short circuit between the leakage detection electrode and the conductive member by pure water. Claim 9 A plating method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the leakage detection electrode has a pair of electrodes spaced apart from each other, and the leakage of the seal is detected by utilizing the short circuit of the pair of electrodes by pure water. Claim 10 A plating method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, while the substrate is held and supported in the substrate holder, the leakage detection electrode is provided along the outer circumference of the substrate, extends from the top of the substrate to at least the middle of the side, extends from the top of the substrate through the side to the bottom, or is provided along the entire circumference of the substrate. Claim 11 A plating method in which pure water is brought into contact with a seal portion of a seal that prevents a contact of a substrate holder supporting a substrate from coming into contact with a plating solution, and a leakage of the seal is detected based on whether there is a short circuit of a leakage detection electrode disposed inside the substrate holder while the substrate comes into contact with a chemical solution after the pure water is brought into contact with the seal portion, wherein the leakage detection electrode is electrically insulated and disposed near a conductive member for substrate current conduction of the substrate holder, and the leakage of the seal is detected by utilizing the fact that the leakage detection electrode and the conductive member are short-circuited by pure water.

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