Shielding device and electroplating shielding method

Abstract

Provided in the present invention are a shielding device and an electroplating shielding method. The shielding device comprises a shielding plate, wherein a central opening is provided at the center of the shielding plate, and the central opening is in the shape of a regular polygon; and at least one blocking piece, wherein the blocking piece is radially movably arranged in the shielding plate, and each blocking piece corresponds to one side of the regular polygon. According to the shielding device and the electroplating shielding method in the present invention, by means of providing at least one blocking piece radially movable in the shielding plate, a shielding area is adjusted by means of adjusting the position of the blocking piece, thereby meeting the edge blocking requirements during different wafer electroplating processes, and thus improving the universality and flexibility of the shielding device.

Description

Shielding devices and electroplating shielding methods Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electroplating equipment technology, and in particular to shielding devices and electroplating shielding methods. Background Technology

[0002] Electroplating, a surface treatment process based on the principle of electrolysis, can precisely deposit a metal or alloy coating on the surface of specific metal materials. With technological advancements, electroplating technology has become deeply integrated into the high-precision field of integrated circuit manufacturing, playing an indispensable role in wafer fabrication. Especially in the production process of high-end integrated circuit wafers, wafer holding devices are used to move the wafer into the electroplating solution in the electroplating bath, ensuring full and comprehensive contact between the wafer and the solution. Under the action of electrochemical reactions, key structures such as metal limiting components, interconnect wires, and copper TSVs (Through-Silicon Vias) are meticulously "carved" onto the wafer surface. These microscopic and intricate structures lay a solid foundation for the subsequent superior performance of integrated circuits.

[0003] It is worth mentioning that a shielding device is cleverly installed inside the electroplating chamber to ensure the precision and quality of the electroplating process. This device effectively counteracts the edge effect caused by electric field distortion at the wafer edge by adjusting the electric field distribution during the electroplating process, so that the electroplated layer can be uniformly and stably covered on the wafer surface. This safeguards the quality of wafer electroplating and is a key link in improving the yield of high-end integrated circuits.

[0004] However, in current practical production applications, although shielding devices have played a crucial role, with the booming development of the integrated circuit industry, wafer sizes are showing a diversified trend, gradually shifting from traditional smaller sizes to larger sizes or even multiple sizes coexisting. This brings new challenges to existing shielding devices, making their structural optimization an urgent priority.

[0005] Currently, different chip manufacturing processes have varying requirements for wafer size, with common sizes including 6-inch, 8-inch, and even larger. During wafer electroplating, existing shielding devices are designed based on a relatively uniform wafer size standard. When dealing with wafers of varying sizes, significant compatibility issues arise. For example, for large wafers, the insufficient lateral extension of the shielding device fails to fully cover the wafer edges, resulting in significantly reduced plating uniformity at the edges. This can lead to uneven plating thickness and unstable forming quality of metal limiting components, severely impacting product quality. Conversely, for small wafers, the relatively large shielding device occupies excessive space in the plating bath, wasting plating solution resources and potentially interfering with the normal flow of the plating solution, also negatively impacting the plating effect.

[0006] In summary, in order to enhance the adaptability of the shielding device, improve production efficiency, and reduce costs, this invention optimizes the structure of the shielding device. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To meet the edge shielding requirements of wafers of different sizes and different electroplating processes, ensure product quality, improve the versatility and flexibility of shielding devices, and reduce costs, this invention proposes a shielding device and an electroplating shielding method.

[0008] In a first aspect, this application proposes a shielding device, comprising:

[0009] A shielding plate, wherein the shielding plate has a central opening at its center, and the central opening is a regular polygon;

[0010] At least one baffle, each of which is independently and radially movably disposed within the shielding plate.

[0011] Each baffle corresponds to one side of the regular polygon.

[0012] According to a specific implementation of an embodiment of this application, at least one side of the regular polygon is provided with a receiving groove, and the baffle is movably disposed within the receiving groove.

[0013] According to one specific implementation of the embodiments of this application, the shape of the regular polygon is a square, a regular pentagon, a regular hexagon, or a regular octagon.

[0014] According to a specific implementation of the present application, a fastening bolt is further included. The fastening bolt is disposed on a groove wall of the receiving groove. The fastening bolt is configured to fix the baffle and the corresponding receiving groove when the baffle is in a preset extended position.

[0015] According to one specific implementation of an embodiment of this application, the fastening bolt is coated with a corrosion-resistant layer.

[0016] According to a specific implementation of an embodiment of this application, at least one limiting member is provided on the baffle;

[0017] The inner wall of the receiving groove is provided with a limiting groove that is adapted to the limiting member. The limiting member and the limiting groove are configured such that when the baffle moves to a predetermined position in the receiving groove, the limiting member slides into the limiting groove.

[0018] According to one specific implementation of an embodiment of this application, the limiting member is elastic.

[0019] According to a specific implementation of an embodiment of this application, at least one limiting member is provided on the inner wall of the receiving groove;

[0020] The baffle is provided with a limiting groove that is adapted to the limiting member. The limiting member and the limiting groove are configured such that when the baffle moves to a predetermined position in the receiving groove, the limiting member slides into the limiting groove.

[0021] According to a specific implementation of an embodiment of this application, the contact portion of the limiting member that contacts the limiting groove has a certain curvature.

[0022] Secondly, this application proposes an electroplating shielding method, in which the shielding device described in any of the above claims is used for shielding during the electroplating process.

[0023] The shielding device and electroplating shielding method of the present invention, by setting at least one radially movable baffle in the shielding plate, can adjust the shielding area by adjusting the position of the baffle, thereby meeting the edge shielding requirements of different wafer electroplating processes and improving the versatility and flexibility of the shielding device.

[0024] Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the structures pointed out in the description and the drawings.

[0025] Overview of the attached figures

[0026] The features and performance of this application are further described by the following embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 illustrates a shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 shows a partial structural schematic diagram of the shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 shows a partial top view of the shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 shows a partial unfolded bottom view of the shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional structure of the shielding device according to another embodiment of the present invention; and,

[0033] Figure 6 shows a top view of the shielding device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Preferred embodiments of this application

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] This invention aims to provide a shielding device, comprising: a shielding plate with a central opening at its center, the central opening being a regular polygon; and at least one baffle plate radially movably disposed within the shielding plate, wherein each baffle plate corresponds to one side of the central opening. By providing at least one radially movable baffle plate within the shielding plate, the shielding area can be adjusted by changing the position of the baffle plate, thus meeting the edge shielding requirements of different wafer electroplating processes and improving the versatility and flexibility of the shielding device.

[0037] Specifically, please refer to Figure 1, which illustrates a shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the shielding device includes a shielding plate 110, which has a flat main planar portion. A central opening 120 is provided at the center of the shielding plate 110, and the central opening 120 is a regular polygon. The central opening 120 of the shielding plate 110 is set as a regular polygon to ensure that the edges of the wafer are uniformly shielded during wafer rotation in the process. It should be understood that the shape of the central opening 120 in the embodiments of the present invention includes, but is not limited to, a square, a regular pentagon, a regular hexagon, or a regular octagon, and the specific shape of the central opening 120 is selected according to actual needs.

[0038] To enhance the adaptability of the shielding device, this application improves the central opening 120 of the shielding plate 110, as follows: Please refer to Figure 2, which shows a partial structural schematic diagram of the shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. A receiving groove 130 is provided at the central opening 120 of the shielding plate 110 along at least one side 121 of a regular polygon, and a baffle 140 is movably disposed within the receiving groove 130. Exemplarily, in this embodiment, a receiving groove 130 is provided at the central opening 120 of the shielding plate 110 along each side 121 of the regular polygon, and a baffle 140 is adapted inside each receiving groove 130. The baffle 140 is movably connected to the receiving groove 130, thereby allowing the baffle 140 to translate within the range defined by the receiving groove 130. It should be understood that the relative position of the baffle 140 within the receiving groove 130 can be adjusted manually or by an external driving structure to precisely control the effective area of ​​the central opening 120, thereby adapting to edge shielding requirements under different shielding scenarios during different wafer plating processes.

[0039] In one embodiment, the shielding device further includes a fastening bolt 150. The fastening bolt 150 is disposed on the groove wall of the receiving groove 130, and is configured to fix the baffle 140 to the corresponding receiving groove 130 when the baffle 140 is in the extended position. Figure 3 shows a partial bottom view of the shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a partial unfolded bottom view of the shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, referring to Figures 2 to 4, the baffle 140 is placed inside the receiving groove 130, and each receiving groove 130 has a strip-shaped through hole 131 on its bottom wall 132. The baffle 140 can be fixed by the fastening bolt 150. Specifically, the lower surface of the baffle 140 is provided with a thread that matches the fastening bolt 150. When it is necessary to fix the baffle 140, the baffle 140 is moved out of the receiving groove 130 by a predetermined length, and the fastening bolt 150 passes through the strip-shaped through hole 131 and matches the thread on the baffle 140 to fix the baffle 140. In actual assembly, the size of the central opening 120 needs to be determined based on the size of the wafer to be processed or the performance of the electroplating process. The size of the central opening 120 is controlled by the length of the baffle 140 extending out of the receiving groove 130. Specifically, the longer the baffle 140 extends out of the receiving groove 130, the smaller the size of the central opening 120, and correspondingly, the larger the area of ​​the wafer that is shielded. By controlling the length of the baffle 140 extending out of the receiving groove 130, not only can the non-universal shielding requirements of wafers of different sizes be accommodated, but also different shielding requirements of wafers of the same size can be addressed. For example, if the edge shielding range of a wafer of the same size is found to be too small during the process, causing fluctuations in the electroplating thickness near the wafer edge at different radii, resulting in uneven electroplating thickness, the size of the central opening 120 can be adjusted within a smaller range to shield the area near the wafer edge, thereby achieving uniform electroplating.

[0040] In some embodiments, at least one strip-shaped through-hole 131 is formed on the bottom wall 132 of each receiving groove 130. In the embodiment shown in FIG2, the number of strip-shaped through-holes 131 is set to two. The provision of two strip-shaped through-holes 131 on the bottom wall 132 of each receiving groove 130 can further ensure the stability of the fixing effect of the baffle 140 from multiple aspects such as mechanical structure and distribution of fixing points, so that it can maintain a reliable fixing state even in complex processing environments, and avoid affecting the accuracy and quality of wafer processing due to unstable fixing.

[0041] Furthermore, considering the need to improve stability, the end of the fastening bolt 150 that contacts the baffle 140 is provided with anti-slip texture. During the process of fixing the baffle 140, the anti-slip texture can effectively increase the friction between the baffle 140 and the fastening bolt 150, allowing the baffle 140 to fit tightly with the fastening bolt 150, eliminating the risk of loosening, and achieving a fixing effect far exceeding that of ordinary bolts, greatly enhancing the reliability and stability of the entire fixing structure.

[0042] To further improve product performance, the fastening bolt 150 should be corrosion-resistant. For example, the surface of the fastening bolt 150 may be coated with a corrosion-resistant layer, or the fastening bolt 150 may be made of acid- and alkali-resistant materials. The corrosion-resistant fastening bolt 150 exhibits strong durability and a long service life even in electroplating solutions. This extended service life of the fastening bolt directly benefits the shielding device of this application, significantly increasing its overall service life.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 5, which shows a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of the shielding device according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, in another embodiment, at least one limiting member 141 is provided on the baffle 140; a limiting groove 142 adapted to the limiting member 141 is provided on the inner wall of the receiving groove 130. The limiting member 141 and the limiting groove 142 are configured such that when the baffle 140 moves to a predetermined position in the receiving groove 130, the limiting member 141 slides into the limiting groove 142. Stable engagement is achieved by the friction between the limiting member 141 and the side wall of the limiting groove 142 and their tight shape fit, ensuring that the baffle 140 remains in a fixed position during the electroplating process and maintaining the stability of the area of ​​the central opening 120. It should be understood that the limiting components in the embodiments of this application include, but are not limited to: limiting components, protrusions, limiting posts, etc.; the number of limiting components can be selected according to actual needs, and this application does not limit it; and the material of the limiting component in this embodiment is an elastic material, which is elastic and can be slightly deformed, so as to realize the solution of the limiting component sliding into the limiting groove in this embodiment.

[0044] In some embodiments, to facilitate the sliding of the limiting member 141 into the limiting groove 142, the contact surface between the limiting member 141 and the limiting groove 142 is smooth and has a certain curvature. Smoothing the surfaces of the limiting member 141 and the limiting groove 142 reduces the friction generated during contact. When the limiting member 141 begins to slide into the limiting groove 142, the reduced friction makes its sliding process smoother, avoiding jamming or obstruction caused by excessive friction, thereby significantly improving the convenience and efficiency of operation.

[0045] Meanwhile, the contact portion of the limiting member 141, which contacts the limiting groove 142, has a certain curvature. From a guiding perspective, this curvature acts as a precise path for the limiting member 141 to enter the limiting groove 142. When the limiting member 141 approaches the limiting groove 142, the curvature automatically guides it, allowing the limiting member 141 to more accurately align with the entrance of the limiting groove 142 and slide smoothly into it. From a buffering perspective, the curvature acts as a buffer at the moment the limiting member 141 slides in, reducing the impact force that may be generated by rigid collisions, minimizing damage to the limiting member 141 and the limiting groove 142 themselves, and extending their service life. From the perspective of error adaptation, certain dimensional errors are inevitable in actual manufacturing processes, and the curvature can compensate for these errors to a certain extent, ensuring that even with slight dimensional deviations, the limiting member 141 can still slide smoothly into the limiting groove 142, guaranteeing the assembly success rate and stability of the entire mechanical structure.

[0046] It is worth noting that, in terms of structural design, the position of the limiting member 141 is flexible. It can be set on the baffle 140 to achieve the limiting function by utilizing the structural characteristics of the baffle 140; or it can be installed on the inner wall of the receiving groove 130 to provide precise limiting constraints for related components by utilizing the space and shape of the inner wall.

[0047] Similarly, the limiting groove 142 also offers similar flexibility. It can be slotted on the baffle 140, and the limiting operation can be achieved through the cooperation of the groove and the corresponding component; or the limiting groove 142 can be set on the inner wall of the receiving groove 130, and the limiting groove 142 can work in conjunction with the matching component according to the structure of the inner wall to achieve the purpose of limiting, thereby meeting the diverse installation and use needs in different scenarios.

[0048] In this application, multiple baffles 140 are independently and movably connected to the shielding plate 110. In the example shown in FIG1, the multiple baffles 140 are respectively housed in independent receiving grooves 130. The multiple baffles 140 can extend out of the receiving grooves simultaneously, or they can be selected not to extend out of the receiving grooves at the same time. When some baffles 140 are selected to extend out of the receiving grooves 130, the problem of abnormal plating thickness in the area near the notch on the wafer can be solved in conjunction with the control of the wafer rotation speed during the process. For example, please refer to FIG6, which shows a top view of the shielding device according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG6, when one baffle 140 extends out of the receiving groove 130, when the wafer notch area rotates to the position of the baffle 140 of the shielding device, the rotation speed of the wafer is reduced, so that the wafer notch area stays at the position covered by the shielding plate 110 for a longer time. When the wafer notch is at the position covered by the shielding plate 110, the effect of the electric field on it is weakened, and the corresponding plating rate is reduced, thereby reducing the plating height of the wafer notch area and improving the uniformity of the wafer plating thickness.

[0049] This embodiment also discloses an electroplating shielding method. During the electroplating process, such as wafer electroplating, the shielding device of this application is used for shielding. Before wafer electroplating, the effective area of ​​the central opening 120 of the shielding device is precisely adjusted according to the wafer size. The shielding plate 110 of the shielding device is used to shield a portion of the electric field at the edge of the wafer, so that the entire wafer is in a relatively uniform electric field, thereby achieving electroplating and ensuring the uniformity of the coating on the wafer.

[0050] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shielding device, characterized in that, include: A shielding plate, wherein the shielding plate has a central opening at its center, and the central opening is a regular polygon; At least one baffle, each of which is independently and radially movably disposed within the shielding plate. Each baffle corresponds to one side of the regular polygon.

2. The shielding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The regular polygon has a receiving groove at at least one side, and the baffle is movably disposed in the receiving groove.

3. The shielding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The regular polygon is a square, a regular pentagon, a regular hexagon, or a regular octagon.

4. The shielding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes fastening bolts, which are disposed on one wall of the receiving groove, and are configured to fix the baffle to the corresponding receiving groove when the baffle is in a preset extended position.

5. The shielding device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fastening bolts are coated with a corrosion-resistant layer.

6. The shielding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The baffle is provided with at least one limiting element; The inner wall of the receiving groove is provided with a limiting groove that is adapted to the limiting member. The limiting member and the limiting groove are configured such that when the baffle moves to a predetermined position in the receiving groove, the limiting member slides into the limiting groove.

7. The shielding device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The limiting component is elastic.

8. The shielding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, At least one limiting element is provided on the inner wall of the receiving groove; The baffle is provided with a limiting groove that is adapted to the limiting member. The limiting member and the limiting groove are configured such that when the baffle moves to a predetermined position in the receiving groove, the limiting member slides into the limiting groove.

9. The shielding device according to claim 6 or 8, characterized in that, The contact portion of the limiting member that contacts the limiting groove has a certain curvature.

10. An electroplating shielding method, characterized in that, During the electroplating process, the shielding device described in any one of claims 1-9 is used for shielding.

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