Electroplating Wetting Chamber Using Soluble Gas to Prevent Bubble Entrapment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wetting processes in semiconductor manufacturing fail to effectively remove air bubbles and residues from vias and other features on substrates, leading to plating defects and device failures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a gas with higher solubility in the wetting agent than oxygen to displace air, combined with a robust spray operation to coat the substrate, actively cleaning residues while removing bubbles, using a controlled atmosphere and rotational translation of the substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional wetting processes are used to apply liquid to substrates, then material layers can be deposited, but air bubbles and residues remain trapped in vias and features causing defects
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by purging the chamber with a high solubility gas (such as carbon dioxide) before applying the wetting agent. This gas displacement prepares the environment by replacing air in the chamber and within substrate features, preventing oxygen and nitrogen from being trapped during subsequent liquid application. The gas saturation step occurs beforehand to eliminate harmful air bubbles before the wetting process begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical-chemical parameters of the gaseous environment by introducing a gas with significantly higher solubility in the wetting agent (Henry's Law coefficient greater than 0.005 mol/L·atm). This parameter change in gas solubility allows the gas to dissolve into the wetting agent and displace air bubbles from substrate features, fundamentally altering the wetting process outcome from bubble-prone to bubble-free.
2Ease of manufacture
If air is not displaced before wetting, then the process is simpler, but bubble defects occur in the substrate features
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates an inert-like environment by filling the chamber with a high solubility gas (such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or other gases with Henry's Law coefficient > 0.005 mol/L·atm). This inert atmosphere displaces air from the chamber and substrate features, preventing bubble formation during wetting. The gas acts as a protective environment that eliminates harmful air bubbles while maintaining process reliability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If high pressure spraying is used to remove bubbles, then bubble removal improves, but substrate damage and residue accumulation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the mechanical high-pressure spray system with a chemical/gas-based solution. Instead of using high-pressure liquid spray to force bubbles out (which causes damage and residue), the system uses a high solubility gas that passively dissolves into the wetting agent and displaces bubbles through diffusion and solubility-driven mechanisms. This substitution eliminates the harmful mechanical forces while achieving effective bubble removal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Simultaneously removes air bubbles and residues, enhancing substrate plating uniformity and reducing defects, thereby improving the quality of semiconductor devices.
Implementation Method 1
forming an atmosphere in a basin housing the semiconductor substrate with a gas having a higher solubility in a wetting agent than oxygen
Implementation Method 2
spraying the wetting agent with a spray head onto the substrate
Implementation Method 3
rotationally translating the semiconductor substrate and the spray head, and wetting the plurality of features defined in the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Method and systems for cleaning and wetting a semiconductor substrate, are provided. Methods and systems include forming an atmosphere in a basin housing the semiconductor substrate with a gas having a higher solubility in a wetting agent than oxygen. Methods and systems include spraying the wetting agent with a spray head onto the substrate while maintaining the atmosphere. Methods and systems include rotationally translating the semiconductor substrate, the spray head, or both the semiconductor substrate and the spray head, Methods and systems include wetting a plurality of features defined in the substrate.