Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Apparatus – Electrolytic
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-16
2002-12-31
Nguyen, Nam (Department: 1741)
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Apparatus
Electrolytic
C204S229800, C204S230800
Reexamination Certificate
active
06500317
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a plating apparatus for plating a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or the like, and particularly to a plating apparatus capable of forming a plating film of uniform thickness by uniformly conducting a current on the substrate.
BACKGROUND ART
FIG. 1
shows the general construction of this type of conventional plating apparatus. As shown in the drawing, the plating apparatus includes a plating bath
10
accommodating a plating solution Q, in which a substrate
12
such as a semiconductor wafer or the like mounted on a jig
11
and an anode
13
are disposed oppositely. A power source
14
applies a predetermined DC voltage between the jig
11
and anode
13
thereby forming a plating film on the substrate
12
by supplying an electric current via the plating solution Q.
A feeder section
16
is provided on the jig
11
. The feeder section
16
includes a plurality of feeder contacts
15
contacting the conductive area on the surface of the substrate
12
. The power source
14
is electrically connected to the feeder contacts
15
thereby a plating current flows through the anode
13
, substrate
12
, and feeder contacts
15
.
Therefore, if the feeder contacts
15
do not reliably contact the conductive film on the substrate
12
, either the plating process cannot be performed or the plating film formed on the substrate
12
will not be uniform. The conventional apparatus does not have a method or device for facilitating confirmation of the contact state between the feeder contacts
15
and the conductive film on the substrate
12
.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plating apparatus capable of forming a plating film of uniform thickness by supplying a uniform plating current through a plurality of feeder contacts contacting the conductive area of the substrate. It is another object of the present invention to provide a conductivity sensing device for detecting the conductivity (contact state) of the plurality of feeder contacts.
To solve the above mentioned subject matter, there is provided a method for confirming conductivity state between a plating jig having a plurality of conducting pins and a substrate to be plated having a conductive film, the substrate being mounted on the plating jig having a plurality of conducting pins such that the conducting pins contact the conductive film thereon, the method comprising: disposing the conducting pins of the plating jig being electrically separated independently with each other; attaching an end of reverse-current blocking diode to wiring connecting to the conducting pins, and connecting to the other ends of the reverse-current blocking diodes together to wiring connecting to a plating power source; and measuring an electrical resistance between the wiring so as to measure the electrical resistance between conducting pins of the plating jig.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the conductivity state detector may comprise a contact resistance measuring device for measuring contact resistance between the feeder contacts and the conductive area on the surface of the substrate and detects the conductivity state of the feeder contacts based on the contact resistance measured by the contact resistance measuring device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the conductivity state detector may comprise a current sensor for detecting current flowing through each of the plurality of feeder contacts and detects the conductivity state of the feeder contacts based on the current detected by the current sensor.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the plating apparatus may comprise a plating current detector for detecting a plating current flowing through the feeder contacts; and a plating current controller for maintaining a uniform plating current flowing through the feeder contacts based on output from the plating current detector.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6004440 (1999-12-01), Hanson et al.
patent: 6071388 (2000-06-01), Uzoh
patent: 6071399 (2000-06-01), Van der Bergen et al.
patent: 6139712 (2000-10-01), Patton et al.
patent: 6156167 (2000-12-01), Patton et al.
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patent: 56-93900 (1981-07-01), None
patent: 63-241472 (1988-10-01), None
patent: 5-320977 (1993-12-01), None
patent: 3003657 (1994-08-01), None
Chono Atsushi
Hongo Akihisa
Mukaiyama Yoshitaka
Ogata Akira
Ozawa Naomitsu
Ebara Corporation
Nguyen Nam
Nicolas Wesley A.
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