Abstract: There is provided a method of adjusting a plating apparatus and a measuring apparatus that can obtain position adjustment amounts/a position adjustment amount of a substrate holder, an anode holder, a regulation plate, and/or a paddle without carrying out plating treatment. There is provided the method of adjusting the plating apparatus that has a plating bath configured to be able to hold the substrate holder, the anode holder, and an electric field adjusting plate.

Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including: a first device; one or more sensors; a first calculation circuit that calculates one or more feature quantities of the first device from the detected physical quantities; and a failure prediction circuit that compares the one or more feature quantities with a plurality of pieces of model data of a temporal change in one or more feature quantities until the first device fails, decides a piece of model data with the minimum difference from the calculated one or more feature quantities among the plurality of pieces of model data, calculates predicted failure time from a difference between a failure point in time and a point in time at which a difference from the calculated one or more feature quantities is the minimum in the piece of model data.

Abstract: A plating method for plating a substrate having resist opening portions is provided. The plating method includes a resist residue removing step of removing resist residues in the resist opening portions of the substrate by spraying first process liquid to a surface of the substrate on which the resist opening portions are formed, a liquid filling step of soaking the substrate passed through the removing step in second process liquid to fill the resist opening portions of the substrate with the second process liquid, and a plating step of plating the substrate passed through the liquid filling step.

Abstract: A substrate holder includes: a first holding member having a surface configured to come into contact with the substrate; and a second holding member, between which and the first holding member the substrate is put and held. The second holding member includes a removal portion that is disposed along an outer circumference of the substrate and configured to come into contact with the substrate and remove an insulating material on the substrate when the substrate is put between the first holding member and the second holding member, and an electric contact portion that is disposed along the outer circumference of the substrate and configured to come into contact with a region on the substrate in which the removal portion has removed the insulating material when the substrate is put and held between the first holding member and the second holding member.

Abstract: A plating apparatus 10 includes a rectifier 18 configured to apply a DC current to a substrate, and a plating apparatus control unit 30 that instructs the rectifier 18 on a value of the DC current. The plating apparatus control unit 30 has a setting unit 32 for setting a current value, a storage unit 34 that stores a relational expression between an instructed current value on which the rectifier 18 is instructed and an actual current value which the rectifier 18 outputs in accordance with the instructed current value, a calculation unit 38 that corrects the current value set by the setting unit 32 on the basis of the above-mentioned relational expression to calculate a corrected current value, and an instruction unit 36 that instructs the rectifier 18 on the corrected current value calculated by the calculation unit 38.

Abstract: A paddle for agitating a plating solution by reciprocating parallel to a surface of a substrate is disclosed. The paddle includes a plurality of vertically-extending agitation rods. Each agitation rod includes: a planar portion perpendicular to a reciprocating direction of the paddle; two slope surfaces extending from side ends of the planar portion in directions closer to each other, the two slope surfaces being symmetric with respect to a center line of the agitation rod, the center line being perpendicular to the planar portion; and a tip portion connected with the two slope surfaces.

Abstract: A resistance measuring module for measuring electric resistance of a substrate holder is provided. The substrate holder has an electric contact configured to feed a current to a held substrate and contactable with the substrate. The substrate holder is able to hold a testing substrate for measurement of electric resistance of the substrate holder, and is configured such that the electric contact comes into contact with the testing substrate in a state where the testing substrate is held. The resistance measuring module includes: a test probe contactable with the testing substrate held in the substrate holder; and a resistance measuring instrument for measurement of a resistance value between the electric contact and the probe via the testing substrate.

Abstract: A method which can perform a soft pre-wetting treatment of a substrate, such as a wafer, with use of a pre-wetting liquid in a smaller amount. This method includes: holding a substrate between a first holding member and a second holding member, with the surface of the substrate being exposed through an opening of the second holding member, and pressing a sealing ridge of the substrate holder against a peripheral portion of the substrate; pressing a sealing block against the substrate holder; forming a vacuum in an external space; performing a seal inspection to check a sealed state provided by the sealing ridge based on a change in pressure in the external space; and performing a pre-wetting treatment by supplying a pre-wetting liquid to the external space while evacuating air from the external space to bring the pre-wetting liquid into contact with the exposed surface of the substrate.

Abstract: An electrolytic plating apparatus capable of establishing electric connection between a power supply and a substrate without physical contact is disclosed. The electrolytic plating apparatus includes: a plating tank configured to hold a plating solution therein; an anode disposed in the plating tank; a substrate holder having an electric contact arranged to be able to contact a substrate; a power supply coupled to the anode; a wireless electric-power transmitter coupled to the power supply; and a wireless electric-power receiver mounted to the substrate holder and electrically connected to the electric contact.

Abstract: Provided is a substrate holder where an effect of a pressure of a plating solution can be suppressed. A substrate holder includes first and second holding members for sandwiching a substrate. The first holding member includes: a support base; a movable base for supporting the substrate; and a biasing mechanism disposed between the support base and the movable base, and biasing the movable base in a direction along which the movable base is separated from the support base. The second holding member includes a protruding portion brought into contact with the substrate so as to seal the substrate. A biasing force of the biasing mechanism which is applied to a region or a position of the movable base differs from a biasing force of the biasing mechanism which is applied to another region or at another position of the movable base.

Abstract: A substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate is provided. The apparatus includes a cleaning bath in which a substrate holder holding a substrate is disposed in a vertical position, the substrate holder having a sealing member contacting a periphery of a surface of the substrate to seal a gap between the substrate and the substrate holder, and cleaning nozzles each configured to supply a jet of cleaning water to the substrate holder. The cleaning nozzles are disposed in the cleaning bath and arranged concentrically with a contact portion of the substrate surface contacting the sealing member and located at such positions that the jet of cleaning water impinges on the contact portion or its vicinity in an upper half of the substrate.

Abstract: Soluble copper oxide powder capable of preventing a decrease in quality of a copper film formed by plating is disclosed. The copper oxide powder contains copper and impurities including sodium. A concentration of the sodium is not more than 20 ppm. The copper oxide powder is regularly supplied into a plating solution. A voltage is applied between an insoluble anode and a substrate immersed in the plating solution, thereby plating the substrate.

Abstract: There is provided a feeder capable of reducing deterioration of the contact state between the feeder and an anode more than the prior art as dissolution of the anode progresses. The feeder can supply power to the anode 5 for use in plating a substrate in a plating tank. The feeder includes a main body portion 1 which can be disposed on an outer periphery of the anode 5 and a spring 88 which is disposed in the main body portion 1 and can apply a first force 100 to the main body portion 1 in a direction from the main body portion 1 toward a region 80 surrounded by the main body portion 1.

Abstract: Provided is a plating apparatus for plating a substrate by using a substrate holder including an elastic projection that seals a to-be-plated surface of the substrate, the plating apparatus comprising a measurement device configured to measure a deformed state of the elastic projection by measuring at least either one of a compression amount of the elastic projection and load applied to the elastic projection at a time when the substrate physically contacts the elastic projection of the substrate holder; and a controlling device configured to make a judgment on the basis of the measured deformed state as to whether sealing by the elastic projection is normal.

Abstract: There are provided a plating apparatus and a plating method enabling continuous operation even while a stocker is taken out of the plating apparatus. The plating apparatus includes a plating treatment section performing plating on a substrate and a plurality of stockers configured to be able to store a holder configured to hold a substrate or an anode. At least one of the plurality of stockers is configured to be movable into and out of the plating apparatus.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for adding powder comprising at least a metal, such as copper, to a plating solution, and supplying the plating solution to a plating tank is disclosed. The apparatus includes a hopper having an inlet which is connectable to a powder conduit of a powder container holding the powder therein, a feeder which communicates with a bottom opening of the hopper, a motor coupled to the feeder, and a plating-solution tank coupled to an outlet of the feeder and configured to dissolve the powder in the plating solution.

Abstract: A plating method includes holding a substrate with a substrate holder while bringing a sealing member into pressure contact with a peripheral portion of the substrate to form an enclosed internal space in the substrate holder; performing a first-stage leakage test of the substrate holder by producing a vacuum in the internal space and checking whether pressure in the internal space reaches a predetermined vacuum pressure within a certain period of time; and if the substrate holder has passed the first-stage leakage test, performing a second-stage leakage test of the substrate holder by closing off the internal space after producing the vacuum therein and checking whether a change in the pressure in the internal space reaches a predetermined value within a certain period of time.

Abstract: A plating method includes holding a substrate with a substrate holder while bringing a sealing member into pressure contact with a peripheral portion of the substrate to form an enclosed internal space in the substrate holder; performing a first-stage leakage test of the substrate holder by producing a vacuum in the internal space and checking whether pressure in the internal space reaches a predetermined vacuum pressure within a certain period of time; and if the substrate holder has passed the first-stage leakage test, performing a second-stage leakage test of the substrate holder by closing off the internal space after producing the vacuum therein and checking whether a change in the pressure in the internal space reaches a predetermined value within a certain period of time.

Abstract: There is provided a method of adjusting a plating apparatus and a measuring apparatus that can obtain position adjustment amounts/a position adjustment amount of a substrate holder, an anode holder, a regulation plate, and/or a paddle without carrying out plating treatment. There is provided the method of adjusting the plating apparatus that has a plating bath configured to be able to hold the substrate holder, the anode holder, and an electric field adjusting plate.

Abstract: A substrate holder includes: inner contacts (45) to be brought into contact with a periphery of a substrate (W) for passing an electric current to the substrate; outer contacts (42) each having elasticity, the outer contacts (42) having contact surfaces (42a), respectively, to be brought into contact with a feeding terminal (51) coupled to a power source (18), the outer contacts (42) being coupled to the inner contacts (45), respectively; and a conductive block (60) arranged in back of the contact surfaces (42a) and located away from the outer contacts (42). The outer contacts (42) are deformable until the outer contacts (42) are brought into contact with the conductive block (60) when the contact surfaces (42a) are pressed against the feeding terminal (51).