Abstract: A method for cleaning the electrical contact areas or substrate contact areas of an electrochemical plating contact ring is provided. Embodiments of the method include positioning a substrate on a substrate support member having one or more electrical contacts, chemically plating a metal layer on at least a portion of a surface of the substrate, removing the processed substrate from the support member, and cleaning the one or more electrical contacts with a vapor mixture comprising an alcohol. In another aspect, the method includes spraying the vapor mixture on the electrical contacts while rotating the substrate support member.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for electro-chemically depositing a metal onto a substrate. The apparatus generally includes a head assembly having a cathode and a wafer holder disposed above the cathode. The apparatus further includes a process kit disposed below the head assembly, the process kit including an electrolyte container configured to receive and maintain a fluid electrolyte therein, and an anode disposed in the electrolyte container. The apparatus further includes a power supply in electrical communication with the cathode and the anode, the power supply being configured to provide a varying amplitude electrical signal to the anode and cathode.

Abstract: The invention provides a removable first edge ring configured for pin and recess/slot coupling with a second edge ring disposed on the substrate support. In one embodiment, a first edge ring includes a plurality of pins, and a second edge ring includes one or more alignment recesses and one or more alignment slots for mating engagement with the pins. Each of the alignment recesses and alignment slots are at least as wide as the corresponding pins, and each of the alignment slots extends in the radial direction a length that is sufficient to compensate for the difference in thermal expansion between the first edge ring and the second edge ring.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide an electro-analytical method for determining the concentration of an organic additive in an acidic or basic metal plating bath using an organic chemical analyzer. The method includes preparing a supporting-electrolyte solution, preparing a testing solution including the supporting-electrolyte solution and a standard solution, measuring an electrochemical response of the supporting-electrolyte solution using the organic chemical analyzer, and implementing an electro-analytical technique to determine the concentration of the organic additive in the plating bath from the electrochemical response measurements. The method is performed for independently analyzing one organic additive component in a plating bath containing multi-component organic additives, regardless of knowledge of the concentration of other organic additives and with minimal interference among organic additives.

Abstract: Methods, compositions, and apparatus are provided for planarizing conductive materials disposed on a substrate surface by an chemical polishing technique. In one aspect, a substrate having conductive material disposed thereon is disposed on a substrate support and exposed to a composition containing an oxidizing agent and an inorganic etchant. The substrate is planarized by the composition without the presence of mechanical abrasion. The substrate may optionally be rotated, agitated, or both during exposure to the composition. The method removes conductive materials forming protuberances on the substrate surface at a higher rate than conductive materials forming recesses on the substrate surface.

Abstract: A cyclic voltammetric method for measuring the concentration of additives in a plating solution. The method generally includes providing the plating solution, having an unknown concentration of an additive to be measured therein and cycling the potential of an inert working electrode through a series of measurement steps. The series of measurement steps includes a metal stripping step including pulsing from an open circuit potential to a metal stripping potential between about 0.2 V and about 0.8 V, and holding the metal stripping potential until a corresponding current nears 0 mA/cm. The series of measurement steps further includes a cleaning step including pulsing from the metal stripping potential to a cleaning potential between about 1.2 V and about 1.6 V, and holding the cleaning potential for about 2 seconds to about 10 seconds. The series of measurement steps then includes a pre-plating step including pulsing from the cleaning potential to a pre-plating potential between about −0.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for filling apertures formed in a substrate surface by depositing materials that selectively inhibit or limit the formation or growth of subsequent layers used to fill an aperture. In one aspect, a method is provided for processing a substrate including providing a substrate having a field and apertures formed therein, wherein the apertures each have a bottom and sidewalls, depositing a seed layer on the bottom and sidewalls of the apertures, depositing a growth-inhibiting layer on at least one of the field of the substrate or an upper portion of the sidewalls of the apertures, and depositing a conductive layer on the growth-inhibiting layer and the seed layer. Deposition of the growth-inhibiting layer improves fill of the aperture from the bottom of the aperture up to the field of the substrate.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for forming a metal or metal suicide layer by an electroless deposition technique. In one aspect, a method is provided for processing a substrate including depositing an initiation layer on a substrate surface, cleaning the substrate surface, and depositing a conductive material on the initiation layer by exposing the initiation layer to an electroless solution. The method may further comprise etching the substrate surface with an acidic solution and cleaning the substrate of the acidic solution prior to depositing the initiation layer. The initiation layer may be formed by exposing the substrate surface to a noble metal electroless solution or a borane-containing solution. The conductive material may be deposited with a borane-containing reducing agent. The conductive material may be used as a passivation layer, a barrier layer, a seed layer, or for use in forming a metal silicide layer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for forming a metal or metal silicide layer by an electroless deposition technique. In one aspect, a method is provided for processing a substrate including depositing an initiation layer on a substrate surface, cleaning the substrate surface, and depositing a conductive material on the initiation layer by exposing the initiation layer to an electroless solution. The method may further comprise etching the substrate surface with an acidic solution and cleaning the substrate of the acidic solution prior to depositing the initiation layer. The initiation layer may be formed by exposing the substrate surface to a noble metal electroless solution or a borane-containing solution. The conductive material may be deposited with a borane-containing reducing agent. The conductive material may be used as a passivation layer, a barrier layer, a seed layer, or for use in forming a metal silicide layer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention may generally provide a method for plating a homogenous copper tin alloy onto a semiconductor substrate. The method generally includes providing a plating solution to a plating cell, wherein the plating solution contains an acid, a copper ion source, and a tin ion source, the copper ion source including up to about 98.5% of the metal ions and the tin ions including up to about 1.5% of the metal ions, providing a plating bias to a conductive layer formed on the semiconductor substrate while the conductive layer is in fluid contact with the plating solution, the plating bias being configured to overlap a plating potential range of both copper and tin, and simultaneously plating copper and tin ions onto the conductive layer from the plating solution to form a homogenous copper tin alloy layer on the conductive layer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for forming a metal or metal silicide layer by an electroless deposition technique. In one aspect, a method is provided for processing a substrate including depositing an initiation layer on a substrate surface, cleaning the substrate surface, and depositing a conductive material on the initiation layer by exposing the initiation layer to an electroless solution. The method may further comprise etching the substrate surface with an acidic solution and cleaning the substrate of the acidic solution prior to depositing the initiation layer. The initiation layer may be formed by exposing the substrate surface to a noble metal electroless solution or a borane-containing solution. The conductive material may be deposited with a borane-containing reducing agent. The conductive material may be used as a passivation layer, a barrier layer, a seed layer, or for use in forming a metal silicide layer.

Abstract: A method for selectively coupling a conductive material (60) to a contact region (32) of a semiconductor device (8) includes bombarding residual material (40) coupled to the contact region (32) with inert ions (44) at a first position associated with an integrated cluster tool (90) to increase the reactive surface area of the residual material (40). Hydrogen ions (46) are introduced at the first position for reaction with the residual material (40) to remove the residual material (40) from the contact region (32). The semiconductor device (8) is transferred in situ from the first position to a second position associated with the integrated cluster tool (90). The conductive material (60) is selectively coupled to the contact region (32) at the second position using chemical vapor deposition.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method and plating solution for reducing the degradation of additives in electroplating solutions. The method generally includes adding an anti-oxidant to the electroplating solution in an amount effective to reduce the degradation of additives in the plating solution. The plating solution generally includes copper ions, at least one organic plating additive, and at least one anti-oxidant in an amount sufficient to reduce the degradation of the organic plating additives in the plating solution.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provide an apparatus and method for replenishing organic molecules in an electroplating bath. The replenishment process of the present invention may occur on a real-time basis, and therefore, the concentration of organics minimally varies from desired concentration levels. The replenishment method generally includes conducting pre-processing depletion measurements in order to determine organic depletion rates per current density applied in the electroplating system. Once the organic depletion rates per current density are determined, these depletion rates may be applied to an electroplating processing recipe to calculate the volume of organic depletion per recipe step. The calculated volume of organic depletion per recipe step may then be used to determine the volume of organic molecule replenishment per unit of time that is required per recipe step in order to maintain a desired concentration of organics in the plating solution.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provide an apparatus and method for replenishing organic molecules in an electroplating bath. The replenishment process of the present invention may occur on a real-time basis, and therefore, the concentration of organics minimally varies from desired concentration levels. The replenishment method generally includes conducting pre-processing depletion measurements in order to determine organic depletion rates per current density applied in the electroplating system. Once the organic depletion rates per current density are determined, these depletion rates may be applied to an electroplating processing recipe to calculate the volume of organic depletion per recipe step. The calculated volume of organic depletion per recipe step may then be used to determine the volume of organic molecule replenishment per unit of time that is required per recipe step in order to maintain a desired concentration of organics in the plating solution.

Abstract: A method and associated apparatus of electroplating an object and filling small features. The method comprises immersing the plating surface into an electrolyte solution and mechanically enhancing the concentration of metal ions in the electrolyte solution in the features. In one embodiment, the mechanical enhancement comprises mechanically vibrating the plating surface. In another embodiment, the mechanical enhancement comprises mechanically vibrating the electrolyte solution. In a further embodiment, the mechanical enhancement comprises increasing the pressure applied to the electrolyte solution.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method and apparatus for planarizing a substrate by electropolishing techniques. Certain embodiments of an electropolishing apparatus include a contact ring adapted to support a substrate, a cell body adapted to hold an electropolishing solution, a fluid supply system adapted to provide the electropolishing solution to the cell body, a cathode disposed within the cell body, a power supply system in electrical communication with the contact ring and the cathode, and a controller coupled to at least the fluid supply system and the power supply system. The controller may be adapted to provide a first set of electropolishing conditions to form a boundary layer between the substrate and the electropolishing solution to an initial thickness and may be adapted to provide a second set of electropolishing conditions to control the boundary layer to a subsequent thickness less than or equal to the initial thickness.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing degraded organics from an electroplating solution by passing at least a portion of electroplating solution through a filter. The apparatus generally includes a deposition cell including a fluid inlet, a fluid reservoir, and at least one filter disposed between the reservoir and the fluid inlet. The apparatus may further include a control valve disposed between the fluid reservoir and the fluid inlet for passing at least a portion of an electroplating solution to a recovery stream including the at least one filter.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method of plating a copper film on a substrate in an electrochemical plating apparatus. The method includes positioning a substrate in an electrolyte solution, applying a current between the substrate and an anode to generate a current density of between about 10 mA/cm2 and about 40 mA/cm2 on the substrate surface, rotating the, substrate at a rotational speed of between about 20 rpm and about 50 rpm, and plating a copper film having a sheet resistance of less than about 16.5×10−2 Ohms/cm2.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method of depositing a catalytic layer comprising at least one metal selected from the group consisting of noble metals, semi-noble metals, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof in sub-micron features formed on a substrate. Examples of noble metals include palladium and platinum. Examples of semi-noble metals include cobalt, nickel, and tungsten. The catalytic layer may be deposited by electroless deposition, electroplating, or chemical vapor deposition. In one embodiment, the catalytic layer may be deposited in the feature to act as a barrier layer to a subsequently deposited conductive material. In another embodiment, the catalytic layer may be deposited over a barrier layer. In yet another embodiment, the catalytic layer may be deposited over a seed layer deposited over the barrier layer to act as a “patch” of any discontinuities in the seed layer. Once the catalytic layer has been deposited, a conductive material, such as copper, may be deposited over the catalytic layer.