Patents by Inventor Mizuki Nagai
Mizuki Nagai has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 7553400Abstract: A plating method is capable of mechanically and electrochemically preferentially depositing a plated film in fine interconnect recesses such as trenches and via holes, and depositing the plated film to a flatter surface. The plating method including: disposing a substrate having fine interconnect recesses such that a conductive layer faces an anode; disposing a porous member between the substrate and the anode; filling a plating solution between the substrate and the anode; and repeating a process of holding the conductive layer and the porous member in contact with each other and moving the conductive layer and the porous member relatively to each other, a process of passing an electric current between the conductive layer and the anode while keeping the conductive layer still with respect to the porous member, and a process of stopping the supply of the electric current between the conductive layer and the anode.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2004Date of Patent: June 30, 2009Assignees: Ebara Corporation, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)Inventors: Mizuki Nagai, Hiroyuki Kanda, Keiichi Kurashina, Satoru Yamamoto, Ryoichi Kimizuka, Hariklia Deligianni, Brett Baker, Keith Kwietniak, Panayotis Andricacos, Phillipe Vereecken
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Publication number: 20090139870Abstract: A method can form a conductive structure, which is useful for three-dimensional packaging with via plugs, in a shorter time by shortening the conventional long plating time that is an impediment to the practical use of electroplating. The method includes forming a conductive film on an entire surface, including interior surfaces of via holes, of a substrate having the via holes formed in the surface; forming a resist pattern at a predetermined position on the conductive film; carrying out first electroplating under first plating conditions, using the conductive film as a feeding layer, thereby filling a first plated film into the via holes; and carrying out second electroplating under second plating conditions, using the conductive film and the first plated film as a feeding layer, thereby allowing a second plated film to grow on the conductive film and the first plated film, both exposed in the resist openings of the resist pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 3, 2008Publication date: June 4, 2009Inventors: Mizuki Nagai, Nobutoshi Saito, Fumio Kuriyama, Akira Fukunaga
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Patent number: 7479213Abstract: A plating method is capable of preferentially precipitating a plated film fully and uniformly in trenches and via holes according to a mechanical and electrochemical process, and of easily forming a plated film having higher flatness surface without being affected by variations in the shape of trenches and via holes. The plating method includes a first plating process and a second plating process. The second plating process is performed by filling a plating solution between an anode and a substrate, with a porous member placed in the plating solution, repeatedly bringing the porous member and the substrate into and out of contact with each other, passing a current between the anode and the substrate while the porous member is being held in contact with the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2004Date of Patent: January 20, 2009Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Mizuki Nagai, Hiroyuki Kanda, Keiichi Kurashina, Satoru Yamamoto, Hidenao Suzuki, Koji Mishima, Brett C. Baker-O'Neal, Hariklia Deligianni, Keith Kwietniak
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Patent number: 7311809Abstract: The present invention provides a plating apparatus for a substrate which can plate a substrate under uniform pressure without increasing a load to be applied while holding the entire surface of a porous member in contact with the surface, to be plated, of the substrate. The plating apparatus for a substrate, includes: a substrate holder for holding a substrate; a cathode unit having a seal member for abutting against and sealing, in a water-tight manner, a peripheral portion of a surface, to be plated, of the substrate held by the substrate holder, and a cathode electrode which is brought into contact with the substrate to supply current to the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2004Date of Patent: December 25, 2007Assignees: Ebara Corporation, International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Keiichi Kurashina, Mizuki Nagai, Satoru Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Kanda, Koji Mishima, Brett Baker, Hariklia Deligianni, Phillipe Vereecken
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Publication number: 20070158202Abstract: A plating apparatus can keep concentrations of components of a plating solution constant over a long period of time and can stably form a plated film having a more uniform thickness on a surface of a substrate while minimizing an amount of the plating solution used.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 18, 2006Publication date: July 12, 2007Inventors: Mizuki Nagai, Masao Hodai, Hiroyuki Kanda, Tsutomu Nakada, Takashi Kawakami
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Publication number: 20060144714Abstract: A method and apparatus plate a substrate to form wiring by efficiently filling a fine recess formed in a semiconductor substrate with plating metal without a void or contamination. The plating of the substrate to fill a wiring recess formed in the semiconductor substrate with plating metal includes performing an electroless plating process of forming an initial layer on the substrate, and performing an electrolytic plating process of filling the wiring recess with the plating metal, while the initial layer serves as a feeding layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2006Publication date: July 6, 2006Inventors: Akihisa Hongo, Naoaki Ogure, Hiroaki Inous, Satoshi Sendai, Tetsuma Ikegami, Koji Mishima, Shuichi Okuyama, Mizuki Nagai, Ryoichi Kimizuka, Megumi Maruyama
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Publication number: 20060086616Abstract: A plating apparatus can securely carry out a flattening plating of a substrate to form a plated film having a flat surface without using a costly mechanism, and without applying an extra plating to the substrate. The plating apparatus includes a substrate holder; a cathode section having a seal member for watertightly sealing a peripheral portion of the substrate, and a cathode electrode for supplying an electric current to the substrate; an anode disposed in a position facing the surface of the substrate; a porous member disposed between the anode and the surface of the substrate; a constant-voltage control section for controlling a voltage applied between the cathode electrode and the anode at a constant value; and a current monitor section for monitoring an electric current flowing between the cathode electrode and the anode, and feeding back a detection signal to the constant-voltage control section.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2005Publication date: April 27, 2006Inventors: Keiichi Kurashina, Mizuki Nagai, Satoru Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Kanda, Koji Mishima, Shinya Morisawa, Junji Kunisawa, Kunihito Ide, Hidenao Suzuki, Emanuel Cooper, Philippe Vereecken, Brett Baker-O' Neal, Hariklia Deligianni
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Patent number: 7033463Abstract: A method and apparatus plate a substrate to form wiring by efficiently filling a fine recess formed in a semiconductor substrate with plating metal without a void or contamination. The plating of the substrate to fill a wiring recess formed in the semiconductor substrate with plating metal includes performing an electroless plating process of forming an initial layer on the substrate, and performing an electrolytic plating process of filling the wiring recess with the plating metal, while the initial layer serves as a feeding layer.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 1999Date of Patent: April 25, 2006Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Akihisa Hongo, Naoaki Ogure, Hiroaki Inoue, Satoshi Sendai, Tetsuma Ikegami, Koji Mishima, Shuichi Okuyama, Mizuki Nagai, Ryoichi Kimizuka, Megumi Maruyama
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Publication number: 20050241946Abstract: A plating method is capable of mechanically and electrochemically preferentially depositing a plated film in fine interconnect recesses such as trenches and via holes, and depositing the plated film to a flatter surface. The plating method including: disposing a substrate having fine interconnect recesses such that a conductive layer faces an anode; disposing a porous member between the substrate and the anode; filling a plating solution between the substrate and the anode; and repeating a process of holding the conductive layer and the porous member in contact with each other and moving the conductive layer and the porous member relatively to each other, a process of passing an electric current between the conductive layer and the anode while keeping the conductive layer still with respect to the porous member, and a process of stopping the supply of the electric current between the conductive layer and the anode.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2004Publication date: November 3, 2005Inventors: Mizuki Nagai, Hiroyuki Kanda, Keiichi Kurashina, Satoru Yamamoto, Ryoichi Kimizuka, Hariklia Deligianni, Brett Baker, Keith Kwietniak, Panayotis Andricacos, Philippe Vereecken
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Publication number: 20050139482Abstract: A plating method is capable of preferentially precipitating a plated film fully and uniformly in trenches and via holes according to a mechanical and electrochemical process, and of easily forming a plated film having higher flatness surface without being affected by variations in the shape of trenches and via holes. The plating method includes a first plating process and a second plating process. The second plating process is performed by filling a plating solution between an anode and a substrate, with a porous member placed in the plating solution, repeatedly bringing the porous member and the substrate into and out of contact with each other, passing a current between the anode and the substrate while the porous member is being held in contact with the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2004Publication date: June 30, 2005Inventors: Mizuki Nagai, Hiroyuki Kanda, Keiichi Kurashina, Satoru Yamamoto, Hidenao Suzuki, Koji Mishima
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Patent number: 6908534Abstract: A method and apparatus for plating a substrate is provided, wherein fine pits formed in the substrate, such as fine channels for wiring, are filled with a copper, copper alloy, or other material with low electrical resistance. The method is performed on a wafer W having fine pits (10) to fill the fine pits with a metal (13) and includes performing a first plating process (11) by immersing the wafer in a first plating solution having a composition superior in throwing power; and performing a second plating process (12) by immersing the substrate in a second plating solution having a composition superior in leveling ability.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2001Date of Patent: June 21, 2005Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Akihisa Hongo, Mizuki Nagai, Kanji Ohno, Ryoichi Kimizuka, Megumi Maruyama
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Publication number: 20050098439Abstract: A method and apparatus for plating a substrate is provided, wherein fine pits formed in the substrate, such as fine channels for wiring, are filled with a copper, copper alloy, or other material with low electrical resistance. The method is performed on a wafer W having fine pits (10) to fill the fine pits with a metal (13) and includes performing a first plating process (11) by immersing the wafer in a first plating solution having a composition superior in throwing power; and performing a second plating process (12) by immersing the substrate in a second plating solution having a composition superior in leveling ability.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2004Publication date: May 12, 2005Inventors: Akihisa Hongo, Mizuki Nagai, Kanji Ohno, Ryoichi Kimizuka, Megumi Maruyama
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Publication number: 20050077173Abstract: The present invention provides a plating apparatus for a substrate which can plate a substrate under uniform pressure without increasing a load to be applied while holding the entire surface of a porous member in contact with the surface, to be plated, of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 1, 2004Publication date: April 14, 2005Inventors: Keiichi Kurashina, Mizuki Nagai, Satoru Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Kanda, Koji Mishima, Brett Baker, Hariklia Deligianni, Phillipe Vereecken
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Publication number: 20050061659Abstract: A plating apparatus is used for filling a fine interconnect pattern formed in a substrate with metal to form interconnects. The plating apparatus includes a cathode unit having a seal member for hermetically sealing a peripheral portion of a surface, to be plated, of the substrate and a cathode electrode which is brought into contact with the substrate to supply current to the substrate; an electrode head disposed so as to be movable toward and away from the surface to be plated and having an anode and a porous member with water retentivity at upper and lower parts of the electrode head; a pressing mechanism for pressing the porous member against the surface, to be plated, of the substrate under a desired pressure; and a driving mechanism for making a relative motion between the porous member and the substrate while the porous member and the surface, to be plated, of the substrate are brought into contact with each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 9, 2004Publication date: March 24, 2005Inventors: Keiichi Kurashina, Mizuki Nagai, Satoru Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Kanda, Koji Mishima, Brett Baker, Keith Kwietniak, Hariklia Deligianni, Panos Andricacos
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Publication number: 20050051437Abstract: A plating apparatus is used for filling a fine interconnect pattern formed in the substrate with metal to form interconnects. The plating apparatus includes a substrate holder for holding a substrate, a cathode portion including a sealing member for contacting a peripheral portion of a surface, to be plated, of the substrate held by said substrate holder to seal said peripheral portion water-tightly, and a cathode for contacting the substrate to supply current to the substrate, an anode vertically movably disposed so as to face the surface, to be plated, of the substrate, and a porous member disposed between said anode and the surface, to be plated, of the substrate, said porous member being made of a water-retentive material, wherein said porous member has at least a hydrophilic substrate-facing surface which faces the surface, to be plated, of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 2, 2004Publication date: March 10, 2005Inventors: Keiichi Kurashina, Mizuki Nagai, Satoru Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Kanda, Koji Mishima, Tsutomu Nakada
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Publication number: 20050023149Abstract: The present invention provides a plating apparatus which uses an insoluble anode and which can perform plating of a substrate stably while preventing oxygen gas, generated due to the use of the insoluble anode, from causing defects in the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2004Publication date: February 3, 2005Inventors: Tsutomu Nakada, Junji Kunisawa, Hiroyuki Kanda, Mizuki Nagai, Satoru Yamamoto, Koji Mishima, Shinya Morisawa, Seiji Katsuoka, Natsuki Makino, Yukio Fukunaga
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Publication number: 20040262165Abstract: A plating method according to the present invention is capable of plating a substrate with a plated film of a metal such as copper or the like with high adhesion to a seed layer without producing voids in the plated film at a high throughput, not only in recesses having a large width and a small aspect ratio, but also in recesses having a small width and a large aspect ratio, even when relatively narrow recesses and relatively broad recesses are co-present in the substrate. The plating method is performed by preparing a substrate having a relatively narrow recess and a relatively broad recess defined in a surface thereof, performing first plating under plating conditions for filling a metal in the narrow recess, and then performing second plating under plating conditions for filling a metal in the broad recess.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2004Publication date: December 30, 2004Inventors: Hiroyuki Kanda, Mizuki Nagai, Satoru Yamamoto
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Patent number: 6793794Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate plating apparatus for plating a substrate in a plating bath containing plating solution. An insoluble anode is disposed in the plating bath opposite the substrate. The substrate plating apparatus comprises a circulating vessel or dummy vessel provided separate from the plating bath, with a soluble anode and a cathode disposed in the circulating vessel or dummy vessel. An anion exchange film or selective cation exchange film is disposed between the anode and cathode and isolates the same, wherein metal ions are generated in the circulating vessel or dummy vessel by flowing current between the soluble anode and the cathode therein, and the generated metal ions are supplied to the plating bath.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2002Date of Patent: September 21, 2004Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Akihisa Hongo, Naoaki Ogure, Hiroyuki Ueyama, Junitsu Yamakawa, Mizuki Nagai, Kenichi Suzuki, Atsushi Chono, Satoshi Sendai, Koji Mishima
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Publication number: 20040149584Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a plating method which can form defect-free, completely-embedded interconnects of a conductive material in recesses in the surface of a substrate even when the recesses are of a high aspect ratio, and which can improve the flatness of a plated film on the substrate even when narrow trenches and broad trenches are co-present in the surface of the substrate. A plating method according to the present invention includes: providing a high resistance structure between a surface of a substrate, said surface being connected to a cathode electrode, and an anode electrode; filling the space between the substrate and the anode electrode with a plating solution while applying a voltage between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode; and growing a plated film on the surface of the substrate while controlling an electric current flowing between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode at a constant value.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2003Publication date: August 5, 2004Inventors: Mizuki Nagai, Koji Mishima, Hiroyuki Kanda
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Publication number: 20040060825Abstract: There is provided a copper-plating liquid free from an alkali metal and a cyanide which, when used in plating of a substrate having an outer seed layer and fine recesses of a high aspect ratio, can reinforce the thin portion of the seed layer and can embed copper completely into the depth of the fine recesses.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2003Publication date: April 1, 2004Inventors: Mizuki Nagai, Shuichi Okuyama, Ryoichi Kimizuka, Takeshi Kobayashi