EP-4739823-A2 - DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR AN ELECTRIC CURRENT FOR DIFFERENT ELECTROLYTIC SURFACE TREATMENTS ON AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT SUBSTRATE SURFACES OF A SUBSTRATE

Abstract

The invention relates to a distribution system for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces of a substrate and a distribution method for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces of a substrate. The distribution system comprises a substrate holder and an electric control unit. The substrate holder is configured to hold the substrate. The substrate holder is further configured to electrically contact the two substrate surfaces of the substrate and the electric control unit. The electric control unit is configured to control a flow of the electric current for each of the at least two different substrate surfaces individually to obtain different electrolytic surface treatments at the at least two different substrate surfaces.

Inventors

• KOLITSCH-MATALN, Marianne
• GLEISSNER, ANDREAS
• OKORN-SCHMIDT, HARALD
• ENGESSER, PHILIPP

Assignees

• Semsysco GmbH

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240620

Claims (12)

1. 1. A distribution system (10) for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces (31, 32) of a substrate (30), comprising: - a substrate holder (11), and - an electric control unit (12), wherein the substrate holder (11) is configured to hold the substrate (30), wherein the substrate holder (11) is further configured to electrically contact the two substrate surfaces (31, 32) of the substrate (30) and the electric control unit (12), and wherein the electric control unit (12) is configured to control a flow of the electric current for each of the at least two different substrate surfaces (31, 32) individually to obtain different electrolytic surface treatments at the at least two different substrate surfaces (31, 32).
2. 2. The distribution system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holder (11) is further configured to hold the substrate (30) in a shared common electrolyte (13).
3. 3. The distribution system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the surface treatments are material depositions and the different electrolytic surface treatments at the at least two different substrate surfaces (31, 32) differ in a thickness of a deposited material.
4. 4. The distribution system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the electric control unit (12) is configured to control a continuous flow of electric current at one substrate surface and, simultaneously, to control a pulsed flow of electric current at another substrate surface.
5. 5. The distribution system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the electric control unit (12) is configured to control the flow of electric current alternating between the at least two different substrate surfaces (31, 32).
6. 6. The distribution system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a cross-talk-thief (20) configured to compensate a stray current flow between the at least two different substrate surfaces (31, 32).
7. 7. The distribution system (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the cross-talkthief is a first cross-talk-thief (21) electrically connectable to a first substrate surface (31) and spatially arranged closer to a second substrate surface (32) than to the first substrate surface (31).
8. 8. The distribution system (10) according to the preceding claim, further comprising a second cross-talk-thief (22) electrically connectable to a second substrate surface (32) and spatially arranged closer to the first substrate surface (31) than to the second substrate surface (32).
9. 9. The distribution system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the electric control unit (12) is configured to measure an electron density at at least one of the substrate surfaces (31, 32), to calculate a corresponding amount of material deposited on this substrate surface, and to compensate for a deviation from a predetermined material deposition.
10. 10. The distribution system (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the compensation is an increase or decrease of deposition time.
11. 11. The distribution system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the electric control unit (12) is configured to control a pulsed flow of electric current to at least one of the two different substrate surfaces (31, 32) based on a position of the substrate (30).
12. 12. A distribution method for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces (31, 32) of a substrate (30), comprising: - providing an electric control unit (12), - providing a substrate holder (11) holding the substrate (30) and electrically contacting the two substrate surfaces (31, 32) of the substrate (30) and the electric control unit (12), and - controlling a flow of the electric current for each of the at least two different substrate surfaces individually to obtain different electrolytic surface treatments at the at least two different substrate surfaces.

Description

Distribution system for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces of a substrate Field of invention The invention relates to a distribution system for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces of a substrate. These different electrolytic surface treatments can be plating processes with different material thicknesses at a front side and a back side of a substrate. The invention further relates to a distribution method for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces of a substrate. Background of the invention In many industrial production processes, especially in the high-volume manufacturing for semiconductor devices, electroplating of metallic/conductive material layers onto substrates used for the manufacturing or packaging of micro-, nano- or other types of electronic devices has become a standard practice. In order to reduce the tool footprint, the required number of process steps and the number of substrate handling movements, as well as to improve the throughput, it is of outmost interest, that multiple sides (or surface areas) of a substrate can be plated simultaneously, which mostly means a front side and a back side of the substrate. In very specific cases, it might be of interest to plate both or at least two sides of a substrate simultaneously with a material layer resulting in layers with different thicknesses, i.e. a thicker layer of a material on e.g. the front side and a thinner layer on e.g. the back side, or the other way around. There are many challenges associated with simultaneous plating of two or more sides of a substrate with the goal of having a thicker layer on a first side and a thinner layer on a second side, and potentially an even thinner layer on a third side of a substrate. Summary of the invention To achieve different layer thicknesses on different sides or surfaces of the substrate, each substrate surface needs to be placed under a different potential to achieve different current densities. Hence, there may be a need to provide an improved distribution system for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on or at at least two different substrate surfaces of a substrate, which in particular allows to obtain different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces. This objective can be achieved by the subject-matters of the independent claims, wherein further embodiments are incorporated in the dependent claims. It should be noted that the aspects of the invention described in the following apply also to the distribution system for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces of a substrate and the distribution method for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on at least two different substrate surfaces of a substrate. According to the present invention, a distribution system for an electric current for different electrolytic surface treatments on or at at least two different substrate surfaces of a substrate is presented. The distribution system comprises at least one substrate holder and at least one electric control unit. The substrate holder is configured to hold at least one substrate. The substrate holder is further configured to electrically contact the two substrate surfaces of the substrate and the electric control unit. The electric control unit is configured to control a flow of the electric current for each of the at least two different substrate surfaces individually to obtain different electrolytic surface treatments at the at least two different substrate surfaces. The invention provides an improved distribution system, which allows to obtain different electrolytic surface treatments at two different substrate surfaces. These different electrolytic surface treatments at the two different substrate surfaces may be applied simultaneously or at the same time. The different electrolytic surface treatments might be different material depositions, which e.g. differ in a thickness of a deposited material. The different electrolytic surface treatments may lead to different layer thicknesses at the at least two different substrate surfaces, e.g. a thicker front side and a thinner back side. The distribution system according to the invention may further allow a highly precise and/or highly uniform surface treatment, e.g. an electroplating of a metallic and/or conductive layer onto at least two or multiple surfaces of a substrate. The distribution system according to the invention may provide for a high-volume manufacturing character and/or may be focused on minimum floor space requirements (CoO - Cost of Ownership), while enabling and maintaining full control on the plating results for each individual substrate surface. I