JP-2026075086-A - Locking frame holder and workpiece loader for wet chemical semiconductor processing

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a workpiece holder and an apparatus for loading workpieces onto the holder for use in wet chemical semiconductor processing. [Solution] The workpiece holder includes two perimeter seal plates, an electrical contact insert, and a locking plate. When the locking plate is in the locked position, the perimeter seal plates provide force for both fluid sealing and electrical contact. The locking plate also functions as an electrical bus, supplying current to the electrical contact insert. The workpiece loader includes a stage for inserting or removing a workpiece from the workpiece holder. The loader also includes a vacuum chuck that positions the perimeter seal plates before loading and compresses the perimeter seal plates during locking and unlocking. [Selection Diagram] Figure 3

Inventors

• アーサー・キーグラー
• ダニエル・エル・グッドマン

Assignees

• エーエスエムピーティー・ネックス・インコーポレイテッド

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251021

Priority Date

20241021

Claims (10)

1. A workpiece holder for holding a substantially flat, quadrilateral workpiece in a processing chamber of a wet or semiconductor processing system, wherein the workpiece holder is adapted to be inserted into and removed from the processing chamber while holding the workpiece. The aforementioned workpiece holder is Support frame and First and second perimeter sealing plates attached to the support frame, wherein each of the first and second perimeter sealing plates is provided with individual interlocking features attached to each, A locking plate, wherein the locking plate is movable relative to the support frame between a locked configuration in which the locking plate engages with the interlocking features of both the first and second periphery sealing plates, and an open configuration in which the locking is disengaged, wherein in the open configuration the first and second periphery sealing plates can be sufficiently separated to allow the workpiece to be inserted between them, and in the locked configuration the workpiece is fastened to the support frame by the locking plate, Includes, A workpiece holder in which each of the first and second periphery sealing plates includes a deflection that is biased to provide a sealing force to the workpiece when the locking plate is in the locked configuration.
2. It includes a plurality of internal contact plates positioned between the first and second perimeter sealing plates, The workpiece holder according to claim 1, wherein when the locking plate is in the locked configuration, the internal contact plate provides electrical contact to the workpiece.
3. The workpiece holder according to claim 2, wherein the locking plate is in electrical contact with the internal contact plate.
4. The workpiece holder according to claim 1, wherein the first and second periphery sealing plates are manufactured from stainless steel coated with a fluorinated polymer selected from the group including FKM material, Viton (RTM), polytetrafluoroethylene, and ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene.
5. The workpiece holder according to claim 1, wherein the first and second periphery sealing plates are manufactured from a polymer, and optionally the polymer comprises a polyetheretherketone.
6. The workpiece holder according to claim 2, wherein the internal contact plate is separable from the first and second periphery sealing plates.
7. A semiconductor processing system for processing a substantially flat, quadrilateral workpiece while it is loaded into a workpiece holder according to claim 1, wherein the system is A processing chamber for wet chemical etching, cleaning, or electrodeposition, A workpiece loader for loading the workpiece into the workpiece holder during the loading operation, A semiconductor processing system, including a semiconductor processing system.
8. The aforementioned workpiece loader is First and second zippers, End effectors and, An actuation system for sliding the locking plate between the locked and unlocked configurations, Includes, The first and second chucks are configured to grip the first and second peripheral sealing plates and to sufficiently separate the first and second peripheral sealing plates so that the end effector and the workpiece can be inserted into the workpiece holder. The first and second chucks are configured to provide sufficient force to the first and second peripheral sealing plates so that the locking plate can be inserted between the interlocking features. The semiconductor processing system according to claim 7.
9. The semiconductor processing system according to claim 9, wherein the workpiece loader includes an alignment system for aligning the workpiece with respect to the workpiece holder before inserting the workpiece into the workpiece holder.
10. The semiconductor processing system according to claim 9, wherein the workpiece loader includes a rotary actuator for rotating the workpiece holder between a substantially horizontal configuration and a substantially vertical configuration.

Description

This invention relates to methods and systems for wet chemical semiconductor processing, such as cleaning, etching, and electroplating of semiconductor substrates for advanced packaging or high-density interconnect applications. More specifically, the invention relates to systems and methods for transporting and protecting workpieces, such as rectangular substrates, for use in wet chemical processes including electrochemical deposition. Electrochemical deposition is a manufacturing technique used to apply thin films to semiconductor substrates, including semiconductor wafers and rectangular panels. The films can contain copper, tin, nickel, cobalt iron, indium, and other metals. During electrochemical deposition, an electric current flows from the anode through the plating bath to the cathode. When the substrate is used as the cathode, a metal can be deposited on it. Advanced packaging involves interconnecting components before applying conventional integrated circuit packaging processes. Advanced packaging makes it possible to merge and package multiple devices as a single electronic device. Rectangular substrate panels are a type of advanced packaging substrate, offering manufacturing and cost advantages and enabling the construction of large, complex systems on panel substrates. Rectangular substrate panels are typically manufactured as organic laminates consisting of an epoxy composite matrix, i.e., glass fiber reinforcement with a composition similar to that of printed circuit boards. High-purity glass can also be used as the base material for rectangular panel substrates, offering significant advantages over organic laminates. These advantages include dimensional stability and a similar thermal expansion coefficient to silicon, both of which are important for heterogeneous integration applications. Direct bonding of the die to the glass improves thermal performance compared to organic laminates. Using pure glass as the panel substrate also allows for the use of electroplating to fill through-glass vias. A workpiece holder is used to transport the substrate through a wet processing tool. When used with an electroplating tool, the workpiece holder also provides electrical contact during electroplating. Electrical contact with the workpiece or substrate typically occurs on the edge region where the metal contacts of the holder are in physical contact with the metal seed layer on the workpiece surface. To make contact with the seed layer, the contacts may need to align with openings in the patterned photoresist. This contact area needs to be kept dry to avoid metal buildup on the contacts and deplating of the seed due to the formation of localized galvanic cells. Therefore, a crucial function of the holder is to seal the contact area and prevent the electroplating solution from wetting the electrical contacts and seed layer. For wet processing steps such as chemical etching, photoresist stripping, and cleaning, workpiece holders must provide secure support for the substrate, typically in a vertical orientation within a wet chemical process module, with minimal physical contact with the workpiece, so that the chemical deposition or removal process is not obstructed by the workpiece holder surface that holds the substrate. Holders for wet semiconductor processing of rectangular workpieces can contact and/or restrain two, three, or four edges of the workpiece, and in vertical processing, contact is typically on both the front and back surfaces of the workpiece. In some applications, a complete perimeter seal is advantageous because it prevents the plating bath from contacting the edges of the workpiece, which could lead to undesirable areas of plating. Figure 1 schematically shows a known electroplating tool 50 that can utilize the frame holder and loader/unloader apparatus of the present invention. The electroplating tool 50 is described in Patent Document 1, which is incorporated herein by reference. The electroplating tool 50 includes an input/output module 51, a loader/unloader module 52, a workpiece holder storage module 53, process modules 54-58, a proximity patterning shield storage module 59, a transporter support area 65, a maintenance support area 66, an electrical and chemical system area 67, and a workpiece holder cleaning module 68. The tool 50 is a single-ended tool, where unprocessed workpieces are introduced into the tool and processed workpieces are removed from the tool at the same input/output front-end module 51. The input/output front-end module 51 includes one or more front-opening unified pods (FOUPs) and an equipment front-end module (EFEM) robot for transporting workpieces between the input/output module 51 and the loader/unloader module 52. Figure 1 shows five process modules 54-58, but the tool 50 can have any number of process modules, depending on the exact process to be performed, such as the number of different metals to be electroplated, the number of pre- and post-plating pro