US20050067288A1 - Storage tank for process liquids with a reduced amount of bubbles - Google Patents
Storage tank for process liquids with a reduced amount of bubbles Download PDFInfo
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- US20050067288A1 US20050067288A1 US10/859,031 US85903104A US2005067288A1 US 20050067288 A1 US20050067288 A1 US 20050067288A1 US 85903104 A US85903104 A US 85903104A US 2005067288 A1 US2005067288 A1 US 2005067288A1
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- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 113
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 77
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 67
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 67
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 56
- 238000007747 plating Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 52
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- 238000007772 electroless plating Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000009713 electroplating Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D21/00—Processes for servicing or operating cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D21/04—Removal of gases or vapours ; Gas or pressure control
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C18/00—Chemical coating by decomposition of either liquid compounds or solutions of the coating forming compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating; Contact plating
- C23C18/16—Chemical coating by decomposition of either liquid compounds or solutions of the coating forming compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating; Contact plating by reduction or substitution, e.g. electroless plating
- C23C18/1601—Process or apparatus
- C23C18/1617—Purification and regeneration of coating baths
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C18/00—Chemical coating by decomposition of either liquid compounds or solutions of the coating forming compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating; Contact plating
- C23C18/16—Chemical coating by decomposition of either liquid compounds or solutions of the coating forming compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating; Contact plating by reduction or substitution, e.g. electroless plating
- C23C18/1601—Process or apparatus
- C23C18/1619—Apparatus for electroless plating
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25D21/00—Processes for servicing or operating cells for electrolytic coating
- C25D21/16—Regeneration of process solutions
- C25D21/18—Regeneration of process solutions of electrolytes
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- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Metallurgy (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Electrochemistry (AREA)
- General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemically Coating (AREA)
- Electroplating Methods And Accessories (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention generally relates to the field of fabrication of integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to manufacturing processes involving the application of process liquids, such as plating solutions, onto the surface of a substrate.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- In an integrated circuit, a huge number of circuit elements, such as transistors, capacitors, resistors and the like, are formed in or on an appropriate substrate, usually in a substantially planar configuration. In many stages of the manufacturing process, liquids, such as de-ionized water, specific chemicals, slurries and the like, have to be supplied to process tools so as to provide these process liquids to the substrate to accomplish a process under consideration. One important process stage during the formation of integrated circuits represents the field of forming metal-containing regions on a substrate by wet chemical processes, such as plating. Due to the large number of circuit elements and the required complex layout of the integrated circuits, generally, the electrical connection of the individual circuit elements may not be established within the same level on which the circuit elements are manufactured but requires one or more additional “wiring” layers, also referred to as metallization layers. These metallization layers generally include metal lines, providing for the inner-level electrical connection, and also include a plurality of inter-level connections, also referred to as vias, wherein the metal lines and vias may also be commonly referred to as interconnects. Furthermore, the connection of the integrated circuit or portions thereof to the periphery is usually established by a plurality of contact pads, which in sophisticated devices bear so-called solder bumps, enabling a direct connection with corresponding areas of a package substrate by means of reflowing the solder bumps.
- Two frequently used techniques for depositing a metal on a substrate are electroplating and electroless plating. In the process of electroless plating metals onto a substrate surface that may have formed thereon circuit elements and a patterned dielectric or a photo-resist layer, a catalytic material may be formed prior to bringing the metal-containing solution into contact with the substrate surface. In the electroplating process, a current distribution layer is required to electrically connect the specified substrate regions that are intended to receive a metal with an external current source so that the metal-containing solution contacting the specified regions may be reduced and deposited as a metal. Typically, the plating process is conducted in a plating tool comprising a plating chamber in which the substrate is brought into contact with the plating solution. Although simple bath reactors may be used for this purpose, it turns out that, for sophisticated applications, a fountain-type reactor is the preferred tool for plating metal onto a substrate. Generally, a fountain-type plating tool comprises a process chamber and separated therefrom a storage tank containing the plating solution, which is conveyed via a conduit system to the process chamber. In the process chamber, the plating solution is applied to the substrate, which is placed with its receiving surface so as to face the electrolyte stream, wherein the excess solution is re-circulated to the storage tank. As in many other situations requiring a well-defined application of a process liquid onto a substrate surface, a non-uniform distribution of the process liquid across the substrate surface may remarkably affect the result of the process under consideration. In the case of the plating process, the resulting uniformity of the metal layer deposited and/or the quality thereof may significantly depend on how the plating solution is applied to the substrate.
- For instance, bubbles in the plating solution have been identified as a substantial source of failures for integrated circuits, since the presence of a bubble in the solution stream may prevent or reduce the deposition of metal in bubble-containing areas of the substrate surface, thereby resulting in an erroneous chip or a premature failure of the integrated circuit. Furthermore, the presence of bubbles in the plating solution may lead to an increased oxidation of sensitive additives included in the plating solution, thereby changing the performance of the plating solution and thus affecting the entire plating process. Hence, the presence of bubbles in process liquids, especially in plating solutions, may represent a serious issue in terms of production yield and device reliability. In particular, the loss of per se functional devices in a late manufacturing stage, such as the formation of solder bumps, may drastically contribute to the production costs.
- In view of the above-explained situation, a need exists for efficient means that enable preventing or at least significantly reducing the presence of bubbles in storage tanks and/or supply lines for process liquids.
- Generally, the present invention is directed to a technique that significantly reduces the amount of bubbles existing or created in a storage tank for a process liquid, such as a plating solution required for the wet chemical deposition of metal layers or metal regions on a substrate. The present invention provides a storage tank having at least an inlet area and an outlet area and takes advantage of the fact that a liquid flow within the storage tank may be guided between the inlet area and the outlet area in such a manner that the probability for conveying bubbles from the inlet area to the outlet area is significantly reduced.
- According to one illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a storage tank for a process liquid comprises an inlet area for receiving the process liquid and an outlet area that is connectable to a supply line. Furthermore, a barrier is provided that has an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the lower portion faces the bottom of the storage tank. The barrier is disposed between the inlet area and the outlet area and defines, with its lower portion, an opening near the bottom of the storage tank to provide fluid communication between the inlet area and the outlet area.
- According to still another illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a plating tool comprises a process chamber configured to receive and support a substrate. The plating tool further comprises a supply line and a discharge line, wherein the supply line is configured to convey a plating solution to the substrate and the discharge line is configured to remove excess plating solution from the process chamber. Additionally, the plating tool comprises a storage tank including an inlet area connected to the discharge line and an outlet area connected to the supply line. Moreover, a barrier is provided that has an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the lower portion faces the bottom of the storage tank. The barrier is disposed between the inlet area and the outlet area and defines, with its lower portion, an opening near the bottom portion so as to provide fluid communication between the inlet area and the outlet area.
- According to still a further illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a method of operating a storage tank for a process liquid comprises supplying the process liquid to an inlet area of the storage tank and generating a liquid flow to an outlet area via a communicating opening that is disposed in the vicinity of the bottom of the storage tank so as to substantially prevent bubbles from moving into the outlet area.
- In other embodiments of the present invention, the storage tank comprises a second barrier having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the lower portion is connected to the bottom of the storage tank and the upper portion forms a second opening to provide a fluid flow path between the inlet area and the outlet area.
- In other particular embodiments of the present invention, the inlet area comprises an inlet line having an end portion, wherein a height position of an opening of the end portion terminating into the inlet area is adjustable with respect to a liquid level in the inlet area.
- The invention may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:
-
FIG. 1 schematically shows a storage tank having an inlet area and an outlet area according to illustrative embodiments of the present invention; and -
FIGS. 2 a-2 c schematically show a storage tank or portions thereof that is connected to a plating tool in accordance with further illustrative embodiments of the present invention. - While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
- Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
- The present invention will now be described with reference to the attached figures. Although the various regions and structures of a semiconductor device are depicted in the drawings as having very precise, sharp configurations and profiles, those skilled in the art recognize that, in reality, these regions and structures are not as precise as indicated in the drawings. Additionally, the relative sizes of the various features and doped regions depicted in the drawings may be exaggerated or reduced as compared to the size of those features or regions on fabricated devices. Nevertheless, the attached drawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples of the present invention. The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e., a definition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning other than that understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition will be expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for the term or phrase.
- As previously explained, the presence of bubbles in process liquids, especially in plating solutions, may lead to significantly reduced production yields. Hence, considerable efforts are made so as to substantially prevent the generation of bubbles and/or to remove existing bubbles prior to providing the process liquid to the substrate. In some conventional process tools, such as in lithography tools, certain types of filters and active de-gasing elements are used which may consume considerable space and which may also be relatively expensive while at the same time requiring a moderately high amount of maintenance. Contrary to these conventional methods for removing bubbles from a storage tank, the present invention relies on the fact that a fluid flow path within a storage tank may be established that substantially avoids the formation of bubbles and also results in the removal of already existing bubbles in the process liquid. With reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2 a-2 c, further illustrative embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail. -
FIG. 1 schematically shows astorage tank 100 that is configured to contain a specified process liquid, such as a plating solution for a desired metal or metal-containing compound as may be required for forming metallization layers, solder bumps and the like. Thestorage tank 100 comprises aninlet area 110 and anoutlet area 120. Theoutlet area 120 may be configured so as to be connectable to asupply line 121, which may in turn be connected to apump 122. Theinlet area 110 may comprise one or more inlet lines 111 a, . . . 111 c, each havingrespective end portions 112 with anopening 113 terminating in theinlet area 110. Theoutlet area 120 and theinlet area 110 are substantially separated by abarrier 130 having anupper portion 131 and alower portion 132. Thelower portion 132 includes or forms at least oneopening 133 near abottom 101 of thestorage tank 100 that provides a fluid flow path, denoted by 150, between theinlet area 110 and theoutlet area 120. The at least oneopening 133 may be provided in the form of a gap between the bottom 101 of thestorage tank 110 and thebarrier 130, or the at least oneopening 133 may be provided in the form of one or more distinct openings formed in thelower portion 132 in the vicinity of the bottom 101. In this respect, the terms “in the vicinity” and “near” are to be understood such that theopening 133 is located in the lower half and preferably in the lower quarter and more preferably in the lower 10 percent with respect to aheight 102 of thestorage tank 100. In one particular embodiment, the opening 133 forms the only fluid flow path between theinlet area 110 and theoutlet area 120. Thebarrier 130 may be comprised of any appropriate material, such as metal with or without an appropriate coating, plastic materials, and the like, wherein, preferably, at least the surface of thebarrier 130 is substantially inert with respect to the process liquid to be contained in thestorage tank 100. - During operation of the
storage tank 100, a specifiedprocess liquid 140 may be filled into thetank 100 so as to provide a desired liquid level in thetank 100. In one embodiment, the liquid level and/or the height position of theopenings 113 of the inlet lines 111 a, . . . , 111 c is selected so that theopenings 113 are immersed into theprocess liquid 140 with a specified distance to the liquid surface. For instance, if theprocess liquid 140 is supplied to thetank 100 via the inlet lines 111 a, . . . 111 c, a corresponding controllable pump (not shown) may be provided so as to control the amount of liquid supplied to theinlet area 110 in conformity with the liquid volume discharged by thesupply line 121 to maintain a substantially constant liquid level within thetank 100. To this end, thestorage tank 100 may contain a level detector (not shown) configured to provide a level dependent signal to the controllable pump source in the inlet lines 111 a, . . . 111 c. During the intake of the liquid 140 by the inlet lines 111 a, . . . 111 c, bubbles generated anywhere during the transport of the liquid 140 may be released through theopenings 113, wherein at least moderately large bubbles may immediately contact the surface of the liquid 140 and thus may be effectively removed. Moreover, by separating theinlet area 110 from theoutlet area 120 by means of thebarrier 130, which provides a fluid flow path through the at least oneopening 133 in the vicinity of the bottom 101, fluid flow of the liquid 140 is forced down to theopening 133, as indicated by thearrow 150, and thus moves against the direction of buoyancy of the bubbles, thereby significantly reducing the probability for conveying bubbles from theinlet area 110 to theoutlet area 120 through the at least oneopening 133. Hence, theprocess liquid 140 may be provided to any process tool with a significantly reduced amount of bubbles. Moreover, the simplicity of the configuration of thestorage tank 100 results in low cost installation, i.e., mounting thebarrier 130, and provides a substantially maintenance-free operation, except for the usual maintenance periods as are required for conventional storage tanks. - In other embodiments in which the liquid level of the
process liquid 140 may change during operation, a corresponding height adjustment member may be provided for the inlet lines 111 a, . . . 111 c so as to enable a predefined distance of theopenings 113 with respect to the liquid surface of the liquid 140. Corresponding examples for a height adjustment member will be described in detail with reference toFIG. 2 b. The provision of a height adjustment member enables a substantially constant effect in removing bubbles in the inlet lines 111 a, . . . 111 c, and/or substantially avoids the generation of new bubbles upon supplying the liquid 140 to theinlet area 110. -
FIG. 2 a schematically depicts aplating tool 260 including process chambers 261 a, 261 b connected to respective supply lines 262 a, 262 b and respective discharge lines 211 a, 211 b. The process chambers 261 a, 261 b may be configured in the form of a fountain-type plating tool in which a substrate may be held in place so as to receive plating solution delivered by the supply lines 262 a, 262 b. Theplating tool 260 may further comprise a manifold 263, which is connected with its output side to the supply lines 262 a, 262 b, and which is connected with its input side to asupply line 221 including apump 222. Moreover, afilter 223 may be provided within thesupply line 221. Theplating tool 260 further comprises astorage tank 200, which in one embodiment (not shown) may have substantially the same configuration as previously described with reference toFIG. 1 . In the embodiment shown, thestorage tank 200 comprises aninlet area 210 and anoutlet area 220 with afirst barrier 230 disposed between theinlet area 210 and theoutlet area 220. The first barrier comprises anupper portion 231 and alower portion 232, wherein thelower portion 232 includes or defines at least oneopening 233 for providing a fluid flow path from theinlet area 210 to theoutlet area 220. Regarding the number and location of the at least oneopening 233 and regarding the configuration of thefirst barrier 230, substantially the same criteria apply in this case as previously described with reference to thebarrier 130 depicted inFIG. 1 . Thestorage tank 200 further comprises asecond barrier 270 disposed between thefirst barrier 230 and theoutlet area 220, wherein the second barrier comprises alower portion 272 and anupper portion 271 including or forming anopening 273 so as to provide a fluid flow path from theinlet area 210 to theoutlet area 220 via anintermediate area 215. - It should be noted that the
opening 273 is to be considered to include any physical opening formed in theupper portion 271 and also includes an opening that is formed by a reduced height of thesecond barrier 270 with respect to a desiredliquid level 274, irrespective of whether a liquid 240 is actually contained in thetank 200 or not. Hence, an “effective” vertical size of the at least oneopening 273 is defined by the configuration of theupper portion 271 and the liquid level 277. In one particular embodiment, thesecond barrier 270 is configured such that theopening 273, in the form of one or more openings in the above-defined sense, provides the only fluid flow path from theintermediate area 215, defined by thefirst barrier 230 and thesecond barrier 270, to theoutlet area 220. Thereby, the vertical size of theopening 273 may be selected such that any bubbles in the liquid 240 flowing through theopening 273 become effectively in contact with the surface of the liquid 240, thereby removing bubbles from the liquid 240. In one particular embodiment, theopening 273 is, at least partially, formed by a gap between a corresponding end portion of theupper portion 271 and the desiredliquid level 274, thereby providing an increased probability for any bubbles to contact the surface of the liquid 240 during liquid flow through theopening 273. - In other embodiments (not shown), two or more
intermediate portions 215 may be provided in that sequentially afirst barrier 230 having anopening 233 at thelower portion 232 and asecond barrier 270 having anopening 273 in theupper portion 271 are arranged so as to define a substantially zigzagging flow path from theinlet area 210 to theoutlet area 220. In this way, the capability for bubble removal may be increased compared to that of a singleintermediate area 215 as shown inFIG. 2 a. - During the operation of the
plating tool 260, the liquid 240 may be supplied with the desiredliquid level 274 to thetank 200 via the discharge lines 211 a, 211 b or any other liquid supply lines (not shown). Thereafter, thepump 222 is activated to provide a stream ofliquid 240 via thesupply line 221, the manifold 263, and the supply lines 262 a, 262 b to the process chambers 261 a, 261 b. Excess liquid that is not consumed during the plating process in the process chambers 261 a, 261 b is discharged via the discharge lines 211 a, 211 b and is supplied to theinlet area 210 via theopenings 213, which are adjusted in height so as to be maintained below the desiredliquid level 274. As previously discussed with reference toFIG. 1 , the discharge lines 211 a, 211 b may haverespective end portions 212 having a bent area, which is, in one particular embodiment, provided in a substantially U-shaped configuration. Bubbles of moderate size created during the transport of the liquid 240 from the process chambers 216 a, 216 b to the inlet area are effectively removed due to the close proximity of the position of theopenings 213 with respect to the liquid surface. Moreover, the generation of further bubbles during the discharge of the liquid 240 into theinlet area 210 is effectively suppressed. Since the fluid flow path from theinlet area 210 to theintermediate area 215 is substantially determined by theopening 233, the probability for conveying bubbles within the liquid stream is significantly reduced as the bubbles tend to rise to the surface. Thereafter, the liquid stream is forced to move upwards since the fluid flow path from theintermediate area 215 to theoutlet area 220 is substantially determined by theopening 273, wherein remaining bubbles are effectively brought into contact with the liquid surface, thereby further removing bubbles from the liquid stream. Finally, the liquid 240 is sucked into thesupply line 221 in the vicinity of the bottom of thetank 200, thereby further reducing the probability for conveying any remaining bubbles, since the bubbles will preferably remain at the surface of the liquid 240. Hence, the liquid 240 is supplied to the process chambers 261 a, 261 b with a significantly reduced amount of bubbles, thereby providing an enhanced quality of plated metal regions due to the lack of bubbles on the substrate surface. Moreover, the reduced amount of bubbles in thesupply line 221, the manifold 263, and the supply lines 262 a, 262 b causes a reduction in any adverse reactions of additives included in the liquid 240 so that the stability of the plating process is enhanced. As previously pointed out, the efficiency in removing bubbles may even be increased by providing two or moreintermediate portions 215 so that any bubbles moving with the liquid stream are forced to periodically move to the liquid surface and move against their own buoyancy to the bottom of thetank 200. - It should be appreciated that the shape of the first and
second barriers barriers storage tank 200. For instance, any support members may be formed, integrally or separately, on the barriers or may be attached thereto as is required for reliably fixing thebarriers openings second barriers respective openings - In some embodiments, screen-like elements (not shown) may be provided at the
opening 233 and/or 273, wherein the size of individual screen elements is selected so as substantially prevent the passage of bubbles of a predefined size. In some embodiments, theliquid level 274 may be maintained substantially constant by continuously supplying additional liquid 240 to thetank 200, thereby compensating the amount of liquid consumed during the plating process in the process chambers 261 a, 261 b. To this end, an additional storage tank (not shown) may be provided and may be connected to thestorage tank 200, preferably to theinlet area 210, wherein a controllable pump in combination with a level detector (not shown) may enable an appropriate control of supply ofadditional liquid 240. In other embodiments, corresponding height adjustment members may be provided for theend portions 212 and/or thefirst barrier 230 and/or thesecond barrier 270, as described with reference toFIGS. 2 b and 2 c so as to adapt the bubble removing effect to a varyingliquid level 274. -
FIG. 2 b schematically illustrates a portion of theinlet area 210 according to further illustrative embodiments of the present invention. As shown, theinlet area 210 comprises the discharge lines 211 a, 211 b and 211 c, wherein theend portions 212 of the lines 211 a, 211 b include a bent portion so as to form a substantially U-shaped configuration, or a siphon-like configuration. The discharge line 211 c may comprise anend portion 212 having a non-siphon-like configuration, such as a substantially linear configuration, in the vicinity of theoutput opening 213. Theend portions 212 of the discharge lines 211 a, . . . 211 c further compriseflexible portions 214, for example in the form of a bellow-like portion or in the form of a flexible hose that allows itself to be readily bent in any required fashion. Moreover, theinlet area 210 further comprises aheight adjustment member 216 including a floatingbody 217 and asupport member 218. Thesupport member 218 may be attached to the floatingbody 217 and to theend portion 212 so as to maintain a well-defineddistance 202 between theopening 213 and theliquid level 274. In one particular embodiment, thesupport member 218 is configured such that thedistance 202 may be readily adapted to any desired value prior to filling thestorage tank 200 with the liquid 240. After having adjusted thedistance 202, the floatingbody 217 insures that the desireddistance 202 is substantially maintained during the operation of thestorage tank 200, irrespective of a changingliquid level 274. Hence, the discharging of the liquid 240 into theinlet area 210 may be performed in accordance with thepredefined distance 202, wherein thedistance 202 may be selected equally or differently for different discharge lines 211 a, . . . 211 c. For instance, the liquid 240 may represent a composition of different materials, wherein one or more of these materials may be delivered by some of the discharge lines 211 a, . . . 211 c, wherein a difference in viscosity and/or pressure and/or amount may require adifferent distance 202 with respect to theliquid level 274 of thecomposite liquid 240. In other embodiments, when the discharge lines supply the excess plating solution from the process chambers 261 a, 261 b to theinlet area 210, different process recipes in the individual process chambers may require the discharge of process liquid under quite different circumstances. For example, a large amount of excess liquid may be discharged by one of the discharge lines compared to other discharge lines, or the amount and/or the size of bubbles created in one process chamber may significantly differ from other process chambers, thereby also requiring a different setting of thedistance 202. In some embodiments, aguide member 219 may be provided, for instance in the form of correspondingly dimensioned baffles, so as to restrict the lateral movement of the floatingbody 217, thereby also stabilizing the lateral position of theend portions 212 and thus of theopenings 213 of the respective discharge lines 211 a, . . . 211 c. Hence, a simple means for adjusting theheight 202 is provided, wherein substantially no maintenance is required for theheight adjustment member 216, as this member may be manufactured by durable materials, such as metal, coated metal, plastic materials and the like. -
FIG. 2 c schematically shows a portion of thestorage tank 200 according to further illustrative embodiments of the present invention. In the embodiments depicted inFIG. 2 c, thesecond barrier 270 comprises aflexible portion 275 at thelower portion 272 so as to allow a movement of thesecond barrier 270 at least in the vertical direction. For instance, theflexible portion 275 may be provided in the form of a bellow-like configuration, or theflexible portion 275 may be provided by any type of flexible material that may be readily bent so as to provide a certain movability, at least in the vertical direction. A height adjustment member 216 a is attached to thesecond barrier 270 by means of a corresponding support member 218 a. The height adjustment member 216 a comprises a floating body 217 a that is designed to provide a sufficient buoyancy with respect to the liquid 240 so as to be able to support thesecond barrier 270, thereby maintaining substantially constant the vertical position and thus the “effective” vertical size of theopening 273 with respect to theliquid level 274. By means of the height adjustment member 216 a, the vertical size 202 a of theopening 273 defined by thesecond barrier 270 and theliquid level 274 may be adjusted in any desired value and may be maintained substantially constant at this desired value during the operation of thestorage tank 200 in a similar way as is described with reference toFIG. 2 b. If a plurality ofsecond barriers 270 is provided, the individual dimensions 202 a may be adjusted in any desired fashion so as to increase the efficiency in reducing the amounts of bubbles provided to theplating tool 260. - In other embodiments, the
first barrier 230 may comprise a height adjustment member 216 b including a support member 218 b coupled to thefirst barrier 230 and an adjustment screw 217 b that is configured to enable, in combination with the support member 218 b, a vertical motion of thefirst barrier 230 upon rotating the screw 217 b. In this way, the vertical size 202 b of theopening 233 may be adjusted in conformity with process requirements. - It should be noted that the embodiments described with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2 a-2 c may readily be combined in any appropriate manner so as to enhance the efficiency in suppressing bubbles in the process liquid supplied to a process tool, such as theplating tool 260. - As a result, the present invention provides highly efficient means for removing bubbles in a storage tank by controlling the fluid flow path within the storage tank by means of at least one barrier so as to sufficiently suppress the migration of bubbles from an inlet area to an outlet area of the storage tank. By means of at least one further barrier, the liquid stream is forced to flow at least partially in the vicinity of the liquid surface so as to significantly increase the probability for bubbles to come into contact with the surface, and thus to be removed from the liquid stream. In particular embodiments, the supply of liquid into the inlet area of the storage tank is accomplished such that the liquid is discharged into the inlet area closely beneath the liquid surface. Although a high efficiency in bubble removal is obtained, substantially no additional maintenance is required, contrary to conventional bubble removal means with active components such as active de-gasing elements. Moreover, the usage of expensive filter elements may be significantly reduced or rendered completely obsolete by the storage tank configuration according to the present invention.
- The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. For example, the process steps set forth above may be performed in a different order. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.
Claims (20)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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DE10345379.2 | 2003-09-30 | ||
DE10345379A DE10345379B3 (en) | 2003-09-30 | 2003-09-30 | Storage tank for process liquids with a reduced amount of bubbles and method for operating the same |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20050067288A1 true US20050067288A1 (en) | 2005-03-31 |
Family
ID=34353213
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US10/859,031 Abandoned US20050067288A1 (en) | 2003-09-30 | 2004-06-01 | Storage tank for process liquids with a reduced amount of bubbles |
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US (1) | US20050067288A1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE10345379B3 (en) |
Cited By (7)
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US20100024724A1 (en) * | 2005-01-31 | 2010-02-04 | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | Apparatus and method for removing bubbles from a process liquid |
CN103334150A (en) * | 2013-07-10 | 2013-10-02 | 皆利士多层线路版(中山)有限公司 | Automatic quantitative adding system |
CN103374744A (en) * | 2013-07-11 | 2013-10-30 | 皆利士多层线路版(中山)有限公司 | PCB (printed circuit board) electroplating copper attached tank |
CN103924282A (en) * | 2013-01-15 | 2014-07-16 | 深南电路有限公司 | Electroplating cylinder |
CN104213180A (en) * | 2014-09-17 | 2014-12-17 | 丹阳市新光电子有限公司 | Electroplating liquid circulating system of flexible circuit board |
CN110791803A (en) * | 2019-11-20 | 2020-02-14 | 广德东威科技有限公司 | Backflow defoaming system of electroplating process tank |
CN113713437A (en) * | 2021-08-06 | 2021-11-30 | 安捷利美维电子(厦门)有限责任公司 | Device and method for improving bubble type hole filling defect |
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CN103374744A (en) * | 2013-07-11 | 2013-10-30 | 皆利士多层线路版(中山)有限公司 | PCB (printed circuit board) electroplating copper attached tank |
CN104213180A (en) * | 2014-09-17 | 2014-12-17 | 丹阳市新光电子有限公司 | Electroplating liquid circulating system of flexible circuit board |
CN110791803A (en) * | 2019-11-20 | 2020-02-14 | 广德东威科技有限公司 | Backflow defoaming system of electroplating process tank |
CN113713437A (en) * | 2021-08-06 | 2021-11-30 | 安捷利美维电子(厦门)有限责任公司 | Device and method for improving bubble type hole filling defect |
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