JPH04280992A - Wafer plating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the disadvantage of the conventional plating device that the cathode and wafer are not sealed from a plating soln. CONSTITUTION:A wafer U is pressed on an elastic member 12 provided to an arrangement receiving part 11 formed at the opening 1p of a plating bath 1, hence the side face and back of the wafer are sealed from the plating soln., and a cathode 13 is sealed from the plating soln. by clamping the cathode between the electric member and the wafer.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wafer plating apparatus for plating semiconductor wafers.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional wafer plating apparatus as shown in FIG. 4 is known. This wafer plating apparatus is equipped with a cup-shaped plating bath 1 in which a plating solution L supplied from a funnel-shaped lower supply portion 1s overflows from an upper opening 1p. A wafer U placed in an opening 1p of a tank 1 is brought into contact with a plating solution L to be plated. A cathode electrode 2 having a pin-shape tip is used for placing the wafer U, and this cathode electrode 2 is provided in the plating bath 1 in a state in which it is always in contact with the plating solution L. Note that 3 is an anode electrode, and the plating solution L is supplied through a large number of through holes 3h formed in this anode electrode 3.

Although this wafer plating apparatus is excellent in that it can efficiently plate flat wafers, it still has some shortcomings. In other words, ■. Since the cathode electrode is in the plating solution, plating is deposited there. ■． The plating solution leaks onto the side and back surfaces of the wafer, resulting in unnecessary plating. ■． Contact with the cathode electrode is unstable.

One of the techniques proposed to improve these points is, for example, the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-38472. This technology uses a conductive buffer plate to press and fix the wafer onto a plate-shaped cathode (cathode electrode). This structure prevents the cathode electrode and the side and back surfaces of the wafer from being exposed to the plating solution. It is now possible to seal, which solves the above problem. However, this structure requires a plate-shaped cathode and a conductive buffer plate, and in particular, the conductive buffer plate requires a complex structure in which conductive members are combined inside, resulting in a significant cost increase. There are factors.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to solve the drawbacks of the conventional device with a simpler structure.

[0006]

[Means and Effects for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the wafer plating apparatus according to the present invention includes an elastic member provided in the arrangement receiving portion formed at the opening of the plating tank, and the elastic member The wafer is placed in pressure contact with the wafer, and the tip of a thin cathode electrode is sandwiched between the elastic member and the wafer.

[0007] In this wafer plating apparatus, by placing the wafer in pressure contact with the elastic member disposed in the placement receiving part, a seal is created from the plating liquid on the side and back surfaces of the wafer, and the elastic member and the wafer are placed in contact with each other. By sandwiching the tip of the cathode electrode between the two electrodes, sealing of the cathode electrode against the plating solution and stable contact between the cathode electrode and the wafer are realized. In other words, this wafer plating equipment improves the shortcomings of conventional equipment.
As for the members, only an elastic member with a simple structure is added, and the combination of members is an extremely simple structure that does not require any complicated structure.

[0008] In such a wafer plating apparatus, it is possible to provide an elastic member to cover the entire circumference of the wafer, that is, to seal the entire circumference of the wafer. If there are parts that require plating, the elastic members can be provided at a plurality of locations on parts that do not require plating.

Furthermore, if the arrangement receiving part is made detachable from the opening of the plating tank, changing the size of the wafer can be done by simply replacing the arrangement receiving part without changing the plating tank, making the equipment more versatile. You can improve your sexuality.

0010

[Embodiments] Examples of the present invention will be described below. In the following description, the same reference numerals will be used for parts common to those of the conventional example described above, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. This wafer plating apparatus 10 is formed such that a placement receiving part 11 protrudes inward like an eave at an opening 1p of a plating tank 1. This placement receiving portion 11 is removably attached to the opening 1p of the plating bath 1, and the placement receiving portion 11 is
Depending on the size of the wafer U, the size of the wafer U can be changed by simply replacing it with one that has a different size of inward protrusion. Further, an elastic member 12 is provided in this placement receiving portion 11 . and,
The wafer U is placed in a state in which it is pressed against the elastic member 12 by a pressing member (not shown), and its entire circumference is sealed against the plating solution L by a predetermined width as shown in FIG. It is in a state where

Further, the tip of the cathode electrode 13 is held between the wafer U and the elastic member 12. The tip of this cathode electrode 13 is formed by unraveling a bundle of thin wires and flattening it, and it sinks into the elastic member 12 due to the elasticity of the elastic member 12, and is completely sealed against the plating solution L (FIG. 2). Moreover, the cathode electrode 13 is brought into contact with the wafer U reliably and stably. In this example, as shown in FIG.
Although this number is provided, the number will be appropriately selected in relation to the current capacity. However, multiple cathode electrodes 13
It is preferable to provide them symmetrically for uniform plating formation.

Further, the anode electrode 14 has also been devised. That is, in order to eliminate stagnation of the circulating flow by making the flow of the plating solution L circulating in the plating tank 1 stronger in the central part than in the peripheral part, the diameter of the through hole 14h is increased from the periphery to the center. I'm trying to get bigger.

In the above embodiment, the elastic member 12 has a structure that seals the entire circumference of the wafer U, but if there is a part around the wafer U that requires plating, the "elastic member 12" This means that the "elastic member" is provided in pieces, so to speak, and these pieces of "elastic member" are provided corresponding to areas that do not require plating.

[0014]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the wafer plating apparatus according to the present invention prevents the plating liquid from forming on the side or back surface of the wafer by placing the wafer in pressure contact with the elastic member provided in the placement receiving part. Along with forming a seal,
By sandwiching the tip of the cathode electrode between this elastic member and the wafer, sealing of the cathode electrode against the plating solution and stable contact between the cathode electrode and the wafer are realized, so the structure is simple in terms of components. The disadvantages of conventional devices can be overcome with an extremely simple structure that requires only the addition of an elastic member and does not require any complicated structure for combining the members. In addition, since the arrangement receiver is detachable from the plating tank, changing the size of the wafer can be done by simply replacing the arrangement receiver without changing the plating tank, increasing the versatility of the apparatus.

[0015]

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of essential parts of a wafer plating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a cathode electrode held between an elastic member and a wafer.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which a wafer is sealed by an elastic member.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part of a conventional wafer plating apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1...Plating tank 1p...opening 10...Wafer plating equipment 11... Placement receiving part 12...Elastic member 13...Cathode electrode U...Wafer

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claim 1: A wafer plating apparatus that plating a wafer placed in an opening of a plating tank by bringing a plating solution in a flowing state into contact with the wafer, wherein an elastic member is attached to a placement receiving part formed in the opening of the plating tank. A wafer plating apparatus characterized in that the wafer is placed in pressure contact with the elastic member, and the tip of a thinly formed cathode electrode is sandwiched between the elastic member and the wafer. 2. The wafer plating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is provided so as to correspond to the entire circumference of the wafer. 3. The wafer plating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of elastic members are partially provided. 4. The wafer plating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement receiving part is detachably attached to the opening of the plating tank.