Electrochemical plating apparatus and method

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for electrochemical plating form a metallic layer on a substrate having a seed layer. The apparatus includes an electrochemical cell containing an electrolyte solution; a plurality of bodies arranged in the electrochemical solution to form an anode; a substrate having a seed layer thereon, the substrate disposed in the electrochemical cell opposite the anode, such that the anode and the seed layer are separated by an ion travel distance; and a distance controller for independently driving at least one of the plurality of bodies to control the ion travel distance, thereby enabling uniformity control of the metallic layer formed on the substrate by independently adjusting distances between the substrate and respective bodies constituting the anode. The method is applicable to the formation of a metallic layer on a large-scale wafer, so that uniformity of an electrochemical metal layer for semiconductor devices having a small feature size can be advantageously controlled.

1 . An electrochemical plating apparatus, comprising: 
 an electrochemical cell containing an electrolyte solution;    a plurality of bodies in the electrochemical solution forming an anode;    a substrate having a seed layer thereon, in said electrochemical cell opposite the anode, such that the anode and the seed layer are separated by an ion travel distance; and    a distance controller for independently driving at least one of said plurality of bodies to control the ion travel distance.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , said plurality of bodies comprising: 
 a first body having an annular configuration; and    a second body having a disc configuration corresponding or complementary to the annular configuration of the first body.    
   
   
       3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the annular configuration of said first body has a central opening for receiving the disc configuration of said second body.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said distance controller controls the ion travel distance by moving one of said first body and said second body.  
   
   
       5 . An electrochemical plating apparatus, comprising: 
 an electrochemical cell containing an electrolyte solution;    a plurality of bodies in the electrochemical solution forming an anode;    a substrate having a seed layer thereon, in said electrochemical cell opposite the anode, such that each body of the anode is separated from the seed layer by an ion travel distance; and    a distance controller for independently controlling the ion travel distance of at least one of said plurality of bodies.    
   
   
       6 . A method for forming a metallic layer on a substrate having a seed layer, the method comprising: 
 arranging, in an electrolyte solution, an anode comprising a plurality of anode bodies so that the seed layer faces the anode;    setting a distance between the seed layer and a corresponding body of the anode by independently driving at least one of the plurality of bodies; and    generating an electrical field between the seed layer and the anode according to the distance.    
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of bodies includes a first body and a second body, the second body being movable with respect to the first body.  
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein a first body of the plurality of bodies and the seed layer are positioned a first distance from each other; and said distance setting comprises: 
 moving a second body of the plurality of bodies to a second distance from the seed layer.    
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of bodies includes first and second bodies, the first body having an annular configuration and the second body having a disc configuration corresponding to the annular configuration of the first body, and wherein the annular configuration of the first body has an opening for receiving the disc configuration of the second body.  
   
   
       10 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the metallic layer comprises copper.  
   
   
       11 . An electrochemical plating apparatus, comprising: 
 an electrochemical cell containing an electrolyte solution;    an anode in the electrolyte solution, comprising a plurality of bodies; and    a distance controller adapted to (i) position at least one of said plurality of bodies a predetermined ion travel distance from a substrate having a seed layer thereon in said electrochemical cell opposite the anode, and/or (ii) provide an independent amount of current to each of said plurality of bodies.    
   
   
       12 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , said plurality of bodies comprising: 
 a first body having an annular configuration; and    a second body having a disc configuration corresponding or complementary to the annular configuration of the first body.    
   
   
       13 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the annular configuration of said first body has a central opening adapted to receive the disc configuration of said second body.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein said distance controller is adapted to control an ion travel distance between said substrate and said anode by moving at least one of said first body and said second body.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein said distance controller is adapted to control an ion travel distance between said second body and said substrate by moving said second body.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein said distance controller is positioned under at least one of said plurality of bodies.  
   
   
       17 . A method for forming a metallic layer on a substrate having a seed layer, the method comprising: 
 setting a distance between the seed layer and/or substrate and one or more bodies of an anode comprising a plurality of bodies, the seed layer facing the anode in an electrolyte solution; and    generating an electrical field between the seed layer and the anode according to the set distance.    
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 17 , said distance setting comprising: 
 positioning a first body of the plurality of bodies and the seed layer and/or substrate a first distance from each other; and    moving a second body of the plurality of bodies to a second distance from the seed layer and/or substrate.    
   
   
       19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the second body is moved through an opening in the first body.  
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the metallic layer comprises copper.