Substrate processing apparatus and substrate plating apparatus

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus fills a metal such as copper or the like in fine interconnection patterns or trenches defined in a semiconductor substrate. The substrate processing apparatus has a loading/unloading unit for placing a substrate cassette to allow a substrate to be loaded and unloaded, a substrate treating unit for treating a substrate, and a transfer robot for transferring a substrate between the loading/unloading unit and the substrate treating unit. The loading/unloading unit, the substrate treating unit, and the transfer robot are installed in a single facility. The loading/unloading unit has a rotary table which is horizontally rotatable for positioning the substrate cassette in a position to detect the substrate cassette placed in the loading/unloading unit and to remove the substrate from the substrate cassette with the transfer robot.

1 . An apparatus for plating a substrate, comprising: 
 a substrate holder for holding a substrate;    an anode disposed so as to face a surface of the substrate held by said substrate holder; and    a sealing member for sealing a peripheral edge of the surface of the substrate and preventing a plating liquid from contaminating a cathode electrode;    wherein electroplating is performed by filling a space between the substrate and said anode with the plating liquid; and    wherein rinsing pure water is supplied to a region of the surface of substrate held and rotated by said substrate holder, which is surrounded by said sealing member, to clean said sealing member after the electroplating process, and cleaning pure water is supplied to further clean said sealing member after said sealing member is separated from the surface of the substrate held by said substrate holder.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said rinsing pure water is supplied from a fixed nozzle to the substrate to replace the plating liquid left on the surface of the substrate with said rinsing pure water.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said cleaning pure water is supplied from a fixed nozzle to the surface of the substrate or a cathode assembly comprising said sealing member and said cathode electrode.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said substrate holder and a cathode assembly comprising said seal member and said cathode electrode can rotate in unison to spin off said cleaning pure water from the surface of the substrate and to dry the substrate and said cathode assembly.  
   
   
       5 . A method of plating a substrate, comprising: 
 holding the substrate by a substrate holder such that a peripheral edge of the substrate is sealed by a sealing member, thereby preventing a plating liquid from contaminating a cathode electrode;    performing electroplating by filling a space between the substrate and said anode with the plating liquid;    supplying rinsing pure water to a region of the surface of the substrate held and rotated by said substrate holder, which is surrounded by said sealing member, to clean said sealing member after the electroplating process; and    supplying cleaning pure water to further clean said sealing member after said sealing member is separated from the surface of the substrate held by said substrate holder.    
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein said rinsing pure water is supplied from a fixed nozzle to the substrate to replace the plating liquid left on the surface of the substrate with said rinsing pure water.  
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein said cleaning pure water is supplied from a fixed nozzle to the surface of the substrate or a cathode assembly comprising said sealing member and said cathode electrode.  
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising rotating said substrate holder and a cathode assembly comprising said seal member and said cathode electrode in unison to spin off said cleaning pure water from the surface of the substrate and to dry the substrate and said cathode assembly.