Plating apparatus and method

Abstract

A plating apparatus continuously plates a surface of a substrate with metal and performs its supplementary process in one housing unit. The plating apparatus comprises a cassette stage for placing a substrate cassette thereon, a pre-treatment unit for pre-treating a surface of a substrate, and a plating unit for plating a surface of the substrate pre-treated in the pre-treatment unit. The plating apparatus further comprises a first substrate stage disposed between the cassette stage and the pre-treatment unit, a cleaning and drying unit disposed between the cassette stage and the first substrate stage, a first transfer device, and a second transfer device. The first transfer device transfers a substrate between the substrate cassette, the cleaning and drying unit, and the first substrate stage. The second transfer device transfers a substrate between the first substrate stage, the pre-treatment unit, and the plating unit.

1 . A plating apparatus for continuously plating a surface of a substrate with metal and performing a supplementary process in one housing unit, said plating apparatus comprising: 
 a cassette stage for receiving a substrate cassette accommodating a substrate thereon;    a pre-plating unit for pre-plating a surface of a substrate;    a plating unit for plating a surface of a substrate that has been pre-plated in said pre-plating unit;    a cleaning and drying unit disposed between said cassette stage and said pre-plating unit for cleaning a plated substrate and then drying a plated and cleaned substrate;    a first transfer device for transferring a substrate between said substrate cassette and said cleaning and drying unit; and    a second transfer device for transferring a substrate between said pre-plating unit and said plating unit.    
   
   
       2 . A plating apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a substrate stage disposed between said cassette stage and said pre-plating unit for holding a substrate when placed thereon.  
   
   
       3 . A plating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said cleaning and drying unit comprises pure water to clean a plated substrate.  
   
   
       4 . A plating apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a chemical liquid cleaning unit for cleaning a plated substrate with chemical liquid.  
   
   
       5 . A plating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said pre-plating unit comprises a weakly alkaline and highly polarized solution as a plating solution.  
   
   
       6 . A plating apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein said pre-plating unit comprises copper pyrophosphate as the plating solution for reinforcing a seed layer.