Utilization of atmospheric plasma surface preparation to improve Copper plating processes
Many process steps in semiconductor manufacturing and packaging benefit from pristine surface preparation, such as descuming of photoresist, removal of native oxides, and surface activation. One particularly important surface process is the preparation of surfaces prior to copper plating. New technologies such as Copper Pillar and TSV plating for micron scale interconnects are particularly challenging. Oxygen ashing is traditionally used to descum photoresist residues in the bottom of a developed out resist pattern. However, ashing has several disadvantages: 1) it grows additional oxide on the thin layer of copper plating base, 2) changes linewidths in the photoresist pattern, 3) leaves the photoresist surface hydrophobic, and 4) requires the use of a vacuum system.
2016 6th Electronic System Integration Technology Conference (ESTC)