Computational Study of Chemical Uniformity Impacts on Electrodeposition

Industrial semiconductor electrodeposition plating cells require recirculation of process chemicals with consistent flow and minimal contaminants to prevent defects from developing during film deposition. This manuscript investigates how recirculation nozzle quality and nozzle machining can affect bath chemical uniformity. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are utilized to visualize bath chemical velocities based on variable nozzle conditions in four case studies. Results show that strict quality control of inlet nozzles, in conjunction with proper mounting angles, induce laminar bath flow. Greater fluid uniformity and laminar flow translate to a reduction of in-line defects and increased wafer yield.