Tel Nexx, Inc.

Saint-gobain/norton Industrial Ceramics Corporation

Asm Nexx, Inc.

David G Guarnaccia

Arthur Keigler

Daniel Goodman

Demetrius Papapanayiotou

Johannes Chiu

Jonathan Hander

George A Fryburg

Freeman Fisher

Donald O Patten, Jr

Donald O Patton, Jr

Matthew R Jeffers

Techniques herein provide a workpiece holder that can hold relatively flexible and thin workpieces for transport and electrochemical deposition while avoiding electroplating fluid wetting contacts or contact regions of a given workpiece. A workpiece holder frame holds a workpiece by gripping the workpiece on opposing sides of the workpiece. A flexure structure is used for clamping a given workpiece and for providing an electrical path for supplying a current to the workpiece. An elastomer covering provides sealing and insulation of the electrical flexure structure. The workpiece holder also provides tension to the workpiece to help hold the workpiece flat during processing. Each flexure structure can provide an independent electrical path to the workpiece surface.

Workpiece holder for a wet processing system

An electrochemical deposition system is described. The electrochemical deposition system includes one or more electrochemical deposition modules arranged on a common platform for depositing one or more metals on a substrate, and a chemical management system coupled to the one or more electrochemical deposition modules. The chemical management system is configured to supply at least one of the one or more electrochemical deposition modules with one or more metal constituents for depositing the one or more metals. The chemical management system can include at least one metal enrichment cell and at least one metal-concentrate generator cell.

Electrochemical deposition apparatus and methods for controlling the chemistry therein

A substrate drying apparatus for drying a width of a surface of a substrate in a liquid. The substrate drying apparatus has a liquid tank containing the liquid. An injection nozzle is coupled to the liquid tank, the injection nozzle having a continuous knife edge injection surface across the width of the surface of the substrate. A drain is coupled to the injection nozzle, the drain having a continuous drain surface substantially parallel to the continuous knife edge injection surface and across the width of the surface of the substrate. The liquid forms a meniscus between the continuous drain surface and the width of the surface of the substrate. The injection nozzle directs a vapor at the meniscus.

Parallel single substrate marangoni module

A rotary chuck adapted to hold a substrate. The rotary chuck has a rotatable chuck portion and an edge grip having a movable grip member movably mounted to the rotatable chuck portion, the moveable grip member being substantially free moving so that rotation of the rotating chuck portion causes the moveable grip member to move in a plane substantially aligned with a surface of the substrate to engage the substrate in a engaged position. A resilient element is coupled to the moveable grip member, the resilient member biasing the grip member to a disengaged position.

Substrate holder

Techniques disclosed herein include an electro-chemical deposition apparatus that provides an efficient circulation system, chemical management that provides reliable and uniform plating, and a configuration that provides short maintenance times and greater tool availability. Techniques include a processing tank containing an anolyte fluid, and one or more plating cells each having a catholyte fluid compartment with a circulation path that connects to a separate or remote catholyte reservoir. Thus, with such a configuration, a single pump can be used to flow catholyte (via manifolds) through one or more plating cells. Thus, with the catholyte reservoir maintained off board, instead of dumping catholyte over a weir into a reservoir, catholyte fluid&#x2014;after flowing through a plating cell&#x2014;is returned to the catholyte reservoir.

Electrochemical deposition apparatus with remote catholyte fluid management

A process electrolyte replenishment module adapted to replenish ions in a process electrolyte in a substrate electrochemical deposition apparatus having a first anode and a first cathode, the replenishment module having a second anode. A process electrolyte recirculation compartment is disposed in the frame configured so that the process electrolyte is recirculating between the replenishment module and the deposition apparatus. An anode compartment is coupled to the process electrolyte recirculation compartment having the second anode, that is a soluble anode, for immersion in a secondary anolyte, and having a first ion exchange membrane being a cationic member separating the secondary anolyte from the process electrolyte. A cathode compartment is provided in the frame coupled to the process electrolyte recirculation compartment having a second cathode for immersion in a secondary catholyte, and having a second ion exchange membrane being a monovalent selective membrane separating the secondary catholyte from the process electrolyte.

Electro chemical deposition and replenishment apparatus

An electrochemical deposition apparatus adapted to deposit metal onto a surface of a substrate, the apparatus has a frame configured for holding a process electrolyte. A substrate holder is removably coupled to the frame, the substrate holder supporting the substrate in the process electrolyte. An anode fluid compartment is removably coupled to the frame and containing an anolyte and having an anode facing the surface of the substrate, the anode fluid compartment further having a ion exchange membrane disposed between the anode and the surface of the substrate, the anode fluid compartment removable from the frame as a unit with the ion exchange membrane and the anode. The holder, the anode and the membrane are arranged in the frame so that ions from the anode pass through the ion exchange membrane into and primarily replenish ions in the process electrolyte depleted by ion deposition onto the surface of the substrate.

A substrate chuck includes a frame forming a support adapted to support an adhering surface thereon, and a Bernoulli chuck surface coupled to the frame and adapted to support the substrate. The Bernoulli chuck surface is axially moveable relative to the support between first and second positions. In the first position, the substrate is coupled to the adhering surface, and the substrate is separated from the adhering surface with movement of the Bernoulli chuck from the first position to the second position, without contact between the substrate and the Bernoulli chuck surface.

Substrate loader and unloader having a Bernoulli support

A substrate thermal processing system. The system has at least one substrate holding module having a housing configured for holding an isolated environment therein. A substrate heater is located in the housing and has a substrate heating surface. A substrate cooler is located in the housing and having a substrate cooling surface. A gas feed opening into the housing and feeding inert or reducing gas into the housing when the substrate is heated by the heating surface. A gas restrictor is within the housing restricting the fed gas between the substrate heating surface and a surrounding atmospheric region substantially surrounding the substrate heating surface in the housing and forming an aperture through which the fed gas communicates with the atmospheric region.

Apparatus for thermal processing with micro-environment

A mandrel for use in a diamond deposition process for generating free standing diamond films has a segmented surface forming a plurality of surfaces for deposition of diamond. The segmented surface is formed of a plurality of mesa segments on a common supporting base surfaces for the mesas. The mesa segments are preferably removably attached to the common base by any suitable means such as by bolts through the mandrel substrate which extend into the mesa segments. The mesa segments may vary in shape, size, and number, thus permitting different shaped diamond films to be made simultaneously from the same run if desired. The provided arrangement increases yield by reducing losses due to premature lifting of the diamond film during deposition, due to violent lifting after deposition upon cooling of the mandrel, and due to cracking.

Growing community of inventors

Carlisle, MA, United States of America

David G Guarnaccia