Electroplating Engineers of Japan Limited

Intel Corporation

Other

Hirofumi Ishida

Takashi Nakamura

Douglas E Crafts

Steven M Swain

Yoshiyuki Harima

Provided is a cup-shaped plating apparatus which can plate the whole area of a plating target surface with a uniform film thickness. In a cup-shaped plating apparatus including a placement portion of an object to be plated which is provided at an opening end of a plating tank, means for supplying a plating solution into the plating tank, a plating solution outlet port which is formed in the plating tank, a cavity portion into which the plating solution which has flown out of the outlet port flows, a plating solution discharge port within the cavity portion, and a collection tank for the plating solution discharged from the discharge port, which subjects the object to be plated to plating treatment while supplying the plating solution into the plating tank, the shape and/or opening area of the discharge port formed on the downstream side of the cavity portion can be changed. If the shape and/or opening area of the discharge port formed on the downstream side of the cavity portion can be adjusted, it is possible to suppress nonuniform plating and variations in plating on a plating target surface by adjusting the shape and/or opening area.

Cup-shaped plating apparatus

A wafer plating apparatus includes a wafer clamp for holding a wafer, a wafer support member for supporting the peripheral edge of the surface to be plated, and a plating tank which circulates a plating solution while making the plating solution overflow from an upper opening of the tank. The wafer plating apparatus is arranged to perform plating, while the surface to be plated is laid face down, being in contact with the surface of the plating solution, in a state in which the wafer is clamped by the wafer clamp and the wafer support member. The wafer support member is equipped with air-vent grooves for discharging the air which remains on the peripheral edge of the surface to be plated while the surface of the plating solution and the wafer make contact. The air-vent grooves are formed at the lower end of the wafer support portion.

Wafer plating apparatus

It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology capable of plating satisfactorily even when wafers with a seed metal is plated in sequence by utilizing a cup-type plating apparatus. Plating solution adhered on a support,is removed between an initial and a subsequent plating processes by a cleaning apparatus,for a support,on a cup-type plating tank. The cleaning apparatus,comprises a first arm,of which distal end is positionable at the center of an upper portion of an opening of a plating tank,, and a second aim,which is mounted at one end thereof to the distal end of the first arm,, is provided at the other end thereof with a cleaner,and is pivotal about the distal end of the first arm

Cup-type plating method and cleaning apparatus used therefor

A cathode contact device is provided for providing particle deposition from an anode source onto a target surface of a working piece. The working piece has a first electrically conductive continuous contact surrounding the target surface. The cathode contact device includes a second electrically conductive continuous contact adapted for frictionally contacting the first contact along a continuous path located on the first contact. The second contact further has an inner periphery defining an aperture for passing therethrough the particles onto the target surface. Additionally, the cathode contact device includes a circuit for electrically coupling the second contact to an electrical current supply.

Flexible continuous cathode contact circuit for electrolytic plating of

Disclosed is a plating device for plating a wafer, in which the resist film formed on a wafer need not preliminarily be removed, and plurality of needle-like electrodes can stably and reliably be contacted with the wafer to secure electrical continuity therewith and attachment of the plating metal onto the needle-like electrodes can effectively be prevented. Referring to the constitution of the plating device, the periphery of the wafer is pressed against the mounting surface provided around the opening edge of a plating tank with the aid of a holding means, and the wafer is as such brought into contact with the plating solution contained in the plating tank to carry out plating treatment, in which needle-like electrodes are provided in such a way that the tips thereof may slightly protrude above the mounting surface and that they may elastically be deformed to be retractable below the mounting surface; and the needle-like electrodes are pressed by the wafer which is pressed and elastically deformed by the holding means against the mounting surface to remove the resist film present at the contacted portion utilizing the force of press contact to acquire electrical continuity between the needle-like electrodes and the wafer.

Plating device for wafer

A plating device for a wafer employs an air bag 6, 20 as a holding means for downwardly depressing the wafer 8 upon performing plating on the wafer 8. The air bag 6, 20 constrain only the upper surface 13 of the circumferential edge of the wafer at an expanded state and releases the constraint by contracting to restore an initial configuration at a non-expanded state. By this, the holding means will not occupy the upper side space of the wafer both during plating process and during non-plating process so as to avoid adhering of dust and foreign matter onto the wafer 8.

Growing community of inventors

Atsugi, Japan

Hirofumi Ishida