Novellus Systems Incorporated

Marshall Stowell

Jingbin Feng

Steven T Mayer

Ming Chu Li

John Stephen Drewery

Jon Henri

Frederick Dean Wilmot

Richard S Hill

Avishai Kepten

Timothy Mark Archer

Christopher M Bartlett

Mohammed Sabri

Disclosed herein are lipseal assemblies for use in electroplating clamshells which may include an elastomeric lipseal for excluding plating solution from a peripheral region of a semiconductor substrate and one or more electrical contact elements. The contact elements may be structurally integrated with the elastomeric lipseal. The lipseal assemblies may include one or more flexible contact elements at least a portion of which may be conformally positioned on an upper surface of the elastomeric lipseal, and may be configured to flex and form a conformal contact surface that interfaces with the substrate. Some elastomeric lipseals disclosed herein may support, align, and seal a substrate in a clamshell, and may include a flexible elastomeric upper portion located above a flexible elastomeric support edge, the upper portion having a top surface and an inner side surface, the later configured to move inward and align the substrate upon compression of the top surface.

Lipseals and contact elements for semiconductor electroplating apparatuses

A temperature controlled showerhead assembly for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chambers enhances heat dissipation to provide accurate temperature control of the showerhead face plate and maintain temperatures substantially lower than surrounding components. Heat dissipates by conduction through a showerhead stem and removed by the heat exchanger mounted outside of the vacuum environment. Heat is supplied by a heating element inserted into the steam of the showerhead. Temperature is controlled using feedback supplied by a temperature sensor installed in the stem and in thermal contact with the face plate.

Temperature controlled showerhead for high temperature operations

Methods and apparatus are provided for planar metal plating on a workpiece having a surface with recessed regions and exposed surface regions; comprising the steps of: causing a plating accelerator to become attached to said surface including the recessed and exposed surface regions; selectively removing the plating accelerator from the exposed surface regions without performing substantial metal plating on the surface; and after removal of plating accelerator is at least partially complete, plating metal onto the surface, whereby the plating accelerator remaining attached to the surface increases the rate of metal plating in the recessed regions relative to the rate of metal plating in the exposed surface regions.

Selective electrochemical accelerator removal

Segmented electroplating anode and anode segment

Growing community of inventors

Wilsonville, OR, United States of America

Marshall Stowell