International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Tracy A Tong

Charles Leon Arvin

Glen Nelson Biggs

Phillip W Palmatier

Joseph C Sorbello

Freddie Torres

Karl Owen Casserly

Leung M Hung

Ronny R Shipley

James P Verzi

Mark L Monroe

Hariklia Deligianni

Raschid Jose Bezama

Sarah Huffsmith Knickerbocker

Jorge A Lubguban

John J Bandy

Bradley M Mahan

James A Landor

Jeffrey A Bloomberg

Peter O Johnson

Matthew W Naughton

Ralph W Stevens, Jr

Electroplating techniques including a system for treating a solution for use in an electroplating application and a method for using the system are provided. The system can have: a gas dispersing portion configured to treat the solution by dispersing a gas into the solution to control a concentration of a predetermined cation of a metal to be electroplated in the electroplating application; a filter portion configured to treat the solution by filtering the solution to remove a quantity of metal residue; and a circulation mechanism configured to divert the solution to one of a plating tool and a combination of the gas dispersing portion and the filter portion based on a result of an analysis of the solution.

System for treating solution for use in electroplating application and method for treating solution for use in electroplating application

Plating bath and well structures and methods are described to stop the organic compounds present in plating reservoir wells or bath solution from rising, i.e., climbing up the reservoir wall. An electroplating apparatus includes a vessel holding a liquid solution including metal plating material and an organic species, and a method of operating an electroplating apparatus. The apparatus is designed with plating bath and structures and methods to stop the organic compounds present in plating reservoir wells or bath solution from rising, i.e., climbing or wicking up the inner surfaces of reservoir walls, and to wash them back down on a continuous or cyclical basis in order to maintain a concentration of organic compounds in the plating solution within upper and lower specification limits.

Prevent and remove organics from reservoir wells

An optical system includes a photonics chip, a bridge waveguide structure formed on the chip, and an optical fiber disposed over the chip and optically aligned with the bridge waveguide structure. A cavity between the bridge waveguide structure and the chip is at least partially filled with an adhesive resin and a filler material having a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) less than that of the adhesive resin. The filler material may include filler particles dispersed throughout the adhesive resin, or a discrete layer of material separate from the adhesive resin. The composite adhesive material filling the cavity has an effective coefficient of thermal expansion less than the coefficient of thermal expansion of conventional adhesive resins. This lower effective CTE improves the survivability of the overlying bridge waveguide structure following thermal cycling of the optical system.

Fiber alignment to photonics chip

A device comprises a rail configured to span and detachably couple to a housing. The device includes a plate that engages the housing and a mechanism securing the tool to the housing. The housing contains a printed circuit board configured with at least one row of slots, each slot configured with a retainer mechanism. A jaw assembly slides along the rail over more than one card positioned in the row of slots. The assembly includes a pair of inserts that perform either seating or extracting more than one card positioned in more than one slot. The device includes a lever for biasing the jaw assembly, where the inserts engage a selected one of more than one card positioned in more than one slot and the retainer mechanism for performing either simultaneously seating more than one card into or simultaneously extracting more than one card from more than slot.

Multiple expansion card insertion and extraction tool

Electroplating techniques including an electroplating system and a method for using the electroplating system are provided. The electroplating system has: an electroplating apparatus for electroplating a workpiece, the electroplating apparatus has an electroplating tank configured to contain a solution including target organics; a first reservoir configured to receive the solution including the target organics from the electroplating tank, and to hold the solution including the target organics; a foaming mechanism configured to, in the first reservoir, separate the target organics from the solution through foaming action such that the solution with a reduced concentration of the target organics is separated from a foam including the separated target organics; and a diverting mechanism configured to selectively feed the solution with the reduced concentration of the target organics to one of the first reservoir and the electroplating tank of the electroplating apparatus.

Electroplating system and method of using electroplating system for controlling concentration of organic additives in electroplating solution

An apparatus and methods for measuring the clamping force applied to a substrate by clamping elements of a substrate holder. The apparatus include a pneumatic cylinder, a two position, three way valve and a pressure gauge. In a first position of the valve, the gauge and a bore of the cylinder are vented or pre-pressurized. In a second position of the valve, the bore and gauge are isolated. The methods include placing the apparatus with the valve in the first position between clamping elements set to a non-clamping position, moving the valve to the second position, setting the clamping elements to a clamping position and reading a pressure on the gauge.

Substrate edge clamping force tester

An electroplating apparatus including a plating tank for containing a plating electrolyte. A counter electrode, e.g., anode, is present in a first portion of the plating tank. A cathode system is present in a second portion of the plating tank. The cathode system includes a working electrode and a thief electrode. The thief electrode is present between the working electrode and the counter electrode. The thief electrode includes an exterior face that is in contact with the plating electrolyte that is offset from the plating surface of the working electrode. In one embodiment, the thief electrode overlaps a portion of the working electrode about the perimeter of the working electrode. In one embodiment, a method is provided of using the aforementioned electroplating apparatus that provides increased uniformity in the plating thickness.

Working electrode design for electrochemical processing of electronic components

An electroplating apparatus is provided that includes a plating tank for containing a plating electrolyte. A counter electrode, e.g., anode, is present in a first portion of the plating tank. A cathode system is present in a second portion of the plating tank. The cathode system includes a working electrode and a thief electrode. The thief electrode is present between the working electrode and the counter electrode. The thief electrode includes an exterior face that is in contact with the plating electrolyte that is offset from the plating surface of the working electrode. In one embodiment, the thief electrode overlaps a portion of the working electrode about the perimeter of the working electrode. In one embodiment, a method is provided of using the aforementioned electroplating apparatus that provides increased uniformity in the plating thickness.

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Wallkill, NY, United States of America

Tracy A Tong