Clamshell apparatus for electrochemically treating wafers
First Claim
1. An apparatus for engaging a work piece during plating, the apparatus comprising:
- a cup having a circumferential side wall defining an interior region and a lip within the interior region arranged such that lip can support the work piece while the work piece remains within the interior region;
a field shaping element shaped and sized to affect an electric field shape impinging on the work piece during plating, the field shaping element designed for connection with the cup;
a flow path defining a passage for plating fluid to flow from inside the apparatus to outside the apparatus, said flow path residing in a region between the field shaping region and the cup and having an inlet on the inside of the apparatus and proximate the cup'"'"'s lip and an outlet on the outside of the apparatus and positioned such that the outlet is at a higher elevation than the inlet when the apparatus oriented for use with the cup above the field shaping element; and
a cone having a work piece contact surface that fits within the cup'"'"'s interior and can contact the work piece in a manner that holds the work piece in a fixed position against the cup'"'"'s lip.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for engaging a work piece during plating facilitates electrolyte flow during a plating operation. The apparatus helps to control the plating solution fluid dynamics and electric field shape to keep the wafer'"'"'s local plating environment uniform and bubble free. The apparatus holding the work piece in a manner that facilitates electrolyte circulation patterns in which the electrolyte flows from the center of the work piece plating surface, outward toward the edge of the edge of the work piece. The apparatus holds the work piece near the work piece edges and provides a flow path for electrolyte to flow outward away from the edges of the work piece plating surface. That flow path has a “snorkel” shape in which the outlet is higher than the inlet. In addition, the flow path may have a slot shape that spans much or all of the circumference of holding apparatus. It may be made from a material that resists deformation and corrosion such as certain ceramics.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. An apparatus for engaging a work piece during plating, the apparatus comprising:
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a cup having a circumferential side wall defining an interior region and a lip within the interior region arranged such that lip can support the work piece while the work piece remains within the interior region;
a field shaping element shaped and sized to affect an electric field shape impinging on the work piece during plating, the field shaping element designed for connection with the cup;
a flow path defining a passage for plating fluid to flow from inside the apparatus to outside the apparatus, said flow path residing in a region between the field shaping region and the cup and having an inlet on the inside of the apparatus and proximate the cup'"'"'s lip and an outlet on the outside of the apparatus and positioned such that the outlet is at a higher elevation than the inlet when the apparatus oriented for use with the cup above the field shaping element; and
a cone having a work piece contact surface that fits within the cup'"'"'s interior and can contact the work piece in a manner that holds the work piece in a fixed position against the cup'"'"'s lip. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of plating a material onto a work piece, the method comprising:
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holding the work piece between a cone and a cup of an apparatus, wherein the cup has a circumferential side wall defining an interior region and a lip within the interior region and supporting the work piece while the work piece remains within the interior region, and wherein the cone has a work piece contact surface that fits within the cup'"'"'s interior and contacts the work piece in a manner that holds the work piece in a fixed position against the cup'"'"'s lip;
immersing the work piece in the plating fluid prior to plating, wherein the work piece has a substantially flat plating surface and wherein the holding step comprises holding the substantially flat plating surface in an orientation that is not parallel to a plane defined by a plating fluid surface; and
while plating, directing a plating fluid through a flow path defining a passage for the plating fluid to flow from inside the apparatus to outside the apparatus, said flow path defined by the cup and the field shaping element, having an inlet on the inside of the apparatus and an outlet on the outside of the apparatus and positioned such that the outlet is at a higher elevation than the inlet, whereby gas present in a portion of the plating fluid in the flow path travels toward the outlet due to its buoyancy. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An apparatus for engaging a work piece during plating, the apparatus comprising:
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a cup having a circumferential side wall defining an interior region and a lip within the interior region arranged such that lip can support the work piece in a first plane while the work piece remains within the interior region, the cup having a first surface defined in part by a thickness of the lip, at least a portion of the first surface being curved and substantially non-parallel to the first plane;
a field shaping element shaped and sized to affect an electric field shape impinging on the work piece during plating, the field shaping element having a second surface substantially in conformity with the first surface, thereby defining a flow path between the first surface and the second surface and forming a passage for plating fluid to flow from inside the apparatus to outside the apparatus, said flow path having an inlet on the inside of the apparatus and proximate the cup'"'"'s lip and an outlet on the outside of the apparatus and positioned such that the outlet is at a higher elevation than the inlet when the apparatus oriented for use with the cup above the field shaping element; and
a cone having a work piece contact surface that fits within the cup'"'"'s interior and configured to contact the work piece in a manner that holds the work piece in a fixed position against the cup'"'"'s lip.
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40. An apparatus for engaging a work piece during plating, the apparatus comprising:
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a cup having a circumferential side wall defining an interior region and a lip within the interior region arranged such that lip can support the work piece in a first plane while the work piece remains within the interior region;
a field shaping element shaped and sized to affect an electric field shape impinging on the work piece during plating, the field shaping element defining a snorkel-shaped flow path between the field-shaping element and the cup, forming a passage for plating fluid to flow from inside the apparatus to outside the apparatus, said snorkel-shaped flow path having an inlet on the inside of the apparatus proximate the cup'"'"'s lip and an outlet on the outside of the apparatus and positioned such that the outlet is at a higher elevation than the inlet when the apparatus oriented for use with the cup above the field shaping element; and
a cone having a work piece contact surface that fits within the cup'"'"'s interior and configured to contact the work piece in a manner that holds the work piece in a fixed position against the cup'"'"'s lip.
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41. An apparatus for engaging a work piece during plating, the apparatus comprising:
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a cup having a circumferential side wall defining an interior region and a lip within the interior region arranged such that lip can support the work piece in a first plane while the work piece remains within the interior region, the cup comprising a plurality of flow holes disposed below the lip, the plurality of flow holes shaped and sized to affect an electric field shape impinging on the work piece during plating, the plurality of flow holes defining a plurality of flow paths for plating fluid to flow from inside the apparatus to outside the apparatus, each of the flow paths having an inlet on the inside of the apparatus and proximate the cup'"'"'s lip and an outlet on the outside of the apparatus and positioned such that the outlet is at a higher elevation than the inlet when the apparatus oriented for use; and
a cone having a work piece contact surface that fits within the cup'"'"'s interior and can contact the work piece in a manner that holds the work piece in a fixed position against the cup'"'"'s lip. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification