A substrate plating apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a substrate holder; a plating bath configured to plate a surface of the substrate in a plating solution; a cleaning bath configured to clean the substrate holder and the substrate with a cleaning liquid; an inner shell disposed in the cleaning bath and configured to house the substrate holder holding the substrate therein; and a cleaning liquid supply conduit configured to supply a cleaning liquid into the inner shell to clean the substrate, together with the substrate holder, with the cleaning liquid. The inner shell has an inner surface having an uneven configuration that follows an uneven exterior configuration of the substrate holder holding the substrate.

To improve uniformity of a plating film-thickness formed on a substrate.

A plating module 400 includes a plating tank 410 for housing a plating solution, a substrate holder 440 for holding a substrate Wf, an anode 430 housed within the plating tank 410, an anode mask 460 arranged between the substrate Wf held by the substrate holder 440 and the anode 430 and provided with an opening 466 in a center, and an ionically resistive element 450 arranged at an interval from the anode mask 460 between the substrate Wf held by the substrate holder 440 and the anode mask 460 and provided with a plurality of holes.

There is provided a feeder capable of reducing deterioration of the contact state between the feeder and an anode more than the prior art as dissolution of the anode progresses. The feeder can supply power to the anode 5 for use in plating a substrate in a plating tank. The feeder includes a main body portion 1 which can be disposed on an outer periphery of the anode 5 and a spring 88 which is disposed in the main body portion 1 and can apply a first force 100 to the main body portion 1 in a direction from the main body portion 1 toward a region 80 surrounded by the main body portion 1.

Provided is a plating apparatus for plating a substrate by using a substrate holder including an elastic projection that seals a to-be-plated surface of the substrate, the plating apparatus comprising a measurement device configured to measure a deformed state of the elastic projection by measuring at least either one of a compression amount of the elastic projection and load applied to the elastic projection at a time when the substrate physically contacts the elastic projection of the substrate holder; and a controlling device configured to make a judgment on the basis of the measured deformed state as to whether sealing by the elastic projection is normal.

A plating apparatus may include a body, a lip seal structure connected to the body, and a conductive liquid. The body may include a cathode. The lip seal structure may be configured to hold a wafer. The lip seal structure may include a bottom portion, a contact portion connected to the bottom portion and contacting the wafer, and at least one partition structure protruding from an upper surface of the bottom portion. The conductive liquid may cover the upper surface of the bottom portion and may be configured to electrically connect the cathode and the wafer.

One object of this application is to provide an advanced substrate holder including a clamper. A substrate holder holds a substrate by interposing the substrate between frames. The substrate holder includes a front frame, a rear frame, and one or a plurality of clampers. Each of the clampers includes a hook portion including a hook base and a hook main body, and a plate including at least one claw. At least one of the clampers includes the plate including a first claw for a lock and a second claw for a semi-lock.

The embodiments herein relate to methods and apparatus for electroplating one or more materials onto a substrate. Typically, the embodiments herein utilize a channeled plate positioned near the substrate, creating a cross flow manifold between the channeled plate and substrate, and on the sides by a flow confinement ring. A seal may be provided between the bottom surface of a substrate holder and the top surface of an element below the substrate holder (e.g., the flow confinement ring). During plating, the apparatus may switch between a sealed state and an unsealed state, for example by lowering and lifting the substrate and substrate holder as appropriate to engage and disengage the seal. A higher level of applied current or applied voltage may be provided to the substrate when the apparatus is in the sealed state compared to the unsealed state.

The embodiments herein relate to methods and apparatus for electroplating one or more materials onto a substrate. Typically, the embodiments herein utilize a channeled plate positioned near the substrate, creating a cross flow manifold between the channeled plate and substrate, and on the sides by a flow confinement ring. A seal may be provided between the bottom surface of a substrate holder and the top surface of an element below the substrate holder (e.g., the flow confinement ring). During plating, fluid enters the cross flow manifold through channels in the channeled plate, and through a cross flow inlet, then exits at the cross flow exit, positioned opposite the cross flow inlet. The apparatus may switch between a sealed state and an unsealed state during electroplating, for example by lowering and lifting the substrate and substrate holder as appropriate to engage and disengage the seal.

Disclosed are pre-wetting apparatus designs and methods. In some embodiments, a pre-wetting apparatus includes a degasser, a process chamber, and a controller. The process chamber includes a wafer holder configured to hold a wafer substrate, a vacuum port configured to allow formation of a subatmospheric pressure in the process chamber, and a fluid inlet coupled to the degasser and configured to deliver a degassed pre-wetting fluid onto the wafer substrate at a velocity of at least about 7 meters per second whereby particles on the wafer substrate are dislodged and at a flow rate whereby dislodged particles are removed from the wafer substrate. The controller includes program instructions for forming a wetting layer on the wafer substrate in the process chamber by contacting the wafer substrate with the degassed pre-wetting fluid admitted through the fluid inlet at a flow rate of at least about 0.4 liters per minute.

The embodiments herein relate to apparatuses and methods for electroplating one or more materials onto a substrate. Embodiments herein utilize a cross flow conduit in the electroplating cell to divert flow of fluid from a region between a substrate and a channeled ionically resistive plate positioned near the substrate down to a level lower than level of fluid in a fluid containment unit for collecting overflow fluid from the plating system for recirculation. The cross flow conduit can include channels cut into components of the plating cell to allow diverted flow, or can include an attachable diversion device mountable to an existing plating cell to divert flow downwards to the fluid containment unit. Embodiments also include a flow restrictor which may be a plate or a pressure relief valve for modulating flow of fluid in the cross flow conduit during plating.