A contact for providing a connection to a substrate in a substrate plating system includes a body having an arcuate shape. The arcuate shape of the body is configured to conform to a shape of at least a portion of a substrate arranged on a lip seal and a cup of the substrate plating system. A plurality of first contact fingers extend a first distance from the body. A plurality of second contact fingers extend a second distance from the body. The first distance is greater than the second distance.

Disclosed are apparatus, systems, and methods for electroplating cobalt, nickel, and alloys thereof in interconnect features of partially or fully fabricated electronic devices. During electroplating, cobalt, nickel, or alloys thereof fill features by a bottom up electrofill mechanism. Examples of features that may be electrofilled with cobalt, nickel, or alloys thereof include micro TSVs, contacts for devices, and certain gates for transistors. Electroplating apparatus may include electroplating cells along with one or more instances of each of a post-electrofill module, an anneal chamber, a plasma pretreatment module, and a substrate pre-wetting module.

A method of controlling chemical concentration in electrolyte includes measuring a chemical concentration in an electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte is contained in a tank; and increasing a vapor flux through an exhaust pipe connected to the tank when the measured chemical concentration is lower than a control lower limit value.

A technique capable of preventing bubbles from being accumulated on a lower surface of an electric field shield plate is provided. A plating apparatus includes: a plating tank in which a plating solution is retained, and an anode is arranged: a substrate holder that is arranged above the anode, and holds a substrate serving as a cathode such that a surface to be plated of the substrate faces the anode; a diaphragm that partitions an inside of the plating tank into an anode region where the anode is arranged, and a cathode region where the substrate is arranged; and a supporting member that is in contact with a lower surface of the diaphragm and supports the diaphragm, and includes a plurality of beam components extending over regions between the anode and the substrate along the lower surface of the diaphragm, the beam components including bubble guide paths for guiding bubbles from the regions between the anode and the substrate to an outside.

Sequential electrodeposition of metals into through-mask features on a semiconductor substrate is conducted such as to reduce the deleterious consequences of lipseal's pressure onto the mask material. In a first electroplating step, a first metal (e.g., nickel) is electrodeposited using a lipseal that has an innermost point of contact with the semiconductor substrate at a first distance from the edge of the substrate. In a second electroplating step, a second metal (e.g., tin) is electrodeposited using a lipseal that has an innermost point of contact with the semiconductor substrate at a greater distance from the edge of the substrate than the first distance. This allows to at least partially shift the lipseal pressure from a point that could have been damaged during the first electrodeposition step and to shield from electrolyte any cracks that might have formed in the mask material during the first electroplating step.

An electroplating system has a vessel assembly holding an electrolyte. A weir thief electrode assembly in the vessel assembly includes a plenum inside of a weir frame. The plenum divided into at least a first, a second and a third virtual thief electrode segment. A plurality of spaced apart openings through the weir frame lead out of the plenum. A weir ring is attached to the weir frame and guides flow of current during electroplating. The electroplating system provides process determined radial and circumferential current density control and does not require changing hardware components during set up.

Provided is a wetting method for substrate that allows reducing an amount of air bubbles attached to a surface to be plated with a simple structure.

The wetting method for substrate includes a holding step 102 of holding a back surface of a substrate with a back plate such that a surface to be plated of the substrate is opposed to a liquid surface of a plating solution housed in a plating tank, a supplying step 104 of supplying the plating solution to the plating tank such that the plating solution upwardly flows through a plurality of through-holes in a center part of an ionically resistive element arranged inside the plating tank to raise a center part of the liquid surface of the plating solution, a first lowering step 106 of lowering a supporting member for supporting an outer edge portion of the surface to be plated of the substrate held by the holding member toward the liquid surface of the plating solution, and a second lowering step 108 of lowering the holding member such that the substrate is sandwiched by the supporting member lowered in the first lowering step 106 and the holding member while the center part of the liquid surface of the plating solution is raised in the supplying step 104.

A semiconductor apparatus for pre-wetting a semiconductor workpiece includes a process chamber, a workpiece holder disposed within the process chamber to hold the semiconductor workpiece, a pre-wetting fluid tank disposed outside the process chamber and containing a pre-wetting fluid, and a conduit coupled to the pre-wetting fluid tank and extending into the process chamber. The conduit delivers the pre-wetting fluid from the pre-wetting fluid tank out through an outlet of the conduit to wet a major surface of the semiconductor workpiece, wherein the outlet of the conduit is positioned above the major surface of the semiconductor workpiece by a vertical distance.

A plating apparatus for electroplating a wafer includes a housing defining a plating chamber for housing a plating solution. A voltage source of the apparatus has a first terminal having a first polarity and a second terminal having a second polarity different than the first polarity. The first terminal is electrically coupled to the wafer. An anode is within the plating chamber, and the second terminal is electrically coupled to the anode. A membrane support is within the plating chamber and over the anode. The membrane support defines apertures, wherein in a first zone of the membrane support a first aperture-area to surface-area ratio is a first ratio, and in a second zone of the membrane support a second aperture-area to surface-area ratio is a second ratio, different than the first ratio.

Electrochemical deposition systems and methods are described that have enhanced crystallization prevention features. The systems may include a bath vessel operable to hold an electrochemical deposition fluid having a metal salt dissolved in water. The systems may also include sensors including a thermometer and concentration sensor operable to measure characteristics of the electrochemical deposition fluid. The systems further include a computer configured to perform operations that include receiving system data from the electrochemical system and generating a control signal to change a characteristic of the electrochemical deposition fluid to prevent crystallization of a metal salt in the fluid. The computer generates the control signal based on processing that may include comparing an actual metal salt concentration in the electrochemical deposition fluid to a theoretical solubility limit for the metal salt in the fluid.