There is provided a cleaning method and a cleaning apparatus capable of removing dirt on electrical contacts, the dirt being unable to be removed with deionized water, without adversely affecting a plating solution and a substrate holder which is a member for holding a substrate. A cleaning method according to the present disclosure is a cleaning method for a substrate holder having electrical contacts for supplying electric power to a substrate by contacting the substrate to plate the substrate, the method including a cleaning step of cleaning the electrical contacts attached to the substrate holder with a citric acid aqueous solution.

Exemplary electroplating systems may include a vessel. The systems may include a paddle disposed within the vessel. The paddle may be characterized by a first surface and a second surface. The first surface of the paddle may be include a plurality of ribs that extend upward from the first surface. The plurality of ribs may be arranged in a generally parallel manner about the first surface. The paddle may define a plurality of apertures through a thickness of the paddle. Each of the plurality of apertures may have a diameter of less than about 5 mm. The paddle may have an open area of less than about 15%.

A high resistance virtual anode for an electroplating cell includes a first layer and a second layer. The first layer includes a plurality of first holes through the first layer. The second layer is over the first layer and includes a plurality of second holes through the second layer.

In one implementation a cathode for electrochemical metal removal has a generally disc-shaped body and a plurality of channels in the generally disc-shaped body, where the channels are configured for passing electrolyte through the body of the cathode. The channels may be fitted with non-conductive (e.g., plastic) tubes that in some embodiments extend above the body of the cathode to a height of at least 1 cm. The cathode may also include a plurality of indentations at the edge to facilitate electrolyte flow at the edge of the cathode. In some embodiments the cathode includes a plurality of non-conductive fixation elements on a conductive surface of the cathode, where the fixation elements are attachable to one or more handles for removing the cathode from the electrochemical metal removal apparatus.

An electrochemical deposition system for depositing metal onto a workpiece, comprises a deposition chamber adapted to receive plating solution, a workpiece holder for holding a workpiece in a first plane, a shield holder for holding a shield in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane, an agitation plate having a profiled surface to agitate plating solution, wherein the workpiece holder, shield holder and agitation plate are all adapted for insertion into and removal from the deposition chamber, and further comprising an actuator operable to change a relative distance between the workpiece holder and shield holder, in a direction normal to the first and second planes, while they are located within the deposition chamber.

The plating machine 1 comprises a plurality of treatment units 14 and a conveying means 13 that conveys a wafer W to the plurality of treatment units 14, wherein the conveying means 13 includes an arm 31 that is provided, on one end side, with a plating tool 32 that holds the wafer W, and an arm rotation drive unit 33 that rotates the arm 31 around another end side of the arm 31, and the plurality of treatment units 14 is arranged at predetermined intervals on a rotation trajectory of the plating tool 32.

In one example, an electroplating apparatus is provided for electroplating a wafer. The electroplating apparatus comprises a wafer holder for holding a wafer during an electroplating operation and a plating cell configured to contain an electrolyte during the electroplating operation. An anode chamber is disposed within the plating cell, and a charge plate is disposed within the anode chamber. An anode is positioned above the charge plate within the anode chamber. In some examples, the anode chamber is a membrane-less anode chamber.

An electroplating apparatus includes: an electroplating bath including an anode region, in which an anode electrode is arranged, a cathode region and a membrane; a head unit including a contact ring holding a wafer and configured so that a first cathode potential is applied to the contact ring during an electroplating process; a reverse potential electrode arranged adjacent to the membrane and configured so that a second cathode potential is applied to the reverse potential electrode during the electroplating process, and a reverse cathode potential is applied to the reverse potential electrode during a rinsing process, and a power supply unit configured to apply the first cathode potential and the second cathode potential during the electroplating process, and further configured to apply the reverse cathode potential and a reverse anode potential to the anode electrode during the rinsing process.

A method for performing an electrochemical plating (ECP) process includes contacting a surface of a substrate with a plating solution comprising ions of a metal to be deposited, electroplating the metal on the surface of the substrate, in situ monitoring a plating current flowing through the plating solution between an anode and the substrate immersed in the plating solution as the ECP process continues, and adjusting a composition of the plating solution in response to the plating current being below a critical plating current such that voids formed in a subset of conductive lines having a highest line-end density among a plurality of conductive lines for a metallization layer over the substrate are prevented.

A method of cleaning a conducting film containing tin oxide from an insulating surface of an item for use in electroplating applications, comprises the steps of immersing the item in a cleaning fluid and irradiating the immersed item with light of wavelength in the range 100 nm-450 nm.