Electroplating systems may include an electroplating chamber. The systems may also include a replenish assembly fluidly coupled with the electroplating chamber. The replenish assembly may include a first compartment housing anode material. The first compartment may include a first compartment section in which the anode material is housed and a second compartment section separated from the first compartment section by a divider. The replenish assembly may include a second compartment fluidly coupled with the electroplating chamber and electrically coupled with the first compartment. The replenish assembly may also include a third compartment electrically coupled with the second compartment, the third compartment including an inert cathode.

Provided is a method for forming a metal film capable of forming a homogeneous metal film having a uniform film thickness by stably ensuring a fluid pressure of an electrolytic solution during film formation. The method places a substrate on a mount base. While sucking a gas between the substrate and a porous film through which the electrolytic solution can pass from a suction port of a suction passage formed on the mount base, the method brings the porous film into contact with the surface of the substrate. The method interrupts the suction passage while the porous film contacts the surface of the substrate. While interrupting the suction passage, the method allows the electrolytic solution to pass through the porous film while pressing the porous film against the surface of the substrate with a fluid pressure of the electrolytic solution and deposits metal from metal ions in the passed electrolytic solution on the surface of the substrate, thereby forming the metal film.

The present invention is related to a membrane anode system for electrolytic zinc-nickel alloy deposition, a method for electrolytic deposition of a zinc-nickel alloy layer on a substrate to be treated using a membrane anode system, and the use of a membrane anode system for acid or alkaline electrolytic deposition of a zinc-nickel alloy layer on a substrate to be treated by such a method.

A plating apparatus including a thief electrode that can be suitably maintained is provided. The plating apparatus includes a substrate holder holding a substrate, a thief electrode supporter supporting a thief electrode to be disposed outside the substrate, a plating tank configured to immerse the substrate in a plating solution for applying an electroplating treatment, a thief electrode maintenance tank configured to perform maintenance of the thief electrode, and a transport module configured to transport the thief electrode supporter to the plating tank and the thief electrode maintenance tank.

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.

A plating apparatus includes a plating tank and a plating unit. The plating unit includes a partition wall allowing the plating solution to pass through but not allowing the plating object to pass through, and defines inside thereof a plating object passage through which the plating object passes, an injector which injects the plating solution upward, a mixing portion in which the plating solution and the plating object are mixed, an anode outside the plating object passage, a cathode inside the plating object passage with a hollow region through which a fluid mixture of the plating solution and the plating object passes upward, a first shielding wall which guides the fluid mixture downward, and a second shielding wall outside the first shielding wall. A lower end of the first shielding wall is lower than an upper end of the second shielding wall.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method that allows uniformly forming a silver film by a solid electrolyte deposition. One aspect of this embodiment is a method for forming a silver film. The method includes disposing an anode, a substrate as a cathode, and a separator such that the separator is positioned between the anode and the substrate and the separator is in contact with a surface of the substrate, the separator including an electrolytic solution that contains silver ions, and applying a voltage between the anode and the substrate to form a silver film on the substrate. The separator is a porous membrane without ion exchange functional group. The electrolytic solution contains organic sulfonic acid ions. The substrate contains a crystalline metal, and a silver film is formed on the crystalline metal.

Direct copper-copper bonding at low temperatures is achieved by electroplating copper features on a substrate followed by electroplanarizing the copper features. The copper features are electroplated on the substrate under conditions so that nanotwinned copper structures are formed. Electroplanarizing the copper features is performed by anodically biasing the substrate and contacting the copper features with an electrolyte so that copper is electrochemically removed. Such electrochemical removal is performed in a manner so that roughness is reduced in the copper features and substantial coplanarity is achieved among the copper features. Copper features having nanotwinned copper structures, reduced roughness, and better coplanarity enable direct copper-copper bonding at low temperatures.

A film forming device that avoids a leakage of a liquid electrolyte and a method for forming a metal film using the film forming device are provided. The film forming device to form the metal film includes an anode, a cathode, a solid electrolyte membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode, a solution container that defines a solution containing space between the anode and the solid electrolyte membrane, and a power supply that applies a voltage between the anode and the cathode. The solid electrolyte membrane includes a first surface exposed to the solution containing space and a second surface opposed to the cathode, and is dividable along a division surface having no common point with the first surface or the second surface.

A decoupled plating system is provided for producing lithium. In a general embodiment, the present disclosure provides a feed tank configured to supply a lithium-rich aqueous electrolyte stream, a plating tank that is configured to receive an organic electrolyte and plate out lithium metal from that organic electrolyte, and one or more lithium replenishment cells configured to receive both electrolytes, keep them separated, and selectively move lithium ions from the aqueous electrolyte into the spent organic electrolyte stream. The present system and process can advantageously reduce operating costs and/or improve energy efficiency in production of lithium metal and associated products.