There is disclosed an improved leak checking method which can accurately test a sealing performance of a substrate holder more than conventional leak check techniques. The leak checking method includes: holding a substrate with a substrate holder, the substrate holder including a first holding member and a second holding member, the second holding member having an opening through which a surface of the substrate is exposed; pressing a sealing projection of the second holding member against the surface of the substrate when holding the substrate with the substrate holder; covering the surface of the substrate, exposed through the opening, and the sealing projection with a sealing cap; forming a hermetic space between the sealing cap and the substrate holder; introducing a pressurized gas into the hermetic space; and detecting a decrease in pressure of the pressurized gas in the hermetic space.

The present disclosure illustrates a vertical electroplating module and an electroplating method for a fan-out panel level chip. The vertical electroplating module has an electroplating tank module, an exhaust tank module and a clamping module. A first box of the electroplating tank module has a first receiving chamber, a second receiving chamber and a third receiving chamber, the first receiving chamber is communicated with a bottom of the second receiving chamber, and a top of the second receiving chamber is communicated with the third receiving chamber. The exhaust tank module is communicated with the first receiving chamber and the third receiving chamber respectively via a first pump and a second pump. The clamping module is disposed around the opening on a wall of the second receiving chamber. The production made by the vertical electroplating module can meet a single-side production, without immersing the entire product in the chemical medicine.

Various embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatus for electroplating material onto a semiconductor substrate. In some cases, one or more membrane may be provided in contact with an ionically resistive element to minimize the degree to which electrolyte passes backwards from a cross flow manifold, through the ionically resistive element, and into an ionically resistive element manifold during electroplating. The membrane may be designed to route electrolyte in a desired manner in some embodiments. In these or other cases, one or more baffles may be provided in the ionically resistive element manifold to reduce the degree to which electrolyte is able to bypass the cross flow manifold by flowing back through the ionically resistive element and across the electroplating cell within the ionically resistive element manifold. These techniques can be used to improve the uniformity of electroplating results.

Systems and methods for electroplating are described. The electroplating system may include a vessel configured to hold a first portion of a liquid electrolyte. The system may also include a substrate holder configured for holding a substrate in the vessel. The system may further include a first reservoir in fluid communication with the vessel. In addition, the system may include a second reservoir in fluid communication with the vessel. Furthermore, the system may include a first mechanism configured to expel a second portion of the liquid electrolyte from the first reservoir into the vessel. The system may also include a second mechanism configured to take in a third potion of the liquid electrolyte from the vessel into the second reservoir when the second portion of the liquid electrolyte is expelled from the first reservoir. Methods may include oscillating flow of the electrolyte within the vessel.

There is provided an inspection method of a substrate holder for holding a substrate. This inspection method has a step of providing the substrate holder comprising a first member and a second member between which a substrate is held, an electric contact, and a seal member, the first member having a surface region where intrusion of the liquid is prevented by the seal member, the second member having the seal member, a step of holding the second member by a holding portion of a substrate holder opening/closing unit, and detaching the second member from the first member, and a detection step of detecting that the liquid adheres to the surface region of the first member, by a detector located above the first member and the second member.

An electrolytic plating apparatus includes a plating tank that is filled with plating liquid; a moving mechanism configured to vertically move a processing target substrate in a direction normal to a surface of the plating liquid; a seal member that is disposed at a peripheral edge portion of a processing target surface of a processing target substrate and is configured to seal the plating liquid to a center side of the processing target surface when the processing target substrate is immersed in the plating tank; and a contact member that is separated from the seal member and is electrically connected to the processing target surface.

A semiconductor device includes a device layer having a semiconductor element and a wiring layer, a first structure, a second structure at an outer periphery of the first structure and having a thickness smaller than that of the first structure, and a conductive layer that covers the first structure and the second structure. The first structure comprises a first substrate having the device layer formed on a first surface thereof and a through hole formed through a second surface thereof that is opposite to the first surface to reach the device layer, and an inner portion of a second substrate facing the first surface and bonded to the first surface by a first adhesive layer.

A method of electro-chemical plating is disclosed. The catholyte is delivered to the cathode chamber. The catholyte is controlled at a first temperature before flowing into the cathode chamber. The anolyte is provided at room temperature. The temperature of the anolyte is lowered from the room temperature to a second temperature before delivering into the anode chamber. The second temperature is equal to or lower than the first temperature. The plating surface of the substrate is immersed in the electrolyte. The substrate is biased to a direct current (DC) voltage. The biased substrate attracts ions of the metal in the electrolyte toward the plating surface so as to electroplating the metal onto the substrate.

According to an embodiment, a substrate holder holds a rectangular substrate and performs electrolytic plating on the substrate. The substrate holder includes a first holding member and a second holding member clamping the substrate between the first holding member and it and having a contact which contacts a peripheral part of the substrate and supplies an electric current to the substrate. The second holding member includes an opening defining a region where an electric field is formed and, at a position farther from the substrate than the opening, a shielding part protruding closer to an inner side than the opening and shielding the peripheral part of a surface of the substrate. The shielding part has a frame shape having a predetermined shielding width in the peripheral part of the substrate, and has, at a corner part thereof, a discontinuous part having a smaller shielding width than surroundings.

An electroplating apparatus is provided that minimizes unplated regions when an alloy plating layer is provided on the surface of a thread on a steel pipe. An electroplating apparatus (10) includes an electrode (1), sealing members (2, 3), and a plating-solution supply unit (4). The electrode (1) faces the thread (Tm). The sealing member (2) is positioned within the steel pipe (P1). The sealing member (3) is attached to the end portion of the steel pipe (P1) and, together with the sealing member (2), forms a receiving space (8). The plating-solution supply unit (4) includes a plurality of nozzles (42). The nozzles (42) are positioned within the receiving space (8) and adjacent one end of the thread (Tm) and arranged around the pipe axis of the steel pipe (P1). The plating-solution supply unit (4) injects a plating solution between the thread (Tm) and electrode (1) through the nozzles (42). The direction in which plating solution is injected from the nozzles (42) is inclined at an angle larger than 20 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees toward the thread (Tm) relative to a plane perpendicular to the pipe axis.