The present invention provides an electro-chemical deposition system that is designed with a flexible architecture that is expandable to accommodate future designs and gap fill requirements and provides satisfactory throughput to meet the demands of other processing systems. The electro-chemical deposition system generally comprises a mainframe having a mainframe wafer transfer robot, a loading station disposed in connection with the mainframe, one or more processing cells disposed in connection with the mainframe, and an electrolyte supply fluidly connected to the one or more electrical processing cells. Preferably, the electro-chemical deposition system includes a spin-rinse-dry (SRD) station disposed between the loading station and the mainframe, a rapid thermal anneal chamber attached to the loading station, and a system controller for controlling the electro-chemical deposition process and the components of the electro-chemical deposition system.

Electro-chemical deposition system

An apparatus for plating a conductive film directly on a substrate with a barrier layer on top includes anode rod (1) placed in tube (109), and anode rings (2, and 3) placed between cylindrical walls (107, 105), (103, 101) respectively. Anodes (1, 2, 3) are powered by power supplies (13, 12 and 11), respectively. Electrolyte (34) is pumped by pump (33) to pass through filter (32) and reach inlets of liquid mass flow controllers (LMFCs) (21, 22, 23). Then LMFCs (21, 22, 23) deliver electrolyte at a set flow rate to sub-plating baths containing anodes (3, 2, 1), respectively. After flowing through the gap between wafer (31) and the top of the cylindrical walls (101, 103, 105, 107 and 109), electrolyte flows back to tank (36) through spaces between cylindrical walls (100, 101), (103, 105), (107, 109), respectively. A pressure leak valve (38) is placed between the outlet of pump (33) and electrolyte tank (36) to leak electrolyte back to tank (36) when LMFCs (21, 22, 23) are closed. A wafer (31) held by wafer chuck (29) is connected to power supplies (11, 12 and 13). A drive mechanism (30) is used to rotate wafer (31) around the z axis, and oscillate the wafer in the x, y, and z directions shown. Filter (32) filters particles larger than 0.1 or 0.2 νm in order to obtain a low particle added plating process.

Plating apparatus and method

The present invention relates to a method for fabricating high performance chip interconnects and packages by providing methods for depositing a conductive material in cavities of a substrate in a more efficient and time saving manner. This is accomplished by selectively removing portions of a seed layer from a top surface of a substrate and then depositing a conductive material in the cavities of the substrate, where portions of the seed layer remains in the cavities. Another method includes forming an oxide layer on the top surface of the substrate such that the conductive material can be deposited in the cavities without the material being formed on the top surface of the substrate. The present invention also discloses methods for forming multi-level interconnects and the corresponding structures.

Novel chip interconnect and packaging deposition methods and structures

The present invention provides a soluble T cell receptor (sTCR), which comprises (i) all for part of a TCR α chain, except the transmembrane domain thereof, and (ii) all or part of a TCR β chain, except the transmembrane domain thereof. (i) and (ii) each comprise a functional variable domain and at least a part of the constant domain of the TCR chain, and are linked by a disulphide bond between constant domain residues which is not present in native TCR.

Soluble t cell receptor

The invention provides an apparatus and a method for achieving reliable, consistent metal electroplating or electrochemical deposition onto semiconductor substrates. More particularly, the invention provides uniform and void-free deposition of metal onto metal seeded semiconductor substrates having sub-micron, high aspect ratio features. The invention provides an electrochemical deposition cell comprising a substrate holder, a cathode electrically contacting a substrate plating surface, an electrolyte container having an electrolyte inlet, an electrolyte outlet and an opening adapted to receive a substrate plating surface and an anode electrically connect to an electrolyte. Preferably, a vibrator is attached to the substrate holder to vibrate the substrate in at least one direction, and an auxiliary electrode is disposed adjacent the electrolyte outlet to provide uniform deposition across the substrate surface. Preferably, a periodic reverse current is applied during the plating period to provide a void-free metal layer within high aspect ratio features on the substrate.

Electro-chemical deposition system and method of electroplating on substrates

An electroplating cell includes a floor, ceiling, front wall, and back wall forming a box having first and second opposite open ends. A rack for supporting an article to be electroplated is removably positioned vertically to close the first open end and includes a thief laterally surrounding the article to define a cathode. An anode is positioned vertically to close the second open end, with the assembly defining a substantially closed, six-sided inner chamber for receiving an electrolyte therein for electroplating the article. The article and surrounding thief are coextensively aligned with the anode, with the floor, ceiling, front and back walls being effective for guiding electrical current flux between the cathode and the anode. In a preferred embodiment, the cell is disposed as an inner cell inside an outer cell substantially filled with the electrolyte, and a paddle is disposed inside the inner cell for agitating the electrolyte therein. The rack is removable and installable vertically upwardly which allows for automated handling thereof.

Vertical paddle plating cell

An electroetching tool using scanned localized application of flowing electrolyte against a workpiece such as a large area mask having high density features for the fabrication of microelectronic components. A masked molybdenum plate is suspended in a vertical direction within a tank which functions as a reservoir for a recirculating electrobyte. The electrolyte in the reservoir is filtered and pumped to a pair of travelling cathode assemblies from which the flowing electrolyte is simultaneously applied through respective charged orifices to both sides of the workpiece. The workpiece is masked on its opposite sides with mirror imaged mask apertures having corresponding opposite-sided features in registration with each other. Each orifice through which the electrolyte is applied comprises an open groove in the surface of a block of polyvinal chloride material which groove extends in a vertical direction relative to the tank. The bottom of the groove is adjacent to a conductive plate. The open top of the groove is held closely against the masked plate as the cathode assembly is moved along the guide rails. The fresh electrobyte is introduced to the groove at the upper end thereof while the used electrolyte exits from the groove at the lower end thereof and into the tank reservoir for recirculation.

Frank A. Spera

Papers

Vertical paddle plating cell

Tool and method for electroetching

Electroetching tool using localized application of channelized flow of electrolyte

Electric etching device by using local sticking of channelized flow of electrolyte