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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8172992 | Wafer electroplating apparatus for reducing edge defects Methods, apparatuses, and various apparatus components, such as base plates, lipseals, and contact ring assemblies are provided for reducing contamination of the contact area in the apparatuses. Contamination may happen during removal of semiconductor wafers from ap... | 05/08/2012 |
| 7722747 | Method and apparatus for fluid processing a workpiece A method and apparatus for retaining a workpiece against a workpiece holder are described. A flexible member can be used to provide a substantially uniform force to securely retain the workpiece, which can allow the workpiece to be consistently positioned in a proce... | 05/25/2010 |
| 7534329 | Frame for holding sheet material taut A frame for holding sheet material taut comprises a support as well as two legs which extend essentially parallel to one another transversely from the support, on which legs fixing elements are provided for fixing, in each case, one of the opposing edges of a piece ... | 05/19/2009 |
| 7318278 | Method of manufacture of a heart valve support frame Methods for forming a support frame for flexible leaflet heart valves from a starting blank include converting a two-dimensional starting blank into the three-dimensional support frame. The material may be superelastic, such as NITINOL, and the method may include be... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7303662 | Contacts for electrochemical processing Systems and methods for electrochemically processing. A contact element defines a substrate contact surface positionable in contact a substrate during processing. In one embodiment, the contact element comprises a wire element. In another embodiment the contact elem... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7294243 | Contact assemblies for electrochemical processing of microelectronic workpieces and method of making thereof Contact assemblies for electrochemical processing of microelectronic workpieces. The contact assembly (400) can comprise a support member (410) that includes an inner wall (412) which defines an opening (414) configured to receive the wor... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7285195 | Electric field reducing thrust plate A method and apparatus for an electrochemical processing cell that is configured to minimize bevel and backside deposition. The apparatus includes a contact ring assembly for supporting a substrate, a thrust plate movably positioned to engage a substrate positioned ... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7273535 | Insoluble anode with an auxiliary electrode A method and apparatus for plating a metal onto a substrate. The apparatus includes a fluid basin configured to contain a plating solution, an anode fluid volume positioned in a lower portion of the fluid basin, a cathode fluid volume positioned in an upper portion ... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7214297 | Substrate support element for an electrochemical plating cell A contact ring for an electrochemical plating system is provided. The contact ring includes an annular substrate supporting member, a plurality of radially positioned conductive substrate contact pins extending from the substrate supporting member, an annular conduc... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7189313 | Substrate support with fluid retention band An apparatus and method for supporting a substrate is provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus for supporting a substrate includes a body having a band extending therefrom. The band is adapted to retain a fluid on the body thereby forming a shallow processing bath ... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7172184 | Substrate carrier for electroplating solar cells A carrier for use in processing of a plurality of wafers or other substrates includes a support frame on which the wafers are mounted and in one embodiment at least one auxiliary frame for holding the substrates on the support frame. A plurality of clips extend from... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7138039 | Liquid isolation of contact rings Embodiments of the invention may further provide a contact ring for an electrochemical plating system. The contact generally includes a substrate receiving member having a substrate support surface formed thereon, a plurality of electrical contact pins extending fro... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7128825 | Method and composition for polishing a substrate Polishing compositions and methods for removing conductive materials from a substrate surface are provided. In one aspect, a composition includes an acid based electrolyte system, one or more chelating agents, one or more corrosion inhibitors, one or more inorganic ... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7125477 | Contacts for electrochemical processing Systems and methods for electrochemically processing. A contact element defines a substrate contact surface positionable in contact a substrate during processing. In one embodiment, the contact element comprises a wire element. In another embodiment the contact elem... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7112270 | Algorithm for real-time process control of electro-polishing Method and apparatus for process control of electro-processes. The method includes electro-processing a wafer by the application of two or more biases and determining an amount of charge removed as a result of each bias, separately. In one embodiment, an endpoint is... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7097749 | Plating rack with rotatable insert A processing rack, such as for electroplating, which minimizes shelf areas of an article during processing of the article and during removal of the article from a processing bath and which allows easy mounting of articles on the rack and demounting of articles from ... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7077721 | Pad assembly for electrochemical mechanical processing Embodiments of a processing pad assembly for processing a substrate are provided. The processing pad assembly includes an upper layer having a processing surface and an electrode having a top side coupled to the upper layer and a bottom side opposite the top side. A... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7067045 | Method and apparatus for sealing electrical contacts during an electrochemical deposition process An apparatus for securing a substrate in an electrochemical deposition system is provided. The apparatus generally includes a substrate support member adapted to receive the substrate and a thrust plate assembly adapted to exert a downward force on the substrate. Fo... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7066800 | Conductive polishing article for electrochemical mechanical polishing An article of manufacture and apparatus are provided for planarizing a substrate surface. In one aspect, an article of manufacture is provided for polishing a substrate including polishing article comprising a body having at least a partially conductive surface adap... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7059948 | Articles for polishing semiconductor substrates Methods, articles of manufacture, and apparatus are provided for depositing a layer, planarizing a layer, or combinations thereof, a material layer on a substrate. In one embodiment, an article of manufacture is provided for polishing a substrate, comprising a polis... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7032287 | Edge grip chuck An actuated edge grip chuck includes tabs with raised portions that press against the side of a substrate as opposed clamping on the top or bottom surfaces. The edge grip chuck includes a solid-state actuator to move a moveable tab into an open position. The solid-s... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7029365 | Pad assembly for electrochemical mechanical processing Embodiments of a pad assembly for processing a substrate are provided. The pad assembly includes a processing layer having a working surface adapted to process a substrate, a lower layer coupled to and disposed below the processing layer, and an electrode having an ... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7025862 | Plating uniformity control by contact ring shaping An apparatus for providing an electrical bias to a substrate in a processing system is described. The apparatus generally includes a conductive annular body defining a central opening. The conductive annular body may have a substrate seating surface adapted to recei... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7021476 | Jig and a method and apparatus of applying a surface treatment to a member on the jig A jig (10) is provided for holding an elongate member (56) to be surface treated. The jig (10) comprises a beam (12) and a plurality of hangers 14 spaced apart along the beam (12). The hangers (14) have supports (9... | 04/04/2006 |
| 6979248 | Conductive polishing article for electrochemical mechanical polishing An article of manufacture, method, and apparatus are provided for planarizing a substrate surface. In one aspect, an article of manufacture is provided for polishing a substrate including a polishing article having a body comprising at least a portion of fibers coat... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6969036 | Mounting bracket for wire shelf system A mounting bracket having different types of hooks and similar means suited for hanging of objects and utensils of different kinds at the underside of a wire shelf or wire basket of the type comprising an inner and an outer support wire and at least one intermediate... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6962524 | Conductive polishing article for electrochemical mechanical polishing Embodiments of a ball assembly are provided. In one embodiment, a ball assembly includes a housing, a ball, a conductive adapter and a contact element. The housing has an annular seat extending into a first end of an interior passage. The conductive adapter is coupl... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6962649 | Contact assemblies, methods for making contact assemblies, and machines with contact assemblies for electrochemical processing of microelectronic workpieces Contact assemblies for electrochemical processing of microelectronic workpieces. The contact assemblies can comprise a support member that includes an inner wall which defines an opening configured to receive the workpiece and a plurality of contacts. The individual... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6939448 | Contact assemblies, methods for making contact assemblies, and plating machines with contact assemblies for plating microelectronic workpieces Contact assemblies, electroplating machines with contact assemblies, and methods for making contact assemblies that are used in the fabrication of microelectronic workpieces. The contact assemblies can be wet-contact assemblies or dry-contact assemblies. A contact a... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6911127 | Contact assemblies, methods for making contact assemblies, and plating machines with contact assemblies for plating microelectronic workpieces Contact assemblies, electroplating machines with contact assemblies, and methods for making contact assemblies that are used in the fabrication of microelectronic workpieces. The contact assemblies can be wet-contact assemblies or dry-contact assemblies. A contact a... | 06/28/2005 |
| 6869510 | Methods and apparatus for processing the surface of a microelectronic workpiece A reactor for plating a metal onto a surface of a workpiece is set forth. The reactor comprises a reactor bowl including an electroplating solution disposed therein and an anode disposed in the reactor bowl in contact with the electroplating solution. A contact asse... | 03/22/2005 |
| 6749728 | Methods and apparatus for holding and positioning semiconductor workpieces during electropolishing and/or electroplating of the workpieces A wafer chuck for holding a wafer during electropolishing and/or electroplating of the wafer includes a top section, a bottom section, and a spring member. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the top section and the bottom section are configured ... | 06/15/2004 |
| 6579430 | Semiconductor wafer plating cathode assembly A cathode assembly for semiconductor wafer plating employs a polymer coating on a metal structural ring to provide a low-profile seal to the perimeter of the wafer surface to be plated. The polymer coating also electrically insulates the metal so that it ... | 06/17/2003 |
| 6571968 | Rack and hooks for hanging workpieces in industrial coating systems A rack for hanging workpieces in industrial coating systems having a horizontal bar or beam with a first flange, a second flange, and a web joining those flanges, wherein the first flange has a hook receiving aperture and the second flange has a hook rece... | 06/03/2003 |
| 6565983 | Electrical contact element and use of the contact element An electrical contact element for electrically connecting an electric device and providing current transmission in an electric device wherein the electrical contact element comprises a metallic body, and wherein at least one contact surface, present on th... | 05/20/2003 |
| 6527926 | Electroplating reactor including back-side electrical contact apparatus An apparatus for electroplating a workpiece is disclosed in which the apparatus includes a workpiece holding structure. The workpiece holding structure includes a workpiece support having at least one surface that is disposed to engage a front side of the... | 03/04/2003 |
| 6521103 | Plating clamp assembly A plating clamp assembly for use with a plating system including a plating bath and an article transport assembly to selectively engage an article to be plated as the article is moved through the plating bath by the article transport assembly to coat at l... | 02/18/2003 |
| 6500320 | Fastening apparatus A fastening apparatus is provided, in particular, for work-pieces in the form of plates for use in electrochemical baths. The fastening apparatus ensures that the contact quality is achieved irrespective of the thickness of the work-piece. The fastening a... | 12/31/2002 |
| 6495007 | Methods and apparatus for holding and positioning semiconductor workpieces during electropolishing and/or electroplating of the workplaces A wafer chuck for holding a wafer during electropolishing and/or electroplating of the wafer includes a top section, a bottom section, and a spring member. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the top section and the bottom section are ... | 12/17/2002 |
| 6478937 | Substrate holder system with substrate extension apparatus and associated method An apparatus and associated method that removes electrolyte solution from a substrate, the apparatus comprises a thrust plate and a substrate extension unit. The thrust plate at least partially defines a spin recess. The substrate extension unit can be di... | 11/12/2002 |
