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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7935231 | Rapidly cleanable electroplating cup assembly Embodiments of a closed-contact electroplating cup assembly that may be rapidly cleaned while an electroplating system is on-line are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises a cup assembly and a cone assembly, wherein the cup assembly comprises a cup bottom co... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7905994 | Substrate holder and electroplating system In one embodiment, a substrate holder comprises a base supporting a substrate that includes a surface having a peripheral region. A cover may be assembled with the base and includes at least one opening exposing only a portion of the surface therethrough. A seal ass... | 03/15/2011 |
| 7901551 | Substrate holder and plating apparatus The present invention is to provide a substrate holder which can effect a more complete sealing with a sealing member and makes it possible to take a substrate out of the substrate holder easily and securely, and also a plating apparatus provided with the substrate ... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7384522 | Ergonomic loading apparatus for electroplating processes A loading apparatus for use in electroplating processes includes a container designed to sealingly receive a plurality of airfoil blades fitted with gaskets. Each fitted airfoil blade is disposed in contact with a plurality of electrical contact assemblies having a ... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7361256 | Electrolytic reactor An electrolytic reactor including a conical recess of removable slices through which the electrolyte circulates towards a part to be coated under the action of a pump setting up forced circulation. The part is polarized to act as a cathode, facing a coaxial anode in... | 04/22/2008 |
| 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 |
| 7285202 | Method for electroplating a cylindrical inside surface of a work-piece-extending substantially over a semi-circle A method is described for electroplating a cylindrical inside surface (4) of a work-piece (3) extending substantially over a semi-circle, with an electrolyte being conveyed from a bath (8) in a circulation through a gap (9) between the in... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7252750 | Dual contact ring and method for metal ECP process A dual contact ring for contacting a patterned surface of a wafer and electrochemical plating of a metal on the patterned central region of the wafer and removing the metal from the outer, edge region of the wafer. The dual contact ring has an outer voltage ring in ... | 08/07/2007 |
| 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 |
| 7160427 | In situ plating of electrical connector contacts A method of plating contacts in situ within an electrical connector, the connector having a plurality of contacts circumscribed by a skirt of a connector body. The method comprises. grounding the contacts and then applying a plate coating onto the contacts within th... | 01/09/2007 |
| 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 |
| 7112268 | Plating device and plating method A plating device and a plating method are provided that are capable of enhancing uniformity in plating on a treatment surface of an object to be treated. The plating device includes: a plating solution bath capable of storing a plating solution and having a first el... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7087144 | Contact ring with embedded flexible contacts A contact assembly for supporting a substrate in an electrochemical plating system, wherein that contact assembly includes a contact ring and a thrust plate assembly. The contact ring includes an annular ring member having an upper surface and a lower surface, an an... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7070688 | Electroplating tool and method for selective plating A tool for electroplating a portion of the surface of each of a plurality of pieces includes a first plate having a plurality of holes, and a second plate having a plurality of retaining elements. Each of the holes is configured to receive a piece that is to be elec... | 07/04/2006 |
| 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 |
| 7033465 | Clamshell apparatus with crystal shielding and in-situ rinse-dry Certain mechanisms of a plating apparatus address problems associated with interaction between plating solutions or other processing solutions and the components of the plating apparatus (such as the electrical contacts). For example, a circumferential spray skirt a... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7033463 | Substrate plating method and apparatus A method and apparatus plate a substrate to form wiring by efficiently filling a fine recess formed in a semiconductor substrate with plating metal without a void or contamination. The plating of the substrate to fill a wiring recess formed in the semiconductor subs... | 04/25/2006 |
| 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 |
| 6974043 | Floor rack for holding bathroom sundries A floor rack is designed to hold bathroom sundries and is formed of a base, an upright support rod extending from the base, and a plurality of holders for holding the bathroom sundries. The holders are fastened detachably and interchangeably with the upright support... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6974767 | Chemical solution for electroplating a copper-zinc alloy thin film A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, having a Cu—Zn alloy thin film (30) formed on a Cu surface (20) by electroplating the Cu surface (20) in a unique chemical solution containing salts of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), their complexing... | 12/13/2005 |
| 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 |
| 6932892 | Apparatus and method for electrolytically depositing copper on a semiconductor workpiece A process for applying a metallization interconnect as to a semiconductor workpiece having a barrier layer deposited on a surface thereof is set forth. The process includes the forming of an ultra-thin metal seed layer on the barrier layer. The ultra-thin seed layer... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6926813 | Electrical contacting element made of an elastic material To electrically contact and electrolytically treat, more specifically to electroplate, very thin, electrically conductive layers, especially with a high electrolytic current, a device comprising contact carriers, more specifically clamps, clips and like, with contac... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6919013 | Apparatus and method for electrolytically depositing copper on a workpiece A process for applying a metallization interconnect structure to a semiconductor workpiece having a barrier layer deposited on a surface thereof is set forth. The process includes the forming of an ultra-thin metal seed layer on the barrier layer. The ultra-thin see... | 07/19/2005 |
| 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 |
| 6899800 | Polymeric electrode for electrophysiological testing A polymeric material such as PDMS is molded into an electrode structure containing a micron-size aperture for receiving and forming a giga-ohm seal with a biological membrane. One end of a tube is filled with uncured polymeric material and pressed against a support ... | 05/31/2005 |
| 6830667 | Cathode cartridge and anode cartridge of testing device for electroplating To provide a cathode cartridge, which comprises a tabular cathode conductor 5, which has an open hole having a same shape to that of plated pats 2a of a plated base 2 as a negative plate, which has a plurality of a protruding portion that... | 12/14/2004 |
| 6805778 | Contact assembly for supplying power to workpieces during electrochemical processing Methods used in semiconductor electroplating systems, such as for plating copper, onto a semiconductor wafer or other semiconductor workpiece. The methods apply to patterned metal layers plated onto a seed layer which is partially protected by an overlying photoresi... | 10/19/2004 |
| 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 |
| 6673218 | Cathode cartridge for electropating tester A cathode cartridge (N) for an electroplating tester includes a cathode conductor (10) that conducts electricity to a surface (Wa) to be plated of a silicon wafer (W) as an object to be plated, a first insulator (20) that covers a front side of the silico... | 01/06/2004 |
| 6663765 | Method and device for the manufacture of the medical expanding stents Method and device for manufacturing of expandable cylindrical metal meshes for use in expandable stents and in particular for customized manufacturing. The method includes determining the type and size of the stent to be implanted, electrochemically formi... | 12/16/2003 |
| 6610190 | Method and apparatus for electrodeposition of uniform film with minimal edge exclusion on substrate A system for depositing materials on a surface of a wafer or removing materials from the surface of a wafer includes an electrode, a shaping plate, a liquid solution contained between the electrode and the wafer surface, and electrical contact members con... | 08/26/2003 |
| 6589401 | Apparatus for electroplating copper onto semiconductor wafer An apparatus for electroplating a wafer surface includes a cup having a central aperture defined by an inner perimeter, a compliant seal adjacent the inner perimeter, contacts adjacent the compliant seal and a cone attached to a rotatable spindle. The com... | 07/08/2003 |
| 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 |
| 6572743 | Electroplating assembly for metal plated optical fibers An electrode assembly for electroplating conducting portions of nonconductors comprises an insulating frame having a first projection opposite a second projection. Preferably the insulating frame comprises a resin selected from the group consisting of acr... | 06/03/2003 |
| 6569302 | Substrate carrier The invention relates to a substrate carrier for holding substrates, especially semiconductor wafers. Good sealing of the wafer surface and electrical contact are made possible in that the substrate carrier has a first and a second part having a central o... | 05/27/2003 |
| 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 |
