US 12,134,831 B2
Apparatus for an inert anode plating cell
Gregory Kearns, West Linn, OR (US); Bryan L. Buckalew, Tualatin, OR (US); and Jacob Kurtis Blickensderfer, Tualatin, OR (US)
Assigned to Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/990,157.
Application 17/990,157 is a continuation of application No. 17/282,583, granted, now 11,560,642, previously published as PCT/US2019/054297, filed on Oct. 2, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/740,845, filed on Oct. 3, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0084072 A1, Mar. 16, 2023
Int. Cl. C25D 5/08 (2006.01); C25D 7/12 (2006.01); C25D 17/00 (2006.01); C25D 17/06 (2006.01); C25D 17/12 (2006.01)
CPC C25D 17/001 (2013.01) [C25D 5/08 (2013.01); C25D 7/12 (2013.01); C25D 17/004 (2013.01); C25D 17/06 (2013.01); C25D 17/12 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electroplating apparatus for electroplating a wafer, the electroplating apparatus comprising:
a wafer holder for holding a wafer during an electroplating operation;
a plating cell configured to contain an electrolyte during the electroplating operation;
an anode chamber disposed within the plating cell;
an apertured charge plate disposed within the anode chamber,
a meshed anode positioned above the apertured charge plate within the anode chamber; and
a plurality of anode-to-charge plate standoff pins extending though the electrolyte, wherein the meshed anode is supported above and fixed to the apertured charge plate by the plurality of anode-to-charge plate standoff pins, wherein a portion of each standoff pin includes a rise configured to provide a selected anode-to-charge plate distance for the electroplating operation.