Adaptive focusing and transport system for electroplating

A method for electrochemical deposition of metal features onto a workpiece, comprising the steps of:

• i) providing a workpiece with a set of target location features, a deposition chamber adapted to receive plating solution in use, a workpiece holder for holding the workpiece in a first plane, the workpiece holder being adapted for insertion into and removal from the deposition chamber while holding the workpiece, a shield comprising a substantially planar plate having a pattern of apertures formed therein, the pattern of apertures substantially corresponding to the target locations in use, and a positioning mechanism that includes a pivot rotate opener (PRO) that is movable to a plurality of different orientations each aligned with a respective plane, the PRO being arranged and operative to receive the workpiece holder while in a first one of the plurality of different orientations aligned with a first plane,
• ii) inserting the shield into the deposition chamber,
• iii) receiving with the PRO the workpiece holder while the PRO is in the first one of the plurality of different orientations aligned with the first plane;
• iv) positioning the workpiece with respect to the workpiece holder with the positioning mechanism so that the target locations substantially align with the pattern of apertures of the shield while the shield is held by the shield holder during deposition of metal on the target locations in the deposition chamber,
• v) moving the PRO to a second one of the plurality of different orientations aligned with a second plane that is different from the first plane;
• vi) loading the positioned workpiece into the workpiece holder that is in the PRO,
• vii) transporting the workpiece holder that holds the aligned workpiece from the PRO to the deposition chamber;
• viii) inserting the loaded workpiece holder into the deposition chamber, and
• ix) depositing metal features onto the workpiece.