Cathode contact ring for electrochemical deposition

Abstract

The present invention provides a cathode contact ring for use in an electroplating cell. The contact ring comprises an insulative body having a substrate seating surface and one or more conducting members disposed in the insulative body. The conducting members provide discrete conducting pathways and are defined by inner and outer conducting pads linked by conducting members. A power supply is attached to the conducting members to deliver current and voltage to a substrate during processing. The substrate seating surface comprises an isolation gasket extending diametrically interior to the inner conducting pads such that electrolyte is prevented from depositing on the backside of the substrate. The insulative body provides seating surfaces for other cell components, such as the lid, so that no additional insulating material is needed to isolate the components. A portion of the insulative body is disposed through a plurality of holes formed in the conducting framework. The holes provide increased integration and, consequently, increased strength and durability of the contact ring.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.