Apparatus and method of surface treatment for electrolytic and electroless plating of metals in integrated circuit manufacturing

A method comprising:

• providing a substrate into a plating tool, the substrate having at least a trench and at least a via patterned thereon, a barrier layer formed in the trench and the via, a metal seed layer formed on the barrier layer and a passivation layer formed on the metal seed layer, wherein the metal seed layer and the passivation layer are formed substantially sequentially within a same processing tool;
• annealing the substrate in forming gas to remove the passivation layer;
• and
• depositing a conductive material at least inside the trench and the via of the substrate using a plating process selected from the group consisting of electrolytic plating and electro less plating wherein the annealing and depositing are performed substantially sequentially for each substrate in a substrate batch under vacuum conditions within the plating tool.

A system comprising:

• at least one seed anneal chamber to perform seed anneal of a substrate, the substrate having at least a trench and a via patterned thereon, a barrier layer formed in the trench and the via, a metal seed layer formed on the barrier layer, and a seed passivation layer formed on the metal seed layer, wherein the metal seed layer and the seed passivation layer are formed substantially sequentially within a same processing tool;
• a gas delivery system coupled to the at least one seed anneal chamber to introduce a forming gas into the contamination removal chamber to remove the seed passivation layer;
• and
• at least one plating chamber coupled to the at least one seed anneal chamber and to the gas delivery system, the at least one plating chamber for depositing a conductive material at least inside the trench and the via of the substrate using a plating process selected from the group consisting of electrolytic plating and electroless plating, wherein the seed anneal chamber and the plating chamber comprise a plating tool.