Claims
- 1. A method of contacting a wafer comprising:
providing an anode having an anode area, making electrical contact to a wafer frontal side using electrical contacts outside the anode area by pushing said electrical contacts against the wafer, and moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contacts.
- 2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein polarities of the anode and the electrical contacts are reversed.
- 3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of said electrical contacts can slide laterally off of the wafer frontal side while moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contacts.
- 4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contacts is performed by displacing a carrier head which holds the wafer.
- 5. The method defined in claim 1, wherein moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contacts is performed by displacing the anode and the electrical contacts.
- 6. The method defined in claim 1, wherein moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contacts is performed by both displacing a carrier head which holds the wafer and displacing the anode and the electrical contacts.
- 7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein said electrical contacts are pushed toward said wafer frontal side of said wafer to make said electrical contact.
- 8. The method defined in claim 1, wherein said electrical contacts include any of pins, rollers, wires, and brushes.
- 9. The method defined in claim 1, wherein pushing said electrical contacts against the wafer is performed by moving the wafer toward the contacts.
- 10. The method defined in claim 1, wherein pushing said electrical contacts against the wafer is performed by moving the contacts toward the wafer.
- 11. A method of depositing conductive material on or removing conductive material from a wafer frontal side of a semiconductor wafer comprising:
providing an anode having an anode area which is to face the wafer frontal side, electrically connecting the wafer frontal side with at least one electrical contact outside of the anode area by pushing said electrical contact and the wafer frontal side into proximity with each other, applying a potential between the anode and the electrical contact, and moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contact.
- 12. The method defined in claim 11, wherein said potential has a first polarity which produces deposition of the conductive material on said wafer frontal side, and further comprising subsequently applying a second potential having a reversed polarity to remove conductive material.
- 13. The method defined in claim 11, wherein said potential has a first polarity which produces removal of conductive material from said wafer frontal side, and further comprising subsequently applying a second potential having a reversed polarity to deposit conductive material.
- 14. The method defined in claim 11, wherein said at least one electrical contact can slide laterally off of the wafer frontal side while moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contacts.
- 15. The method defined in claim 11, wherein moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contact is performed by displacing a carrier head which holds the wafer.
- 16. The method defined in claim 11, wherein moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contact is performed by displacing the anode and the electrical contact.
- 17. The method defined in claim 11, wherein moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contact is performed by both displacing a carrier head which holds the wafer and displacing the anode and the electrical contact.
- 18. The method defined in claim 11, wherein said at least one electrical contact is pushed against said wafer frontal side of said wafer while electrically connecting said wafer frontal side with said at least one electrical contact.
- 19. The method defined in claim 11, wherein said electrical contact is any of a pin, a spring-biased roller, a wire, and a brush.
- 20. The method defined in claim 11, wherein pushing said electrical contact and the wafer frontal side into proximity is performed by moving the wafer toward the contact.
- 21. The method defined in claim 11, wherein pushing said electrical contact and the wafer frontal side into proximity is performed by moving the contact toward the wafer.
- 22. The method defined in claims 11, and further comprising polishing the conductive material while applying said potential and moving said wafer with respect to the anode and the electrical contact.
- 23. An apparatus for depositing conductive material on or removing conductive material from a wafer frontal side of a semiconductor wafer comprising:
an anode having an anode area which is to face the wafer frontal side, electrical contacts located outside of the anode area which can be electrically connected with the wafer frontal side by pushing said electrical contacts and the wafer frontal side into proximity, said wafer frontal side being movable with respect to the anode and the electrical contacts during application of a potential between the anode and the electrical contacts to permit deposition or removal of said conductive material.
- 24. The apparatus defined in claim 23, wherein at least some of said electrical contacts can slide laterally off of the wafer frontal side while moving said wafer frontal side with respect to the anode and the electrical contacts.
- 25. The apparatus defined in claim 23, wherein said electrical contacts include pins surrounding the anode.
- 26. The apparatus defined in claim 23, wherein said electrical contacts include wires surrounding the anode.
- 27. The apparatus defined in claim 23, wherein said electrical contacts include conductive brushes surrounding the anode.
- 28. The apparatus defined in claim 27, and further comprising a contact ring by which said conductive brushes are supported so as to surround the anode.
- 29. The apparatus defined in claim 23, and further comprising a porous pad overlying said anode to polish said conductive material.
- 30. The apparatus defined in claim 23, wherein said anode area is circular.
- 31. The apparatus defined in claim 23, wherein said anode area is non-circular.
- 32. The apparatus defined in claim 23, wherein said wafer is displaced so as to move said wafer frontal side with respect to the anode and the electrical contacts.
- 33. The apparatus defined in claim 23, wherein said anode and said electrical contacts are displaced so as to move said wafer frontal side with respect to the anode the electrical contacts.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the priority of U.S. provisional application No. 60/203,944, filed May 12, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60203944 |
May 2000 |
US |