Abstract: To make a metal feature, a non-plateable layer is applied to a workpiece surface and then patterned to form a first plating region and a first non-plating region. Then, metal is deposited on the workpiece to form a raised field region in said first plating region and a recessed region in said first non-plating region. Then, an accelerator film is applied globally on the workpiece. A portion of the accelerator film is selectively removed from the field region, and another portion of the accelerator film remains in the recessed acceleration region. Then, metal is deposited onto the workpiece, and the metal deposits at an accelerated rate in the acceleration region, resulting in a greater thickness of metal in the acceleration region compared to metal in the non-activated field region. Then, metal is completely removed from the field region, thereby forming the metal feature.

Abstract: To make a metal feature, a non-plateable layer is applied to a workpiece surface and then patterned to form a first plating region and a first non-plating region. Then, metal is deposited on the workpiece to form a raised field region in said first plating region and a recessed region in said first non-plating region. Then, an accelerator film is applied globally on the workpiece. A portion of the accelerator film is selectively removed from the field region, and another portion of the accelerator film remains in the recessed acceleration region. Then, metal is deposited onto the workpiece, and the metal deposits at an accelerated rate in the acceleration region, resulting in a greater thickness of metal in the acceleration region compared to metal in the non-activated field region. Then, metal is completely removed from the field region, thereby forming the metal feature.

Abstract: An accelerator solution is globally applied to a workpiece to form an accelerator film, and then a portion of the accelerator film is selectively removed from the workpiece to form an acceleration region having a higher concentration of accelerator. The higher concentration of accelerator causes metal to deposit at a faster rate in the acceleration region than in a non-accelerated region for the duration of metal deposition. To make a metal feature, a resist layer is applied to a workpiece surface and patterned to form a recessed region and a field region. Then, a metal seed layer is deposited on the workpiece surface. An accelerator solution is applied so that an accelerator film forms on the metal seed layer. A portion of the accelerator film is selectively removed from the field region, leaving another portion of the accelerator film in the recessed region.

Abstract: An excited surfactant species is created by generating plasma discharge in a surfactant precursor gas. A surfactant species typically includes at least one of iodine, led, thin, gallium, and indium. A surface of an integrated circuit substrate is exposed to the excited surfactant species to form a plasma-treated surface. A ruthenium thin film is deposited on the plasma-treated surface using a CVD technique.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for flexibly bonding an integrated circuit package to a printed circuit board are provided. The apparatus includes a semiconductor having first and second sides, where the first side defines an inner region and peripheral region. The inner region is surrounded by the peripheral region. An interposer having a substantially similar coefficient of thermal expansion to the semiconductor is included. A dielectric region surrounding the interposer is included. The dielectric region is configured to be partially elastic. A plurality of posts extends transversely through the dielectric region. The post have first and second ends where the first end is configured to be attached to the peripheral region of the semiconductor chip. The second ends of the posts are configured to be attached to an external assembly, wherein the posts are able to absorb stress due to a thermal expansion mismatch between the external assembly and the interposer.

Abstract: Ionized Physical Vapor Deposition (IPVD) is provided by a method of apparatus (500) particularly useful for sputtering conductive metal coating material from an annular magnetron sputtering target (10). The sputtered material is ionized in a processing space between the target (10) and a substrate (100) by generating a dense plasma in the space with energy coupled from a coil (39) located outside of the vacuum chamber (501) behind a dielectric window (33) in the chamber wall (502) at the center of the opening (421) in the sputtering target. A Faraday type shield (26) physically shields the window to prevent coating material from coating the window, while allowing the inductive coupling of energy from the coil into the processing space.

Abstract: A method for forming conductive features in dielectric materials is disclosed which includes providing a dielectric layer and forming a release layer over the dielectric layer. Then a feature is defined into the each of the release layer and the dielectric layer and a conductive material is filled over the release layer and into the feature. The release layer is then removed where the removing serves to remove the conductive material from over the dielectric layer previously covered by the release layer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for flexibly bonding an integrated circuit package to a printed circuit board are provided. The apparatus includes a semiconductor having first and second sides, where the first side defines an inner region and peripheral region. The inner region is surrounded by the peripheral region. An interposer having a substantially similar coefficient of thermal expansion to the semiconductor is included. A dielectric region surrounding the interposer is included. The dielectric region is configured to be partially elastic. A plurality of posts extends transversely through the dielectric region. The post have first and second ends where the first end is configured to be attached to the peripheral region of the semiconductor chip. The second ends of the posts are configured to be attached to an external assembly, wherein the posts are able to absorb stress due to a thermal expansion mismatch between the external assembly and the interposer.

Abstract: Ionized Physical Vapor Deposition (IPVD) is provided by a method of apparatus (500) particularly useful for sputtering conductive metal coating material from an annular magnetron sputtering target (10). The sputtered material is ionized in a processing space between the target (10) and a substrate (100) by generating a dense plasma in the space with energy coupled from a coil (39) located outside of the vacuum chamber (501) behind a dielectric window (33) in the chamber wall (502) at the center of the opening (421) in the sputtering target. A Faraday type shield (26) physically shields the window to prevent coating material from coating the window, while allowing the inductive coupling of energy from the coil into the processing space.

Abstract: Ionized physical vapor deposition (IPVD) is provided by a method of apparatus for sputtering conductive metal coating material from an annular magnetron sputtering target. The sputtered material is ionized in a processing space between the target and a substrate by generating a dense plasma in the space with energy coupled from a coil located outside of the vacuum chamber behind a dielectric window in the chamber wall at the center of the opening in the sputtering target. Faraday type shields physically shield the window to prevent coating material from coating the window, while allowing the inductive coupling of energy from the coil into the processing space. The location of the coil in the plane of the target or behind the target allows the target to wafer spacing to be chosen to optimize film deposition rate and uniformity, and also provides for the advantages of a ring-shaped source without the problems associated with unwanted deposition in the opening at the target center.