Patent ID: 9236260
Filing Date: 2016-01-12
CPC Classification: H01L

Claim Text:
1. A method of forming a seedless electroplated metal on a semiconductor surface, comprising: providing a silicon substrate; forming a mask directly on the silicon substrate without a seed layer, the mask having a thickness of less than 100 nm, and the mask having openings with widths that are less than 100 nm; wherein the substrate is masked in regions of insulators and regions of silicon, and the silicon regions are isolated from other silicon regions; coating the substrate with a polymer that is compatible with a block copolymer (BCP) to allow the BCP to produce a desired mask pattern, the BCP chemically bonds to the substrate at locations of the silicon regions, the polymer having equal chemical affinity to different constituents of the BCP, and the BCP forming the desired mask pattern via phase separation, and the desired mask pattern has part of the BCP removed to expose the substrate; removing an oxide on the silicon substrate with buffered oxide etch (BOE) containing a surfactant; and electroplating a metal through the mask to form electrical connections on the silicon substrate, and the silicon substrate acts as a cathode to form plated electrical connections.