Patent ID: 6402923
Filing Date: 2002-06-11
Classification: C25D,Y10S

Abstract:
An electrochemical reactor having a variable field-shaping capability for use in electroplating thin films, comprising:a reservoir operably configured to retain an electrolytic fluid; a cathode and an anode disposed in said reservoir to provide an electrical pathway through electrolytic fluid when said electrolytic fluid is present in said reservoir; at least one of said cathode and said anode including a wafer-holder; a shield positioned in said electrical pathway between said cathode and said anode and operably configured for shielding a surface area on a wafer in said wafer-holder when said wafer is held in said wafer-holder during electroplating operations, said shield including means, operable during electroplating operations, for selectively varying a parameter selected from the group consisting of a quantity of shielded surface area, a distance separating said shield from a wafer in said wafer holder, and combinations thereof.