Patent ID: 6221437
Filing Date: 2001-04-24
Classification: C25D

Abstract:
A process of plating a planar face of a substrate with a metal layer in an plating cell having a plating compartment that contains an plating solution in which the planar face of said substrate is immersed, sparger means introduces said plating solution into said plating compartment, drain outlet means carry plating solution and any entrained particulate matter from the plating compartment, means coupled between the drain outlet and the sparger means conditions and returns the solution through a return conduit to said sparger means; and a holder for said substrate includes a platen on which said substrate rests and a heater element behind said platen controllably heats said platen and said substrate; the process comprising the steps of: mounting said substrate onto said holder; introducing said plating solution through said sparger means into said compartment to fill the plating compartment and create a flow of said solution across said planar face; controllably heating said platen and the entire substrate to a temperature significantly above the temperature of said plating solution to an elevated temperature high enough to affect the grain structure of the plated metal layer; and after said substrate has been sufficiently plated, removing the substrate from said holder.