Patent ID: 7874260

Claim:
An apparatus for electroless plating of a substrate, comprising: a vessel having an interior cavity defined by a cavity surface contour; a chuck having a top surface defined to hold a substrate such that a top surface of the substrate to be plated is maintained in a substantially level orientation facing upward, the chuck designed to fit within the vessel interior cavity such that a gap exists between a periphery of the chuck and the vessel interior cavity surface, the chuck including a body portion formed below the top surface of the chuck, the body portion having an exterior surface contour that substantially matches the cavity surface contour; and a shaft connected to a bottom region of the chuck and designed to effect movement of the chuck in a vertical direction within the vessel interior cavity such that a lowering of the chuck to bring the exterior surface of the chuck body portion within close proximity to the vessel interior cavity surface causes an electroless plating solution present between the chuck and vessel to be displaced upward and flow in a substantially uniform manner through the gap between the periphery of the chuck and vessel interior cavity surface and over the top surface of the chuck.