Patent ID: 7682496

Claim:
An apparatus for depositing two or more PVD seed layers over a substrate, the substrate including a patterned insulating layer which comprises at least one opening surrounded by a field, the at least one opening having sidewalls, top corners, and bottom, and the apparatus comprising: one or more PVD chambers adapted to deposit PVD seed layers over the substrate; and a controller which includes recipe information, said recipe information includes deposition sequence and process parameters for operation of the one or more PVD chambers, wherein the controller, in response to the recipe information, causes a PVD chamber to deposit in a single step a continuous PVD seed layer over the sidewalls and bottom of the at least one opening using a first set of deposition parameters, and causes a PVD chamber to deposit another PVD seed layer over the substrate, using a second set of deposition parameters, wherein (a) the second set of deposition parameters includes at least one deposition parameter which is different than in the first set of deposition parameters, (b) at least one of said seed layers comprises a material selected from a group consisting of Cu, Ag, or alloys comprising one or more of these metals, (c) said another PVD seed layer has no substantial overhangs over the top corners of the at least one opening, (d) the combined seed layers provide a low electrical resistance path over the field to enable uniform plating across the substrate, and (e) the controller causes the stopping of the deposition of the continuous PVD seed layer and the another PVD seed layer prior to filling the at least one opening, thereby leaving enough room for electroplating inside the at least one opening.