Patent ID: 8475637

Claim:
An apparatus for electroplating a layer of metal onto a conductive seed layer on a work piece, the apparatus comprising: a plating chamber configured to hold an electrolyte; a work piece holder configured to hold the work piece in the plating chamber during an electroplating process; a cathode contact associated with the work piece holder, the cathode contact being configured to electrically contact the work piece during plating; an anode contact configured to electrically contact an anode disposed in the plating chamber; a diffusing barrier disposed between the cathode contact and the anode contact; an electrolyte delivery path for delivering electrolyte to the plating chamber upstream of the diffusing barrier; an electrolyte return path for delivering electrolyte away from the plating chamber downstream of the diffusing barrier; and a vented electrolyte manifold disposed in the electrolyte delivery path immediately upstream from the plating chamber, the vented electrolyte manifold comprising one or more electrolyte delivery openings that open to the plating chamber, one or more vents that open to a location other than the plating chamber, a quiescent stage, and a de-bubbler stage separated from the quiescent stage by a wall configured to reduce electrolyte turbulence before the electrolyte enters the de-bubbler stage, the wall including one or more openings permitting passage of electrolyte between the quiescent stage and the de-bubbler stage wherein the wall is at a slanted angled towards an electrolyte feed tube configured to deliver electrolyte to a bottom of the vented manifold, and wherein the one or more openings of the wall are azimuthally spaced from the electrolyte feed tube.