Blended contact fingers for preventing cracks during thin substrate handling

Abstract

A contact for providing a connection to a substrate in a substrate plating system includes a body having an arcuate shape. The arcuate shape of the body is configured to conform to a shape of at least a portion of a substrate arranged on a lip seal and a cup of the substrate plating system. A plurality of first contact fingers extend a first distance from the body. A plurality of second contact fingers extend a second distance from the body. The first distance is greater than the second distance.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A contact providing an electrical connection to a substrate in a substrate plating system, comprising:
 a body having an arcuate shape,   wherein the arcuate shape of the body is configured to conform to a shape of at least a portion of a substrate arranged on a lip seal and a cup of the substrate plating system;   a plurality of first contact fingers extending a first distance from the body; and   a plurality of second contact fingers extending a second distance from the body,   wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.   
     
     
         2 . The contact of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first contact fingers are configured to contact a seed layer arranged above a substrate bonded to a carrier substrate during plating. 
     
     
         3 . The contact of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of second contact fingers are configured to contact the carrier substrate at a location outward from a radially outer edge of the substrate during plating. 
     
     
         4 . The contact of  claim 1 , wherein ones of the plurality of first contact fingers alternate with ones of the plurality of second contact fingers. 
     
     
         5 . The contact of  claim 1 , wherein P of the plurality of first contact fingers are arranged immediate adjacent to one another and Q of the plurality of second contact fingers are arranged immediately adjacent to one another, where P and Q are integers greater than or equal to 1. 
     
     
         6 . The contact of  claim 5 , wherein P and Q are equal, greater than one and less than twenty. 
     
     
         7 . The contact of  claim 5 , wherein P is greater than Q. 
     
     
         8 . The contact of  claim 5 , wherein Q is greater than P. 
     
     
         9 . The contact of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of third contact fingers extending a third distance that is different than the first distance and the second distance. 
     
     
         10 . The contact of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of “U”-shaped cutouts located between the plurality of first contact fingers and the plurality of second contact fingers. 
     
     
         11 . The contact of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of first contact fingers are connected together at radially outer ends thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The contact of  claim 1 , wherein radially inner ends of at least one of the plurality of first contact fingers has a “V”-shaped profile. 
     
     
         13 . The contact of  claim 1 , wherein the first distance is in a range from 0.6 mm to 4.2 mm and the second distance is in a range from 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The contact of  claim 1 , wherein the first contact fingers have a thickness in a range from 0.001″ to 0.0045″ and the second contact fingers have a thickness in a range from 0.0035″ to 0.007″. 
     
     
         15 . The contact of  claim 1 , wherein the body of the contact is annular. 
     
     
         16 . The contact of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the contact includes N ones of the body,   each of the N ones spans 360°/N, and   the N ones are arranged in a contiguous manner around a periphery of the lip seal.   
     
     
         17 . A contact providing an electrical connection to a substrate in a substrate plating system, comprising:
 a first body having an arcuate shape and including:
 a plurality of first contact fingers extending a first distance from the first body; and 
 a plurality of first spaces located between selected ones of the plurality of first contact fingers; and 
   a second body having an arcuate shape and including:
 a plurality of second contact fingers extending a second distance from the second body; and 
 a plurality of second spaces located between selected ones of the plurality of first contact fingers, 
   wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance, and   wherein the first body and the second body are configured to overlap with the plurality of first contact fingers aligned with the plurality of second spaces and with the plurality of second contact fingers aligned with the plurality of first spaces.   
     
     
         18 . The contact of  claim 17 , wherein the plurality of second contact fingers are configured to contact a seed layer of a substrate bonded to a carrier substrate. 
     
     
         19 . The contact of  claim 18 , wherein the plurality of first contact fingers are configured to contact the carrier substrate radially outwardly from the substrate. 
     
     
         20 . The contact of  claim 17 , wherein the plurality of first contact fingers are configured to contact a seed layer outwardly from a radially outer edge of the substrate.