A surface treatment method for a metal member includes the steps of: (a) imparting a charge to one region of the metal member; and (b) forming a first coating by applying a first coating material to the other region of the metal member, the first coating material containing an insulating resin.

A method for applying a metal on a substrate comprises: a) applying a coating by treatment in a plasma, comprising a compound selected from alkanes up to 10 carbon atoms, and unsaturated monomers, and b1) producing polymers on the surface of the substrate, the polymers comprising carboxylic groups and adsorbed ions of a second metal, reducing the ions to the second metal, or alternatively b2) producing polymers on the surface, bringing the surface of the substrate in contact with a dispersion of colloidal metal particles of at least one second metal, and c) depositing the first metal on the second metal. Advantages include that materials sensitive to, for instance, low pH or solvents can be coated. Substrates including glass, SiO.sub.2 with very few or no abstractable hydrogen atoms as well as polymer materials containing halogen atoms can be coated with good adhesion.

Even when a stress is applied due to energization or switching operation, a connection state of electrode layers can be appropriately maintained. A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer of first conductivity type, an upper surface structure formed on a surface layer of the semiconductor layer, and an upper surface electrode formed over the upper surface structure. The upper surface electrode includes a first electrode formed on an upper surface of the semiconductor layer, and a second electrode formed over an upper surface of the first electrode. The first concave portion is formed on the upper surface of the first electrode. A side surface of the first concave portion has a tapered shape. The second electrode is formed over the upper surface of the first electrode including an inside of the first concave portion.

An electroless process for depositing gold (Au.sup.0) from a solution, comprising allowing gold (Au.sup.0) place from a solution of gold thiocyanate complex dissolved in a mixture of water-miscible organic solvent and water, or the deposition of gold (Au.sup.0) takes place on a deposition-directing layer comprising positively charged organic groups, said layer being provided on at least a portion of a surface of a substrate sought to be gold-coated.

Provided are a magnetic disk and a method of fabricating the magnetic disk. The magnetic disk includes an aluminum alloy plate fabricated by a process involving a CC method and a compound removal process, and an electroless NiP plating layer disposed on the surface of the plate. The aluminum alloy plate is composed of an aluminum alloy containing 0.4 to 3.0 mass % (hereinafter abbreviated simply as %) of Fe, 0.1% to 3.0% of Mn, 0.005% to 1.000% of Cu, 0.005% to 1.000% of Zn, with a balance of Al and unavoidable impurities. In the magnetic disk, the maximum amplitude of waviness in a wavelength range of 0.4 to 5.0 mm is 5 nm or less, and the maximum amplitude of waviness in a wavelength range of 0.08 to 0.45 mm is 1.5 nm or less.

A composite member includes: a substrate formed of a composite material containing a plurality of diamond grains and a metal phase; and a coating layer made of metal. The surface of the substrate includes a surface of the metal phase, and a protrusion formed of a part of at least one diamond grain of the diamond grains and protruding from the surface of the metal phase. In a plan view, the coating layer includes a metal coating portion, and a grain coating portion. A ratio of a thickness of the grain coating portion to a thickness of the metal coating portion is equal to or less than 0.80. The coating layer has a surface roughness as an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of less than 2.0 m.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holder configured to horizontally hold and rotate a substrate which has a recess and a base metal layer exposed from a bottom surface of the recess; and a pre-cleaning liquid supply configured to supply a pre-cleaning liquid such as dicarboxylic acid or tricarboxylic acid onto the substrate being held and rotated by the substrate holder, to thereby pre-clean the base metal layer. A temperature of the pre-cleaning liquid on the substrate is equal to or higher than 40 C.

A film forming apparatus is connected to a carbon steel purification system piping of a BWR plant (S1). Formic acid (surface purification agent) is injected into a circulation piping of the film forming apparatus (S4). A surface purification agent aqueous solution containing 30000 ppm of formic acid is contacted with the inner surface of the purification system piping, and a large amount of Fe.sup.2+ is dissolved from the purification system piping, and a large amount of electrons are generated by this dissolution. Thereafter, a formic acid Ni aqueous solution is injected into the surface purification agent aqueous solution to produce a film forming aqueous solution (S5). The film forming aqueous solution storing the electrons is contacted with the inner surface of the purification system piping, and Ni ions incorporated into the inner surface are reduced by the electrons, and a Ni metal film is formed on the inner surface. Platinum ions and a reducing agent are injected into the circulation piping (S9, S10), and an aqueous solution containing the platinum ions and the reducing agent is supplied to the purification system piping to deposit platinum on the surface of the Ni metal film.

A base plate is arranged to define a portion of a housing of a hard disk drive, and includes a base body defined by casting, and an electrodeposition coating film arranged to cover a surface of the base body. The surface of the base body includes a coated surface covered with the electrodeposition coating film, and a flat worked surface exposed from the electrodeposition coating film. The worked surface may include a gate position to which a gate has been connected at the time of the casting. At least a portion of the worked surface is covered with an impregnant.

Methods of enhancing the corrosion resistance of an oxidizable material exposed to a supercritical fluid is disclosed One method includes placing a surface layer on an oxidizable material, and choosing a buffered supercritical fluid containing a reducing agent with the composition of the buffered supercritical fluid containing the reducing agent chosen to avoid the corrosion of the surface layer or reduce the rate of corrosion of the surface layer and avoid the corrosion of the oxidizable material or reduce the rate of corrosion of the oxidizable material at a temperature above the supercritical temperature and supercritical pressure of the supercritical fluid.