A method of performing an immersion tin process in the production of a component carrier is provided which includes immersing at least a part of a copper surface of the component carrier in a composition containing Sn(II) in an immersion tin unit, while passing a non-oxidizing gas through the immersion tin unit, wherein at least part of the non-oxidizing gas is recycled. In addition, an apparatus for performing an immersion tin process in the production of a component carrier, a method of performing a copper plating process in the production of a component carrier and an apparatus for performing a copper plating process in the production of a component carrier are provided.

A method for forming a nickel plated graphene hollow sphere is based on self assembly of graphene under the actions of a rotation force and the van der Waals force, and an electroless nickel plating process performed on the exposed surface of the graphene by means of a hydrothermal method. The method is simple to implement at low cost, and the nickel plated graphene hollow sphere product can be produced with good reproducibility and a high yield. The nickel plated graphene hollow sphere formed by the present method can exhibit good electromagnetic wave absorbing performances of both nickel and graphene, and may have a lower overall density.

A method of performing an immersion tin process in the production of a component carrier is provided which includes immersing at least a part of a copper surface of the component carrier in a composition containing Sn(II) in an immersion tin unit, while passing a non-oxidizing gas through the immersion tin unit, wherein at least part of the non-oxidizing gas is recycled. In addition, an apparatus for performing an immersion tin process in the production of a component carrier, a method of performing a copper plating process in the production of a component carrier and an apparatus for performing a copper plating process in the production of a component carrier are provided.

An electrolytic plating apparatus includes a plating tank that is filled with plating liquid; a moving mechanism configured to vertically move a processing target substrate in a direction normal to a surface of the plating liquid; a seal member that is disposed at a peripheral edge portion of a processing target surface of a processing target substrate and is configured to seal the plating liquid to a center side of the processing target surface when the processing target substrate is immersed in the plating tank; and a contact member that is separated from the seal member and is electrically connected to the processing target surface.

Upon use of an immersion tin plating solution, contaminants build in the solution, which cause the plating rate and the quality of the plated deposit to decrease. One primary contaminant, which builds in the plating solution upon use, is hydrogen sulfide, H.sub.2S. If a gas is bubbled or blown through the solution, contaminants, especially hydrogen sulfide, can be effectively removed from the solution and, as a result, the high plating rate and plate quality can be restored or maintained. In this regard, any gas can be used, however, it is preferable to use a gas that will not detrimentally interact with the solution, other than to strip out contaminants. Nitrogen is particularly preferred for this purpose because it is efficient at stripping out contaminants, including hydrogen sulfide, but does not induce the oxidation of the tin ions from their divalent state to the tetravalent state, which is detrimental.

At least one plating pen is brought into aligned relationship with at least one hole defined in a board. The pen includes a central retractable protrusion, a first shell surrounding the protrusion and defining a first annular channel therewith, and a second shell surrounding the first shell and defining a second annular channel therewith. The protrusion is lowered to block the hole and plating material is flowed down the first channel to a surface of the board and up into the second channel, to form an initial deposit on the board surface. The protrusion is raised to unblock the hole, and plating material is flowed down the first annular channel to side walls of the hole and up into the second annular channel, to deposit the material on the side walls of the hole.

An electrolytic plating apparatus includes a plating tank that is filled with plating liquid; a moving mechanism configured to vertically move a processing target substrate in a direction normal to a surface of the plating liquid; a seal member that is disposed at a peripheral edge portion of a processing target surface of a processing target substrate and is configured to seal the plating liquid to a center side of the processing target surface when the processing target substrate is immersed in the plating tank; and a contact member that is separated from the seal member and is electrically connected to the processing target surface.

Upon use of an immersion tin plating solution, contaminants build in the solution, which cause the plating rate and the quality of the plated deposit to decrease. One primary contaminant, which builds in the plating solution upon use, is hydrogen sulfide, H.sub.2S. If a gas is bubbled or blown through the solution, contaminants, especially hydrogen sulfide, can be effectively removed from the solution and, as a result, the high plating rate and plate quality can be restored or maintained. In this regard, any gas can be used, however, it is preferable to use a gas that will not detrimentally interact with the solution, other than to strip out contaminants. Nitrogen is particularly preferred for this purpose because it is efficient at stripping out contaminants, including hydrogen sulfide, but does not induce the oxidation of the tin ions from their divalent state to the tetravalent state, which is detrimental.

A substrate having at least one device; wherein the substrate having a conductive layer disposed on a top surface of the substrate, the top surface having an edge exclusion region defined as an annular area that extends to an edge of the substrate, the top surface of the substrate further having a process region defined as a central area of the substrate that extends to about the annular area; wherein the substrate having a metallic material deposited over the conductive layer at the edge exclusion region, wherein a thickness of the metallic material reduces electrical resistance of the metallic material at the edge exclusion region; wherein the thickness of the metallic material and resulting reduced electrical resistance for an applied electrical current to the metallic material facilitates increasing a rate at which the process region is plated as a result of the applied electrical current and an applied electroplating solution.

Provided are a plating apparatus and a container bath, which have a simpler structure than a conventional system and are capable of improving uniformity of a plating thickness. The plating apparatus includes a plating tank which stores a plating liquid, an anode member arranged inside the plating tank, a plating object arranged inside the plating tank to face the anode member, a cathode jig which contacts with the plating object, and a space formed between the anode member and the plating object to be a flow passage to which the plating liquid flows from the plating tank. The plating liquid flows into the space from above relative to the space, and is sucked by a pump from below relative to the space.