An electroplating system includes an enclosure with an interior, an anode lead extending through the enclosure and into the interior, and a porous body. The porous body is supported within the interior of the enclosure for coupling an electroplating solution within the interior with a workpiece. A conduit extends through the enclosure and into the interior of the enclosure to provide a flow of nitrogen enriched air to the interior of enclosure for drying and removing oxygen from the electroplating solution.

An electroplating system includes an enclosure with an interior, an anode lead extending through the enclosure and into the interior, and a porous body. The porous body is supported within the interior of the enclosure for coupling an electroplating solution within the interior with a workpiece. A conduit extends through the enclosure and into the interior of the enclosure to provide a flow of nitrogen enriched air to the interior of enclosure for drying and removing oxygen from the electroplating solution.

Disclosed are pre-wetting apparatus designs and methods. These apparatus designs and methods are used to pre-wet a wafer prior to plating a metal on the surface of the wafer. Disclosed compositions of the pre-wetting fluid prevent corrosion of a seed layer on the wafer and also improve the filling rates of features on the wafer.

An ionic liquid composition comprising a complex of a trihalo aluminum (III) species with at least one organic uncharged ligand comprising a ring structure having at least three ring carbon atoms and at least one ring heteroatom selected from nitrogen and sulfur, wherein the complex is a liquid at a temperature of 100 C. or less. Methods of electroplating aluminum onto a metallic substrate using the above-described ionic liquid composition are also described.

The present invention includes methods of manufacturing a metal infused graphitic material. Also described is how this device may be rendered impermeable. The present invention includes the electroplating/electroless deposition of metal on exposed internal and external surfaces of a porous graphitic substrate. The deposition of metal on the internal structure is accomplished by replacing the void space in the porous substrate with an electrolyte solution containing dissolved metallic species. The plating is initiated either through electrochemical means, electroless means, chemical vapor deposition means, or other means obvious to one familiar in the art of metal plating. A post-deposition bath is also described wherein the plating may be removed from one or both sides of the external surface without impacting the internal pore plating.

Systems and methods for generating return journey notifications include obtaining a request for navigational directions to a target destination. An outbound journey route from an initial location to the target destination can be determined, wherein the outbound journey route includes an estimated outbound journey time. A return journey route from the target destination to a return destination can be determined, wherein the return journey route includes an estimated return journey time. The outbound journey route and/or return journey route can be determined at least in part from one or more of current traffic conditions or historical traffic conditions. One or more notifications regarding the return journey route can be generated when comparing the estimated outbound journey time to the estimated return journey time results in a determination that one or more predetermined criteria are met.

In one aspect, an apparatus includes a plating cell, a degassing device configured to remove oxygen from the plating solution prior to the plating solution flowing into the plating cell; an oxidation station configured to increase an oxidizing strength of the plating solution after the plating solution flows out of the plating cell; and a controller. The controller includes program instructions for causing a process that includes operations of: reducing an oxygen concentration of the plating solution where the plating solution contains a plating accelerator; then, contacting a wafer substrate with the plating solution having reduced oxygen concentration and electroplating a metal such that the electroplating causes a net conversion of the accelerator to a less-oxidized accelerator species within the plating cell; then increasing the oxidizing strength of the plating solution causing a net re-conversion of the less-oxidized accelerator species back to the accelerator outside the plating cell.

A conductive electrode wire for use in an electric discharge machine (EDM) is provided, comprising a core wire comprised of one single metal or an alloy of multiple metals with a coating deposited by the electro-plasma process, wherein such coatings are alloys of zinc and nickel. A process for treating a surface of an electrically conductive workpiece, such as a core wire, is also provided.

Methods, systems, and apparatus for coating the internal surface of nano-scale cavities on a substrate are contemplated. A first fluid of high wettability is applied to the nano-scale cavity, filling the cavity. A second fluid carrying a conductor or a catalyst is applied over the opening of the nano-scale cavity. The second fluid has a lower vapor pressure than the first fluid. The first fluid is converted to a gas, for example by heating the substrate. The gas exits the nano-scale cavity, creating a negative pressure or vacuum in the nano-scale cavity. The negative pressure draws the second fluid into the nano-scale cavity. The conductor is deposited on the interior surface of the nano-scale cavity, preferably less than 10 nm thick.

A method that can plate a predetermined position on various plating targets without implementing a pretreatment thereon is provided. A plating method is performed on a plating target using a plating solution, and the plating method includes at least a bubble ejection step of ejecting a bubble generated by a bubble ejection member to a plating solution. The bubble ejection member includes an electrode formed of a conductive material and an insulating material covering at least a part of the electrode, at least a part of the insulating material forms a bubble ejection port, and an air gap surrounded by the insulating material is formed between at least a part of the electrode and the bubble ejection port.