Providing a holding device which can hold a plurality of types of workpieces and can reliably prevent a liquid in a liquid tank from leaking. The holding device includes a holding member configured to hold an article (workpiece) to be plated in a holding chamber. The article is disposed over a liquid tank in which a plating solution (liquid) flows and the holding chamber communicating with the liquid tank. The holding member has a plurality of abutting parts which closely abut against portions of an outer periphery of the article at a same level thereby to hold the article therebetween. The abutting parts are formed of a sponge sheet (elastic body) with chemical resistance. The holding device includes a pressurizing unit configured to supply air into the holding chamber to pressurize an atmosphere in the holding chamber while the article is held by the holding member.

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.

A metal coated article includes a platinum-group metal region adjacent a refractory metal region, which is adjacent a substrate comprising an inorganic material. A refractory metal carbide layer is adjacent the substrate and the refractory metal layer is adjacent the refractory metal carbide layer. The platinum-group metal region comprises a refractory metal/platinum-group metal layer and a platinum-group metal layer. Related methods are also disclosed.

Systems and methods for controlling stray fields of a magnetic feature are provided. One such method can involve selecting a plurality of materials for a magnetic feature, selecting a plurality of additives, combining the plurality of materials for the magnetic feature and the plurality of additives in an electrolyte solution to form a combined solution, adding nitrogen to the combined solution, degassing the combined solution, depositing the combined solution as a thin film on a wafer using pulse plating, and lapping the thin film to form an edge of the magnetic feature. In several embodiments, the magnetic feature is a component of a magnetic transducer such as a writer pole, a reader shield, or a writer shield.

According to one embodiment, an electroplating method includes, arranging an anode having passages through which a plating solution flows and a cathode to face each other via a resist mask, in a reaction section storing the plating solution, and setting a potential of the cathode to a negative potential to the anode, to form a metal plated film on the surface of the cathode.

A method of depositing aluminum onto a substrate is disclosed. In this method, the substrate is disposed as cathode in an electrochemical cell with an anode and a liquid electrodeposition composition comprising an ionic liquid and a source of aluminum, and aluminum is electroplated onto the substrate. Residual water content in the electroplating bath is controlled by exposure to light in the presence of a photo-oxidation catalyst to decompose the water or species associated with water.

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.

Disclosed are pre-wetting apparatus designs and methods. In some embodiments, a pre-wetting apparatus includes a degasser, a process chamber, and a controller. The process chamber includes a wafer holder configured to hold a wafer substrate, a vacuum port configured to allow formation of a subatmospheric pressure in the process chamber, and a fluid inlet coupled to the degasser and configured to deliver a degassed pre-wetting fluid onto the wafer substrate at a velocity of at least about 7 meters per second whereby particles on the wafer substrate are dislodged and at a flow rate whereby dislodged particles are removed from the wafer substrate. The controller includes program instructions for forming a wetting layer on the wafer substrate in the process chamber by contacting the wafer substrate with the degassed pre-wetting fluid admitted through the fluid inlet at a flow rate of at least about 0.4 liters per minute.

Disclosed are novel electrolytes, and techniques for making and devices using such electrolytes, which are based on compressed gas solvents. Unlike conventional electrolytes, disclosed electrolytes are based on compressed gas solvents mixed with various salts, referred to as compressed gas electrolytes. Various embodiments of a compressed gas solvent includes a material that is in a gas phase and has a vapor pressure above an atmospheric pressure at a room temperature. The disclosed compressed gas electrolytes can have wide electrochemical potential windows, high conductivity, low temperature capability and/or high pressure solvent properties. Examples of a class of compressed gases that can be used as solvent for electrolytes include hydrofluorocarbons, in particular fluoromethane, difluoromethane, tetrafluoroethane, pentafluoroethane. Also disclosed are battery and supercapacitor structures that use compressed gas solvent-based electrolytes, techniques for constructing such energy storage devices. Techniques for electroplating difficult-to-deposit materials using compressed gas electrolytes as an electroplating bath are also disclosed.