Methods and apparatus for forming porous silicon layers are provided. In some embodiments, an anodizing bath includes: a housing having a first volume to hold a chemical solution; a cathode disposed within the first volume at a first side of the housing; an anode disposed within the first volume at a second side of the housing, opposite the first side, wherein a face of each of the cathode and the anode have a given surface area; a substrate holder configured to retain a plurality of substrates along a perimeter thereof within the first volume in a plurality of substrate holding positions, a plurality of vent openings fluidly coupled to the first volume to release process gases, wherein a top of each of the plurality of vent openings are disposed above a chemical solution fill level in the first volume.

A surface treatment device utilizes an electrode device. The electrode device is provided with a closed part facing a bottom part of a bottomed hole when inserted inside the bottomed hole, and a flow through hole linking the inside and outside of the electrode device is formed in the electrode device. When surface treatment is implemented on the inner wall surface of the bottomed hole, the hollow electrode device is inserted into the inside of the bottomed hole, the electrolytic treatment solution is made to flow through the space inside the bottomed hole, and power is applied across the electrode device and the inner wall surface of the bottomed hole. The closed part faces the bottom part of the bottomed hole as an electrode across a prescribed surface area; therefore, electroplating at the bottom part of the bottomed hole proceeds to the same extent as other sites.

An anodic-oxidation equipment for forming a porous layer on a substrate to be treated, including: an electrolytic bath filled with an electrolytic solution; an anode and a cathode disposed in the electrolytic solution; and a power supply for applying current between the anode and the cathode in the electrolytic solution, wherein the anode is the substrate to be treated, and the cathode is a silicon substrate having a surface on which a nitride film is formed. This provides a cathode material in anodic-oxidation for forming porous silicon by an electrochemical reaction in an HF solution, the cathode material having a resistance to electrochemical reaction in an HF solution and no metallic contamination, etc., and furthermore, being less expensive than a conventional cathode material. Furthermore, high-quality porous silicon is provided at a lower cost than has been conventional.

Fabricating an electrode for capacitor includes performing a first set of one or more preliminary oxide formation operations on a sheet of material. The method also includes performing a capacitance test on the sheet of material so as to determine the capacitance of the sheet of material after the one or more preliminary oxide formation operations. The method proceeds on a first path in response to a first result of the capacitance test and on a second path in response to a second result of the capacitance test. The first path includes performing a second set of the one or more preliminary oxide formation operations on the sheet of material so as to reduce the capacitance of the sheet of material below the determined capacitance. The second path excludes performing any preliminary oxide formation operations on the sheet of material.

An electrode device is provided with a closed part facing a bottom part of a bottomed hole when inserted inside the bottomed hole, and a flow through hole linking the inside and outside of the electrode device is formed in the electrode device. When surface treatment is implemented on the inner wall surface of the bottomed hole, the hollow electrode device is inserted into the inside of the bottomed hole, the electrolytic treatment solution is made to flow through the space inside the bottomed hole, and power is applied across the electrode device and the inner wall surface of the bottomed hole. The closed part faces the bottom part of the bottomed hole as an electrode across a prescribed surface area; therefore, electroplating at the bottom part of the bottomed hole proceeds to the same extent as other sites.

An oxidation apparatus of planar metal surfaces, comprises: a tank within which the planar metal surface being treated is laid; an electrical power supply circuit with the two heads of the electrical power supply of the circuit placed in contact with electrodes with high electrical conductivity; a first planar electrode is placed below the metal surface being treated on a bottom of the aforementioned tank; an electrolyte is placed in the tank to close the electrolytic oxidation circuit; a second electrode is placed sliding and spaced on the planar metal surface under treatment in an immersed position at the level of the electrolyte in the tank; and it has the second electrode constituted by a conductive roller placed so as to roll on the planar metal surface being treated, avoiding contact between the cylindrical surface of the roller electrode and the planar metal surface being treated by means of the interposition of a permeable spacer element; the permeable spacer element is made of material resistant to the electrolytic action of oxidation and at least placed on one of the two surfaces, the cylindrical one of the roller electrode or the planar metallic one being treated, neither of which must come into contact.

The invention relates to a method of processing of materials using a moving interface, the method comprising: providing a working material, the working material comprising a substrate with a metallic film on at least one side of the substrate; providing an energy source adjacent to the working material, where the energy source is electrical current between a cathode and the working material as an anode; providing for relative controlled movement between the working material and the energy source, where the relative controlled movement is a motor attached to the working material via a linkage; activating the energy source such that the energy processes the working material; moving the energy source and/or the working material relative to the other to control the amount of processing of the working material achieved by the energy, where the processing of the working material is anodization; immersing the working material at a controlled speed into an anodizing bath equipped with a cathode; starting anodization of the metallic film at the edge of the metallic film furthest from the anode connection and just below the anodization bath, and immersing the working material into the bath such that the anodization is moved up the metallic film towards the edge nearest the anode connection, resulting in a complete conversion to oxide, except for a non-anodized small metal or conductive edge where the anode voltage is connected to the workpiece.

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a housing comprising a first surface opened while facing a first direction, a second surface facing a second direction that is opposite to the first direction, and one or more side parts disposed in different directions between the first surface and the second surface, a nonconductive structure disposed along at least a portion of the at least one side wall within the housing, and one or more stop recesses including at least one recess formed on one surface of the one or more side parts and a portion of the nonconductive structure surrounding a peripheral portion of the at least one recess.

An electrode holder and a method for producing an electrode for an aluminum electrolytic capacitor are provided that enable prevention of exfoliation of a porous layer during chemical formation even when the porous layer is formed on an aluminum electrode so as to have a thickness of 200 micrometers or greater. When an aluminum electrode 10 having at least one surface 11 on which a porous layer 17 having a thickness of 200 micrometers or greater is formed is subjected to chemical formation in a chemical formation solution, the aluminum electrode 10 is held by an electrode holder 50. The electrode holder 50 includes: an insulating first support plate 51 configured to overlap the one surface 11 of the aluminum electrode 10; an insulating second support plate 52 configured to overlap the other surface 12 of the aluminum electrode 10; and a connecting part 53 configured to connect the first support plate 51 and the second support plate 52 to each other. A portion of the first support plate 51 that overlaps the porous layer 17 while being in contact therewith is formed with a porous member 510.

A station for localized surface treatment of an industrial workpiece to be treated includes: at least one treatment chamber having a cell or two half-cells, each cell or half-cell delimiting a tight space between walls of the cell or half-cell and a respective portion or face of the industrial workpiece, the cell or each half-cell having a wall having an opening for covering a corresponding portion or face of the industrial workpiece, the opening of the cell or half-cell being delimited by a continuous sealing gasket, the cell or each half-cell including positioning means, the at least one treatment chamber having a supply and emptying circuit; and a plurality of storage vats each containing a treatment fluid, the supply and emptying circuit connecting each storage vat to the at least one treatment chamber so as to supply the at least one treatment chamber with respective treatment fluids.