Embodiments utilize an electro-chemical process to deposit a metal gate electrode in a gate opening in a gate replacement process for a nanosheet FinFET device. Accelerators and suppressors may be used to achieve a bottom-up deposition for a fill material of the metal gate electrode.

A substrate having a recess, a diffusion barrier layer defining the recess, and a wiring exposed at a bottom of the recess is prepared. A metal ion, having a concentration not causing precipitation of a metal even when an electroless plating liquid comes into contact therewith, is attached to the diffusion barrier layer. The metal is precipitated in the recess by supplying the electroless plating liquid into the recess in a state that the metal ion is attached to the diffusion barrier layer.

According to one embodiment, an etching method includes etching a surface made of a semiconductor and having a catalyst layer formed on the surface, by an etching agent in contact with the surface. The catalyst layer contains noble metal. The etching agent contains an oxidizer, a corrosive agent, and a N-containing polymer agent.

A method of making a composite material includes disposing a carbon-based particulate material, such as graphene or carbon nanotubes, in an activation solution and activating surfaces of the carbon-based particulate material using the activation solution. Once the surfaces of the carbon-based particulate material have been activated, a metallic coating is applied to the activated surfaces to form a composite material. The composite material is then recovered as a particulate material formed having carbon-based particulate material with a metallic coating that is suitable for fusing together for forming electrical conductors, such as with an additive manufacturing technique.

A coating agent for forming an oxide film; a method for producing an oxide film; and a method for producing a metal-plated structure, where the stability of the coating agent can be enhanced, and an oxide film which can be plated and has high adhesion to a substrate can be easily formed. The coating agent for forming an oxide film is a liquid coating agent, essentially contains titanium atoms, and optionally contains silicon atoms and copper atoms, wherein the ratio of the sum of the titanium atoms and copper atoms to the silicon atoms is 1:0-3:2. The method for producing an oxide film includes applying the coating agent to a substrate and heating to form an oxide film. The method for producing a metal-plated structure includes: a metal-film-forming step for forming a metal film on the oxide film; and a baking step for baking the metal film.

The present invention discloses a method for electroless plating of a metal or metal alloy onto a metal or a metal alloy structure comprising a metal such as molybdenum or titanium and alloys containing such metals. The method comprises the steps of activation, treatment in an aqueous solution comprising at least one nitrogen-containing compound or a hydroxy carboxylic acid and electroless plating of a metal or metal alloy.

An electrically conductive material with which excellent conduction reliability can be achieved for an oxide layer. The electrically conductive material contains electrically conductive particles including resin core particles, a plurality of electrically insulating particles being disposed on the surface of the resin core particles and forming protrusions, and an electrically conductive layer being disposed on the surface of the resin core particles and the electrically insulating particles, a Mohs' hardness of the electrically insulating particles being greater than 7. As a result, the electrically conductive particles pierce and sufficiently penetrate the oxide layer of the electrode surface so that excellent conduction reliability can be achieved.

Electrically conductive proppant and methods for energizing and detecting the electrically conductive proppant in a single wellbore are disclosed. The methods can include performing numerical simulations solving Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism for electric and/or magnetic fields to determine temporal characteristics of an optimum input wave form and a recording sensor location to be used in a wellbore that extends into a subterranean formation having a fracture that is at least partially filled with proppant and an electrically conductive material, wherein the numerical simulations are based upon an earth model determined from geophysical logs and/or geological information. The method can also include electrically energizing a casing of the wellbore, measuring three dimensional (x, y, and z) components of electric and/or magnetic field responses in the wellbore, and determining a location of the electrically conductive proppant through comparison of the electric and/or magnetic field responses to the numerical simulations.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing coated carbon nanotubes, the method comprising the steps of: functionalizing the carbon nanotubes in a solvent comprising a silane polymer; coating the carbon nanotubes with a SiO.sub.2 layer; depositing metal catalyst particles on the SiO.sub.2 layer of the carbon nanotubes; and performing electroless plating to form an Ag coating on the SiO.sub.2 layer of the carbon nanotubes. The invention also relates Ag-coated CNTs, and to the use of Ag-coated CNTs as interconnects in a flexible electronic film.

The invention relates to nickel-coated hexagonal boron nitride nanosheet composite powder, its preparation and high-performance composite ceramic cutting tool material. The composite powder has a core-shell structure with BNNS as the core and Ni as the shell. The self-lubricating ceramic cutting tool material is prepared by wet ball milling mixing and vacuum hot-pressing sintering with a phase alumina as the matrix, tungsten-titanium carbide as the reinforcing phase, nickel-coated hexagonal boron nitride nanosheet composite powder as the solid lubricant and magnesium oxide and yttrium oxide as the sintering aids. The invention also provides preparation methods of the nickel-coated hexagonal boron nitride nanosheet composite powder and the self-lubricating ceramic cutting tool material.