Abstract: An electrolytic processing apparatus, prior to carrying out plating directly on, e.g., a ruthenium film of a substrate using the ruthenium film as a seed layer, can securely remove a passive layer formed on a surface of the ruthenium film even when the substrate is a large-sized high-resistance substrate, such as a 300-mm wafer, thereby reducing the terminal effect during the subsequent plating, improving the quality of a plated film and enabling filling of a void-free plated film into a fine interconnect pattern.

Abstract: A plating method is capable of mechanically and electrochemically preferentially depositing a plated film in fine interconnect recesses such as trenches and via holes, and depositing the plated film to a flatter surface. The plating method including: disposing a substrate having fine interconnect recesses such that a conductive layer faces an anode; disposing a porous member between the substrate and the anode; filling a plating solution between the substrate and the anode; and repeating a process of holding the conductive layer and the porous member in contact with each other and moving the conductive layer and the porous member relatively to each other, a process of passing an electric current between the conductive layer and the anode while keeping the conductive layer still with respect to the porous member, and a process of stopping the supply of the electric current between the conductive layer and the anode.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are set forth capable of processing a substrate with a high uniformity within the surface area even for a thin feeding layer. The method comprises arranging a counter electrode and the substrate to confront each other; providing a membrane between the counter electrode and the substrate to define a substrate side region and a counter electrode side region. The substrate side region and the counter electrode side region are capable of accommodating respective electrolytes. The substrate side region and the counter electrode side region are supplied with respective electrolytes having different specific resistances. A processing current is also supplied between the substrate and the counter electrode.

Abstract: A substrate processing method makes it possible to fill interconnect recesses, such as trenches, with a defect-free interconnect material by carrying out electroplating directly on a surface of a ruthenium film as a barrier layer. The substrate processing method comprises: providing a substrate having interconnect recesses formed in a substrate surface and having a ruthenium film formed in the entire substrate surface including interior surfaces of the interconnect recesses; keeping the substrate surface in contact with a plating solution for a predetermined time to adsorb an additive in the plating solution onto the ruthenium film, and then carrying out electroplating to form a conductive film on a surface of the ruthenium film.

Abstract: A plating method is capable of preferentially precipitating a plated film fully and uniformly in trenches and via holes according to a mechanical and electrochemical process, and of easily forming a plated film having higher flatness surface without being affected by variations in the shape of trenches and via holes. The plating method includes a first plating process and a second plating process. The second plating process is performed by filling a plating solution between an anode and a substrate, with a porous member placed in the plating solution, repeatedly bringing the porous member and the substrate into and out of contact with each other, passing a current between the anode and the substrate while the porous member is being held in contact with the substrate.

Abstract: A method for improving visual ability of even a patient's non-operative eye is provided. The electrical stimulation method for improving vision of patient's eyes comprises placing an electrode in one of patient's right and left eyes, and outputting an electrical stimulation pulse signal from the electrode placed in the patient's eye under a predetermined stimulation condition to stimulate cells constituting a retina or optic nerve, thereby improving vision of the other patient's eye with no electrode being placed.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrolytic processing apparatus which is capable of increasing an in-plane uniformity of a film thickness of a plated film by making more uniform an electric field distribution over an entire surface to be processed of a substrate even if the substrate has a large area, and controlling more uniformly a speed, over the entire surface to be processed of the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus can carry out removal of a passive layer (ruthenium oxide) present on a surface of a ruthenium film and electroplating successively, and can reduce the terminal effect at the time of the removal of the passive layer (ruthenium oxide) from the ruthenium film. The substrate processing apparatus includes: an electrolytic processing apparatus for electrochemically removing a passive layer, formed on a surface of a ruthenium film on a substrate, by electrolytic processing with the ruthenium film as a cathode; a copper electroplating apparatus for carrying out copper electroplating on the surface of the ruthenium film on the substrate; and an apparatus frame housing the electrolytic processing apparatus and the copper electroplating apparatus.

Abstract: A porous member cleaning method enables effective cleaning of the interior of a porous member even when it has a small pore size, a high density and a large volume. The porous member cleaning method includes: disposing a porous member in a hermetic space, and cleaning the interior of the porous member with a pressurized cleaning liquid passing through the interior of the porous member; and then disposing the porous member in said hermetic space or in a different hermetic space, and supplying pressurized pure water to the interior of the porous member so that the pure water passes through the interior of the porous member.

Abstract: An electroplating apparatus can form a plated film having a more uniform thickness and good film quality over an entire surface of a substrate having a conductive layer (seed layer) whose resistivity is equal to or higher than that of copper.

Abstract: The present invention provides a plating apparatus for a substrate which can plate a substrate under uniform pressure without increasing a load to be applied while holding the entire surface of a porous member in contact with the surface, to be plated, of the substrate. The plating apparatus for a substrate, includes: a substrate holder for holding a substrate; a cathode unit having a seal member for abutting against and sealing, in a water-tight manner, a peripheral portion of a surface, to be plated, of the substrate held by the substrate holder, and a cathode electrode which is brought into contact with the substrate to supply current to the substrate.

Abstract: A drug dispenser which can easily align drugs when filling it with the drugs. In a drug dispenser in which a lowermost drug of a plurality of drugs (100) stacked in a vertical direction and contained in a drug case (1) is pushed out in a horizontal direction to dispense it, a door (7) is provided on the front surface of the drug case (1). A drug aligning device (second door 11) is provided on the inner surface of the door (7), the drug aligning device pushes the front ends of the plurality of drugs (100) contained in the drug case (1) to align the rear ends thereof when the door (7) is closed.

Abstract: A medicine dispensing device capable of appropriately dispensing medicines independent of their form and having a compact structure. The medicine dispensing device has a device body (1) and a medicine conveyance member (3) for conveying, on one by one basis, medicines (D) arranged in rows in the device body (1). The medicine conveyance member (3) has a medicine holding member (40) reciprocatingly moving in the horizontal and vertical directions. The medicine holding member (40) has a support member (42), a forwardly/backwardly moving member (43) reciprocatingly moving in the forward and backward direction of the device body (1) while being supported by the support member(42), and a holding member (44) supported by the forwardly/backwardly moving member (43) so as to swing between a vertical position and a horizontal position and having a pair of holding sections (54) capable of holding a medicine (D).

Abstract: A vision regeneration assisting device for regenerating vision of a patient, comprising: a plurality of electrodes which are stuck and placed into an optic disc of the patient; a setting unit with which first output conditions for an electrical stimulation pulse signal from at least one of the electrodes are set variably; a storage unit which stores a generation position of a phosphene specific to the patient in association with the first output conditions for the stimulation signal that has caused to generate the phosphene, the storage unit storing various first output conditions for the stimulation signals and the generation positions of the phosphenes caused by the stimulation signals based on the various first output conditions in association with each other; a processor which sets second output conditions for the stimulation signal based on image data obtained by an external photography unit and the generation positions of the phosphenes stored in the storage unit, and converts the obtained image data in

Abstract: A plating apparatus can keep concentrations of components of a plating solution constant over a long period of time and can stably form a plated film having a more uniform thickness on a surface of a substrate while minimizing an amount of the plating solution used.

Abstract: A plating method is capable of depositing a plated film having excellent in-plane uniformity with respect to a thin seed layer and excellent embeddability with respect to fine damascene structures. The plating method includes: positioning an electric resistor between a conductive layer formed on at least a portion of a surface of a substrate and an anode; introducing respectively a plating solution into a space between the conductive layer and the anode on a conductive layer side, and an anode solution into a space between the conductive layer and the anode on an anode side, thereby filling the space with a plating bath composed of the plating solution and the anode solution, with the plating solution containing 25 to 75 g/L of copper ions and at least 0.4 mole/L of an organic acid or an inorganic acid, and the anode solution being of the same composition as the plating solution, or containing 0 to 75 g/L of copper ions and at most 0.

Abstract: A sufficiently high-transparent light transmitting substrate with a transparent conductive film, which is a light transmitting substrate with a transparent conductive film, includes a light transmitting substrate and a continuous transparent conductive film having a thickness of 12 to 2 nm formed on the light transmitting substrate. The transparent conductive film is made of an aggregate of columnar single crystals and has a maximum surface roughness within a range from 1 to 20 nm. It also has an average surface roughness within a range from 0.1 to 10 nm and is a thin film made of a tin-doped indium oxide. Tin atoms are uniformly distributed in the thin film made of the tin-doped indium oxide.

Abstract: A plating apparatus can securely carry out a flattening plating of a substrate to form a plated film having a flat surface without using a costly mechanism, and without applying an extra plating to the substrate. The plating apparatus includes a substrate holder; a cathode section having a seal member for watertightly sealing a peripheral portion of the substrate, and a cathode electrode for supplying an electric current to the substrate; an anode disposed in a position facing the surface of the substrate; a porous member disposed between the anode and the surface of the substrate; a constant-voltage control section for controlling a voltage applied between the cathode electrode and the anode at a constant value; and a current monitor section for monitoring an electric current flowing between the cathode electrode and the anode, and feeding back a detection signal to the constant-voltage control section.

Abstract: The present invention provides a drug dispenser which can push the drug in a stable state and discharge it. The drug dispenser comprises a drug case 1 for containing a plurality of drugs 100 stacked in a vertical direction, each of the plurality of drugs 100 is packed in a rectangular package with a flange 100a, and a pushing mechanism 3 for pushing out the lowermost drug 100 in a horizontal direction. A guide member 35 for supporting and guiding the flange 100a? of the second drug 100? when the lowermost drug 100 is pushed out is provided in a pushing direction of the drug 100.

Abstract: The present invention provides a drug dispenser which can easily align the drugs when filling it with the drugs. In a drug dispenser in which a lowermost drug of a plurality of drugs 100 stacked in a vertical direction and contained in a drug case 1 is pushed out in a horizontal direction to dispense it, a door 7 is provided on the front surface of the drug case 1. A drug aligning means (second door) 11 is provided on the inner surface of the door 7, the drug aligning means 11 pushing the front ends of the plurality of drugs 100 contained in the drug case 1 to align the rear ends thereof when the door 7 is closed.