Disclosed herein is a display panel in which a space between a color filter substrate and an array substrate is filled with liquid crystals. The cell gap between the color filter substrate and the array substrate is maintained by a column spacer and a filling pattern with which a contact hole is filled. Accordingly, it is possible to stress damage to an alignment film by the movement of the column spacer even if the display panel is deformed by external force. In addition, the contact hole is filled with the filling pattern, thereby suppressing overcoming the problem of insufficient or excessive amount of liquid crystals.

A liquid crystal display device includes first and second substrates, liquid crystal layer, and first and second spacer sections. The first substrate has a first surface including a light-shielding region in a lattice form and a plurality of opening regions surrounded by the light-shielding region. The light-shielding region includes a plurality of first extended portions extending in a first direction and a plurality of second extended portions extending in a second direction that intersects the first direction. The first substrate has a plurality of transistors formed thereon. The second substrate has a second surface that is opposed to and spaced from the first surface. The liquid crystal layer is arranged between the first and second surfaces. The first spacer section has long sides oriented in the second direction, and the second spacer section has long sides oriented in the first direction. The spacer sections protrude into the liquid crystal layer.

A circuit board is provided and the circuit board is used for being attached to a matching board. The circuit board includes a first circuit pattern and an attaching state inspection area, and the attaching state inspection area further includes a third circuit pattern. A liquid crystal display device is further provided, including the circuit board and the matching board, the matching board includes a second circuit pattern matching the circuit board. It is more accurate to judge the attaching state between the circuit board and the matching board by detecting the deformation state of the conductive particles in vacant areas at different locations after the circuit board is attached to the matching board.

An electrooptic device includes a liquid crystal panel as an electrooptic panel, a first terminal group provided on the liquid crystal panel, the first terminal group including a plurality of terminals arranged in an X direction, and a second terminal group provided on the liquid crystal panel at a position separated from the first terminal group in a Y direction different from the X direction, the second terminal group including a plurality of terminals arranged in the X direction at a terminal arrangement pitch different from that of the first terminal group.

In various embodiments magnetically actuated liquid crystals are provided as well as method of manufacturing such, methods of using the liquid crystals and devices incorporating the liquid crystals. In one non-limiting embodiment the liquid crystals comprise Fe3O4 nanorods where the nanorods are coated with a silica coating.

A fixture for preventing deformation of a glass panel of a display module, for receiving and fixing a light guide plate and a glass panel. It comprises an array cell and a color filter cell. The array cell is provided with a metal routing layer. The color filter cell is provided with a color resist layer. The fixture consists and a lower fixing end, with upper ends, the array cell and the color filter cell received in the upper fixing end, while lower ends thereof received in the lower fixing end, so the color resist layer in the color filter cell and the metal routing layer in the array cell are aligned in parallel. By a gap between the glass panel and the inner side face and bottom surface, the glass panel fine tunes properly for quick recovery by virtue of its gravity when deformation occurs.

A method of forming a front frame of an LCD includes: providing a rectangle frame; disposing bending lines on the side frames of the rectangle frame; adhering a layer of buffering material to the part of the side frame that is on the inner side of the bending line, where the part of the side frame that is on the inner side of the bending line refers to the part of the side frame that is between the bending line and the inner edge of the side frame; and stamping and bending the rectangle frame along the bending line. The present invention can align the layer of buffering material with the inner edge of the side frame so that the layer of buffering material does not extend to the open area of the front frame, therefore does not affect the display of the liquid crystal panel.

A back plate of a liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes a first region as an appearance of the entire LCD device, in which a plurality of first and second reinforcing ribs crossing each other are disposed, the plurality of first reinforcing ribs are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction, and an angle α between the first reinforcing rib and a vertical direction ranges from 40° to 50°. The plurality of second reinforcing ribs are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction, and an angle β between the second reinforcing rib and the vertical direction ranges from 40° to 50°. Each of the first reinforcing ribs at least crosses one of the second reinforcing ribs. A liquid crystal display device including the back plate as described above is also disclosed.

A liquid crystal display according to an embodiment includes a display panel, a functional panel on the display panel, a first support unit configured to support the functional panel, a light-emitting unit below the display panel, a second support unit configured to support the light-emitting unit and being attached to the first support unit, and a dual sealing tape configured to bind the first support unit and the second support unit together, and to seal a gap between the first support unit and the second support unit.

Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device that may include a backlight unit including a light guiding plate with a light-incidence portion and an optical sheet portion disposed on the light guiding plate; and a panel support member for supporting a rear edge portion of a liquid crystal display panel, and preparing an air gap between the light guiding plate and one edge portion of the optical sheet portion disposed on the light-incidence portion, wherein it is possible to prevent defects of front luminance in the light-incidence portion with a small bezel width, and to improve mechanical reliability.

According to one embodiment, a display device includes a liquid crystal display panel, a cover panel on a display surface of the liquid crystal display panel, a backlight unit opposed to the liquid crystal display panel, a case covering the backlight unit and the liquid crystal display panel, and including at least a part fixed to the cover panel, and an adhesive provided on the cover panel along the liquid crystal display panel. The adhesive includes a surface opposite to the cover panel, a first area on the surface, and a second area on the surface, located on an inner side closer to the liquid crystal display panel than the first area. The part of the case is adhered to the second area.

According to one embodiment, a display device includes a cover panel, a display panel opposed to the cover panel, an adhesive layer provided between the cover panel and the display panel and attaching the display panel to the cover panel, the adhesive layer including a first area to which the display panel is fixed and a second area located further outward than an outer periphery of the display panel, a backlight unit opposed to the display panel, and a case containing the display panel and the backlight unit, at least a part of the case being fixed to the cover panel by the second area of the adhesive layer.

A liquid crystal display (LCD) is presented. The LCD includes: a substrate; a plurality of thin film transistors disposed on the substrate; a plurality of liquid crystal (LC) layers disposed within a plurality of microcavities on the substrate; a partition wall disposed between the LC layers adjacent in a first direction; and signal lines disposed between the LC layers and the partition wall and connected to the plurality of thin film transistors.

A backlight unit includes a bottom cover; a plurality of light sources on the bottom cover; a first support side at an area directly along a first edge of the bottom cover adjacent to a corner of the bottom cover; and a second support side directly adjacent to the first support side and along the first edge of the bottom cover. The first support side includes a first vertical portion, and a first inclined portion connected to a top of the first vertical portion. The second support side includes a second vertical portion, and a second inclined portion connected to a top of the second vertical portion.

A backlight module and a display device are provided. The backlight module includes a light source, a plate-shaped light intensity splitting component and a reflecting sheet, wherein, the plate-shaped light intensity splitting component and the reflecting sheet are oppositely arranged to form an empty light guide space therebetween, and the plate-shaped light intensity splitting component is configured to split incident light from the light source into reflected light facing to the reflecting sheet and transmission light passing through the plate-shaped light intensity splitting component. The backlight module without adopting a light guide plate can save cost for manufacturing the backlight module and is advantageous to improve light utilization efficiency.

A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal between a TFT substrate including pixels formed in a matrix, and a counter substrate. A pixel electrode is formed in an area surrounded by scanning lines and video signal lines. A common electrode is formed in a lower layer of the pixel electrode through an interlayer insulating film. A long side of the pixel electrode of a first pixel is inclined at a first angle clockwise at a right angle to the extending direction of the scanning line. A long side of the pixel electrode of a second pixel is inclined at the first angle counterclockwise at a right angle to the extending direction of the scanning line. The liquid crystal is a negative type liquid crystal. Further, a protrusion formed in the long side of the pixel electrode has a side parallel to the extending direction of the scanning line.

A liquid crystal display includes a display panel, an opposite display panel, a liquid crystal layer between the display panel and the opposite display panel. The display panel includes a first base substrate, a pretilt alignment stabilization layer including a polymer of a reactive mesogen, a first vertical alignment layer including a decomposition product of a polymerization initiator between the first base substrate and the pretilt alignment stabilization layer, and a pattern electrode between the first base substrate and the first vertical alignment layer. The opposite display panel includes a second base substrate, a patternless electrode on the second base substrate, and a second vertical alignment layer on the patternless electrode, which includes the decomposition product of the polymerization initiator. The liquid crystal layer includes a liquid crystal composition having negative dielectric anisotropy. A surface of the LCD that faces a viewer has a concave shaped curve.

To provide a liquid crystal display device, in which the vertical alignment property of the liquid crystal is high, favorable transparency when no voltage is applied and favorable scattering property when a voltage is applied are achieved, and the adhesion between the liquid crystal layer and the vertical liquid crystal alignment film is high. A liquid crystal display device, which comprises a liquid crystal layer formed by disposing a liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable compound which undergoes a polymerization reaction by ultraviolet rays, between a pair of substrates provided with an electrode, and irradiating the liquid crystal composition with ultraviolet rays and curing it in such a state that the liquid crystal composition partly or entirely shows liquid crystallinity, and at least one of the substrates being provided with a liquid crystal alignment film to vertically align a liquid crystal, wherein the liquid crystal alignment film is a liquid crystal alignment film obtained from a liquid crystal aligning agent containing a polymer having a first side chain structure and a second side chain structure.

The present disclosure provides a method for rubbing an alignment layer on a substrate with a plurality of spacers that are arranged in rows and columns and a liquid crystal display panel. The method includes: determining a first rubbing direction and a second rubbing direction in such a manner that the second rubbing direction is an arrangement direction of liquid crystal molecules when the liquid crystal molecules are arranged correctly on the alignment layer, and an angle between the first rubbing direction and the second rubbing direction is greater than or equal to arctan (b/a), where a represents a row pitch between the spacers and b represents a width of one spacer; performing a first rubbing on the alignment layer in the first rubbing direction; and performing a second rubbing on the alignment layer in the second rubbing direction. The second rubbing direction is different from the first rubbing direction.

The disclosure provides a display device. The pixel electrode of the display device includes a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode having the same electric potential. The first interlayer is formed between the first substrate and the first pixel electrode. Adjacent two of the first strip-shaped branches of the first interlayer form a first gap to expose part of the first substrate. The common electrode layer is disposed over the second substrate. The pixel electrode is positioned between the first substrate and the display medium layer. The first pixel electrode extends to cover the first gap. A difference between a maximum distance between the first pixel electrode and the common electrode layer and a maximum distance between the second pixel electrode and the common electrode layer is 0.1 μm to 0.4 μm.

A display apparatus includes a liquid crystal layer between first and second substrates. The first and second scan lines along a first direction are disposed adjacently above the first substrate. A first region defined by the first and second data/scan lines includes the first and second sub-pixel regions. The first sub-pixel region includes a first TFT (connected to the first scan line and the first data line) and a first electrode electrically connected to the first TFT. A first common electrode disposed above the first substrate includes the first and second portions connected to each other. The first portion is positioned between the first electrode and the first data line, and the second portion is positioned between the second electrode and the first data line, wherein a width of the first portion in the first direction is greater than a width of the second portion in the first direction.

According to one embodiment, a liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel which includes a pixel electrode, a liquid crystal layer and an alignment film, and a driver. The driver drives the pixel electrode at a drive frequency of 1 to 20 Hz. The alignment film has a resistivity of 5×1014 Ω·cm or more.

An array substrate and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The method has the following steps of: fabricating a switch array layer on a substrate; forming a color resist layer having a red color filter, a green color filter and a blue color filter on the switch array layer, and a through hole in the color resist layer; forming a transparent conductive layer on the color resist layer; and forming a light shield layer on the transparent conductive layer.

A liquid display device is provided. The liquid crystal display device includes a first base substrate, a first signal line disposed on the first base substrate and extended in a first direction, a second signal line disposed on the first base substrate, extended in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and insulated from the first signal line, a thin film transistor disposed on the first base substrate and electrically connected to the first signal line and the second signal line, a pixel electrode electrically connected to the thin film transistor, and a shield pattern disposed on a same layer as but spaced apart from the pixel electrode, overlapped with the thin film transistor, and including a material same as a material of the pixel electrode.

A deskew display panel is disclosed in present invention. The deskew display panel includes a plurality of data lines arranged in a column direction, a plurality of scanning lines perpendicular to the column direction and intersecting the data lines; a sub-pixel array including a plurality of sub-pixels arranged in array, each sub-pixel including a transistor and disposed between any two neighboring scanning lines and any two neighboring data lines; the scanning lines disposed in the sub-pixel array and parallel to each other; sub-pixels in each row including a plurality of sub-pixel sets, each sub-pixel set including two sub-pixels, the sub-pixel including the transistor, gates of the transistors connected to two neighboring scanning lines respectively, sources of the transistors connected to the same data line, and drains of the transistors connected to a liquid crystal capacitor and a storage capacitor.

A display of an electric device includes a plurality of separated transparent electrode blocks, which are configured to provide one or more of supplemental features such as touch recognition. Signal paths between the transparent electrode blocks and the driver for the supplemental feature are implemented with a plurality of conductive lines placed under positioned under one or more planarization layers. The conductive lines implementing the signal paths are routed across the display area, directly toward a non-display area where drive-integrated circuits are located.

Carbon allotropes, a thin-film transistor array substrate comprising the same, and a display device comprising the same are disclosed. The thin-film transistor array substrate comprising a substrate, a gate electrode on the substrate, a gate insulating film on the gate electrode, an active layer positioned on the gate insulating film and comprising a semiconductor material and a plurality of carbon allotropes, and a source electrode and a drain electrode that make contact with the active layer.

An electronic device includes, a light source having a peak emission at a wavelength between about 440 nm to about 480 nm; and a photoconversion layer disposed on the light source, wherein the photoconversion layer includes a first quantum dot which emits red light and a second quantum dot which emits green light,wherein at least one of the first quantum dot and the second quantum dot has a perovskite crystal structure and includes a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1: AB'X3+α Chemical Formula 1 wherein A is a Group IA metal, NR4+, or a combination thereof, B' is a Group IVA metal, X is a halogen, BF4−, or a combination thereof, and α is 0 to 3.

A liquid-crystal display (LCD) device includes: an array substrate on which a sub-pixel is disposed; a color filter substrate on which a color filter corresponding to the sub-pixel is disposed; and a liquid-crystal layer between the array substrate and the color filter substrate. The array substrate comprises a lens hole, the color filter substrate comprises a lens hole guide, and a diameter of the lens hole is smaller than an inner diameter of the lens hole guide.

According to one embodiment, a laminated film includes a first adhesive layer, a first insulating layer which faces the first adhesive layer, a first metal layer which is located between the first adhesive layer and the first insulating layer, and a first porous layer which is located between the first adhesive layer and the first insulating layer and faces the first metal layer.

An analytical tool is provided for analysis of a sample by capillary electrophoresis. The analytical tool includes an inlet reservoir into which a sample is introduced, a capillary tube in communication with the inlet reservoir, a filter through which a liquid from the inlet reservoir passes, an enlarged portion undergoing a sudden increase in a cross-sectional area and being in communication with the inlet reservoir and the capillary tube, and a pressure fluctuation reducer for preventing pressure fluctuation at the enlarge portion from affecting a liquid in the capillary tube.

A single molecule sensing or detecting device includes a first electrode and a second electrode separated from the first electrode by a gap. The first electrode and the second electrode have an opening formed therethrough. At least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is functionalized with a recognition molecule. The recognition molecule has an effective length L1 and is configured to selectively bind to a target molecule having an effective length L2. The size of the gap is configured to be greater than L2, but less than or equal to the sum of L1 and L2.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an In—Cu alloy sputtering target member having high compositional homogeneity in the thickness direction. The present invention provides a sputtering target member having a composition containing from 1 to 70 at. % of Cu relative to a total number of atoms of In and Cu, the balance being In and inevitable impurities, wherein the target member fulfills 0.95≦A/B≦1, where A represents a Cu atomic concentration relative to the total number of atoms of In and Cu in one half of a thickness direction; B represents a Cu atomic concentration relative to the total number of atoms of In and Cu in the other half of the thickness direction; and B≧A; and wherein a number of pores having a size of 100 μm or more is less than 10/cm2 on average.

A process train for a floating production storage and offloading installation includes a crude oil storage tank that is equipped with at least one set of electrostatic internals arranged to provide a treatment flow path isolated from a surrounding volume of the electrostatic separator section of the tank. An oil-and-water stream or mixture entering the set of electrostatic internals travels along the treatment flow path and is subjected to an electric field. The treatment flow path is in an upwardly direction toward the oil outlet section and in a downwardly opposite direction toward the water outlet section of the tank. Employing electrostatic internals within the tank permits an allowable inlet water content into the tank of up to 80%, significantly reducing the required topside processing equipment.

Methods and apparatus for treating an exhaust gas in a foreline of a substrate processing system are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for treating an exhaust gas in an exhaust conduit of a substrate processing system includes: flowing an exhaust gas and a reagent gas into an exhaust conduit of a substrate processing system; injecting a non-reactive gas into the exhaust conduit to maintain a desired pressure in the exhaust conduit for conversion of the exhaust gas; and forming a plasma from the exhaust gas and reagent gas, subsequent to injecting the non-reactive gas, to convert the exhaust gas to abatable byproduct gases.

The present application discloses methods and apparatus for conversion of quantized vibrational energy. The present application discloses, by driving a medium that comprises arranged nuclei with one or more selected driving frequencies, the arranged nuclei in the medium are induced to oscillate coherently at one or more oscillating frequencies. The mechanical vibrational energy of the oscillating nuclei interacts with the oscillating medium. The interaction between the vibrational energy and the oscillating medium effectuates up-conversion or down-conversion of quantized vibrational energy.

The invention discloses a composite material used for catalyzing and degrading nitrogen oxide and its preparation method and application thereof. The invention of the hollow g-C3N4 nanospheres/reduced graphene oxide composite-polymer carbonized nanofiber material is prepared as follow: 1) the preparation of silica nanospheres; 2) the preparation of hollow g-C3N4 nanospheres; 3) the preparation of graphene oxide; 4) the preparation of surface modified hollow g-C3N4 nanoparticles preparation; 5) the preparation of composites; 6) the preparation of composite-polymer carbon nanofiber material. The raw materials used in the process is low cost and easy to get; the operation of the invention is simple and convenient without the use of expensive equipment in the whole process; the composite has high adsorption efficiency of ppb level nitrogen oxide with good repeatability.

Microfluidic devices having an electrowetting configuration and an optimized droplet actuation surface are provided. The devices include a conductive substrate having a dielectric layer, a hydrophobic layer covalently bonded to the dielectric layer, and a first electrode electrically coupled to the dielectric layer and configured to be connected to a voltage source. The microfluidic devices also include a second electrode, optionally included in a cover, configured to be connected to the voltage source. The hydrophobic layer features self-associating molecules covalently bonded to a surface of the dielectric layer in a manner that produces a densely-packed monolayer that resists intercalation and or penetration by polar molecules or species. Also provided are microfluidic devices having an electrowetting configuration that further include a section or module having a dielectrophoresis configuration; systems that include any of the microfluidic devices in combination with an aqueous droplet and a fluidic medium immiscible with the medium of the aqueous droplet; related kits; and methods of manipulating droplets, optionally containing micro-objects such as biological cells, within the microfluidic devices.

Certain exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards an apparatus for electrostatic fluid filtration. The apparatus utilizing alternating positive and negative electrodes in conjunction with filter media there between to filter contaminants from a fluid flow.

Electrolytic liquid generating device (1) includes laminated body (41) in which conductive film (46) is laminated to be interposed between mutually adjacent electrodes (44, 45), and electrolytic part (40) which electrolyzes liquid. Furthermore, electrolytic liquid generating device (1) includes a passage having inflow port (71) in which liquid to be provided to electrolytic part (40) flows and outflow port (72) from which electrolytic liquid generated in electrolytic part (40) flows out. The passage is formed such that liquid flowing direction (X) crosses laminated direction (Z) of laminated body (41).

A process train for a floating production storage and offloading installation includes a crude oil storage tank equipped with at least one set of electrostatic internals. The set of electrostatic internals are arranged to provide a treatment flow path within the crude oil storage tank oblique to a longitudinal centerline of the crude oil storage tank and through an electric field provided by the set of electrostatic internals. Employing these electrostatic internals within the tank permits an allowable inlet water content into the tank of up to 80%, significantly reducing the required topside processing equipment. The process and system also includes, upstream of the tank, two separator vessels arranged in parallel so each receives a portion of an incoming oil-and-water stream, a flash vessel arranged downstream of the two separator vessels, and a degasser vessel. Downstream of the crude oil storage tank is an electrostatic treater.

A system and method for dehydrating crude oil on a floating production storage and offloading installation include a separator vessel to receive an incoming produced water stream, followed by a flash vessel, a treatment block, a crude oil storage tank, and an electrostatic treater. The treatment block includes a low pressure degasser followed by a compact electrostatic separator pre-treater or a compact electrostatic separator pre-treater followed by a low pressure degasser. The flash vessel and/or the low pressure degasser may employ an inlet cyclonic distributor and demisting cyclones, while the electrostatic treater may employ DUAL FREQUENCY® technology. The separator vessel may be a single horizontal two-phase separator/degasser or two vertical two-phase separator/degassers that operate in parallel with each receiving approximately 50 percent of the incoming produced water stream. The final outlet stream preferably contains no more than 0.5 BS&W and 285 milligrams per liter salt.

Methods are provided for production of a composite layer comprising a plastic foil and a layer deposited directly thereon. A method for production of a composite layer comprising a plastic foil and at least one layer deposited directly onto the plastic foil by means of chemical gas-phase deposition within a vacuum chamber may be provided, wherein the plastic foil has a proportion of at least 20 percent by mass of a metal element or of a semiconductor element, wherein during the layer deposition, at least one monomer is supplied into the vacuum chamber and a plasma is formed within the vacuum chamber. After completed deposition of the layer, at least one surface region of the layer is exposed to accelerated electrons.

For coating substrates (S) having along their surfaces to be coated high aspect ratio vias, a sputtering system has a sputtering source arrangement, which includes a first DC pulse operated magnetron sub-source (1203) and a second frame-shaped magnetron sub-source (1213) which latter is arranged, in the system, between the substrate (S) and the first magnetron sub-source (1203). The second magnetron sub-source (1213) may be operated in DC, pulsed DC, thereby also HIPIMS mode. The first magnetron sub-source (1203) is advantageously also operated in HIPIMS mode. The substrate (S) is biased by an Rf power source (1253).

A magnetically enhanced low temperature high density plasma chemical vapor deposition (LT-HDP-CVD) source has a hollow cathode target and an anode, which form a gap. A cathode target magnet assembly forms magnetic field lines substantially perpendicular to the cathode surface. A gap magnet assembly forms a magnetic field in the gap that is coupled with the cathode target magnetic field. The magnetic field lines cross the pole piece electrode positioned in the gap. The pole piece is isolated from ground and can be connected to a voltage power supply. The pole piece can have negative, positive, floating, or RF electrical potentials. By controlling the duration, value, and sign of the electric potential on the pole piece, plasma ionization can be controlled. Feed gas flows through the gap between the hollow cathode and anode. The cathode can be connected to a pulse power or RF power supply, or cathode can be connected to both power supplies. The cathode target and substrate can be inductively grounded.

An Al—Te—Cu—Zr alloy sputtering target, comprising 20 at % to 40 at % of Te, 5 at % to 20 at % of Cu, 5 at % to 15 at % of Zr and the remainder of Al, wherein a Te phase, a Cu phase and a CuTe phase are not present in a structure of the target. An object of the present invention is to provide an Al—Te—Cu—Zr alloy sputtering target capable of effectively reducing particle generation, nodule formation and the like upon sputtering and further capable of reducing oxygen contained in the target.

A magnetically enhanced HDP-CVD plasma source includes a hollow cathode target and an anode. The anode and cathode form a gap. A cathode target magnet assembly forms magnetic field lines that are substantially perpendicular to a cathode target surface. The gap magnet assembly forms a cusp magnetic field in the gap that is coupled with the cathode target magnetic field. The magnetic field lines cross a pole piece electrode positioned in the gap. This pole piece is isolated from ground and can be connected with a voltage power supply. The pole piece can have a negative, positive, or floating electric potential. The plasma source can be configured to generate volume discharge. The gap size prohibits generation of plasma discharge in the gap. By controlling the duration, value and a sign of the electric potential on the pole piece, the plasma ionization can be controlled. The magnetically enhanced HDP-CVD source can also be used for chemically enhanced ionized physical vapor deposition (CE-IPVD). Gas flows through the gap between hollow cathode and anode. The cathode target is inductively grounded, and the substrate is periodically inductively grounded.

A film is sputter-deposited on an essentially plane, extended surface of a substrate which has recesses therein, namely at least one of grooves, of holes, of bores, of vias, of trenches. So as to establish on one hand a homogeneous thickness distribution of the film along the addressed surface of the substrate and, on the other hand, a thick film deposition within the recesses, sputter deposition is performed first at a large distance between a sputter surface of a target and the addressed surface of the substrate and then at a reduced distance between the addressed surfaces.

A plating apparatus is described. The apparatus includes: a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate in a vertical position; at least one processing bath configured to process the substrate held by the substrate holder; a transporter configured to grip and horizontally transport the substrate holder; at least one lifter configured to receive the substrate holder from the transporter, lower the substrate holder to place the substrate holder in the processing bath, elevate the substrate holder from the processing bath after processing of the substrate, and transfer the substrate holder to the transporter; and a controller configured to control operations of the transporter and the lifter.

An electrochemical polishing apparatus is provided for polishing a workpiece having at least one sharp object. According to the present invention, the electrolyte is driven to flow to the sharp object and the electrochemical processing is performed for polishing the sharp object.