Patent ID: 6554976
Filing Date: 2003-04-29
Classification: C25D,Y10S

Abstract:
An apparatus for electroplating an object to be plated, said apparatus comprising:a plating tank; a main anode electrode provided in said plating tank; a main current source for supplying current to said main anode electrode; a cathode electrode connected to said object to be plated and attached to a lower portion of said plating tank beneath said main anode electrode; a plating bath constituted by draining used plating solution and supplying new plating solution at every plating procedure; at least one additional anode electrode provided lower in said plating tank than said main electrode and higher in said plating tank than said cathode electrode, said at least one additional anode electrode being located completely outside of a space directly between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode; and an additional current source connected to said at least one additional anode electrode, for supplying an additional current to said at least one additional anode electrode when said object to be plated is being dipped in the plating bath and electroplating is not carried out so that said object to be plated keeps cathode potential with respect to the plating solution.