Patent ID: 7279079

Claim:
A plating apparatus comprising: a plating section for performing a plating process with the use of a plating liquid for plating a substrate with copper, the plating section having an insoluble anode; a copper dissolution tank connected to the plating section for communication of the plating liquid with the plating section and accommodating therein a copper supply source; a circulation mechanism for circulating the plating liquid through the plating section and the copper dissolution tank; a replacement liquid supplying section for supplying a replacement liquid into the copper dissolution tank, for prevention of deterioration of a surface of the copper supply source; and a control section which performs a control operation to circulate the plating liquid through the plating section and the copper dissolution tank when the plating process is performed in the plating section and to stop the circulation of the plating liquid and replace the plating liquid in the copper dissolution tank with the replacement liquid supplied from the replacement liquid supplying section after completion of the plating process in the plating section; wherein the control section performs a control operation to replace the plating liquid in the copper dissolution tank with the replacement liquid so as to prevent the concentration of copper ions in the plating liquid from increasing.