Patent ID: 8012332

Claim:
A plating method for plating a substrate, the plating method comprising: providing a substrate holder having a first supporting member and a second supporting member for holding the substrate, a seal member, and a conductor for providing electricity to a surface to be plated of the substrate; holding the substrate by clamping the substrate between the first and second supporting members such that a peripheral edge of the surface to be plated of the substrate, another surface of the substrate and the conductor are sealed from liquid with the seal member; transferring the substrate held by the substrate holder to a pre-wetting tank; immersing the substrate held by the substrate holder into a pre-wetting liquid so that a hydrophilic property of the surface to be plated of the substrate is improved; transferring the pre-wetted substrate held by the substrate holder to a plating tank; immersing the pre-wetted substrate held by the substrate holder into a plating liquid and connecting the conductor to an external electrode; electroplating the pre-wetted substrate by supplying electricity between the surface to be plated of the substrate and an anode in the plating liquid; transferring the substrate held by the substrate holder into a cleaning tank; cleaning the substrate held by the substrate holder and the substrate holder together with a cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank; removing the cleaning liquid from the surfaces of the substrate and the substrate holder by blowing air; removing the substrate from the substrate holder by opening the first and second supporting members of the substrate holder; and drying the substrate by spinning the substrate.